One day later.
Inside the Flower Realm.
Beside the crystal coffins of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, a new one had appeared.
Jiraiya lay peacefully within it. The wounds on his body had been knit shut by Kanon's Mystic Palm Jutsu; he no longer looked as battered as he had in the rain. He looked merely as if he had drifted into a deep sleep.
Kanon stood before the three crystal coffins, her head bowed and eyes swimming with tears. Beside her, Konin also kept her head lowered, her own heart a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She reached out and pulled Kanon into a firm embrace.
Kanon's tears finally burst forth, a tidal wave of guilt and powerlessness crashing over her.
She had achieved nothing. Her master had died at the hands of her own senior disciple. She and Naruto had been useless. Jiraiya's final message, carved into the very earth, replayed in her mind like a brand:
Kanon, I am so glad I took you as my student. I leave the rest to you and Naruto.
Thinking of this, Kanon's legs gave out and she fell to her knees. It felt as though a vital piece of her soul had been ripped away. At this moment, she could finally empathize with Shikamaru's agony when he lost Asuma.
Losing a cherished loved one was a pain that defied words.
Later, in Amegakure, Kanon walked like a hollow shell, a living corpse. Seeking revenge against Pain felt meaningless; it wasn't about right or wrong, but a clash of irreconcilable positions. Even if she killed Nagato, Jiraiya would never return.
A flood of memories washed over her: the days spent training with Naruto and Jiraiya when they were children. She remembered the popsicle she had shared with him right before he left for the Hidden Rain.
He had promised he wouldn't die. Why...
"Jiraiya-sensei... you big liar..."
"You said you wouldn't die."
Kanon gritted her teeth. The image of Jiraiya in his final moments cut through her heart like a serrated blade. Exhaustion, both physical and spiritual, finally overwhelmed her, and she collapsed in the middle of the street.
Watching from a distance, Konan rushed forward and hoisted the girl onto her back. Konan understood exactly what Kanon was carrying; her own heart was heavy with grief. As Jiraiya's student, she couldn't help but mourn him, but she knew Kanon's pain ran even deeper. To Kanon, Jiraiya had been a pillar of her world, one of the few truly "important people" she had left.
And now, even he was gone.
Kanon fell into a long, deep sleep, but it was a dream composed entirely of the past.
In that dream, it was a warm afternoon bathed in golden sunlight on the outskirts of Konoha. Under the broad shade of a tree, the master and his two pupils had found a perfect place to rest. Light filtered through the leaves in shimmering patches, looking like golden butterflies dancing across their peaceful faces.
A gentle breeze brought a hint of summer's lazy cool. The eleven-year-old Kanon and Naruto leaned against Jiraiya's broad back, drifting into a serene slumber. It was one of the few times in her life Kanon had felt the true warmth of family.
Watching from the bedside, Konan saw a tear slip from the corner of Kanon's eye. Konan looked down. Nagato was inextricably linked to this tragedy, and she didn't know how he could ever face Kanon again.
…
Konoha.
The Hokage's Office.
"Tsunade-sama, Danzo-sama has returned."
"Is that so?" Tsunade was about to stand when Fu Yamanaka entered the office.
"Where is Danzo?" Tsunade demanded.
Fu hesitated for a moment before dropping to one knee. "Tsunade-sama... during the assault on Otogakure, the Root suffered heavy casualties. Danzo-sama has gone to the Root headquarters to handle internal affairs."
Tsunade was stunned. How could a village as small as Otogakure inflict "heavy casualties" on the Root?
"What about Kanon Uchiha? Was she captured?"
Fu shook his head. "Danzo-sama led us through the entire village, but we found no trace of Kanon. However... those four shinobi we encountered seemed to have a connection to her."
Ten minutes later, Tsunade's brow was deeply furrowed. Four Hidden Sound ninja—Jirobo, Sakon and Ukon, Tayuya, and Kidomaru—had managed to kill over thirty Anbu-level operatives. The cost of taking them down had been astronomical. Tsunade's expression turned grim.
After hearing the full report, she dismissed Fu with a soft sigh. The trail on the Akatsuki had gone cold again. As the Hokage, she couldn't spend too much time worrying about a minor village.
With no news of the Akatsuki, her only hope was Jiraiya's return.
Tsunade stood and stretched. It was midday, time for lunch. But just as she was about to leave, a sudden gust of wind erupted behind her.
Her pupils shrank. A spatial vortex had appeared directly on her desk.
It was a rose-patterned swirl. Tsunade recognized it instantly as Kanon's dōjutsu, the space-time gateway to the Flower Realm.
Could it be Kanon? Tsunade knew exactly what it meant if Kanon dared to appear in the Hokage's office. It would be a declaration of a total assault on Konoha, with the Hokage as the first target.
As the rose vortex expanded, cold sweat beaded on Tsunade's forehead. She knew all too well what Kanon was capable of; even as a Sannin and a Hokage, she had been outmatched before.
The Yin Seal on Tsunade's forehead began to unfurl as she prepared the 100 Healings Jutsu. If Kanon stepped out, Tsunade would strike instantly.
Under her tense gaze, the Flower Realm space opened, and a blood-soaked Fukasaku fell out onto the desk.
Tsunade gasped. She knew Fukasaku was one of the Great Sage Toads of Mount Myoboku. But why was he coming out of Kanon's Flower Realm?
In a single glance, she saw a code written in blood on Fukasaku's back. And it wasn't the toad's blood—judging by the lingering chakra, Tsunade could tell it was Kanon's.
What was happening? Before she could process the implications, the Flower Realm portal snapped shut.
"Fukasaku-sama!" Tsunade rushed forward. The toad elder glanced at her before losing consciousness, though his wounds weren't fatal.
…
In a forest elsewhere…
Tobi (Obito) was on his way to intercept Naruto. Beside him, Zetsu emerged from a tree trunk.
"Obito, the battle at Pain's end has been decided."
"Who won?" Obito asked casually.
"Pain."
"Did Kanon arrive in time?"
"She did, but only to see Jiraiya's final moment."
Obito fell silent for a long beat.
"So, she couldn't escape this destiny either? As I thought... there is no hope or light in this shinobi world. Only despair."
"The Eye of the Moon Plan must be executed. And only I can trigger it, because only I can illustrate that perfect dream world where Rin exists."
At that moment, the scene of Kakashi's Chidori piercing Rin's chest flickered in Obito's mind. His right eye shifted from three tomoe to the Mangekyō.
"The only 'real' Rin exists in my dreams!"
"This boring world should just end. Kanon Uchiha... I will let you see your precious master, Jiraiya, once more within the dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Obito's voice trailed off. Before departing, he glanced toward Zetsu.
"How is it going with Sasuke?"
"Sasuke and Itachi have already begun their engagement," Zetsu replied.
A smirk curled behind Obito's mask. He let out a cold snort.
"With the foundation laid for him by that 'Radiant Flower,' will the 'Snake' remain groveling on the ground as always? Or will he shed his skin and become an 'Eagle' that soars through the heavens?"
"Sasuke... show me what you've got."