Naruto and Sai sprinted through the corridors until, finally, a lone figure stepped out to intercept them.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a faint smirk as he regarded the two.
"Striking Shadow Snakes!"
In an instant, several snakes lunged directly at them. Naruto and Sai scrambled backward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"So you really are on that side, aren't you, Sai?" Orochimaru said, his expression impassive.
"I'll stay here and hold him off! Sai, go find Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. Seeing Sai hesitate for a moment, he bellowed, "Go! Now!"
"Understood. I'll find Sasuke and get him out of here."
As Sai disappeared into the distance, Orochimaru's smirk deepened.
"You're here to take Sasuke back, I assume? While your obsession is admirable, do you really think everything will go so smoothly?"
"Orochimaru! Kanon is here too, isn't she?!"
"I am under no obligation to answer your questions."
"Why you—!" Naruto gritted his teeth. "I don't care if you're one of the Legendary Sannin like Pervy Sage and Tsunade-baachan! I'm going to take you down, and then I'm taking Kanon and Sasuke home!"
…
Inside a dimly lit room, Kanon sat quietly, focusing her senses on the movements outside.
"Nii-chan, there are four of them. That Sai guy from earlier seems to have defected."
"I know." Sasuke remained lying on the bed, his back turned to her.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Kanon shrugged helplessly.
"Nii-chan, we have a rat," Kanon whispered as she sensed Sai's Super Beast Scroll technique approaching.
"Fine," Sasuke grunted, staying perfectly still as if he were still asleep.
Kanon crossed her legs, a beautiful yet sharp curve touching her lips. Sure enough, the door in the distance creaked open a fraction, and Sai's gaze peered inside.
…
Meanwhile, Yamato pulled out a ledger and began explaining its contents to Sakura and Naruto. "This is a book used by the Anbu to track their assassination targets."
"You mean... a hit list?" Naruto asked, confused.
Sakura noticed that some of the faces in the book were marked with an 'X'. "What does the 'X' mean?"
"I'm afraid... it indicates that the target has been eliminated."
The revelation left Naruto and Sakura stunned.
"Why would Sai be carrying something like that?" Yamato continued to flip through the pages until his pupils suddenly constricted.
Naruto and Sakura saw the shift in his expression. There, nestled within the assassination list, was a photograph of a girl with lustrous black hair. She had delicate, lovely features and a sunny, vibrant smile. It was a photo of Kanon from the time of the Chunin Exams three years ago.
Naruto and Sakura were speechless. Why was Kanon's photo in Sai's assassination book? And by the looks of it, this record dated back several years.
Yamato turned the page. Sasuke's profile was right there beside hers.
"Why are Kanon and Sasuke's pictures in Sai's hit list?"
Yamato frowned, his expression darkening as the pieces clicked into place. This wasn't just any list; this was a hit list from the Root.
"The siblings haven't been marked with an 'X' yet, have they? I see... so that's how it is."
"What is it, Captain Yamato? Stop keeping us in the dark!"
Yamato spoke heavily. "Sai's mission wasn't to act as a liaison between Orochimaru and Danzo. His true, top-secret mission is..."
"To assassinate Sasuke!"
"That's impossible! He... he smiled from the bottom of his heart!" Naruto protested, refusing to believe it. But before he could say more, the sound of a distant explosion echoed through the hideout.
…
"So, you've arrived," Kanon said, still seated. Three kunai had already pinned Sai's ink lions to the wall, piercing through the Super Beast Scroll drawings.
"You detected me?" Sai asked, visibly surprised.
Sasuke didn't turn around; he remained lying down, but his voice carried across the room. "What is your goal?"
"Danzo-sama's objective is to eliminate you and your sister. I am going to... bring you back to Konoha."
"Danzo?" The moment Kanon heard that name, her expression shifted violently. It had been a long time since she had heard those two syllables.
Her face went deathly pale, then darkened with a murderous intent so thick it even startled Sasuke. He sat up, having never seen Kanon look so cold and filled with such raw killing intent.
"I originally came here to kill you," Sai continued. "But now, I want to protect the bond Naruto is desperately trying to save between you two and him!"
"Are you finished? Then it's my turn." Kanon had suspected Sai might be a mole for the Konoha higher-ups, but she hadn't expected him to be from the Root.
An unquenchable rage boiled up from the depths of her soul.
"I'm sorry, but I'm making my move!" Sai shouted, sending his ink beasts charging toward the duo.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion rocked the entire area. Sakura, Naruto, and Yamato all felt the shockwave.
"Is that Kanon?" Kabuto and Orochimaru both took notice.
The massive blast had blown a gaping hole in the hideout. Sasuke calmly backflipped to the edge of the crater, standing atop the debris as he looked down at his sister's handiwork.
Indeed, it was the devastating power of a Rasengan that had vaporized everything within a hundred-meter radius.
Sai was coughing up blood. A bloody hole had been torn into his abdomen; he was in critical condition. Kanon's silhouette emerged from the dust as she leaped up to stand beside Sasuke.
"Nii-chan, why did you stop me from killing him?"
"Kanon, do you have a personal vendetta against him?" Sasuke looked at her, curious. From her actions just now, he could sense a deep-seated hatred. It felt almost as intense as his own hatred for Itachi.
Kanon remained silent. She was not the type to air her dark grievances aloud. She didn't want her brother worrying about her, so she chose to say nothing.
"I see. You have your secrets too."
Sasuke's gaze turned cold as he looked down at the dying Sai. "In that case, let your brother kill him for you."
"I've always said the only person I want to kill is Itachi. But you are my sister, I won't let him dirty your hands."
"This is a brother's responsibility." Clad in his open white robe, Sasuke looked down at Sai with utter disdain.
Just as Sasuke was about to finish him, Sakura burst from a nearby tunnel and grabbed Sai by the collar.
"What is your real goal?!" Sakura began to scream at him, but she froze when a voice drifted down from above.
"Sakura."
The familiar voice hit her like a physical blow. Her pupils shrank as she slowly lifted her head.
There, looking down at her from the high ground, were the figures of Sasuke and Kanon.
"Sasuke? Kanon?"
Hearing that long-awaited voice, Naruto began to run toward them like a man possessed. He knew that the people waiting ahead weren't just Sasuke, but also the girl who had been by his side throughout his entire childhood.
Naruto sprinted, terrified that if he weren't fast enough, he would lose sight of Kanon's back again, that he would never again reach the Uchiha girl who used to straighten his collar and help him clean his house.
Suddenly, he tripped on a piece of debris. He tumbled hard, skinning his knees, but the pain couldn't stop him. He wanted to see Kanon and Sasuke too badly.
Ignoring his injuries, Naruto scrambled up and reached Sakura's side.
A harsh, blinding light poured down from the opening above, forcing Naruto to squint. High above, the two siblings stood looking down at them.
Kanon wasn't wearing her Akatsuki cloak this time. Instead, she wore a red trench coat adorned with the Uchiha crest and the mark of Ryūchi Cave. Her hair was still in twin tails, and a fox mask hung from her forehead.
But something was different. Kanon's expression didn't flicker with a single emotion; she simply leaned against Sasuke, looking down at Naruto and the others with eyes as cold as stone.