News of the ninth episode was only a sideshow to Masahiko.
The reward would arrive sooner or later.
But…
Given the system's temperament, if he himself didn't work hard, a bit of extra help would be useless; everything still hinged on his own effort.
There were no classes in the afternoon, yet thanks to the Third Hokage's words last time, Masahiko couldn't simply go home, so he chose to "rest" in the office.
In truth, he entered the training space and tried to cultivate Water Jellyfish.
By evening, Masahiko was exhausted.
Still…
It wasn't for nothing.
[Water Jellyfish: Proficient]
At present Masahiko was only a beginner in Medical Ninjutsu, with a crude grasp of medicine; Water Jellyfish could now cover most areas of a body.
But in actual combat he would still have to split his focus to manipulate Chakra.
That was far from the jutsu's optimal effect, nowhere near mastery.
Still…
He had taken the first step and could now use it preliminarily in battle.
"Collapsing Flow, Water Jellyfish, Body Flicker Technique, Dance of the Crescent Moon… these will be my main body's abilities."
"Wave Riding Strike and powerful Water Release are the temporary direction for my alt."
Masahiko sorted the abilities on his panel to avoid mixing them up later and exposing himself—
Just like today's fight with Orochimaru.
If he hadn't needed to hide Wave Riding Strike, he could have attacked directly with Water Release instead of jumping through hoops.
Fortunately, things were slowly improving.
If he could perfect the Collapsing Flow system, he would likely be promoted to Jonin.
Special Jonin sounds only two syllables different, but dropping the "Special" means you can truly stand on your own.
In fact, a Jonin's duties and status are higher, enough to reach the "upper echelons" of the village.
Once he reached that level, both the Third Hokage and Danzo would value him more and allocate greater resources.
That mattered immensely!
Masahiko got up and left the office.
Nothing much was happening at the school; after classes ended only Iruka came over to say hello and confirm where Ino had gone that morning. After training, he arrived home a little past seven in the evening; washing and cooking pushed it to about eight.
A screen of light popped up, and Masahiko watched while eating.
Before long…
The light dimmed into darkness, then shifted upward to reveal a starry sky.
It panned down—
A boy was dashing through the forest.
It was Shisui!
Masahiko recognized him at a glance and studied the surroundings.
Nothing but trees; from this shot alone the place was unidentifiable, but as Shisui kept flickering forward the scene changed rapidly.
He gradually realized where it was.
Forest of Death!
Next he saw Shisui wandering until he found a hideout built into a mountain wall and underground cave.
Judging by its condition, the place had been abandoned only a few years; many structures hadn't yet succumbed to time, though dust was thick.
There's a place like this inside the Forest of Death?
Masahiko was surprised, then immediately thought—
It had to be a former Anbu site!
If so, odds were it had been one of Danzo's bases; after Danzo lost control of the Anbu, the training division was split off.
So… "This was once a Root squad stronghold."
A glint of admiration flashed in Masahiko's eyes. "With all of Konoha searching and every informant and Anbu in the Land of Fire mobilized, the safest place short-term is right under their eyelids."
Hiding in plain sight took tremendous nerve.
Even so, Shisui's days had probably been far from easy.
Unfortunately, the scene cut to Masahiko's own plot.
Though the edit never explicitly revealed his identity, the noticeably larger share of screen time made some viewers sense something off:
"Old Thief's Water Release is kinda strong—custom, maybe?"
"Feels like last episode and this one are hinting the Old Thief's shady."
"Any chance… the Black-Robed Man is the Old Thief?"
"No way—his Water Release looks rough, not that powerful."
They argued fervently.
Masahiko wasn't surprised.
Netizens had always had wild imaginations, and the "previous episode" had indeed telegraphed plenty through its camerawork.
He himself was a villain; there was no need to hide from the audience—everything depended on the "editor."
As the plot inched forward, discussions about him heated up.
Especially—
When Masahiko met Itachi and obtained a wealth of genjutsu knowledge from him, bullet chats screaming "Masahiko Old Thief" almost blew up the screen.
In front of a computer, Kishimoto frowned deeply.
"When did he get in touch with Orochimaru?"
Kishimoto was now certain: this character was the Black-Robed Man, the mastermind behind "Shisui's death."
What he hadn't expected—
Was that Masahiko also had ties to Orochimaru.
And…
The footage faintly disclosed that Masahiko had already guessed the identity of "Yakushi Kabuto."
But…
He hadn't revealed Kabuto's identity in the anime yet!
Parts not shown in the anime?
Kishimoto looked at the character portraits beside him, pen in hand, pondering how to write the side stories.
After a long while he relaxed his brow.
"Got it!"
He put pen to paper:
"The yagyu clan once lived in the Land of Water, a fiercely militant sword clan, later joining the Land of Iron and playing no small role in its founding."
"After each nation built its hidden village, some clan members moved from the Land of Iron to the Land of Fire."
"Now declined, indistinguishable from ordinary people."
"Note: consider setting the yagyu as a latent blood-branch of the Kaguya Clan."
"With this, the plot works!"
Kishimoto was excited—and a little uneasy.
He had his storyline.
But what about the anime?
That thing… seemed out of control.
"Forget it, I'll call it an 'if' version if I have to—write the character out first!"
…Konoha, yagyu household.
Masahiko finished watching patiently and frowned.
Too much personal plot meant relatively little new information, yet two vital facts emerged this episode:
One: Shisui was currently hiding in the Forest of Death.
Two: for some reason Shisui reappeared at the end, switched hideouts, and the scene showed signs of battle.
Had he been caught up to?
Masahiko froze the frame, studied it, and finally noticed—
Shisui now carried a sealing scroll in his hand.
That meant… he hadn't met the real enemy.
Obito?
The fight with Obito had been edited out?
He pondered, then rubbed his brow and resumed play.
One minute later.
[Popularity Rating: S]
[Comprehensive Evaluation…]
[You triggered heated discussion this episode, gaining high attention and popularity; remuneration reward upgraded.]
[Remuneration obtained: Bloodline Development Card.]
Masahiko's gaze locked onto the reward.
Soon—
[Bloodline Development Card: can unearth latent bloodlines within the body, with a chance to awaken one Bloodline Limit; development requires time.]
Masahiko was slightly startled.
A Bloodline Limit at last?
Wait.
Crap!
The damn probability!
"And what's with 'awaken one of them'? Does the surname yagyu have some hidden back-story?"
Masahiko was full of doubts.
Still, he knew—
He was definitely using this thing!
"Wash hands, light incense, then… let the gacha roll!"
....
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