The night air was crisp and cool. A man wearing a red, tiger-striped mask walked slowly through the Uchiha district.
"Hey."
The masked man turned his head toward Itachi Uchiha, who was leaning against a tree. He remained perfectly silent, waiting for Itachi to speak.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
"Tomorrow, at this time... I need your help..."
…
The next morning.
Itachi headed to the Anbu headquarters as he always did. Sasuke and Kanon walked out of the house together.
"You say it!" Sasuke nudged Kanon with his hip.
"Huh? Sasuke-nii, you're the boy, why do I have to be the one to say it?"
Kanon was pushed right in front of Itachi, so she took the opportunity to speak up. "Itachi-nii, can you practice shuriken with us today?" she asked, her face flushing slightly.
A complex expression flickered across Itachi's face as he looked at Kanon and Sasuke. He slowly raised his hand as Sasuke stepped up to stand beside Kanon.
"Nii-san... can you?" Sasuke asked hopefully.
Itachi reached out and, as he had done a thousand times before, poked both Kanon and Sasuke on the forehead.
"Forgive me, Kanon. Sasuke. Maybe next time..."
"I don't have the time to accompany you today..."
Sasuke and Kanon both beamed. Their brother hadn't changed; that light poke on the forehead was a gesture of love, just like always.
"Alright then. Good luck with your work, Itachi-nii!" Kanon chirped.
Relieved, the two went their separate ways. Kanon to her training and Sasuke to the Academy.
Kanon's condition was exceptionally good today. She successfully mastered a new A-rank technique: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu. As she watched a single thrown shuriken multiply into dozens in an instant, all striking the target trees with precision, she let out a long breath of satisfaction.
When she returned home for lunch, a dark-haired girl was waiting there.
"Izumi-nee? What are you doing here?"
Since Mikoto had been busy assisting at the Uchiha Police Force lately, Kanon was home alone. She finished preparing the meal and set a bowl of her homemade chicken soup in front of Izumi Uchiha.
"Well, your brother joined the Anbu and never comes to find me anymore," Izumi pouted.
"Izumi-nee, we've known each other a long time. Chasing after Itachi-nii like that just won't do."
"Hmph... and I was even thinking of giving him some of my handmade Three-Color Dango tonight, since it's the full moon!" Izumi muttered.
"Let's just eat first," Kanon urged, and the two sat down together.
After the meal, Izumi gave Kanon a thumbs-up. "Kanon, your cooking is incredible! I think you're even better than your brother!"
"Is that so? Thank you. Mama taught me everything."
"Speaking of which, it's a full moon tonight," Kanon mused. "Maybe I should ask Naruto to come watch the moon with me."
"What?!" Izumi was stunned. "Naruto? That name sounds familiar."
"He's my best friend!" Kanon smiled.
"Well, go on then. Take these Three-Color Dango with you. Itachi definitely isn't coming tonight anyway, so take them and share them with your friend."
"Is that really okay?" Kanon looked at the container of dango, feeling a bit shy.
"Think of it as my thanks for the lunch!"
"Alright! I'll take them, then!"
…
That afternoon, after her training session, Kanon headed into the center of Konoha. Following the directions Naruto had given her before, she arrived at his apartment.
"This should be the one." She knocked on the weathered wooden door.
"Iruka-sensei, I have a stomachache! I'm not going to school today! Stop trying to drag me back there!" Naruto's weak voice called out from inside.
"It's me... Naruto."
Hearing the familiar voice, the door flew open instantly. Naruto was greeted by the sight of the girl with flowing black hair, dressed in her blue Uchiha coat.
"Kanon! What are you doing here?!" Naruto was overjoyed.
"I was going to ask you to go moon-watching with me, but if you have a stomachache, I guess we shouldn't."
"Here, these are for you!" Kanon handed the food container to Naruto.
"What is this?!"
"Three-Color Dango. I wanted to share them with you while watching the moon from the cliff tonight, but since you can't go, I didn't want you to miss out!"
Naruto felt a lump in his throat. When he told others he was sick, they usually thought he was just faking to skip class. Only the girl in front of him truly cared.
"Take it! How long are you going to make my arm stay up like this?" Kanon teased.
"Oh! Right! Do you want to come in for a bit?" Naruto asked, then immediately glanced back at his room—it was a disaster zone of trash and scattered clothes.
"Sure." Before Naruto could stop her, Kanon slipped inside.
The next moment, she was staring at the "shambles" of the apartment, which even smelled of expired milk.
"Naruto! This place is a mess! Even if your parents aren't around, you shouldn't live like this!"
As she lectured him, Kanon began cleaning. An embarrassed Naruto scratched his head and started helping.
"You mop the floor; I'll fold the clothes!" Under Kanon's direction, the two of them worked until five in the evening.
"Kanon, I really want to watch the moon with you... but my stomach..."
"It's okay. I'll watch it by myself. You just get better. I'm heading out!"
"Yeah!"
"Don't leave those dango too long; they'll go bad in three days. If you get hungry, eat those." Naruto nodded at her instructions, watching her silhouette as she walked away.
He gave his most sincere smile. "Thank you, Kanon. You're my best friend."
…
After heating up dinner and leaving a note at home saying she was going to her training spot to watch the moon, Kanon left the house.
It was the night of the full moon. Kanon lay on the grass at the edge of the cliff, staring up at the massive, bright orb in the sky. Yet, for some reason, her heart refused to settle.
"Konin... why does it feel like everything is too quiet tonight?"
[It is a bit strange. But perhaps everyone is simply inside, enjoying the moon.]
"Mm. I guess that makes sense."
…
The moonlight was as pale as a weeping face, cast weakly over the Uchiha district. Itachi Uchiha, dressed in his Anbu gear, stood outside the compound.
He gazed coldly at the Uchiha crest. Finally, he donned his mask and vanished with a Body Flicker.
At the center of the Uchiha Police Force headquarters, the air rippled into a swirl, and the long-haired man in the red, tiger-striped mask appeared. His stride was steady and silent. No one could read his expression behind the mask as his body seemed to phase through the walls of the building.
"Who goes there—!"
Slash! The sound of tearing flesh rang out.
In another part of the district, Itachi stepped out of a house. His mask was already splattered with blood, looking increasingly horrific under the white moonlight.
After Itachi left that home, the family of five inside—a mother, a father, three children, and even an infant—lay dead, their blood pooling on the floor.
In the streets, many Uchiha clansmen tried to flee, but not a single one could escape Itachi's reach. Blade after blade, strike after strike.
Itachi was numb. His blade no longer distinguished who was family and who was not; as long as they were here, they were to be slaughtered.