"Alright, alright, I give up. I didn't expect you to have Sasuke wrapped around your finger too. Is there anything you don't know?"
Kakashi was also speechless. He was afraid that if they continued, he would be the one wrapped around Kano's finger, so he had no choice but to concede.
"Yay."
Kano easily swindled Kakashi out of his reward. Although it wasn't much, she was very happy... A few days passed, and the days of training went by quickly.
The sky gradually brightened, dew slid off the leaves, and Naruto lay on the grass sleeping soundly. The scars all over his body recorded his hard work, and a bright future was beckoning to him.
A beauty wearing pink casual clothes and carrying a basket was gathering herbs nearby. She discovered Naruto sleeping nearby and recognized him as the enemy from a few days ago.
She wanted to strike and kill him directly but couldn't bring herself to do it, so she patted Naruto's shoulder.
"Hey, wake up. You can't sleep here."
A dazed Naruto sat up and saw this person he didn't recognize.
"Who are you?" Seeing it was a pretty older sister, Naruto was a bit embarrassed. "Did you wake me up, Big Sister? By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Gathering herbs. Herbs to treat injuries."
The kind-hearted Naruto helped Haku, who had taken off his disguise, gather herbs.
"It's so hard for Big Sister to come out and gather herbs so early in the morning."
"You're the one. What are you doing in a place like this so early in the morning?"
Naruto said very proudly, "Training!"
"Are you a Ninja? Looking at your headband."
"Do I look like one? Do I? That's right, I am a Ninja!"
Haku and Naruto, two opposing beings, sat on the grass and chatted lightheartedly. They looked like friends, confiding in each other.
"Do you have someone important to you?"
Faced with Haku's question, Kano's figure immediately popped into Naruto's mind. Thinking of this, Naruto even blushed.
"Yeah, I do."
"That person must be someone you really want to protect. Only when a person wants to protect something do they truly become strong."
He thought of Iruka, he thought of Kakashi, and he thought of Kano.
"Yeah, I know that very well!"
"You will become strong. Let's meet again if there's a chance."
"Yeah, see you."
"By the way, I'm a man."
Naruto was instantly petrified with shock; he felt the world was full of mysteries.
Then Haku left, passing by Sasuke. Similarly, Kano arrived as well, sitting on a Shadow Deer with a bento in her hands.
"Naruto, did you forget it's mealtime? I brought you a bento."
"Thank you, Kano-chan! Is it handmade?!"
"In your dreams! I'll only make a bento for you myself after you finish your training. Eat up and keep working hard."
Kano tapped Naruto on the head.
"Remember to go back and eat next time. If you forget again, I won't bring it to you."
Kano left after putting down the bento; she had her own training. Because Sasuke had already eaten breakfast, he immediately began climbing trees. Seeing this, Naruto also quickly stuffed the food into his mouth and started climbing.
Kano also began her training, but her progress was nowhere near as fast as the two "cheating" and "pumped-up" boys. Kano's training speed was much slower than before; after all, her "cheat" was currently in a suspended state.
[It's not my fault (╯3╰). The reward came before the task. It wasn't easy for me to get such a good reward for the host, okay? This time, the Infinite Stat Point System required me to be a dress-up doll for a whole night before agreeing to the exchange Ծ‸Ծ]
Kano instantly remembered the days when she was treated as a dress-up doll by Ino, and her face flushed red.
"Tch, I... I've done it too. It's not as hard as you say."
[Then don't blush ←_←]
"Mind your own business."
[And I think this task is okay, right? It's not that hard (ง ˙o˙)ว]
"Not hard? Willy, Lullaby, March, and Pearl Tears—those four are fine. But you're telling me that Requiem, a piece that purely stimulates the nerves, can get good reviews? That would be a miracle!"
[Ah, well, should I cancel it for you? (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
"Don't. This reward is too good—any skill can be strengthened once. If it really doesn't work, I'll go torment Shikamaru and make him give me a good review."
[I think Naruto would probably give you a good review | ू•ૅω•́)ᵎᵎᵎ]
"That won't do. Naruto is a poor child; I can't bully him."
[So your brother Shikamaru isn't poor and deserves to be bullied by you? ヽ( ￣д￣;)ノ]
"That's different. That guy Shikamaru has both parents, a sister, and a house. His life is too comfortable. I'm just giving him some stimulation to help him grow as quickly as possible. It's for his own good!"
[I feel like having you as a sister, Shikamaru is truly 'blessed' ヽ('ー`)ノ]
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