The Flying Nimbus

The three returned to the villa, where Shizune was already waiting. Seeing them bring Karin in, she asked in surprise whose child she was.

Tsunade pursed her lips. "There. Qinglong brought back a girl from Kusagakure."

"What do you mean, I brought her back!"

Qinglong protested. "I rescued her, okay?"

After entering the house, Karin was quite nervous, but when Shizune asked her questions, she still greeted her politely.

That night, Tsunade put Karin in Qinglong's room to sleep and kicked Qinglong out to the sofa in the living room. She sat there too, looking thoughtful.

"Do you think I should take her on as a student?"

"She's very talented and well suited to inherit your Medical Ninjutsu. She seems like a decent person, too."

Thinking of Karin's story with Sasuke, Qinglong figured the girl wasn't bad!

Tsunade glanced at Qinglong. He was a child himself, yet he was already calling someone else a child.

"Why not take her on? Or hold off on deciding and just bring her along for now. I've read the signs, and your carefree days are numbered! Taking on one more student is no big deal. You can teach her what she needs to know."

Qinglong grinned, pretending to read the signs with his fingers.

"You're asking for it!"

Tsunade threw a cushion at him.

"How dare you say your teacher's carefree days are over!"

With that, she got up and went to bed. Karin, who had been eavesdropping in the room, finally relaxed. Once there was nothing more to overhear, she went to sleep in peace.

The next day, Qinglong packed away the little villa. Under Karin's astonished gaze, he put the Hoi-Poi Capsule in his pocket. Tsunade, meanwhile, brought out the three-wheeled motorcycle Qinglong had given her and deftly put on her goggles. She looked every bit the punk biker girl.

"Hop on!"

Shizune swiftly scooped up Tonton and climbed into the sidecar. Tsunade looked at Karin.

"Come on, little girl. Get on!"

Then she glared at Qinglong. "To make sure you don't take advantage of the little girl, why don't you walk?"

Figures. She was still holding a grudge because he'd brought trouble her way. Still, it meant Tsunade was ready to take Karin in.

Qinglong smiled. Had Tsunade forgotten he had a hovercar of his own?

But he'd spent so many days in the Land of Rain that he'd fallen behind on his check-in training. He'd been thinking of getting in a good workout.

"You guys take the bike. I'm going to run for exercise."

Tsunade's lips curled into a smile. She twisted the throttle hard, with no intention of slowing down to wait for Qinglong. The trike roared like a wild horse breaking free, and Tsunade's cheers rang out as it sped away.

"Nothing beats riding a motorcycle with wheels!"

And just like that, Tsunade was already racing off. Princess Tsunade, the speed demon!

Qinglong also turned up the gravity on his training suit and sprinted after them.

Watching Qinglong keep pace in the rearview mirror, Tsunade let loose and sped along the whole way. Karin, who was riding in a vehicle for the first time, cried out in fright again and again. Shizune, on the other hand, was already used to it. She sat calmly, unfazed by Tsunade's showboating.

"Are you going to run by yourself again this afternoon?"

After they'd rested for a while at noon, Tsunade asked Qinglong provocatively.

"Ah, no!"

Qinglong rejected the idea outright. Tsunade felt a little disappointed. This kid didn't fall for a provocation!

"I've already got an even better way to get around!"

Qinglong said with a grin. After successfully checking in that morning, he'd gotten a draw—and, with some luck, won a "Flying Nimbus"!!

It was the very Flying Nimbus he'd dreamed of having as a child! He'd spent all noon grinning like an idiot, and was planning to take it out for their afternoon journey!

A better way to get around? Tsunade was curious now.

"Quick, take it out and show us!"

"Sure! Just a sec."

Qinglong excitedly walked out into the open and shouted at the sky.

"Fli~ying~Nim~bus~!"

Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin all stared at him in bewilderment.

But right after that, a golden cloud swooped down from the sky, traced an arc, and stopped in front of Qinglong.

"Whoosh~!"

The cloud came to a stop. It looked soft, just like cotton candy.

Qinglong gazed at it excitedly, practically drooling!

Tsunade and the others were amazed, too. How had a cloud come down just because Qinglong had shouted?

Qinglong looked at the cloud as if it were a beautiful woman with her guard down, then eagerly threw himself at it!

"Thump!"

Qinglong passed straight through the cloud and fell face-first onto the ground. Dirt splattered across his face as he lay there, completely dumbfounded. How could this happen?

He hurriedly scrambled up and dusted off his clothes. Before he could feel embarrassed, he quickly opened the system panel.

If he couldn't ride the Flying Nimbus, that would be a huge loss!

The system panel displayed: Flying Nimbus (Only those with pure hearts can ride it.)

What the heck! Was his heart not pure?

Was he going to miss out on the Flying Nimbus after all?

Qinglong held back his grief and kept reading.

(If the host does not meet the requirements, he can still bind the Flying Nimbus to ride it.)

"Hahaha!"

Qinglong threw his head back and laughed when he read that. So that worked too! He immediately bound it.

Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin stared blankly as Qinglong wailed with grief, then excitement, shouting and changing expressions over and over. They couldn't help worrying that something had upset him so badly he'd lost his mind.