(First, a quick buff: This world is not the main storyline of the Naruto plotline, so any contradictions in the plot timeline are perfectly normal.)
In the 63rd year of Konoha, a long era of peace had allowed the entire village to prosper.
After completing a D-rank mission as usual, Team Seven was on their way to submit it when they unexpectedly bumped into their elusive instructor, Hatake Kakashi, who had been missing for several days.
"Kakashi-sensei, what kind of teacher are you! You disappeared after training us for less than ten days and just left the three of us to do missions by ourselves!" Uzumaki Naruto loudly complained at Kakashi.
As a seasoned veteran of the ninja world, Kakashi naturally didn't take such minor complaints from his subordinates to heart. With his usual unrepentant, tardy expression, he said, "Ah, sorry, sorry. Lately all the Jonin in the village have been assigned temporary tasks, so there's nothing I can do but let you Genin handle missions on your own for now."
Though as unreliable as ever, at least this time his explanation was something Team Seven could accept. After all, the ninja world was currently experiencing something quite unusual.
"Is it because of that thing in the sky?" Uchiha Sasuke, hands in his pockets, coolly pointed out the reason Kakashi had been called away.
At his words, Kakashi nodded, dropping his nonchalant expression as he looked up and lowered his voice: "Yeah, we've got to figure out what that thing is. If we don't handle it properly, it could even spark a war."
Looking up, they saw a giant, rectangular black screen suspended just below the clouds.
This screen had suddenly appeared three days ago, causing quite a stir in the village at the time.
From the current information gathered, it was confirmed that no matter where one was on the continent, this black screen could be seen clearly from the same angle.
At the same time, after various attempts, it was temporarily confirmed that no external force could affect the screen in any way—no one could even get close to it.
The screen just floated quietly in the sky, and no one could predict what impact it might have on the ninja world.
Suddenly, at that moment, the black screen that had been silent for three days lit up.
Passersby instinctively stopped and looked up at the sky. The usually noisy street fell silent for a moment, only to explode into even greater commotion.
Some who had been indoors came outside to join in, chatting with others as they watched the sky screen.
"Calm down! Let's see what's going on first!"
Kakashi barked at the loudmouthed Naruto beside him, raising a hand to his forehead protector, wary of any potential attack from the sky screen.
The same scene played out among all the experienced ninjas in the entire ninja world.
At the same time, on the moon, in the Pure Land, in the hidden realms of the various summoning beasts, and even in unusual places like the belly of the Shinigami, identical glowing screens had appeared, floating in the skies of those realms.
In the Pure Land, the Sage of the Six Paths looked at the screen above, then shifted his gaze to the misty space below, furrowing his brow slightly.
"What on earth is that? Even the souls that were in stasis have regained consciousness!"
With a hint of concern and confusion, the Sage's figure vanished from where he stood.
Meanwhile, the souls in the Pure Land, now aware of their situation, began asking questions about their condition, bringing a sudden liveliness to the once lifeless realm.
If not for the fact that souls gradually dissipate over time—and that only those with significant strength in life can retain their souls frozen in the Pure Land—the noise would likely have been dozens of times louder.
Among the souls that still remained in the Pure Land, the one with the greatest influence was undoubtedly Uchiha Madara, known as the Ashura of the ninja world.
"So this is... the Pure Land." Regaining his consciousness, Madara quickly understood his situation. Ignoring the other souls, he flickered and disappeared, seeking a secluded place to check his surroundings before focusing on the screen above.
Elsewhere in the Pure Land, Senju Hashirama, known as the God of Shinobi, felt Madara's chakra the moment he moved and instinctively turned his gaze: "That chakra feels like... Madara."
Without thinking, he immediately set off in Madara's direction, ready to have a chat with his old friend.
While traveling, he didn't forget to keep an eye on the screen above.
Inside the Shinigami's stomach, Minato Namikaze was engaged in his usual tailed-beast training with the Nine-Tails' Yin half.
Suddenly, a dazzling light pierced the dim space. Minato reflexively shielded his eyes from the glare, then quickly turned to the screen, frowning: "What is that thing!?"
In the other spaces where the screen appeared, most reacted in a similar way.
As for the changes in the Pure Land and the other hidden realms, the people in the ninja world had no way of knowing, and even if they did, there was no manpower to investigate or handle it right now. The current situation was already enough to keep them on edge.
Fortunately, the screen didn't unleash the expected threat from the sky once it lit up. Instead, an angry shout came from within the screen.
["You monster!"]
[In a dark cave filled with flowing lava, a blond boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared on the glowing screen.]
Sharp-eyed ninjas immediately noticed the forehead protector on the boy's head.
Ninjas from other villages naturally assumed the screen's appearance was connected to Konoha, their wariness deepening.
Konoha, of course, could guess what the other villages were thinking.
The Third Hokage silently put down his pipe, his expression serious as he ordered the Anbu beside him, "Declare a Level Two alert across the entire village, order all ninjas to suspend their tasks and stand by for instructions!"
No wonder the Third Hokage was so tense. One wrong move and war could break out again, with Konoha undoubtedly becoming the target of all.
Right now, Konoha couldn't afford any major upheaval. The old generation's powerhouses had either died or left, and the new generation of ninjas had yet to grow. They could barely handle one major power, let alone fight a war against two or more at once like during the Third Great Ninja War.
One by one, the villages went on alert. The villagers who had been crowding the streets were notified to take shelter in buildings to avoid possible attacks from the sky.
Meanwhile, the Intelligence Division began collecting and analyzing information, trying to figure out exactly what the screen was showing.
(To be continued)