Kakashi moved instantly, his kunai clashing with Kanon's Kusanagi Sword.
In a mere breath, dozens of sparks flew as blades danced in a blur of steel. High in the air, Kanon and Kakashi traded blows, but Kakashi was still reeling from his battle with Kakuzu; his body was riddled with injuries.
He felt an unprecedented pressure. In terms of taijutsu, Kakashi could usually hold his own against the likes of Hidan or Kakuzu, but in this duel, he found himself overwhelmed by Kanon's sheer physical prowess.
True to form, Kanon seized an opening in the next instant, slamming a fist directly into Kakashi's face.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto roared. From a distance, he watched as Kakashi was sent hurtling out of the sky and smashed into the earth.
At that exact moment, Yamato's Wood Release erupted, surging toward Kanon just as she touched down.
Blue electricity flickered across Kanon's skin. A Chidori Stream flared, causing the wooden restraints to shatter instantly. With a few nimble leaps, she retreated to Kakuzu's side.
"These guys are a bit troublesome after all. I suppose I should get serious," Kanon said, preparing to enter Sage Mode.
Suddenly, Kakuzu patted her on the shoulder.
"Kanon-chan, go help Hidan. I can handle things here."
"Eh?" Kanon blinked, a look of genuine surprise crossing her face.
"That idiot Hidan has undoubtedly walked into a trap. Go assist him first. Leave these people to me." Within Kakuzu's body, the Earth Grudge Fear threads began to churn, preparing a devastating jutsu.
"Fine," Kanon nodded, ready to move.
In the distance, Kakashi, helped up from the crater by Ino, shouted desperately:
"Not good! We can't let Kanon leave... Sakura and Sai won't be able to stop her!"
They had reached the most critical moment. Kakashi turned his head; Naruto was on the ground, gasping for air. Yamato and Kakashi himself couldn't leave. If either of them abandoned their post, the entire team would be wiped out by Kakuzu in an instant.
Kakashi's expression was grim. It was a stalemate. Kakuzu was far too difficult to deal with, and the students behind him weren't strong enough to oppose him.
But Kanon didn't give Kakashi time to think. Her three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly as she activated the Flower Realm, vanishing from the spot to head toward the coordinates Kakuzu had provided.
"Kanon! Stop!" Naruto yelled frantically, but the spatial vortex had already closed.
"Tch! Now we only have two choices." Kakashi considered a retreat. Given the situation, they couldn't advance because Shikamaru was in grave danger.
Defeating Kakuzu in a matter of minutes was impossible, but with Kanon's support arriving, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sai wouldn't last three minutes.
The other choice was to relocate the entire battlefield to join Shikamaru. There was strength in numbers, but if Kakuzu linked up with Hidan and Kanon, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Splitting their forces had been the best tactical decision; if they bunched up now, they would likely all die.
"Don't think you're going anywhere. You want to provide backup, don't you?" Kakuzu seemed to read Kakashi's mind. He had no intention of letting Naruto and the others have their way.
"Do you really think you have a chance?!"
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
Kakuzu unleashed his jutsu!
…
Deep within a forest.
Shikamaru had already used his Shadow Gathering Technique to restrain Hidan.
Countless explosive tags were wrapped around Hidan, binding him where he stood. Beneath his feet lay a massive, deep pit.
"You bastard..." Hidan growled, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he glared death at Shikamaru.
A cold smirk tugged at Shikamaru's lips. Looking at Hidan's furious eyes, he felt the rush of long-awaited vengeance.
"I made sure to save this much chakra!"
Looking at the pit beneath him, Hidan finally understood. This brat hadn't just recklessly separated him from Kakuzu; he had lured him here specifically. Everything had been within his calculations.
Shikamaru pulled out a lighter, his expression cold. "You brought this on yourself."
"Do you understand the meaning of those words?"
Hidan's eyes were bloodshot as he roared at Shikamaru, "Like I'd care!"
Shikamaru scoffed at the answer.
"It's a cycle of cause and effect. The price of cursing others to death is that you bring ruin upon yourself."
"That's why one must always prepare two graves."
Licking the flame of the lighter, Shikamaru spoke to Hidan with icy resolve: "You used a curse to kill my teacher. Don't think for a second you're getting out of this alive!"
"This pit is your grave."
Hidan burst into a manic laughter, mocking Shikamaru even now.
"I can't die! Even if my body is crushed to powder, even if I'm nothing but a head, I'll crawl out of here!"
"And then I'll tear your throat out!"
Unfazed, Shikamaru raised the lighter slightly.
"This is a private forest within the Land of Fire. It's a special place."
"Only my clan is permitted entry. No one else can step foot here!"
"My clan will be watching over you forever."
At that moment, Shikamaru felt a phantom pat on his shoulder, as if Asuma-sensei was speaking to him just as he always had.
"Good job, Shikamaru."
"I'm entrusting the Will of Fire in my heart to you." Asuma's voice echoed in Shikamaru's mind like a cherished memory.
Hidan sensed the impending danger as Shikamaru's hand, holding the lighter, trembled slightly.
"You... you bastard! What are you doing with that flame?!"
"This is the Will of Fire. Our fierce determination to protect the village."
Shikamaru flicked the lighter toward Hidan. The moment it touched the explosive tags, Hidan's pupils shrank.
A massive chain of explosions tore through the clearing. Endless flames flickered, reflecting the iron resolve in Shikamaru's eyes.
When the smoke cleared, Hidan lay at the bottom of the pit, his body blown into several pieces and covered in blood.
But he was not dead. His eyes remained wide open.
"Hahaha... Hahahaha!"
"How pathetic! To think you actually reduced me to this state!"
Hidan realized his body had been completely dismembered. With bloodshot eyes, he cursed Shikamaru:
"Lord Jashin will punish you for this!"
"The Jashin Cult will bring the most terrifying retribution upon you!"
Shikamaru's expression remained indifferent as he pulled a kunai with an explosive tag from his ninja tool pouch.
"There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Our beliefs are different. I believe in the Will of Fire. Your 'god' right now isn't that incompetent Lord Jashin or anyone else."
"It's me! I am the one who will judge you."
"You bastard!" Hidan snarled.
Just as Shikamaru was about to throw the explosive kunai, he jerked his head around. A slender, long leg came crashing down onto his shoulder.
Shikamaru was sent flying, snapping several large trees before slamming into the ground with a cry of pain.
"What happened?!" Hidan, who thought he was about to die, was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Shikamaru clutched his right arm; his shoulder was dislocated.
He looked up grimly at Kanon, who stood in the clearing wearing a fox-faced mask. He was shocked. Kanon's arrival was entirely outside his predictions. He hadn't thought she was part of this mission.
"It's you."
"Did you miss me, Shikamaru?" Kanon allowed a faint smile to cross her lips, though to Shikamaru, it looked like the grin of a Reaper.
Hearing the familiar voice, Hidan shouted from the bottom of the pit.
"Is that Kanon-chan?! Is that you?!"
"It's me, it's me." Kanon picked at her ear with her pinky, replying to Hidan with an exasperated sigh.
This guy really did fall for Shikamaru's trap and lose.
"Hurry up and get me out! I'm going to tear that brat into a thousand pieces!"
"Give it a rest, Hidan-nii. You should take it easy. I'm not even sure I can find all your body parts..." Kanon said, deadpan.
"They're right next to my head! Look for them in a bit!"
"Hidan-nii, shut up for a second."
"Got it!"
Hearing Kanon's command, he actually fell silent.
Kanon turned back to Shikamaru, her smile fading into a soft murmur:
"Different perspectives create different ninja. You have your stance, and I have mine. It's impossible for people to truly understand one another forever."
"However, Shikamaru... regarding Asuma-sensei, I am sorry."
"A person like you feels regret? You have no right." Shikamaru spat, gritting his teeth.
"I never intended to kill him from the beginning. If you think I have no right, then so be it."
Kanon thought back to the words she had heard Shikamaru say about the Will of Fire.
"The Will of Fire, huh?"
"A bunch of people without a sense of self. If losing one's self is what it means to be a ninja..."
"Then this thing called 'ninja'... I am the one who will crush it!"
Kanon moved. In a single step, she flickered directly in front of Shikamaru. She reversed her Kusanagi Sword to the blunt side and swung downward.
As Shikamaru's pupils contracted, a Super Beast Scroll drawing surged forward, intercepting the attack for him.
Immediately after, an ink drawing exploded in front of Kanon, and Sakura's fist, laden with monstrous strength, came swinging through the aftermath.
"Kanon!"
Just as the punch was about to connect with Kanon's face, she vanished into thin air. The Flower Realm activated, causing Sakura to stumble as her fist met nothing but empty space.
"Sakura's here too, I see." Kanon's cold expression broke into a slight, mocking curve.
"Sakura! Get out of there!" Shikamaru yelled. But it was too late.
Kanon spun in mid-air, her leg connecting solidly with Sakura's right shoulder.
The sound of the impact was sickening. Sakura turned pale and was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before instantly losing consciousness.
Seeing Sakura out of the fight, Kanon turned her gaze toward Sai. This time, she flipped her blade back to the sharp edge. A wave of murderous intent washed over the clearing. Sai was a member of Root; she had wanted to kill him for a long time.
This was the perfect opportunity. She had no reason to stay her hand.
"It's your turn." Kanon's voice was cold as ice. A bone-chilling killing intent filled the forest, causing Sai's body to tremble uncontrollably.