Sensing the weight of the moment, Kanon stood frozen.
Why? Why did Itachi say those words at the very brink of death?
Kanon's memory had grown blurred. This cold, ruthless brother, the man who had slaughtered their entire kin and mercilessly cut down their parents, how long had it been since he had shown them a smile that gentle?
Ultimately, Itachi's hand did not reach for their eyes. Instead, it moved exactly as it had in the past.
Kanon couldn't comprehend it. The act of poking their foreheads carried the same warmth and love as it always had. Just as he had done when they were six years old, Itachi gave their foreheads a soft, lingering poke.
Their dying brother's hand had grazed her cheek with such heartbreaking tenderness.
But the end was written. The Uchiha siblings were the ones left standing. In the final moment, Kanon's own hand had pierced Itachi's heart.
She had won. Itachi was dead.
Heavy clouds began to churn above, weeping silently. A fine drizzle descended, pricking the earth like countless tiny needles, and piercing the hearts of everyone present.
Nearby, Zetsu watched the conclusion in sheer disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding... Is Itachi really dead?" White Zetsu asked, stunned.
"Kanon is the victor," Black Zetsu declared.
"It's really hard to wrap my head around this one," White Zetsu sighed.
Sensing his counterpart's hesitation, Black Zetsu asked, "What is it?"
"Itachi today... he felt so much weaker than when he fought Kanon yesterday."
"True. Perhaps yesterday's battle took too much out of him," Black Zetsu remarked, his gaze shifting to Kanon, who had collapsed beside Sasuke. "But Kanon is even more exhausted. She's done too much these past two days. She has severely overused her Sharingan."
In Kanon's hollow eyes, there was only the raw, manic pleasure of revenge fulfilled. She began to laugh, a wild, unrestrained sound.
Beside her, Sasuke did not share the feeling. Something felt wrong. Blood leaked from Sasuke's eye; it was the Amaterasu trap Itachi had just planted.
"Papa! Mama! Izumi! I did it... I finally have my revenge!"
"I finally... succeeded!"
"Hahahaha!" As the rain pelted her face, the tie holding her ponytail slipped. Her long, beautiful black hair spilled out, soaking in the downpour.
Kanon tilted her head back toward the sky, letting the rain wash over her cheeks. Whether it was rain or tears, no one could tell. She laughed hysterically next to Sasuke before collapsing to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
At only fifteen years old, she had experienced the loss of her master and the death of her eldest brother, one of the only two blood relatives she had left, all within forty-eight hours. She didn't know what expression she was supposed to wear anymore.
Finally, Kanon slumped to the ground. Even the strongest will falters when faced with such a psychological onslaught. Kanon was no exception; she drifted into unconsciousness, lying still beside Sasuke.
A moment later, Sasuke followed her into the darkness.
…
Konoha Reconnaissance Team.
Naruto and the others were pinned down by Tobi. No matter what they tried, they couldn't break past him.
As the stalemate dragged on, Zetsu emerged from the ground beside Tobi.
"Well?" Tobi asked.
"It's over," Zetsu said flatly.
Sakura and the others tensed, their expressions grim as they watched the newcomer.
"More of these pests!" Naruto snarled, his eyes wide with frustration.
"Sasuke won," Zetsu announced. "Itachi is dead."
The revelation hit like a physical blow. Everyone's pupils shrank in shock.
"To be precise, Kanon won," Zetsu added.
"Kanon?" Cold sweat broke out on Naruto's brow.
"In the final moment, the one who took Itachi's life was actually Kanon."
Beside him, Tobi acted out in exaggerated shock. "Whoa! Unbelievable!"
"Just kidding."
Suddenly, Tobi's voice dropped. The playful, high-pitched tone vanished, replaced by a deep, chilling composure.
"Everything went exactly as I predicted."
Sakura's voice trembled. "Sasuke and Kanon... they actually killed Itachi..."
"But the siblings have collapsed as well. Who knows? Perhaps it was a pyrrhic victory," the masked man said coolly.
Naruto finally snapped. He pointed a finger at Zetsu and screamed, "Hey, you! You spiky aloe-vera bastard!"
"Where is Sasuke right now?!"
White Zetsu bristled with rage. "That brat... he called me aloe-vera!"
"Ignore him," Black Zetsu muttered.
Kakashi, meanwhile, was paralyzed by a different realization. Through the hole in Tobi's mask, he had caught a glimpse of a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"I'll deal with you all later," the masked man said softly. "Farewell."
With a swirl of space-time ninjutsu, his body vanished into a vacuum.
Kakashi snapped back to attention and barked an order: "We have to find Kanon and Sasuke before those guys do! Move!"
…
Rain continued to pour over the ruins of the Uchiha Hideout.
The masked man stood over the unconscious forms of Kanon and Sasuke, looking down at Itachi's cold corpse lying between them.
Sensing a presence, the masked man remarked, "You're slow."
"I'm not like you and Kanon; I can't move that fast!" White Zetsu complained.
"Since you were watching, I assume you recorded it all?"
"Don't worry," Black Zetsu's low voice rumbled. "It's all recorded."
"We'll watch it later. Take Itachi's body and let's go."
"I'll carry Kanon and Sasuke."
…
Elsewhere, during the confrontation between Kisame and Suigetsu of Team Hebi, Black Zetsu's silhouette appeared.
"That's enough time-killing for today."
Kisame looked toward Zetsu and asked softly, "I take it it's over, then?"
"Yes. A winner has been decided."
The rest of Team Hebi looked on in surprise. Karin ran forward, her voice urgent.
"What about Sasuke?"
"He's fine..." Zetsu replied. "Sasuke won, but strictly speaking, the one who truly triumphed was Kanon."
Karin's eyes widened. "Why? Was Kanon there too?"
"The one who struck the final blow against Itachi was Kanon," Zetsu stated flatly.
"Then where are they?"
"They've been taken to a safe location to recover."
Karin froze. "A safe location?"
"The Akatsuki's Eastern Stronghold. You should head there as well. The Konoha ninja will be swarming this area soon."
Jugo nodded and turned to the other two. "Let's go. Let's get to Sasuke and Kanon!"
Team Hebi departed immediately. Zetsu turned back to Kisame.
"Kisame, what will you do now?"
"Since Itachi died at Kanon's hands... I think I'll enjoy a bit of freedom for a while. I'd like to partner up with Kanon later on."
"Is that so? Do as you wish. I'll let the leader know."
With that, Zetsu sank into the earth and vanished.
…
The Konoha ninja finally reached the Uchiha Hideout.
Seeing the ruins and the devastation wrought upon the surrounding forest, everyone gasped. Naruto was the most shaken; he recognized the telltale signs of destruction that only a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken could leave behind.
The scorched earth from a Rasengan Fire Dance was also visible. Kakashi and Naruto knew instantly, there was no doubt that Kanon and Sasuke had been here. It meant Kanon had mastered the Rasenshuriken and had unleashed it during the duel with Itachi.
"Just what kind of battle results in this much destruction?" Kiba muttered, staring blankly at the wasteland.
Kakashi surveyed the scene, his heart heavy with a somber realization: So this is the intensity of a battle between Sharingan users? Is the fate of the Uchiha clan truly this tragic?
Naruto turned sharply toward Hinata. "What about Kanon and Sasuke?!"
Hinata, her Byakugan active, shook her head helplessly. "I can't sense any chakra besides ours in the vicinity."
"There's a faint scent left, but..." Kiba trailed off, powerless to track it further.
"As I feared. We're too late," Kakashi said, lowering his head.
Naruto clenched his teeth, looking at a discarded Uchiha crest, his thoughts consumed by Kanon. He pressed his hand against a stone monument bearing the Uchiha name, his entire body trembling.
"Why..."
"Why can I never reach Kanon in time... Why can't I stand by their side?"
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