Within a series of glass cases, Nagato and Yahiko lay in eternal rest. Konan and Kanon stood in heavy silence, gazing down at the two bodies. The masked man followed behind them, remaining silent as well.
After a long pause, Konan turned to look at the masked man.
"Yahiko and Nagato's actions were entirely their own. They were never your pawns!"
"Regardless of the form it took, they fought and died for their own will."
"And so, that will has been inherited."
With an emotional grip, Konan took Kanon's hand and glared at the masked man with rising fury.
"If you dare interfere with Kanon-chan, I will make you wish you were dead!!!"
Hearing this fierce rebuke, Kanon felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She squeezed Konan's hand tightly.
"Konan-nee... thank you."
"Kanon-chan... war is cruel. You must stay safe..." Konan whispered, her grip tightening.
"I will... I understand," Kanon replied softly, turning her gaze toward Nagato's remains.
With a swift motion of her hand, the Flower Realm space expanded before her. Kanon reached inside and pulled Nagato's body toward her. Seeing Nagato with his hair turned completely white, she felt a wave of disappointment followed by a hollow sense of helplessness.
To be honest, Nagato had treated her exceptionally well during her time in the Akatsuki. Seeing her senior disciple's body handled this way left her with a complicated knot of emotions.
Once Kanon retrieved the Rinnegan, she returned Nagato's body to its resting place. Looking at the Rinnegan held within the preservation jar in her hand, she whispered, "In the end, you made your choice. But, senpai... I have my own choice to make as well."
Kanon turned back to the masked man. "I'm finished."
"Then let us depart," the masked man said tonelessly.
Konan interrupted him, her voice low. "You go first. I have something to discuss with Kanon."
"Fine. We will speak later. You can give me the Rinnegan then." With those words, the masked man vanished into a swirling vortex.
Once he was gone, tears finally welled in Konan's eyes as she pulled Kanon into a fierce embrace.
"Yahiko's and Nagato's wills will never die."
"Kanon, I believe in you. This time, you will surely become the bridge to peace."
"And I... I will be the pillar that supports you."
"Thank you, Kanon. Thank you for staying by my side... it feels as though Nagato and Yahiko are still here with me."
Hearing Konan's heartfelt confession, Kanon's expression remained characteristically stoic, yet she leaned forward until her forehead rested against Konan's.
"Of course I will..."
"I want you to accompany me somewhere..." Konan said, taking Kanon's hand and leading her away.
…
At the end of a muddy path stood a small house with a curved red roof. Kanon's shinobi boots stepped lightly along the road while Konan held an umbrella over her. The two walked in silence.
As Konan looked at the road, once filled with memories that stirred such complex emotions, her stride actually faltered. Kanon seemed to realize exactly where they were.
"This is where Jiraiya-sensei used to live with all of you..."
"Yes. I thought you might guess," Konan nodded.
Konan's mind drifted to the past, back when she, Nagato, and Yahiko wore their frog suits and listened to Jiraiya's teachings.
Jiraiya had pointed to three red planks by the door: "The one on the far right is Konan, the middle is Yahiko, and the left is Nagato."
"What are these?" Yahiko had asked, confused.
"They're called 'Hop-In' planks," Jiraiya said with a grin.
"Hop-In planks?"
"Yeah. The front is red, and the back is white." Jiraiya flipped one over, revealing a comical frog face on the other side. He spoke solemnly to his three disciples: "Basically, when you're at the hideout, keep them on red. Before you head out, remember to flip your plank to the white side. By the way, the picture also means 'I'll be right back.'"
Returning to the present, the two stood before the memory-laden house. It stood silently, like an elder weathered by time, wordlessly recounting stories of the past. The outer walls were mottled and peeling, showing the scars of the years. The once-vivid colors had been eroded by wind and rain into dull, faded hues. A large hole was visible in the roof.
A single trail of tears fell from Konan's eyes. The words Yahiko had spoken when they first set out felt like they were uttered only yesterday.
"For the sake of our dreams, we begin our journey here!" Yahiko had shouted excitedly to the group. "And when our dreams come true, even if we are on opposite sides of the world, we must return here! All three of us, to celebrate together!"
Nagato had nodded, smiling at them all. "Then, when that time comes, we definitely have to invite Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Yes!" Konan had laughed.
"Of course," Yahiko agreed.
Those voices felt so close. Seeing Konan bowing her head in silent weeping, Kanon patted her back gently.
"Let's go inside."
They pushed the door open. The first thing they saw were the three planks; Konan's was the only one still flipped to the "away" side. This time, Konan had followed Kanon back to the "home" they once shared. The "I'll be right back" frog had finally returned.
On the wall opposite the three planks was Jiraiya's own plank.
Konan and Kanon looked at it together, their spirits sinking. New vines had grown across Jiraiya's frog plank, and the weight of the white flowers had flipped it back to the red side, representing "Home."
Konan flipped her own plank back to red, signaling she was "Home" at last, before departing with Kanon.
"Like this... we've all come home," Konan whispered.
"Yes... home," Kanon nodded, her voice trembling slightly.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a rainbow across the sky, a sign that the rain had finally stopped. Taking in the sight, Kanon prepared to leave after seeing Konan back.
"Thank you for walking with me through the place where my happiest memories live, Kanon-chan."
"It was nothing. Don't mention it, Konan-nee."
"Then, I should be going."
"Yes. Be safe," Konan nodded.
Only after the rose-petal vortex closed did Konan nod softly to herself.
"Kanon-chan, I hope you can carve out a future different from ours."
…
At the masked man's hideout, a rose-colored vortex spiraled open. The masked man was now wearing a white, circular mask. Upon the white surface were three tomoe patterns resembling the Sharingan; in his hand, he held a Gunbai war fan attached to a heavy chain.
"Waiting for me?" Kanon teased.
"Yes," the masked man nodded.
"Here, take it." Kanon handed the Rinnegan to him.
The masked man took it. Ten minutes later, he and Kabuto emerged together from the depths of the darkness.
"You've certainly swapped in a fine set of eyes," Kabuto remarked cheekily.
"It seems the effort wasn't wasted."
The masked man merely glanced at Kabuto and said coldly, "These eyes belonged to me from the very beginning."
Just as Kanon was about to mock the masked man's new look, Zetsu emerged from the ground at her feet.
"Look, this arrived as well."
"What is it?" Kanon asked.
"Intelligence sent by Kisame," White Zetsu answered.
"Kisame-nii? Is he still safe?"
"Yes, he's safe for the time being. We've also pinpointed the Nine-Tails' location. Now, the heavens, the earth, and the people are all aligned in our favor."
At that moment, the masked man thrust the Uchiha Gunbai into the ground and looked toward Kanon and Kabuto.
"The war must begin. It is time for us to move out."
"Indeed. Time to act," Kanon nodded clinically, a slightly manic smile playing on her lips.
The Fourth Great Ninja War had finally begun!