On the way back, Kanon's gaze remained icy. She had actually let Orochimaru escape this time.
"Damn it... next time, he won't be so lucky," Kanon hissed to herself, teeth clenched.
"Don't worry about killing him for now. Getting to Ryūchi Cave is the priority," Konin's voice echoed within her mind.
Kanon frowned, though she knew deep down that Orochimaru was no easy prey. She drew the Kusanagi Sword hanging at her waist, examining the blade.
"Konin, what exactly is this sword?"
"The Kusanagi Sword. Forged from the hardest substances in the world. It's a fitting weapon for you."
"I see."
"So, Kanon, what's your next move?"
"Find a tavern and wait out the seven days."
"Understood." Konin fell silent.
The town wasn't particularly large, but it offered plenty of lodging. Kanon quickly checked into a room. Under her careful arrangement, the space took on a slightly more feminine touch, after all, she was staying for a week.
By the time she finished organizing, it was already nightfall. She tied her hair back into twin tails, donned her mask, and stepped out, dressed in her signature crimson trench coat and ninja boots. She left the inn to find a place for dinner.
At a bustling street corner, her pace slowed as her eyes scanned a row of brightly lit signs. Eventually, she chose a large establishment and stepped inside, not immediately realizing it was an izakaya.
After placing her order, Kanon pulled her mask up to rest on the left side of her forehead. One couldn't exactly eat with a mask on.
A moment later, to the waiter's cry of "Welcome!", Tsunade and Shizune walked in. Because of a dividing partition wall, they didn't immediately notice Kanon.
Kanon, however, saw them. She glanced with some surprise at Shizune's chest; the wound she had inflicted had already been healed. I didn't hold back much on that strike. Their medical ninjutsu is even better than I thought.
As time passed, Tsunade began to drink heavily. Bottle after bottle hit the table until her face was flushed and she was clearly intoxicated.
"Barkeeper! Another one!"
"Tsunade-sama, you've had too much..."
Tsunade brushed Shizune's hand away and slumped onto the table, exhausted.
"Drunkard..." Kanon stuck her tongue out and made a face at the wall separating them. None of these Konoha shinobi are any good. Except for my brother, of course.
Suddenly, two more people entered the restaurant. Their appearance caused Kanon to instantly pull the fox mask back down over her face.
Eyes met. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune all froze as they looked at one another.
"Eh?!"
"Wha—?!"
Jiraiya and Tsunade shouted in unison, both utterly shocked.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya looked stunned.
"Jiraiya!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I finally found you! I'm exhausted!" Jiraiya laughed, making his way over to Tsunade.
Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at Tsunade. "Whoa... she's huge. Is she really fifty?"
Jiraiya and Naruto sat down opposite Tsunade and Shizune to eat. But Naruto wasn't one to sit still. He leaned over the table, peering around, and spotted a masked girl sitting at the table across the partition. She was sitting perfectly still, as if waiting for something.
Curious, Naruto spoke up. "Hey? How are you supposed to eat with that mask on?"
The figure didn't answer. She remained as still as a wooden post.
"Strange person."
Naruto pulled his head back. For some reason, the girl on the other side of the wall gave him a nagging sense of déjà vu. But he brushed it off; he had been feeling that way for days and had grown used to it.
"Speaking of which, today is a day for meeting old friends," Tsunade remarked.
"Orochimaru, right?" Jiraiya asked softly. "What happened?"
"Nothing. We just said hello."
After the drinks had circulated and the food was half-finished, Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. "So, why are you looking for me?"
"I'll get straight to it," Jiraiya said. "The village wants you to succeed as the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto froze, and Shizune looked at Jiraiya in shock.
"The Third Hokage... he..."
"It was Orochimaru, wasn't it?" Tsunade interrupted before Jiraiya could finish. "I heard it from his own mouth."
Naruto's pupils contracted. "Orochimaru killed Third-jiichan?! Who the hell is he?!"
"Like us, he is the third member of the Sannin," Jiraiya stated flatly.
"Why?! Weren't the Sannin all Konoha ninja? Why would he do that?"
Seeing Naruto's incessant questioning, Tsunade frowned. "Who is this loud-mouthed brat?"
"This is Naruto Uzumaki."
Tsunade blinked, looking at Naruto with surprise. She immediately recognized him as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Wait a second! I'm not done talking yet!" Naruto shouted.
Amidst Naruto's shouting and his questioning of Tsunade's character, Jiraiya finally tried to quiet him down.
Behind the wall, Kanon listened to Naruto's bickering and felt a headache coming on. He's exactly the same. Hasn't changed a bit.
"Tsunade, the village needs you to go back and be the Fifth Hokage," Jiraiya said. "What's your answer? Will you accept?"
Watching Naruto and Shizune's eager expressions, Tsunade rejected the offer point-blank.
"Impossible. I refuse."
"Only a fool would want to be Hokage! It's garbage!"
At Tsunade's words, Naruto erupted in fury. He couldn't hold back, jumping onto the table to challenge her to a fight.
In that moment, Naruto froze. He looked down at the girl at the adjacent table. She was eating with her head bowed, completely ignoring the shouting match.
The side of her face, partially obscured by her twin tails, made Naruto's heart hammer against his ribs. The girl's silhouette looked exactly like Kanon's. Having spent so many years together, Naruto knew her better than anyone, but if it were Kanon, she surely would have come over to say hello.
His thoughts were broken as Tsunade grew irritated with him.
"You've got guts, talking to me like that! Outside, brat!"
Tsunade smirked at the fuming Naruto and led the way out.
The constant bickering had left Kanon annoyed. These four were far too loud. Now that they were outside, things finally felt peaceful. She finished off the last of her food.
As Jiraiya was about to walk out the door, a familiar voice called out from inside the restaurant.
"Check, please!"
At that sound, Jiraiya finally took notice of the girl with the twin tails. She was wearing a mask, but Jiraiya was far more perceptive than Naruto.
"Kanon Uchiha?!" Jiraiya called out as the girl paid her bill and tried to walk past him.
"You have the wrong person," Kanon's familiar voice replied, but the words were a cold denial.
"You are Kanon! Why are you here? Everyone's been looking for you!" Jiraiya was overjoyed; his other student was alive.
But Kanon remained silent, offering no reply.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" Jiraiya reached out to grab her shoulder.
The next second, he froze. His hand passed straight through Kanon's shoulder as if she were made of mist.
"You have the wrong person," Kanon repeated without turning back. Her voice was flat as she walked out the door.
The moment she stepped outside, her path was blocked by two figures.
"It's you!" Tsunade and Shizune stared at her in shock. They hadn't realized this girl had been sitting right on the other side of the wall.
"It's that strange girl!" Naruto, standing opposite Tsunade, frowned.
"You little brat! You had quite the nerve earlier today!" Tsunade's fist blurred as she struck out. The sudden attack shocked Naruto—why was a little girl picking a fight with one of the Sannin?
Tsunade's fist passed clean through Kanon's body, hitting nothing but air. The lack of physical contact sent a chill through Tsunade and Shizune.
"Are you looking to die?" an icy, youthful voice asked.
Kanon moved. Her fist connected with Tsunade's abdomen, sending the Sannin flying backward. Tsunade crashed into a wall, leaving a massive crater in the masonry.
"What the heck is going on?!" Naruto was bewildered. Weren't they supposed to be fighting him? Why were they fighting this strange girl?
"Kanon! Stop!" Jiraiya shouted as he ran out of the shop.
"Kanon?!" Naruto's pupils shrunk. He wondered if he had misheard.
This silent girl in the crimson coat and fox mask... was Kanon?!
"Kan... Kanon?!" Naruto whispered her name in disbelief.
"Kanon Uchiha, what are you trying to do?!" Shizune shouted, rushing to help Tsunade up.
With everyone calling her by name, there was no longer any point in hiding. The familiarity Naruto felt had been right all along. But why wouldn't she talk to him?
As Naruto watched, Kanon reached up and pulled the mask to her forehead, revealing her face.