That night, after returning to Naruto's apartment...
Kanon helped Naruto lay out the bedding. Since she was staying the night, Naruto had to sleep on the floor. However, he was more than happy to set up a futon on the ground, because it meant Kanon would be right there beside him.
Once everything was put away, Kanon lay down on Naruto's bed and tied her hair up. She hadn't brought any pajamas with her, so she had to sleep in her regular clothes.
Lying on her side in the bed, she watched Naruto through the moonlight as he stared at the ceiling with his hands cradled behind his head.
"What are you thinking about, Naruto?" Kanon asked softly.
"I was just wondering... why everyone in the village always mocks me and gives me the cold shoulder..." Naruto muttered. "What did I ever do wrong?"
Kanon shook her head. She understood the reason to some extent; after all, she had heard the people around them call Naruto a monster fox.
"I think it's because they don't truly know you."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Think about it. The moment they see you, they already push you away, so they don't even want to try and understand what kind of person you are."
"If they actually took the time to see who Naruto really is, I don't think they'd mock you like that anymore."
"Then what kind of person do you think I am?" Naruto pointed a finger at himself, his blue eyes staring unblinkingly at Kanon.
"Hmm..." Kanon looked at Naruto, falling into deep thought. "An incredible person, just like the Hokage!"
"What?!" Naruto gasped in surprise. "Why?"
"Because you are you, Naruto." Kanon smiled warmly at him. "In the face of everyone's nasty rumors, you stay so strong. And your strength gives me the courage to face my own painful reality..."
"Naruto, you have to stay exactly the way you are!" she continued. "Your resilience and your pure heart will definitely change more people one day. When that time comes, I'm sure everyone will acknowledge you just like I do."
"And once everyone acknowledges you, you'll definitely become the Hokage!"
The words hit Naruto like a lightning bolt, injecting a powerful surge of resolve straight into his heart. In that exact moment, the seeds of unyielding persistence and never giving up were buried permanently deep within his soul.
Suddenly, Naruto scrambled to his feet. The abrupt movement startled Kanon, causing her to flush slightly and lean back a bit.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Ignoring her surprise, Naruto sat right down next to Kanon on the edge of the bed, thrusting a small fist out toward her.
"I've made up my mind! I'm gonna become a Hokage who's even stronger than the Fourth Hokage!"
"And then, I'll make everyone acknowledge my strength!"
"Kanon, I'm gonna work super hard and become the Hokage!" Naruto's expression was intensely serious. "When that day comes, will you be there to watch me?"
Looking at his fierce determination, Kanon couldn't help but nod softly. Smiling, she bumped her fist against Naruto's.
"Of course I will. I'll watch you become the Hokage!"
"Heheh!" Naruto rubbed his nose happily before sliding back down to the floor.
"Time for bed," Kanon said, turning over to face away from him.
Naruto nodded quietly. Gazing at the silhouette of her back as she lay on her side, a beautiful, radiant smile spread across his face.
…
The memory flashed through Naruto's mind in an instant. Though his eyes were wet with tears, he stared down at Obito with absolute conviction.
"The version of you that Rin remembered was never this person! It was Obito Uchiha, the boy who dreamed of becoming Hokage and carried the Will of Fire!"
Looking at Naruto, Obito's mind drifted back to that distant forest from his youth. A childhood version of himself stood there, extending a hand and speaking softly to his current self:
"Yeah. Look at yourself right now. Rin wouldn't even cast a glance your way."
"The person Rin wanted to protect was Obito Uchiha."
"That's enough! I am Obito Uchiha!"
Slap!
A sudden touch snapped Obito back to reality. Naruto had tightly grabbed his hand.
"Stop talking and come over to our side, you bastard!" Naruto yelled.
At that exact moment, everyone in the outside world channeled every ounce of their remaining strength. The Tailed Beasts' chakra inside Obito was violently pulled forward.
It was a combined effort born from the entire Allied Shinobi Forces—a grand spectacle of unity that the world hadn't witnessed in centuries. This was the true power of camaraderie.
Obito gazed out at the Allied Forces, but in his failing vision, the only person he saw was Rin.
Are you really about to fail? Kanon thought, watching the scene unfold with a trace of surprise in her eyes.
BOOM!
The chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts was completely ripped away from Obito by the Allied Shinobi Forces. Naruto roared at the top of his lungs, "This is the power of everyone together! It's out!"
Seven of the nine Tailed Beasts instantly materialized from their pure chakra forms back into their massive, physical bodies.
The scales covering Obito's skin rapidly receded as his Six Paths Sage Mode dissolved into nothingness. His body grew entirely limp, and with the Ten-Tails torn from his soul, he plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the earth.
"Did I... lose?"
THUD!
Obito slammed into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and leaving a deep crater. Farther away, Naruto and Sasuke were panting heavily, keeping their eyes trained on the dazed and defeated Uchiha.
Obito stared blankly up at the crimson moon. He weakly lifted his hand, dreaming that the girl in his heart might reach down and grasp it... but how could she?
Looking at his bare palm under the blood-red moonlight reflecting across the battlefield, tears finally spilled from his eyes.
From the moment he lost Rin up until this very second, everything he had ever done had ended in complete failure. Because even after all of it, he was still plagued by loneliness, the void in his heart remained wide open, and his resolve still wavered.
Perhaps that illusion of him returning to the village as Hokage was the real reality. But it was far too late for words now.
The Tailed Beasts stood together in a massive clearing, turning their enormous eyes to observe Naruto Uzumaki.
As Naruto was happily conversing with the Tailed Beasts, a silhouette suddenly dashed past him. It was Sasuke. Holding his Kusanagi sword high, he charged straight toward the fallen Obito.
"Hey! Wait a minute, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
Seeing Sasuke charging at him with a drawn blade, Obito didn't even bother to move. His Sharingan briefly locked eyes with Sasuke's.
I see... So this is my end...
But in the next instant, two space-time vortexes swirled open simultaneously. Kakashi materialized from the Kamui dimension, rushing forward to finish Obito off, while on the other side, Kanon emerged right beside Sasuke, delivering a brutal kick squarely to his face.
Sasuke was sent tumbling violently across the dirt, looking incredibly disheveled. Kanon casually brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke in a flat tone.
"Consider this a final favor, given the depth of your feelings for her."
"To think that a man brave enough to declare the Fourth Great Ninja War against the entire shinobi world didn't even have the guts to confess his love to the girl he cherished."
"Because you never confessed, she could only rely on her daily observations to slowly discover the love hidden in your heart."
"But in the end, you could do nothing. You could only watch her die without ever saying a single word to her. That's why you've been drowning in regret all this time, isn't it?"
Kanon's words were softly spoken, but her footsteps never faltered as she walked over.
Sensing her approach, Kakashi said in a low voice, "Kanon, I'll catch up with you later."
"This guy was my teammate, and he was my friend. Let me be the one to send him on his way."
Before Naruto could even yell a warning, Kanon's Chidori Sharp Spear flashed through the air, knocking Kakashi off balance. The moment his feet touched the ground, Kanon followed up with a devastating punch.
The sheer force of the blow sent Kakashi flying dozens of meters through the air, the impact leaving his entire left arm completely numb.
Naruto immediately rushed forward to engage Kanon in close combat, finally giving the battered Kakashi a brief moment to breathe.
Stumbling over to Obito's side, Kakashi raised his kunai to plunge it into his former friend's chest, only for Minato to suddenly manifest and catch Kakashi's hand.
"Dad?!" Naruto gasped in shock, keeping his eyes glued to Minato. Even Kanon halted her movements. However, she already had her own calculations in mind; she was merely biding her time.
Watching the scene play out, the members of the Allied Shinobi Forces began shouting at the Fourth Hokage and the others, demanding that they execute Obito on the spot while they had the chance.
However, Gaara stepped forward and held his hand up, signaling them to stop, causing many in the crowd to shut their mouths.
In the center of the field...
For some reason, Kanon and Naruto stopped fighting entirely and quietly walked over to the group.
"Obito, when we were tugging at the chakra, I was able to see into your heart," Minato spoke softly. "It looks like my son gave you quite a harsh lecturing."
"It seems he inherited that particular trait from his mother."
Turning his gaze, Minato looked toward Kakashi. "But Kakashi... this responsibility should have originally belonged to you."
"If there is anyone who truly understands Obito and can successfully get through to him, it can only be you, his friend."
"Am I right, Naruto?"
Hearing his father's words, Naruto stiffened. He slowly turned his head to look at Kanon, whose face remained entirely unreadable beside him.
The memory of the very first time she had celebrated his birthday echoed through his mind once more, and a torrent of profound emotion surged within his chest.
Minato turned back to Naruto, his voice gentle. "I saw your memories too." At the same time, Minato turned and offered a warm smile of acknowledgement to Kanon.
Kanon blinked in slight confusion. What exactly did Minato mean by that? But regardless of his intent, they were still enemies right now. With her Flower Realm at her disposal, she had absolutely no fear of anyone launching a surprise attack against her.
She slowly closed the distance to Obito. Minato and Kakashi both knew that with their current strength, they couldn't possibly stop Kanon, so they chose not to intervene. Obito was at his absolute limit anyway; if Kanon tried anything reckless, Minato could easily use his god-like speed to finish Obito off in an instant.
"Naruto, you and the Allied Forces need to go assist Lord First," Minato commanded firmly. "Help him seal Madara."
Naruto's eyes widened in sheer realization, and he whipped his head around to stare into the distance.
"That's right! We haven't dealt with that guy yet!"
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]