Jason Carter versus Neji Hyuga?
Noah Vale stared at the message, momentarily thrown off.
That wasn't right.
That fight didn't exist in the original lineup.
Where the hell did that name come from?
Then, slowly, his lips curled into a faint smile.
"…Now this is getting interesting."
If he was reading this correctly—
Then something had intruded into that world.
DeepBlue: Send me the full match list.
In the Hidden Leaf—
Sasuke didn't hesitate.
After a brief moment of thought, he pulled up the first-round matchups and sent them over.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado
Jiang Gong vs. Shino Aburame
Luo Kend vs. Kankuro
Sakura Haruno vs. Wang Jin
Tenten vs. Temari
Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka
Jason Carter vs. Neji Hyuga
Noah scanned the list.
The familiar names were all there.
But mixed in—
Several that didn't belong.
His eyes lit up.
"…So it's not just the chatroom."
Another system.
Another force capable of sending people across worlds.
And judging by what he was seeing—
It wasn't subtle about it either.
Noah leaned back slightly, thinking.
Even now, he couldn't travel between worlds on his own.
Which meant whatever was behind this—
Had capabilities he didn't.
And systems like that?
They varied wildly.
Some were minor.
Others operated on an entirely different level.
Until he saw it for himself—
He wouldn't know which this was.
DeepBlue: Got it. I have something to take care of here first. After that, I'll come to your world myself.
Sasuke exhaled quietly as he read the reply.
The Last of the Uchiha: Understood. Thank you.
After an entire night of reading and questioning, he had a clearer picture now.
About the chatroom.
About Noah Vale.
Even if their level difference didn't seem overwhelming—
The gap in power was obvious.
Someone who could conquer an entire world alone…
That wasn't something Sasuke could fully grasp.
Still—
It didn't matter.
As long as this system existed—
He would get his revenge.
Meanwhile—
Asgard.
Odin stood before Thor, his voice cold with restrained fury.
"You defied my command," he said. "Your arrogance has reignited war between realms."
Thor said nothing.
"You are unworthy."
Power surged through the throne room.
"I strip you of your power."
A blinding light engulfed Thor.
His armor shattered away.
His strength vanished.
"I banish you to Midgard."
In the next instant—
He was gone.
Loki watched in silence from the side.
Odin lifted Mjolnir, murmuring a final enchantment before hurling it into the same portal.
It followed Thor down.
Only then did Heimdall step forward.
"My king… sending him to Midgard may not be wise."
Odin turned slightly.
"Why?"
Heimdall's gaze remained fixed on the distant realms.
"Today, Midgard changed," he said. "A single individual united more than two hundred nations."
Odin's expression shifted, just for a moment.
"…United?"
Then he shook his head.
"He has grown too proud. This lesson is necessary."
Heimdall bowed.
"As you command."
Loki remained silent.
Watching.
Moments later—
A streak of light cut across Earth's sky.
Thor fell.
His hammer followed.
Back in Washington—
Morning light filled the White House.
Fisk and Rodriguez stepped inside—
And stopped.
Tony Stark sat behind the desk, completely relaxed, feet propped up.
He smirked.
"What? You expected me to be drowning in paperwork by now?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
Instead, Stark tossed a stack of documents onto the table.
"I had J.A.R.V.I.S. run analysis on everything," he said. "Multiple solutions per issue. I picked the ones I liked best."
He leaned back.
"Follow those, and things should run smoothly."
Rodriguez blinked.
Fisk studied him.
Using AI to govern the world…
Bold.
Risky.
Brilliant.
"…Not bad," Fisk admitted.
Stark grinned.
"Turns out running the world isn't that hard."
Fisk shook his head.
"Don't get comfortable. The real world doesn't follow perfect projections."
Rodriguez nodded.
"You'll need to account for people. Their emotions. Their unpredictability."
"And remember," Fisk added, "everything you build can disappear the moment Noah changes his mind."
Stark waved it off.
"I've got it under control."
Confidence.
A little too much of it.
Outside—
Fisk glanced at Rodriguez.
"How long do you think that lasts?"
Rodriguez thought for a moment.
"…Three days."
Fisk shook his head.
"One night."
Meanwhile—
New York.
Under the morning sun, Noah stepped out and headed toward Greenwich Village.
177A Bleecker Street.
The New York Sanctum.
He'd been meaning to come here for a while.
Before, he hadn't had the time.
Now—
He did.
He leapt lightly onto the rooftop and approached the door.
Just as he was about to knock—
A voice spoke behind him.
"You've changed."
Noah turned.
The Ancient One sat calmly nearby, watching him.
He smiled faintly.
"I had some help," he said. "You gave me something to think about."
She didn't respond.
Instead, she stood and raised a hand.
A golden portal opened beside her.
On the other side—
Kamar-Taj.
She stepped through without hesitation.
Noah followed.