Kanon stepped forward, the ground instantly cracking beneath her. She once again punched through Gaara's Absolute Defense, striking him squarely in the abdomen.
It had been a long time since Gaara had felt pain; he hadn't been injured once since returning to Suna. This heavy blow made him cough up a mouthful of blood.
THUD!
The force of the punch left a long trench in the ground. But this was Sunagakure, and Gaara's sand was everywhere. Kanon pulled back her fist. Seeing that Gaara wasn't severely injured, she smirked.
"You used a lot of sand to cushion the impact, didn't you?"
"In that case, I'll make it so you can't even use your sand."
Kanon placed her hands before her chest. The green energy around her erupted like a volcano. Gaara sensed the impending danger and tried to stand, but the pain from the previous punch made him stumble. He couldn't dodge, he had to make a final stand!
But Kanon wasn't about to give him a chance to breathe!
"Sixth Gate of View! OPEN!!!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, the terrifying air pressure dispersed all of Gaara's sand. The sheer power left even Deidara, circling above, stunned. Kanon was beating the One-Tail like that with just Taijutsu? How strong was she really?
Rumble!
Kanon launched into the air, her fists becoming a blur as she rained strikes down on Gaara. The friction between her high-speed punches and the air ignited flames. This was the Morning Peacock!
Gaara's sand was blown away the moment it touched the Morning Peacock. Neither his body nor his Shield of Sand could defend against this move. In less than ten seconds, Gaara lay in a deep crater, coughing up blood.
Kanon stood her ground and deactivated the Sixth Gate. The Sixth Gate had side effects, evidenced by the cold sweat on her brow, but she had long since become indifferent to such pain.
"Sand Tsunami..." Finally, Gaara reached his limit. A massive wave of sand swallowed the entire ruin, seemingly intent on burying both himself and Kanon.
As the horizon-reaching sand buried the area and Kanon disappeared from sight, Gaara slowly stood up and looked at the sky. Believing he had killed Kanon, he pointed at Deidara on the giant bird and snorted.
"You're next."
"I will stake the title of Kazekage to annihilate the Akatsuki who disturb the world!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a Chidori Sharp Spear, swift as lightning, pierced through the Shield of Sand from beneath the earth and plunged into his abdomen.
"What makes you think I'm dead?" Kanon's icy voice drifted from underground. Her Flower Realm penetrated the sand as she burst through the surface.
Blood spilled from the corner of Gaara's mouth. He was still in disbelief; his Sand Tsunami hadn't scratched her. Her body had passed through the sand as if she were intangible.
In the distance, Deidara laughed mockingly at Gaara.
"Hahaha! Is this all the Kazekage is?"
"Well then, let Sunagakure experience my art!"
Deidara decided to use his trump card. He molded a small clay pigeon, which instantly grew into a massive bird. This was his Explosive Clay: C3!
The massive clay doll plummeted toward the village. Gaara's expression turned grim. Despite being impaled by the Chidori Sharp Spear, he gritted his teeth and summoned a giant sand wall to block the horrific attack.
He protected the villagers from the explosion. A massive blast, like a missile strike, sent a mushroom cloud rising over Sunagakure.
"Deidara-nii! Aren't you supposed to show your 'art' only to those who can appreciate it?!"
"Ah, sorry Kanon-chan! You're right. Art only has meaning when released against the strong." Deidara scratched his head, quickly admitting his mistake.
"Don't let it happen again!" Kanon pouted.
Using the last of his chakra to move the sand protecting the village to the outskirts, Gaara managed a slight smile. "Kanon Uchiha... you really are a kind person. If not for you, Sunagakure would have..."
"I'm not kind at all. Stop talking. I let you move the sand because I didn't want boring weaklings getting caught up in this fight."
With that, she retracted the Chidori Sharp Spear. Gaara stumbled and lost consciousness.
Deidara landed and was immediately bitten by Kanon.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"That's for involving the weak!"
"I said I was sorry..." Deidara used his giant bird to scoop up Gaara. With Kanon on board, they prepared to leave Sunagakure.
Below, Kankuro watched the battle in horror. Seeing the unconscious Gaara being taken further away, his expression darkened.
"That brat Kanon Uchiha... did she really join the Akatsuki?!"
"Go rescue the Kazekage!" someone commanded.
Looking at the frantic Suna shinobi below, Kanon smirked. "Capture complete, Deidara-nii."
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Deidara steered the giant bird toward the village outskirts.
"Gaara!!!" Kankuro roared.
On the rooftops below, dozens of ballistae were readied. Bolts tipped with giant Explosive Tags streaked toward Deidara's bird.
Kanon knelt and touched the bird. Instantly, the Flower Realm activated, turning both the bird and Deidara intangible. The bolts passed right through them with no effect.
"Impressive ability, Kanon-chan."
"Let's go, Deidara-nii. They're getting desperate."
Indeed, explosions began blooming in the sky behind them.
"Cease fire! You might hit the Kazekage!"
Watching the giant clay bird, many Suna shinobi were baffled by Deidara and Kanon's tactics.
"They're trying to leave the village!" Kankuro realized their intent immediately.
On the bird, Deidara let out a cold laugh. "Kanon-chan, Master Sasori is probably getting impatient."
"Yeah, let's hurry back." Kanon took a look at Gaara, whose face was cracking just like it did during the Chunin Exams. She knew that even if they had fought back then, the result would have been the same.
"You're not getting away!" Kankuro roared, giving chase.
"Kankuro! Don't be reckless! Wait for the squads!"
"If we wait, we'll never catch them!" Kankuro shouted back as he sprinted ahead.
"I'll send reinforcements immediately! Don't go too deep alone!"
"Understood!"
Only then did Kankuro realize that the Akatsuki had been targeting Gaara from the start. "Those bastards..."
As Kankuro continued the pursuit, Suna Jonin caught up with him. "We cannot let those two escape!"
"Right!"
Just as Deidara crossed the border of Sunagakure, the giant bird suddenly descended. This sudden landing made Kankuro break into a cold sweat. He didn't know what they were planning, and there might be an ambush, but he had no choice. Gaara was in their hands.