The sky was stained with the hues of dusk as Deidara and Kanon looked down upon Sunagakure from above. Deidara peered through the miniature telescope over his left eye, zeroing in on the targets below.
"Deidara-nii, do I get one too?" Kanon asked.
"Of course. Here!" Deidara rummaged through his bag and pulled out another miniature telescope.
After Kanon put it on, she began scanning the area below for sentries. "One, two..."
"Three... Deidara-nii, there are three people monitoring the airspace," Kanon whispered.
"Heh heh, Kanon-chan, this village actually has quite an artistic quality to it," Deidara said, a smirk of anticipation spreading across his face. "That makes it all the more worth destroying."
"Go ahead and handle the One-Tail. I'll provide cover from out here."
As he spoke, he pulled three spider-like pieces of Explosive Clay from his pouch. "We need to move stealthily here." He handed the three spiders to Kanon. "Kanon, use your Sharingan to mark their positions and throw these C1 Clay Spiders like shuriken."
"Right." Kanon took the spiders and immediately activated her Sharingan, observing the surroundings.
As the sun dipped lower, Kanon gripped the three C1 Explosive Clay Spiders between her fingers and hurled them toward the three locked-on targets. Seeing Kanon act, Deidara instantly formed a hand seal.
"Katsu!"
Pop!
With a muffled burst, the three C1 spiders streaked through the air, landing perfectly beside the three guards.
"Kanon, such precision!" Deidara laughed. In the distance, the three guards realized something was wrong.
"What is this weird thing?!" a Suna Chunin barked, frowning as a spider latched onto him.
"It's not 'weird' at all."
"Typical. Fools who don't understand art," Deidara sneered.
"Alright, Deidara-nii, stop with the commentary! Move it!" Kanon urged, sounding slightly impatient.
"Fine, fine. I'll use your bodies to teach you the meaning of art."
Deidara formed a seal, placing his hand before his chest with a cold grin. "Art is an explosion!"
BOOM!
Three bursts of flame erupted, instantly reducing the guards to a bloody mist.
As the two landed on a roof outside the Kazekage's office, Deidara flashed Kanon a peace sign. "Infiltration successful!"
However, the moment he landed, he noticed Kanon staring straight ahead. She had already donned her fox mask.
"Hm?" Deidara was confused until he followed her gaze. There stood Gaara, dressed in casual clothes with his giant gourd strapped to his back.
Gaara looked at the two calmly and said flatly, "This is as far as you go."
"Ho? Your opponent isn't me, Gaara of the Desert," Deidara said, stepping back to reveal the girl standing about 162cm tall with twin tails and a fox mask.
"Kanon Uchiha? I didn't expect you to actually join the Akatsuki. You truly have fallen."
"Whether I joined or not is not for you to judge."
Since she had been recognized, Kanon didn't bother hiding her identity; the shinobi world would find out eventually anyway. She slowly slid the fox mask to the left side of her forehead. From beneath her bangs, her eyes emerged, glowing with the crimson of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"The look in your eyes is different than before," Gaara said softly, crossing his arms. "Now, your eyes are filled with a pursuit of power, hatred, coldness, and killing intent. They are the eyes of someone itching to kill the very people who pushed them into the hell of darkness and loneliness."
"During the Chunin Exams, you were so kind and gentle, just like Naruto. You had great dreams and a lively personality. Kanon Uchiha, using revenge as your strength to survive won't solve anything. I have been through all of this."
"It's not too late. Don't let hatred and pain consume you and lock yourself in a world of solitude. You won't be able to come back!"
Hearing Gaara's plea, Kanon gave a contemptuous smile. "I reached the point of no return a long time ago... The world is cold. If you don't strike others down, you'll be the one struck down, left crawling on the ground!"
"I'm sick of these pointless sentiments. Now, I only want the world to know pain."
Hearing this, Gaara's expression turned somber, not for himself, but because he understood what Kanon meant to Naruto.
"Kanon, you are very much like I used to be. You have lived in the darkness of the shinobi world, so even a faint light should be able to reach your eyes. It was true then, and it is true now!"
"Hahahaha!" Kanon looked at Gaara, her hollow expression filled with nothing but mockery. Images of her parents, her clansmen, Izumi, and Danzo flashed in her mind.
"From that moment on, not even the Mangekyo could see clearly. There is only darkness before me."
Looking at Kanon's exquisite but increasingly icy face, Gaara realized he couldn't talk her back on his own. A single tear escaped the corner of his left eye and slid down his cheek.
"I understand..."
THOOM! A massive wave of sand erupted from his gourd, surging toward Kanon like an overwhelming tide.
Deidara had already taken to the sky on his clay bird, circling above. He was keen to observe this duel.
Watching the sky-filling sand rush toward her, Kanon's expression remained indifferent. With a single flicker, she vanished. Her speed was so great it shocked Gaara, as his sand barely managed to block an incoming strike.
The Kusanagi Sword slashed rapidly, but every hit was deflected.
"You managed to block my swordsmanship. I see your Absolute Defense is still intact."
"In that case..."
Kanon leaped back, evading a Sand Binding Prison, and breathed out a massive sphere of fire while in mid-air.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
The meteor-like fireball made Gaara's face pale, primarily because he hadn't seen Kanon weave any hand signs. At that moment, white smoke erupted from the sand near his side, revealing several Shadow Clones of Kanon.
"When did she—?!" Gaara looked around frantically as dozens of Kanon clones charged at him, thrusting Rasengans forward.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rang out. Gaara's Sand Wave was shattered, and he barely managed to withstand the hit.
"And how will you defend against this?" The Kanon who had just landed smirked. Gaara's expression grew even grimmer; the Shadow Clones around him had vanished, and the meteor-like Giant Fireball was now descending upon him.
"Sand Arm!" Gaara roared. Countless grains of sand surged to form a massive hand. With a terrifying crash, it finally managed to block the horrific fireball.
Gaara stared intensely at Kanon in the distance and raised a hand.
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
Vast amounts of sand flew up, reaching dozens of meters high to envelop Kanon.
"Chidori Current," Kanon said plainly. Lightning-natured chakra erupted from her body, instantly shattering the surrounding Sand Binding Coffin.
She then lunged directly in front of Gaara, throwing a punch.
BANG!
The heavy blow was once again blocked by Gaara's Shield of Sand.
"It's useless, Kanon Uchiha. Your speed—"
Before Gaara could finish, the heavy punch smashed directly into his face.
BOOM!
The building behind him instantly exploded as his body stumbled and fell into the rubble.
"How is this possible?!" Gaara's expression was one of pure shock. That punch wasn't about speed, it was pure strength! She had used brute force to break through his Shield of Sand and strike him! How could this be?
Seeing Gaara's bewildered face and the surrounding ruins, Kanon found it almost funny.
"Did you think your Absolute Defense could stop an Uchiha?"
"Even back during the Chunin Exams, you would never have defeated me."
"Utterly ridiculous."
As Kanon mocked him, Gaara's head spun. Green energy began to surge around Kanon's body. There was no mistake; it was the very technique that had been so troublesome before—the Eight Inner Gates!
"Eight Inner Gates: Fifth Gate of Limit! Open!" Kanon declared. The air around her instantly detonated, and a terrifying gale swept through Sunagakure.
"Gaara of the Desert, you'd better pay attention now, because..."
"I'm about to start a storm!!!"