In the streets and alleys, after the initial shock, a suppressed cheer finally erupted.
"Good riddance! Those guys with their noses in the air finally got what was coming to them!" "From now on, we don't have to worry about being hauled off to the Police Force just for accidentally offending them!" "They deserved it! They were always so arrogant!"
The long-accumulated resentment towards the Uchiha Police Force's overbearing style was amplified and released at this moment. However, not everyone was cheering blindly.
Some merchants who frequently dealt with the outside world fell into deep worry after the initial shock. In a corner of a tavern, a middle-aged merchant downed a glass of strong liquor and whispered to his companion:
"The Police Force is gone... but what about the future?" "As arrogant as the Uchiha were, they at least followed the rules and could keep the other Ninja clans in check." "Can the future Police Force truly protect us civilians and small merchants when trouble actually starts?"
His companion grew silent upon hearing this, uncertainty about the future appearing on his face.
Just as Konohagakure and the entire Ninja World were buzzing with rumors due to the overnight annihilation of the Uchiha, a sudden change occurred. In the sky, a giant blue canvas seemed to be forcibly embedded with a massive "screen" by an invisible force.
It was incredibly massive, its edges shimmering with an indescribable faint light, floating quietly within everyone's line of sight. Whether looking up from Konohagakure, Kumogakure, or Sunagakure, its existence was clearly visible, as if it were inlaid into the firmament itself.
"Look! What is that in the sky?!" On a street in Konohagakure, a civilian was the first to notice the anomaly, pointing at the sky and crying out in surprise.
Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to it. "Is it... a screen? Like the ones in movie theaters?" "How could it appear in the sky?!" "Is this some new kind of Ninjutsu? Genjutsu?"
Exclamations of wonder, doubt, and fear immediately replaced the previous discussions about the Uchiha. An unprecedented spectacle that defied understanding plunged the entire Ninja World into a brief state of chaos.
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly pushed open the window, his pipe nearly slipping from his hand. He gazed at the massive heavenly screen, his pupils suddenly contracting.
"Someone, come here!" The Third's voice was urgent, carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.
An Anbu member appeared instantly via Body Flicker. "Immediately organize a team to investigate! Find out the source, purpose, and composition of this thing! Fast!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered, almost shouting. "Yes, sir!" The Anbu took the order and vanished.
After giving the order, Hiruzen's heart sank. Investigate? Easier said than done. The Uchiha had just been wiped out, and his manpower was already stretched thin.
Diverting forces now to investigate this unheard-of "heavenly screen" was simply adding insult to injury. The Third tiredly rubbed his brow, looking at the sky with a face full of worry.
"The Uchiha matter hasn't even settled yet, and now this..." He sighed deeply. "Truly... a turbulent time."
Meanwhile, the other major Hidden Villages were also thrown into a massive upheaval. In Kumogakure, Fourth Raikage A had a fiery temper; his first reaction was not doubt, but fury.
"What kind of trickery is this! Knock it down for me!" He roared.
He even went as far as to use the power of a Jinchuriki, having Killer Bee enter his Tailed Beast form. The Eight-Tails Gyūki condensed a massive Bijuu Dama, blasting it toward the heavenly screen with a momentum that could destroy everything.
However, the Bijuu Dama seemed to hit an invisible void as it flew toward the screen. Its energy rapidly decayed and dispersed, eventually disappearing without a trace like a stone dropped into the ocean.
The heavenly screen remained high above, as if located at an infinitely distant place, unreachable by physical attacks. "How is this possible?" The Fourth Raikage stood dumbfounded, feeling for the first time that things were beyond his control.
In Sunagakure, Fourth Kazekage Rasa stood on high ground, looking at the screen with a grave expression. He tried to sense it with Magnet Release, only to find that he couldn't perceive any physical existence; it was like a pure "image."
"Order the Anbu to be on high alert and monitor any changes in the heavenly screen around the clock!" Rasa issued the most prudent, yet most powerless, order.
In Iwagakure, Ōnoki used his Earth Release to fly high into the sky, attempting to examine it up close. But the higher he flew, the further away the heavenly screen seemed to become.
He even tried to decompose it with Jinton, but that invisible boundary rendered his Kekkei Tōta useless. "This thing... is not simple," Ōnoki muttered, his old face full of gravity as he landed back on the ground.
In Kirigakure, currently in the era of the "Blood Mist," the interior was in utter chaos. Facing the suddenly appearing heavenly screen, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi—actually controlled by Uchiha Obito—issued no clear instructions.
The Village became even more panicked as a result, yet no one dared to discuss it openly. The entire Ninja World fell into a bizarre atmosphere of tension, suspicion, and helplessness.
In the Land of Rain, inside a high tower, the cold rain beat endlessly against the world. Konan stood by the window, her purple paper flower hair ornament trembling slightly.
"Nagato, what on earth is this? Some kind of Genjutsu unknown to us? Or a conspiracy by the Five Great Nations?" Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible tension.
Behind her, connected to the Gedo Mazo in the shadows, the emaciated Nagato spoke through Deva Path Pain in a cold, emotionless voice: "No need to worry, Konan."
Deva Path Pain looked up, the purple ripples of the Rinnegan seeming to pierce through the void to look directly at the heavenly screen.