"Hey, Fifth Hokage. You're the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, aren't you?"
"I assume you've inherited that so-called 'Will of Fire' he passed down," Kanon said flatly.
"What of it?!" Tsunade barked, her voice laced with fury.
Kanon's expression shifted, twisting into something morbidly deranged, yet her beauty remained hauntingly intact.
"That 'will'... it makes me sick. A flock of fools who care for the village but forget their own kin..."
"Perfect. I'll start the cleanup with you."
"Targeting the enemy squad's medical ninja first, that's just common sense..."
"We already knew what you were planning. Do you really think it will be that easy, Uchiha brat?" Mei Terumī taunted.
"You're mistaken. When I kill, I couldn't care less if the target is a medical ninja or not."
"I am killing her simply because she inherited the Will of Fire, that twisted, perverted ideology."
"What 'Will of Fire'? Once I've slaughtered every last person who carries it, that eyesore of a philosophy will cease to exist."
"Hashirama Senju was nothing but a failure. 'First Hokage'? 'God of Shinobi'? He was just a waste of space who couldn't tell his priorities apart."
Listening to Kanon's tirade, Madara burst into laughter.
"Well said! Though, perhaps a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Shut up, old man Madara," Kanon replied, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Old man... Madara!" A bead of sweat rolled down Madara's brow, a rare sign of exasperation. Technically, given his actual age, he could indeed be her grandfather, so he didn't dwell on the slight.
"Kanon, you brat... you actually dare call me 'old man'!"
Madara sighed helplessly, the dynamic between them appearing for all the world like a grandfather dealing with a rebellious granddaughter.
"Alright, jokes aside."
Kanon turned back, her gaze locking onto the Five Kage once more.
"My existence serves to erase this backwards Will of Fire. Hashirama Senju's ideals were fundamentally flawed from the start."
"Danzo, the old man Third... they all inherited a broken will. In my eyes, those two were nothing but revolting."
"Come then, Hokage. As his descendant, you can't use Wood Release, and your Medical Ninjutsu might actually be inferior to mine."
"Just what are you capable of?!"
"In this shinobi world where the strong devour the weak, those without power are destined to be struck down, forced to their knees, and ultimately die in disgrace."
"And you, the one carrying the blood and the will of Hashirama Senju, you are the weak!"
Hearing Kanon's mockery, the Raikage spat back, "Stop your arrogant prattling!"
But Tsunade stepped forward.
"It's true that I am the descendant of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and it's true I cannot use Wood Release."
"As for Medical Ninjutsu... compared to the First, who could heal without weaving a single sign, I am indeed nothing special."
"That being said, the will I carry is one passed down through generations. How could a brat like you, who has lived a mere fifteen years, possibly understand the weight of that legacy!"
"This will, the bond that sustains the village and its peace, is my true strength!"
Kanon watched Tsunade, her eyes filled with nothing but disdain.
"Oh? Your strength?"
"Then I, as an Uchiha, shall carry out my own Ninja Way and show you mine!"
Tsunade let out a cold sneer.
"Do not underestimate the Will of Fire, Uchiha brat!"
"People without strength are the only ones who talk about 'will,'" Kanon said coolly, hands on her hips.
"Wrong! The will of the dead inspires the living, and that is how power is realized!"
"The Medical Ninjutsu I created was born from that very will!"
At those words, Kanon's expression changed. Her morbid smile vanished, replaced by simmering rage.
"Don't be so arrogant, Hokage!"
"Life is the only thing that allows you to feel. Not cold tombstones and fleeting, empty memories!"
"Stop peddling your fifteen-year-old theories! Don't forget, you're only fifteen, you're still just a child!" Tsunade roared, the Yin Seal on her forehead beginning to release.
"How pathetic. Is 'respect your elders' really your only argument?" Madara remarked, arms crossed and expression indifferent.
Kanon ignored Tsunade's lecturing, watching instead as the markings on the Hokage's face expanded.
"The Strength of a Hundred Technique? I've been wanting to see that for myself."
"You actually recognize this jutsu?" Tsunade was momentarily surprised.
"I do. Now, come," Kanon laughed.
Tsunade lunged, her fist slamming into Kanon's Susanoo.
As the skeletal ribs began to creak and show signs of fracturing, Kanon's lips curled into a slight smirk.
"So this is the Monster Strength of the Hundred Healings? Interesting."
BOOM!
With a single punch, Tsunade sent Kanon's Susanoo flying backward, or rather, Kanon intentionally retreated.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive sphere of flame soared toward them. From behind Tsunade, Mei Terumī sprinted forward, spitting a torrential wave of water.
"Water Release: Water Array Wall!"
But in the next instant, a water dragon surged forth, lunging at Kanon's Susanoo.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" Mei shouted.
Simultaneously, a voice identical to hers echoed back:
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Damn it, the Sharingan's copying ability?!" The Kage watched Kanon with grim focus.
Mei was engulfed by the opposing water dragon and slammed into the ground. Gaara used his sand to cushion her fall, but the impact left a massive crater where the jutsu landed.
On either side of Kanon's Susanoo, Onoki and A attacked in tandem.
"Weighted Stone!"
"Lateral Bolt of Pain: Chop!"
They roared as their combined strike shattered the Susanoo's skeletal frame. Tsunade followed up with a crushing kick, completely smashing the Susanoo and sending Kanon spiraling through the air until she crashed into the dirt.
Seeing Kanon grounded, the Five Kage allowed themselves a momentary smile. This was their first real victory.
"A medical ninja is supposed to stay in the rear. Since you've come here seeking death, the other Kage won't be far behind you."
Watching Kanon's madness, Madara, spectating from the sidelines, curled his lip. "If there is anything truly inherited in this world, it is hatred alone."
True to form, Tsunade threw a punch aimed straight for Kanon's chest, only for her fist to pass right through the girl's body. In the same motion, Kanon's Kusanagi blade carved a horrific, bloody gash across Tsunade's back.
"You should have stayed dead! Stop spreading your hatred!" Tsunade bellowed even as the wound on her back closed instantly.
Suddenly, a deluge of sand surged toward Kanon, the Sand Waterfall Funeral.
Kanon simply waved a hand. "Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation."
Gaara's sand instantly lost its cohesion and collapsed.
Tsunade gasped for air, the lethal gash on her back having been mended by the Hundred Healings.
But in that split second, a terrifying blade of red light pierced through Tsunade's abdomen, blood spraying into the air.
"What happened?!" The other four Kage cried out in shock.
"Impressive... she actually separated her Susanoo from her physical body!" Madara smiled with genuine excitement.
Indeed, Kanon and her Susanoo were now acting independently, much like Itachi once had.
As Tsunade's pupils contracted in shock while being hoisted into the air by the Susanoo's blade, Kanon spoke with pure condescension.
"Is this all you have? I'm disappointed."
"Before the Uchiha, everyone else fades into insignificance."
The Susanoo's greatsword jerked Tsunade directly in front of Kanon.
"With the Hundred Healings active, I assume you won't die quite this fast."
Tsunade let out a guttural roar, punching the chakra blade with enough force to snap it.
She ripped the broken shard from her abdomen and swung it at Kanon, but the girl's body flickered into intangibility, letting the strike pass through harmlessly.
The Susanoo vanished, replaced by a Chidori crackling in Kanon's hand.
White lightning flashed. In a heartbeat, Tsunade was sent flying like an arrow from a bow, crashing into a pile of massive boulders.
Watching Tsunade's wounds gradually knit back together, even Madara, watching from a distance, was slightly surprised. He had initially pegged the woman as a weakling; it seemed he was mistaken.
"Regeneration without hand signs... is that your ability?" Madara asked coldly.
"That is the Strength of a Hundred Technique." Kanon nodded slightly, acknowledging the jutsu's merit.
"Then what about my jutsu?!" Onoki flew in from Kanon's rear, the light of Dust Release glowing between his palms.
"You're getting senile, old man Tsuchikage. Has living so long rotted your brain? I can use Dust Release, too."
Kanon flicked her hand. A beam of white light instantly overwhelmed Onoki's attack. Kanon's Dust Release was far more potent; in an instant, it blasted the Tsuchikage backward.
"How is this possible?! My Dust Release cancelled yours out earlier... how do you have this much power?!" Onoki screamed, coughing up blood as he tumbled through the air.
"Oh, that..." Kanon chuckled.
"That was Dust Release fired from my index finger. Naturally, it's much smaller than when I use my whole hand."
"I was just playing around."
"What?!" Onoki gasped.
Tsunade stood her ground. "Kanon Uchiha... does the fact that we just drove you into the dirt mean nothing to you?"
"It means we've pushed you to your limit."
"Our combined assault is working. Don't deny it!"
Kanon looked at Tsunade, then scanned the other four Kage surrounding her. She gave Tsunade a playful wink and spoke with an unnervingly cute expression:
"Well, it is five against one, after all."
Mei Terumī looked at Kanon, her face grim.
"Even if it's five against one, we must win. Don't call us despicable, we are simply acknowledging your power."
"After all, you are the Kanon Uchiha who assassinated the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations."
"You certainly don't dream small, Kanon," Madara chuckled. Even in his time, no Uchiha had dared to slaughter the Daimyo.
"Despicable? It's fine. I'm quite used to 'bullying' the few with the many," Kanon said, clapping her hands together.
Instantly, hundreds of Kanon clones materialized, the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"The difference is... usually, I'm the 'many'."
Kanon let out a cold, predatory laugh, her expression turning truly ghoulish.