Chapter 415: Selling Intelligence (Patreon)

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Seeing Coulson sign the mission commission, Charles began to share information about Uchiha Itachi.

"Uchiha Itachi, a young genius from the Uchiha clan, whose father is the leader of the Uchiha clan."

"At the age of 4, he killed an enemy ninja who had ambushed him. This was Itachi's first kill. At 6, he entered the ninja school and graduated in just one year. At 8, he awakened the Sharingan.”

“By the age of 10, he became a Chunin. At 11, he joined the ANBU. At 13, he became the captain of an ANBU squad. By the age of 18, he had the strength of a kage and became a rogue ninja."

This information about Uchiha Itachi was modified by Charles, but it didn't hinder him from sharing it with Coulson.

At this point, Coulson was also surprised. He didn't expect Itachi to be capable of killing enemy ninjas at the age of 4. However, he wondered about the rank of the ninja he killed at such a young age; it should have been a Genin.

Coulson's internal questions multiplied: who were the enemy ninjas of Konoha, which ninja village were they from? What was the Sharingan, and what kind of organization was the ANBU, and what did it represent in Konoha?

The speed at which Itachi advanced was also astonishing. In the information Coulson knew, the ninja school's program was six years long. Yet, Itachi had already become the captain of an ANBU squad when others were just starting their careers.

Moreover, Coulson was curious about why the son of the Uchiha clan leader would betray the village.

The son of the Uchiha clan leader, who founded the Hidden Leaf Village, had a status comparable to the child of a national hero. The idea of such a figure committing treason sounded unbelievable.

Although Coulson had many questions at this moment, he didn't interrupt Charles's narration.

"This is the number of recorded missions Itachi performed during his time in Konoha: D-rank 53 times, C-rank 152 times, B-rank 134 times, and S-rank 1 time."

"He is proficient in Fire Release, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. It can be said that he is a very versatile ninja."

Charles provided comprehensive information about Itachi, covering his general background and abilities.

When Coulson saw Charles pause, he asked the question that had been on his mind.

"What is the Sharingan?"

Charles glanced at Coulson, surprised that the first question he asked was about this. Nevertheless, he answered:

"The Sharingan is a special ability of the Uchiha clan."

"It has powerful abilities such as observation, replication, and hypnotism. The possessor has extraordinary insight, can observe the flow of chakra, and can dispel and see through illusions, replicate techniques, and non-kekkei genkai ninjutsu."

"The Sharingan is one of the three great visual jutsu!"

"There's a saying in the ninja world: when facing a member of the Uchiha clan, always flee if possible."

Listening to Charles's explanations, Coulson found himself facing new areas of confusion. Yet, he also learned about the formidable power of the Sharingan, which had the ability to hypnotize people.

Clearly, Coulson's understanding of the Sharingan was still not comprehensive. He then asked, "What is the Anbu? You mentioned it earlier."

"That's an additional information and requires 50 energy blocks."

After some thought, Coulson chose to inquire about this.

"Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Buta (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad), abbreviated as Anbu, is directly commanded by the Hokage and is a special organization."

"Anbu members are selected elite ninjas from the village, mainly tasked with protecting the Hokage, preventing foreign invasions into the Leaf Village, and sometimes handling reconnaissance and assassination missions."

Listening to Charles's explanation, Coulson's brows furrowed slightly. The authority of this special department was more significant than he anticipated, suggesting Konoha's size was larger than they had speculated.

"Mr. Charles, do ninjas engage in wars among themselves?"

Charles nodded but didn't elaborate on this topic, and Coulson chose not to delve deeper into it.

"Mr. Charles, if I may ask, what is the reason for Itachi's defection from the village? With his status, I find it hard to understand."

Charles, serious, replied, "This is a secret of Konoha, and it's not information for sale."

Accepting Charles's response, Coulson shifted his focus to the matter of the strength-enhancing serum.

"Mr. Charles, I wonder if you sell the strength-enhancing serum. We can trade with energy blocks or other items of your interest."

"We, at S.H.I.E.L.D., can provide some rare metals that might be useful for you, like Vibranium, Sub-Adamantium Alloy, and Adamantium Alloy."

Charles, uninterested in the metals, suggested a price: "200 energy blocks per serum. We don't need the metals."

Coulson attempted to negotiate, aware that if the strength-enhancing serum was as excellent as Charles claimed, S.H.I.E.L.D. would want to make bulk purchases.

"200 energy blocks are too high; how about 100? If the test is successful, S.H.I.E.L.D. can make large purchases."

Charles shook his head, "Coulson, you misunderstand. The strength-enhancing serum is not something you can purchase in large quantities.”

“You are granted based on our good cooperation over the year, and the sale is limited in quantity."

Hearing this, Coulson didn't argue further. Limited availability without an increase in price was already a good deal.

"Alright, one serum then. Do you have it in stock?"

"Sure, I can provide one."

In Orochimaru's laboratory, numerous strength-enhancing serums had been developed based on vampire research, and the werewolf version was handed over to the Sand Puppet Shop.

The vampire version had a more potent effect on enhancement.

A packaged strength-enhancing serum was brought from the laboratory and handed to Coulson.

After paying for today's mission commission, Coulson had gathered most of the information he needed. As he prepared to leave, he asked one last question, "I wonder how you classify rogue ninjas."

Charles, looking at the 450 energy blocks and two mission commission scrolls in front of him, didn't charge Coulson for the information and straightforwardly replied, "Each village categorizes rogue ninjas differently. In Konoha, rogue ninjas are classified as S-rank, A-rank, and B-rank."

"What about C-rank and D-rank?"

"Ninjas of these ranks don't have the qualifications to become rogue ninja and escape from Konoha."