Little Kano, take these—they're fresh-picked.
Diva of Konoha, where are you singing next?
Big sister, I want to sing just like you.
Lucy-chan, heh-heh-heh…
After finishing her daily missions, villagers along the road would greet Kano warmly; she always solved those D-rank requests with a song.
Employers and neighbors would drift into the music, slowly becoming her fans. More and more people loved her voice—children copied her songs, even adults were drawn in.
Some would ask where she was performing and travel just to listen; others would post missions just to hire her to sing.
Kano smiled from atop Shadow Deer, thanking her supporters.
She hadn't planned on becoming an Idol, but the system quest was stuck: she needed five basic scores, all rated highly. Requiem sounded worse than static, making heads buzz.
Who in their right mind would give that a thumbs-up?
Yet the reward was an upgrade scroll—she'd already decided to use it on Shadow Monarch.
All she could do was pray some masochist appeared to praise Requiem, or keep being an Idol until a die-hard fan surfaced.
Lucy-chan, you're amazing—now you're the konoha songstress everyone knows!
Naruto gushed like a true fanboy until Kano's face reddened.
It's not that big a deal.
The three teammates strolled back leisurely; relations weren't as tense as in the anime. Naruto didn't hate Sasuke over Kano, and Sasuke didn't brood under Haku's pressure.
Kakashi was pleased: occasional friction, but overall harmony—just like old times.
Naruto was the fool Obito, a love-struck puppy, yet studying hard for his crush.
Sasuke was like him—haunted by the past, walking his own path, steady and focused.
Kano was their Rin, smoothing squabbles, the team's stable core; as long as she stayed, the team held together.
All right, dismissed. I've got to file the mission report.
Spotting a hawk overhead, Kakashi knew duty called; Sasuke would train—easy missions offered no growth, and with Kano's recent windfall, they didn't need the petty cash.
Meanwhile Kano had earned plenty of popularity points.
System, what's my popularity now?
[9,998 points—enough for a ninjutsu fusion scroll (๑'～'๑)]
Great, almost there. The pills the system gives are useless; if anyone in the Ninja World out-cutes or out-sings her, she'll eat her own socks.
On the Idol path, she has zero competition.
[Sorry the rewards I produce are so lame m]
Chakra-wise, her small reserve is enough; she knows few costly jutsu and rarely uses them—poor ROI. She can trade points when truly needed.
The fusion scroll rocks, but again—no materials.
Any practical items left?
[The shop only stocks completed quest rewards; plenty of seniors want to trade, but host, you're slacking ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭]
Are you mocking me? Fine—watch me find a hardcore masochist who'll like Requiem!
Not far off, Shikamaru—mission done—sipped tea outside a convenience store when a chill ran down his spine. Maybe crashing at Choji's tonight was safer.
Lucy-chan, let's train together!
Hmm… not much time.
Seeing Naruto's droop, Kano sighed. Torturing Shikamaru could wait.
Alright, just a while—cheer up; my time's precious.
While she spoke with Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru—unaware—were spared; Naruto leapt with joy.
This time he'd show her what he's made of!
Just then a box disguised as a square stone scuttled to Naruto's feet.
Naruto and Kano both spotted the thing; Naruto stepped back twice, and the crate scooted forward twice.
Anyone else in Konoha who could sniff out a fake rock to find Naruto simply didn't exist.
Isn't that Konohamaru?
As expected of the legendary konoha songstress—she saw right through us!
Kano tapped the crate; it finally answered with a three-colored puff of smoke, leaving the three brats coughing on the ground.
Cough, cough… that's way too much gunpowder…
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