The sky over the Elemental Nations was usually just a backdrop for birds and clouds. But on that day, the sky became the messenger.
It started in the Land of Water. The perpetual gloom that hung over Kirigakure didn't just dissipate; it was violently torn asunder. A fissure in the cloud layer, hundreds of miles long, stretched across the horizon like a scar.
To the common farmer, it looked like a freak weather event.
To the Sensory Divisions of the Five Great Nations, it felt like a hammer to the skull.
Konohagakure: Sensory Division HQ
Inoichi Yamanaka tore the headset off his ears with a gasp of pain. He fell out of his chair, clutching his head.
"Captain!" A sensor chunin rushed to his side. "What happened? Did we detect a Tailed Beast bomb?"
"No..." Inoichi wheezed, his nose bleeding. "Not a bomb. Not chakra."
He looked at the massive sensory water sphere in the center of the room. The water wasn't rippling; it was vibrating so hard it was misting.
"It was a scream," Inoichi whispered, his eyes wide with a primal fear. "Not a sound... a Will. A Will so powerful it distorted the atmosphere halfway across the continent. It came from the Mist."
He grabbed the chunin's vest.
"Get the Hokage. Tell him... tell him the sky has cracked."
The Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, looking East. He didn't need a sensor to tell him something had happened. The air pressure in Konoha had dropped suddenly, making his ears pop.
The door opened. It wasn't Inoichi. It was Danzo Shimura.
The leader of Root walked in without knocking, his cane tapping rhythmically on the floor.
"You felt it, Hiruzen," Danzo said, his voice like dry leaves.
"I did," Hiruzen replied without turning.
"Reports are already coming in via my network," Danzo said. "An event in Kirigakure. A shockwave that flattened a mountain range. The Mist has cleared."
"Shanks," Hiruzen said the name heavily.
"The Pirate," Danzo confirmed. "Intelligence suggests he engaged a high-level combatant. Likely the one controlling the Mizukage. And in doing so... he displayed power that renders our understanding of Ninjutsu obsolete."
Danzo stepped closer.
"He split the heavens, Hiruzen. Without chakra. This represents a fundamental shift in the balance of power. If Konoha does not secure him—or his body—we will be left behind."
Hiruzen turned, his eyes sharp. "He is not a weapon to be secured, Danzo. He is a sovereign entity. Kakashi's report was clear: do not provoke."
"He is a man!" Danzo snapped. "A man of flesh and blood! If we dissect him, we can learn the secret of this 'Haki'. Imagine an army of Konoha shinobi who can nullify jutsu with their presence. We would rule the nations."
"Or we would be destroyed by the man we tried to dissect," Hiruzen countered. "He liberated the Mist, Danzo. He freed Yagura from manipulation. That makes him an ally to stability, not a threat."
"He is a pirate," Danzo scoffed. "They are chaotic by nature. Today he saves the Mist. Tomorrow he might decide he wants the Fire. I will simply mobilize Root to—"
"If you send Root after him," Hiruzen unleashed a fraction of his own killing intent, "I will have you executed for treason, Danzo. I mean it."
Danzo narrowed his eye. He saw the resolve in his old friend's face.
"You are growing soft, Hiruzen. This hesitation will be your undoing."
Danzo turned and left. But in the shadows of the hallway, he clenched his fist. If I cannot take him... I must find a way to neutralize him. Or perhaps... Orochimaru will have an answer.
Iwagakure: The Tsuchikage's Office
Onoki the Fence Sitter floated above his desk, his back aching more than usual.
"Grandfather!" Kurotsuchi burst into the room. "The sensors are going crazy! They say a massive wind scythe cut through the Land of Water's airspace!"
"I know, I know," Onoki grumbled. "My back tells me when the weather changes."
He floated to the map on the wall. He looked at the Land of Water.
"The Blood Mist is ending," Onoki muttered. "That kind of force... it clears the board."
"Who could do that?" Kurotsuchi asked. "The Mizukage?"
"No," Onoki shook his head. "Yagura is a child playing with a turtle. This... this feels like the old days. Like Madara Uchiha. Or Hashirama Senju."
He stroked his beard.
"A new player has entered the game, Kurotsuchi. And he's flipping the table. Send spies. I want to know what he eats, where he sleeps, and most importantly... if he can be bought."
The Akatsuki Hideout
The holographic meeting was silent. The atmosphere was tense.
Pain stood in the center.
"Zetsu," Pain said. "Report."
White Zetsu emerged, looking unusually shaken. "He broke Tobi's mask," Black Zetsu finished.
A ripple of shock went through the gathered criminals. Tobi—the man who pulled the strings from the shadows, the man who was untouchable—had been hit.
"Is he dead?" Kisame asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"No. He warped away. But he is gravely injured. His chest was crushed. The attack... it was called 'Divine Departure'. It overwhelmed the Kamui."
Itachi Uchiha remained stoic, but his mind was racing. Kamui... the space-time jutsu. To hit Obito while he is intangible requires an attack that strikes the soul, or speed that surpasses the activation time. Shanks... just who are you?
"He has claimed the Mist," Pain stated cold. "He declared it under his protection. This complicates our retrieval of the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails."
"So we go kill him, yeah?" Hidan swung his scythe. "Sacrifice him to Jashin!"
"You would die before you drew blood," Pain said. "This man possesses a power that negates our advantages. Until we understand 'Haki', we avoid the Land of Water."
"The Pirate Era..." Kisame chuckled darkly. "Looks like the ninja world is getting a wake-up call. I might have to go meet this guy eventually. My sword is getting hungry."
"Focus on the other beasts," Pain ordered. "Let the nations panic. Let them poke the bear. We will watch."
Konoha: The Academy
Naruto was sitting on the swing, looking at the sky. The weird cloud formation had reached even here—a long, thin line of separated clouds high in the atmosphere.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke walked over. He looked at the sky, then at Naruto.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Sasuke asked quietly.
Naruto nodded, clutching the wooden ship carving. "It feels like... Shanks-nii is angry."
"He's not just angry," Sasuke said, his eyes intense. "He's fighting. That pressure... it's the same feeling as the bridge, but a thousand times stronger."
Sasuke clenched his fist.
"He's getting farther away," Sasuke whispered. "The gap between us... it's getting bigger."
"Then we gotta run faster!" Naruto jumped off the swing. "Come on, Sasuke! Let's go ask Kakashi-sensei for a mission! If Shanks is out there breaking stuff, we can't be sitting here doing D-Ranks!"
Sasuke smirked. "For once, you're right, loser."
Kirigakure: The Morning After
The sun was shining. Actually shining.
The fog that had choked the village for decades was gone, blown away by the single slash of a sword.
In the village square, a banquet was being held.
It was disorganized. It was messy. It was loud.
And I was in the middle of it.
"MORE MEAT!" I shouted, holding up a gigantic bone with unidentifiable roasted flesh on it.
"Aye, Captain!" Zabuza sighed, tossing another steak onto the grill. He was wearing an apron over his ninja gear that said Kiss the Cook (a gift from the Doctor).
Mei Terumi sat next to me. She was drinking me under the table, or trying to.
"So," Mei said, her cheeks flushed. "You defeat the shadow leader, you clear the sky, you liberate the Mizukage... and all you want is a feast?"
"And supplies," I added, chewing. "We need water, rice, and maybe some new cannons. The Red Potato is looking a bit under-gunned."
"You can have whatever you want," Mei said, leaning closer. "You saved us, Shanks. The people... look at them."
I looked. The villagers were hesitant at first, but seeing their 'Demon' Zabuza grilling steaks and the terrifying Red-Haired stranger laughing had broken the ice. Children were running around. The grim atmosphere of the Blood Mist was evaporating with the fog.
Yagura sat nearby, wrapped in a blanket. He looked frail, but his eyes were clear.
"Shanks-san," Yagura said softly.
"Yeah, kid?"
"Why?" Yagura asked. "Why help us? You're a pirate. We're ninja. We are enemies."
I set my meat down. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.
I looked at the kid. Then I looked at the clear blue sky I had made.
"Because," I said, "I saw a kid crying on a bridge once. And I saw a ghost crying on an island yesterday. And I got tired of hearing people cry."
I stood up, grabbing a fresh bottle of sake.
"This world is obsessed with chains," I said, addressing the table. "Chakra chains. Chains of hatred. Chains of duty. It's suffocating."
I grinned, the old Shanks charm returning in full force.
"I'm just here to cut a few chains. Make things a bit more... free."
Dr. Bushy Brow leaped onto the table. "A TOAST! TO THE LIBERATION OF YOUTH! AND TO THE CAPTAIN WHO SPLIT THE SKY!"
"KANPAI!" The villagers cheered.
I drank. It was good sake.
But in the back of my mind, I knew the truth. I had poked the hornet's nest. I had broken Obito's mask. I had terrified the Five Nations.
The vacation was over. The casual adventure was gone.
I was a Yonko now, even in this world. And that meant war was coming.
"Zabuza," I whispered as the party raged on.
"Captain?"
"Get the ship ready. We leave at dawn."
"Already? We just started the party."
"If we stay," I said, looking at the horizon where the sky was still healing, "we put a target on their backs. The World Government... I mean, the Ninja Villages... they won't ignore this. We need to keep moving. We need to draw the fire away from here."
Zabuza nodded, understanding perfectly.
"Where to next?"
I looked at the map in my mind. I had visited the Mist. I had met the Cloud.
"The Exams," I murmured, remembering the timeline. "The Chunin Exams are coming up in Konoha, aren't they?"
"In a few months, yes."
"Then we have time," I grinned. "Let's go find this 'Jiraiya' guy I keep hearing about. I hear he writes terrible books. I want an autograph."
Zabuza groaned. "You want to find one of the Sannin? He's impossible to track."
"Not for me," I tapped my eye. "I can hear the perversion from a continent away."
The feast continued into the night. The world was afraid. The Kages were plotting. The Akatsuki were regrouping.
But in the Land of Water, for the first time in a generation, there was laughter under a clear, starry sky.