In the Masked Man's base.
Kanon assisted Kisame as he sat up from the stone bench.
"Are you all right... don't push yourself."
"I'm fine, Kanon-chan." Kisame stood up and took a seat in a proper chair.
At that moment, Kabuto and Deidara approached.
"You look quite pathetic, Kisame," Deidara mocked.
"Hmph, save the chatter. Go and complete your mission."
"Understood." Deidara let out a cold laugh and looked toward Tobi.
"Tobi, Kanon and I are heading out."
"Mm, make it quick," the Masked Man nodded.
Kanon formed a hand seal, and her shadow clone, clad in a blue Uchiha trench coat, stood upon the giant clay bird alongside the two men.
"Won't it be a bit cramped with three people?" Kanon asked doubtfully.
"Then let your shadow clone stand at the very front." Deidara picked up Kanon's clone and tossed her to the bird's leading edge.
"Hey! Don't just touch me like that, Deidara-nii!" Kanon's clone blushed slightly.
"Got it," Deidara nodded. He didn't care about the gesture; only "Art" was the "lover" he pursued.
"Alright, you lot get some rest. We'll be back before you know it," Kabuto said to Kanon's original body, Kisame, Zetsu, and the Masked Man.
"I wonder how this art will bloom?" Deidara pondered aloud.
"I still don't understand art, nor do I understand you," Kabuto said softly.
"True enough. How could my artistic Ninjutsu be easily understood by others?"
"Time to complete a new masterpiece." Deidara patted Kanon on the shoulder.
"Kanon-chan, I'm about to take on an even bigger challenge!"
"What kind of challenge?" Kanon asked.
"My Super Art!"
"But Deidara-nii, it seems like nobody ever really pays attention to your art."
"Hey! I told you, people can't understand it easily! They need time to appreciate my art!" Deidara barked at her.
"But even Sasori-nii didn't understand your art."
"That's because Master Sasori had his own artistic pursuits. Our arts were different."
"And to be honest, I didn't quite understand his art either."
Listening to the bickering between Kanon and Deidara, Kabuto felt slightly speechless. He checked the map and said to the group, "According to Kisame's intelligence, the coordinates are somewhere around here."
"It seems the moving Island Turtle has changed its position."
Kanon nodded slightly. "Based on these coordinates and the direction of the ocean currents, we can deduce where the island has gone."
At that moment, from within a bank of clouds, Onoki lunged forward with a punch.
Kanon caught the fist with a single hand.
"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique!"
Kanon and Onoki spoke in unison. The copying effect of the Sharingan instantly turned Onoki's punch into a soft, powerless strike.
"Old man, the last time we met was when I killed your Daimyo, wasn't it?"
"Uchiha brat, take this!"
Onoki immediately pulled back his fist, and Dust Release began to converge in his hands.
Not to be outdone, Kanon gathered Dust Release in her own hand.
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Their light cones collided, and a blinding white light flashed. In an instant, a terrifying explosion erupted in the sky.
Deidara and Kabuto both veered to the flanks to avoid the aftershocks.
"I didn't expect the Tsuchikage himself to be the ambush," Kabuto whispered.
"Just scouting the path!" Onoki roared, stepping out from the smoke and dust.
Kanon also stepped forward, swinging a sword at Onoki. Her Kusanagi blade, infused with Chidori, lunged straight for Onoki's face.
However, she was so fast that Onoki couldn't keep up; he could only focus on dodging.
"So, only you are the real one, and the others are Clay Clones?" Onoki sneered.
The corner of Kanon's mouth twitched into a smirk. Her body instantly phased into intangibility as the "Deidara" and "Kabuto" beside her turned into clay and lunged at Onoki.
"Yo, Old Man Onoki, long time no see!"
BOOM!
The Clay Clones of Deidara and Kabuto pounced and detonated.
"Katsu!"
Deep within the distant clouds, the real Kabuto and Deidara appeared, having triggered the bombs.
It turned out Kanon had sensed the ambush long ago. She had used herself as bait to draw out this initial strike.
A massive explosion followed.
Kanon began to fall through the air, but the portal to her Flower Realm manifested behind her. In an instant, she stepped through the space and reappeared behind Deidara.
"Ready?" Deidara grinned.
"Always ready, Deidara-nii!"
"Then come! Witness true art!" Deidara roared. Kanon bit her thumb and slammed her palm down onto the bird's back.
Poof!
Deep beneath the ocean surface, a giant serpent appeared.
"Aoda, find the Island Turtle!" Kanon commanded softly.
"As you wish, Kanon-sama!" From the seabed, Aoda heard the command and began to weave through the depths.
"Hey, hey, Kanon! Have your summoning beast take my squids along!"
"Fine." Kanon transmitted the order to Aoda again using Chakra.
As explosions continued to ripple through the sky, Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi appeared. Onoki looked at Deidara with a cold sneer:
"I'm surprised. It's been so long since I heard anything about you, I thought you were dead, Deidara."
"I didn't expect those to be Clay Clones."
"So, were those Earth Clones just now? It seems we think alike," Deidara sneered back.
"But our target isn't here." Kanon sat on the tail of the giant clay bird and began tracking the island.
Kurotsuchi looked at Deidara, clearly shocked. "Deidara-nii, it's been a long time!"
"You really showed up again!" Akatsuchi said with delight.
"Don't just stand there being happy, Akatsuchi!"
"Deidara is a member of the Akatsuki; he's our enemy."
"Honestly, even after defecting, you're still a nuisance."
Onoki added a cold, mocking remark: "After disappearing for so long, you actually have the nerve to show your face and embarrass yourself like this."
"Shut up! You old geezer! I'll kill you!" Deidara snapped.
"You're the one who always looks down on my art, you old fossil!"
Kanon waved her hand and smiled at Kabuto and the others. "Found it!"
The two men nodded in response.
"Did you really think we'd come here empty-handed?"
Suddenly, the surrounding clouds turned into countless plumes of white smoke. Onoki was horrified.
Those countless plumes of smoke were all Kanon's shadow clones!
And every single clone was wielding a Sage Art: Massive Rasengan.
At that moment, Onoki looked at Kanon. Pink eyeshadow had appeared around the corners of her eyes.
"Die, old man!" Deidara roared.
"This is bad! Evasive maneuvers!" Akatsuchi grabbed Onoki and Kurotsuchi, leaping away as the sky was once again filled with earth-shattering blue light and explosions.
The sheer force of the Chakra caused the sea surface to rupture, sending waves hundreds of meters into the air. The power was truly terrifying.
At the same time, Aoda bit down on the tail of the Great Island Turtle.
Feeling the pain, the giant turtle let out a deafening roar.
Everyone heard the cry.
"Sorry, but we're heading over there," Kanon chuckled.
"Why? I really want to keep fighting."
"Deidara-nii, the mission comes first!"
"Fine..." Deidara nodded. He understood the priority of the mission, so he steered the group toward the island.
As he watched the three of them fly toward the Island Turtle on the giant bird, Onoki was struck by a sudden, ominous premonition.
"Could they have actually found the island? You two, follow me! Move!"
Onoki gritted his teeth. He had actually forgotten that Kanon Uchiha was a ninja with exceptional sensory capabilities.
As the group drew closer, Aoda greeted them.
"Kabuto-sama, Kanon-sama!"
"So it's Aoda. I thought it might be Manda," Kabuto nodded slightly.
"Of course. Everyone gets along with me; it doesn't matter who comes," Kanon said, hands on her hips with pride.
"This island looks strange..." Deidara looked at the Island Turtle with dissatisfaction.
"It's not an island; it's a giant moving turtle."
"And both the Eight-Tails and Naruto are on it," Kanon explained.
"Things are getting interesting," Deidara chuckled.
"This is the perfect chance to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails!" Kabuto sneered.
"Is that so? That brat Naruto is on this island!"
"So, what's the plan?" Deidara asked.
Kanon surveyed the situation below and made her call:
"First, let's bring this turtle to a halt."
"Deidara-nii, it's time to put your art to the test!"
"Oh! You got it."
With that, Aoda lunged into the island, while on the other side, the squids Deidara had asked Aoda to carry had already attached themselves to the turtle's underside.
"Come, witness my art!" Deidara sneered, bringing his fingers together in front of him.
"Katsu!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion caused the entire Island Turtle to flip over. The behemoth's roll sent Naruto and the others inside into a state of total shock.
"Belly up. It shouldn't be going anywhere now," Deidara sneered.