Amegakure.
A spatial vortex spiraled open, and Kanon stepped out with an air of cold indifference. She wore a blue Uchiha coat, but unlike before, the bandages covering her eyes had been removed.
Within her sockets, an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, shaped like a rose with two distinct interlocking patterns, spun slowly.
"With these eyes, I can finally see through all the darkness!"
Though she now possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the flower that once bloomed in her heart had long since withered away.
She had only taken a few steps before a woman blocked her path.
"Kanon...?" Konan muttered, visibly stunned. She looked into Kanon's eyes and saw that the pupils had changed completely.
"Is it you, Konan-nee?" Kanon asked, her expression flat. "Where is Nagato-senpai? By now, his plan for peace should have commenced."
"Give me Naruto's body. I want to build a monument for him."
Kanon's tone was devoid of emotion, bordering on icy. Konan watched her, her expression clouding with a hint of sorrow. Kanon caught the shift immediately.
"What? Did something happen?" Kanon asked, her brow furrowing.
"Yes..."
Konan nodded slowly and led Kanon into a room bathed in white light. There, Nagato lay peacefully within a crystal casket, a faint smile on his lips. Beside him lay the Deva Path, Yahiko.
For the next hour, Konan recounted every detail of the battle following Kanon's departure, including Naruto Uzumaki's actions and the choices Nagato had made. Kanon listened in silence.
"That is the whole story of the battle..." Konan's voice trailed off. She sat beside Kanon and took her hand. "I chose to believe in him."
"I see." Kanon stood up, looking out at the rain that continued to drizzle over Amegakure. "Konoha is unforgivable. And so is Itachi Uchiha."
"This 'peace' you speak of... it is nothing more than the self-hypnosis of a few hypocrites."
"In the end, Nagato-senpai failed."
Kanon looked at Konan, a sense of disappointment welling up within her. But she had experienced such disappointment so many times that it no longer stung as it once had.
"Fine. I will complete the plan myself."
Kanon turned her gaze toward Konan.
"Konan-nee, have you sided with Naruto?" Kanon's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan faded, leaving her staring at Konan with an expression of cold, hollow despair.
"Kanon... I am on your side."
Kanon said nothing more, only asking coldly, "What did you mean when you said that guy failed to capture the Eight-Tails?"
Konan explained how Team Taka had brought the Eight-Tails back, only to discover it was a mere octopus tentacle.
"Hahahaha... typical of him," Kanon mocked, her face full of derision. Since Sasuke had inherited Itachi's will, it meant he had completely abandoned her. From now on, their only connection would be the blood in their veins.
"That disgrace to the Uchiha name... he can't even handle a single Eight-Tails."
Kanon stood up, preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Even if he, like Itachi, heartlessly abandoned me, he cannot abandon the name Uchiha. Kumagakure dared to insult the Uchiha; it's time they tasted true pain."
"They dare defy the Uchiha? By the power of the Raikage alone?!"
A crimson Susanoo ribcage flared to life around Kanon as she pushed the door open and leaped outside.
"Wait for me, Konan-nee. The shinobi world needs a new system. And before a new order can be established, what is required is..."
"Destruction!"
With those words, Kanon vanished into a rose-shaped vortex. Her mastery over her visual prowess and the Mangekyō was now beyond question.
…
In a forest.
"Naruto? That Naruto defeated Pain by himself?" Suigetsu asked, bewildered.
"That's right. He has become incredibly powerful," Zetsu replied. "At this point, he is likely stronger than Sasuke."
Hearing Zetsu's words, Sasuke merely let out a cold snort. "That is irrelevant."
"What matters is the Five Kage Summit."
"What do we do? Konoha is gone," Suigetsu said, throwing up his hands. "If our target, Danzō, is attending the Five Kage Summit, we should probably head there."
Karin glared at Suigetsu. She didn't want Sasuke taking risks; after all, he was Kanon's only remaining family.
"Team Taka will take the Hokage's head at the Five Kage Summit," Sasuke announced. "Change of plans. We're moving out."
"Very well."
"So, where is the summit being held?" Karin asked.
White Zetsu split off a clone and spoke to the group. "My clone will lead the way."
"Let's go!" At Sasuke's command, the four members of Team Taka and White Zetsu set off.
The masked man watched them leave without a word. Black Zetsu spoke softly to him, "Things are progressing smoothly."
"No. I didn't expect Nagato to waste the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu like that. He actually betrayed me."
"Even if Sasuke surpasses Nagato, it means nothing if I cannot control him. As for Kanon... do not provoke her for now. Her threat level is higher than Itachi's. However, if we lay our cards on the table honestly, a cooperation might not be impossible."
"I don't intend to link with the Gedo Mazo just yet. I'll wait and see."
Black Zetsu gave a cold laugh. "I didn't realize you had already prepared a fallback for Nagato's death."
"In a sense. But this wasn't the path I wanted to take. It's all because of Naruto Uzumaki; he caused a deviation in my plans."
"What now? Shall we take action?" Black Zetsu asked.
"The days of watching from the sidelines are over. Put the Eye of the Moon Plan into motion."
Suddenly, the masked man's pupil contracted. Above them, a rose-shaped vortex pattern appeared in the air.
"It seems you have plans of your own," Kanon said, stepping out of the Flower Realm and looking down at the masked man with a cold smile.
"What do you say? Are you willing to assist my Eye of the Moon Plan?" the masked man asked calmly, matching her gaze.
The young girl with flowing black hair, dressed in her blue Uchiha duster and wearing a mask on her head, let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly. Suddenly, her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life, catching Zetsu and the masked man by surprise.
"The Eternal... Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
"How could you possibly...?" The masked man froze for a second before realization struck. "So that's it. These days you were missing... it was all for this!"
Kanon remained impassive. "You have no need to know the details. Tell me about this 'Eye of the Moon Plan' of yours."
"Actually, I have one thing to take care of first. We'll talk when I return."
The masked man was puzzled. "What else do you have to do?"
"Kumogakure dared to slight the Uchiha. I am going to personally make the Hidden Cloud feel pain." The sheer killing intent radiating from Kanon made even Zetsu and Obito hesitate. They had never seen such a dense, suffocating bloodlust from a fifteen-year-old Uchiha girl.
"I will tell you the details of the Eye of the Moon Plan later. However, Danzō, the man you want to kill, has already left for the Five Kage Summit."
BOOM!
The ground beneath them cracked instantly as Kanon's chakra exploded in a sudden burst. The masked man and Zetsu had to leap back to avoid the shockwave.
"What did you say?! Danzō!" Kanon's expression turned frigid.
"Yes. It works out perfectly. I need to go to the summit anyway to discuss the Eye of the Moon Plan with them. Your brother, Sasuke, has already headed there. We can take our time and I will explain the plan to you on the way."
"If you dare delay me from killing Danzō, I will send you down to keep him company. I mean what I say; with your current power, you cannot defeat me." Kanon spoke with total indifference, treating the masked man as if he were nothing.
"Rest assured. Sasuke's current strength isn't enough to threaten the Five Kage."
"Stop talking to me about that trash. Tell me your plan!"