RUMBLE RUMBLE — RUMBLE RUMBLE —
The sky seemed to explode. Clouds churned as lightning and thunder cracked through the heavens.
In that instant, whether they were eating, sleeping, attending class, carrying out missions, or even... creating life...
Without exception! Everyone instinctively looked up!
They saw a luminous screen form in a flash—like a massive sheet of paper blanketing the sky, suspended high above their heads.
It had no thickness, wafer-thin.
Yet oddly, no matter where people stood or from what angle they looked, they all saw the same flat surface.
This scene entered the eyes of everyone in the Shinobi World.
From the great ninja villages to ordinary townsfolk, all were filled with curiosity and alarm at this sudden, inexplicable phenomenon.
SHHHHHHHHH—
Suddenly, the paper lit up. Lines of glowing text began to appear, flickering with an eerie brilliance between the words.
People had no time to comprehend what this mysterious object was before the words shocked them.
[Three Ninja World Wars have already passed.]
[Because of profit, because of hatred, because of greed... slaughter has swept this land.]
[War begins — wounds are suffered — truce follows — recovery begins — and war erupts again — more wounds — more truces — and recovery once more...]
[One after another, again and again, the scale expanding continuously—from adults at first, until even children were forced to the battlefield.]
[This is a time of war even surpassing the Warring States Era!]
[Ninja villages, as massive war machines, continue to raise and dispatch ninja after ninja onto the battlefield without delay.]
[All for conquest. All for protection.]
[The level of sacrifice has already reached an intolerable point. The world can no longer sit idly by and allow a Fourth Great Ninja War to break out.]
[That would be...]
[A war capable of wiping out half of the Shinobi World!]
[A world filled with cries and mourning is a world gone wrong!]
[To stop this from evolving into the worst possible future, the world itself must take drastic action.]
[This is a mechanism to redirect conflict—perhaps even an invention destined to bring an end to the era of ninja.]
[The Ninja Mobile Game — has been born!]
In that moment, the entire world focused its gaze on this never-before-seen phenomenon.
Incomprehensible—shocking beyond belief!
It was something that instinctively evoked deep emotional shock—absurdity and anxiety twisted together in every heart.
A pure, primal fear of the unknown!
...
Konohagakure
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, exhaled clouds of smoke, his face blurred behind the drifting mist.
His aged expression was filled with complexity. He gazed at the glowing screen in silence and let out a deep sigh.
"War, huh..."
As someone who had participated in all three Great Ninja Wars, Hiruzen understood the meaning of sacrifice—he understood the very reason ninjas existed.
Though he too hated war, looking at that screen… did it mean this was about to erase the very concept of "ninja"?
No one knew what this power was, nor could anyone be certain of what would happen next.
But at the very least, one thing was clear—
This might just be a gust of wind capable of changing the entire fate of the Shinobi World, blowing it toward an unknown direction.
Sunagakure
Inside the Kazekage's office, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood with arms crossed, silent but clearly uneasy.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure had recovered the worst after the wars.
Even as the Kazekage, Rasa had dared not relax for a single moment over the past few years—especially with the Land of Wind...
Thinking of the Land of Wind made his head throb. And recalling his useless son only deepened his headache, forcing him to press a hand to his forehead.
"All he knows is budget cuts... rampaging again and again... Is that all your worth amounts to?!"
Even a man bearing the title of Kage would complain in the privacy of an empty office.
Kumogakure
Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from the Raikage's office. But the passing shinobi outside didn't even blink.
"Don't joke with me! Are you trying to tell me the world has developed its own consciousness and is now actively trying to stop war?! What kind of crap is that?!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his desk with a single punch, his body radiating crackling strands of blue lightning in his rage.
It truly was hard to believe.
First of all, it was far too sudden—there hadn't been even the slightest warning. It had appeared out of nowhere.
Second, precisely because it was so sudden and so overwhelming, it caused an enormous stir.
Because no one could possibly pull off something of this magnitude!
"Raikage-sama, regardless of what it is, we should remain calm for now, even if just temporarily," said Mabui, his secretary, in a composed tone.
A took a deep breath and sat back down.
Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself appeared, he still wouldn't believe it—but for now, he would keep watching.
Iwagakure
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was far more composed than the Raikage, sitting quietly behind his desk, lost in thought.
First, no matter who was behind this, one thing was certain—they didn't like war. Perhaps they outright hated it. This entire spectacle was proof enough of that.
But what exactly was this "Ninja Mobile Game"?
Ōnoki couldn't make sense of it. Just staring at those words made his scalp itch.
He turned to the guard who had just arrived and said, "Suspend all missions requiring leaving the village. For those already out, avoid contact with foreign ninja if possible."
Kirigakure
The Mizukage's office was crowded. The current head of the village, Mei Terumī, stood with her two trusted subordinates:
The "Byakugan Killer," Ao.
And the "Ordinary Guy," Chōjūrō.
However, at that moment, the three of them remained silent, their gazes collectively turning toward the elderly man seated at the head of the room.
Elder Genshi—not the Mizukage, but the true authority in power behind the scenes.
"This might be a rare opportunity for our village," Genshi said slowly and deliberately.
Mei Terumī and the others nodded. After all, for Kirigakure, things couldn't exactly get any worse.
Amegakure
At the very top of the tallest tower in the village, Pain and Konan stood side by side, gazing up at the glowing screen in the sky.
"Do you believe what it says up there?" Konan asked.
"I do," Pain replied calmly. "The world has acknowledged our long-cherished wish—this sight will become the foundation of peace."
Why not believe it?
If the world itself had suffered deeply from war, then it made sense that something would arise to end that suffering.
That's right! The one destined to bring peace to the Shinobi World... is Akatsuki!
Only a being capable of doing all this could truly be called a god!
While the people across the Shinobi World were feeling either anxious or uneasy, somewhere in a corner of the world, a being far removed from humanity was thoroughly dumbfounded.
"What the hell is this?" Black Zetsu scrutinized the now motionless screen, utterly baffled.
He had lived for who knew how many countless years, and yet he had never heard of such a thing.
Could it be the work of those two unfilial brats?
Black Zetsu thought it over but eventually shook his head. Impossible. He had confirmed that the Sage of Six Paths and his brother were both dead.
Of course, if there was anyone who absolutely refused to believe in the screen, it was undoubtedly Black Zetsu.
End war? Nonsense!
Without war, how would he manipulate Akatsuki into gathering the Tailed Beasts? How would he push for the activation of the Infinite Tsukuyomi? How would he rescue his tormented mother?
Just as Black Zetsu was having those thoughts, the screen finally began to change again—drawing everyone's attention.
On this day, under the shared witness of all, the arrival of a new era would unfold!