Chapter 223 : "Protect Kakashi from harm."#
"I… don't… feel… tired…"
As Naraku spoke, a line of blood traced his lips, slowly dripping down his jaw and into the soil.
Even though his body ached intensely, he merely suppressed the pain into an almost imperceptible tremor, hidden within his ragged breaths.
"I'm sorry… Aunt Mikoto… for making you… sad again… It's… all my fault…"
"There's no need to apologize, Naraku. I know you've always been a responsible child."
Mikoto used a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the specks of blood on Naraku's face, forcing herself not to look into his vacant eyes, and managed a smile.
"You tried so hard to protect Konoha… Naraku is my little hero."
Fatigue, like a tidal wave, gradually swallowed the last shred of his consciousness. Before Naraku fell unconscious, he made one last request to Mikoto.
"Please… don't tell… Kakashi… don't let him… know…"
"Okay, I won't let him know."
Mikoto nodded solemnly, agreeing. Only then did the young man in her arms relax, close his eyes, and fall asleep with his cheek pressed against her soft abdomen.
"Jin, Uchiha Naraku seems to be fine for now, doesn't he?"
Black Zetsu turned his small, soybean-sized eyes to Jin, as if asking him what to do now.
"I'm not in a hurry, why are you?" Jin waved his hand casually, with an inexplicable composure that suggested everything was under control. "Look at him, how much longer can he possibly live?"
Black Zetsu silently wriggled to the side and explained, "After all, that body will belong to you eventually, so I'm just worried if he breaks it…"
"No matter what, as soon as I return, that body will heal. And…"
Jin suddenly grinned, a smile full of undisguised malice blooming on his face.
"Don't you find it amusing to toy with that naive fellow, Uchiha Naraku?"
"His desperate struggles, running around for those Konoha ants, are simply hilarious~"
He looked at Black Zetsu with gently curved brows, but the madness flickering in his eyes made even the latter feel a chill.
"Anyway, the body will be mine sooner or later. For now, I'd like him to live a bit longer, so I can torment him a few more times."
"Every time I see that guy in agony, I feel so happy~"
Black Zetsu silently recoiled, not doubting that if conditions allowed, Jin would probably cut off the main personality's fingers himself just to hear his screams.
When Naraku woke up in his mental world, he learned from the System that the war between Konoha and Sunagakure had completely ended two days prior.
Sunagakure was defeated and forced to sign a non-aggression treaty with Konoha, along with a series of compensation clauses, withdrawing from the Land of Fire territory and forbidden to re-enter.
In the short term, Sunagakure would not, and could not, participate in the Third Great Ninja War again.
Konoha's war pressure was significantly reduced as a result.
Naraku: System, how do you know all this so clearly? Didn't we agree to watch the anime together? You actually snuck ahead and watched it without me…
The System was speechless at its host's abstract memeing.
"Many people came to visit you during this time, and these messages were mentioned by them."
Naraku: That's more like it.
The System, perhaps not wanting to continue playing along with his abstraction, directly opened the video website, clicked to refresh the anime directory, and sure enough, more than a dozen new episodes appeared.
—
In the episode after Hanzo of the Salamander and the Sunagakure envoy's secret talks, the opening scene showed Jin finding Nagato to reveal information, and the latter immediately decided to act after dark.
After this, the animator, using the Hidden Rain Village as the main perspective, presented a fairly detailed account of the Akatsuki Organization's nocturnal assault on the Village and the purging of its high-ranking officials.
Throughout Akatsuki's takeover of Amegakure, Jin did not appear again, and the fact that Yahiko became the Deva Path and his body was controlled by Nagato was kept secret throughout.
Presumably, the animator wanted to deliver a big twist to the audience later on.
As for the death of Hanzo of the Salamander, the "Ninja World Demigod," it was briefly mentioned in the anime.
The audience only saw several people standing in front of his corpse; after confirming he showed no signs of life, they all left the chaotic room.
[Bro, Eternal Day's intelligence system is too broken]
[Isn't that obvious? Someone already guessed that Jin moves freely in several major Ninja Villages, let alone a small Village like Amegakure]
[The mastermind vibe is getting stronger, Lord Jin~]
[Yes, do it! Woohoo!]
[Akatsuki Organization: You didn't listen when I spoke nicely, now you know how to cry? Too late!]
[Cry? Crying also has to be timed!!]
[You have to be strong yourself to forge iron; only with enough strength can you talk about dreams]
[Akatsuki: In the past, I was soft-hearted, but now let me show you what a beast that has shed too many moral shackles looks like! Open!!!]
[Damn, Hanzo of the Salamander is gone just like that? Such a weakling~]
[No wonder Jiraiya and Jin both said the Rinnegan was the savior; if it can instantly defeat someone of Hanzo of the Salamander's level, who else would save the world?]
[Akatsuki has grown so much overnight, finally showing some of that decisive spirit]
[Yes, even our ancestors from the Spring and Autumn and Sengoku periods knew that mere compromise is useless. If you want peace, you can only fight. Win the fight, and peace will naturally follow.]
Nagato was overwhelmed in Hanzo of the Salamander's office, while Jin leisurely joked around, tallying how much more work the former had to do.
His gloating expression made many office worker viewers clench their fists.
Nagato, burying his head like an ostrich, chose to surrender. Jin replenished his lost Chakra and then laid out the solutions, greatly boosting the audience's favorability towards him.
When Jin spoke of the Daimyo with utter disrespect, the bullet comments erupted in cheers.
[Congratulations to Nagato on his promotion to corporate slave, confetti confetti~]
[I really want to punch this unreliable guy]
[Work is already annoying enough, and there's a leisurely colleague chirping next to you! So annoying.jpg]
[It's over, the Saint is now completely submissive to the Pontiff]
[Oh my goodness, the mastery of this Medical Ninjutsu, it instantly brought Nagato back to life]
[He even understands public opinion warfare? Did he learn it from Danzo while undercover in Konoha?]
[That previous guess is too dark, Sakumo gives a thumbs down]
[I actually believe he's here to guide the savior; he's teaching him hand-in-hand]
[Jin, I was wrong, I didn't realize you were actually quite nice]
[Yay! Jin (kakanaru) is at the table!!]
[Mature tsundere mischievous cat and pitiful distressed puppy… Cat-dog literature is the best]
[Well said! What is a Daimyo in front of Ninja World powerhouses!]
[If changing the world still requires the Daimyo's permission, then this world should just be destroyed, it's beyond saving]
[Jin: If you can't do it, I'll just restart, don't waste time]
[Are kings, marquises, generals, and prime ministers born to be so!]
Skipping the ending theme to the next episode, the camera actually moved to the Konoha-Iwagakure front line, focusing back on Kakashi.
He, Obito, and Rin successfully ambushed the enemy's reinforcements and found a safe place to rest and apply medicine.
Rin warned Obito to be careful, but the latter retorted that Kakashi's Chidori was only so powerful because of the Sharingan given by Naraku.
Kakashi, who was on guard nearby, retorted, making Obito jump up from the ground in anger.
[Hahahahaha Obito's eyebrow is half gone]
[The pouting little expression is so cute~ Obito is a super adorable baby~]
[Obito: If you've got the guts, don't cheat!]
[Kakashi: I earned this soft rice with my own ability, why shouldn't I cheat!]
[You always get counter-killed by Kakashi, why do you even bother, Obito]
[Huh? Is that a pendant in Kakashi's hand?]
[What what what! Has the amulet pendant been found?!]
[Is The Old Thief finally going to let our KakaNara have some good days?!]
The audience members were more excited than the last. If the amulet that was once thrown away had been found, it would be a good omen that the animator was showing great mercy.
Obito initially wanted to mock Kakashi for still believing in such things as amulets, but upon hearing it was given by Naraku, the words almost out of his mouth were swallowed back.
Through a close-up shot, everyone finally saw the ceramic shard Kakashi was repeatedly caressing. It was indeed the pendant Naraku had personally polished, though its surface now had many delicate patterns added.
[Obito: You childish Kakashi, still believing in kid stuff]
[Kakashi: My wife gave it to me, do you have one? Eh, you don't~]
[Poor single dog Obito was shown up]
[Obito says, that's enough dog food for today]
A white flash crossed the screen, and Kakashi, in combat uniform, carrying a ninja sword and supplies, stood not far from the main force. He received the necklace from Naraku, and after seeing its appearance, his body involuntarily stiffened.
The sound of rain echoed in his ears, and he was momentarily transported back to that rainy night, and every midnight he spent groping and searching in the river after waking from the genjutsu.
"Why… why can't I find it…"
His helpless murmurs mixed with sweat, making the audience's hearts ache.
"Kakashi."
A familiar call brought Kakashi back to his senses. He mumbled "Huh?" in confusion, and saw Naraku holding his right hand and bowing his head to make a wish.
The young man's voice was gentle and devout.
"I hope it can protect Kakashi…"
As Naraku spoke these words, several short clips were continuously inserted into the screen, informing the audience that he had taken off his own ceramic shard and carefully modified it, hoping to protect Kakashi and keep him safe.
"…protect Kakashi from harm."
The intertwined hands of the two young men filled the entire screen.
Another flash of white light, and the camera returned to the current Konoha-Iwagakure front line.
Kakashi put the pendant, which carried his close friend's heartfelt wishes, back into his clothes and gently patted it twice.
[So Kakashi also searched many times, sob sob sob]
[The rainy night breakup is truly the deepest pain in both their lives]
[Who the hell did this awful thing, damn it!]
[It really looks too much like a wife seeing off her husband to war, I'm swooning]
[You say they're just friends even like this, who would believe it?]
[If it's too much, just kiss already, the atmosphere is perfect, please, for my sake]
[This episode is only two-thirds over and there's already so much food, I'm going to burst]
[Sister Kanai has only had a few good days, I'll eat until I burst even if there's food!]
[Wait, Naraku gave his amulet to Kakashi… so he doesn't have one himself?!]
[No good! No good! I have a super bad feeling!]
[Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, the last two episodes just said Sunagakure was going to attack Konoha, could Naraku really…]
[Damn you, The Old Thief! I'll fight you!! How much more tragic can KakaNara get, are you going to kill them again with a pendant?!]
[Good good good, The Old Thief has managed to make a single pendant so dramatic! So f***ing awesome! I have an early morning class!!]