Naraku: He really did break it on his own… This is troublesome… He muttered to himself about another problem, but his lips still curled into a smile unconsciously. Realizing this, he quickly raised a hand to cover his mouth and coughed.
"Sigh, there's nothing I can do about Kakashi. Good thing I've already tricked Black Zetsu."
He pretended to be calm and clicked on the next episode. With a glance at the opening scene, Naraku knew his plan was pretty much solid.
—
The anime's timeline flashed back to after Yun Muyan was captured. Shimura Rō brought Zuo Tang to hand him over to the client, receiving the document confirming the mission's completion from the latter.
The atmosphere was silent and oppressive. At their feet, Yun Muyan was still sealed, lying on his side, his eyes tightly closed.
After the Konoha Ninja left, the Yun Mu Clan Member carried Yun Muyan into the entrance of the underground palace. They followed a passage lit by only a few candles, descended underground, and placed him in the center of a pre-prepared sealing array.
[This guy didn't die?!]
[Naraku activated Susanoo and still didn't kill him?]
[At that time, Naraku was severely injured, gravely ill, and emotionally broken. It's normal that he couldn't hit him.]
[Blood Brother is fine too? He was unconscious then, right? He's really lucky.]
[This means Blood Brother still has a role to play; he's not just a simple extra.]
Later, the animator used a few short shots and character dialogue to briefly explain Yunmu Yin's intentions: to extract Yun Muyan's heart for ritual refinement and activate the clan's Blood Release.
The Clan Member dispersed, full of hope. Yunmu Yin then opened his old, treasured scroll and meticulously studied it, every wrinkle on his face etched with greed.
[Blood Brother is so miserable. As expected, you can't trust a one-sided story.]
[I feel like Blood Brother is from the Yun Mu Clan, but after he awakened his Blood Release, Yunmu Yin started treating him as an experimental subject.]
[He finally got one person who awakened Blood Release, and he wants to dissect him? Is this old geezer out of his mind?]
[He wants to mass-produce the unique Blood Release. Blood Release isn't that powerful to begin with, and having only one or two wouldn't do much for the clan, so it's better to take a gamble.]
[What is Old Thief doing with this? Could Blood Brother still make a comeback?]
[It's also possible that this operation will lead to something big, like a mutated monster or something.]
The scene shifted. Late at night, the moon was bright and stars were sparse.
A small black beetle crawled out of the soil, slowly climbing onto a dry blade of grass, searching for any remaining sap in the stem, when it was suddenly brushed off by the edge of a passing cloak.
The camera moved from the ground to the person's back, following them as they walked into the Yun Mu Clan's settlement.
The shot never showed the front; the audience could only see a tall, straight back that even a loose cloak couldn't conceal. Through the gaps in the fabric as he walked, one could glimpse his distinctively jointed hands, and occasionally, a bit of his fair neck as his black hair swayed in the wind.
All these details hinted that this Mysterious Person was likely a handsome young man.
[New character? He looks like he'll be very handsome!]
[I feel an aura of a big shot emanating from him.]
[This is a treat for hand-fetishists.]
[His body proportions are absolutely perfect. As long as his face isn't bad, he's definitely in the top ten of Hokage.]
[This waist, these legs, these hands… *swoon*]
[Wipe your drool, it's dripping all over me.]
—
Naraku, of course, recognized the Mysterious Person as himself, the adult version disguised by "Jin" using a Transformation Jutsu.
He had enough confidence in his future body that even without showing his face, he could gain popularity points from fans through other details.
After all, no one understood better than he what those hungry girls wanted to see.
It was just selling a bit of his looks; he had been selling CP for so long, he wasn't afraid of this.
Naraku recalled the grown-up "Uchiha Naraku" he had seen in the mirror and felt his future was bright.
After enough musing, he finally calmed down to analyze the information revealed in this episode.
Several days passed between Yun Muyan being imprisoned in the underground palace and his rescue attempt.
The animator used a montage to connect these two segments, likely to achieve what he expected: to separate "Jin" and "Uchiha Naraku," portraying the former as a villain completely unrelated to the latter.
This alternate identity was successfully established, which was good, good; he could earn two sets of popularity points.
It was absolutely delightful.
—
The anime continued to play. The Mysterious Person strolled leisurely through the Yun Mu Clan's stronghold. Patrol members fell unconscious one after another behind him, yet the audience saw no trace of him making a move.
His steps were light, and he was composed, not at all like an intruder, but rather like he was returning home, even exhibiting an inappropriate sense of joy in his movements.
At the entrance of the underground palace, two Yun Mu Clan Member were on night watch. Seeing a stranger approach, they were about to react when their eyes lost focus, and they toppled straight to the ground, silent.
The Mysterious Person didn't even glance at the ants at his feet, walking directly into the cave entrance.
[Holy cow, I smell a hint of a prankster!]
[The composure of a strong person, you're so charming, bro.]
[What kind of ability is this? I didn't see anything, but the people already fell.]
[I feel like this character is not simple. Now there's good drama to watch in "Hokage."]
The scene switched to the interior of the underground palace. Yun Muyan awoke from his coma, listening to Yunmu Yin's ridiculous fantasies, and scoffed disdainfully a few times.
In just a few sentences, he provoked the old geezer to the point of breaking his composure. To avoid his Dao heart shattering, Yunmu Yin disregarded the auspicious day he had calculated and decided to finish off this chatterbox now.
[Is he dreaming? With just a few Yun Mu Clan Member?]
[Good heavens! The old man is triggered, hahahaha….]
[Blood Brother is truly an open person; he doesn't hold back even when slandering himself.]
[Blood Brother: With one flick of his mouth, he sees life and death lightly!]
[The key is that Blood Brother is right. Being captured alive by a Jonin squad truly isn't enough to elevate the Yun Mu Blood Release to a higher level.]
[Yunmu Yin: You broke my composure because you're arrogant. This knife will make your life and death uncertain!]
The short knife was not very clear in the dim light, but just as it was about to strike, sparks flew, and the sharp clang of metal echoed in their ears.
The camera showed Yunmu Yin's injured, bleeding hand, and the short knife, which had been struck away, spinning and deeply embedded in the ground.
The Mysterious Person who had just appeared in the anime was now beside Yun Muyan, gently patting his shoulder.
When he looked over, the white mask on the Mysterious Person's face was revealed. The flickering firelight made the two eye-shaped holes appear even more eerie.
[Vocal, so he's a companion? Is that why he's so calm?]
[Blood Brother is really playing with fire; he would have died a moment later.]
[There's a sense of 'it doesn't matter if I die, it's fine if I live' kind of slacker vibe, hahahaha.]
[Mysterious Person: As soon as I entered, I saw the person I was supposed to save trying to kill himself.]
Yunmu Yin, sensing something amiss, turned sharply, but upon meeting the newcomer's gaze, he became immobile, frozen in place, dripping with cold sweat.
The Mysterious Person's tone was familiar yet resentful, and Yun Muyan was equally casual. They chatted for a couple of sentences as if they had known each other for a long time, making the audience believe they were truly old friends meeting again.
When the Mysterious Person asked, "Aren't you afraid I'm here to kill you?", the audience again felt that the two must have an 'enemy-friend' relationship, otherwise why would they immediately ask if the other was there to kill them upon meeting?
[Such a charming voice! This voice-con is completely satisfied.]
[Even in the voice acting world, this is top-tier. Where did Old Thief find such a talented voice actor?]
[I thought the Mysterious Person was a cold, aloof big shot, but he speaks with a hint of delicate, almost coquettish charm… I like him even more.]
[One is eccentric, the other is crazy; they have such CP vibes.]
[Is this the unspoken understanding of old acquaintances?]
[Wow, I've already imagined ten thousand words of their entire process of loving and killing each other, being close yet distant.]
[He runs, he chases, he can't escape….]
[This way of interacting is too exciting.]