Upon hearing Pain's words, Kanon's expression flickered with a trace of bewilderment. She had encountered Gaara during the Chunin Exams and was well aware of his formidable strength.
Seemingly sensing her hesitation, Deidara asked curiously, "What's the matter? You know him?"
"Yeah," Kanon replied softly. "I crossed paths with him once during the Chunin Exams."
"How's his strength?" Deidara's expression grew expectant.
"I'm not sure; I never traded blows with him. However... I didn't expect him to become the Kazekage so quickly."
"Regardless, he is the target for this mission. Kanon, you wouldn't..." Sasori's gaze turned heavy as he fixed his eyes on her.
"Don't worry," Kanon said dismissively. "Gaara and I don't really have a history."
Seeing that Kanon had no further objections, Pain gave a slight nod and spoke to the trio in a low voice.
"I leave it to you three."
"Leave it to us!" Deidara shouted with supreme confidence.
…
Time continued to flow.
The Hidden Leaf Village.
Sunlight filtered through layers of dense foliage, casting dappled, shimmering shadows across the paths of Konoha. Shinobi moved through the village with relaxed smiles, greeting one another as they passed.
At the heart of the village, the Hokage Rock stood majestic and towering, carved with the faces of the past Hokage, the protectors and symbols of Konoha.
The Hokage's Office.
Iruka, Tsunade, and Shizune gazed out the window at the village. The sight of such tranquility brought a sense of relief to all three. Since Kanon's last assault, Konoha had remained free from danger.
Watching Konohamaru and his teammates dashing through the village to complete their missions, Tsunade crossed her arms and chuckled. "Calling him the Seventh Hokage candidate is one thing, but he's more like 'Naruto the Second.'"
Watching the scene, Iruka's thoughts drifted to Naruto. He murmured softly to himself.
"Naruto... is your training going well?"
"I'm going to get stronger! Then, I'll bring Kanon and Sasuke back!"
"That's what he said before setting off on his official training journey with Jiraiya-sama."
"It has been a long time..." Iruka sighed.
Shizune nodded with a smile. "Yes, it should be about time for his return, shouldn't it?"
"It'll be a problem if he doesn't return soon," Tsunade's expression turned solemn. "Large-scale movements are expected to begin shortly."
"According to eyewitness reports, Kanon appears to have joined the Akatsuki, though the intel isn't entirely confirmed."
"I'm afraid that when the time comes, Naruto will be Kanon's target... If that happens... will he truly be able to raise a hand against her?" As Tsunade spoke, the smile faded from Iruka's face, replaced by a somber silence.
Though Naruto was his student, so was Kanon. He didn't know all the internal details; he only knew that the village had driven her away. But that was the village's choice, what could he possibly do?
As Iruka pondered this, he remembered the considerate Uchiha girl who used to frequently invite him over for dinner.
At that moment, just outside the gates of Konoha, Jiraiya and a much-matured Naruto appeared.
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki spotted the duo, their faces lighting up with excitement.
"Hey, is that...?"
"Yeah! No doubt about it, it's him."
Elsewhere on the streets of the village, Sakura's pace was halted by a call from Konohamaru.
"Sakura-neechan!"
"Ah, Konohamaru." Sakura turned back, offering a smile. "Where are you heading?"
"The main gate. Tsunade-sama asked me to retrieve this morning's gate logs."
On the other side, Jiraiya and Naruto walked one after the other.
"It's been almost three years, hasn't it?"
"Yeah..." Jiraiya's lethargic voice drifted out. Beside him, Naruto grinned, chatting away as they walked.
When she reached the gate, Izumo and Kotetsu told Sakura and her companions to head toward the center of town, hinting that they might run into something interesting.
"Could it be...?" Sakura wondered aloud.
In the moment Sakura turned around, at the very utility pole where Kanon had once stood, Naruto dropped his worn backpack on the ground. With a few quick strides, he scaled the pole.
In a few bounds, he stood atop its very peak.
Below, Jiraiya let out a satisfied smile. "Heh, he's excited."
Standing on the utility pole, Naruto spread his arms wide, overlooking the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"So nostalgic! Even though one area has changed a lot, everything else is exactly the same!" Naruto took a deep breath.
"Everyone! Naruto Uzumaki is back!!!"
Looking at the village where he had lived since birth, a wave of warmth surged through Naruto's heart. Then, his gaze shifted toward the Uchiha District, now cold, desolate, and lonely, and he let out a soft sigh.
He turned his eyes toward the cliffside where he and Kanon used to sit. It was now overgrown with weeds, having gone unkempt for a long time.
"I'll have to go clear those weeds later," Naruto chuckled softly.
"Everything brings back so many memories."
"Tsunade-baachan's face has been added to the Hokage Rock, too."
Just as Naruto was smiling at the distant monument, Sakura's voice rose from below.
"Naruto! Is that you, Naruto?!"
Naruto turned his head to look down.
"When did you get back, Naruto!"
"Just now, believe it!" Naruto laughed, jumping down to the ground. "It's been a long time, Sakura!"
Observing Naruto's growth, Sakura was filled with emotion. Suddenly, she noticed his height.
"You've grown taller than me..."
Naruto hadn't really noticed until she mentioned it, but he gave a small nod. "I guess I have."
As Sakura spoke, she took a proper look at the current Naruto. Unbeknownst to her, he had become much more sturdy and well-built. The thought made her face flush slightly.
"So, what do you think? Have I become a bit more womanly?"
Naruto, however, gave her a thumbs-up and grinned. "Not really! You haven't changed a bit!"
Hearing this answer, Sakura's expression instantly soured. She snapped her head away, refusing to speak to him further.
"You really don't understand a woman's heart, do you?" Jiraiya sighed, standing beside Naruto.
Following a brief comedic display of the Sexy Jutsu with Konohamaru, which resulted in Naruto being pummeled by Sakura, the group made their way to the Hokage's Office.
"It's been a long time, you two."
"I assume your training yielded some results?" Tsunade said with a smile.
"Do you really think we'd come back without making any progress?" Jiraiya met Tsunade's gaze, his eyes brimming with confidence.
"Tsunade-baachan, when I was looking around, I noticed a certain area seemed to have been rebuilt. What happened?" Naruto asked.
The moment he spoke, everyone's expression, save for Jiraiya's, turned grim. A heavy silence filled the room.
Naruto instantly picked up on the tension.
"What is it?!" Both Naruto and Jiraiya were confused.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
Shikamaru and Temari walked through the entrance.
"Shikamaru, Temari, look! Look who's here!" Sakura waved at them excitedly.
"Oh?" Shikamaru looked toward Naruto, his expression freezing for a moment.
"Naruto... Whoa! Is that really you, Naruto?!"
"Shikamaru!" Naruto looked at him with pleasant surprise; they were good friends, after all.
Temari remarked, "This kid... is he the same shrimp from before?"
"You're back, then," Shikamaru said, waving a hand at Naruto.
"Yeah, got back this morning."
"Looks like you've lost some of that idiocy. How should I put it... you seem to have changed quite a bit, huh?"
As Naruto listened, he realized the topic was being diverted. He quickly turned back to the desk.
"Tsunade-baachan, you still haven't told me! What happened to that part of the village?"
Faced with Naruto's persistence, Tsunade's expression grew heavier. She truly did not want to be the one to tell Naruto about Kanon returning to the village for revenge.
But it couldn't be hidden forever. Just as Tsunade prepared to speak, Kakashi appeared, perched on the windowsill.
"Allow me to tell you."
The familiar voice caused Naruto's face to light up with excitement.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
"You've grown quite a bit, Naruto!"
Naruto vaulted out the window, shouting happily to his teacher, "Sensei, you haven't changed at all!"
As he spoke, Naruto handed a copy of Icha Icha Paradise to Kakashi.
"This is the first new volume of the Icha Icha series in three years. Personally, I think it's incredibly boring..."
"But Sensei, you love this stuff, right?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya muttered a dissatisfied complaint under his breath. "Brat... how could kids like you and Kanon possibly understand the refined essence of such a masterpiece!"
"That's a super-rare edition that hasn't even hit the shelves yet!"
Just as Kakashi was about to be sucked into the book, Tsunade cut him off.
"Kakashi, enough with the pleasantries. Explain the situation to Naruto."
"Right... I suppose it's most appropriate if it comes from me..."