Five days later.
Tenchi Bridge.
A young girl with twin tails, wearing an Akatsuki cloak and a mask resting on her forehead, appeared at the edge of the ravine.
"I'm back! Onii-chan!!!"
An excited, melodic voice echoed through the valley.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked out from the earth, accompanied by an overwhelming aura of cool intensity. On the opposite side of the bridge, Sasuke stood with a gentle smile, looking at Kanon and chuckling softly.
"And whose little sister might this be?"
"Yours!"
With a slight curve to his lips, Sasuke crossed the bridge in a single stride and came to a halt before Kanon. He nodded slightly, taking in her Akatsuki cloak and the "Void" ring on her finger.
"So, you really did join the Akatsuki."
"Of course! I've already thrashed Itachi twice! Onii-chan, that guy is as slippery as an eel!" Kanon pouted, her voice tinged with lingering irritation at the thought of him.
Before she could complain further, Sasuke reached out and poked her forehead with his finger.
"Regardless, you've worked hard, haven't you?"
"Mm... I worked very hard." Kanon suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Sasuke and bursting into tears.
Only before this brother, the person who was kindest and closest to her in the world, could she drop all her defenses. Here, she didn't have to pretend to be strong.
Sensing his sister's pain, Sasuke wrapped his arms around her.
"Kanon, let's go inside and talk..."
"Okay..."
Still sobbing occasionally, Kanon followed her brother back to Orochimaru's hideout.
Once inside, she leaned dejectedly against a table and told Sasuke everything about Sasori. Sasuke reached out to stroke her cheek, his expression turning somber.
"Kanon, you're far too kind. The death of a guy like that has nothing to do with you."
"But... if I hadn't left..."
"Who can stop a man intent on seeking his own death? Even if he hadn't died there, he would have fallen at someone else's hands sooner or later. Don't blame yourself."
"I..."
"Let's talk about something happier," Kanon interrupted herself, shaking off the gloom. "Onii-chan, I brought intel on Itachi."
She took the small pack off her back and produced a stack of documents. As Sasuke examined the files, his expression turned icy.
"As I thought. He is the only one I intend to kill!"
"Just looking at this face makes me want to tear him to pieces."
In the distance, Kabuto and Orochimaru walked into the room.
"Ah, Kanon-chan is here," Kabuto said with a smile as he approached.
"You! You haven't changed a bit! It's been a whole year!" Kanon pouted at him.
"You've changed a bit, though, Kanon. You used to be quite... flat."
Hearing Kabuto's jab, Kanon instinctively looked down at her slightly developing chest.
"You jerk! Pervert!"
"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" Kabuto broke into a cold sweat. He could feel Sasuke's intense killing intent radiating toward him; in this moment, Sasuke truly looked ready to murder him.
"Sasuke really does dote on his sister," Orochimaru remarked from behind Kabuto. He felt the killing intent as well, but chose to say nothing more.
"Orochimaru, teach me more jutsu! I need to get even stronger so I can slaughter Itachi!"
Seeing Sasuke's urgent, driven state, Kanon covered her mouth to hide a giggle. The way her brother fought so hard to stay ahead of her just to claim his revenge was almost adorable to her.
Sasuke turned around and caught her grinning, his expression turning somewhat helpless.
"Orochimaru-sama, it's time for the meeting," Kabuto said, offering a thin smile to the siblings.
"Go on," Orochimaru nodded.
Watching the direction Kabuto left in, Kanon felt a flicker of confusion. A meeting? With whom? Was there another powerful contact?
Before she could ask, Sasuke grabbed her arm to lead her to the training grounds.
"Spar with me."
"Spar? Onii-chan, I've already mastered the trick to Kirin."
"We're not practicing that. We're going to duel. Kanon, I'm still not strong enough, so I need your help."
Kanon sighed. She knew it, her brother was a total battle maniac. Every time she visited, they had to train, and today was no exception. Within the training grounds, Kanon let out a silent wail of misery; she had to hold back enough to give him a challenge, while being careful not to actually hurt him.
It was an exhausting balancing act. But what could she do? He was her dearest brother; even if she had to cry about it, she'd finish the session with him.
After training for several hours, Kanon turned to Orochimaru.
"Snake-jisan, tell me..."
She was immediately interrupted. "Wait. Kanon-chan, what did you just call me?"
"Snake-jisan? Is that not allowed?"
"No... it's fine. It's just the first time I've heard that name."
"So, I wanted to ask, who is Kabuto meeting?"
"You don't know?" Orochimaru looked puzzled. Since they were planning to move hideouts soon, he hadn't minded letting a member of the Akatsuki inside. Of course, he also understood that this twin-tailed girl was just there to see her brother.
"I don't," Kanon shook her head.
"He's meeting Sasori of the Red Sand, from your organization."
"What?!" Kanon's pupils shrank.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing the sudden desolation in Kanon's eyes, Orochimaru realized something was amiss.
"Sasori is dead. The person at the meeting won't be him," Sasuke said flatly to Orochimaru.
"What?! Then I need to see this for myself!" With those words, Orochimaru vanished.
Sasuke patted the head of his sister, who sat on a chair with her head bowed. He sighed inwardly; his sister really was too soft-hearted.
"Go take a bath and sleep in my bed for a while. Get some proper rest, Kanon."
Sasuke spoke while straightening the bedding for her. He then handed her a change of clothes she had left at the hideout previously.
"Thank you, onii-chan..."
"Don't thank me. Just... don't let Itachi hurt you. Kanon, you are my most beloved and cherished sister. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I know..."
"Then go wash up. You've traveled a long way and sparred with me. Get some sleep."
"Mhm..."
As Kanon entered the hideout's bathroom, Sasuke allowed himself a small smile. It felt good to have family left in this world; at least, beyond his revenge, he had something left to protect.
Listening to the pitter-patter of the shower, Sasuke quietly closed the door. He returned to the training ground to begin his mandatory daily regimen.
Wooden targets were hung from the surrounding trees. Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan flared to life. He leaped into the air, throwing several kunai. Just like the Itachi of his childhood, every single one hit the dead center of the targets.
Then, the screeching of countless Chidori Current filled the forest. With flashes of blue electricity, the targets exploded instantly, reduced to ash.
Sasuke's gaze remained cold, as if he could already see the image of Itachi's death before him. Within his crimson pupils, a surge of hatred rose.
"Why are you so weak? Because you don't have enough hate!"
At that thought, the lightning surrounding Sasuke's body surged violently, leveling the surrounding area in an instant.
Finally, his fury subsided. When he returned to the room, he pushed the door open softly to find Kanon fast asleep under his blanket. She looked peaceful, though a few stray tears lingered at the corners of her eyes.
"Thinking of Mom and Dad again?" Sasuke sat by the bed and gently pulled the blanket up higher.
"Don't catch a cold, little sister."
With those words, Sasuke sat back in his chair, bowed his head, and drifted into a silent, light sleep.