As night fell, the forest was draped in a mysterious veil of shadow. Deep within the woods, a small stream flowed silently; its waters, which should have sounded pleasant, carried an eerie chill through the dark.
Along the banks, ancient trees stretched out branches like skeletal claws, their twisted reflections in the water whispering unspoken secrets. A breeze stirred the leaves, their rustling sounding like old legends meant to strike fear into the hearts of men.
The entire forest was immersed in an indescribable atmosphere—a blend of nighttime stillness and a lurking, nameless threat. Moonlight struggled to pierce the dense canopy, finally landing on a black-haired girl. She staggered forward, her body covered in wounds, looking like a sorrowful phantom emerging from the depths of hell.
Kanon collapsed. She had finally found water. Staring at the stream, she threw herself down; she had been wandering the forest for hours and was now parched beyond endurance.
Only after gulping down several mouthfuls of water did she feel as though she had returned to the living.
She looked up at the sky. Moonlight filtered through the thick foliage, illuminating eyes that were utterly hollow.
Everything she had ever owned was gone. She hadn't even been able to say a proper goodbye to Team 7. When she thought of her promise to host a dinner for everyone at her house that night, a wave of bitterness washed over her, followed quickly by a searing rage.
At this moment, Kanon's mind was filled with the image of that old wretch, Danzo. She wanted nothing more than to tear him into a thousand pieces.
"Konoha..." Kanon started to grit her teeth, but a heart-wrenching pain flared through her body again.
She had lost several teeth and couldn't yet bite down with force. However, the bleeding from the holes in her flesh had stopped, and she had already used Mystical Palm Jutsu within her Flower Realm to stabilize the fatal wounds.
Enduring the bone-deep agony, Kanon scanned her surroundings with vacant eyes. She had no home to return to.
Where should I go? Where do I belong?
She asked herself repeatedly, but there was no one to answer.
She knew Konoha would likely suppress the truth, claiming she had died in action, or perhaps they would pile every sin onto her head and declare her an S-Rank Rogue Ninja. Soon, hunters would be sent to take her life.
But Kanon didn't care anymore. She had no goal left, and no one to lean on.
"What should I do..."
Tears finally spilled over. Looking at the faint moonlight reflecting off the stream, Kanon could no longer suppress her emotions.
The girl who was usually so strong and bright now looked exactly like what she was: an eleven-year-old child. Clutching her knees, she began to sob helplessly. But the only things accompanying her now were loneliness and confusion.
…
Three hours earlier.
Naruto lay on his hospital bed, covered in bandages, his mind filled with memories of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. To a boy with no family, the Third Hokage had been his grandfather.
He looked at the Team 7 photo on the table. Naruto was glaring at Sasuke as usual, while Sakura and Kanon stood in the middle, holding hands and smiling brightly. Behind them, Kakashi had a hand on the boys' heads, wearing a look of helpless amusement.
The photo held beautiful memories. Naruto's gaze then drifted to two kunai sitting beside the frame, engraved with the characters for "Flower" and "Sound"—Kanon (花音). One was the kunai Kanon had left with him to return the day he became Hokage; the other was a gift she had given him to celebrate his progress.
Eventually, Naruto put on his black formal attire and headed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's funeral. The sky was weeping, a misty drizzle falling over the village.
Sasuke stood near Naruto and Sakura, his hands in his pockets and his body trembling slightly.
"Where's Kanon...?" Naruto asked.
"She... she hasn't come back yet..." Sasuke's face was pale, his expression contorted.
"Wh-what?!" Sakura and Naruto froze.
Kanon would never miss a formal occasion like this. But since the events of yesterday, she had completely vanished from everyone's sight.
"Sasuke..." Sakura tried to reach out to comfort him, but he pushed her away.
"Where is my sister?!" Sasuke roared. He collapsed to the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably.
He remembered the last time he saw her. He had been the one to heartlessly push her away.
"She couldn't be... she couldn't just be mad at me, right?" Sasuke held onto a sliver of hope. He looked at the darkening sky as thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Kanon... come back... it's my fault."
"I shouldn't have treated you like that..."
Sasuke's hands were shaking. He refused to believe anything had happened to her, but a full night had passed with no news. When they asked Kakashi, he remained silent for a long time before simply saying he didn't know.
Seeing Sasuke's broken state, Naruto and Sakura moved closer and hugged him.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. Kanon will be fine. She's stronger than any of us..." Sakura consoled him.
Naruto didn't say a word. It was only now that he realized just how much Kanon meant to him. Before, they were always stuck together; living together, doing missions together, eating together. Without Kanon, he felt as if half of his soul was missing. An inexplicable void caused Naruto to sink to the ground beside Sasuke.
That Uchiha girl who always watched him grow, who looked after him, who believed he would become Hokage. The girl who took care of his daily life, worried for him in battle, and comforted him when he felt shunned.
"Naruto! What's wrong? Pull yourself together!!" Sakura rushed over to help him up.
Tears fell from Naruto's eyes. He had a premonition, a terrifying feeling that he might never see Kanon again.
Seeing the tears tracking down Naruto's face, Sakura finally broke down as well. There, the three members of Team 7 sat slumped on the ground, weeping together.
Every ninja in Konoha gathered before the grave of the Third Hokage, bowing their heads in a moment of silence. Sasuke and Naruto searched the crowd frantically for any sign of Kanon, but they found nothing. Ultimately, they too lowered their heads, their eyes becoming hollow.
Kanon had vanished from Konoha without warning, as if she had never been there at all, leaving behind only the endless longing and soul-crushing pain of Team 7.
Her departure was so sudden. No message, no chance for anyone to say goodbye. Sasuke and Naruto could not accept this reality. The world of Team 7 had been shattered by the piece that was missing.
Naruto looked around his messy room, thinking back to the night before the Chunin Exam preliminaries. She had sat in this very room and talked to him, her earnest voice still seeming to echo in every corner. But now, those memories were like blades, carving into his heart over and over, making it hard to breathe.
Even in his dreams at night, Naruto tried to find her. But even there, she drifted further and further away, always just out of reach.