A void of shimmering gold enveloped them, a mental plane where Kanon and Naruto stood face-to-face. Only here, stripped of the world's noise, could they truly speak heart-to-heart.
"I don't know why Kakashi-sensei wouldn't tell me what happened to you..." Naruto began, his voice echoing in the stillness.
"But Kanon, you know better than anyone... how much the people in the village used to hate me. Back then, I hated the village too. If things had gone just a little differently, I might have ended up just like you, consumed by dark thoughts."
He took a step forward. "Before I met you, I was always alone. But after we became friends, I was so happy. There were so many things I wanted to talk to you about... but I never did. I was always so envious of you. You could do anything, and you were even a year younger than me."
"Do you remember the first time we sat on that cliff together, and I listened to you talk about your dream? That flower field glowing in your heart... it was so beautiful. From that moment on, you became one of the goals I was chasing."
Naruto's gaze softened. "I had nothing... and then, finally, I had a friend. After we joined Team 7 and started going on missions, I was so focused on chasing after your brother, wanting to be as strong and amazing as him, that I completely overlooked you, the one who was always silently supporting me from behind."
"So... Kanon... I never got the chance to tell you until now..."
Naruto squinted his eyes and beamed, a wide, genuine grin breaking across his face just like when they were children.
"I'm so glad we became friends!"
That smile was the same as it had always been, but its warmth hit Kanon like a physical blow. She collapsed to her knees, tears finally spilling from the corners of her eyes as memories of their time together flooded back. But it was too late. It was all too late.
"Naruto... why? Why are you only saying this now...?"
"Naruto... I..."
Suddenly, Kanon felt a pair of arms wrap around her. A wave of warmth followed as Naruto pulled her into a firm embrace.
Kanon bit her lower lip, whispering against his shoulder, "It's too late, Naruto."
"No matter what you say now, it won't change who I am."
"I'm going to crush you, and then I'm going to raze Konoha to the ground."
With those words, she pushed him away.
"Listen, Naruto. You only have two choices left. You can kill me now that I've joined the Akatsuki and become the hero who protected Konoha..."
"Or you can become the loser I strike down... and watch as I destroy everything!"
"I won't be struck down by you... but I'm not gonna be the 'hero' who kills you, either."
"Neither of those is my choice!" Naruto declared with fierce conviction.
BOOM!
The golden light shattered.
The mental link snapped, and both were thrown back into reality. As Naruto stood up alongside Kanon, he realized something: she hadn't been using her full strength. If she had, he wouldn't have been able to withstand that Chidori.
"Kanon, after that exchange... you see it too, don't you?"
"If we keep fighting like this, we'll probably both die. Or maybe just me..."
"If you attack Konoha, I have to fight you. So, keep all that hatred until then... and then throw every bit of it at me!"
"I'm the only one who can take all your hate! I'm the only one who can do this!"
"I'll shoulder your hatred with you, and then we'll die together!"
Kanon stared at Naruto's resolute face for a moment before she suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
The laughter grew louder, shifting from a soft chuckle to something bordering on manic.
"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled. "Why are you so obsessed with me, Naruto?!"
Naruto's lips curled into a small, defiant smirk. "Because we're best friends."
"Always."
Those words snapped the last thread of Kanon's patience.
"You don't understand anything! Why are you trying to force me back to a place I loathe?!"
Kanon lunged to attack again, but this time, blood began to leak from the corners of her eyes. Her three-tomoe pupils spun and shifted, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Naruto froze, his expression turning to one of shock.
But what shocked him more was seeing Kanon clutch her eyes in apparent agony.
"My vision... it's blurring..." Kanon hissed to herself.
"Kanon-chan, your Mangekyō's ocular power hasn't recovered yet. If you keep this up, you'll lose your sight one day," Konin's voice echoed within Kanon's mind.
Naruto, unable to hear the internal warning but seeing her bleed and writhe in pain, rushed forward. "Kanon! Are you—"
"Stay back!"
Kanon snarled. She forced her Flower Realm to activate, and a rose-patterned spatial vortex swirled around her, whisking her away into her private dimension.
Naruto stared at the empty space where she had been, his expression somber. He still had so much to say, but at least this time, they had finally truly spoken.
…
Inside the Flower Realm, a crimson sky hung over an infinite field of red flowers, the spider lilies of the afterlife.
Kanon knelt on the ground, shielding her eyes. Her vision was swimming in a hazy fog.
A girl appeared before her, looking exactly like her, save for her hair; the apparition wore it long and straight, while Kanon's was still in twin tails.
"Kanon, your ocular power is limited. The strain from the past few years is finally taking its toll on your sight."
"The Mangekyō eventually leads to darkness. You should consider letting me transplant the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into you."
Kanon shook her head stubbornly.
"No... I still have things to do. A transplant takes too much time. Maybe later."
Kanon stood up slowly as Konin reached out to wipe the blood from her cheeks.
"Kanon... please take care of yourself."
"I know. Thanks, Konin. I'll be careful."
"Where will you go next?"
"To the Bounty Station."
Kanon vanished from the Flower Realm, leaving Konin behind to sigh softly.
"I know setbacks won't break you, but I don't want to see you suffer like this anymore..." Konin whispered to the empty air. "But it isn't time yet."
…
At the Bounty Station, Kanon handed a body over to the broker.
"How's this? Everything is intact except for the heart."
"This is a high-quality specimen," the broker noted, checking the corpse. "Wait here, I'll get your payment."
Just as Kanon received her money, the heavy doors of the station swung open.
"Kakuzu! You bastard! How many times do I have to tell you, stop using the bathroom entrance!" Hidan bellowed, cursing at his partner.
"Then you stay outside by yourself!" Kakuzu retorted, clearly fed up. His partner's lack of brains was truly a trial.
"Oh, hey. Hidan-nii, Kakuzu-nii. You're both here."
"Whoa! If it isn't Kanon-chan!" Hidan looked surprised. He grinned, his Akatsuki cloak fluttering as he strode over to her. "Check it out, how's my hair looking today?"
"Sharp! Looking real good, Hidan-nii," Kanon said with a playful smile, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Right?! Hahahaha! Even Lord Jashin says I look sharp!" Hidan laughed, slicking back his hair.
Kakuzu walked up to Kanon, eyeing her with a hint of confusion.
"Kanon? Are you here to update a bingo book entry?"
Kanon didn't answer immediately. Instead, she waited for the broker to return with a briefcase.
"Here you go," the broker said, handing it over.
"Of course not, Kakuzu-nii. Here, this is for you!"
Without hesitation, Kanon handed the briefcase of cash over to Kakuzu.
Kakuzu opened it, and upon seeing the stacks of bills, a look of deep satisfaction, and even a rare glimmer of warmth, crossed his face.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he smiled behind his mask. He was already seriously considering kicking Hidan to the curb and replacing him with Kanon as his permanent partner.
After all, he and Kanon actually got along. They shared the same eye for quality and a similar philosophy regarding the value of a payday.
For Kakuzu, who had achieved a form of functional immortality, it was easy to lose sight of one's purpose. When everyone you know dies and only time remains your companion, life becomes hollow.
Eventually, Kakuzu had found the only thing that would never leave him: money. Only gold would never betray him; it was as eternal as his own life.
Compared to a loud-mouthed idiot like Hidan who didn't understand the sanctity of wealth, Kanon was the perfect partner.
I'll talk to the Leader when we get back, Kakuzu thought. Replacing Hidan with Kanon wouldn't be a bad move at all.