The Land of Rivers.
Soft sunlight spilled across a field of vibrant, multicolored flowers, feeling like nature's gentlest caress. At the edge of this floral expanse, Kanon tread lightly; her silhouette resembled a young girl stepped out of a painting, lively, yet shrouded in mystery.
"I didn't know the Land of Rivers had such beautiful places," Kanon mused, seating herself upon the grass. Looking at the flourishing blooms surrounding her, she noted the area was completely deserted.
Kanon decided to rest here for a moment before setting out again; after all, the border to the Land of Fire was not far off.
…
Meanwhile, Kakashi and the Team 10 were holding a discussion in a desolate clearing.
"As I thought... they aren't going back to the same place," Choji muttered, looking down as he thought of the ambush they had set at the Bounty Station.
"The Bounty Stations should be under surveillance by two of our squads," Ino added softly.
Hearing this, Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets, seemingly having anticipated this outcome. "That loudmouth might have fallen for it, but there's still Kanon and the other one to consider."
"They've likely taken a different route."
"But they only have one destination."
"Whether it's to claim the bounty on Asuma's body or to hunt Naruto the Jinchuriki..."
"Their goal is Konoha."
Kakashi caught on immediately, understanding Shikamaru's line of reasoning. "We'll need to expand the search radius. How should we track them?"
Shikamaru glanced up at a hawk soaring through the sky. Beside him, Ino let out a soft chuckle, catching his drift.
Ino performed her Mind Transfer Jutsu on the soaring hawk, and through the bird's eyes, she actually located the positions of Hidan and Kakuzu! The two were heading straight for Konoha, but one detail puzzled Ino: why wasn't Kanon traveling with them?
In the next instant, Kakuzu spun around. His elongated arm struck out like a predator, snatching the hawk Ino was inhabiting.
"Ah... that was dangerous," Ino gasped, her body trembling as she returned to her own consciousness.
"I think we're fine," Shikamaru noted. "Just as suspected, those two are taking a different path to Konoha."
"Two o'clock from here. We'll intercept them in ten minutes."
Shikamaru fell into deep thought.
On the other side, Kakuzu retracted his arm.
"What's up, Kakuzu?" Hidan asked, puzzled.
"No... it's nothing. Was I just imagining things?" Kakuzu frowned.
"Tch, let's just get moving. We've been walking forever. Kanon-chan has probably already crossed into the Land of Fire by now."
"Yeah, Kanon-chan should be arriving soon," Kakuzu replied, following behind Hidan.
After another half-hour of walking, Hidan and Kakuzu were trudging along with boredom.
"Hey Kakuzu, if we destroy Konoha before Kanon-chan gets there, you think she'll hold a grudge against us?"
"Probably. Which is why I suggest we wait for her."
"Heh, I'm already missing the rice balls she makes for us."
As Hidan chatted idly with Kakuzu, a black shadow crept stealthily toward them from behind. Sensing the danger, Kakuzu barked a warning: "Hidan!"
"Yeah, I know!"
The two suddenly leaped in opposite directions. As they were airborne, two kunai equipped with Paper Bombs flew toward them.
"Explosives?!" Kakuzu instantly hardened his skin with Earth Spear, blocking the blast in front of him. Hidan's scythe swung through the air, parrying the other explosive kunai away in a single stroke.
BOOM!
The twin explosions rang out. Hidan's scythe was knocked aside, and he shouted toward Kakuzu in concern: "Kakuzu!"
"I hardened my arms; I'm unhurt. More importantly, watch the shadows!" Kakuzu warned.
Sure enough, a shadow elongated and raced toward them.
"I'm not falling for your tricks again!" Hidan roared, but Kakuzu noticed something above.
"Hidan, above you!"
Shikamaru leaped into the air, throwing two weapons tagged with Paper Bombs.
"More explosives!"
"Hidan, dodge!"
These were Asuma's Trench Knives. Hidan and Kakuzu tilted their heads as the two blades, trailing the explosive tags, whistled past them and embedded firmly into the ground.
Shikamaru had calculated every detail of the battle.
Just as Hidan realized the Paper Bombs hadn't detonated, he froze in shock. Shikamaru dropped down, his Shadow Stitching Jutsu successfully scoring a "Checkmate!"
"Dammit... I dodged the shadow, so why am I—"
Asuma's Trench Knives could absorb the user's chakra, manifesting their jutsu through the blades themselves.
Listening to Shikamaru's explanation, Hidan remained clueless. "Kakuzu, what the hell is this guy talking about?!"
"Shut up, you idiot, Hidan!"
"Simply put," Shikamaru clarified, "the chakra blades themselves triggered my Shadow Possession Jutsu. Those blades are the mementos of Asuma, the man you murdered!"
Kakuzu seemed to recall something. "Thirty-five million Ryo, was it?"
"I see. Those Paper Bombs were fakes, just scrap paper."
"This kid's goal from the start was to use those chakra blades. That first explosive kunai was just a feint to force us into the path of the second throw. Furthermore, he used his own shadow to draw our attention to our feet, forcing us to barely notice the attack from above so we'd dodge it 'just' enough to land in his trap... This kid is incredibly sharp."
Shikamaru looked at Kakuzu grimly. This opponent had analyzed his entire strategy in an instant. Hidan wasn't the primary threat; to win this, Kakuzu had to be the first one taken down.
Observing Kakuzu's silence, Hidan yelled, "Hey! Why have you been quiet this whole time?! If you get caught too, what are we supposed to do, Kakuzu? Hey! Tell me the truth, are we in deep trouble right now?!"
Shikamaru, however, was scanning the area. He was looking for Kanon. The three of them usually moved together; if Kanon didn't show up, he couldn't fully commit to his plan.
"Trouble? According to my plan, once I've restrained you like this, it's already over." Shikamaru snorted, continuing to observe his surroundings.
Kanon's combat intelligence and threat level made even Shikamaru hesitate to be too overconfident. He formed a hand seal, and his shadow converged on Hidan. Hidden behind a tree, Kakashi observed the pair with his Sharingan.
"It's going well," Kakashi whispered.
Indeed, Hidan was under total control. A dark shadow pulled Asuma's Trench Knife from the ground next to Hidan.
"Curse you! What are you trying to do?!"
"I won't make the same mistake twice. Next, I'm sending you both to hell. I won't mess up the attack order this time."
With that, Shikamaru forced Hidan's body to move backward and pick up his triple-bladed scythe.
"I've memorized that face of yours!" Hidan screamed. "No matter what, I'm going to slaughter you!"
Shikamaru manipulated the scythe-wielding Hidan to charge toward Kakuzu.
"You're pretty dim-witted, aren't you?"
He forced Hidan to swing the blade at Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, move!" This lightning-fast strike was intercepted, however. From beneath the earth, Kakuzu's detached hand shoved Asuma's Trench Knife away, instantly breaking the shadow's hold.
Shikamaru was struck with shock, but a moment later, he saw the trick.
During the very first explosion, Kakuzu had buried his right hand in the ground. Beneath the soil, his Earth Grudge Fear had activated; the sound of a beating heart could be heard through the threads in Kakuzu's hand.
"You said 'it's over'..." Kakuzu said. "But my abilities are still an unknown factor to you. That's why I kept my distance while considering my next move."
Kakuzu retracted his hand, offering Shikamaru a rare compliment. "Unlike my partner, you are very smart. For someone so young to be this intelligent... besides you, only Kanon Uchiha has given me that same feeling."
"However, even if you analyze everything during battle... you cannot make everything go exactly as you planned."
Hidan let out a cold laugh, thrilled that Kakuzu had broken free, before the insult registered. "Hey! Kakuzu! What the hell do you mean 'unlike my partner'?!"
"I mean exactly what I said, moron."
The moment he finished, Shikamaru seized control of Hidan's body again and launched another attack at Kakuzu.
…
"Achoo!"
Walking down the road, Kanon let out a sneeze. "I feel like someone's talking smack about me again!" she muttered.
"I'm sure it's nothing," Konin's voice echoed from within her inner world.
As Kanon continued her leisurely pace, Zetsu's form emerged from a large tree beside her.
"Oh, Zetsu. What are you doing here? Just getting back from the Hidden Sound?"
"Yes. I happen to have some news for you."
"What news?"
"Kakuzu and Hidan have run into trouble."
"What?!" Kanon froze.
"They are currently being surrounded by Konoha shinobi. You should go and reinforce them."
Hearing Zetsu's intel, Kanon nodded. She leaped onto a tree branch, ready to pick up the pace.
"I'm off then, Zetsu. You should head back!"
With those words, Kanon's figure vanished instantly, leaving behind nothing but a light breeze and a fading afterimage.
As she sprinted toward the battlefield, Kanon thought of Sasori, who had fallen because she wasn't there. A strange sense of guilt welled up from deep within her.
I'm sorry... Sasori-nii... but this time, I won't let anything happen to them!
She had developed genuine feelings for the Akatsuki. Though she was still a newcomer, she had spent over a year with them, and Kakuzu, in particular, had helped her a great deal.
"Hidan-nii, Kakuzu-nii... I'm coming. You guys better hold on!"