"Kanon..." Naruto murmured, confusion swirling in his mind. Why had she come back?
"Sorry, but could you all step aside?" Kanon asked with chilling politeness.
"Kanon, what are you doing?!" Sakura demanded, stepping in front of the slain ninja's body, her face contorted with bewilderment.
"Move." Seeing Sakura blocking her path, Kanon spoke again, her voice losing all inflection.
She had originally intended to return directly to the Hidden Rain Village to report her safety to Nagato and Konan. However, she felt it wouldn't be right to return empty-handed. Upon checking her ledger, she realized a high-value bounty target was in the vicinity.
She had hunted him all the way here. Now, Kanon's gaze toward Sakura and Naruto was ice-cold; to her, that body was a prize.
"What is your goal?!" Yamato interjected, moving to block her, but Kanon was already in motion.
Her three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly as she charged straight toward the four of them.
Sai was the first to react. His Super Beast Scroll was swift; a massive ink-drawn white tiger lunged at Kanon, only to be reduced to black splatters by a single punch. Her speed didn't slacken for a second as she bolted toward the bounty's corpse.
Sakura gathered chakra into her right fist, swinging a devastating blow aimed directly at Kanon's face. If it connected, it would cause severe internal trauma.
Faced with Sakura's power-packed strike and her resolute gaze, Kanon's expression finally shifted.
"Even you... want to kill me?"
The soul-piercing question made Sakura freeze. Seeing the growing frost in Kanon's expression, Naruto's pupils constricted.
"No! Kanon!"
Slash!
A blade flashed across Sakura's chest. A horrific crimson gash erupted across her front, blood splattering through the air. The strike was precise and unhesitating, a retribution for Sakura's intent to kill.
"Sakura!" Naruto roared. Yamato finally finished his hand signs, and a Wood Release cage rose to entrap Kanon.
Kanon activated her Flower Realm. Petals manifested around the edges of her body, and she phased through the wooden bars as if they were nothing more than a mirage.
Seeing Kanon's ruthless strike against Sakura, Naruto's resolve hardened. He threw himself in front of the corpse, determined to find his answer in the coming clash. Despite his determination, a hollow feeling gnawed at his gut.
Naruto spread his arms wide in a desperate embrace, trying to catch the lightning-fast Kanon as she charged. In the next heartbeat, his vision blurred.
Petals drifted across his skin as Kanon's body collided with his. She phased through him, her face passing so close to his that their lips nearly touched. She was like a sudden breeze brushing past his cheek.
The air was momentarily thick with a faint fragrance and unspoken emotion. Naruto could feel her breath, her warmth, and that subtle scent. But just as he gathered the courage to reach out, she glided past him like a ghost.
In that instant, Naruto's world seemed to lose its color, replaced by an indescribable bitterness. The unsaid words, the buried feelings, and the answer he sought became invisible chains tightening around his heart. The fact that he was completely unharmed was the most painful answer of all.
As Kanon came to a halt a few paces behind him, the feeling of being "so close yet worlds apart" left Naruto suffocating, his heart aching with every breath.
Kanon placed her hand on the corpse, absorbing it into the Flower Realm. She turned her head slightly, casting a lingering look at the two members of the original Team 7 and their two new additions.
"What do you intend to do now?" Yamato asked, his posture defensive and alert.
Kanon's lips curled into a slight smirk. She pulled out her bounty ledger, staring at Yamato's face while flipping through the pages.
"Hmm? Your bounty... let me see." Her finger stopped on a page. "Oh? Twenty-five million Ryo," she laughed softly.
Yamato's expression stiffened. He swallowed hard, a primal sense of dread washing over him. It was a sensation he hadn't felt in years, the chilling realization of being a predator's marked prey.
The smile faded from Kanon's face, replaced by a flat, neutral mask. She decided to test her newly developed jutsu on Yamato.
In Kanon's palm, a Rasengan began to swirl. Then, using a specialized chakra-kneading technique, she began to transmute the energy into a brilliant red, imbued with the nature of fire.
Within moments, the Rasengan was encased in a layer of scorching flames, emitting a blinding crimson light, like a miniature sun surrounded by a stellar ring.
Kanon leveled the technique at Yamato and spoke softly:
"Spiraling Fire Dance."
BOOOM!
The Rasengan in her hand detonated with a terrifying roar. The sphere, trailing a ring of fire, lunged toward Yamato like a celestial body. The speed was so immense it defied reaction.
"Dammit!" Yamato frantically conjured Wood Release to defend himself, but the wood was instantly incinerated and shattered by the explosive force of the firestorm.
The Spiraling Fire Dance streaked through the air like a meteor crossing the night sky, leaving a brilliant trail in its wake.
KA-BOOOOM!
A monstrous explosion followed. Yamato was sent flying like a cannonball, snapping a dozen trees before finally coming to a halt. The surrounding area was instantly transformed into a sea of flames.
Kanon's face remained calm, but her chest heaved slightly. The jutsu was clearly not yet perfected, but its destructive power was undeniable.
Seeing Captain Yamato blasted away, Sakura, still clutching her chest to heal her wound, and the dazed Naruto lost all will to fight. Only Sai remained. He gripped his blade, his body trembling as he forced himself to stand. Despite his blank expression, his limbs wouldn't stop shaking.
Noticing Yamato had lost consciousness, Kanon moved to follow up, but felt a hand grab her wrist.
"Let go." Kanon looked at Naruto. He was gripping her arm with everything he had, his eyes filled with a desperate, shaking intensity.
"Kanon, please... don't do this anymore," Naruto pleaded, his voice thick with grief.
"I said, let go!" Kanon wrenched her arm free. As Naruto reached out again, the cold steel of a Kusanagi Sword was pressed against his throat.
"Naruto, don't push your luck!"
"Kanon... you..."
Thud!
Kanon's fist slammed into Naruto's face, sending him reeling backward until he collapsed into the dirt. Naruto lay there, his heart feeling as though it were being torn in two. His blue eyes widened in shock.
Kanon was standing over him, tears streaming down her face as she glared at him with fury.
"I will break you, Naruto!" With a cry, she tackled him to the ground, pinning him down and striking him with her fist.
Thud!
Losing all emotional control, Kanon's vision was blurred by tears. Her hands shook as she repeatedly struck Naruto's face.
"Why... why do you keep getting in my way?!" Her voice was choked with sobs. Each strike felt less like an attack and more like an outpouring of endless heartache and frustration.
Naruto didn't fight back. His body remained rigid, letting her hands fall where they may. The soft touch of her skin felt heavier than any physical blow he had ever endured. He knew this wasn't an attack born of malice; it was a plea for help, an expression of helplessness, a way of seeking a comfort that didn't exist.
"I'm sorry, Kanon..." Naruto whispered, his voice saturated with pain and self-reproach. His heart shattered seeing her in such agony, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it.
Kanon took a deep, shuddering breath and stood up, moving off of him.
"Follow me, Naruto. Further ahead," she said, pointing toward a landscape that resembled the Valley of the End.
Naruto understood immediately what she intended. "Does it really have to be like this...?"
"My brother once said that top-tier shinobi can understand each other's hearts with just a single exchange of blows."
"Come, Naruto! Fight me!"
Kanon vanished into a blur of motion, leaping away toward the distance. Naruto moved to follow, but Sai tried to step in his way.
"Sai, stay here and look after the others," Naruto said, gently patting his teammate's shoulder.
"I'm going to find my answer through this fight."