"We can only treat what the Heavenly Curtain shows as reference."
"What I hope now is that the next broadcast reveals more about the hidden history of the shinobi world itself—about those 'outside' power systems, about the truth behind the so-called 'fish pond' and its 'pond owner.'"
"Only by grasping more of the truth can we respond effectively—instead of being caught off guard again by something like a 'moving fruit.'"
Inside the Hokage's office, the three highest decision-makers of Konohagakure all wore expressions of gravity and deep concern for the future.
Meanwhile, in his personal pocket space, the true mastermind behind it all—Yin An—was soothing Wangcai with a meaty bone.
"Alright, alright. Don't be scared. That big crab is one of ours… well, one of our crabs. It was just acting. It wasn't really going to eat you."
This big yellow dog was far too timid. And he'd even considered branding it a "Divine Beast."
Wangcai: ???
You try getting grabbed by a crab the size of a mountain.
The dog nudged its damp nose against Yin An's palm before finally calming down, its tail wagging cautiously once more.
The "Divine River Crab" had naturally been Yin An's doing.
In the Heavenly Curtain, Wangcai appeared majestic—the natural enemy of chakra itself.
In reality? Just an ordinary dog.
Letting it run around the shinobi world with Karin in her frenzy? It would've ended up as hotpot meat in minutes.
So arranging the Divine River Crab's appearance had served multiple purposes.
First, to eliminate Ōtsutsuki Graywhite—and to make it clear to the shinobi world that the "owner of the vegetable garden" was the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
That detail would be crucial for the next Heavenly Curtain arc.
Second, to retrieve Wangcai smoothly as an important "prop," avoiding continuity issues.
With those "post-sale service" matters handled, Yin An shifted his focus back to his true profession.
Writing the next installment of the Heavenly Curtain.
He pulled up his previous outline, but his brows furrowed slightly.
His fingers idly brushed across the glowing interface, producing a faint rasping sound.
"Troublesome…"
"The Heavenly Curtain has aired so many times now. The 'future' timeline keeps moving forward."
"If I use familiar main characters again—Ino, Chōji, Shikamaru… or even characters from other villages—it'll easily conflict with the previously broadcast 'World Destruction Line.'"
He sank into thought.
"If I make them special or powerful—say, Ino—then here's the problem: in the earlier crises, like 'Naruto's World Destruction,' 'Karin the Demon Child,' or 'Hikari the Threat,' why didn't these capable individuals appear? Why didn't they play decisive roles? The logic becomes hard to justify."
"But if I make them too weak, just background characters… then what's the point? There'd be no impact. No explosive hook."
Yin An scratched his head in frustration. He instinctively tried to draw inspiration from the original canon or from fanfiction archives—then shook his head.
The current shinobi world was no longer the same one from when he first projected the Heavenly Curtain.
The Curtain itself had become a massive stone thrown into the river of history. The ripples had already changed the river's course.
Konoha was frantically digging into hidden history.
The Five Kage were forced into deeper cooperation—and deeper suspicion—because of Uchiha Hikari.
Orochimaru's research direction had grown even more extreme.
Even Karin had endured the "Crab Incident."
Everyone's perception, choices, and even destiny had diverged from the original canon—and from his earlier derivative storyline built upon it.
"Wait!"
Yin An's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh so hard that Wangcai jumped.
"Why am I restricting myself to the original plot—or even to my previous Heavenly Curtain storyline?"
He sprang to his feet, pacing back and forth as ideas flooded in like a breached dam.
"The current shinobi world is already a 'new world'—deeply reshaped by the Heavenly Curtain!"
"So why should I stubbornly continue the old 'World Destruction Line' future?"
The more he thought, the clearer it became.
"I can create directly on top of this altered reality. No—this isn't just secondary creation anymore. It's tertiary creation!"
"My earlier Heavenly Curtain was based on the original canon. Now I can base it on this already altered reality—and write an entirely new 'future'!"
His fingers flew across the interface as sparks of inspiration erupted.
"Take Naruto, for example! The real Naruto has already seen the Heavenly Curtain's projection of himself going dark and being killed by Karin. His mindset, goals, and growth path must have changed!"
"He won't pursue the extreme 'world purification' path anymore. Maybe he'll look for other ways to address the chakra 'invasion.' Maybe he'll try to find a new path within the 'fish pond'…."
"In the new Heavenly Curtain, he could become 'Naruto the Explorer,' 'Naruto the Mediator,' or even 'Naruto the Bridge'—someone attempting to communicate with the outside world!"
"And Sakura too! There's no way the current Sakura would become a member of some Divine Knights. So her Heavenly Curtain future can change as well—into something entirely new."
"They won't be the protagonists of the new arc, of course."
"But they can appear as major supporting characters—showing different facets of this 'new future.'"
A familiar grin spread across Yin An's face—half mischief, half creative exhilaration.
"That settles it. Once this current arc concludes—"
"Heavenly Curtain 2.0 begins!"
"Heavenly Curtain 2.0 will be a brand-new script—built upon this chaotic shinobi world shaped by the Heavenly Curtain itself."
"This way, I avoid direct conflicts with previous plotlines. I can keep delivering new shocks and new dilemmas to the shinobi world… and watch how those people react under a completely different 'future.'"
He could already imagine the expressions on the faces of the Five Kage, Orochimaru, and the Uchiha brothers—when confronted with a new future that differed drastically from prior prophecies, yet still felt eerily plausible.
"Oh, right. And the Sage of Six Paths."
"Sorry about this. After taking the blame for this arc… you'll have plenty more pots to carry."
Without further hesitation, Yin An immersed himself fully in crafting the script for the next Heavenly Curtain broadcast.
The people of the shinobi world had only just begun to adapt to prophecy-style revelations.
They had no idea—
That an entirely new storm was coming.
A Heavenly Curtain no longer limited to fixed prophecies of doom—
But one that would unfold evolving possibilities, shaped by their present choices and struggles.
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