Five days later.
Kusagakure.
"What is this place?" Kanon frowned. This was a region she had never set foot in before.
"Kanon-chan, we are already within the borders of the Kusagakure. We'll reach the Tenchi Bridge soon; Orochimaru's hideout is right there. Sasuke is there as well."
"I see. I can take it from here. Thank you, Aoda." Kanon patted Aoda's head, feeling a lingering sense of reluctance to say goodbye. After all, everyone at Ryūchi Cave had treated her with great kindness.
"Well, Hakuja-sama asked me to give you a message."
"What is it?"
"She says to come back and visit whenever you have time. And... no matter what happens, Ryūchi Cave will always be your home."
Hearing those words, Kanon's eyes grew slightly misty. She stroked Aoda's scales and gave a small, steady nod.
"Yes... thank you. Thank you all. Aoda, please bring a message back to the Hakuja-baachan for me as well."
"Tell her... her disciple is grateful for her guidance and training. I will always be proud to be a disciple of Ryūchi Cave."
"Understood! I'm off then!"
"Go on, Aoda."
Watching Aoda vanish from the spot, Kanon lowered her head, reflecting on every ounce of effort she had poured into the last two years.
"Itachi Uchiha, Danzo... your day of reckoning is drawing near. Just wait... it won't be long now."
As Kanon continued her approach toward the Tenchi Bridge, a kunai was suddenly pressed against her back.
"Stop right there. Who are you?" a voice asked softly from behind a black cloak.
"Scholar Kabuto, have you really forgotten who I am?" As Kanon spoke, she flipped her body backward. The kunai pierced straight through her form as she phased through it, completely unharmed.
With a cold, expressionless face, Kanon seized Kabuto by the throat and slammed him into the ground. A massive explosion of force followed, sending dust billowing into the air. The depth of the crater where Kabuto lay was a testament to the sheer disparity in their strength.
Kabuto stared up at Kanon's exquisite, delicate face with a look of pure terror. The intensity of her killing intent made him feel as though he had fallen into an abyss of ice.
"Kanon... Uchiha...?"
"And here I thought you'd forgotten me. That would have made me quite sad."
"Where is my brother?" Kanon asked softly, her grip tightening on Kabuto's neck.
"Do... do you really think I would betray Orochimaru-sama?"
"Very well." Kanon let out a soft chuckle and nodded. Her other hand reached for the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword at her waist, drawing it slowly from its scabbard.
"In that case, you can go serve your 'Lord' Orochimaru in the next world."
Just as the blade cleared the sheath, a rasping voice drifted from behind her.
"Kanon-chan... would you mind letting him go?"
"Oh? You're finally willing to show yourself?"
Kanon released her grip and stood up slowly. she turned to face Orochimaru, who stood there watching her with a familiar, mocking smirk.
"Orochimaru. Where is my brother?"
"Sasuke is doing quite well. In fact, he has become very strong."
"As for you, Kanon-chan… it's been two years. You certainly have changed."
Orochimaru scanned the current Kanon. She was significantly taller now, her legs were longer and more slender, and her refined features carried a new, sophisticated charm.
"You really do look just like Sasuke. Both of you are quite beautiful."
Having been released, Kabuto seized the opportunity to leap back and create distance.
"Cut the chatter, Orochimaru. Two years ago, I wanted nothing more than to kill you," Kanon said, a fierce, predatory smile tugging at her lips.
"Heh... Kanon Uchiha. Why don't you show me? Let's see which of you is stronger now: you or Sasuke."
In Orochimaru's raspy voice, there was a clear underlying tone of provocation.
"Are you trying to test me?" Kanon called him out directly.
"So you noticed." Orochimaru waved a hand at Kabuto. Receiving the signal, Kabuto nodded slightly and retreated several meters.
The center of the clearing was left to the two of them: Orochimaru, and the young girl with twin tails and a fox mask perched on her forehead.
"Kanon, let me see your growth over these past two years. Show me if you can shock me even more than you did back then."
Seeing the expectant glint in Orochimaru's eyes, Kanon moved in an instant. She slowly raised her slender hand.
Orochimaru's brow furrowed, uncertain of what she was planning.
Suddenly, a streak of lightning tore through the air, piercing his chest instantly. Blood seeped from the corner of Orochimaru's mouth.
"Chidori Sharp Spear," Kanon whispered, revealing the name of the technique.
Indeed, the distinctive chirping of a thousand birds filled the battlefield, causing both Orochimaru and Kabuto to frown.
However, a single strike like that was never going to defeat Orochimaru. The version of him Kanon had pierced shed its skin, and a brand-new Orochimaru slithered out from within the old body.
"Whatever you say, Orochimaru, that move of yours is disgusting."
"In every sense of the word."
The moment the words left her mouth, Kanon moved again. Her hands blurred through a series of rapid seals as she leaped backward. Behind her, a massive dragon of water surged upward, roaring toward Orochimaru.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Just as Orochimaru prepared to dodge, he realized two Shadow Clones had appeared at his flanks.
When did she weave those seals...? Orochimaru was genuinely surprised.
One clone unleashed another Chidori Sharp Spear, while the other performed Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
The combined elemental assault struck Orochimaru dead-on, sending him tumbling backward from the electrical discharge.
But it wasn't over. Orochimaru shed his skin once more, rolling across the ground before unhinging his jaw to spew forth thousands of snakes.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: Myriad Snake Formation!"
The thousands of snakes moved with terrifying speed, their bodies writhing and fangs bared as they swarmed toward the impassive Kanon.
Rubble in their path was ground to dust. Watching the tidal wave of serpents rushing her, Kanon's hands flew into a seal.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
A sea of fire erupted from her mouth, incinerating the thousands of snakes in a single, roaring instant.
As Kanon prepared her next seal, a blade suddenly burst from the ground beneath her, aiming straight for her abdomen.
Kanon's swordsmanship had improved vastly over the last two years. She pivoted mid-air to evade the strike, her body spinning gracefully before she lightly stepped onto the flat of the blade protruding from the earth.
Using it as a springboard, she leaped high and launched a Great Fireball Technique downward.
BOOM!
The massive explosion forced Orochimaru out of the ground. He rolled across the dirt, looking decidedly disheveled.
Kanon's pursuit was relentless. Her speed was blinding, closing the distance to Orochimaru in a few short strides.
She leveled her Kusanagi Sword at him, but as one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was no amateur. His reflexes were razor-sharp as he drew his own Kusanagi from his maw to parry the strike.
The blades met with a sharp, metallic ring. The two immediately engaged in a fierce exchange of blows, their blades blurring as sparks flew.
Wherever the edges passed, dust swirled and gusts of wind tore through the air, as if the very atmosphere were being shredded.
Their figures moved like twin bolts of lightning through the dust-choked battlefield, clashing and separating in the blink of an eye. The tips of their swords traced elegant arcs in the air, creating a fluid, deadly tableau.
However, Orochimaru was beginning to feel the strain. Kanon's swordsmanship was actually suppressing him. And she was only thirteen!
At such an age, she was overwhelming his blade-work without even activating her Sharingan. Every strike she made seemed to effortlessly turn his own attacks aside.
Finally, Orochimaru found an opening to break the momentum and retreated rapidly.
Seeing the beads of cold sweat on Orochimaru's forehead, Kanon asked with genuine interest:
"Orochimaru, why are you breaking such a sweat?"
Orochimaru breathed heavily, staring wide-eyed at the serene, emotionless girl across from him.
"You truly are Sasuke's sister... to think you've become this powerful. Very well, next, I want to see your ninjutsu."
"Then watch closely!"
Kanon's figure blurred, and she suddenly ascended into the air, hovering above the ground. In her left hand, an endless surge of grey lightning began to gather, and a pink pigment appeared around the corners of her eyes.
When Orochimaru saw the Chidori, his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. He could sense it, that lightning was infused with natural energy.
"Sen... Senjutsu?! How is that possible?!"
Orochimaru slammed his hands onto the ground with a grim expression.
"Summoning: Triple Rashomon!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three gargantuan Rashomon gates erupted from the earth like iron mountains, their heavy chains rattling and creaking.
"You think this can stop me?" The Chidori in Kanon's hand crackled with thunderous intensity. She still hadn't activated her Sharingan. With a single, fluid motion, she thrust her hand forward.
"Sage Art: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In an instant, the entire area was engulfed by the grey spear of lightning. The massive, senjutsu-enhanced bolt slammed into the Triple Rashomon, the sheer volume of senjutsu chakra obliterating the surrounding forest.
A colossal explosion shook the very foundations of the earth. As the dust began to settle, Kanon calmly sheathed her blade.
"No way... how can this kid have this kind of power?!" Kabuto was frozen in shock.
As the smoke cleared, the Triple Rashomon lay in ruins, completely shattered by Kanon's attack.
Orochimaru was sprawled on the ground, his head partially buried in the dirt, looking utterly defeated and disheveled.
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