Across the surrounding battlefield, a shocking sight remained: dozens of Anbu ninjas had somehow survived the initial onslaught.
Blood flowed incessantly from Kanon's eyes as the crimson ribcage behind her rapidly took form. Layers of muscle and sinew wove over the skeletal structure, manifesting with terrifying speed. From within that mountain-like frame, Kanon drew two massive blades that shimmered with a malevolent red light. The sheer magnitude of this power stripped every remaining shinobi of their will to fight.
It was simply too overwhelming. This unknown entity before them possessed power that defied comprehension.
Konin, however, had no intention of leaving survivors. Operating within the Susanoo's armored second form, she swung the twin red greatswords. A force capable of cleaving mountains swept through the forest; the resulting gale and explosions reduced the surrounding peaks to ash.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred Anbu had been erased. Only a scattered few remained.
…
Kakashi arrived on the scene shortly after. Seeing the trail of Anbu corpses, his brow furrowed in alarm. He touched the blood smeared on a splintered tree and his heart sank; he could feel a trace of Kanon's chakra in it. This was her blood.
And the bodies littering the ground...
A dark premonition clawed at Kakashi's mind. Suddenly, a monstrous shockwave erupted from deep within the forest. Even Kakashi couldn't withstand the force; he was sent tumbling backward, eventually landing hard on the forest floor.
"What on earth is happening up there?!"
Despite the pain racking his body, a stunned Kakashi scrambled toward the epicenter of the destruction.
…
On the main battlefield, Gamabunta was locked in a stalemate with Shukaku when he suddenly sensed a foreign chakra and a terrifying gale.
"Naruto, stay low! Get away from the center of the battlefield, a massive windstorm is coming!"
"Got it, Toad Boss!" Naruto kept his eyes glued to the distant Shukaku. The thought of Kanon didn't even cross his mind; his only priority was waking Gaara.
…
As Kakashi drew closer, the carnage intensified. More blood, more Anbu corpses; many were unrecognizable, having been crushed into a literal pulp.
"How? What could have caused this?!"
Trepidation filled Kakashi's heart. Deep down, he knew the answer, but he desperately hoped this catastrophe wasn't what it seemed. Finally, he sensed a familiar chakra and the distinctive chirping of a Chidori.
Kakashi pushed through the brush, but the scene that greeted him was one he would never forget.
Kanon stood there, her long hair disheveled and her body soaked in blood. Crimson fluid leaked from her tattered Uchiha trench coat and several gaping wounds in her chest. Kakashi felt as if his own heart were being pierced by a thousand blades. Surrounding her were the corpses of the hundred Anbu who had hunted her.
Sensing Kakashi's presence, Kanon turned her head slowly. She looked at him with eyes devoid of warmth.
"After everything... why are you even here?" Kanon asked, her voice like ice.
"Kanon... this, this might be a mistake..."
Kakashi found himself at a loss for words. He was too late. The reality before him was like a violent slap to the face.
"A mistake... a mistake?"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Kakashi, you actually expect me to believe such a pathetic excuse now?!" Kanon's voice rose in a furious roar, the killing intent in her eyes reaching a frigid peak.
"Kakashi, save me... Save me!!" The Anbu ninja Kanon held by the throat pleaded, seeing Kakashi as his only hope for survival.
"Put him down. Let's go back to the village and talk this through, alright?" Kakashi pleaded, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Sure, Kakashi-sensei," Kanon replied with a sweet, adorable smile. But her hands were merciless. The smile quickly twisted, becoming manic and ghoulish.
"Kanon! STOP!!!" Kakashi screamed.
CHIRP!
The blinding light of the Chidori tore through the heart of the final Anbu member from the Root.
Kanon was utterly cold and indifferent. She had murdered a Konoha ninja right before his eyes. Kakashi couldn't believe it; the innocent girl he once knew had vanished, replaced by this frenzied, dangerous youth.
"Is your anger satisfied now...?" Kakashi began, his voice trembling. "Can you come back to the village with—"
"Enough, Kakashi!" Kanon barked, cutting him off.
"Konoha, Konoha, Konoha! Is this what Konoha is?!" She gestured wildly at the dozens of dead Anbu surrounding them.
"..."
Kakashi looked down, silent. He had failed Kanon, he had failed Sasuke, and he had failed himself. He talked about protecting his students, yet he had done nothing. He was powerless.
"Haha, don't blame yourself, Kakashi."
"I have no reason to stay in a village like this!"
"I have no desire to keep living in a place like this!!!"
Seeing the madness in her expression, Kakashi painfully lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan. The sight only made Kanon's brow furrow further, her rage intensifying.
"Kanon... I don't know what you've endured, but please, do not give up on Konoha!"
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. I had a good time with everyone in Team 7."
Kanon looked up at the sky. A light drizzle began to fall over the clearing, providing a somber backdrop to their farewell. Konoha headband she used as a hair tie fell to the ground. She looked at it for a moment, then picked it up with a hollow expression.
"Kanon Uchiha, what are you doing?!" Kakashi tensed, his eyes tracking her every move.
Kanon simply drew a kunai and carved a horizontal line across the metal plate. She tossed it toward Kakashi. The message was unmistakable: she was now a Rogue Ninja. She had defected.
Kakashi caught the headband, his voice shaking. "Do you really have to do this?!"
"This is the only way for me to survive. It was Konoha that made this choice for me."
With those final words, Kanon turned. Her Mangekyō Sharingan activated, and her form began to blur and fade into the battlefield.
Kakashi stared at the space where she had stood until she vanished completely. Weakened, he collapsed to the ground, clutching the scarred headband. His heart was hollow, filled with an unbearable weight of guilt.
"Sasuke... I've failed you..."
Kakashi's sigh carried the heavy burden of his perceived failure as a mentor.
…
On the main battlefield, Sasuke watched Naruto's fierce assault on Gaara. Suddenly, he felt a light pat on his shoulder; a familiar, delicate touch. It felt so much like Kanon.
"Kanon?!"
Sasuke spun around, but there was no one there. In the chaos of the shifting battle, he had no time to ponder the sensation further.
…
Meanwhile, inside Konoha, the battle between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was reaching its conclusion.
"It seems... I don't have enough strength left to pull out your entire soul..."
"But your ambitions end here."
Blood spilled from Hiruzen's mouth. His torso had been impaled by the Kusanagi Sword, yet he looked at his former pupil with complex emotions.
"This isn't over! My ambitions will never stop!" Orochimaru snarled at him.
"You are obsessed with jutsu... you waste them. I shall give you the punishment you deserve!"
"I will take away all the jutsu you have mastered!"
Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
The soul within his chest was being wrenched further out. Panic seized him as he saw the Reaper of the Reaper Death Seal raise its blade.
"No! Stop! STOP IT!!!"
The sound of a soul fracturing echoed through the barrier.
"Reaper Death Seal: SEAL!!!"
Orochimaru could no longer feel his hands. "My hands... my hands...!"
"Since you cannot use your hands... you cannot weave signs. You can no longer perform jutsu!"
"Your plan to destroy Konoha has failed!"
Looking at Hiruzen's face, Orochimaru finally exploded in a fit of rage. "You old fossil! Give me back my hands!!!"
"You've become a fool, Orochimaru..."
"It's a shame I can't take you with me..."
"But, my student..."
"We shall meet again in that other world soon enough..."
"You withered old man! How dare you! How dare you... take away my jutsu!!!"
Hiruzen's voice faded into a tremor, but a smile remained on his face. His final gaze lingered on Orochimaru, not the monster before him, but the young student he once knew.
When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, the tree leaves shall bud anew...
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, collapsed. With a smile and a tear, he died before Orochimaru. The Hokage who spent his life for the village could finally rest. Perhaps this end didn't match the splendor of his life, but death is a part of life... isn't it?