After reconstructing his physical body, Lord Third watched the shinobi who had been following him get utterly consumed by the blast. A look of profound agony contorted his face.
"Old man Sarutobi, this doesn't even amount to one percent of the pain you inflicted upon me," Kanon said softly, looking down from her seat atop the Ten-Tails' head.
But this was a battlefield, and there was no time to mourn the fallen. Hashirama manifested five wood clones; four of them dashed outward to maintain the Four Crimson Ray Formation for the shinobi across the battlefield.
The remaining clone went straight to find Madara.
Seeing a sea of shinobi charging from all directions, the Ten-Tails attempted to charge another Tailed Beast Bomb, but Hashirama was already weaving signs.
"I'm not done yet! Sage Art: Gracious Deity Gates! Bind the Ten! Bind the Head!"
In an instant, massive torii gates plummeted from the heavens, slamming directly onto the Ten-Tails' neck.
A tremendous, shattering rumble erupted from behind as the Ten-Tails was once again completely immobilized by the Gate of the Great God.
Kanon remained seated atop the beast's head, entirely unfazed by the divine gates.
A horde of shinobi pressed forward alongside Hashirama's wood clone, surging toward the Ten-Tails.
"Come on, let's see what you've got."
"Madara, sorry to keep you waiting!" Hashirama arrived at Madara's side.
"No, a clone is too boring. I'll wait for your real body to get here."
With the Four Crimson Ray Formation firmly established on Naruto's side, the rest of the forces charged into the fray.
To prevent anyone from approaching its main body, the Ten-Tails began shedding countless splinter clones from its flesh.
Instantly, the Allied Shinobi Forces clashed fiercely with the swarm of clones.
As Sakura watched the army lock in combat, her gaze drifted toward Naruto and Sasuke, and then up to Kanon, who sat cross-legged atop the Ten-Tails casually observing the battlefield. A rush of memories washed over her.
Ever since she joined Team 7, she had never been a match for the other three. She had even been a constant drag on the team.
Watching the coordination between Naruto, Kanon, and Sasuke grow sharper, and witnessing their strength skyrocket while she remained an incapable ninja, it cut through her heart like a knife.
The Zabuza incident, the Chunin Exams, the rescue of the One-Tails, the mission to retrieve Sasuke, Kanon and Pain's assault on Konoha, and the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron... what had she actually accomplished?
As the other girl in Team 7, Kanon had left her so far behind that the gap seemed infinite.
Kanon was a year younger than her, yet she possessed the audacity to wage war against the entire shinobi world single-handedly. While Sakura couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind it, she harbored a deep, internal respect for her. Even if Kanon had walked down the wrong path, she had always been the ultimate goal that Naruto and Sasuke chased after.
Unlike herself, who was forever chasing the backs of those three, Sakura desperately wanted to stand at the very front of Team 7. She wanted to become the person that Kanon, Naruto, and Sasuke were chasing.
Gradually, Kanon had become everything Sakura wished she could be; Naruto and Sasuke refused to give up on her, and her sheer strength shook the foundations of the world.
Through it all, Sakura steadily grew. Her life changed when she met Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin, who trained her with absolute selflessness.
This mentorship slowly gave her the confidence to surpass Naruto, Sasuke, and Kanon. She was a member of Team 7 too; there was no way she would lose to anyone else.
Especially to Kanon, who was a girl just like her! Kanon was the definitive target she had to chase down and surpass!
At that exact moment, a diamond-shaped mark identical to Tsunade's manifested on Sakura's forehead, the Yin Seal, the precursor to unleashing the Hundred Healings Jutsu!
In the blink of an eye, a massive splinter clone brought its palm down to crush Sakura, but she intercepted the blow with a single hand.
"I've spent years pooling this chakra... I can finally release it."
The next instant, Sakura wound up a punch. Right then, both Naruto and Sasuke snapped their eyes toward her from behind.
Sakura unleashed a punch so cataclysmic that it left Naruto and Sasuke visibly stunned.
The splinter clone was sent hurtling violently back into the incoming swarm, followed instantly by Sakura executing a high-speed blitz.
"Die!"
Accompanied by Sakura's fierce roar, a massive explosion tore through the center of the battlefield.
Such terrifying Monster Strength left everyone paralyzed with awe as shards of shattered earth and rock rained down across the area.
Naruto stood completely dumbfounded. He swore right then and there that he would never provoke Sakura ever again, or she would literally beat him to a pulp. Sasuke merely offered a subtle, faint smirk.
Up on the head of the Ten-Tails, Kanon didn't even bother to glance down at Sakura. Her master, Tsunade, had already been utterly defeated by her hands. What kind of waves could a mere student like Sakura hope to make?
From a distance, Hashirama watched the display and nodded in approval. "What astonishing Monster Strength. It might even surpass Tsuna's."
Standing near Hashirama, Shizune was singing Sakura's praises. Now that Sakura had mastered the Yin Seal, she had long since surpassed Shizune.
"Because I don't need to waste chakra keeping myself looking young," Sakura said, turning her head. The splinter clones directly in front of her were instantly annihilated by Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and Sasuke's Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi.
Sasuke leaped down to stand at Sakura's right side. She smiled in delight. "Sasuke!"
"Don't forget about me... Sakura," Naruto chimed in. However, his gaze drifted toward an empty space in their formation, staring blankly for a split second. That was the spot where Kanon used to stand.
"Don't drag me down, Naruto."
"Yeah, and if you keep acting like a kid, you better watch out or I'll steal the title of Hokage right out from under you," Sakura said with a soft smirk.
"Even Sakura is competing with me for it?"
"This time, we fight side by side!" Sakura shouted.
Deep within her heart, she looked at Naruto and Sasuke, thinking happily:
Tsunade-sama, I feel like I've finally caught up to them.
Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on Naruto, analyzing his form. So that's the state where he controls the Nine-Tails' chakra?
Naruto was similarly observing Sasuke. A new Sharingan... and those black flames.
Further away, Minato looked at Naruto's Rasenshuriken, nodding with immense pride. His son had actually mastered the nature transformation for the Rasengan.
Minato smiled warmly. Meanwhile, across the field, Kiba from Team 8 refused to let Team 7 hog all the glory.
"Hey, hey! Team 7 is stealing the entire spotlight, whether they're enemies or allies!"
"Let's go, Team 8!"
With Shino gone, Team 8 was left with only Hinata, making Kiba swallow back the rest of his words.
Kiba quickly formed a hand sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, transforming into a massive three-headed wolf to unleash his Tailwind Three-Headed Wolf: Fang Rotating Fang.
Hinata activated her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists. She was determined to push past her absolute limits and unleash the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, feeling as though Neji were standing right beside her to guide her.
Naruto and Kanon were always forging ahead. She wanted to stand by Naruto's side forever, so she had to strive forward with everything she had, even if it was just a single step!
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio also initiated their synchronized assault, their Human Bullet Yo-Yo tearing through the battlefield and throwing the splinter clones into utter disarray.
Seeing his peers showcasing their incredible jutsu, Sai took to the sky on a bird drawn from his Super Beast Scroll. He intended to bypass the frontline entirely from the air to eliminate the main body and take down Kanon Uchiha.
"I'm a member of Team 7 too! Direct assault from above!"
Naruto and the others spotted him, and Naruto looked up at Sai with a flash of panic.
But if Naruto's group had noticed him, there was no way Kanon hadn't. She remained seated, completely motionless. Facing Sai's aerial approach, her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Sure enough, the splinter clones stationed at the base of the Ten-Tails hurled a volley of sharp spikes, instantly shredding Sai's ink bird.
As Sai free-fell through the air, a chakra arm manifested by Naruto caught him safely.
"Sai... you alright?"
The splinter clones were multiplying exponentially, and their physical height was increasing. The Allied Shinobi Forces were beginning to struggle against the sheer volume.
"Naruto... can you still not distribute your chakra to everyone?" Sai asked, catching his breath.
"Not right now. Kurama hasn't fully replenished his chakra yet."
"If we want to take down the main body, we have to clear out those giant ones while looking for an opening to get close..."
"The distance is too great to cross in one bound. We need time to weave signs and defend against incoming attacks."
"Without Naruto's chakra to shield us, everyone will take devastating damage. But the Medical Corps can't just charge into the frontline," Sai added, offering a flawless analysis of the battlefield.
The three members of Team 7 merely smiled, simultaneously biting down on their thumbs.
Slice!
"Clearing them out and finding an opening is child's play for an Uchiha!" Sasuke slammed his palm against the ground.
"Not only can this guy get us close, he can attack and defend at the same time!" Naruto slammed his palm down.
"Even if everyone gets severely injured, I can heal you right by your side at any moment! The current me can do it!" Sakura slammed her palm down.
In unison, the three bellowed:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom!
Plumes of white smoke erupted as Aoda, Gamakichi, and Katsuyu materialized, standing tall beneath the feet of their respective summoners.
From his position controlling the barrier, Minato looked toward Naruto and the others, a wave of profound joy washing over him.
"I never expected to see the three-way deadlock summoned once again."
Looking at the three young shinobi, Hiruzen was instantly reminded of his own three students. The new generation had truly outgrown the old.
But in the next fraction of a second, Aoda caught sight of Kanon sitting atop the Ten-Tails in the distance. The giant serpent froze in sheer terror; it could clearly sense an Uchiha presence, assuming it was Kanon who had summoned it.
If it wasn't Kanon who had called upon it, then who?
Sure enough, Aoda realized Sasuke was standing on his head. The massive serpent flew into a violent, thunderous rage. With a swift, powerful sweep of its tail, Aoda violently swatted Gamakichi and Katsuyu away, simultaneously bucking his head to hurl Sasuke directly off his body.