Urashiki Otsutsuki laughed hysterically. As he gazed at the chilling aura that had frozen space-time itself, he felt nothing but pure satisfaction.
But before his laughter could subside, a voice drifted up from below.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, you Otsutsuki ant."
Urashiki was instantly struck with horror. Within this frozen mountain, the very fabric of space-time was solidified; only he should have been able to move unaffected.
Yet, that voice was so familiar, familiar enough to send a wave of shock and primal dread through his heart.
Sure enough, a rose-colored vortex bloomed before him. Kanon stepped out of the swirling petals, having completely broken free from the temporal stasis!
"Impossible... You actually—!"
Urashiki's shock deepened. He was about to wonder how she had escaped, but he saw that Kanon's eyes were no longer the Mangekyō Sharingan. They had transformed into the twenty-four-tomoe Rinnegan.
"What makes you think you are the only one who can come to this place? A mere sliver of my divine sense can shake the heavens; how did you think you could escape me?" Konin spoke through Kanon's lips, her words leaving Urashiki aghast.
"You bastard! It's you!"
"How can this be?! Why are you here?!" Urashiki roared through gritted teeth, but his rage was masked by a deep-seated fear. This chakra was far too familiar.
"No falsehood can remain hidden from these eyes. You are the only one left in that timeline, and now, I've come to finish you off!"
Konin, controlling Kanon's body, took a single step forward. Space instantly collapsed. A mass of particles condensed into a giant hand, blasting Urashiki straight through the atmosphere.
Their speed was so great that within a mere four seconds, the two had reached the vacuum of space.
Behind Kanon hung the brilliant blue sphere of the world. Konin wore a smile, a look that was as charming as it was frigid. The twenty-four-tomoe Rinnegan spun slowly.
"So that's it... When I traveled to this timeline, you inhabited your past body just to avoid my detection! All to kill me, a traveler from the future?!" Urashiki was leaf-blown with rage. "No, I can feel it, this isn't your true body. Otherwise, how could this world withstand your presence? What did you do to the Otsutsuki God?!"
Konin did not answer his interrogation. She simply said flatly:
"An ant tried to move the earth above my head. I need only flick it away. To me, the current you is less than an insect."
The corners of Konin's mouth curled slightly. Her twenty-four-tomoe Rinnegan shifted, and the scenery around them changed instantly. They were now in the deep reaches of the cosmos, surrounded by desolate, dead stars.
"Under this starlight, be crushed like the ugly bug you are."
With a wave of Kanon's hand, the twenty-four tomoe spun frantically.
"Cosmic Annihilation."
Cosmic Annihilation was an ultimate technique combining ninjutsu, genjutsu, and space-time manipulation. Drawing upon the power of the Rinnegan, Konin summoned the astral energy of the universe. Countless surrounding stars began to be drawn in, detonating around Urashiki in a cascade of cosmic energy that ripped through the void.
It was as if fireworks were being set off in the universe. Urashiki was being torn apart, incinerated, and consumed by the astral tides. He had already swallowed his blue and red Rinnegan, opening the Golden Rinnegan on his forehead, but it was futile.
This was the power of the celestial bodies. Konin's Rinnegan was currently manipulating the stars themselves!
"Divine Art: Higanbana – Chibaku Tensei!"
"NO!!!" Urashiki screamed.
Desolate stars converged upon him, and a terrifying repulsive force launched him hundreds of light-years away. In the instant he was sent flying, Konin had already plucked out his eyes.
Gravitational forces then pulled the power of surrounding suns together, encasing Urashiki in a stellar cluster that formed a massive new star. Amidst the high-temperature collapse, his physical form began to disintegrate.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!"
Urashiki's screams echoed briefly before being silenced by the void.
Konin looked at the pair of Golden Rinnegan in her hand, nodding thoughtfully. Her silhouette blurred as a rose vortex appeared behind her. By the time Kanon returned to the Land of Rivers, the temporal freeze had vanished. The "black box" Urashiki had released was absorbed into the Flower Realm.
Konin allowed Kanon's body to settle slowly onto the wasteland. The twenty-four-tomoe Rinnegan faded, returning to the standard Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Kanon's consciousness returned.
"Is it settled?" Kanon asked.
"Settled," Konin's voice echoed from within.
Kanon had seen everything that happened through their shared vision. She couldn't help but marvel at Konin's terrifying methods. This was the first time she had ever left the shinobi world, ever left the planet.
The power of that "Divine Art: Higanbana – Chibaku Tensei" made Kanon realize just how small she currently was. Standing at the peak of the shinobi world? Unparalleled under heaven? Those were jokes. Konin had shown her what true strength looked like; Kanon realized she had been seeing the world through a keyhole.
Plucking stars with bare hands, controlling celestial bodies with Chibaku Tensei... Kanon's expression became complicated.
"Don't think about it. Don't think about it!" Kanon patted her cheeks and puffed out her lips.
"What's wrong?" Konin asked.
"It's your fault! You showed me something so terrifying, the gap feels huge!" Kanon grumbled. Even though she knew Konin was her future self who had traveled back to wipe out the last of the Otsutsuki, she couldn't help but feel frustrated wondering how long it would take to reach that level.
She plopped down on the ground and laid back like a salted fish. "Ugh! The gap is too big!"
"What gap?" Konin laughed.
"There's a huge gap! A heartless woman like you wouldn't understand!" Kanon said, exasperated. "Wait, so on the Night of the Uchiha Massacre, was it you helping me with all that chakra and those moves?!"
"Yes," Konin replied nonchalantly. "Otherwise, how did you think you fought that guy?"
"Ugh... and here I thought I was just naturally that strong!" Kanon puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Alright. Once tonight's lesson on the Reanimation Jutsu is over, I'll teach you the Flying Raijin Technique."
"Flying Raijin? The teleportation jutsu the Fourth Hokage used?!" Kanon's eyes lit up.
"Exactly."
"You know that too?!"
"I am the Encyclopedia of Ninjutsu. There is no jutsu I do not know." Konin paused. "However..."
"However what?" Kanon asked.
"You have to master the Reanimation Jutsu first before I'll teach you."
"Eww! That one is so gross!" Kanon said with a look of disgust.
"Are you going to learn it or not?" Konin teased.
"I'll learn! I'll learn, okay?!" Kanon deflated. Just like when she was six years old, she was still being forced into lessons by Konin.
…
Three days later, in Konoha.
"Is the Fourth Shinobi World War really about to begin?" Inoichi Yamanaka muttered.
"But even if it's Madara Uchiha, does it really require an alliance of the Five Great Nations?" Nearby, several high-ranking officials from the Third Hokage's era, hidden in the shadows, voiced their doubts.
Slam! Tsunade hit the table with one hand.
"Stop dreaming! It's the Akatsuki led by Madara Uchiha!"
"Kanon alone nearly destroyed all of Konoha. We cannot underestimate Madara!"
"Have you old fools already forgotten?!"
Kakashi, sitting nearby, nodded slightly. "I agree with Tsunade-sama. Akatsuki has captured the One-Tail through the Seven-Tails, and they have people like Kanon."
"If they use the Tailed Beasts as weapons, we must prepare for a combat level far beyond the Pain and Kanon incidents."
"After all, Kanon's true strength remains an unknown, but she exceeds our expectations every single time."
Tsunade nodded, speaking grimly to the assembly. "If things come to that, the Five Great Nations—no, the entire world, will face total destruction."
"Kanon Uchiha's goal is to subvert the entire shinobi world!"
"Time is running out!"
"Understood. But do we know the location of Madara's stronghold?" Inoichi asked.
"We have a general idea. We just received word from Anko's unit; they've confirmed a sighting of a man suspected to be Madara Uchiha," Shikaku Nara, standing behind Tsunade, reminded them.
"Is that so?!" The crowd was shocked by the efficiency.
"The investigation is ongoing!"
"However, Kanon Uchiha has not been spotted yet."
"Three days ago, a battle between top-tier masters occurred in the Land of Hot Water. Roughly a third of the territory was devastated. Although there were no casualties, we must investigate. After all, only Akatsuki is capable of such destructive terror."
…
Kumogakure.
Although several days had passed since Kanon's raid, the village leaders were gathered for a war council.
Killer B sat by, writing his rap lyrics while Samehada rested beside him.
"As long as the enemy's headquarters remains unknown, a surprise attack will be difficult to pull off. Therefore, I propose we form a reconnaissance unit to steal the necessary battlefield intel!"
Inside Samehada, Kisame's lips curled into a smirk. This way, the combat strength of Kumo would be effectively gauged. The Eight-Tails being an idiot was truly a huge help to him.
"Since we lack information on the enemy, we need to consult other sources," Mabui said.
"We're going to ask other villages for intel while giving nothing in return?" Darui asked, puzzled. "Will they really tell us so easily?"
"If everyone holds back, there's no point in an alliance," Mabui explained. "We just have to trust them."