NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: The Mysterious Sky Curtain
In the 63rd year of Konoha, the village was enjoying an extended period of peace, with its overall development thriving.
After completing a D-rank mission, Team 7 was on their way to report back to their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, who had been absent for several days.
"Sensei Kakashi! How can you be such a teacher! You only led us for less than ten days, then disappeared, leaving the three of us to handle the mission alone!" Naruto Uzumaki shouted at him.
Kakashi, an experienced ninja who had long been used to the complaints of his students, didn't take it to heart. He showed no sign of embarrassment, casually replying, "Ah, sorry, sorry. Recently, all the jōnin in the village have been assigned to other duties, so you had to handle the mission on your own for now."
Though his excuse still sounded unreasonable, it was at least acceptable considering the strange events unfolding in the ninja world.
"Is it because of that thing in the sky?" Sasuke Uchiha asked, calmly putting his hands in his pockets and pointing out the real reason for Kakashi's absence.
Kakashi nodded, his casual demeanor fading as he looked up at the sky, his voice lowering in seriousness. "Yes, we need to figure out what that is. If we don't handle it properly, it could lead to a war."
The group turned their attention to the sky, where a massive rectangular black curtain hovered below the clouds.
This strange curtain had appeared three days ago, creating a stir within the village at the time.
From the intelligence gathered so far, it had become clear that the black curtain could be seen from anywhere in the entire ninja world, and its position remained unchanged no matter the observer's location. Attempts to affect or approach the curtain had failed, leaving the curtain floating silently in the sky. No one could predict what impact it might have on the world.
Then, after three days of silence, the curtain suddenly began to glow.
Pedestrians in the streets halted, instinctively looking up at the sky. The once-bustling streets grew quiet for a moment, before bursting into an even louder excitement than before. Those who had been inside buildings rushed out, joining others to observe the strange change in the sky.
"Calm down! Let's observe first!" Kakashi commanded, raising a hand to his forehead as he prepared for any possible attack from the curtain.
Similar scenes unfolded across the ninja world, with seasoned ninjas and civilians alike turning their attention to the sky.
At the same time, across various realms—on the moon, in the Pure Land, within the secret realms of summoning beasts, alien spaces with intelligent life, and even the belly of the Death God—identical light curtains suspended in the air above each space.
In the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths glanced upward, then shifted his gaze to the misty space below, his expression troubled.
"What in the world is that? The souls that were once at rest have regained consciousness!"
With a trace of concern and confusion, the figure of the Sage of Six Paths vanished from his location.
The souls in the Pure Land, now aware of their surroundings, began to question their situation, bringing life to a once-lifeless realm. If not for the fact that souls gradually dissipate over time, the noise would have been overwhelming.
Among the souls, the most notable presence was that of Uchiha Madara, the infamous "Shura of the Ninja World."
"Is this... the Pure Land?" Madara quickly assessed his surroundings upon regaining his awareness. Ignoring the plans of other souls, he vanished from his spot, seeking out a quiet place to observe his environment and focus on the sky above.
Elsewhere in the Pure Land, Hashirama Senju, known as the God of Shinobi, turned his attention to Madara as he moved. "That chakra... It's Madara."
Without hesitation, he began to walk, eager to find his old rival, while keeping an eye on the strange event in the sky.
Meanwhile, in the Death God's realm, Minato Namikaze and the Nine-Tails were conducting their usual training with the tailed beast. A sudden burst of light illuminated the otherwise dim space. Minato instinctively shielded his eyes, then, after a few moments, turned his gaze toward the glowing curtain. Frowning, he muttered, "What is this...?"
The same reaction was shared across many other spaces, with everyone reacting to the bizarre light curtain.
Back in the ninja world, the villagers had no idea what was happening in the other realms. Even if they did, there was little that could be done to investigate or address the situation. What mattered most, however, was the appearance of the curtain.
Fortunately, after it lit up, the anticipated attack did not follow. Instead, a roar reverberated from the curtain.
["You monster!"]
In the illuminated curtain, a blonde boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared.
The sharp-eyed ninjas immediately recognized the forehead protector on the boy's head.
Ninjas from other villages, sensing the link to Konoha, grew more alert, wondering if this strange event in the sky was somehow connected to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Konoha, knowing that other villages were making these assumptions, braced itself for the possibility of further escalation.
The Third Hokage, deep in thought, silently placed his pipe down and issued an order to an Anbu agent standing by: "Inform the entire village. Enter a heightened alert state. Tell all ninjas to halt their tasks and be ready to take action at any moment."
The Hokage's nerves were understandable. If the situation wasn't handled carefully, a war could erupt at any time, and Konoha would likely be the target of worldwide anger.
At present, Konoha was not in a position to withstand such a conflict. The older, more powerful shinobi were either gone or dead, and the new generation had not yet reached their full strength. A war against the other four great nations would be impossible, and even a conflict with just two could spell disaster.
Every village went on high alert. The villagers who had been observing the sky in the streets received notifications to seek shelter inside the nearest buildings, fearing potential attacks from the sky.
At the same time, intelligence teams worked quickly to analyze the images projected by the curtain, trying to decipher their meaning.