Today was the day Team 7 returned from their mission. Kakashi led Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura back into Konohagakure. The three students were bursting with stories to tell Kanon—everything that had happened on the road, including their life-and-death encounters with Zabuza Momochi and Haku.
Together with Kakashi, they headed straight for the Uchiha district. Sure enough, they found Kanon in the courtyard of the Uchiha estate. She was busy weeding and pruning the overgrown vegetation.
"Hey! Kanon!" Naruto, ever the loudmouth, scrambled up the compound wall and shouted into the yard.
Hearing the shout, Kanon merely looked up. There was no burst of enthusiasm; she simply gave a slight, silent nod of acknowledgment. The lack of energy left the group feeling confused.
"Let's go inside," Sasuke said, inviting the others in.
As they stepped through the door, they were greeted by a refreshing, fragrant scent of flowers. Sakura noticed several pots of blooming flowers in the main hall and offered a genuine compliment.
"Leave it to Kanon to find flowers that smell this good."
They moved through the entryway and into the main room. Kanon was already sitting there, her expression eerily calm.
Kakashi immediately sensed something was wrong. While Naruto had been shouting from the wall, the others had stayed back; now, even the usually unobservant Naruto noticed. Kanon was wrapped in bandages—fresh ones. She had clearly been through a battle.
"Kanon, what happened to you?" Naruto asked, his voice trembling slightly as he stared at the gauze. Sasuke grit his teeth, his eyes boring into his sister.
"Tell me exactly what happened!"
Looking at her brother, a surge of grievance welled up in Kanon's heart. But she was no longer that helpless six-year-old girl. She grit her teeth, shook her head slightly, and spoke in a soft, hollow voice.
"Nothing happened..."
She looked soul-weary, her eyes clouded with a lingering haze. No one in the room believed her for a second.
"I'll go fix some tea for everyone."
Kanon stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. Sasuke felt a crushing weight in his chest seeing her like that, while Naruto and Sakura hung their heads in a somber silence.
"Something definitely happened to her, but she doesn't want to talk about it," Naruto analyzed.
"No kidding, genius," Sakura muttered, giving him a light, frustrated punch. "Kakashi-sensei, can't you go ask her?"
"Me?" Kakashi blinked.
Suddenly, he spotted a white-haired man on the courtyard wall, gesturing to him through the window.
"Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi whispered, shocked.
"What?" The three students followed his gaze, but by the time they looked, the wall was empty.
"Wait here, I'll be right back," Kakashi instructed.
He hurried outside and found Jiraiya waiting near the gate. "Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing here?"
Jiraiya's expression was uncharacteristically grim. "I'm here because of that kid."
"You mean Kanon?"
"Yes. As her sensei, you failed to protect her."
Kakashi stood in stunned silence as Jiraiya recounted the truth of what had happened during their absence. By the time the story finished, Kakashi's face was shadowed with rage.
"I can't believe Danzo would actually do something like that!"
"Now that you're back, she's your responsibility," Jiraiya said, turning to leave. "She grew up a lot that day. Probably too much."
"Thank you for looking after her, Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi bowed deeply.
"One more thing," Jiraiya added, pausing. "She's incredibly strong, but her heart is still that of a normal girl. At her age, it's easy to stray from the right path. The Chunin Exams are coming up. After they're over, we'll train her together."
Jiraiya vanished, leaving Kakashi standing there, his face pale. He couldn't begin to imagine how helpless and desperate Kanon must have felt.
Kakashi walked back into the house. Four cups of hot tea were already waiting on the table.
"Kakashi-sensei, I bought some fresh green tea this morning. Please, have some," Kanon said flatly.
Compared to her usual self, the fire and confidence were gone, replaced by a vacuous stillness. Recalling everything Jiraiya had just told him, Kakashi looked at her with eyes full of guilt.
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Kanon..."
Kakashi bowed his head in a sincere apology.
The three students stared. They didn't understand why their teacher was apologizing to her. Even Kanon was momentarily stunned, though she kept it off her face. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders as she tilted her head in confusion.
"Sensei? Why are you apologizing to me?"
"Let's step outside for a moment. Kanon, give us a minute."
Kakashi led the three children into the courtyard and laid out everything Jiraiya had told him. He knew he couldn't keep this a secret; with the bandages visible, they would find out eventually. Sasuke's face turned deathly pale, then burned with a dark fury.
"Where is Danzo?! I'll kill him!" Sasuke grit his teeth and started for the gate, but Kakashi blocked his path.
"The Third Hokage has already dealt with him. Right now, what Kanon needs is for us to be there for her. Her... her mental state is very fragile right now."
"Kakashi! Why did you stop me back then?! Why didn't you make her come with us?!" Sasuke screamed at his teacher.
"Nii-chan!"
Kanon's voice rang out from the porch.
"Kanon..." Sasuke looked at her delicate face and collapsed to his knees. He had come so close to losing his last remaining family member.
Naruto and Sakura stood by, their expressions heavy with a somber understanding. Watching Sasuke on the ground, Kanon walked over and knelt beside him. She wrapped her arms around him, and Sasuke pulled his sister into a desperate embrace, sobbing openly.
Just like the night of the massacre, they were two survivors clinging to each other. If Kanon hadn't been strong enough to survive on her own, Sasuke would be standing before a grave right now. His heart was breaking for her.
Naruto and Sakura stepped forward and pulled both siblings into a group hug. The four of them held each other tightly, the two teammates trying their best to absorb some of the Uchiha siblings' pain.
It was the first time Naruto had seen Kanon and Sasuke cry like this. Having no family of his own, he didn't fully grasp the depth of the bond, but he knew one thing: Kanon almost died at the hands of a man named Danzo. He wouldn't forget that.
Watching his students huddled together, Kakashi felt a wave of melancholy. This was his failure. Between the Water Prison Jutsu in the Land of Waves and the incident here, he had let his students fall into danger too many times. He began to turn that blame inward.
Ten minutes later, Kanon wiped away her tears and stood up. Though a trace of hollowness remained in her eyes, she finally managed a small, genuine smile for her friends. She decided to trust Team 7 one more time; the warmth she felt from Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and her brother was real.
"Everyone... stay for dinner tonight. I'll show you what I can do in the kitchen."
"Alright! I've missed Kanon's cooking!" Naruto cheered.
Sasuke looked at her softly. "Don't overdo it."