Kano cleared her mind and arrived at the meeting point.
Sasuke and Naruto were already waiting there early. Sasuke stood there with a serious expression, while Naruto was sitting on the ground, dozing off.
"Good morning."
Kano greeted them first, and Naruto woke up from his sleep. Seeing that it was Kano, he immediately jumped to his feet.
"Good morning, Kano-chan!"
"You're late."
Sasuke, looking smugly superior, spoke in a cold voice.
"No need to rush, Kakashi-sensei hasn't arrived yet, has he? You guys haven't eaten breakfast, right? Consider this an apology for my tardiness—I brought breakfast for you. Let's eat first."
Kano already knew the content of Kakashi's test, so she wasn't nervous and ate breakfast on time. Because she left too late, her father even lectured her, saying Shikamaru left before dawn, telling her to learn from her brother. Immediately after, her father was scolded by her mother.
"Didn't Kakashi-sensei say not to eat breakfast? He even said we might throw up."
"He was just trying to scare you. True Ninja prepare thoroughly before fighting. There's no sense in fighting on an empty stomach. Here, I made this myself."
Since she knew beforehand, Kano naturally didn't forget her teammates. She genuinely liked Naruto and Sasuke. Although she might not be able to help much when they inevitably get beaten up later, just ensuring they weren't hungry meant they could at least fight with full strength after eating.
Of course, she didn't make the bento entirely herself; Kano only helped with the arrangement at most. Everything else was made by her mother, Yoshino. But saying she made it would probably make Naruto happier.
"Thank you, Kano-chan! I was hungry too!"
"Sasuke-kun, you have one too. Here."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment but still took the bento.
"Thank you."
After handing the bentos to the two of them, Kano took out a pile of scrolls containing various Low-Level Ninjutsu. Kano found one Ninjutsu and began practicing according to the instructions on the scroll.
Kano asked her father for these scrolls last night. Because Kano's Innate Attribute is Water Attribute, she only asked for Water Release Ninjutsu. But Shikaku was too lazy to sort them, so he put a bunch of Low-Level Ninjutsu together for Kano.
"Kano-chan, aren't you going to eat?"
"I already ate at home, that's why I was late."
"Oh, I see."
The thickheaded Naruto didn't pay it any mind and continued devouring his meal.
"Are you practicing Ninjutsu? Just a friendly reminder, the mission is about to start soon. You should save some Chakra so you don't hold us back later."
"How dare you talk to Kano-chan like that, you smug Sasuke! She won't hold us back! Kano-chan and I can complete the mission easily by ourselves. You'd better not be the one holding us back, Sasuke."
"Idiot."
Sasuke didn't want to argue with Naruto and just quietly ate his food. Kano also spoke up to stop Naruto and, at the same time, thanked Sasuke for his kind reminder.
However, Kano wasn't worried about the difficulty this time. After all, if you knew the trick to Kakashi's test, you could pass even if you were AFK the whole time. It was arguably the second most spoiler-friendly test.
The most friendly was the written portion of the Chunin Exams.
At this point, Sasuke finished his bento and stood nearby watching Kano train, reading the name on the scroll aloud.
"Are you practicing Wind Release: Great Breakthrough? Are you skilled in Wind Release Ninjutsu?"
"No, my Innate Attribute is Water Attribute, so I'm better at practicing Water Release."
"Then why didn't you choose Water Release? Wouldn't that be more efficient?"
"Because I'll need it later, so I'm quickly learning one Wind Release technique."
This is seriously cramming at the last minute. Who starts learning right before a test?
Sasuke originally wanted to mock her, but considering he had just finished her bento, speaking ill of her now would slightly compromise his image. Kano sensed Sasuke's hesitation and offered an explanation.
"It's not like you can only learn Ninjutsu of your Innate Attribute. Learning one more element means having one more way to fight. Just look at Sandaime-sama; he knows Ninjutsu of all Five Elements and is known as the Encyclopedia of Ninjutsu."
"Imagine if you run into an enemy with a single element, like a Ninja who uses Fire Release. The Sandaime can easily suppress them using Water Release. Even if it's not as strong as his Innate Attribute, Water Release still beats Fire Release."
"Besides, I'm only practicing a bit. I don't need to fully master it to use it, and I won't keep practicing it constantly."
Sasuke listened to Kano's words thoughtfully. As everyone knew, the Uchiha Clan specialized in Fire Release. The man he intended to kill also used Fire Release.
Although he was also more skilled in Fire Release, he ultimately couldn't compare to the older I-da-qi. But what if he used Water Release? Even if he wasn't skilled at it, he could still suppress Fire Release, right?
Kano didn't know what Sasuke was thinking about in his silence, but she had a bad feeling.
After eating his fill, the carefree Naruto continued to doze off, while Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, waiting for Kakashi. Kano continued practicing Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
Time continued until past 11:00 AM.
"Yo, everyone, good morning."
Kakashi walked over, waving his hand, and Naruto couldn't help but shout.
"You're too slow!"
"Because a black cat crossed my path..."
Kakashi tried to use an excuse to brush it off, but realizing it was useless, he pulled out an alarm clock and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Alright, the alarm is set for 12 o'clock."
He then began explaining the rules for the Bell Snatching exercise. They had to use every method possible to snatch the bells before twelve o'clock. Those who succeeded would pass; those who didn't would return to the Ninja Academy.
There were only two bells, meaning at least one person would be eliminated.
Hearing the familiar rules, Kano didn't feel much. After all, Kakashi wouldn't genuinely make them snatch the bells.
Truthfully, if Kakashi got serious, it would be impossible for the three of them to snatch the bells based on strength alone. If they were replaced by other transmigrators, they would probably rely on cheats or deception to easily steal Kakashi's bells.
But none of that mattered; whether they snatched the bells wouldn't affect the outcome. Kano wasn't fixated on snatching the bells either; instead, she wanted to try fighting alongside her teammates, practice teamwork, and find an opportunity to complete a mission.
"Those who don't snatch a bell won't get lunch, and they'll be tied to that log, watching me eat my bento."
"Wow! So that's why you told us not to eat breakfast! Luckily, Kano-chan brought us bentos, or we would have fallen for your trick!"
"idiot! Don't say that out loud!"
Sasuke punched Naruto right on the head. This kind of casual exposure of team information truly deserved a beating.
"What are you doing? Want to fight?"
Naruto and Sasuke started arguing again. Kakashi ignored the two of them and instead paid attention to Kano.
"Oh, so she not only saw through my plan but also brought bentos for her comrades?"
Kakashi mentally checked off a box for Kano and continued explaining the rules.
The rules for Bell Snatching were simple: anyone who managed to take a bell from Kakashi within the time limit would pass. However, only two people at most would pass, and the third person would be tied to a pillar.
After finishing the rules, Kakashi raised his hand and announced.
"Alright, begin!"