Are you seriously playing video games right now?
It's my day off. Why wouldn't I be playing video games?
We've been gone for weeks, Cole, and this Monastery won't clean itself!
We've got laundry to do, leaves to rake, firewood to chop,
and don't even get me started
on repairing the sentry cannons outside the wall.
That sounds like a lot of work.
Sure you don't want to play?
Did you just hear me?
Cole, we've got a ton to do and...
Wait... What game is this?
Prime Empire.
What?
What "what"? What's wrong?
Oh, nothing.
Except we were just trapped inside that game and got cubed!
You need to let go of the past, Lloyd.
Anyway, it's totally safe.
Unagami and Dyer worked out the kinks and it's really fun.
Look, I gotta concentrate.
Just about to beat this level.
I guess one game wouldn't hurt.
Oh, how are there this many leaves?
I don't even see any trees.
They blow over the walls, Jay.
And we've been gone awhile.
Aspheera's invasion, our little trip to the Never-Realm,
being stuck in Prime Empire.
This will take forever to clean up.
Unless...
No!
Don't get any ideas.
What? We could be done instantly!
If Master Wu sees you using Spinjitzu to take short cuts like raking leaves,
he's going to be furious!
Oh, he won't know.
He's been locked in with his scrolls all day.
-Please don't.
Woo-hoo!
Nice!
Master Wu. Sorry!
I got all hopped up on dreams of efficiency and, uh...
What?
Huh. That was weird.
Master Wu just totally passed up an opportunity
to lecture you on something.
Yeah, he didn't even notice.
"Shintaro."
Good morning. Good morning!
Master Wu?
Is everything okay?
Nya and Jay said you seemed a little... distracted.
What?
Oh, no. I'm fine.
Just reading a scroll.
You haven't even unrolled it.
You were staring out the window.
I've noticed it too, Wu.
-Misako? -Mom!
You've been quiet lately.
You haven't been yourself.
Are you sure nothing's bothering you?
Perhaps I'm...
How should I put it?
Feeling my age a little bit.
Your age?
But, Master, that's ridiculous!
You don't look a day over a hundred.
That's not old!
And besides, you're the most skilled fighter I've ever seen!
You know more about Spinjitzu than the rest of us put together!
You fought all of us at once and kicked our butts!
Remember that?
Yes. Yes, I do.
That was fun.
We couldn't have saved Ninjago all these times
without your help, Master Wu.
Saving Ninjago is for the young.
And your last few adventures,
you did just fine on your own.
That's not true.
You handled yourselves admirably in Prime Empire without me.
And against Aspheera,
and in the Never-Realm.
The truth is, you don't need me anymore, Lloyd.
That is not true!
It's okay, Lloyd.
All masters face this moment eventually.
The time when their students no longer need them.
This is incredible!
Are you sure this isn't a mistake?
It's real!
It's gotta be!
It's addressed to us, look!
What? What is it? Bad news?
It is highly unusual.
Ooh, we gotta get ready!
What? What happened?
Someone's located the Teapot of Tyrahn?
Uh, Pythor's back? My father's been found? What?
You got an invitation.
To Shintaro!
Shintaro?
Mm-hmm, the Ivory City!
You don't deliver one of these every day. No, sirree.
Fancy card!
That's the fanciest card I've ever seen.
It even smells good.
Shintaro?
As in Shintaro?
As in the remote and exclusive mountain kingdom of Northern Ninjago.
Invitations to Shintaro are exceedingly rare.
In recorded history,
there have only been a handful of outsiders allowed
into the Ivory City.
I've heard it's incredible!
It's the most beautiful city in the world.
And the people have wings.
You can't beat wings.
What's it say? The invitation?
"King Vangelis of the Northern Kingdom of Shintaro
of the Sky Folk,
kindly requests your presence..." of course he does,
"...as honored guests..." oh, that makes sense,
"...to celebrate the birthday of the princess, Vania."
Princess Vania? Who's that?
Apparently, the daughter of King Vangelis.
Little is known about Shintaro.
Up until recently, it was still considered a mythical place.
Well, it looks like we're going to see it.
In person!
-Let's go! -Ooh, I'm gonna pack!
Let's get the Bounty ready!
What's this about Shintaro?
We've been invited to the Kingdom of Shintaro
to attend Princess Vania's birthday.
Master Wu, this is just what you need.
This'll get you out of your funk!
I'm not in a "funk."
And I'm not going.
I'll stay here with Misako and Pixal.
I can assist her in the Hangar Bay.
He's in a funk.
But how often does the chance
to visit a legendary fabled kingdom come your way?
I've visited my share of legendary fabled kingdoms.
Once you've seen one, you've seen them all.
You go. Enjoy yourselves.
You don't need me tagging along.
Now, you listen to me, Wu.
I've had about enough of this moping around.
You are going with the Ninja.
I can't go charging off to far flung places!
Adventures and legendary kingdoms are for the young.
You of all people should understand that.
Why should I understand?
Uh... What I meant to say was, um...
You listen to me, Wu.
You are going on this journey and you're going to like it.
Is that understood?
But... But I...
The chicken need--
Understood?
He's in.
Yes!
This is going to be just what we need!
Though my optic circuits are inputting full visual data,
somehow the zeros and ones of my code cannot convey the grandeur of this moment.
Yeah, it's like... Like...
Totally super cool!
That really captured the moment beautifully, Jay.
Thanks.
It really is beautiful, isn't it, Master Wu?
Yeah, beats doing chores back at the monastery, that's for sure.
What... What was that?
There is something you should know.
Early accounts of the mythical city of Shintaro
claimed that the mountains surrounding it
were home to a vicious species of bat called a dire bat.
Dire bat?
There is much debate among historians
as to whether dire bats are real or fiction.
That's gotta be made up.
-Huh? Ah!
Not made up! Not made up! Not made up!
Jay!
Ugh! They're trying to take us down!
Shoo! Shoo, bats!
I'm coming for you, buddy!
Wait! Hold on!
Can we be friends?
You owe me!
Jay, Cole! Grab the line!
-Huh?
What do we do? How do we stop them?
Use your Elemental Powers!
Master Wu!
-Nya! -Hang on!
Brace for impact!
-How? -Uh, guys...
You're not gonna believe this.
Greetings, honored guests!
I am Hailmar.
Right hand of King Vangelis.
I welcome you to the Kingdom of Shintaro.
You just saved our lives!
It is the least we could do.
The dire bats are a plague.
They are one of the many reasons we discourage visitors,
for their own safety.
But come, let us put our woes behind us
and welcome you to the Ivory City of Shintaro!
Well, you don't see that every day.