As Nagato's form dissipated, Naruto and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"This Reanimation whatever-it's-called Jutsu really ticks me off," Naruto grumbled. "Forcing people who don't even want to fight onto the battlefield... I bet it's the same in the other war zones."
Itachi, however, shook his head. "Actually, this was the best possible outcome."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused.
"With Kanon's abilities, she could have easily produced an army using Shadow Clones. In a sense, her combat experience and battlefield intuition make her far more formidable than the Reanimated dead," Itachi explained calmly. "She's my sister; I understand her to an extent. If it weren't for the Reanimation Jutsu, she would have certainly created a hundred thousand Shadow Clones to fight this war."
"If that had happened, the situation would be completely one-sided."
"Does Kanon really have that much chakra?" Naruto asked, stunned.
"She must have an ace up her sleeve. And with Madara's assistance, it's certainly not impossible," Itachi said. "I will go to stop the Reanimation Jutsu. I'm leaving Madara and Kanon to you."
Itachi nodded slightly toward Naruto, deciding to entrust both his younger brother and sister to him.
Killer B then shared some intel with Itachi.
"On the way here, we fought reanimated creeps in the fray, yo! The Sand sealed that dude up tight; they just won't die, okay, bro! This jutsu looks flawless, perfect in every display, yo!"
Killer B punctuated every sentence with a rhyme.
Itachi shook his head slightly. "As I said before, every jutsu has a weakness."
"Hard to say..." B shook his head.
"No, I'll be the one to stop it!" Naruto interjected. "Like I said, leave the rest to me—"
But as Naruto attempted to weave a sign for a Shadow Clone, his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode flickered and vanished. The air suddenly went still. Naruto bit his lip, staring at his hands.
"You overused the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Don't push it with more clones, Naruto," Bee warned.
"Don't try to shoulder it all alone. I am the most suited to stop the Reanimation Jutsu," Itachi added. "I have a plan."
Naruto, however, was still frustrated. "It's so ironic! Kanon has been shouldering everything all by herself this whole time, Itachi!"
"I will take on everything in this war. That is my responsibility."
But Itachi could see Naruto's exhaustion, no matter how much the boy wanted to do more.
"Compared to before, you have indeed grown much stronger," Itachi said. "However, it seems that because of that, you've forgotten something very important."
"The reason the people in the village who once hated you began to admire you and treat you as a comrade... was because you became aware of the existence of others besides Kanon. You worked hard to earn their recognition."
"You said it yourself, you only made it this far because of everyone's help, right?"
Itachi's gaze sharpened. "Now that you possess great power, if you forget others, become arrogant, and obsessed with your individual strength, you will eventually become a second Madara."
"But... Kanon has already become like Madara," Naruto said, looking down.
Itachi fell silent for a moment. He knew Kanon was a child who had desperately craved love, but the kindness and tenderness she had shown others were met only with pain. Whether it was her family, her friends, or the village, it was that darkness that had turned Kanon into what she was today.
Aside from the darkness of Konoha, it was also his own failures as an older brother that had led her here.
Itachi looked at Naruto. "Listen, Naruto. No matter how strong you become, never try to carry the entire world on your shoulders. If you do, you will surely fail."
Naruto looked into Itachi's Sharingan and thought of Kanon. Her world was already empty; there was no one left but her own hollow self.
Itachi then spoke with deep gravity: "Naruto, listen well. It isn't that 'once you become Hokage, everyone will acknowledge you.' It is that 'only those who are acknowledged by everyone can become Hokage.'"
"Never forget your comrades!"
At that moment, images of his friends flashed through Naruto's mind. Kakashi, Sakura, Captain Yamato, Guy, Tsunade, and the rest of his peers. Even the memory of the fallen Shino surfaced. Finally, in the deep shadows, Sasuke and Kanon stood with their backs turned to him, but Naruto held the memories of the siblings close to his heart.
Killer B then told Naruto about Iruka's plea to look after him. Naruto lowered his head, finally accepting Itachi's words. "You're right. I was so focused on trying to do something that I developed tunnel vision."
Itachi nodded slightly and used Amaterasu to incinerate the crow in his hand, letting Shisui's eye vanish into the black flames.
"Why...?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"Shisui's eye won't be usable for another decade or so. It wouldn't be able to work on Sasuke... or Kanon."
"And Kanon is likely already on guard against Kotoamatsukami."
"Naruto, the power you possess is much stronger than Shisui's eye," Itachi said. "It is a heart that shares Shisui's resolve; that is what he truly wanted to pass on. This eye is no longer needed. Perhaps you can stop Sasuke even without it, but Kanon has fallen too deep into the darkness. Naruto... you must be prepared."
"This is also why I feel so much guilt toward you and her."
"Then you can go see Sasuke and Kanon directly right now!"
"No." Itachi dispelled the Amaterasu in his hand. "I once tried to handle everything alone, and I failed. This time, I intend to entrust these matters to my comrades."
Naruto started, looking at Itachi in silence.
"Seems you're more than just a shinobi with raw power. Even though you did a lot of wrong in the past, in this moment, I respect you," Killer B remarked.
Itachi nodded softly and turned away. "B, I'm leaving Naruto in your hands."
With that, Itachi departed, heading toward the location of Kabuto and Kanon's Shadow Clone. Naruto turned to B with a look of grim determination.
"Then let's get moving!"
…
On the main battlefield, a young girl clad in a red Uchiha coat sat atop a massive boulder. Her expressionless, delicate face looked down upon the battlefield below with pure contempt.
A sandstorm surged, and Gengetsu Hozuki was suddenly encased in sand.
"Using sealing tags, are we? Not bad, young Kazekage," the Mizukage noted.
Suddenly, the three Kage broke free of Gaara's control instantly.
"Hey, what gives?! I was all ready to be sealed here!" Gengetsu complained.
"It's the summoner's doing! Once our bodies recognize an opponent's technique, we're forced to react automatically!" the Third Raikage bellowed. His Lightning Release Armor blasted the sand away, and Gengetsu leaped clear of the area.
Behind Gaara, Temari arrived with the main reinforcement division. Meanwhile, Gengetsu and A charged straight into the shinobi army.
BOOM!
The two slammed into the Allied Shinobi Forces, triggering a massive explosion. In an instant, dozens of shinobi lost their lives in the aftershock.
On another side of the battlefield:
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Onoki and Mu were clashing with their respective Dust Release techniques, leveling everything in their vicinity. However, Onoki's advanced age was showing; cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Seeing Onoki's state, Mu remarked, "Time is a cruel master, isn't it, Onoki?"
"I'm not done yet," Onoki panted.
Mu's figure began to vanish. "If you don't call the Kazekage to sense me quickly, you're a dead man, Onoki!"
Looking at the field of corpses, many shinobi began to distance themselves from the two Kage.
"Hey! My techniques aren't easy to deal with!" Gengetsu shouted. "I'll tell you all my weaknesses, seriously!"
Following his lead, both Gengetsu and A began shouting their weaknesses and intel to the Alliance.
Watching this, Kanon's eyes were filled with nothing but disdain. To her, she alone was enough for this battlefield. Bringing these former Kage back was utterly meaningless.
Suddenly, she sensed something. Kanon pulled her mask back up to her forehead. Her expression shifted into one of manic, almost crazed anticipation.
"This chakra... is it Naruto?!"
Gaara left A and Gengetsu to Temari and the others, flying toward Onoki on a platform of sand. He arrived just in time to see Onoki's back give out again.
Behind Onoki, Mu was about to launch a sneak attack with Dust Release, but Gaara gasped, behind Mu, Naruto had appeared in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
"Planetary Rasengan!"
Mu twisted his body, narrowly dodging the strike.
"Gaara!" Naruto shouted.
Gaara understood instantly. He used his sand as a foothold for Naruto, and Naruto used a chakra arm to propel himself forward with explosive speed.
"Using sand as a platform to counter-attack? I see!" Mu anticipated the move. "Get back! My jutsu is faster!"
But a moment later, everyone watched in shock as Naruto's manifested chakra arm slammed into Mu, sent him flying. The sheer reach of the arm was something Mu hadn't accounted for.
"This is..."
"Rasen-Rampage!"
As Mu was sent hurtling through several small rock formations, Onoki followed up instantly. He slammed his palm into Mu's back.
"Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Jutsu!"
Abruptly, Mu's body became impossibly heavy, sinking deep into the sand.
Mu sighed with a hint of admiration. "You, who once hated the other villages so much, have become such excellent partners with them."
"Living a long life has its perks. You get to enjoy the changes," Onoki said softly.
Gaara extended his hand, and a mass of sand began to envelop Mu.
"Be careful... I..." Mu managed to say before being fully sealed.
Seeing Mu neutralized, Naruto hopped over. "Nice! Way to go, Gaara! And you too, little old man!" Naruto gave Onoki a thumbs-up.
"I am the Tsuchikage! And another thing—"
Gaara urgently interrupted him. "Why are you on the battlefield?! Why did you come here?!"
"Uh... well..." Naruto started. "If I had to explain..."
"Your reason had better be enough to convince me," Gaara demanded.
Suddenly, the voice of Shikaku Nara echoed in Gaara's mind, a transmission from HQ. At that exact moment, a dark shadow descended from the sky.
CRASH!
A girl in a red Uchiha coat landed on a nearby boulder, the impact shattering the rock beneath her feet. Her delicate features were twisted into a terrifying, manic grin.
"I've been waiting for you, Naruto!!!"
Naruto, Onoki, and Gaara all spun around in shock. Seeing the red coat and the violent, terrifying chakra radiating from her, Naruto finally realized, this wasn't a Shadow Clone. This was the real Kanon.
He pointed a finger at her and shouted, "I'll deal with you in a minute! I've got other Kage to handle first!"
Kanon blinked, looking a bit deflated by Naruto's dismissal. Surprisingly, she actually sat down on the boulder, crossing her legs and folding her arms to wait. She puffed out her cheeks like a frustrated pufferfish.
She didn't attack yet. To her, the four Kage on the field who lacked the will to fight were an eyesore, but she couldn't exactly tell Kabuto to withdraw them.