After Inari returned, he took the initiative to apologize to Naruto. Not only that, he was full of fighting spirit, saying something like "I will fight as a weakling and become a hero for the weak," and then he ran back to his room, no one knows for what.
Kakashi was stunned; this change was too drastic. Originally a withdrawn and depressed kid, and with just a few words, you've turned him into a hot-blooded youth?
"Kano, tell me secretly, did you brainwash him?"
"That's right, I didn't just brainwash him, I brainwashed all of you too. You all think you're Konoha Ninjas now."
"But I am a Konoha Ninja?"
"See, my brainwashing was a success! Even your subconscious thinks you're a Konoha Ninja."
"How could such a ridiculous Brainwashing Technique even exist!"
"Exactly, how could I know such a ridiculous Brainwashing Technique? I just gave him a little guidance; this must have been his original personality."
Although Kano said so, Kakashi suspected she was trolling. After all, becoming this cheerful just from a talk was too far-fetched; the Brainwashing Technique seemed more plausible.
Kakashi even tried hard to recall all his memories, confirming he had been a Konoha Ninja since childhood without any gaps.
Kakashi and Kano went to rest; they had to continue protecting Mr. Tazuna while he built the bridge tomorrow.
Early the next morning, Kakashi called Kano to go to the bridge together.
"Aren't we calling those two?"
"Let them sleep a bit longer. It's your fault for using strange methods to attract them; they haven't rested much these past few days."
"I was just providing them with some motivation."
"The motivation was overkill; they finished their training two days earlier than I expected."
The two arrived at the bridge. As usual, Kano took out her guitar to cheer up the uncles working on the bridge. Because of Kano's singing, no one quit halfway anymore. Some even came to the bridge specifically to work just to hear Kano sing. Thus, the bridge's construction progress was much faster than before.
Because of the strength Kano displayed, their inner fears were dispelled, and her singing soothed their hearts.
Kano also took the opportunity to farm popularity points, gaining hundreds in a single day.
"Don't be afraid, uncles! If any bad guys come to cause trouble, I'll fight them back for you! Don't look at me as just a kid; I'm quite a fighter!"
"You're such a good girl, willing to stand up for us. But we're grown men after all; it's a bit unseemly to let you protect us. However, if anyone tries to bully you, I'll be the first to disagree!"
"Me too!"
"Same here!"
Kakashi really suspected Kano had a Brainwashing Technique. A few days ago, these workers had no motivation and were terrified; several wanted to quit.
Since Kano arrived, she just played the guitar, sang, and said a few words. Now the workers were pumped up like they'd been injected with chicken blood; if Gato dared to show up, they'd probably tear him apart.
But Kakashi didn't care too much; Kano wasn't doing anything bad. Besides, the tunes Kano played were really good, much more interesting than reading Make-Out Paradise.
"System, how many popularity points do I have now?"
[You already have 1145 popularity points; you can exchange them for a ninjutsu fusion scroll (๑'–'๑)]
The system knew this host didn't care at all for the items that came with the idol system; it wouldn't bring them up and invite humiliation.
"What's the point of exchanging for fusion if I don't have any fusion materials?"
Currently, what appealed to Kano were the special edition Forbidden Jutsus. Ordinary Forbidden Jutsus weren't that attractive, like the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
She already knew this jutsu, but her Chakra wasn't enough. Even if she summoned clones, she could only manage one or two.
Before long, Sasuke and Naruto arrived late. They had slept enough and were full of energy; they could even fight Zabuza right now without a problem.
Unfortunately, Kano's calculation was off; Zabuza didn't show up today, so they would have to wait until tomorrow morning.
The next day, Zabuza still didn't come. Instead, more villagers came to help with the work, all to hear Kano's singing.
The day after that, Zabuza didn't come, and there was no news of Gato.
The day after that... the bridge was almost finished today. Was Zabuza's injury too severe, and he hadn't recovered yet? Why hasn't he come!
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