"Now that the Mist's passage has been established, I wonder about the cooperation between us..."
Hearing Natasha mention cooperation, Mei Terumi's face lit up with a smile.
She replied, "Regarding the enhancement serums, I believe you already have plenty of channels to acquire them. Adding one more from us won't make much difference."
"Of course, if you also need these, we can sell some to you."
Hearing that the Mist didn't consider enhancement serums their primary commodity for sale, Natasha was pleasantly surprised.
Could they be offering something even better?
Mei Terumi continued, "I assume you already have a significant number of personnel who have undergone enhancement injections. However, in terms of training, skill improvement, and combat technique mastery..."
"I believe there's still quite a gap on your end."
"After all, the emergence of superhumans in your organization, S.H.I.E.L.D., hasn't been long enough for you to establish a complete training program."
Natasha, now even more intrigued, asked, "Are you suggesting...?"
Mei nodded, "Yes, I propose collaboration in this area."
"I can assign a powerful ninja to act as your instructor and help train your superhumans."
"A ninja teacher?" Natasha asked, surprised.
Mei shook her head, "Not exactly, though there will be similarities, but the training content will differ."
"The key is, we can assign an 'Elite Jonin'."
"Keep in mind, ninja academy instructors are typically 'chunin'-level."
Hearing the words 'Elite Jonin', Natasha's surprise was evident.
"Are you really going to assign an Elite Jonin?"
Mei nodded but added, "However, the price won't be cheap."
Natasha quickly responded, "Price is not an issue. As long as we can secure someone of that caliber, I'm sure Director Fury will agree to your terms."
"But... would they teach ninjutsu as well?"
Clearly, Natasha was hopeful not only about the training but also about the possibility of learning ninjutsu.
Even a simple D-rank ninjutsu would seem like an extraordinary superpower to S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, under Natasha's expectant gaze, Mei shook her head, "Ninjutsu is a vital resource for each ninja village and wouldn't be taught so easily."
"The instructor will mainly focus on capability training, physical conditioning, taijutsu combat, swordsmanship, stealth, teamwork, trap-making, and escape techniques."
Hearing this, Natasha was impressed. While there wouldn't be any ninjutsu knowledge involved, the scope of training was extensive and covered essential combat and tactical skills.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy would greatly benefit from an instructor specializing in training superhumans, particularly in teaching them how to engage in combat with others of their kind.
"So, regarding the specifics of pricing, what would it cost?"
At the mention of price, Mei Terumi explained, "I plan to send Ao to serve as the instructor."
"Ao is an Elite Jonin of the Mist Village and also my assistant."
"He has extensive combat experience, having led Mist forces to complete numerous missions during the Third Shinobi World War."
"You could say Ao is an exceptionally skilled Elite Jonin."
"Additionally, he is proficient in medical ninjutsu. Even if trainees are injured during practice, he can provide immediate treatment. On top of that, his taijutsu skills are outstanding."
Natasha glanced at Ao, the eyepatch-wearing elite jonin. His appearance bore a faint resemblance to her boss, Nick Fury.
Even their life experiences seemed somewhat alike—Nick Fury had participated in World War II, while this Ao had fought in the Third Shinobi World War.
However, in terms of both experience and strength, Ao was clearly far more formidable than her director.
She couldn't help but wonder if Ao might one day rise to become the next Mizukage, akin to how Nick Fury became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
After praising Ao for his accomplishments, Mei Terumi finally got to the matter of payment.
"Based on your local pay structures, we should probably talk in terms of hourly rates," Mei began with a smile.
"But to show our goodwill and as thanks for your hospitality during this time, I've decided to set the price at one qualifying 084 item per week."
"As for the employment term, let's start with a quarter-year contract."
"This should allow for sufficient training of your superhumans."
"Of course, if you're satisfied with the cooperation, you can renew the contract."
Hearing the proposed terms, Natasha was momentarily taken aback. One 084 item per week?
This was equivalent to the value of one enhancement serum per week, translating to a financial cost of $300 million USD. Over a month, that would be four items, and for a quarter, it would total 13.
The price was undoubtedly high. Still, considering Ao's demonstrated strength, Natasha thought it might be worth it.
She also knew that taijutsu was an incredibly powerful skill set in the shinobi world.
Moreover, this agreement could be a stepping stone to deepening ties with the Mist Village.
If they could secure this collaboration, future opportunities to learn ninjutsu or experience chakra training might also become possible.
However, this wasn't a decision Natasha could make alone.
"Personally, I'm very eager to collaborate with the Mist Village," Natasha said carefully.
"But I'm not authorized to make the final decision. I'll need to report back to my superiors."
Mei Terumi, unfazed by this, smiled and replied, "Then I'll wait for your response."
Natasha rose from her seat and added, "I'll return immediately to report this to my superiors. I hope the next time we meet; I'll be able to invite this elite Jonin Ao to our S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy."
Seeing Natasha extend her hand, Mei Terumi took it with a smile, "I'll look forward to your good news."
As Natasha left, Mei Terumi turned to Ao and said, "Ao, once you're in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, use your Byakugan to thoroughly investigate their secrets."
Ao nodded solemnly but added, "According to previous intelligence, their 084 items won't be stored at their training facilities."
Mei Terumi nodded in agreement, "That's true, but I'm sure their training grounds will still have plenty of valuable resources."
"With your ability to scan up to a kilometer, I trust you'll uncover every detail of their so-called academy. Meanwhile, use this opportunity to gather as much intelligence on S.H.I.E.L.D. as possible."
Ao nodded firmly, "I'll do my best to extract their secrets and ensure we're prepared to claim more of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources when the time of their demise comes."