Amidst the laughter of the people in the Shinobi World, the Sky Screen gradually dimmed again, turning into a faint white light.
The impact brought by this episode was seismic, and everyone needed time to digest it.
Although the Hyuga clan didn't have as much melodrama as the Uchiha, the revelations about the Tenseigan, the Otsutsuki clan on the moon, and Boruto—whose exact surname remained uncertain—gave the Shinobi World its first intuitive understanding of just what "Six Paths-level" power truly meant.
A single strike splitting the moon in half!
That was the concept of Six Paths-level power. If you couldn't do that, you couldn't call yourself a Six Paths-level powerhouse.
Some people looked up at the sky. Even though it was daytime and the moon wasn't visible, they still silently shrank their necks.
The threat of the Otsutsuki was a vague concept to the people of the Shinobi World before the Fourth Great Ninja War. In their eyes, this clan only seemed to covet the Byakugan.
As for what to do if the Ōtsutsuki awakened the Tenseigan in the future?
Sorry, that wasn't within their scope of concern. When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.
Besides, the world wasn't exactly in great shape as it was. So who's to say things wouldn't be better if the Otsutsuki came? The ones who should be worried were the great nations. Why should they fret?
Moreover, the Otsutsuki were on the moon. Who could even get there? And what if that Six Paths-level powerhouse was there right now? That would just be walking straight into the lion's den.
---
[Land of Rain, Amegakure]
Even though the Sky Screen had faded, Nagato remained seated in his wheelchair, completely motionless. Konan stood beside him in silence, quietly watching him think.
Nagato also didn't know whether the Otsutsuki on the moon would pose any threat to his plans. Nor did he know whether the weapon of war created from the nine Tailed Beasts could stand against a Six Paths-level powerhouse.
The only problem was that the Three Tails was still reviving, so he couldn't immediately launch the Tailed Beast capture plan. Otherwise, he would have personally acted right away, capturing them one by one to avoid any unforeseen complications.
And the Tailed Beasts had to be captured simultaneously. Otherwise, facing the combined backlash of the entire Shinobi World, even Nagato wouldn't dare claim that he and Akatsuki could withstand it.
Moreover, he knew what kind of people the members of the Akatsuki were. Most of them had their own agendas and were rogue-nins to boot; it was only his strength that kept them in check.
So once they truly became enemies with the entire world, some of them might very well turn against him.
Also, what was the last of the three great Doujutsu?
Nagato touched his own eyes. Could it be… the Rinnegan?
---
In the following days, the various timelines of the Shinobi World continued to operate according to their own trajectories. Although the Sky Screen had brought some changes, they seemed minimal for now.
Conspiracies, assassinations, and warfare remained the mainstream of the Shinobi World timelines before the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The only two interludes, aside from Konoha reducing the number of missions assigned to the Hyuga clan, were that Sunagakure paid a heavy price—personally led by Chiyo—to finally ransom back the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Baki, and a few other Elite Jonins.
As for the remaining dozens of Suna ninjas, Chiyo stated that it wasn't that she didn't want to save them, but that she had to consider the village's situation.
They would save them slowly, gradually, and systematically. Though it would be even better if they did more work in Konoha to offset some of the ransom and reduce the future pressure on Sunagakure.
Tsunade, for her part, didn't really care.
Konoha certainly didn't want to start the Fourth Great Ninja War ahead of schedule, so killing Rasa was out of the question.
And rather than keeping him imprisoned in Konoha indefinitely, it was better to take a big bite out of Sunagakure and use that as one of her political achievements as the newly appointed Hokage.
So she smiled and told Rasa and Chiyo to hurry up and raise more money—the living expenses for those dozens of Suna ninjas were not cheap.
Rasa, Chiyo, and the others had no choice either. As the defeated side, Konoha had already been quite magnanimous toward them. They could only swallow their broken pride along with their blood.
---
Time passed quickly, and the next broadcast time for the Sky Screen arrived.
By now, this day had become something of an unspoken "peace day" across the Shinobi World. Though there were certainly those who continued to cause trouble during it, most people treated it as a rare day of rest.
No missions, no fighting, no scheming. All you had to do was find a comfortable spot, look up at the sky, and learn about the strange tales and hidden secrets of the Shinobi World's great clans.
The Sky Screen suddenly lit up, and before the people of the Shinobi World could even react, a gentle melody began to drift down—a soft, melodious tune, carrying a hint of nostalgia and a touch of warmth, flowing through every timeline.
"Ah, Naruto, isn't that you?"
Sakura pointed at the image on the Sky Screen, exclaiming in some surprise.
She hadn't expected Naruto to appear on the Sky Screen this time.
Sasuke was also a bit surprised. The Sky Screen had mentioned before that Naruto would become the village's Seventh Hokage in the future… so this time, was it his story?
Naruto looked up at the small figure on the Sky Screen, his mouth hanging wide open.
"That's really me?!"
Kakashi stood to the side, his visible eye curving slightly: "Yeah, that's you."
---
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office, Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—these three old comrades—were once again watching the Sky Screen together.
As soon as he saw the image, Jiraiya immediately said a word to Hiruzen and Tsunade, then jumped straight out the window and headed toward the training ground where Team 7 was.
This time, the protagonist was Naruto.
What if someone, after watching the Sky Screen, harbored ill intentions?
Tsunade watched his retreating figure and clicked her tongue: "This guy… now he finally starts caring."
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke.
"Of course. After all, that child… is Minato's son."
His face held a nostalgic expression. If only Minato hadn't died in the Nine-Tails incident… perhaps the matters concerning the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and so many others would never have happened.
---
Soon, a small figure appeared on the Sky Screen.
He had short blond hair, three whisker-like marks on his face, and wore an orange tracksuit. He was running forward.
Running through empty streets.
Running past the cold stares of the villagers.
Running through those lonely years.
Amidst the music, the small figure gradually grew up. His outfit changed from a yellow tracksuit to a black high-collared tight-fitting suit with black arm guards. The three whisker marks remained on his face, but his eyes had become confident.
The scene shifted. His entire body was glowing with golden light, as if it could dispel all darkness.
Finally, the image settled into calm, leaving only the silhouette of a short-haired back.
And draped over his shoulders was unmistakably the haori cloak with the words "Seventh Hokage" written on it.
His back was straight and firm, as if it could carry anything. And unlike the empty streets before, now the entire Konoha was before him.
With the appearance of the words "Seventh Hokage," every timeline in the Shinobi World understood: this time, the story being told was that of one Uzumaki Naruto!
*****
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ReduxMagister