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It didn't actually take Hawk long to reach Japan.
By 1:30 PM local time, he'd already touched down on the street where the Yasukuni Shrine stood.
He didn't immediately go looking for Anna. Instead, he played the part of a curious bystander, blending into the crowd and watching the shrine continue to burn in the distance.
The local police had already cordoned off the area.
But even through the barriers, you could still see the former "spiritual symbol" of Japan—now completely engulfed in towering flames, unstoppable and all-consuming.
The wailing and shouting from the crowd around him was deafening.
Some of the locals had even dropped to their knees at the police line, faces twisted in grief, sobbing and screaming like their mothers had just died.
The firefighters had arrived to battle the blaze, but everyone knew Japanese architecture was primarily wood-based. Extremely flammable.
So—
Even though the firefighters fought valiantly for three and a half hours, by the time they finally extinguished the flames, the once-grand Yasukuni Shrine had been reduced to a smoldering ruin.
Once it was confirmed that the shrine had been completely destroyed and nothing inside had been salvaged, the crowd beyond the police barriers completely lost it.
The wailing intensified, crying that sounded like they'd lost their entire families.
Some of the more emotionally unstable ones even stood up, shouted something dramatic, and attempted to perform seppuku right there on the street.
And then, They immediately started screaming in pain, collapsing to the ground and crying for help.
Standing further back in the crowd, watching the scene unfold, Hawk felt genuinely satisfied.
But the show was over. Time to get down to business.
Hawk thought for a moment, then smiled and politely borrowed a phone from a bow-legged girl standing nearby. He dialed Sharon Carter's number.
Because he'd just realized something very important while watching the spectacle.
He had no idea where SHIELD's Japan branch was located.
HYDRA had already launched their second uprising, and the entire world was theoretically in danger.
But in reality, that wasn't quite accurate.
HYDRA's current operation was concentrated entirely within SHIELD itself. It hadn't spilled out into the wider world yet.
Just like New York.
If Sharon hadn't escaped HYDRA's pursuit and run to Bleecker Street, Gwen—like every other civilian—would have had no idea anything was happening.
It was the same everywhere else.
Success requires secrecy.
Alexander Pierce, the new-generation HYDRA leader running this operation, understood that perfectly.
The key to HYDRA's success this time was the three Insight Helicarriers loaded with Zola's algorithm. Once those carriers went airborne, all the HYDRA agents who'd spent years infiltrating every level of the federal government would reveal themselves and join the fight.
When that happened—
Helicarriers in the sky, HYDRA agents in every institution, working in perfect coordination. Forget just taking over SHIELD—HYDRA would take over the entire country.
So even though HYDRA's uprising seemed like a big deal, in reality, outside of SHIELD's internal systems, the rest of the world had no idea what was happening right now.
Same thing here in Japan.
But that was fine.
He didn't know where the Japan branch was, but someone did.
Sharon Carter—currently following Captain America on the way to the Washington battlefield—saw the unfamiliar number calling and almost declined. But then she noticed it was a Japanese number and immediately realized who it might be. She answered quickly.
"Hawk?"
"Yeah. Where's the SHIELD Japan branch?"
"Uh..."
Sharon blinked in surprise at the question, then rattled off the address. "You went to Japan without knowing where SHIELD's Japan office was?"
Hawk shrugged. "Things were urgent. I didn't think about it until after I landed."
Sharon let out a resigned "alright," then her eyes lit up. "Oh, by the way, Hawk—Cap came looking for you earlier. He wanted to invite you to—"
Hawk cut her off. "You guys go ahead. If I show up, you'll know. And don't call this number back. I borrowed it from a local."
With that, Hawk hung up.
He knew what Sharon was going to say.
She wanted to invite him to Washington D.C. to join the grand battle.
But what if he was wrong about Anna? And what if he'd already agreed to help Sharon? He'd end up breaking his word.
That wasn't acceptable.
A man's reputation was built on keeping his word. So he cut Sharon off rather than give her a definite answer.
He'd see Anna first, then decide.
So, After hanging up, Hawk returned the phone to the bow-legged girl beside him—who was staring at him with a look that screamed she'd throw herself at him if he asked. He thanked her politely, then turned and vanished from her line of sight the moment he took a step.
He was here on business, not to pick up girls.
Most importantly—
He, Hawk, was faithful to one woman and one woman only.
...
Meanwhile, having gotten the exact coordinates of SHIELD Japan, Sharon—who was now driving toward Washington D.C. and less than ten kilometers from the Triskelion headquarters—hung up the phone.
Seeing Sharon lower the phone, Natasha immediately asked.
"What did Hawk say?"
"He said we should go ahead without him."
Sharon relayed Hawk's answer, then looked at Natasha. "Hawk's attitude is kind of weird."
At first, when Hawk had just gotten back to New York, Sharon had felt the killing intent radiating off him and had been absolutely certain that HYDRA's fate would be the same as Wakanda's.
And it had seemed that way.
Hawk had been heading straight for total HYDRA extermination.
But then—
After Hawk came back from the New York SHIELD branch, he'd told her, "The rest is up to you guys."
Sharon hadn't thought much of it at the time. She'd figured Hawk was just fed up and didn't want to get involved in their fight with HYDRA anymore.
But now—
'You guys go ahead.'
That answer was way more flexible. To Sharon, it sounded like Hawk was weighing the options between "go" and "don't go," and he'd chosen "maybe."
Sharon frowned.
"I think Hawk's change in attitude means there's something going on that we don't know about."
"..."
Natasha listened to Sharon's words and seemed to realize something. She looked at Sharon. "I think I might know what it is."
Sharon turned to Natasha.
"What?"
"This was originally Level 7 classified intel."
Natasha shrugged, looking at Sharon. "Your clearance is only Level 6, so technically I shouldn't tell you. But at this point, it doesn't matter anymore. Long story short: Hawk has a friend named Anna. She's suspected of being HYDRA."
Sharon's eyes widened as she stared at Natasha.
"Are you serious?"
"Previously suspected. Now it's pretty much confirmed."
Natasha shrugged. "Commander Hand said Hawk took a phone call before leaving the New York branch. The person on the other end was named Anna. You also said Hawk's attitude changed after he got back to the hospital. If I had to guess, it was because of that call."
Sharon frowned.
"So him going to Japan now..."
"No idea. But it's probably because after you and Cap left, Hawk discovered something else."
That was as far as Natasha could deduce based on the available information. She looked at Sharon. "But honestly, this is good news."
Sharon raised an eyebrow at Natasha.
"How so?"
"Best-case scenario? Hawk helps us."
"Worst-case scenario should've been Hawk helping HYDRA. But Hawk already told you he's staying out of it."
Natasha smiled. "So from our perspective, that's actually good news. After all, you wouldn't want to see Hawk helping HYDRA, would you?"
Sharon listened to Natasha's explanation, her expression clearing.
Natasha continued. "Actually, this whole thing shows that Hawk leans toward lawful neutral."
Sharon nodded reflexively.
True.
If Hawk were chaotic neutral, he'd be forced to choose between SHIELD and HYDRA. No middle ground.
But right now, Hawk's choice was neutral—while leaning in SHIELD's favor.
That was... really good.
All that running around cleaning up after him last Christmas was worth it after all.
Sharon thought back to her canceled Christmas vacation last year and reflected on the thought.
The next second, She looked at Natasha, her expression serious. "I hope Hawk finds out that HYDRA's Anna played him."
Natasha nodded in agreement.
She hoped so too. Because if that happened, HYDRA was finished.
If Hawk entered the fight... HYDRA would be completely destroyed. They wouldn't even need to rush to D.C. to fight anymore.
Unfortunately, Hawk hadn't confirmed whether he'd join yet.
As the two women continued their conversation, Commander Victoria Hand's voice came through their earpieces. She was back at the New York SHIELD command center, providing intelligence support for this operation.
"Heads up. Security Council convoy approaching. Natasha, you're up. Sharon, provide backup."
"Copy that!"
"Roger."
Sharon and Natasha stopped talking and checked their weapons. They watched the bridge leading to the Triskelion headquarters come into view, took deep breaths, and steeled themselves.
...
"Achoo!"
Far away in Japan, standing in the office of the SHIELD Japan branch commander, Hawk sneezed and reflexively rubbed his nose. Then he noticed a photograph sitting on the desk in front of him and picked it up.
Two women in the photo.
One of them was Anna.
The other was a woman with striking emerald-green hair, the color of bamboo leaves.
Who's this?
Hawk wondered curiously, then heard footsteps approaching from outside. He turned toward the office door.
The next moment—
The door opened.
Madame HYDRA—Ophelia Sarkissian—walked in.
Their eyes met.
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