A few days later, the Great Bridge of the Land of Waves was finally completed.
To honor the courage and hope that Naruto Uzumaki had brought to them, Tazuna pushed through all opposition and named the bridge after him. From that day forward, it would be known as the Naruto Bridge, a symbol of the nation's regained future.
In the first light of morning, Team Seven finished their mission and began the journey back home.
Compared to when they first arrived, the atmosphere within the team had changed in subtle and unmistakable ways.
Naruto no longer bounced around with the same reckless energy. Most of the time, he walked quietly, deep in thought. Sasuke remained expressionless as always, yet the occasional glance he cast at Naruto carried less impatience and a hint more curiosity.
As for Kakashi, he had shed his usual lazy demeanor. Throughout the entire trip, he wrote, recorded, and documented every critical detail from the Land of Waves with absolute precision.
He understood better than anyone the weight of this report.
This marked the beginning of a new and unpredictable era.
When Kakashi's urgent report arrived at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just finished clearing a day's worth of paperwork.
He unrolled the scroll and read through it line by line.
The office was quiet. The only sound was the whisper of turning pages.
From the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Curtain, to the prophecy revealing the fates of Zabuza Momochi and Haku, to the tears of the Demon of the Hidden Mist, and finally to Gatō's execution and the unexpected defection of two infamous rogue shinobi.
The contents of this report were far more detailed and far more shocking than the initial intelligence passed on by the Anbu.
Hiruzen's expression shifted from solemnity to disbelief before finally settling into deep, heavy worry.
The tobacco in his pipe had long since gone cold. A chill crept into his fingers.
The power to foresee the future and even rewrite it was something no known ninjutsu could explain.
This was a force belonging to a higher dimension, a power bordering on the divine.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Shimura Danzo entered, leaning on his cane. The bandaged right eye hidden in shadow made him look even more sinister.
"Hiruzen, what is your assessment of the information obtained from the Land of Waves?" he asked directly.
Hiruzen set the report down, relit his pipe, and breathed out a slow stream of smoke.
"It is an unprecedented variable," he said, voice steady. "A force with the potential to overturn the entire shinobi world."
"Power should never be left in the hands of others." Danzo's voice was icy and sharp. "Hiruzen, you know the value of this thing. If the Leaf can take control of it, no, if Root can take control of it, we would be able to foresee every threat and eliminate every enemy. The Will of Fire would illuminate the entire shinobi world."
His words trembled with fervor.
Hiruzen's frown deepened.
He knew this old friend too well.
To Danzo, any power was merely a tool to pursue his own vision and ambition.
"Control it?" Hiruzen countered. "Danzo, tell me, how do you propose we control something whose origin we cannot trace and whose nature we cannot analyze? You read Kakashi's report. The Heavenly Curtain ignores barriers and distance. It projects directly into every mind. What exactly would you use to restrain it?"
Danzo fell silent for a moment, his expression darkening.
"Regardless, we must find its source," he insisted. "And even if we cannot, we must find a way to make use of it. What if next time it reveals the Leaf's secrets?"
"I have already formed a Heavenly Curtain Response Unit," Hiruzen said, cutting him off. "And I will oversee it personally. Until we understand its purpose, any reckless move may bring disaster upon the village."
Danzo let out a cold snort and left without another word.
As the door shut behind him, Hiruzen released a weary sigh.
He knew Danzo would never let this go.
And Danzo was far from the only one coveting the Heavenly Curtain.
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Sand Village.
Inside the Kazekage's office, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, examined the intelligence report submitted by his subordinates regarding Zabuza Momochi.
"You are certain? Because of some inexplicable phenomenon called the Heavenly Curtain, Zabuza abandoned his mission, and even sided with the Leaf? A shinobi turning on his own employer?" Rasa's voice carried disbelief.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage. This intelligence comes from our agent in the Land of Waves. It is accurate."
Rasa's expression grew increasingly severe.
As a Kage of one of the Five Great Nations, he understood the value and the danger of an S-class rogue shinobi better than most.
For the Heavenly Curtain to influence someone as hopeless and hardened as Zabuza, forcing him to change sides mid-battle, was far beyond what he had anticipated.
An intense sense of unease spread through him.
He despised variables he could not control.
Inside his apartment in the Hidden Leaf, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed.
A vast and gentle force coursed through him, nourishing flesh and bone, strengthening every single cell.
This was the transformation granted by his new ability: the Undying Body.
In just one day, his chakra reserves had soared to the level of an elite jonin. His recovery and vitality had risen to heights he had never imagined.
He slowly exhaled and opened his eyes.
A relieved smile touched his lips as he felt the powerful energy moving through him.
With this strength, he could finally protect himself in this dangerous world.
He glanced toward the system panel.
[Countdown complete: 24 hours have passed.]
[Now revealing: The Top Nine Most Heartbreaking Moments in the Shinobi World.]
"It has begun."
Energy surged through Jiang Chen as he focused all his attention on the system.
He had already chosen the theme for his second video compilation.
A child who had been feared and hated since birth.
A child whose loneliness surpassed even Naruto's by countless measures.
"Alright. Let's begin."
Across the shinobi world, the first appearance of the Heavenly Curtain had caused widespread unease and raised every village's vigilance.
The sky, silent for an entire day, suddenly brightened without warning.
Everyone instinctively stopped what they were doing and looked up.
It was back.
Light flickered across the Heavenly Curtain, forming a familiar title.
[Top Ten Most Heartbreaking Moments in the Shinobi World – Top 9]
The moment the words appeared, hearts pounded across the world.
Whose tragedy would be exposed this time?
Before they could guess, several preview images flashed across the Heavenly Curtain.
A vast desert under cool moonlight.
A thin red-haired child sat alone on a rooftop, hugging his knees as silent tears fell.
A moment later, the sand around him surged violently like a living beast.
On his forehead, a crimson symbol slowly appeared.
The character for "Love."
When the outline of sand appeared, Rasa's heart clenched. An overwhelming dread washed through him.
But when the red-haired child appeared, along with that blood-colored mark, his face grew ashen.
It was impossible.
How could it be him?
In a shadowed corner of the Hidden Sand Village, a red-haired youth carrying a giant gourd suddenly raised his head.
His ocean-blue eyes, framed by deep dark circles, locked onto the images in the sky. A flash of territorial anger crossed his gaze, mixed with a trace of confusion he himself did not recognize.
Then the preview faded.
A final title appeared, clear and undeniable in every pair of eyes.
[Top 9: Gaara, the Monster Who Lost His Childhood]
For a moment, the entire Hidden Sand Village fell silent.
Countless gazes, filled with fear, revulsion, and a faint morbid curiosity, turned toward the village's depths.
Toward the young man they had always called a monster.
Gaara.
The Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast.
The son of the Kazekage.