Finally, it was time to return. Both the Daimyo and the Princess were reluctant to see Kano go, waving their goodbyes and hoping she would visit again soon. In passing, the Daimyo directly raised Konoha Village's military funding tier by a significant margin, even setting aside a specific portion of the funds for training Ninja Idols.
It wasn't just the Daimyo of the Land of Fire saying goodbye; there was also the grumbling Darui.
Of course, his frustration wasn't directed at Konoha or the konoha songstress, but at Killer Bee, who had familiarized himself enough to sneak into the Konoha convoy.
"Tell Big Brother that I'm going to Konoha to hang out for a few days. I'll head back on my own once I've had my fill of fun."
"!!!! (Kumogakure profanity)"
Asuma also bid farewell to his old friends, driving the carriage to lead the heroes of this mission back to Konoha.
Everyone was exhilarated by the completion of an S-rank mission; they hoped they could be called upon for such a good deal again next time.
Ino and Sakura were also happy to be on a mission with Sasuke, and their relationship had grown much closer. Because of Ino's close friendship with Kano, and the fact that Kano often spoke well of her, Sasuke's overall impression of Ino was better than his impression of Sakura.
Ino, I've helped you so much. If you can't win Sasuke over, I'll just have to turn you gay. I'm sacrificing my own 'carnal bliss' for the sake of your future happiness, you know!
"Kano, tell me now—what is Itachi's weakness?"
That's right; the reason Sasuke had agreed to play the Angel Brothers transformation with Kano and Naruto was because Kano had enticed and coerced him with information.
She had originally intended for Sasuke and Neji, the two with special eyes, to do it together, but since she couldn't manipulate Neji, she had to let Naruto have the opportunity instead.
Now that the job was done, he naturally came to Kano to claim his reward.
"Well, I'm going to tell you then, but you need to be mentally prepared."
Sasuke nodded and swallowed hard. He was currently willing to use any means necessary to kill Itachi, and having sufficient intel was the only way to show proper respect for his battle with Itachi.
"This weakness might not be good news for you. Itachi has a terminal illness and has less than three years to live. If you want your revenge, you'll have to hurry."
Sasuke's eyes immediately activated in his agitation.
This wasn't the information he wanted, but it was more important than what he wanted. In other words, he only had three years left. Could he surpass Itachi in just three years?
No, he had to hurry and train!
But how could simple training catch up to Itachi? Was there no other way?
"Kano, tell me how to get stronger quickly! I must become powerful enough. Itachi must be killed by my hand; I won't allow him to die so easily!"
"Alright, alright, I'll give you a way to get stronger. There will be an opportunity to grow in a few days; you must seize it."
While the two discussed serious matters over here, the others tactfully stayed away. Even Naruto was busy chatting happily with Killer Bee about Tailed Beasts.
Only Kano and Sasuke were here. Kano didn't want the atmosphere to be so heavy, so she decided to lighten things up.
"Sasuke, come closer. I want to show you something."
Sasuke leaned in, thinking it was some kind of classified item. He saw Kano cover her face with her hands, revealing only her eyes through the gaps between her fingers.
Then, as she closed and opened her eyes, those black pearl-like eyes transformed into the crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan. However, the change didn't stop there as the three tomoe merged to form a Mangekyo.
"Amaterasu!"
"Why do you have the Sharingan!"
Sasuke was startled. Although he hadn't seen that specific shape before, it was definitely the Sharingan. And what did she mean by 'Amaterasu'?
"Hahahaha! Your reaction is killing me!"
Kano doubled over with laughter, making Sasuke look like a complete idiot.
"Kano, explain yourself! How can you have the Sharingan?"
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Sasuke's mind. He even had the thought that if Kano was actually part of the Uchiha Clan, marrying her might be the way to revive the Uchiha Clan!
"These are just my Colored contacts. Think of them as glasses; I can change the pattern at will. They aren't real Sharingan and have no effect. Look, if you don't believe me."
---------------------------------
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.
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!