Nawaki was deeply ashamed.
When Carl had grabbed him before, he'd actually tried to fight back.
"Mm, he's a friend of mine," Tsunade nodded calmly.
She was the most composed person in the room.
After all, she was the one who had called Carl here.
She also knew that Carl didn't belong to this world.
More importantly, without Carl, Nawaki would've been dead for sure.
It was precisely because of Nawaki's death that she had posted a request for help in the chat group.
Carl had come in response to that call.
"Yeah," Orochimaru looked at Tsunade, hesitating slightly. "He told me he came here under your request, to save Nawaki."
After a brief pause, he couldn't help asking, "This friend of yours… how did you meet him?"
Orochimaru and Tsunade had grown up together in the Hidden Leaf Village.
They were close, almost like family. Like the other famed Leaf "roaches," they had all shared the same training grounds and battlegrounds.
But they had never seen someone like Carl in the village.
So Orochimaru truly had no clue how Tsunade could have met such a person.
Tsunade thought for a moment before calmly replying, "I met him by chance outside the village."
Naturally, she couldn't tell them the truth about Carl's identity, or the existence of the chat group.
Even if she did, there was no real benefit.
And chances were, they wouldn't believe her anyway.
So she made up a simple excuse.
"But he's a trustworthy friend. You don't need to worry."
Orochimaru gave her a long look before replying with an odd expression, "I've actually fought him, briefly."
"No, calling it a fight would be generous. It was more like… I got completely steamrolled."
"I couldn't even see his movements before I was already on the ground."
"If he'd wanted to kill me, I'd be dead."
"Honestly…"
He hesitated, then added with a trace of dread in his voice, "Even Lord Hiruzen might not be able to beat him."
In truth, Orochimaru believed Carl's strength far surpassed that of their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After all, he himself hadn't even had time to react before being knocked flat.
Even someone like Hiruzen couldn't do that to him.
Of course, that wasn't something he could just say outright.
So he worded it as diplomatically as possible.
"You're exaggerating!" Jiraiya interjected, visibly displeased.
Off to the side, Nawaki looked stunned.
Orochimaru didn't try to explain further. He trusted his own judgment.
Tsunade gave a small nod. "His strength really is beyond even Lord Hiruzen."
"I don't buy it," Jiraiya muttered, still unconvinced.
Tsunade glanced at him with an odd expression.
Even if you don't believe it now, someday you'll know...
After all, in the future Carl came from, he had literally punched you in the face.
But she didn't say it aloud. She knew Jiraiya wouldn't believe her no matter what she said.
After chatting a little more, Jiraiya and Orochimaru took their leave.
Nawaki, looking down, mumbled to Tsunade, "So… the one who saved me, his name is Carl?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Where is Big Brother Carl now?"
"He went somewhere far away. Why do you ask?"
"Then… when he comes back to Konoha, you have to tell me, okay? I haven't thanked him yet…"
Tsunade smiled softly. "Of course."
The Next Day
Carl woke up early.
His mood was light, he felt relaxed in a way he hadn't in years.
It was like those twenty-some years before had been shackled by invisible chains.
Now, finally, those chains had broken.
A long-lost chime echoed in his mind.
Carl had set his system to activate a sign-in bonus every 25 years.
And here he was, finally eligible.
It had been a long time since he'd heard that sound.
He nodded to himself. "Sign in."
As the system acknowledged the command, a black outfit materialized in front of him.
He reached out and caught it, opening it up.
A sweeping cape, the iconic "S" emblazoned across the chest,
It was the classic Superman suit from the movies.
Only… it was black.
Carl raised a brow and walked into his closet, pulling out the red-and-blue version of the same outfit.
He'd bought that one just last night from the chat group store.
Laying the two suits side by side,
Yup. Exactly the same, except for the color.
He chuckled.
So I wasted points, huh?
It wasn't a huge deal, just a few hundred points, but it still felt a little silly.
Still, maybe not totally wasted.
He liked the black version more, but who knows, maybe someday he'd be in the mood for blue and red.
Shrugging it off, he hung both suits back up and made a simple breakfast.
After washing up, Carl settled into a chair to rest.
That's when his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID. Skye.
"Hello?"
"Hey, weren't we supposed to go shopping today? What time should we head out?"
Carl blinked, then quickly responded, "How about now?"
"Okay. Then come pick me up at my place."
"Got it."
The caller was Skye, better known to fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Daisy Johnson, Quake.
Only right now, she wasn't part of S.H.I.E.L.D.
She didn't even have powers yet.
She was just... one of Carl's girlfriends.
Yeah, one of them.
Even before today, Carl had technically been a regular guy.
But he was still tall, handsome, and rich.
Naturally, he had no shortage of admirers.
One girlfriend from high school.
Another from college.
And even a rising Asian actress.
Carl figured… it wasn't that many, right?
He still considered himself pretty wholesome.
I mean, look at Tony Stark. That guy was a walking headline.
He changed into casual clothes and tidied his hair.
Then, with a flicker of light, he vanished from the room.
The next instant, he reappeared inside a small apartment.
Compared to his own luxury suite, this place was cramped, but Carl didn't mind.
He moved through the familiar space with ease.
As he reached the bathroom door, he finally spotted her.
A stunning figure, standing in front of the mirror, applying makeup.
Carl smiled. "Hey, Skye."
"Carl?!"
Skye spun around in shock.
"You… how did you get here so fast?"
She had started getting ready the moment she called him.
She hadn't expected him to arrive almost instantly.
Especially since their apartments weren't exactly close.
Carl stepped into the bathroom, grinning. "I'll explain later."
He brushed her hair gently aside. "But right now, I think it's still a bit early..."
"How about we head back to bed for a bit?"
Skye could tell from his tone exactly what he meant.
She glanced at the lipstick in her hand, hesitating. "But… I just finished my makeup…"
"Even better," Carl whispered.
He leaned in and kissed her.
Then lifted her into his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom.