"I can never forgive what I did to Kanon, but..."
"Itachi, thank you for your trust."
"Leave the rest to me!" Naruto declared with unwavering resolve.
Itachi was momentarily stunned. Looking into Naruto's deep blue eyes, a genuine smile finally touched his lips. Perhaps placing his faith in the Naruto standing before him was indeed the most reliable path.
"Naruto... my sister, Kanon... she is fortunate to have a friend like you."
"I'm leaving Sasuke in your hands..."
…
"So what exactly are you trying to operate?!" Kanon asked, her voice laced with confusion.
"Let's take Shisui's eye back. Our luck isn't half bad today."
"Come, Kanon, you try the controls. Weren't you just learning the Reanimation Jutsu anyway?"
"Eh?! Me? For real?" Kanon looked a bit helpless but walked to Kabuto's side and pressed her hands together.
Suddenly, Kanon's voice echoed within Nagato's mind.
Senpai, don't move. I'm going to control you to give them a good thrashing.
"But..." Nagato wasn't sure how to respond, yet he found he didn't actually mind being controlled by Kanon.
"Do you still recognize me as your Senpai...?" Nagato's voice trembled slightly.
"Dead or alive, you are my Senpai. I have never doubted the peace you yearned for."
"However, I must win this war. This is the answer I've found to achieve peace!"
Nagato nodded slightly. He believed in Naruto, but he also believed in Kanon. And compared to Naruto, he understood Kanon far more deeply.
"Thank you for believing in me..." Nagato closed his eyes. His mind was flooded with memories of his time in the Akatsuki with Kanon.
At this moment, Nagato truly chose to stand by Kanon's side.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The black flames of Amaterasu were instantly repelled. Because Nagato was a Reanimated body, his wounds began to slowly knit back together.
By the time Naruto snapped back to reality, Nagato had vanished.
"Where is he?!"
Nagato was now under Kanon's direct control. Although Kanon was currently a Shadow Clone, her clone possessed flesh and blood as real as her original self.
"So this is the shared vision of the Rinnegan?" Kanon remarked, pleasantly surprised.
Beside her, Kabuto continued to manipulate the other Reanimated shinobi.
Suddenly, in a pocket of the sky, a Chameleon opened its mouth and Nagato appeared. He let out a deafening roar.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Naruto was sent staggering backward, flying through the air. The surrounding forest exploded outward from the shockwave, and even Killer B and Itachi Uchiha were mercilessly blown back.
"Senpai, your legs are a bit inconvenient," Kanon said softly.
"We can solve that by using the Preta Path to absorb Tailed Beast chakra."
Nagato informed Kanon of the optimal solution. Kanon's control didn't suppress Nagato's personality; instead, they were fighting side-by-side.
"Got it!"
Under Kanon's guidance, Nagato flickered instantly, appearing directly in front of the Eight-Tails.
"Ah... I don't know how to use this," Kanon said, sticking her tongue out.
In that same moment, Kanon released her control over Nagato.
"Eh?" Nagato was confused. Why had the control suddenly snapped?
"Senpai, I'm not very good at using the Rinnegan. You handle it."
"Kanon! You..." Nagato was speechless. Seeing a Version 2 Tailed Beast Cloak Killer B charging at him, Nagato didn't even raise a guard.
Since he had already made the choice to help Kanon, Nagato would not turn back.
Sure enough, Killer B's Lightning Release: Lariat slammed into Nagato's abdomen.
"That won't work on me. Preta Path," Nagato whispered.
"I've already sided with Kanon, Naruto."
As he spoke, Nagato's hair surged back to a vibrant red, and even his legs were fully restored.
Killer B felt his chakra being drained away into nothingness by Nagato.
"B-otchan, you okay?!" Naruto tried to close in, only to find his body seized by an invisible force.
Killer B was instantly blown away by a Shinra Tensei.
"Senpai! You've chosen Kanon?!" Naruto shouted in shock.
But the only answer he received was a Banshō Ten'in.
Naruto was pulled toward Nagato at breakneck speed. With a sweep of his hand, the soul-extraction technique of the Human Path manifested, and Naruto's soul began to be wrenched from his body.
A wave of agonizing pain washed over Naruto, making him gnash his teeth.
Wait, Senpai. We need to capture Naruto alive. Just break his limbs and bring him back, Kanon's cold voice rang in Nagato's head.
"Understood." Nagato nodded.
"Senpai, what kind of move is this?!" Naruto yelled.
"My Human Path, Naruto. I've taken Kanon's side, so you understand what that means, right?"
"Of course I do! It seems you can use all of Pain's abilities! But I've never seen this one before!" Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra arms formed a Rasengan and slammed it toward Nagato.
However, a blue barrier flickered into existence, the Blocking Technique Absorption Seal of the Preta Path. Naruto's Rasengan was absorbed instantly.
Only now did Naruto realize the true extent of Nagato's terrifying power.
Suddenly, behind Nagato, the King of Hell from the Naraka Path emerged from the ground.
"If I remember right... that's Pain's resurrection technique," Naruto muttered, confused. "What exactly are you trying to do?!"
At that moment, Killer B leaped down from above, swinging a blade at Nagato.
But the eyes of the King of Hell and the Chameleon had already tracked his movement. Two additional arms sprouted from Nagato's neck, a skill of the Asura Path.
"You don't have a single opening. Give up." Killer B was blasted away by a mechanical cannon shot.
Nagato released his grip on Naruto's soul, but immediately followed up by firing a blast at Naruto as well.
Both Jinchūriki were sent flying. Killer B was in particularly bad shape; one of his arms had been blown off, and he had to wait for Tailed Beast chakra to regenerate the limb.
Suddenly, from the distance, an orange-red Susanoo slashed downward, cleanly severing Nagato's additional arms.
"Is this... Susanoo?!" Nagato asked, surprised.
"It's that bastard Itachi Uchiha," Kanon said, her voice dripping with annoyance.
Nagato looked to the side. The Rinnegan-linked eyes of the King of Hell and the Chameleon had been struck by shuriken accurately thrown from blind spots by Itachi.
"Susanoo!" Itachi retreated, clutching Naruto and Killer B within the ethereal hands of his avatar.
"Itachi!" Naruto gasped.
"So that's Susanoo? Super cool!" B gave a thumbs up. After all, he was usually on the receiving end of a Susanoo punch, not the one being protected by it.
Nagato stood up, looking at Itachi with a flare of anger.
"You saved us, Itachi!" Naruto laughed.
"Who is this ninja? Seriously, he's ultra-strong," B said, gesturing toward Nagato.
"Why are you stopping me!" Nagato demanded, staring at Itachi.
"There is no 'why'... Kanon's ideology is wrong."
"Peace is not the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Hearing Itachi's answer, Kanon, who was standing with Kabuto deep underground, merely turned her head away in disdain, not even deigning to argue with him.
"You have no right to say that to Kanon!"
Just as Nagato was about to move, a wooden coffin rose behind him, swallowing him whole before vanishing from the spot.
…
"Hmm? Kanon-chan, what are you doing? Aren't we going to catch them?" Kabuto asked, puzzled.
"Itachi Uchiha has the Totsuka Blade. If the fight continues, Senpai might get hit and sealed away."
"The Totsuka Blade?"
"Yes. Since my Susanoo has one too, I know exactly how dangerous the sealing jutsu on that blade is."
"I can't let Senpai be sealed."
A moment later, the wooden coffin reappeared beside Kanon and Kabuto. Nagato stepped out of the casket.
"Kanon... it's been a long time."
"Yeah, Senpai. Long time no see."
Nagato walked up to Kanon and gently patted her shoulder. His years in the Akatsuki flashed through his mind.
"How is everyone in the Akatsuki doing?"
"Everyone is doing great. Thanks to you, they're all safe and sound. Though Hidan-nii is constantly shouting about getting his body back so he can come out and fight."
"That guy is the same as always, I see," Nagato shook his head helplessly.
"I'm willing to believe in the peace you look forward to. I wanted to believe in you and Naruto, just like Jiraiya-sensei did. But now that a choice has been made, I will stand firmly with you and watch your story unfold."
"To me, Naruto is the conclusion of a trilogy, but you... you are the beginning of another chapter."
As Nagato spoke, he stepped closer to Kanon. Seeing her stunned expression, he offered a warm smile and placed his hand on the back of her head, gently touching his forehead to hers.
"No matter what the future holds, I will always believe that you can reach the future we all hope for."
"Senpai..." Tears began to well in the corners of Kanon's eyes. She could feel that this was a choice made from the depths of Nagato's heart, his most honest words.
Overcome, Kanon threw herself into Nagato's embrace, hugging him tightly. In this moment, it was as if she had finally found someone she could truly lean on.
"Thank you, Senpai... Don't worry. I won't let our dream of peace vanish into thin air!"
This was the first time since her break with Sasuke that Kanon showed a glimpse of a girl her own age.
Even though she had started a world war, assassinated the Daimyō of the Five Great Nations, and made an enemy of the entire shinobi world, she was still only fifteen.
Knowing this all too well, Nagato felt a pang of grief in his heart, making him want to do even more for her.
"So, Kanon, is there anywhere in this war where you need my help?"
"Senpai, go to the front lines and support my other clones."
"The front lines?" Nagato asked.
"Let me explain," Kabuto chimed in. "It's time for the real show to begin." Kabuto then began to brief Nagato on the current state of the war.