"My comrades are out there on the battlefield, struggling and fighting for their lives, why do I have to stay hidden here?!"
"Maybe I'm the only one who can stop Kanon!" Naruto roared.
"Because the very purpose of this war is to protect you," Iruka said, his expression set in stone.
"Naruto, don't you understand? The Kanon of today isn't the same girl she used to be!"
"Her goal now isn't just to destroy Konoha; she's helping Madara complete the Eye of the Moon Plan!"
"She assassinated the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations, plunging the entire world into an unprecedented crisis. Kanon has fallen into darkness! You need to find your resolve!"
"Furthermore, she and Madara have mobilized their entire military force just to capture your Nine-Tails and Killer B's Eight-Tails. Even if Kanon didn't have that goal, Madara certainly does."
Iruka stepped closer to Naruto, his voice heavy with emotion. "No matter how close you and Kanon were as friends, the current situation doesn't allow for sentimentality."
"Once the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails are taken, the enemy's jutsu will be complete, and the world will meet its end!"
"Protecting you means protecting everyone and the future of this world."
"Right now, everyone is fighting to the death for your sake, Naruto... I need you to overcome your own impulses!"
"You have to endure! It's already too late for Kanon to come back!"
Hearing Iruka's nearly pleading tone, Naruto's thoughts drifted back to the past.
He remembered a day when he was eight years old. He had gone to the Uchiha estate for dinner, and Kanon had cooked his and Sasuke's favorite meals.
"Whoa! Ichiraku Ramen! Kanon, you actually know how to make this?!"
"Hehe." Hearing Naruto's praise for her cooking, Kanon rubbed her nose sheepishly.
"Shut up. Kanon's cooking is the best; just focus on eating!" Sasuke interrupted, picking up some salmon to go with his miso soup.
"Sasuke!" Naruto glared at him, annoyed.
Seeing the two of them bickering, Kanon patted both their shoulders.
"No grumpiness at the table! Or else no one gets seconds."
Sasuke and Naruto went quiet after that.
It was a warm, happy meal. Since Naruto was a year ahead of Kanon in school, he spent the time talking animatedly. Though Sasuke acted uninterested, he listened in silence as Naruto rambled about playing with Shikamaru and Choji, stories that Kanon listened to with genuine care.
Sasuke finished quickly and headed back to his room. The night of the massacre still cast a long shadow over him, leaving only Naruto and Kanon in the living room.
"Kanon..."
"Hmm? What is it?" Kanon asked, wiping down the table after clearing the dishes.
"Tell me... if there ever comes a day where we have to make a choice, and that choice might hurt the other person..."
Naruto's voice was a soft murmur. Kanon set down the cloth, rinsed her hands, and sat down beside him. Under the dim light, she gave him a brilliant, radiant smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked him in the eye.
"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused by her silence.
Kanon reached out and pinched his cheek.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Naruto, we're best friends!"
She placed both hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look directly at her.
"Naruto, you're definitely going to become Hokage, and I'm definitely going to find that field of flowers!"
"I believe in that no matter what, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Naruto stared at her, dazed. In that moment, Kanon's purity and sincerity were carved into the depths of his heart. That stunning smile remained the most profound definition of warmth in Naruto's soul.
A childhood promise, a bond forged through the years, the weight of his meeting with Kanon was indelible. Even now, Naruto firmly believed that he and Kanon were still best friends! Even if that friendship felt like a thing of the past, he refused to let it go.
Naruto looked up at everyone present, including Iruka. His eyes held a level of resolve they had never seen before.
"I will be the one to end this war."
"Whether it's hatred or pain, I'll take it all on myself. This is my mission!"
Hearing this, Iruka exploded in anger. "Did you not hear a word I said?! You have the Nine-Tails inside you!"
"This isn't just about you, Naruto!"
"After Kanon, you were the first person to acknowledge me as a teacher..."
"Why are you only thinking about the Nine-Tails now? Why don't you believe in me?!" Naruto demanded, pounding his chest.
This isn't the time to be stubborn. To me... you are one of my most precious students...
"Both you and Kanon are!" Iruka thought back to the happy days when Kanon would invite both him and Naruto to the Uchiha home for dinner, days that had vanished entirely.
"I thought of you and Kanon as my own little brother and sister..."
At that moment, Naruto's Sage Mode faded, his eyes returning to their natural azure blue.
"Right now, Kanon has joined the enemy, and she's doing everything in her power to capture you."
"How can I just stand by and watch you walk into such a dangerous place?!"
"Besides, this shouldn't be your burden alone. I'm the teacher, I'm deeply at fault for Kanon becoming the way she is today."
Naruto cut him off. "I'm not the same person I used to be!"
"I've gotten stronger. Besides, wasn't it you who gave me this forehead protector, Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka looked down at the forehead protector that had fallen earlier and picked it up.
"Naruto... you've gotten stronger, but Kanon has gotten stronger too!"
"Look at what happened to Konoha, look at the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations—"
Naruto interrupted him again.
"So what?! Kanon is still Kanon, isn't she?!"
Iruka froze. Kanon is still Kanon...
He walked up to Naruto in silence and handed him the forehead protector. As Naruto reached for it, a sealing jutsu activated around Iruka.
"No! Even so, I cannot let you go!"
Naruto's head dropped.
"Sensei, I told you... I've gotten stronger. A sealing barrier like this won't work on me..."
Suddenly, Naruto erupted into Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, instantly shattering the Shadow Possession Jutsu.
"Oh no!" Shibi Aburame acted instantly, sending a swarm of insects to envelop Naruto.
But the Kikaichū were useless. Naruto, now a master of the Nine-Tails' chakra, blazed through the swarm in a flash.
Watching Naruto disappear into the distance, Shibi ordered, "Dimui, alert the Barrier Team up ahead! Naruto is heading their way!"
"Yes, sir!"
"The rest of you, follow me! We have to catch him, fast!"
Naruto moved with incredible speed, weaving through the forest. Yet, he was still troubled, he couldn't understand why Iruka-sensei had tried so hard to stop him.
But as Naruto moved to put on his forehead protector, he noticed a piece of white paper tucked inside it.
"This is..."
He opened the note and saw Iruka's handwriting.
"I know you. You're probably dying to rush onto the battlefield right now."
"I understand how you feel about Kanon, and I know your determination. If you're reading this, it means I failed to stop you."
"I prepared this letter for just such an occasion the moment Tsunade-sama ordered me to keep you on this island in the Land of Lightning."
"It's pretty pathetic to prepare for failure before the mission even starts, isn't it..."
"I wasn't even sure if you'd actually get this letter."
"You've left without looking back, so I only have one thing to say..."
"You have to stay alive. And then... bring Kanon back!"
Back at the Falls, Iruka looked toward the direction Naruto had vanished and allowed himself a small smile.
"I'm sorry, Naruto... I was too weak."
"I called myself your older brother, yet I couldn't protect you or Kanon..."