Late at night.
Naruto lay lonely on his bed, the back of his hand resting against his forehead. He stared up at the ceiling he had known for so long, his heart heavy. Kanon had gone missing during this battle to defend Konoha; her fate remained unknown.
He rolled onto his side, the moonlight streaming through the window to illuminate two kunai engraved with the characters for "Flower" and "Sound." They shimmered brilliantly in the dark.
From the corners of Naruto's eyes, a faint redness began to seep out.
…
Internal World.
"Brat, you look quite pathetic right now."
"Shut up, you stupid fox! Just leave me alone!" Naruto roared at the Nine-Tails.
"That Uchiha girl by your side is almost certainly dead, killed by the Sand or the Sound."
"SHUT UP!!"
"It's all your fault. If you had noticed sooner, she wouldn't have died!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!!"
"Still trying to run away? This is reality!"
The Nine-Tails' voice was like a sharpened blade piercing Naruto's heart, causing him unbearable agony.
"Stop talking!!!" Naruto's breathing grew rapid, and red chakra began to leak from his body.
"Naruto, this is all your fault!"
"Yeah... it's all my fault..."
"However, you still have a chance to make amends. See this seal? Rip it off, and I'll find that Uchiha girl for you."
Naruto shook his head. For now, Kanon was only missing. Until a body was found, there was a glimmer of hope, however faint.
…
Early the next morning, Kanon opened her eyes. She had spent the entire night using the Mystical Palm Jutsu to heal herself.
Looking at her tattered clothes and disheveled hair, she felt like a truly fallen wretch. Her major wounds had mostly recovered, leaving only minor, nagging injuries.
Suddenly, a squirrel appeared in the distance, scavenging for pinecones.
A shuriken flew through the air.
Snap!
Squeak!
Soon, a plume of smoke rose from the clearing as Kanon enjoyed a meal of roasted squirrel.
After gathering enough water, she pulled a large scroll from the ninja tool pouch on her leg, unsealing a bag containing some money, a water bottle, and a fresh set of clothes.
Kanon had planned it all out: after the Chunin Exams, she was going to take a bath at Naruto's place, go to the Konoha market to buy groceries, and host a party at her house that night.
But those dreams had crumbled into ash. Unconsciously, she sat there, looking as if her very soul had been hollowed out.
Before she could do anything else, she looked up and saw a sight she would never forget.
Two imposing figures stood before her, watching her quietly.
Kanon's pupils contracted. Though she didn't recognize the shark-faced man in the red-clouded black cloak, the man in front of him was someone she could never forget as long as she lived.
When was the last time she had seen him?
Her thoughts drifted back to when she was six years old, on the Night of the Massacre. This man had gently poked her forehead and told her he wouldn't be able to practice shuriken with the siblings that day.
The two newcomers were clearly surprised to find Kanon in such a battered state. Even Itachi's brow furrowed.
"Itachi..." Kanon wanted to say "Itachi-nii," but she fell silent.
Though shocked deep down, Itachi's expression remained as cold as ever. Seeing that Itachi made no move, Kisame spoke up softly.
"Itachi-san, who is this brat?"
"She is of the Uchiha, like me. She is my sister," Itachi said quietly.
"So, she's the girl who unexpectedly survived, Kanon Uchiha."
Kanon stared at Itachi, her mind a whirlwind of memories. She had just experienced the deepest, most terrifying darkness of Konoha. Heartbroken and weary, seeing Itachi, her only living kin besides Sasuke, she actually forgot to hate him for a moment.
Like an eleven-year-old sister, her eyes trembled as she gazed at him, tears beginning to spill over. Seeing his sister covered in wounds and looking so broken, Itachi's heart was a storm of complex emotions.
"Itachi... nii-chan..."
Because Kanon had not witnessed the full extent of the massacre herself, she moved toward him like a lost child, staggering on trembling legs, hot tears streaming down her face.
She wanted to believe in a miracle, that her brother wasn't truly the murderer of their entire clan, even if the possibility was zero. Kanon was simply too heartbroken; she needed something to lean on. She wanted to fall asleep on Itachi's back, just like when she was little.
As she stumbled closer, Kisame reached behind his back for the hilt of Samehada.
"Itachi-san, if you can't do it, I will."
"Kisame, leave this to me," Itachi replied. He watched as Kanon walked right up to him.
"Nii-chan..."
Kanon lowered her head. She wanted to tell him everything she had endured in Konoha over the past few years, to speak to the only other person in the world who could understand. In her despair, she had lost all reason; all she needed was a shoulder to cry on.
Itachi raised his left hand, appearing as if he were going to perform that signature forehead poke. Kanon began to force a smile, but in the next heartbeat, violent pain erupted as blood sprayed from her mouth.
Itachi had seized her slender arm and driven a fist into her abdomen.
"My foolish sister... did you really still hold onto such delusions?"
Itachi heartlessly gripped Kanon by the throat and kicked her away. The terrifying force exacerbated the wounds already covering her body, turning her condition from bad to critical.
With a heavy thud, Kanon slammed into a large tree. She coughed up blood mixed with fragments of internal tissue. Since the kunai wounds on her back hadn't fully closed, the impact sent her spiraling back into agony.
A scream of pain echoed through the forest. Kanon lay curled on the ground, her eyes losing focus, blood staining her lips. The searing pain finally cleared her mind, shattering the last lingering shred of hope.
Now, beyond the vision of blood-red, there was only endless darkness in Kanon's eyes.
"Itachi Uchiha..." she whispered weakly.
"Kanon, do you know why you've ended up like this today?" Itachi's voice was cold and harsh.
"It is because your hatred is not deep enough!"
He walked slowly toward her as she lay prone, blood trickling from her mouth. The Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin slowly in his eyes.
Tsukuyomi. Itachi unleashed the technique, forcing Kanon to witness everything Sasuke had seen on that fateful night.
Itachi expected Kanon to spiral into a blind, uncontrolled rage like Sasuke. To his surprise, however, Kanon began to laugh, even through her tears.
"So... that was the truth of that day?"
"Hahahaha...!"
Suddenly, Itachi sensed danger and leaped back.
A massive red blade made of chakra erupted from the ground. Had he hesitated for even a second, he would have been impaled.
"Impossible! A Susanoo?!" Itachi watched in shock as a ribcage manifested to protect Kanon, witnessing her tears turn to blood.
"You... you traitorous bastard of a brother... I'll kill you myself..."
Kanon's words were cut short by a violent coughing fit, spray of blood erupting from her lips.
Looking at the rose-patterned eyes, Itachi's heart cried out in silent grief. The Mangekyō Sharingan at age eleven... the pain she has endured is no less than my own.
The rose-red Susanoo perfectly manifested Kanon's agony and despair as the skeletal frame helped her rise to her feet.
"I was so stupid... stupid enough to believe in an animal like you."
Kanon's left eye shifted into a rose-like vortex. Her Flower Realm activated with incredible speed, and in an instant, she vanished from the spot.
Itachi frowned as she disappeared. Beside him, Kisame stood in awe.
"We certainly saw something incredible today, didn't we, Itachi-san?"
"Let's go. It's time to head to Konoha."
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