Chapter Fifty-Five: Stark and the Serpent

“...Are you sure it won’t swallow us whole?”

Tony’s voice was slightly hoarse, but overall he managed to stay calm—true to his Iron Man persona. That said, if one ignored his trembling legs, likely from standing too long, he seemed composed enough.

“I don’t eat people, Lord Borusalino. Lord Orochimaru instructed me to follow your orders.”

Suddenly, the great serpent spoke in a voice resembling that of a young girl. Despite its fierce and terrifying appearance, the voice was surprisingly soft, smooth, and childlike—a jarring contrast.

“Snakes... can talk?!”

Tony couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Now it made sense—if Borusalino intended to harm them, both he and Ethan would have been done for long ago.

“What’s so special about that? Over at Orochimaru’s place, even frogs and slugs can talk. If you ever visit my world, you might even see talking skeletons.”

Borusalino gently lowered Tony and Ethan onto the serpent’s head. Orochimaru was reliable after all; the snake’s head bore a structure resembling a feathered crest, making it a secure seat that wouldn’t easily slip off.

“Hey, isn’t there a slightly more conventional mode of transportation?”

Tony couldn’t help but complain. His heart was still racing, and if he had any heart conditions, he might have died on the spot.

“There is—a pink ladies’ bicycle. You can take turns riding it. By the way, it’s pink.”

Borusalino chuckled softly. If Tony hadn’t insisted on walking, he would have loved to see Iron Man riding a pink bicycle.

The serpent slid across the ground at an astonishing speed. Within ten minutes, smoke could be seen rising from the foothills in the distance.

“Lady Feathersnake, would you be interested in a well-paying job? How does half a million dollars a month sound? If that’s not enough, we can negotiate...”

In just this short time, Tony’s fear of the serpent had completely vanished. He was now enthusiastically trying to recruit the giant snake named Feathersnake as an employee.

One had to admit, Tony had a keen eye. Even the most elite sports cars couldn’t match the cool factor of riding a forty-plus-meter-long giant serpent.

Moreover, Feathersnake was a formidable fighter. Its scales could withstand close-range automatic rifle fire; its strength could easily topple a main battle tank; and its speed was comparable to that of a typical sports car.

When necessary, Feathersnake could even carry its rider underground to escape—provided the ground wasn’t rocky or covered in thick concrete.

Not only was it a premium vehicle, but also an incredibly powerful bodyguard. Forget half a million dollars; Tony would gladly pay several times that.

“What is a job?”

The country snake from the Dragon Land Cave listened intently to Tony's lengthy explanation before asking curiously.

Despite Feathersnake’s enormous size, it was still a juvenile, born in Dragon Land Cave, roughly equivalent to a six or seven-year-old human child.

Tony’s words went mostly over its head; it simply found the two-legged creature’s chatter amusing.

“Ahem, a job means I give you money or other benefits, and you have to listen to me.”

Tony felt no guilt for simplifying the explanation to a child. His mind was fully occupied with recruiting the snake as a bodyguard and vehicle.

For someone as flamboyant as Tony, appearing in public atop a giant serpent was far more thrilling than revealing himself as Iron Man.

“No. Lord Orochimaru only commanded me to obey Lord Borusalino.”

Feathersnake refused Tony without hesitation, its tone leaving no room for negotiation.

“Hey, ma’am, it’s the twenty-first century now. The old system of personal subservience isn’t in fashion. You have the right to decide your own future...”

Unwilling to give up, Tony tried to instill the ideas of independence and equality. Though he himself was a typical male chauvinist who barely acknowledged women, at this moment he fancied himself a champion of equal rights.

“Ahem... Tony, just a friendly reminder: Orochimaru is the Fourth Hokage of Konoha Village. Konoha recently won the Third Great Ninja War against four opponents of equal standing after years of fighting...”

Borusalino watched Tony’s attempt to abduct Feathersnake with a cold eye, waiting until the moment was ripe before smiling and offering the reminder.

“The village leader? The chief? Mr. Borusalino, do you know how many senators and representatives receive donations from Stark Industries? In South America, even a country’s president must apply weeks in advance to meet the head of Stark Industries in their country...”

Tony scoffed disdainfully. Though currently down on his luck without even a car, as soon as he returned to civilized society, he would be a VIP among world leaders. Puppet presidents like Afghanistan’s wouldn’t even be worthy enough to shine his shoes.

“As far as I know, Konoha has over ten thousand ninjas...”

Borusalino spoke deliberately. The five great nations could muster seventy thousand ninja troops during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Even though the Third Great Ninja War had just ended, Konoha’s ninja forces hadn’t significantly diminished.

“Hmph. The U.S. military has over a million active personnel—it’s the most powerful military force on Earth!”

Tony sneered. As the primary arms supplier to the U.S. military, he had every reason to look down on a ‘village’-level armed force.

Though it might be exaggerated that the village could field over ten thousand armed personnel, considering that when the Afghan government fell, its military still had over a hundred thousand troops, ten thousand armed ninjas was hardly impressive.

“Most ninjas are well-trained killing machines...”

Borusalino paid no mind to Tony’s reaction and continued slowly.

Tony didn’t bother responding. Even a three-year-old wielding Stark Industries’ weapons could become a killing machine.

“The weakest among them are called Genin. Any Genin experienced in war, given simple training and some knowledge of firearms, could assassinate the entire group of terrorists who kidnapped you...”

Before Borusalino finished, Tony’s face turned pale. Over ten thousand assassins comparable to elite killers? What kind of monstrous organization was this?

Were their enemies aliens?

Oh, in a certain sense, the ninja world was alien to Earth. Apologies for the intrusion...

“The elite ninjas are called Jonin. The weakest Jonin can easily defeat dozens of Genin. The strongest Jonin, like Orochimaru, could destroy several small countries with ease if no superheroes stand in his way...”

Borusalino smiled and dropped another bombshell. Sitting atop Feathersnake’s head, Tony was already pondering the possibility of making a swift escape.