On the screen, Yagyu Masahiko leaned against the window. Though his eyes were closed, his posture radiated vigilance and reliability.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
A split second later, a noise erupted from outside, immediately followed by Asuma's frantic cry for help. The Masahiko on screen didn't hesitate.
In front of the light screen, the real Masahiko watched the performance. Even he couldn't find a single flaw in his own acting. Naturally, the netizens had no way of seeing through the facade or realizing that he was the very assassin who had struck just moments ago.
The scene played out until Masahiko completed the full emergency resuscitation protocol. Despite his efforts, he failed to bring Kitane back.
"The Old Thief really gave it his all this time.""He's just a half-trained medical ninja. What could he do? Nothing to be done.""The characters are handling it well, too. No one is harassing the medical staff.""Sigh, the Ninja World is just too dangerous."
Seeing Masahiko's desperate attempt to save his comrade, and the grim expressions of those around him, many viewers actually felt a surge of admiration for his professionalism.
In the subsequent scenes, Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi locked their suspicions onto Orochimaru. They even obtained intelligence confirming that Orochimaru was currently in the Capital.
Everything lined up perfectly!
The majority of the audience was convinced. Maybe it really was Orochimaru. Some viewers even dug up previous clips where Orochimaru and Shisui mentioned traveling to the Capital. Coupled with the fact that the radical Guardian Kazuma had moved his base of operations, many were led astray, believing Orochimaru was the culprit without a doubt.
But then, the scene shifted.
Night. A bridgehead. A samurai stood waiting.
A disguised ninja burst from the water, landing on the shore.
"Masahiko-kun, framing someone isn't exactly something collaborators should do, is it?"
In an instant, the bullet comments exploded.
"? ? ?""Holy sh*t! The Ninja World is terrifying!""I seriously thought it was really Orochimaru! It was the Old Thief who pulled the trigger?!""What in the world? I just praised the Old Thief for his dedication! Can I retract that?""Oh, he's dedicated alright. Just not in the way we thought."
The cursing was deafening.
Yet, in the real world, Masahiko's expression remained calm, as if the barrage of insults wasn't directed at him.
As the revelation "Itachi Uchiha is here too" dropped...
The scene cut away.
Inside a dimly lit room, a wandering samurai sat formally (Rōnin), complaining to another figure about his subordinates being arrested and his territory being raided.
A moment later, the other person looked outside, then stood up.
The samurai froze for a second, then...
He fell straight backward, dead.
A man wearing a spiral orange mask emerged from beneath the floorboards.
Itachi bowed his head slightly.
*Madara* spoke: "Do you know what your mission is?"
Itachi thought for a moment. "Monitor them? Assist them in capturing the Tailed Beasts?"
*Madara* shook his head.
"The Tailed Beasts are certainly important, but that is Shisui's task. If he fails, I will hold Shisui accountable. As for you..."
"You are to keep a close watch on Orochimaru. He may betray me."
*Madara's* tone was icy.
Itachi fell silent for a few seconds. "If he betrays you, what should I do?"
"You may attempt to kill him."
*Madara* replied, "Orochimaru is not so easily killed, but he is a smart man. If you fail, do not concern yourself with him. I will have other arrangements when the time comes."
"Understood."
Itachi nodded in acceptance.
The masked man vanished.
From the moment Itachi appeared, there had been plenty of insults like "Itachi-livestock" scrolling across the screen, but some comments remained analytical:
"Itachi wanted to infiltrate the organization to gather intel, to get close to Shisui, but 'Madara' won't let him get his way. Pitiful!""A man who betrays his own clan... even the enemy won't trust him.""Itachi, is this the world you wanted?"
Clearly, the audience hadn't forgotten Itachi's "world-shocking wisdom," and they still harbored dissatisfaction and skepticism regarding his actions.
Meanwhile.
In front of the light screen, Masahiko sank into thought.
Itachi's mission was to monitor Orochimaru, but in reality, Obito was observing both Itachi and Shisui.
Judging solely from the footage, Obito had no intention of letting Itachi into the core of the Akatsuki. Instead, he intended to use him as a potential force outside the organization.
On one hand, it was a diversified investment.
On the other hand... compared to Shisui, Obito trusted Itachi even less.
Furthermore, keeping Shisui close to Nagato had another benefit.
Nagato did not know about the ability of Kotoamatsukami.
If Shisui was loyal to Obito, then the existence of Kotoamatsukami could ensure Nagato remained loyal to Obito, forcing Nagato to carry out Obito's will. And if Shisui wasn't loyal? By moving Shisui—who excelled in Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu—away from his immediate vicinity, Obito ensured his own safety.
The current plot development implied that in the future, Obito's forces might include more than just the Akatsuki; other factions could emerge.
While Masahiko was lost in thought...
On the screen, Masahiko's report to the Root agent, Toge, had concluded. A flashback appeared, showing the scene where he had originally accepted the mission from Root.
Simultaneously, the audience connected the dots.
"I see! The four Guardian Ninja combined create a powerful Jutsu. If Kazuma wanted to assassinate the Daimyō, these four were the most likely to stop him.""So, his mission was to wipe out the Radical Faction? Killing Kitane was mainly to instigate the conflict.""That's dirty as hell!""The real question is: Can Danzō actually outplay the Old Thief?"
Seeing the flashback, the viewers understood the sequence of events.
The conflict between the Noble Faction and the Hokage Faction had existed for a while, but it hadn't been explicitly shown in the broadcast until now. By the time of this "movie arc," the tension between the two factions had reached a critical breaking point.
Both sides wanted to make a move to steer events in their favor. On this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura were in agreement.
And Yagyu Masahiko was the executioner.
No wonder he took up half the promotional poster!
After this, the camera shifted to the next day, inside a lavish aristocratic school.
Naruto was surrounded by a group of children.
They stared at him like he was some kind of animal. A pet.
They pointed at him, whispered, laughed—mocking him again and again.
At first, Naruto had looked excited.
But soon…
His mood sank.
In the end, he silently pushed through the crowd and bolted away.
Masahiko narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtful.
"So… he got bullied here, and now he's coming to me for comfort?"
The bullet comments expressed sympathy for Naruto's situation, though they weren't exactly surprised.
"A bunch of noble brats. It'd be weird if they actually liked a hillbilly like Naruto.""If it were Sasuke, it might have gone better. Dude's handsome.""The main issue is that Naruto actually cares about their opinions. If he didn't care, it wouldn't matter."
The audience didn't mock Naruto this time; instead, they felt heartache.
Naruto was indeed both sharp and obtuse in this regard. He could sense the malice radiating from people, yet he couldn't distinguish the reason behind it.
No one had ever taught him how to tell the difference.
No one had taught him what to do to change these people's views.
Naruto's journey in the Capital felt like a country kid visiting the big city for the first time—shifting from excitement and curiosity to a gradual, disillusioning loss of innocence.
But.
As his emotions and understanding of the world shifted, the audience felt a premonition.
The plot twist should be coming soon.
Sure enough…
In the next shot, the Noble Faction was practically popping champagne at halftime. They were discussing their grand visions for the future, completely unaware that the Guardian Ninja organization was already falling apart from the inside.
"This is ridiculous!""Kazuma is hilarious. He's being played like a fiddle. Just a few guys and he wants to arm-wrestle Konoha?""To be fair to Kazuma, Konoha is just too shady. Without a god's-eye view, anyone would be fooled.""The Noble Faction has ambitions higher than the sky, but they are genuinely stupid. Zero situational awareness."