After healing Neji, Kano also left behind all her remaining food and water. She built him a small earth house so he could rest properly. By now, it was getting late; she remembered that Naruto and the others had been pursuing their targets for a long time without rest.
She felt a bit sorry for Naruto and Shikamaru.
As for Kiba, she wasn't really that familiar with him.
Unlike before, Kano didn't directly summon a Shadow Deer to track the Shadow Ninja inside Naruto's shadow. Instead, she used Shadow Exchange with a shadow bug at home to go back and sleep.
Why spend the night in the wild when you can go back to the village? Kano wasn't that stubborn.
Back home, she casually told her mother that Shikamaru had gone on a very dangerous mission and would be gone for a few days. She added that there was no need to worry, as there was outside help.
The next day, Kano brought new rations and water, performed a Shadow Exchange with her Shadow Deer, oriented herself, and resumed the pursuit.
Kano sat on the Shadow Deer and chased for a while, checking her daily tasks as she went.
[Virtual Idols can't use their real names! It would be troublesome if you were doxxed by a 'box weapon' ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ Choosing a cute name for yourself is the first step in launching your virtual Idol activities~ A cute name makes it easier to close the distance with fans and generate goodwill (｡＞∀＜｡) Share your new nickname with others! ੭ ᐕ)੭*⁾⁾ Task Reward: Two bags of garbage.]
"This task reward really is garbage!"
[You were the one who said the rewards could be whatever. I also told you the rewards weren't great (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ At least you don't have to sing or dance, and it's not hard, right? (•̃͡ε•̃͡)]
"But these two bags of garbage are really... forget it, I'll just consider it a good deed. What name should I pick? Lu... Lu... Luding?"
[That doesn't sound cute at all! （｀Δ´）ゞ It's clearly a male name, and it sounds a bit brutal. It gives off a 'legal but non-compliant' vibe (｡ì _ í｡)]
"I was just thinking of 'The Deer and the Cauldron' (Ludingji). How is that name brutal? If you don't like it, I'll change it. Luzy! How about that?"
[Why not just call yourself Luny (Deer Optimus Prime)? ( ･_･)ﾉ⌒●~*]
"That works too."
[Works too my foot! (乂｀д´) Can't you pick a girl's name? At least something a bit cuter, like'Sexy Cat Girl' (＾ｖ＾).]
"I feel like using that name would get me targeted. I'll pick one myself. How about Kashi? (The Japanese for deer is'shika', and the Japanese for sweets/confectionery is 'Kashi'.)"
[The name Kashi sounds very sweet ( ﹡ˆoˆ﹡ ). It's quite good! (｡＞∀＜｡)]
"Then it's settled. My virtual Idol name will be Kashi."
Just as she finished chatting with the system, she finally found someone's trail.
It was her older brother, Shikamaru.
Shikamaru and Tayuya had already begun their battle.
Kano stopped again, crouching nearby to watch the fight while she pondered a question.
Did she miss someone?
She remembered that after Neji, shouldn't it have been Kiba? Why was it directly her stinky brother's turn? Did she bypass Kiba while traveling?
What should she do? Should she go back to save Kiba?
But if she went to save Kiba, what about her brother? She didn't dare leave her brother to find Kiba.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A Shadow Clone took Shadow Haku and Shadow Zabuza to rescue Kiba. As Hidden Mist Village Ninjas, they were more familiar with water, making it more appropriate for them to search along the waterways. In Kano's memory, Kiba had hidden in water to evade pursuit.
Kiba still had to be saved; she didn't dare entrust her companion's safety solely to those three Sand Ninjas. It would be best if they came, but if they didn't, Kano had to be the backup.
After all, Kano had beaten them quite badly last time; it was entirely possible they wouldn't show up.
"Ninjutsu: Shadow Deer Technique!"
A Shadow Deer leapt out from Shikamaru's shadow, quietly hiding in the darkness. Whether it was launching attacks from blind spots, extending the range of the Shadow Imitation Technique, acting as a decoy to scout the path, or breaking genjutsu...
Shikamaru was using that single deer in a myriad of ways.
The Shadow Deer was like another Shikamaru, maneuvering through the battlefield. Although it was just a deer, under Shikamaru's control, it was exceptionally difficult to kill.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!