Land of Water - Kirigakure
Mei Terumi leaned lazily against her office chair, a glass of red wine between her slender fingers. The amber liquid swirled gently in the glass, reflecting the intense battle scene in the Heavenly Screen.
"Heh..." She took a sip of red wine, a complex smile playing on her lips. "Konoha really is... enviable."
The sight of the four Kage being utterly crushed by Momoshiki in the Heavenly Screen made her fingers tighten slightly. But when the scene switched to Naruto and Sasuke working together to suppress the enemy, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
"A future crisis?" She swirled her wine glass, chuckled self-deprecatingly, "With those two little monsters from Konoha holding the line, our villages seem like mere supporting characters..."
A flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating her slightly forlorn profile. As the Fifth Mizukage who led Kirigakure out of the "Bloody Mist Village," she felt a pang of powerlessness— Kirigakure seemed to have no right to even participate in the future battlefield.
She gazed at Sasuke's Rinnegan in the Heavenly Screen, then suddenly downed the entire cup of wine in one gulp.
Training Ground
Chōjūrō stood alone in the center of the Training Ground, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. In the Heavenly Screen, the image of his future self being defeated by Momoshiki's attack lingered in his mind—the sense of powerlessness in that instant burned his pride like a brand.
"I... became the Mizukage in the future... but am I still this weak?"
His voice trembled in the rain, and his glasses were covered in water droplets, blurring his vision. As the successor chosen by Lady Mei Terumi, he had thought that he would at least be able to protect the village in the future, but reality was so cruel.
"Bang!"
Chōjūrō slammed his fist into a nearby wooden post, sending wood chips flying and blood seeping from his knuckles, but he felt no pain.
"Are you kidding me...!"
He suddenly drew the twin swords, Hiramekarei, from his back; the blades gleamed with a cold, sharp light in the rain.
"If I won't even be qualified to protect the village in the future... then I must become stronger now!"
"Whoosh--!"
The blade flashed through the rain, Chōjūrō's figure moved at high speed across the Training Ground. Each swing of his sword was filled with an almost obsessive ruthlessness. His breathing gradually became rapid, but his movements became faster and faster, as if he wanted to unleash all his resentment and anger.
"Not enough... not enough!"
The images of Naruto and Sasuke fighting in the Heavenly Screen kept replaying in his mind—those were the true strongmen, those were the ninjas who could stand on the battlefield of the future! And he could not stop there!
Eastern Sea
Ao stood at the bow of the ship, his single eye fixed on the battle that shook the Shinobi World in the Heavenly Screen. As he watched Momoshiki being sealed by Chibaku Tensei, his brows furrowed even more deeply.
"It's always like this... Konoha always seems to produce monsters like this."
He murmured softly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the Byakugan beneath his Forehead Protector. In the Heavenly Screen, Naruto's body was ablaze with golden Chakra, overlapping with the image of the boy in the intelligence report—who could have imagined that the boy once considered a "threat to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki" by all the villages would grow to such a level?
"And that Sasuke Uchiha..."
Ao narrowed his single eye slightly, the image of Sasuke Amenotejikara flashing through his mind. That almost miraculous spatial displacement, combined with the Rinnegan's Sealing Jutsu —if these two joined forces, probably no one in the Five Great Shinobi Villages could stop them.
"It's like... Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha from back then have reappeared in the world."
He shook his head with a wry smile, turning to look at the churning, dark sea beyond the ship's railing. Konoha, having recently rebuilt itself rapidly after the Nine-Tails' Attack, had already instilled fear in the nations of the world, and now—
"Will we once again live in Konoha's shadow in the future?"
Whispers came from behind:
"I've heard that Sunagakure and Konoha have long ago formed a permanent alliance..."
"If such extraterrestrial visitors were to actually appear, who else besides Konoha could..."
Qing gripped the railing tightly, the wooden handrail creaking under the weight.
Land of Wind - Sunagakure
The scorching wind, whipping up sand, swept past the watchtower, making a soft, mournful sound. Baki stood by the railing, his brow furrowed, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists over the scene of Momoshiki's devastating defeat of the four shadows against the Heavenly Screen.
"An enemy of this caliber..." His voice was low and grave, "... how many more will there be in the future?"
Gaara beside him, his emerald eyes reflecting the image of himself being knocked down by Momoshiki's punch in the Heavenly Screen. The sand in the sand gourd flowed unconsciously, just like the turbulent emotions surging within him.
(One strike... just one strike...)
He lowered his eyes, his nails digging deeply into his palms. In the future, as the Kazekage, he should have been the village's Strongest Shield, yet his future self hadn't even been able to withstand a single blow. How could he, in this state, protect Sunagakure?
Baki glanced sideways at Gaara's tense profile, hesitating to speak. He knew what this young ninja carried—no one understood the price of power better than Gaara, having risen from the shadow of Jinchūriki to where he was today.
The battle in the Heavenly Screen continued, with Naruto, his body ablaze with golden Chakra, clashing head-on with Momoshiki, while Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword flashed with purple lightning.
Each collision unleashed a devastating shockwave, making Sunagakure's defensive barrier seem like child's play in the face of a battle of this magnitude.
"They've become stronger." Gaara suddenly spoke, his voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the wind.
Baki paused for a moment, then realized he was referring to Naruto and Sasuke.
"Yes, they're incredibly strong... unlike any ninja in this world." He said with a wry smile.
The two fell silent again. Gaara raised his hand, and a wisp of sand swirled and gathered in his palm before suddenly scattering away.
(Not enough... far from enough...)
Training Ground
The Training Ground was filled with the dry smell of dust. Kankuro's Puppet "Crow" made a slight clicking sound from its joints, but he had no mind to control it at the moment, as he was staring intently at the mind-blowing battle in the Heavenly Screen.
"What a joke..." His voice trembled slightly, his fingers tightening unconsciously, causing the Puppet's mechanisms to creak. "Kage Level expert couldn't even withstand a single move from that Momoshiki?!"
The sight of Gaara's Sand Shield shattering like paper under Momoshiki's fist in the Heavenly Screen made Kankuro's throat tighten.
He looked down at the Puppet he had meticulously modified and suddenly realized that these weapons, which he had once been so proud of, were nothing more than child's toys in the face of his future enemies.
"Hey, this level of battle... if I were to face it, I'd probably be instantly killed before I could even deploy my Puppet, right?" He chuckled dryly, trying to ease the shock in his heart with a joke, but the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed him.
Temari to the side, gripped the ribs of the Three-Star Fan tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Her gaze was fixed on the Heavenly Screen — Naruto, his body wreathed in golden Chakra, was exploding into shockwaves as he fought Momoshiki with Momoshiki, bone-crunching blows; Sasuke's Susanoo and the Kusanagi Sword intertwined with lightning, each strike seemingly tearing the sky apart.
"Is this really... a battle between ninjas?" she murmured to herself, her voice trembling with barely concealed uncertainty. Just a short while ago, during the Chunin Ninja Exams, she had competed against Naruto and Sasuke. While she knew they were exceptionally talented, she at least considered them still within the realm of "humanity." But now...
(Their future selves are like monsters from mythology...)
The hot wind whipped up dust, blinding Kankuro. He rubbed his eyes in frustration, then suddenly kicked a pebble at his feet.
"Damn it! We're all the same age, so why is there such a huge gap between us?!"
Temari a deep breath, Three-Star Fan unfolded with a "whoosh," its surface reflecting a cool light in the sunlight.
"Instead of complaining here..." Her eyes suddenly sharpened, "You should think about how to ensure you don't hold others back in the future!"
Kankuro was taken aback for a moment, then grinned. He flicked his finger, and the Puppets "Crow" and "Black Ant" simultaneously assumed fighting stances.
"That's right! At the very least... I need to make sure my Puppets are useful on that kind of battlefield!"