Marvel : Ms. Hyuga's journey

Although they are known as the five fingers of the Hand, they are not truly united internally. Madame Gao needs to reserve power to guard against some of her colleagues.

Therefore, even after the raid on the "washing powder" factory, the other five fingers of the Hand did not care much about it; in fact, they might have been pleased by the incident.

Although Madame Gao did not know their exact strength, from observing the battle earlier, she realized that it might take several of the five fingers of the Hand to work together to defeat Naori.

Naori, in the form of Yugao, followed Madame Gao into her private room. The room's décor reflected traditional Chinese elegance, with walls carved with dragons, dimly glowing red lanterns, and a low table neatly arranged with tea utensils. A faint jasmine tea aroma filled the air, creating a calming yet mysterious atmosphere.

"Sit down," Madame Gao said, her voice soft but full of authority.

Naori sat on the cold wooden chair, keeping her expression neutral, though her eyes never left Madame Gao's movements. "Thank you. So, what is the purpose of this invitation?" she asked directly, avoiding small talk.

Madame Gao smiled slightly, embodying the confidence of a strategist who had been playing the game of manipulation for centuries. She poured tea into a porcelain cup adorned with lotus flower patterns, then handed it to Naori.

"This tea comes from a plantation I once owned in Fujian," she said calmly. "Grown under the shadow of the mountains and hand-picked. Only a few can truly appreciate the quality of this."

Naori accepted the cup, lifting the hood that covered most of her face, and tasted it slowly.

'It tastes good,' Naori thought.

A silence filled the room for a moment. Naori calmly took a cigarette from her ninja bag, lit it slowly, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a white cloud that formed a circular pattern in the air.

"So, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?" Naori asked in a flat tone, but her gaze was full of caution.

Madame Gao chuckled, setting her cup down calmly. "Straight to the point, huh? Very well." She rose slowly and took an ancient scroll from a large wooden cabinet in the corner of the room. The scroll was tied with a red ribbon, looking old and full of secrets.

"This scroll contains something very valuable," she said, her eyes shining as though offering a gemstone. "Research spanning over 400 years on dragon bones. The benefits, the processing, secrets that even the best scientists under Wilson Fisk would never discover. It's all in here."

Madame Gao placed the scroll on the table between them. Naori stared at the scroll, her face still cold, but in her mind, she knew the value of what was being offered was too great to ignore.

"You want me to believe this is free?" Naori asked skeptically.

Madame Gao smiled slyly. "Nothing is truly free, Miss Yugao. I want to build a working relationship with your group, Kaguya Hime. You see, although we are known as The Hand, these five fingers do not always support each other. I must prepare for the possibility of betrayal from one of them."

Naori listened carefully, trying to read the hidden intent behind the old woman's words.

"And Fisk?" Naori asked, keeping her voice calm as she exhaled the white smoke from her alluring red lips.

Madame Gao raised an eyebrow, as if indicating indifference. "Wilson Fisk is a threat, yes, but to me, he is just an ordinary businessman with a grand vision. Unlike us, who have lived much longer and seen much more."

Naori knew this was manipulation. Madame Gao didn't truly want to bring down Fisk because of personal enmity, but to secure her position amidst the chaos. Still, the offer was too valuable. Research on dragon bones could be the key to new power for herself—or a threat if it fell into Fisk's hands.

"And what do you want from me in return?" Naori asked at last.

"Simple," Madame Gao replied. "I want an alliance. When the time comes, I want Kaguya Hime to support me against Fisk. Not as my subordinates, but as my partners."

Naori fell silent, staring at the scroll with a conflicted look. She knew Madame Gao was playing the manipulation card, but the scroll emitted a tempting aura of secrecy.

"What makes you think I can make this decision on behalf of Kaguya Hime?" Naori asked, trying to buy time, wanting to measure how much Madame Gao knew about her true identity.

Madame Gao narrowed her eyes, gazing at Naori as if she could see through her disguise. "You know what I mean. Your leader, Naori, is no ordinary woman. None of you are ordinary women."

Upon hearing this, Naori held back her smile. Madame Gao clearly had the misconception that Kaguya Hime was a large organization with a complex hierarchy. That could be used to Naori's advantage.

"I'll consider this offer," Naori said at last. "But I need time."

Madame Gao smiled in satisfaction, like a spider who had just caught its prey. "Take all the time you need. But remember, opportunities like this do not come twice."

Naori nodded slowly, placing the scroll in her bag. She said, "Very well. Let's proceed as you planned."

Madame Gao finished her last sip of tea, smiling meaningfully, then left the room with Naori.

…

— One day after the meeting with Madame Gao. —

Naori sat on the terrace of her house, overlooking a small garden filled with lush green plants. The evening breeze blew gently, carrying a fresh scent. She held her jade pipe, lighting it with a traditional wooden match. Each puff of smoke from her lips resembled a misty painting, slowly fading into the air.

While Naori relaxed at home, Yugao—an artificial clone created using Shadow Clone Jutsu—was busy arranging a meeting with Wilson Fisk.

Yugao used an elegant yet firm appearance to impress Fisk, ensuring that the reward for their mission against The Hand would be increased.

Naori calmly observed the ancient scroll given by Madame Gao. The scroll was wrapped in red silk cloth, with elegant Chinese calligraphy written on it. She opened it and began reading the details about dragon bones: how they were used, their side effects, and the extraordinary potential that The Hand had yet to fully harness.

"Resurrection Elixir, huh?" Naori muttered with a cynical smile. "Madame Gao, your methods are like an amateur laboratory experiment."

What they called the "Resurrection Elixir" wasn't even worthy of being thrown in the trash of her old friend Orochimaru's lab.

Although Naori wasn't a genius like Orochimaru, she was confident she could make a better elixir than their Resurrection Elixir.

In the basement she had formed with Earth Style Jutsu, Naori set up various advanced laboratory instruments combined with ancient ninja arts.

A large wooden table with perfect symbols inscribed on it stood in the center of the room. The walls were adorned with chakra seals to contain any explosive energy that might occur.

Naori took the dragon bone from the suitcase Wilson Fisk had given her, observing it with her Byakugan. The bone emitted a powerful life force energy, almost like an artery full of fresh blood.

"Impressive…" Naori muttered as she stroked the bone. "This energy is even approaching Bijuu-level. If properly refined, the results could surpass their Resurrection Elixir."

She began drawing chakra seals on the floor with special ink. Each movement was precise, like a painter pouring their soul into the canvas. Once the seals were complete, she placed the dragon bone into the main tube, connecting it to a series of chakra-powered instruments.

Naori sat in the middle of the seal circle, closing her eyes and focusing her chakra. The seals on the floor began to glow bright blue, while the energy from the dragon bone was slowly absorbed into the laboratory instruments.

"Focus… Don't let any energy leak," she whispered to herself.

The blue light from the instruments began to shine more intensely, illuminating the room that had been dark. A low rumble was heard from the test tube, accompanied by small bursts of light that looked like shattered stars.

After ten minutes of complete concentration, the instruments stopped glowing. Naori took the test tube containing the pale blue liquid, which now looked calm like a morning sky.

"There it is… the perfect version," she said with a confident smile.

Without hesitation, she drank the liquid in one gulp. It tasted no different from ordinary mineral water, but within seconds, her body began to respond.

Naori felt a wave of powerful energy flow through her body. Every cell felt alive, like receiving an unstoppable flow of fresh energy. She fell to the floor, clutching her chest and gritting her teeth.

"Unbelievable… this energy is like a flooding ocean," she murmured as she regulated her breathing.

When the energy finally settled, Naori slowly rose. She walked toward the large mirror in the corner of the room. Her pupils glowed with bright blue light that gradually faded, while her skin appeared brighter and smoother.

She touched her face, surprised by the drastic changes. Her body felt lighter, stronger, younger, and definitely more beautiful!

"Chakra reserves… double what they were before," she said in awe.

Activating her Byakugan, she realized there were slight changes in her visual structure. Her vision became sharper, more detailed, like an ultra-HD camera.

Naori returned to the mirror, gazing at herself intently. The image of her perfect face made a small smile appear on her lips.

"If just a little dragon bone can give me results like this… What could I achieve with greater resources? The Hand must have more of this, right?" she thought.

Seeing her reflection in the mirror, looking younger and more beautiful, a trace of greed began to emerge in Naori's heart.