"So how did you know his weakness was genjutsu?"
Sasuke asked Kano while they walked, hoping she could give him a way to grow stronger.
"Information warfare, of course."
"But isn't that a bit unsporting?"
Naruto chimed in, and even Sasuke felt the same. The guy charged over for a duel and you dropped him with a genjutsu—kinda… "That's exactly how you respect an opponent. Get it?
You face them at full strength, don't underestimate them, don't joke around—no objections there, right?
I seriously (not really) gathered intel, found his weak spot, and used a method that counters him. That's not looking down on him; that's respect.
Sasuke, you never treated him like a real opponent from the start. You only activated your Sharingan halfway through—you clearly underestimated him. You're the one who disrespected him."
Kano's words stunned Sasuke; they made sense. He'd had no intention of understanding the guy—only of taking him out.
In other words, he'd never respected any opponent before.
Lesson learned: respect means exploiting their weaknesses!
Naruto the blockhead didn't grasp a thing and just nodded, "Uh-huh, sure."
The three ambled into the written-exam site, waved at Kakashi-sensei, and went inside.
There were far more people than expected. Seeing Kano, Ino dashed over, hugged her, spun her around, then sidled up to Sasuke.
"Kano-chan, you're here too! Hello, Sasuke-kun!"
"Troublesome exam, yet you all signed up."
Shikamaru came to say hi, Choji beside him snacking away.
"Yo, big bro, want me to leak the questions?"
"Oh, let's hear it."
"Just hand in a blank paper and you'll pass."
"You punk, you don't want me to pass at all, do you?"
"Stupid brother, I'm telling the truth; suit yourself. You'll see when it's over."
Shikamaru knew his little sister could be outrageous; he'd half-expected real questions. Hearing that obvious lie, he realized she was monkeying around again.
Soon Kiba's squad and Sakura's team came over to greet them.
All former Ninja Academy classmates, they started chatting. Inside, Kano eyed the fierce-looking Genin and thought:
These guys are probably weaker than Mizuki, but stronger than those shadow clones. Should I kill six first and swap the clones for Shadow Ninja?
"Kano-chan, any exam tricks? You know my theory scores are dead last—help me."
Naruto slipped beside her and whispered.
"Do you remember my theory scores? Second to last," Kano grinned slyly. "But I do know how to pass."
"Tell me, tell me…!"
"Hidden rule: draw Kakashi-sensei on the paper—the more realistic, the higher the score!"
"Haha, quit joking."
"I'm not joking; it's true."
"Then… um…"
"Naruto, don't you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you! It's just…"
The claim was so absurd it couldn't be real—had the examiner lost his mind?
"If you believe me, I guarantee you'll pass. If my tip makes you fail, I'll grant you any request, however outrageous."
"Really?!"
Naruto's face flushed red; his thoughts had wandered. Kano blushed too, then turned serious.
"If you pass, you'll grant me one request, no matter how extreme."
Naruto weighed it: the Chunin Exams happen every six months; trading half a year for Kano-chan's… anything was a bargain!
As for keeping his promise, he didn't worry. Whether he passed or not, he'd do whatever Kano asked right now—this was free.
Naruto nodded firmly—nothing would stop him from drawing Kakashi!
Then examiner Ibiki entered and announced the rules.
Kano took her number, sat down, and got ready.
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