Looking at the massive Charizard before her, Nohara Rin couldn't help but show an expression of fear on her face.
One of Charizard's eyes was as large as a lantern, and the flame on its tail was burning fiercely.
Rin estimated that her small frame would probably only be enough to fill the gaps between this large creature's teeth.
Just then, Rin suddenly felt an unusual sensation around her waist.
Immediately after, her field of vision rose higher, and she found herself placed on Charizard's back.
At this moment, Yuhi Kurenai tugged at Hayato Ren's sleeve and said excitedly:
"I want to be like Rin, help me up quickly."
Looking at the excited Kurenai, Hayato Ren couldn't help but explain:
"I only helped Rin because she was scared. Can't you get up by yourself?"
"No way, I'm scared too. Teacher, you can't show favoritism - that's not being united."
Hayato Ren couldn't see any trace of fear in Kurenai's expression, but he still lifted her up onto Charizard's back.
Meanwhile, Konan's face revealed an eager expression.
However, she didn't actively speak up like Kurenai had.
Instead, she fixed her beautiful eyes on Hayato Ren with a longing gaze.
Since it was just a simple matter, Hayato Ren also lifted Konan up.
After all four of them were seated properly, Hayato Ren said:
"Charizard, let's go."
Hearing this, Charizard began flapping its massive wings.
Instantly, strong winds began whipping across the ground.
Tree branches swayed wildly in the wind.
Charizard's figure shot straight up into the high sky.
This sudden movement prompted Kurenai to let out excited cheers.
This was her first time reaching such heights, looking down at the miniature scenery below.
Kurenai completely forgot about having been beaten by Konan earlier.
In contrast to the excited Kurenai, Rin curled her delicate body completely into Hayato Ren's embrace.
Rin kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to open them at all, while her small hands firmly gripped Hayato Ren's sleeve.
It seemed as if Hayato Ren might disappear from her side if she let go for even a moment.
Konan, watching from the side, couldn't help but frown deeply.
[How come I never noticed before that Rin has such poor sense of boundaries? That spot should be mine...]
However, the fear on Rin's face didn't seem fake.
Konan couldn't say much about it, so she could only frown while watching Rin's every move.
She wanted to prevent Hayato Ren from being taken advantage of if she let her guard down for even a moment.
Half a day later, Charizard carried Hayato Ren and the others to the Leaf camp that would have originally taken two days to reach.
This was already with Charizard slowing its flight speed.
If not for having to consider Konan and the others, Charizard could have cut the travel time by at least half at full speed.
....
"Enemy attack! Quickly inform Lady Tsunade!"
A ninja watching the colossal figure in the sky getting closer and closer to him immediately panicked.
Suddenly, an older ninja beside him reached out and smacked the back of his head.
"What are you shouting about? That's Lord Ren's Summoning Beast. Don't make a fuss over nothing."
"Lord Ren? Lady Tsunade's student?"
"Exactly. I followed Lord Ren when he defeated those Sand Ninja scum. Back then, Lord Ren was young but managed to defeat Ebizo, the second-in-command of the Sand Ninja. Now, he should be capable of destroying the Sand Hidden Village single-handedly. We're definitely winning this war!"
The older ninja's face showed a fanatical expression. In his view, mere Sand Ninja couldn't even be considered worthy opponents.
Their group was just here to leisurely accumulate military merits.
Hayato Ren naturally didn't know he had such a fan below.
Someone who'd already credited him with the ability to destroy the Sand Hidden Village alone.
Indeed, in the eyes of fans, idols are omnipotent.
Charizard found an open space near the camp to land. Yuhi Kurenai jumped down with obvious reluctance, as if she hadn't had enough of the ride.
When Nohara Rin's feet finally touched solid ground again, she let out a long sigh of relief.
And Konan withdrew her vigilant gaze.
Hayato Ren patted Charizard's large head and said softly:
"Thanks, Charizard~ You can return now."
Charizard nodded, then returned to the Summoning World.
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
"You're still as flashy as ever, kid."
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Tsunade standing with her arms crossed, watching Hayato Ren and the others with an amused smile on her lips.
Hayato Ren's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward to hug Tsunade.
"I just wanted to get here quickly to help you. How's the camp construction going? Do you need my assistance?"
Tsunade pulled Hayato Ren off of her and replied:
"If I waited for your help, the Sand Ninja would have already invaded the Leaf. I haven't slept for days, unlike young master Hayato who always has beauties accompanying him wherever he goes."
Clearly, Tsunade had seen Hayato Ren holding Nohara Rin perfectly clearly.
Although Tsunade knew that given Nohara Rin's age, nothing could possibly happen between her and Hayato Ren.
Still, here she was, working hard on construction projects.
Waking up earlier than the roosters and sleeping later than the dogs every day.
How could Hayato Ren have it so comfortable?
With such a strong psychological contrast, Tsunade's gaze toward Hayato Ren was naturally quite unfriendly.
Hayato Ren naturally understood what Tsunade was thinking, so he took her delicate hand and said softly:
"I know you've been working hard these past few days. I'll definitely come help you earlier next time. By the way, I've learned a new massage technique that's very effective for relieving fatigue. Let me give you a massage."
Tsunade didn't respond, just rolled her eyes at him.
Then, Hayato Ren turned to look at Yuhi Kurenai and the other two, waving them over.
"Little ones, follow me back to the camp."
Tsunade's aura was so overwhelming that Yuhi Kurenai and the others didn't dare speak a single word along the way, silently following behind the group.
As they walked, the ninjas they encountered all greeted Tsunade with respectful expressions on their faces.
It seems Tsunade is quite popular here, Hayato Ren thought to himself.
What he didn't know was that all the ninjas they had just encountered were from the Senju clan.
Since they saw each other frequently, they naturally held great respect for their clan leader Tsunade.