Following Sasuke's chakra signature, Kanon pressed forward through the forest, her senses sharp and on high alert. She understood that war had broken out; in times like these, no one could remain a mere bystander.
The moment she crossed the boundaries of Konohagakure, a heavy sense of foreboding surged in her heart. The feeling of danger grew more suffocating by the second, as if it were preparing to swallow her whole.
Konin, am I being followed? Kanon asked within her inner mindscape.
The response from the Konin within her was short and trembling: "Kanon, stop. If you keep going, you'll..."
"I can't! My brother is already out there. How can I just sit back and do nothing!"
Hearing Kanon's resolute answer, Konin's voice wavered. "Then... keep going..."
As she darted through a thicket, a kunai suddenly whistled through the air, aimed directly at her face.
"Here it comes!" Kanon jerked her head to the side. The blade grazed her cheek, missing her by a fraction of an inch.
However, Kanon's pupils dilated instantly. Attached to the handle of the kunai was an explosive tag.
"Not good!" Her hands blurred into a series of seals, but it was too late.
A massive blast wave sent her airborne, hurtling her body through the trees until she slammed hard against a trunk. As her vision cleared, two Anbu operatives emerged from the shadows. Their attire revealed their true allegiance: they were members of Root, Danzo's private militia.
"I see..."
Kanon finally understood. Her intuition had been correct all along. From the moment she set foot in the Chunin Exams until now, Danzo had been watching her. He had been waiting for this exact moment, the chaos of an invasion, to eliminate her. She didn't know who else Danzo was targeting, but if Sasuke was also on the list, she had to draw these assassins away.
Without hesitation, Kanon blurred toward a different direction. Seeing her flee, the two Root agents gave chase immediately.
Kanon sprinted through the forest, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't shake them.
"Tch!" She cast a glance backward, the three tomoe in her Sharingan spinning rapidly.
The figures behind her were relentless. As the two agents gained ground, one began forming hand seals. A series of ominous whistling sounds cut through the air as several shuriken streaked toward her. The cold steel felt devoid of emotion; they were the hidden blades of the village's shadows, trained for the most brutal and secret of missions. Today, their mission was the Uchiha girl.
Kanon watched the incoming projectiles. With a flick of her small hand, she launched three shuriken of her own, intercepting and knocking the enemy blades out of the sky.
She came to a halt on a high branch. Her Sharingan spun tirelessly. Shaking off Root pursuit was nearly impossible; if that was the case, her only choice was to eliminate them here.
The two Root agents landed opposite her. "Why stop running?" one asked coldly.
"Danzo sent you, didn't he?" Kanon asked, her voice heavy with gravity.
"Uchiha survivor... we don't know why Danzo-sama wants you dead, but you won't be escaping today."
"So it really is Danzo..." Kanon bit her lip. That old man... why won't he just leave me alone?!
But her thoughts went deeper. If Danzo could deploy men to hunt her down so openly, it meant his actions were being tacitly permitted by the rest of Konoha's leadership.
"Konoha..." The final thread of trust Kanon held for the village snapped. Looking at the two Anbu before her, she suddenly began to laugh.
"I see. I finally see... Hahahaha! YOU OLD BASTARD!!!"
Kanon's laughter was a mix of release and despair. Her body trembled, not with fear, but with a volatile cocktail of rage, regret, and indignation. She regretted listening to Jiraiya and giving Konoha one more chance. She was enraged that she had been born into such a corrupt, dark village. She was indignant that she might suffer this fate before ever finding that field of flowers she dreamed of.
She drew a kunai from the holster on her leg, the three tomoe in her eyes swirling with lethal intent.
...
Back at the arena, Kakashi repelled several Sand shinobi just in time to see Sakura in peril.
"Sakura!" In a flash, Kakashi appeared in front of his student, cutting down the shinobi attempting to assassinate her.
"Kakashi-sensei..."
"Help Naruto and Shikamaru release the Genjutsu! This is an A-rank mission: bring Sasuke and Kanon back!"
He performed a summoning jutsu, bringing forth Pakkun. Turning back to Sakura, he added, "You'll act as a four-man elite squad."
In the distance, Might Guy punched through the arena wall, creating an exit. "Get moving, now!"
Naruto had just woken up when Sakura grabbed him and headed out. Shikamaru followed, complaining about how "troublesome" the whole thing was, while Shino Aburame vanished silently from the corner to join them.
...
BOOM!
A violent explosion rocked the forest.
Kanon was blown backward by the force, but the two Root agents lay dead, their hearts pierced by Chidori.
"That's two..." Kanon panted, looking at the charred and broken landscape—the scars of her desperate struggle against the Root operatives. "I need to get back to Kakashi-sensei, but I've been chased too far off course..."
As she landed and prepared to head back, her body froze. Ten Pakkun agents leaped from the tall grass, the marks of Root visible on their masks.
"So many?! Danzo, you old piece of trash..."
"Why hasn't anyone come to help me?"
Her heart hammered against her ribs. To send this many operatives meant Danzo was leaving nothing to chance; he wanted her dead. The ten agents gathered, effectively blocking her path back to the village. Taking on ten Root jonin-level operatives at once was not something she could do easily.
Kanon turned and bolted. The agents followed instantly. Seeing the wave of assassins closing in, her hands flew into seals.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!!!"
A terrifying sea of fire erupted, surging toward the Root agents like a tidal wave of destruction.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Five agents stepped forward and spat out a massive wall of water. Kanon's fire was instantly neutralized. Scalding water splashed everywhere, creating a dense, blinding fog. Kanon's heart sank; for a shinobi, losing sight was often a death sentence.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind tore through the fog, sending Kanon tumbling across the ground. She coughed up blood as she hit the dirt—another agent had caught her off guard with a flanking strike.
Struggling to her feet, Kanon looked up to see a rain of hundreds of kunai descending upon her. She desperately formed more seals.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive globe of flame incinerated or deflected the incoming blades. Blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, Kanon seized the opening and fled further into the woods.
"Uchiha survivor! Run all you like; we'll enjoy the chase. No one is coming to save you!"
As she fled for her life, more and more Root agents appeared. At one point, she realized the number of pursuers had doubled. She gritted her teeth; to survive, she had to run like a hunted dog. Even if she used Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, it was only a temporary fix. Clones would eventually pop, but her real body remained, and failing would mean a massive waste of chakra.
Kanon felt like a rat being hunted through the streets, with dozens of elite assassins closing the net around her.