Naruto's training wasn't smooth sailing, and neither was Kano's. She had originally wanted to use her date with Naruto to observe his moments of happiness and find inspiration, but it still wasn't enough. Would this level of happiness not be enough to make Naruto lose himself in it?
It was normal to have no results for many days in a row, so neither Kano nor Naruto felt discouraged, each putting in their own efforts.
Naruto had asked Kano for tips several times, but Kano's approach was the same as Jiraiya's: he had to figure it out for himself.
The difference was that Kano would play the zither for Naruto in between composing songs, which also gave him a bit of motivation.
"As long as you learn the Rasengan, I'll give you a reward."
"Hell yeah! I have to learn it right now!"
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto had completed the second stage of his training: Bursting the Rubber Ball. Kano's progress, however, was stuck on the artistic conception part, remaining stagnant.
During these days, Kano didn't go up the mountain every day to accompany Naruto in his training. From time to time, she would play the zither and sing to cheer him on.
She would also often stroll around the town to find inspiration, playing the zither and singing on the street. It wasn't right to keep using Naruto's money, so she occasionally used Shadow Exchange to go back and grab some cash.
Even when she wasn't by Naruto's side, she would sneak a peek at his training through a crystal ball. Just watching him filled Kano with motivation.
Singing on the street also allowed her to accumulate fans and popularity points. After all these days, combined with her previous points, she had reached over twenty thousand, less than halfway to the forbidden jutsu scroll.
Jiraiya had spent quite a while, but he finally found information regarding Tsunade.
"Alright, you two, your training is almost done. We should go find Tsunade now."
Kano was honestly a bit disgusted by Jiraiya's efficiency in finding people, if not for the fact that it gave Naruto some time to train.
"Your efficiency is really poor; finding her only now? Your intelligence network is pathetic."
"Tsunade is elusive, she's hard to find! Plus, she can disguise her age. Even if I asked you to find someone who can change their appearance and age at any time, you wouldn't know where to start either!"
"Are you stupid? If finding Tsunade is a hassle, you just have to find the people around her. Isn't there a woman named Shizune who's always with her? She also carries a little pink pig... was it named Peppa? Whatever, the name doesn't matter. With such obvious traits, anyone who's seen her wouldn't forget."
Jiraiya thought about it and realized it made sense, but he couldn't admit he was less knowledgeable than a child; he couldn't lose face.
"Huh? Who cares about a follower? Besides, gathering intelligence isn't as easy as you say. It requires money, skill, and choosing the right timing..."
But Kano didn't show him any mercy.
"Isn't she just in Tanzaku Quarters?"
"How... how do you know?! Haven't you just been playing the zither and composing music all these days?"
"Don't underestimate my intelligence network. Do you think mine is as trashy as yours? Among the fans I've attracted just by playing the zither these past few days, several have seen Tsunade."
There were so many who had seen Tsunade, let alone Shizune. Now, not just Kano, but even Naruto looked at him with a gaze of contempt.
"Hey, you're making me look useless."
This information really was gathered by Kano herself; she didn't remember the place names from the anime at all.
"Then let's head to Tanzaku Quarters. But Kano, you've been out with us for so long, won't your family worry?"
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