Facing the sudden attack, everyone reacted differently.
Kano was well aware of all this and wasn't panicked by the sudden attack at all.
Even so, she was still startled.
"Ka... Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto's panic happened to reveal a weakness to the two, who instantly charged at him.
"The second one!"
At the critical moment.
"Naruto, duck!"
Kano's voice made him obey without time to think; he clutched his head and ducked.
Immediately following was the giant conch—the hunting flute—crashing down with a thud.
Accompanied by a low sound, the two Ninjas' attacks were blocked by the hunting flute. The crouching Naruto was also covered by the hunting flute's large conch, remaining unharmed.
"What a nuisance!"
Failing their strike, the two Ninjas turned their aim toward Kano. It would have been difficult for Kano alone to dodge the coordinated attack of two Ninjas, but fortunately, Sasuke was ready.
shuriken flew out, pinning their flying chains to a tree, followed by Kunai to secure them. He then immediately suppressed the two Hidden Mist Ninjas with Taijutsu.
Just as the two Ninjas released their chains to counterattack, Kano, who had already retrieved her hunting flute, finished her hand signs.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Binding Technique!"
The small shadow extended rapidly; upon touching the enemies' shadows, the two were bound and unable to move. Sasuke reacted quickly, immediately pulling out a Kunai and aiming for a vital spot, killing one instantly.
He then turned and neutralized the other one's limbs.
"So... so strong..."
Naruto, having come to his senses, was incredibly shocked by Sasuke's ability.
At that moment, Kakashi walked out calmly.
"Good job. I didn't expect you to handle it before I even moved. One killed, one captured alive. Sasuke performed very well, and Kano did well too."
Sasuke gave a cold snort; wasn't this only natural?
Kano also wore a happy expression from being praised—though in reality, it was the joy of being about to harvest a shadow.
"Kakashi-sensei is alive! Was it a Substitution Jutsu?!"
"Yes. I originally intended to stay hidden and jump out when you were in danger. As it turned out, Kano and Sasuke resolved the crisis. However, I didn't expect you to just stand there frozen."
Naruto's eyes widened, his regret and self-reproach plain to see.
It was their first real battle; wasn't Sasuke afraid at all? He looked so calm, and his clothes weren't even dirty. Kano-chan too—she even had to protect me.
Even though I had boasted about protecting her before.
Sasuke took the opportunity to mock him.
"Yo, you're not hurt, are you, scaredy-cat?"
"What... Sasuke!"
"Naruto!" With Kano's scolding, Naruto immediately behaved. "We owe it to Sasuke this time. He didn't just save me; he saved you too. Although we would have been mostly fine with Kakashi-sensei here, the fact remains that Sasuke stepped up and defeated two enemies."
"I know you're frustrated, and I know how hard you've worked. It's normal to be scared. I only reacted because I noticed them early and prepared myself. Even so, I was still startled."
"As for why Sasuke-kun isn't afraid and remains so calm, I'm not sure, but I suspect he must have had some extraordinary experiences. Besides, his strength is obvious to everyone; he works harder than both you and me!"
Facing Kano's insincere lecturing, Naruto lowered his head in shame.
"I'm sorry, I held everyone back... I should be stronger than before, constantly completing missions and doing solo Ninjutsu training, but why..."
"To be honest, my combat power is currently the weakest in our team. Forget Sasuke-kun, I can't even beat you, Naruto."
She was counting their "cheats," of course. Without them, the two of them combined wouldn't be enough for Kano to handle. This was just to comfort Naruto; it wasn't to be taken seriously.
"I only reacted because I spotted the danger early. If you had noticed it first, Naruto, you would have done better than me. If I fail to notice the danger next time, I'll be counting on you to save me."
"Kano-chan..." Naruto seemed to have made up his mind. "I won't just passively wait to be saved anymore! No more hesitation, no more running away! I don't want to lose to Sasuke again! I swear on my life! I will use everything I have to protect Kano!"
"Then I'll be looking forward to it. I believe you'll definitely catch up to Sasuke."
Sasuke gave a cold smile. This idiot catching up to him? In his dreams. But since Kano said it to encourage Naruto, he wouldn't spoil the mood.
Seeing Naruto cheer up, Kakashi moved on to the next topic.
"Kano, how did you notice them?"
Kano, who was currently looting the bodies with Naruto, looked back at Kakashi and pointed at the puddle of water.