Her crimson Uchiha trench coat drifted in the wind, her sleek, jet-black hair swaying rhythmically with the fabric.
Dressed in her white waistband, black shorts, and shinobi boots, Kanon met Tsunade's intense gaze without a shred of fear.
"It seems you know Dan as well, brat," Tsunade said, managing a tense smile.
"I've heard a thing or two, that's all. I will be sending you to reunite with your old flame shortly."
Kanon crossed her arms as a crimson ribcage materialized around her, awaiting Madara's next move in the distance.
"The chakra that had begun to detach is now firmly bound to Madara's body?! What is going on?" Gaara asked, his voice filled with shock.
"Why? Why aren't you disappearing? The Reanimation Jutsu was clearly released!" Tsunade demanded, spinning around in utter disbelief.
"Have you rabble completely lost your minds?" Madara scoffed.
"The so-called Reanimation Jutsu is a technique that summons the dead."
"But it possesses a single risk..."
Hearing Madara's explanation, the remaining three Kage felt a cold dread wash over them.
"A risk? What risk?!"
BOOM!
The skeletal fist of Madara's Susanoo slammed downward in an instant, smashing Tsunade backward until she crashed right next to Ōnoki and Gaara.
Kanon strolled over at a leisurely pace, taking her position beside Madara.
"Don't stand behind me..." Madara murmured.
"Hmm? Why's that?" Kanon asked, tilting her head.
"I am particularly sensitive about anyone at my back. Though you are a rare exception."
Kanon nodded, stepping into place right next to him before turning her gaze to the remaining three Kage to finish the explanation:
"As long as one knows the proper hand seals, a deceased soul recalled via Reanimation can unilaterally sever the summoning contract of the Reanimation Jutsu."
"Sever the contract?!" Tsunade gasped, hauling herself out of the crater, her face a mask of horror as she stared at Kanon and Madara.
The corners of Madara's mouth tugged upward into a faint smirk. "If that happens... you have a massive problem on your hands."
"An immortal body with infinite chakra."
"Free from the caster's control, capable of acting entirely on one's own volition."
Kanon smiled faintly, extending her slender hand to bump fists with Madara. "Experience true despair, you ants."
Drawing his hand back, Madara rapidly wove a sequence of hand seals and spoke calmly:
"Reanimation Jutsu: Release!"
"Could it be..." Onoki's mind was already racing, calculating how to sacrifice himself to ensure the others' survival.
Seeing Madara successfully break the contract of the Reanimation Jutsu, the three surviving Kage were utterly paralyzed with fear.
"Well then, now that the contract is severed, you should head out first and assist that guy," Kanon said indifferently. "Leave the Five Kage to me."
"Very well. It is indeed time to capture the Nine-Tails. I shall take my leave first; make quick work of this."
"Understood," Kanon nodded.
Madara's Susanoo manifested into its Complete Body, instantly soaring into the high heavens and vanishing from sight.
Tsunade, Onoki, and Gaara made a move to pursue him, but Kanon barred their path single-handedly.
"Now then, Kage... it's our turn."
Kanon looked down at them with absolute disdain; she was losing interest in this game.
In that exact instant, a horrific, agonizing pain erupted around Onoki's neck. Before his brain could even process what was happening, his neck was violently wrung by a spatial vortex.
Blood sprayed into the air. Before Onoki could even utter a warning, his head severed from his shoulders and hit the ground, blood splattering across the dirt.
Indeed, Kanon had used her Flower Realm to snap Onoki's neck in the blink of an eye.
The pupils of Tsunade and Gaara dilated in absolute horror. Onoki's final words had been: "Cover the Kazekage's escape... he is still young..."
The moment those words left his mouth, the Tsuchikage left this world forever.
"Without that old man, how do you expect to win now?"
With a cold sneer, Kanon pointed her left hand toward Tsunade. A highly compressed Rasengan manifested instantly. Before Tsunade could even attempt to dodge, the sphere slammed heavily into her abdomen.
The compressed energy erupted with catastrophic force, drawing a wretched scream from Tsunade.
Seeing this, Gaara rushed forward to help, but Tsunade stopped him with a desperate, roaring shout.
"Run! Go help Naruto!"
"But—!"
"There are no 'buts'! All our hope rests with Naruto!"
Hearing Tsunade's frantic screams, Gaara's mind waged a desperate internal war. Ultimately, he chose to honor the Hokage's command and flee.
The exact moment he turned his back, a crimson chakra blade flashed through the air, cleanly bisecting Tsunade at the waist.
Gaara's pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
"Hokage!"
"Aren't you going to run? If you stay, you're next."
Sure enough, a terrifying Chidori Sharp Spear crashed downward, hurtling directly toward Gaara.
Using his sand to violently propel himself backward, Gaara narrowly evaded the strike. As he fled into the distance at high speeds, riding atop a platform of sand with tears streaming down his face, Kanon offered a small, amused smile.
"Run along, pathetic Kage."
Kanon paid no further attention to Gaara. Dealing with a weakling like him would be effortless whenever she pleased; what mattered now was finishing off the fallen Kage.
Remarkably, even after being severed at the waist, Tsunade was still breathing. To ensure she could not resurrect or heal, Kanon raised a single hand, generating a massive, highly compressed Sage Art: Rasengan Fire Dance.
"Fifth Hokage, everything I gave you before were parting gifts. Consider this one a permanent farewell."
Suddenly, an immense amount of chakra gathered in her other hand, shaping itself into a Rasenshuriken. Remarkably, Kanon had managed to compress this Sage Art variant as well.
"Goodbye."
With a casual flick of her wrists, Kanon hurled the two terrifying, compressed ninjutsu directly into the center of the battlefield.
She turned her back as a crimson skeletal Susanoo surged up to shield her.
Behind her, the two techniques struck like titanic ballistic missiles. The entire battlefield shuddered under the cataclysmic impact, the very earth groaning beneath the pressure.
Dust and debris rocketed into the sky as a blinding explosion and a massive mushroom cloud erupted over the landscape.
When the dust settled, absolutely nothing remained. Only a rising cloud of smoke marked the spot.
Kanon's lips curved into a beautiful, cruel smile as she looked back at the obliterated battlefield.
With this, four of the Five Kage were dead, leaving only the Kazekage, Gaara, who had fled.
In this battle, the legendary Five Kage had suffered a total, humiliating defeat at her hands. It was time for her to head to the primary battlefield.
A vortex of swirling roses manifested before her, and Kanon stepped back into the Flower Realm dimension.
"Are we heading to the main battlefield now, Kanon?"
"Yes, Konin. The path to the flower field is right before us."
"The moment we have been waiting for is finally arriving!"
Elsewhere, inside a subterranean cavern filled with stalactites.
Sasuke stared at the spot where Kanon had previously fallen, and then at Itachi's reanimated form. He fell deep into thought.
What is a clan... what is a village... what does it mean to be a shinobi?
At this moment, Sasuke thought of his brother, of Konoha, and of his younger sister, Kanon.
As he gazed at the traces of the Reanimation Jutsu before him, a profound sense of doubt and confusion filled his heart.
"What exactly should I..." Before Sasuke could finish his thought, a massive section of the cavern wall was violently blasted open.
Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo stepped through the dust, the members of Team Taka.
Karin's face wore a highly complex emotional expression.
"It's you guys," Sasuke said flatly.
"Sasuke! Why did you abandon me?!" Karin yelled.
"I'm sorry, Karin."
Karin kept her expression cold and distant, turning her head away and refusing to look at him. If she had to choose between Sasuke and Kanon right now, she would choose Kanon without a single second of hesitation.
Suigetsu and Jūgo walked forward, looking at Sasuke.
"What are you even doing in a place like this?" Suigetsu asked.
"Stopping the Reanimation Jutsu," Sasuke replied indifferently.
Suigetsu sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "You're always like this, never bothering to explain anything properly to anyone."
"But it's been so long since we last saw each other, you could at least give us the details."
Sasuke simply pointed toward Anko Mitarashi lying unconscious on the ground.
"Kanon and Kabuto used the Reanimation Jutsu."
"Itachi and I stopped them."
"What?!" Karin muttered, a flash of irritation crossing her face.
"Why did you go through the trouble of tracking me down at a time like this anyway? What do you want?" Sasuke questioned.
Without saying another word, Karin turned around and walked away, leaving Suigetsu and Jūgo to exchange confused glances.
"Let her go," Sasuke said smoothly.
Suigetsu walked up right next to Sasuke, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Oh right, right! Check this out!"
"I found something absolutely insane at one of the hideouts." Suigetsu chuckled, pulling a thick scroll from his cloak.
Beside them, Jūgo picked up Anko Mitarashi and carried her over, turning to Sasuke. "You just said that you and Itachi stopped the Reanimation Jutsu, right? But the reanimated soul known as Madara doesn't seem to have stopped at all."
"Is that so? It didn't stop..." Sasuke murmured, a trace of resignation in his voice. He already suspected the truth: either Kanon had tampered with the technique, or Madara had severed the contract himself.
"I'm talking to Sasuke here, do you mind not interrupting?!" Suigetsu snapped at Jūgo before handing the scroll over to Sasuke.
Sasuke unrolled it and scanned the contents, his eyes widening in shock.
"Pretty incredible, right?" Suigetsu gloated. "With this thing, Team Taka can turn the entire shinobi world upside down..."
Sasuke nodded, his expression turning deeply serious. A cold, knowing smirk surfaced on his face.
"Yes... this is it. The ones who know everything..."
"In any case, there is someone I absolutely must meet right now."
"I'm going."
Hearing Sasuke's declaration, the others were taken aback.
"Who?"
Sasuke's gaze drifted to Anko Mitarashi in Jūgo's arms, his voice dropping to a cold, steady tone.
"Orochimaru."