Silence. A profound, echoing silence settled within the colossal, shimmering Water Dome—a miraculous enclosure where the vast, turbulent sea now hung inverted above them, a dome of liquid impossibility.
The stage had been set, the combatants isolated. The declaration—Destiny bears witness on this stage!—resonated not just in their ears, but in the deepest, most superstitious corners of their shinobi souls.
They stared up at the impossible, their minds reeling. It wasn't the raw power that was so shocking; it was the sheer casualness with which this power was wielded. The entire world had been twisted, reshaped, simply to provide a suitable arena for their upcoming clash.
What was the Omniscient and All-Powerful Chamber of Commerce? What were its true motives? How could a merchant hold such dominion over the very fabric of existence?
"Woah! This is totally, completely, ridiculously awesome!"
The spell of terror and awe was broken by the most unlikely champion: Naruto Uzumaki. He bounced on the balls of his feet, his eyes wide with unadulterated excitement.
To the boy who craved recognition, who dreamed of being the flashiest ninja in the world, this magnificent, reality-defying spectacle was utterly glorious. This was a stage worthy of a hero.
Yet, for the others, the feeling was less exhilaration and more an overwhelming, crushing sense of oppression. They felt like ants gazing up at an impossible, alien skyscraper. It was a cognitive shock, a complete demolition of the world's established rules.
For veteran shinobi like Kakashi and Zabuza, who prided themselves on mastering reality, this was a glimpse of a power hierarchy that dwarfed their own.
A fleeting, almost terrifying thought seized them: How limited have we been? How small is the world we thought we understood? This feeling of being insignificant mortals facing an almost divine entity—a sense of infinite speculation and fascination—was exactly what Shen Mo desired.
Floating serenely at the zenith of the water dome, Shen Mo observed their reactions with satisfaction. This unveiling was a crucial part of his grand design.
Authority must be established before policy, he mused. All future transactions, all compliance, rested on the absolute, unshakeable belief in the Chamber of Commerce's power. It wasn't about money; it was about ideology.
"As long as a spark of life exists, there will be the collision of fates," Shen Mo's voice echoed, soft now, yet pervasive. "Even across the infinite multiverse, destiny holds a profound, unspoken meaning."
The members of the impromptu audience listened, rapt, feeling the intellectual thrill of standing at the precipice of a knowledge that transcended their humble, village-bound existence. They were about to receive their first lesson in a higher cosmology.
"But alas, in most worlds, creatures as modest as yourselves merely follow a rigid, pre-determined script."
Shen Mo raised his hand, and the colossal wall of seawater above them suddenly became a shimmering, semi-transparent projection screen. Images flickered to life—the same scene, the same half-built bridge, the same protagonists: Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku.
The stark difference sent a chill through the assembly: Zabuza and Haku wore no extraordinary gear; there was no sign of the Jar Merchant.
"Behold," Shen Mo intoned, his voice laden with ancient sorrow, "This is the true destiny that awaited you."
The images unfolded, a devastatingly detailed preview of their fate. They watched in horror as Kakashi's Lightning Blade shot toward Zabuza, only to be intercepted by Haku, who sacrificed himself with serene resignation.
They saw the moment of Naruto's heartbroken, passionate speech that broke through Zabuza's icy shell. And finally, they witnessed Zabuza's tragic, tearful, last stand against Gato's mercenaries, dying beside his young partner's body.
The raw emotion in the projected scene hit Zabuza and Haku like a physical blow. Their hearts hammered, flooded by a catastrophic tidal wave of feeling. This was the truth. This pitiful, doomed, but strangely beautiful ending was the path they had been hurtling down until the Jar Merchant's sudden, powerful intervention.
Naruto and Sasuke were equally dumbstruck. Sasuke watched, horrified, as an earlier scene played out: himself, collapsing into a spreading pool of his own blood; Naruto erupting in a raw, furious burst of power upon seeing his death; and the sight of Sakura kneeling, consumed by grief.
I was supposed to die? Here? The realization struck Sasuke like a paralyzing bolt of lightning. My revenge... my ambition... all of it would have ended in this miserable, forgotten corner of the world?
The shock was absolute. To see one's own, narrowly avoided, tragic ending laid out like a play was utterly jarring. Every person present had an almost visceral certainty: this was the fate that the Jars had shattered.
"The instant my eyes settled upon you," Shen Mo declared, his tone escalating, his calm exterior giving way to a sudden, divine fury, "I saw your predetermined, meager, and inescapable futures. And I found it to be an insult to the concept of destiny itself!"
The sea dome overhead began to churn, the calm surface writhing violently. A terrible, silent storm of energy erupted. The projected images of their original fate were instantly, catastrophically torn apart, ripped into a million shreds of light and water. It was a tangible, violent metaphor for their broken timelines.
"Even the humblest life possesses the sacred right to struggle against its allotted narrative!" Shen Mo's voice thundered, imbued with a powerful, compelling conviction. "This is the core belief of the Chamber of Commerce! This is our mission! This is why I arrived, why I intervened, and why I have destroyed your old world!"
Zabuza and Haku trembled, a dizzying mix of awe, excitement, and sheer panic coursing through them. Sasuke was shaking, too, the cold hand of his potential demise gripping him.
Every individual who had just witnessed their own wretched future—a future they had narrowly cheated—was overwhelmed. No one desires to be a mere puppet of fate; everyone instinctively yearns for the right to forge their own path.
In that instant, they grasped the staggering significance of the magical Jars and their connection to the Omniscient and All-Powerful Chamber of Commerce. The Jars were not just trinkets; they were tangible grants of the right to fight against fate.
Even Kakashi, who had already suffered the seemingly permanent loss of his past and the memory of Rin, felt a powerful tremor run through him. The profound fear of losing a gift—the chance to change a narrative—can be even more consuming than the fear of death itself.
The merchant and his Commerce had instantly transformed into something impossibly grand, sublime, and worthy of absolute reverence in their eyes.
They were no longer customers; they were crusaders for a cosmic cause, and the Chamber of Commerce was their benevolent, terrifying patron. They now perceived the act of spending money—purchasing the Jars—not as a transaction, but as a blessed privilege.
The foundation is laid, Shen Mo thought, noting the profound shift in their gazes. His mind, always racing ahead, confirmed his strategy: the motive must be elevated beyond simple profit. It must be about faith—the faith in the struggle against fate.
This solidified foundation would ensure loyalty and gratitude, making the exchange of wealth a secondary, necessary principle, not the primary goal.
He let the emotional storm abate, and the turbulent sea dome gradually returned to its placid, impossible state.
"Of course," Shen Mo continued, his voice regaining its calm, managerial tone, "even the shattering of your original destiny does not grant you absolute control over the new one."
The words acted as a cold shower, pulling them back from the ecstatic contemplation of divinity. They knew this already. The chance to change fate was merely the starting gun; the race itself still required their strength.
"For every rise, there is a fall. Conflict and competition among the members are inevitable," Shen Mo confirmed. "As I stated: only the winners will ascend, and the losers... will eventually fall into a new, yet-to-be-determined oblivion. However," he paused, injecting a renewed sense of anticipation, "as members of the Chamber of Commerce, you are privileged. You will enjoy distinct benefits and advantages during this process of fighting your fate. This very stage is one of them."
Privileges. Advantages. The words immediately revived the spirits of Zabuza and Haku, transforming their earlier panic into a keen, calculating ambition. They were no longer passive puppets of cosmic destiny, but proactive players, warriors filled with the resolve to seize this precious opportunity. Welfare and benefits spoke louder than abstract concepts of purpose.
"Firstly," Shen Mo announced, finally cutting to the practical, monetary heart of the matter, "we shall implement the Witness Betting System. In this Arena of Fate, witnessed and officiated by the Chamber of Commerce, the combatants on both sides are permitted to place a wager of up to three times the value of their initial stake. These points, if won, can be immediately converted and used to purchase additional Jars."
This was the final, potent hook. The promise of not just survival, but the chance to exponentially increase their power and rewrite their future with greater force, was the ultimate incentive. The fate of their souls, the power of their destiny, was now tied directly to the thrill of a cosmic, high-stakes gamble.