In the scene, Yagyu Masahiko is leaning by the window. Although his eyes are closed, he looks very alert and reliable.
At that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes.
The next second, a sound came from outside, followed by Asuma's urgent cry for help.
He didn't hesitate in the scene... In front of the light screen, Masahiko watched and couldn't find any flaws. Naturally, the netizens couldn't see any trace of him being the assassin from earlier.
It wasn't until Masahiko completed the entire resuscitation process but still failed to save Kitako... "This time, the Old Thief really did his best."
"He's just a half-baked Medical Ninja, what could he do? There was no way."
"Everyone is being very reasonable, no one is making a scene about medical malpractice."
"Sigh, the Ninja World is still dangerous."
Seeing Masahiko's efforts to save her and the expressions of the people around him, many even admired Masahiko's professionalism.
In the subsequent plot, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others all locked their sights on Orochimaru, obtaining intelligence that Orochimaru was in Kyoto.
This matched perfectly!
Most people felt... maybe it really was Orochimaru's doing. Someone even found shots from previous scenes where Orochimaru and Shisui mentioned going to Kyoto.
Coupled with Kazuma moving house, many viewers were led astray, believing it was undoubtedly Orochimaru.
But the next second.
In the dark night, at a bridgehead, a samurai—a disguised Ninja—leaped out of the water and onto the shore.
Afterward... "Masahiko-kun, framing someone like this... isn't something collaborators should do, is it?"
Instantly.
"???"
"Oh my god! The Ninja World is too terrifying!"
"I freaking really thought Orochimaru did it, but it turns out the Old Thief was the one who acted?"
"Damn it, I even praised the Old Thief for being professional... you're playing me! Can I take back my comment?"
"He really is professional, but not in the way we thought."
For a moment, the curses were deafening.
Masahiko's expression remained calm, as if the bullet chat wasn't talking about him.
As the news that "Uchiha Itachi has also arrived" was revealed—
The scene cut.
In a dim Room, a wandering samurai sat inside, complaining to another person about his subordinates being captured recently and his place being shut down.
A moment later, the other person looked outside and then stood up.
The opponent was stunned for a moment, then... fell straight backward.
The man wearing the Uzumaki Mask crawled out from under the floorboards.
Itachi lowered his head slightly.
"Madara" said, "Do you know your mission?"
Itachi thought for a moment and said, "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 naturally hold him accountable. As for you..."
"You are to keep an eye on Orochimaru. He might betray me."
"Madara's" tone was cold.
Itachi was silent for a few seconds before saying, "If he betrays you, what should I do?"
"You can try to kill him."
"Madara" replied, "Orochimaru isn't that easy to kill, but he is a smart man. If you fail, you don't need to worry about him; I will have my own arrangements then."
"Yes!"
Itachi nodded in agreement.
The other party vanished and left.
From the moment Itachi appeared until now, there had been many bullet chats like "Itachi-scum," but there were also some serious ones:
"Itachi wants to join the organization to gather information and get close to Shisui, but Madara just won't let him have his way... how pitiful!"
"Even enemies won't trust someone who would betray their own clan."
"Itachi, is this what you wanted?"
Clearly.
Everyone had not forgotten Itachi's'stunning wisdom,' and they still held dissatisfaction and doubt toward his various actions.
Meanwhile.
In front of the light screen, Masahiko couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Itachi's mission was to monitor Orochimaru, but it was also Obito observing both Itachi and Shisui.
Judging solely from the scene, Obito had no intention of letting Itachi enter the Akatsuki Organization, but instead wanted to use him as a potential force outside of it.
On one hand, it was diversifying investments.
On the other hand... compared to Shisui, Obito trusted Itachi even less.
Furthermore, letting Shisui get close to Nagato had another benefit—
Nagato did not know about the power of 'Kotoamatsukami'.
If Shisui were loyal to Obito, then the existence of Kotoamatsukami could ensure Nagato's loyalty to Obito, making Nagato carry out Obito's orders.
If Shisui were disloyal, by moving Shisui—who was very strong in Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu—away from his side, Obito himself would be safer.
The current plot development meant that in the future, Obito might have more than just the Akatsuki Organization under his command; other factions might appear as well.
While Masahiko was deep in thought—
On the light screen, Masahiko's report to Toge had ended, and a scene appeared showing him previously taking a mission from Root.
At the same time... "So that's how it is. Those four people can use combination Ninjutsu. If Kazuma and the others want to assassinate someone, they are the most likely targets."
"So, wiping out the Radical Faction was his mission... killing Kitako was mainly to instigate conflict."
"How sinister!"
"The question is, can Danzo outplay the Old Thief?"
Seeing the flashback, everyone roughly understood the sequence of events.
The conflict between the Aristocratic Faction and the Hokage Faction had already existed; it just hadn't been shown in the plot before.
By the time of the movie version, the conflict between the two factions had reached a breaking point.
Both sides wanted to do something to steer things in the direction they needed. On this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo were in agreement.
Yagyu Masahiko was the executor this time.
No wonder he took up half the poster!
After this, the camera moved to the next day, at a magnificent aristocratic school.
Naruto was surrounded by a group of children, who looked at him like an animal or a pet, pointing and laughing from time to time.
At first, Naruto was a bit excited, but later... his mood gradually dampened.
In the end, he silently jumped out of the crowd and ran away quickly.
"So, he was bullied here and came to me seeking comfort?"
Masahiko thought thoughtfully.
The bullet chat expressed sympathy for Naruto's situation, but it wasn't surprising—
"It would be a miracle if a bunch of aristocratic children could look up to a country bumpkin like Naruto."
"It might be better if Sasuke came; after all, Sasuke is very handsome."
"Mainly, Naruto cares about these things. If he didn't care, it wouldn't matter."
Regarding Naruto, everyone didn't mock him; they felt more heartache.
Naruto was indeed both sensitive and dense in this regard.
He could sense some people's malice, yet he couldn't distinguish the reasons for their malice.
No one taught him how to distinguish it.
No one taught him what he should do to change these people's views.
Naruto's time in Kyoto was very much like a country child entering the city—from being excited and curious at the beginning to gradually becoming disillusioned.
But.
As his emotions and insights changed, everyone had a faint feeling—
The turning point in the plot should be coming soon.
Sure enough.
In the next scene, the Aristocratic Faction members were celebrating prematurely, talking about their future visions, completely unaware that the Guardian Shinobi had already fallen apart from within.
"Truly ridiculous!"
"Kazuma is also a joke, being played like a fiddle. With just these few people, they want to challenge Konoha..."
"Kazuma and the others... mainly Konoha is too sinister. Without an omniscient perspective, anyone wouldn't be able to stand it."
"The Aristocratic Faction has high ambitions but is truly stupid, lacking any insight."