On the outskirts of the Forest of Death.
"You found three bodies?" Three Jonin were meticulously examining the corpses at the scene.
Anko Mitarashi arrived in a hurry, her gaze sweeping over the area as she instantly grasped the truth of the situation.
"This is an emergency!"
"Report this to the Hokage immediately. Request two Anbu squads for backup in the Forest of Death!"
"I'm going to track these bastards now. Am I clear?!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The three Jonin vanished instantly.
Anko followed suit, disappearing into the foliage.
…
"Dammit, what on earth happened here?!" Kanon had returned to the clearing, only to find Sasuke and the others gone. All that remained were signs of a struggle and splatters of blood.
Kanon began to focus her senses. The moment she activated her sensory perception, she leapt away instinctively. A shuriken thudded into the spot where she had just been standing.
It was the Rain ninja who had initially impersonated Naruto.
"Move. I don't have time to deal with you," Kanon shouted at him.
"Just you by yourself? Even better. Come out, everyone!" The Rain ninja called out to his two teammates, and they surrounded Kanon.
"Hand over the Heaven Scroll, or we'll kill you."
Surrounded by three shinobi, Kanon grit her teeth. Of all the times...
Onii-chan... wait for me! Kanon roared in her mind. Her three-tomoe Sharingan flared to life, and lightning gathered in her palm. The air was suddenly filled with the piercing, chirping cry of the Chidori.
…
Inside a hollow tree, Sakura watched over the unconscious Sasuke and Naruto with a look of deep worry. Unbeknownst to her, an entire day had passed. The hiding spot Sakura had chosen was exceptionally well-concealed; many had passed by without noticing the three of them.
Having not slept all night, Sakura fought through her exhaustion to guard her teammates.
"Is it morning already? I wonder where Kanon is..." Sakura whispered to herself.
Suddenly, rustling came from the nearby bushes.
"Could it be...?" Sakura's pupils shrank as she looked back.
The Sound Ninja trio had been watching Sakura and the others like predators for some time. Three figures blurred into the clearing, leaving Sakura stunned.
"Stayed up all night to protect them, did you?" Dosu Kinuta's voice drifted over. Sakura immediately gripped her kunai, bracing for battle.
…
Kanon was searching everywhere for Team 7. Her sensory abilities hadn't picked up their chakra signatures yet.
Back where she had encountered the Rain ninja, she had left behind three corpses with their hearts pierced by the Chidori, but after a whole night of searching, she still had no leads.
"They couldn't have..." Kanon grit her teeth in fury, then shook her head. She wouldn't give up hope until she saw her brother's body with her own eyes!
Suddenly, a large flock of birds took flight in the distance, startled by something.
"There's a lot of commotion over there. What's going on?!" Kanon immediately extended her sensory range toward the disturbance.
As she drew closer, she felt a familiar chakra.
It's Ino Yamanaka's chakra. And the commotion didn't seem to be triggered by ninjutsu, suggesting taijutsu was involved. As far as she knew, the only person in the Forest of Death capable of that level of physical combat was Rock Lee.
"Whatever, I'll check it out first!" Kanon muttered to herself as she sped toward the scene.
…
The battlefield was a wreck. Disregarding her own injuries, Sakura had her teeth clamped firmly onto Zaku Abumi's arm. No matter how much blood was beaten out of her face, she refused to let go.
Beside her, Rock Lee lay unconscious on the ground, blood seeping from his ears, nose, and eyes.
Suddenly, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stepped forward.
"Ino... why...?"
"I'm not letting you take all the glory in front of Sasuke!"
Choji, however, was reluctant to help. He shouted at Ino and Shikamaru, "What are you two thinking?! These guys are on a whole different level!"
Shikamaru tugged at Choji's scarf and shouted back helplessly, "It's a drag, but we have no choice! Ino's already charged in. How can we call ourselves men if we run away now?!"
Just as Team 10 and the Sound trio reached a stalemate, Dosu finally revealed their true purpose.
"Our goal isn't to steal some boring scrolls or follow the rules of the exam."
"Our target is Sasuke."
With that, the Sound trio engaged Team 10. But this time, Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu reached its five-minute limit, and both Choji and Ino had lost their ability to fight.
"Are you really willing to watch your own teammate die?" Shikamaru questioned.
"If the situation demands it, then so be it!" Zaku replied coldly. He aimed his air cannons at the paralyzed Kin Tsuchi, who was currently being controlled by Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu.
"I guess there's no choice..." Shikamaru shook his head in disappointment. Choji and the others watched the Sound trio with resentment and helplessness.
Suddenly, a mocking laugh cut through the tense atmosphere.
"This is an eyesore."
"This petty approach of you Sound ninja."
"Do you really think you've won just by bullying a few weaklings?"
Dosu and Zaku spun around nervously toward the source of the voice: Neji Hyuga and Tenten, standing on a tree branch.
By now, Sakura's face was covered in bruises, her eyes reflecting her anxiety over the volatile situation. Neji, seeing Lee lying on the ground with severe injuries, angrily activated his Byakugan.
"You certainly do whatever you please."
"If you still want to play, I'll give you everything I've got!"
Just as he spoke, Neji suddenly deactivated his Byakugan and looked behind him with a faint, mysterious smile.
"What is it, Neji?!" Tenten asked, confused.
"It seems there's no need for us to step in," Neji said cryptically.
"Huh?" Tenten and the others were baffled.
At that moment, a young girl wearing the Uchiha high-collar jacket stepped out from the bushes. Her cold expression and the three tomoe spinning in her crimson eyes announced her identity. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood, marking the battles she had already survived.
"Kanon!" Sakura cried out in a mix of joy and surprise, but she was quickly taken aback by Kanon's icy demeanor.
"And I thought someone special arrived, but it's just—" Zaku's taunt was cut short as a line of blood sprayed from his lips.
His chest had been completely pierced. The screaming roar of the Chidori echoed across the battlefield in an instant.
Before anyone could react, Kanon's silhouette had already passed through Zaku's chest. Her speed was so great that even Neji failed to track her movement.
"What happened... so fast..." Shikamaru muttered in shock. As the lightning in Kanon's hand dissipated, he was stunned by the unknown jutsu she had displayed.
Kanon didn't stop. She walked straight toward Sakura, her eyes devoid of warmth.
Sakura's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the Uchiha girl radiating cold killing intent. This was the exact same jutsu she had seen Kakashi use in the Land of Waves—why did Kanon know it too?!
"Sakura... you've suffered enough." Kanon gently applied the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the wounds on Sakura's face.
"Kanon... I'm sorry. I couldn't protect Sasuke or Naruto..." Sakura apologized through tears.
"You did your best... leave the rest to me," Kanon said, her voice filled with finality.
A bone-chilling killing intent rapidly spread through the area, so intense that even Neji and the others instinctively stepped back.
Everyone watched Kanon's back, speechless. Choji even swallowed hard.
"Is that really the Kanon Uchiha we know?" Choji couldn't believe it.
"Without a doubt, it's her..." Shikamaru nodded.
Ino was dumbstruck. The Uchiha girl who usually seemed as kind as a neighbor was now terrifying.
Facing Kanon, Dosu's fear reached its peak; his legs were shaking uncontrollably.
The tomoe in Kanon's eyes began to glow with an eerie light. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes had shifted into a unique, rose-shaped pattern.
"How dare you hurt those most precious to me!"
"Have you decided how you want to die?!"
Kanon's voice grew distorted. The sheer density of her killing intent made everyone around her shiver.