"Itachi-san, your sister is trying to kill you again," Kisame noted from the side.
Itachi's expression remained flat, but his mind was a whirlwind. His dear little sister, once so close to him, had joined the Akatsuki with the goal of destroying Konoha and had even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Itachi had been contemplating whether to use Kotoamatsukami on Kanon first. After a fierce internal struggle, he abandoned the idea. Compared to Kanon, his priority was Sasuke.
His current dilemma was whether he should personally kill the sister he once loved most to ensure the plan stayed on track.
Kanon's Rasengan passed harmlessly through Itachi's projection. Looking into her eyes filled with bone-deep hatred, Itachi could only look away.
"Kanon-chan, have you calmed down?" Konan asked, looking at Kanon as she landed.
"In front of this bastard, I've never been calmer..."
"So calm that I've already thought of ten thousand ways for him to die."
Suddenly, Itachi, standing on his finger, did something unprecedented, He spoke to her.
"Is that so? Then show me."
Hearing Itachi's taunt, Kanon said nothing more. Her gaze grew terrifyingly still.
At that moment, she was only thinking of how to kill one of the only two blood relatives she had left in this world.
The Akatsuki members were now all in position. Deidara and Sasori took their places.
Pain, standing on the thumb of the Gedo Statue, spoke calmly.
"From this point on, it will take three days and three nights."
"Be mindful of your real bodies."
"Also, Zetsu, use your main body to monitor the perimeter. Use your widest range."
"If anything happens, call Kanon to handle it."
"Understood," Zetsu said before vanishing.
"Three days?" Kisame chuckled. "Since Orochimaru isn't here, we'll need the extra time."
"If you're so worried, let's just start."
The others agreed with Pain.
Immediately, they began weaving the signs. Each finger of the Gedo Statue they stood upon resonated with the rings they wore.
Curious, Kanon wove the sign for a Shadow Clone and had it stand on an empty finger. Sure enough, the kanji for "Void" (空, Kū) glowed beneath its feet.
"This is pretty cool." Kanon adjusted the mask on her forehead, her eyes shining.
"Even though that spot doesn't have a formal seal, Kanon, you should have your clone step down. You're just wasting chakra," Konan reminded her.
"No! It doesn't look right with one finger not lit up!" Kanon insisted.
The others shook their heads. If Kanon wanted to stand there, they'd let her.
"Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons!" Pain shouted. Several dragons made of chakra erupted, pulling the Tailed Beast chakra out of Gaara.
…
The Hidden Leaf Village.
Shizune burst through the door with a look of surprise.
"Tsunade-sama! They've returned from their mission!"
"Excellent!"
Tsunade personally headed to a room. The moment she slid the door open, she shouted, "I'm giving you an S-rank mission!"
She found herself staring at Konohamaru and his friends. After the awkward mix-up, Tsunade met Team Guy outside the village gates.
"I want you to execute the same mission as Team Kakashi."
"Head to Sunagakure and coordinate with Kakashi's team to complete the mission."
"Understood?"
"Yes!" Might Guy gave Tsunade a thumbs-up.
"Leave it to us!" Rock Lee joined in with his own thumbs-up.
Neji and Tenten followed suit.
"Good! Team Guy, move out!"
After a quick sneeze, Might Guy turned to his team. "Alright, everyone! Let's reach the Sand in one day!"
"Guy-sensei! Let's do it in half a day!" Lee started cranking up the pressure.
Neji and Tenten were speechless.
"No matter how you look at it, it takes three days."
"Stop saying such confusing things, honestly."
"Let's go! Follow me and unleash your youth!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee and Guy sprinted off.
Tenten facepalmed. "God, this is so embarrassing!"
"Just give up, Tenten..." Neji sighed and followed.
Watching Team Guy disappear, Tsunade chuckled. "Same as always. A bunch of high-energy fools."
On the road, Neji and the others chatted.
"It's been a while since we've seen Naruto."
"I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's grown," Lee said with a nod of anticipation.
Outside Sunagakure, inside a cave, Naruto stared at the raging sandstorm. He was fuming.
"We're almost at the village, and now this..."
"I can't wait any longer!"
Naruto started to move, but Kakashi blocked him.
"Naruto, didn't I tell you? You can't be impatient!"
"But...!"
"Endure it. The person most anxious right now is Temari."
Temari shared her knowledge with the group.
"If you get caught in a sandstorm, you should stay put..."
"You lose your sense of direction in the sand. Cases of people dying from dehydration are common."
"It's fine. This season's storms shouldn't last long."
Finally, before dawn, Temari and Team Kakashi reached the Sand. With Temari leading, they made good time.
The lookouts spotted the four of them and quickly ushered them inside.
"What?! Kankuro is severely injured too?!" Temari cried out in shock.
"Yes. After the Kazekage was taken, Kankuro-sama gave chase immediately. He was struck by the enemy's poison. We haven't found an antidote yet. At this rate... he'll..."
Hearing this, Sakura spoke to Temari reassuringly. "Let's go, Temari. I'll treat him."
Soon, they reached the infirmary. Sakura tossed her bag aside and ran toward Kankuro.
Inside, Chiyo spotted Kakashi's face and her temper flared.
"That man is... the White Fang of Konoha!"
"You bastard!!!" Chiyo lunged at Kakashi.
Kakashi was stunned. What is this old woman doing?!
"Prepare yourself!"
Ultimately, between Naruto's block and the intervention of the other elder, the misunderstanding was cleared up.
As Chiyo was busy acting cute, Kankuro let out another agonizing scream.
Snapping back to reality, Sakura hurried over and tied her hair back.
"I'm taking over the treatment."
"Please," Temari said worriedly.
"Kakashi-sensei, please step back a bit."
"Understood." Naruto and Kakashi left the room and waited outside.
It had to be said, Sakura's medical ninjutsu was superb. Within a few hours, Kankuro's poison was completely extracted, and he was out of the danger zone.
Kakashi and Naruto also received word that Team Guy was on their way as reinforcements, which lifted their spirits.
…
The ritual for the Nine Phantom Dragons reached its climax. The Tailed Beast chakra was being forcibly pulled from Gaara's eyes and mouth.
Kanon watched the scene and quietly turned away. She had met Gaara a few times before, and she didn't particularly want to witness this.
"I'm going out for some air."
"Go ahead. Keep an eye on the perimeter while you're at it," Pain nodded.