"It's time to end this!" Sasuke muttered. Above them, the thunderclouds conjured by Kanon's power began to flicker with malevolent light.
Sasuke thrust his Kusanagi Sword into the earth and wove a series of rapid hand signs. White chakra surged around him with frantic intensity. The roar of thunder grew deafening, leaving Naruto and the others paralyzed by the spectacle.
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed, his voice straining against the gale.
Kanon remained seated where she was, legs crossed, peering down at the chaos unfolding below with detached curiosity.
Just as Sasuke was about to unleash Kirin, a hand clamped down firmly on his arm. It was Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru?" Kanon murmured, tilting her head. What is he doing?
"Don't use that jutsu, Sasuke."
"Let go." Sasuke's voice was flat, but a killing intent so cold it felt physical washed over Orochimaru.
Nearby, Kabuto Yakushi materialized as well. "You're using that sharp tone with Orochimaru-sama again, I see."
Sasuke didn't dignify the comment with a response. He cast a fleeting glance at Kanon before stating coldly, "I have no reason to stop."
"You are aware of the Akatsuki's recent movements, aren't you?" Kabuto countered. "Orochimaru-sama wants these Konoha ninja to help clear out the members of the Akatsuki. The more they take down, the better."
"If you are hindered by other Akatsuki members, your plan for revenge will never reach fruition."
At those words, Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly. "What a pathetic reason."
"It's all to increase the success rate of your vengeance, even if only by one percent," Kabuto said smoothly. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Sasuke looked down at Naruto, who was kneeling in a daze on the ground, his expression unreadable. Kanon, watching from the sidelines, gave a helpless shrug.
"I almost forgot. I'm a member of the Akatsuki too," she noted. "I suppose that technically makes us enemies."
"Don't say such foolish things!" Sasuke barked, his voice uncharacteristically sharp. "Remember this: you are my dearest sister. We could never be enemies!"
The sudden outburst startled Kanon. Looking into Sasuke's resolute eyes, a wave of warmth flooded her heart. She broke into a soft, genuine smile.
"I understand," she nodded gently.
Finally, Sasuke lowered his hand. Orochimaru whispered beside him, "Let us go."
A sudden gust of wind swept through, carrying withered leaves and tossing Sasuke's hair. He pulled the Kusanagi Sword from the ground, spun it in a graceful flourish, and clicked it back into its sheath.
The past three years had passed like an endless storm, washing away the dust of the shinobi world while ruthlessly carving a canyon between Naruto and Sasuke.
Staring into Sasuke's icy gaze, Naruto felt a crushing sense of powerlessness. This was their first meeting in three years; he had believed he had grown enough to bring both Sasuke and Kanon back to Konoha. He was wrong.
"Kanon..." Naruto's voice trembled, a choked sob born of suppressed emotion, a knot of lingering attachment and raw pain.
"Hmm?" Kanon looked at him, realizing he was calling her name.
"When... when are you finally coming back to Konoha?!"
"In a while, I suppose." After a moment of thought, Kanon rubbed her chin and gave a vague answer.
"What?" Naruto, Sakura, and even Yamato stared at her, wondering if they had misheard. Did Kanon just say she was coming back to Konoha soon?
"Oh, don't look so confused," Kanon added casually. "I meant I'll be back in a while to destroy Konoha."
"You!" Yamato gritted his teeth.
Sasuke's lips curled into a faint smirk at her response. He turned to her and asked softly, "Kanon, are you coming with us?"
"No, nii-chan. I have to return to the organization."
"I see. Stay safe," Sasuke cautioned. He then tossed a scroll toward her.
"This is...?"
"A scroll I bought specifically for you. It contains a thousand kunai and a thousand shuriken."
"Nii-chan... that's way too many!" Kanon started to protest.
But before she could finish, Sasuke, Kabuto, and Orochimaru vanished in a swirl of flames.
"Honestly! Hmph!" Kanon puffed out her cheeks like a little pufferfish. She channeled her chakra, and the scroll vanished into the storage of her Flower Realm.
Then, she noticed Naruto. He stood with his head bowed, looking utterly defeated. He had just watched Sasuke walk away again, exactly like three years ago. His face was a mask of pure bitterness.
This guy... Kanon shook her head slightly. She wanted to comfort him as she used to, but she knew she no longer belonged by his side. Perhaps he really did belong with Sakura.
Still, seeing his despair, she couldn't stay silent. "Hey, Naruto."
Naruto snapped his head up. Sasuke was gone, but the girl who haunted his dreams was still there.
"Being this depressed doesn't suit you," Kanon said with a light chuckle. She pulled down her fox mask, hiding her exquisite features once more.
"Kanon..." Naruto's deep blue pupils trembled. Tears finally escaped, tracing lines down his cheeks.
Kanon's body began to turn translucent. Before vanishing, she left him with one final sentence:
"Keep getting stronger."
With that, her silhouette flickered and merged into the void of the Flower Realm.
Hearing those three words of encouragement only deepened Naruto's sorrow. He tried to call out to her, using every word and ounce of will he possessed, desperately trying to piece together a final shred of hope.
But Kanon's gaze had become like a misty cloud, uncatchable and inscrutable. Her final smile had been like a falling autumn leaf, beautiful yet fading.
Rain finally began to pour from the thunderclouds. Naruto stood there, feeling the warmth in his heart drain away along with her presence. The rain blurred his vision and washed away the dreams he had carried for three years about reuniting the Uchiha siblings.
"I still... I still couldn't stop them," he whispered. His words were a mere murmur, swallowed by the rain. He didn't know if Sasuke or Kanon could even hear him.
"I'm just... too weak."
Naruto's body trembled as he forced himself to stand. He hated his weakness. Three years had passed, so why was the outcome exactly the same? This resilient boy finally let his guard down, showing his most vulnerable self to his teammates.
Naruto finally wept. His cries were heart-wrenching, leaving Yamato and Sai speechless. They could feel the sheer weight of his self-loathing.
"Naruto... even if you cry, it won't bring Sasuke and Kanon back," Sakura said, her own voice thick with tears and pain as she tried to comfort him.
"You still have me! I'm going to get stronger with you!"
Sai watched Naruto kneeling in the mud. His expression remained characteristically flat. "We probably have about six months left. Three people are definitely stronger than two. Besides, I'm quite capable myself."
Seeing Sai's forced smile, Naruto and Sakura gradually began to calm down.
Suddenly, a ninja from Kusagakure, drenched in blood, stumbled toward them. His face was contorted in terror, as if he were being hunted by a demon.
"What happened to you?"
"Behind... behind me..." He pointed back, gasping for air.
From the shadows behind him, Kanon emerged in her Akatsuki cloak. Her slender frame and fox mask immediately identified her.
"Kanon!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sai gasped in unison.
But Kanon ignored them. Her eyes were locked onto the Grass Ninja.
"Naoto Kutomi, you have nowhere left to run," she said, her voice freezing.
While inside the Flower Realm, she had flipped through a bounty ledger and realized this man was nearby. She had doubled back to capture him. Though she found the task a bit tedious, he had a bounty of 4.5 million Ryo. Money was essential for the construction of Otogakure, and since Jirobo and the others were out on missions, she couldn't afford to be idle.
"Kakuzu-senpai was right. Having money really is a comfort!" As the words left her lips, a Chidori Sharp Spear erupted from her hand. In the blink of an eye, accompanied by the chirping of a thousand birds, she lunged.
Before Yamato or the others could even react, the hundred-meter-long blade of lightning pierced straight through Naoto Kutomi's heart.
The brutality of the kill made Naruto and Sakura's pupils shrink. The move was too fast, too powerful. To kill someone in a single instant like that was staggering. Even Yamato and Sai were stunned; such cold decisiveness proved that Kanon's combat experience was far beyond her years.