"Masahiko..."
"I know the situation."
Masahiko held his hand, his face weary. "Is Naruto okay?"
"A portion of that Chakra was extracted, but the situation isn't too serious. Moreover, Orochimaru used a sealing technique at the end to seal Naruto's Chakra; it truly didn't endanger Naruto's life..."
Kurenai Yuhi said in a low voice.
Just as Masahiko was about to respond, he felt a gaze projected toward him.
He looked back.
Afterward, he looked at Kurenai Yuhi again and said, "Is Senior Asuma alright?"
"Him? He doesn't look like anything's wrong."
Kurenai Yuhi was bewildered, not understanding why he was suddenly mentioned.
She looked up and saw Asuma with his head lowered, looking depressed.
"After all, they were once comrades-in-arms; he's probably feeling bad in his heart."
Kurenai Yuhi whispered.
Masahiko understood and sighed softly, "Yeah, I once had a teammate who died that night. That Chakra, it's just like..."
His gaze turned toward Naruto's Room, his expression very complex.
Kurenai Yuhi was slightly startled, then fell silent as well.
Her father also died that night.
Sad expressions appeared on both their faces.
Asuma finally couldn't sit still anymore.
He stood up, took out a cigarette, and said with a forced smile, "I'm going out for a smoke."
"Okay."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded gently.
Asuma walked out of the courtyard, stood outside looking at the sky, smoking, his expression very melancholy.
Outside, Jiraiya said, "Will there still be Guardian Shinobi?"
Asuma held the cigarette in his hand, and only after a second did he say, "There will be. Seito and the others will still protect the Daimyo. Guarding itself is not wrong."
Jiraiya was silent.
"Have you found the 'King' in your heart?"
"Not yet."
Asuma shook his head, his mood low. "But I'm certain the King in my heart isn't in Kyoto... Perhaps, it's time to return to the village."
"That's fine. I also plan to return to the Fire Temple."
Jiraiya glanced toward the house.
That Chakra made him feel uneasy; he planned to go back and check things out.
"Very well."
...["naruto: Conflict! The Chapter of Two Jades!" filming completed!]
[Editing...]
[Film production successful!]
[Total runtime: 48 minutes 39 seconds]
[Screen time ratio: 54.1%]
[Notice: "naruto: Conflict! The Chapter of Two Jades!" will begin broadcasting on Friday at 8:00 PM. At that time, the playback function will be enabled for you, along with bullet chat support.]
Inside the Room, Masahiko, who was about to rest, finally saw the familiar subtitles broadcast.
Friday... he thought about it.
Calculating by the time here, it should be tomorrow night.
Just right for a day's rest.
Day after day, he was truly exhausted, especially today—
He had to play the hero and the "mastermind" behind the scenes, switching back and forth between Shadow Clones and his true body, jumping repeatedly between roles.
To avoid overexertion, his Shadow Clone had feigned a severe arm injury after taking a direct hit.
The effect was very successful.
It was just that the fatigue from multiple Shadow Clones stacking up was quite noticeable.
Fortunately, his current mental strength and physique were incomparable to his original self.
Otherwise, he might not have been able to hold on.
Masahiko leaned on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, it was already the next day.
The sun was shining brightly outside.
The Daimyo and the Aristocratic Faction clearly already knew what had happened yesterday.
In just one day, the Guardian Shinobi had fallen apart.
Orochimaru, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi... the names of S-rank Rogue Ninjas left the Aristocratic Faction without even the right to complain. They all pulled their heads in, not daring to make a sound.
Including Sanjō Take.
Of course.
The current Sanjō Take no longer has the right to complain... "So, Sanjō Take's eligibility as an heir has been revoked?"
"Yes."
Toge nodded.
Masahiko hesitated to speak.
The corner of Toge's mouth curled slightly as he said, "Your mission this time was very successful. The Lord praises you highly. If you need anything, you may speak up."
"To serve the Lord and Konoha, this junior seeks no personal gain!"
Masahiko put on a display of absolute loyalty, "However, there is one matter that I do not know if I should mention."
"Speak."
Toge was originally prepared to leave after a few more words of encouragement, but stopped again upon hearing this.
Masahiko said, "From my observations, Orochimaru seemed to be allied with Shisui and Itachi, but they are actually estranged. This time, for the Demon Fox's Chakra, he even betrayed Itachi..."
"You mean, he betrayed the person behind Shisui and Itachi?"
Toge asked.
He had his own suspicions about this, but at the time, he was participating in the siege of Shisui and was not on Orochimaru's side, so he didn't know the specifics.
Masahiko's guess might be more reliable.
"It's very likely, but this is my personal judgment. I'm worried it might affect your and the Lord's judgment."
Masahiko said "truthfully."
Toge pondered for a moment and said, "You were an eyewitness on the scene; your judgment is of great reference value. I will deliver the message."
"Thank you, Senior!"
After watching Toge leave, the Shadow Clone dispelled itself... In the other world.
During the day, the trailer for the movie "Conflict! The Chapter of Two Jades!" had already been released.
The trailer's poster was very simple—
A younger Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma, with a young Naruto in the middle, and Yagyu Masahiko crouching beside him.
On the other side stood Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and Orochimaru; the lineup was quite magnificent.
In the background... a figure clad in a black robe wearing a fox face mask covered the upper half of the poster, looking incredibly oppressive.
"A movie, holy crap! What are the Two Kings?"
"The 'King' refers to the King General in Shogi, equivalent to our General or Commander."
"Got it. It looks like some kind of struggle story."
That Old Thief Masahiko has really made it; he takes up half the poster by himself!"
"I feel like... in this movie, the Old Thief is likely the ultimate villain or a key character driving the plot. Otherwise, why would he take up so much space?"
"Occupying more than half the poster, the Old Thief most likely won't be getting a lunch box (killed off)."
There were many comments below.
Among them, many people joked about the image of the Black-Robed Man occupying most of the space, speculating on what the Old Thief's plot would be in this movie.
After all... based on common logic, generally speaking, the more space a character occupies, the more important they are.
However.
To see this movie, one would have to wait until at least 8:00 PM.
Looking at the skyrocketing number of pre-orders, the comments below began to shift, everyone praying that iKoo wouldn't crash tonight.
Finally.
8:00 PM—
"Holy crap! iKoo is pulling through, it didn't crash!"
"Fam, I'm in too! Not gonna lie, I'm here for the Old Thief. I gotta see how he flexes!"
"Maybe there'll be a shot of them in the same frame!"
After a series of bullet chats, several logos, and other normal procedures flashed by... the screen went black.
The next second, an overhead view of a large area around the Ninja Academy appeared in the lens. The picture was very clear and exquisite.
After a bird flew past, a horse-drawn carriage appeared on the road. The shot gradually zoomed in from the overhead view, finally locking onto the main gate of the Ninja Academy.
At this time, many teachers were gathered at the gate, as if an important person were arriving.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the gate.
A voice came from inside:
"I heard your Ninja Academy has a new, very young education class monitor? Where is he?"
The next moment... Yagyu Masahiko's voice came from behind the crowd.
The crowd parted, and Yagyu Masahiko, dressed up and looking even more handsome and dashing than usual, appeared at the end of the opening.
Accompanied by a gentle, polite, and warmly energetic voice... the carriage curtain was slowly lifted.
The noble lady inside the carriage seemed to be instantly captivated by his appearance, voice, and attire, just like many of the viewers.
After a slight daze, she finally lowered the curtain.