A sudden wave of telepathic memories washed over the field, broadcasting fragments of Naruto's childhood. The vision showed a young Naruto standing completely frozen, staring blankly at the retreating back of a young Sasuke walking away entirely alone.
He had desperately wanted to run up and strike up a conversation with Sasuke, but because he was universally loathed and cast aside by the village, he never found the courage.
Sasuke had always been forging ahead through his own absolute solitude, while Naruto could only trail behind, gazing at him from a distance in equal isolation.
Back then, Naruto had felt deeply dejected, yearning for someone to talk to. But right as those feelings threatened to overwhelm him, a sudden, ice-cold sensation nipped at the back of his neck.
The young Naruto whipped his head around with a start. Standing right behind him was Kanon, who was a little shorter than him at the time. She smiled softly and asked, "Naruto. Want a drink?"
"Huh?! Am I really allowed to have one?"
"Of course you can! I bought an extra bottle specifically for you anyway."
"Thanks for the food!"
Kanon merely stood there with a beaming smile, watching with genuine happiness as Naruto joyfully gulped down the beverage she had bought him.
That pure, kind smile radiated like a brilliant painting, leaving an indelible imprint on Naruto's heart.
Every single living soul witnessed this memory, even Sakura, Hinata, and the rest of the survivors saw it clearly.
The scene shifted abruptly. Naruto was now sitting entirely alone on a playground swing. He watched the other students of the Academy celebrate their graduation; he was the only one who had failed to earn recognition, the only one who hadn't received a headband.
But once again, that same girl materialized out of the shadows. She snuck up behind him, gently placing her hands over his eyes.
"Guess who!"
"Kanon... cut it out, I'm really not in the mood right now."
"Hmph, what's with the lousy attitude?!" Kanon pouted in dissatisfaction.
By the time Naruto snapped out of his funk, a Konoha shinobi headband had already been securely tied around his bare forehead.
"This is...?"
"It's my headband!"
"Why would you..."
"Consider it a gift! I'll just tell Iruka-sensei tomorrow that I lost mine!" Kanon giggled softly.
"But why would you give it to me..."
Kanon took a few paces forward, positioning herself right in front of Naruto. She reached out and firmly cupped both of his cheeks with her palms.
"Because I recognize you! Iruka-sensei just hasn't seen your true potential yet! Others might refuse to acknowledge you as a Genin, but in my eyes, Naruto... you're the future Hokage!"
Kanon grabbed Naruto's hand, firmly pulling him up and away from that lonely swing.
"You have to give it your all, Naruto! This evening, I'll go with you to find Iruka-sensei and beg him to give you another chance at the exam!"
"Huh?!" Naruto looked at Kanon in complete astonishment. "Are you really that certain I'll pass?"
"Without a doubt! You're a person whose dream is to become Hokage and save the world, there's no way you'd let yourself trip up here."
"Someone who dreams of becoming Hokage is already as great as the Hokage itself! That's exactly why I won't let you stop here."
Kanon flashed a radiant smile. A wave of warmth flooded Naruto's chest, filling him with an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement.
Having witnessed these memories, the Allied Forces collectively shifted their gazes toward Kanon on the opposite side of the field. What on earth had happened? How could someone who possessed such kindness fall so deeply into darkness?
But before anyone could process it, the vision shifted yet again. This time, it was beneath a roaring waterfall, the fateful battle between Kanon and Naruto, marking their first clash after three long years of training.
The memories flashed through Naruto's mind at a violent velocity. In the blink of an eye, the vision skipped to the day Pain and Kanon launched their devastating assault on Konoha. Facing Kanon, one of the primary culprits responsible for reducing his home to ashes, Naruto felt his heart being utterly torn to pieces.
Finally, the vision settled on a quiet forest, standing before a solitary stone marker erected for Jiraiya. Naruto stood there with his head bowed low, a single, isolated figure against a desolate grave, cold rain, and absolute solitude.
He had stood there for what felt like an eternity, aching for his master, replaying every single memory of their time together.
In that singular moment, the pigment of Sage Mode flared around Naruto's eyes, overlapping perfectly with his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. He was completely done wallowing in regret over what he had failed to do in the past.
Now, ignited by Sasuke's words, his unyielding confidence was fully rekindled.
BOOM!
Naruto unleashed his full Tailed Beast Mode, materializing directly beside Sasuke's Susanoo.
"Kanon... no matter how ruthlessly you try to sever the bonds of our past, I will never pretend those memories didn't happen."
"We're going to stop you both. Sasuke! Let's go!"
Sasuke let out a small smirk and nodded. In that defining instant, the two of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder.
Spurred by the sheer resonance of Naruto's heart, the fighting spirit of the Allied Shinobi Forces was instantaneously set ablaze once more.
"It's futile, Naruto. At this stage, the only way you'll ever bring this to an end is if you kill me," Kanon stated flatly. She stomped her foot against the earth, causing the fractured stone beneath her to violently shatter.
The Kusanagi Sword, which had been embedded half an inch into the ground, shot into the air cloaked in crackling lightning, landing perfectly in Kanon's grip. She gave the blade a swift, elegant flourish before assuming a cold stance.
Watching Naruto reignite his resolve, Obito knit his brows in a deep frown. He had just turned his weapons against Kanon moments prior, which meant their alliance was effectively dissolved. Would she truly still choose to aid him?
Deep within the subconscious realm, the Yin Nine-Tails transferred the absolute remainder of its chakra over to Naruto and the Yang Nine-Tails. With his reserves depleted, Minato was forced out of his Tailed Beast Mode.
Standing beside Sasuke, Naruto murmured quietly, "Sasuke, you know that only Senjutsu can inflict damage on Obito, right?"
"Don't lump me in with how you were just a moment ago. Right now, I possess the power of Senjutsu as well."
Observing Sasuke's transformed state, Tobirama gave a slight, approving nod. To think he can manifest a Susanoo like this by harnessing the power of a cursed seal... he is truly a match for his younger sister, Kanon Uchiha.
Both siblings had displayed a level of latent potential that easily rivaled Madara in his prime. Tobirama firmly etched the names of both Sasuke and Kanon into his mind.
Orochimaru watched the unfolding confrontation with a faint, intrigued smile. Both of these individuals had successfully forged their own distinct paths. His primal instincts told him that the true depth of Kanon and Sasuke's power extended far beyond what they were currently showing.
He desperately wanted to see what would become of the Uchiha siblings. He had a strong premonition that Kanon and Sasuke would ultimately evolve into shinobi far more terrifying than Madara could ever hope to be.
Tobirama surveyed the three key players on the field. First was Kanon, her sheer combat prowess was already beyond any shadow of a doubt. She had long since surpassed every single peer of her generation. At a mere fifteen years of age, she had pushed four Hokage to their absolute limits, a testament to her terrifying strength.
Then there was her older brother, Sasuke. This pair of siblings gave him an underlying chill that felt even more ominous than Madara.
And finally, there was Naruto. Looking at him was exactly like looking at Hashirama in the old days, he radiated a profound warmth. Though he was a naive, simplistic brat who constantly spouted grand, idealistic speeches, everyone naturally gravitated toward him and relied on him.
"Move!"
"Yeah!"
At Sasuke's command, the two of them bypassed Kanon entirely, launching a coordinated blitz straight toward Obito.
Seeing Naruto and Sasuke charging directly at him, Obito bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Regretting this later will do you no good! Though it doesn't matter, because none of you have a future left!"
Obito brandished his Six Paths Sage Staff, lunging forward to intercept Naruto and Sasuke in a brutal clash.
Kanon prepared to make a move to assist, but the exact microsecond she shifted her weight, four powerful figures instantaneously locked down her perimeter.
"Oh? It seems I hold quite a bit of weight in your eyes."
"For all four of you to simultaneously deploy just to deal with me?"
Kanon stood dead in the center, completely surrounded by Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato.
"Child, I will absolutely not allow you to provide backup to that man, even if I am merely a wood clone," Hashirama roared.
"Evil Uchiha brat. If you want to reinforce him, you'll have to carve your way through the four of us first," Tobirama stated coldly, keeping his eyes locked onto Kanon.
"The four of you?" Kanon eyed the four Hokage. She spun her Kusanagi Sword casually before driving it straight into the earth, her expression remaining entirely detached.
"That's right, the four of us!" Hiruzen twirled his Adamantine Staff into a defensive guard, staring fixedly at Kanon.
"Have the First Hokage's original body come over instead. Otherwise, this won't be nearly entertaining enough," Kanon murmured flatly.
"Such utter arrogance," Tobirama muttered, nearly laughing at her sheer gall.
But in the next fraction of a second, a colossal hand dropped from the heavens like an absolute tidal wave. The velocity of the strike was so blindingly fast that Tobirama didn't even have a single frame to activate the Flying Raijin Technique before his Reanimated form was violently pulverized into dust.
Under Kanon's near-instantaneous offensive execution, a massive, crimson Susanoo arm had completely incapacitated one of the Hokage in a single strike.
"Attack!" Hashirama bellowed, as Minato and Hiruzen immediately exploded into motion, charging straight into Kanon's guard.
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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]