The daimyo chose Carl to attend the Chunin Exams as his representative. First, as a prince, Carl held the highest noble rank aside from the daimyo himself, making him the most appropriate choice. This freed the daimyo to focus on pressing governmental matters.
Second, Carl was a trained ninja. Unlike civilian nobles, he could better gauge the strength of other ninjas, communicate effectively with shinobi from Konoha, and report back with accurate assessments.
Third, with Carl no longer confined to the palace, the daimyo hoped he would start forming connections with other nobles and foreign dignitaries—especially the princes of other nations. Building relationships now could ease the burden on the daimyo's shoulders in the future.
"Uncle, I will complete this mission well!" Carl responded with determination after a thoughtful pause.
He had already been considering ways to infiltrate Konoha during the Chunin Exams, and now, with the daimyo's official blessing, everything would be much easier to navigate.
"Remember," the daimyo said seriously as Carl was about to leave, "when dealing with nobles from other countries—even from the Land of Wind—do not be afraid to act strong. Let them see that the Land of Fire remains the greatest of the Five Great Nations."
"But when speaking with the Hokage, be careful with your words. Understood?"
Carl nodded. "Understood, Uncle."
He knew exactly what the daimyo meant. The Land of Fire's dominance was tied directly to Konoha's military might. If the Hidden Leaf Village fell, the nation's influence would quickly crumble under the pressure of rival lands.
Officially, the daimyo and his court were the highest authority, but in practice, they rarely gave direct orders to the Hokage. Similarly, Konoha thrived thanks to the funding, missions, and resources provided by the Fire Daimyo.
The two were not bound by a master-servant relationship—they were interdependent, flourishing or failing together.
The next morning, Carl remained at home, quietly awaiting his return to the main world. His summoning beast delivered Matsukawa's reports from the Land of Waves like clockwork.
"Zabuza and Haku have successfully escaped the Hidden Mist Village, though they sustained heavy injuries. They're currently recuperating in the Land of Waves."
After scanning the report, Carl gave a satisfied smile and burned the paper.
"Now they should completely believe in the accuracy of my intel. Once they've recovered, they'll be of use during the Chunin Exams. With so many powerhouses gathered, things won't be easy."
Later that afternoon, just as the countdown on the panel ended, everything around Carl dissolved.
Half a month after returning to the Marvel world.
New York. Hudson Group Building. Chairman's Office.
David stepped into the sleek, modern space, holding two thin black folders in his hands.
"Boss, this is the intelligence team's report on Samuel Stern."
"Got it. Just leave it on the desk," Carl replied without looking up.
Once David exited, Carl leaned back in his chair and reached for the top folder.
The city skyline stretched out behind him—steel towers, flashing advertisements, helicopters cutting across the blue. But his mind was already toggling between two worlds. In one, he was the prince of the Fire Nation, a gifted ninja under the tutelage of Master Chiriku. In the other, he was the enigmatic CEO of the Hudson Group, weaving power networks that spanned from Wall Street to Sokovia.
He opened the file and began to read.
Hudson Group was a biotechnology enterprise, primarily focused on pharmaceutical innovation. If Carl wanted to surpass the Stark Group, the natural path forward was cutting-edge bioscience research.
If they could develop drugs that genuinely benefited the human body—such as extending lifespan, curing terminal diseases, or enhancing physical performance—they could earn just as much, if not more, than Stark's tech empire.
For the ultra-wealthy, the prospect of a few more years of life was worth nearly any price. The less one had, the less they feared death. But the more wealth someone amassed, the more fiercely they clung to life.
In the Marvel universe, there happened to be no shortage of brilliant biologists. Among the living ones Carl could recall were Dr. Bruce Banner—the Hulk himself—and his online acquaintance, Dr. Samuel Stern. There was also hank pym but let's leave him alone for now.
Then there was Dr. Maya Hansen, creator of the Extremis virus. However, Hansen was likely no longer in New York and had probably already fallen in with Aldrich Killian. Given the current limitations of Carl's intelligence network, tracking down Maya would be nearly impossible.
But Samuel Stern? He was still local—reportedly a professor at Grayburn College in New York.
Finding Stern would likely be a gateway to locating Dr. Banner.
"He was born with ordinary ability, but has great scientific talent. A man devoted to his work, chasing the Nobel Prize... Excellent. I admire scientists like him," Carl said to himself after finishing Stern's dossier.
Where there is desire, there is leverage. Only those with needs can be guided. A person who wants nothing is nearly impossible to move. But does such a person really exist?
"David, get the car ready. I'm heading to Grayburn College," Carl said, pressing the desk's intercom button.
Ten minutes later, a small convoy of sleek, black luxury cars pulled out from the Hudson Group headquarters. Carl sat in the middle vehicle.
On the tablet in his hands, a news headline caught his attention: Iron Man Engages Terrorists in Gulmira.
"So, the Iron Man suit is finally complete," Carl muttered with a faint smirk.
It had been half a month since he'd returned to the main world—ever since Tony Stark had fulfilled his promise and visited Hudson Group alongside Pepper. With Stark Industries' publicity channels and their own newly launched medical products, Hudson Group had established a solid foothold in New York.
If progress continued at this rate, Carl might complete his main task—making Hudson Group one of New York's first-class enterprises—within three year minimum.
During this time, he'd interacted with Tony a few times. Tony had buried himself in his lab, which Carl had assumed meant he was perfecting the Iron Man suit.
Even with Carl's interference altering parts of the timeline, the emergence of Iron Man had remained unchanged.
The only real divergence was the absence of Iron Monger. Thanks to the evidence Carl had quietly handed over, Obadiah Stane had been arrested shortly after Tony's return.
"Boss, we've arrived."
The car rolled to a stop in front of Grayburn College, and David turned to inform Carl.
"Alright. Stay here and wait for me."
Carl set his tablet aside and stepped out of the car.
David and the security team—brawny men handpicked for their loyalty—were mainly for deterrence. But their hulking presence would draw too much attention at a university. Besides, with Carl's current strength, he didn't actually need protection.
Using the intel he had on Stern's schedule, Carl soon located the classroom.
Inside, Professor Samuel Stern stood at the front of the lecture hall, enthusiastically explaining the intricacies of cellular biology.
Carl didn't bother with the door. With a silent pulse of chakra and a flash of light, he teleported into an empty seat in the back row.
Not a single student noticed.