Upon stepping out of the Hokage Residence and arriving home, Masahiko was greeted once again by the familiar holographic text floating in his vision.
[Naruto: The Prequel — Episode 13 Filming Complete!]
[Editing in progress...]
[Release Successful!]
[Total Screen Time: 10 minutes 38 seconds. Audience Share: 50.9%]
[Due to the high number of characters appearing in this episode, your screen time as a villain exceeded 50%. Your remuneration has been further increased.]
[Tip: ...]
It's edited already?
Excluding his just-concluded conversation with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the turnover was incredibly fast. Masahiko paused for a moment, his gaze drifting in the direction of the Konoha Hospital. Has Sasuke fled the hospital yet?
After a brief deliberation, he decided against visiting the hospital directly. instead, he walked home at a normal pace, intending to enter the training space to continue cultivating his "Great Fireball Explosion." Of course, Masahiko preferred to call it the "Grand Flame Explosion Technique." He was currently conducting an experiment: beyond adding compression and explosive properties to the standard Fireball Jutsu, could he also reduce its scale while accelerating the release speed? Although the technique had already reached the [Limit-Break] state, Masahiko felt there was still significant potential waiting to be excavated.
Evening settled in, the setting sun casting long, oblique shadows.
After dinner, Masahiko used his nightly jog as a cover to head toward the contact point previously designated by Root. As he approached the location, Toge materialized from the shadows, blocking his path.
"Who sent you?"
"My lord, I am here to submit research documents. Additionally, I need to report my meeting with the Hokage-sama today," Masahiko replied smoothly.
Toge's expression remained blank as he took the scroll. "What did the Hokage-sama say to you?"
"He spoke about a promotion to Jōnin. He mentioned my qualifications weren't quite there yet, but he was vague about the specifics. That is why I felt it necessary to report it," Masahiko explained.
Toge nodded slightly. "I will relay this to Danzō-sama. You may return."
"Yes!" Masahiko turned and left without hesitation.
Toge held the scroll, pondered for a few seconds, and then used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish into the stronghold. moments later, he stood before a door.
"Lord Danzō..."
"Enter."
Only after the voice sounded did Toge dare to push the door open. Inside, Danzō sat with his arm and lower right ribs heavily bandaged. "What is it?"
"My lord, the Hokage summoned Yagyu Masahiko today to discuss his promotion to Jōnin." Toge repeated Masahiko's report verbatim.
Danzō narrowed his eyes. "Hiruzen... he intends to draft him into the Anbu."
"Then, should we—?"
"Leave it be. For the time being, we go dormant. Do not provoke him again." Danzō took the scroll Toge offered. He scanned it roughly, a flash of appreciation flickering in his visible eye. "His accumulation of knowledge is lacking, but his mindset and research capabilities are formidable. He is indeed worth cultivating."
"After all, Orochimaru was once the Hokage-sama's disciple," Toge noted.
Danzō nodded. Comparing Yagyu Masahiko to Orochimaru was inherently unfair, and he wouldn't demand the young man possess the same level of genius. In fact, if Masahiko truly had Orochimaru's capabilities right now, Danzō would feel more suspicion and dread than satisfaction.
He picked up the scroll again, studying it. After a long silence, Danzō spoke. "The Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade has been modified. Although it has lost some flexibility, its power when used in combination attacks should be considerable." He handed the scroll back to Toge. "Have someone test it out."
Toge bowed and accepted the scroll, preparing to leave.
"Wait," Danzō called out. "Prepare a copy of the research data on the Eight Inner Gates. Give it to him. Let him see if he can develop a way to utilize it."
"Yes, sir!"
Under the solitary glow of a village streetlamp, Masahiko spotted Sasuke sitting in a corner, head buried in his knees. He smiled silently before walking over.
"Feeling aggrieved?"
Sasuke lifted his head. His expression was initially shattered, a mask of grief, but the moment he saw Masahiko, those volatile emotions seemed to dissolve. He fought back tears, his voice low and hoarse. "Sensei... can I stay at your house tonight?"
"Let's go."
Masahiko didn't ask for reasons. His shadow stretched long under the streetlamp, enveloping Sasuke's small frame as the boy stood up. Masahiko walked ahead, then paused as Sasuke caught up. "Have you eaten?"
Grrr—
A long, rumbling growl from Sasuke's stomach interrupted any attempt at a lie. Sasuke's face flushed red.
Masahiko chuckled. "Come on. I'll treat you to ramen. I can't afford anything expensive, though."
Sasuke quickly fell into step behind him. The ramen shop hadn't closed yet. As they sat and ate, Sasuke frequently glanced up at the teacher beside him.
"Eat."
It was only now that Sasuke realized—his teacher was actually quite young. In his memory, Masahiko seemed to be a former classmate of his cousin Shisui. He lowered his head again. "Thank you, Sensei. It's just for one night."
"It doesn't matter." Masahiko placed his chopsticks down and wiped his mouth with deliberate grace. "My place is quite empty. I can easily clear out a room for you to stay in temporarily."
Sasuke's dull eyes gradually regained a glimmer of light.
It was past eight o'clock when they returned to Masahiko's home. After showering, Masahiko opened the System interface and began watching the latest episode.
The opening barrage of bullet comments was dominated by praise for the upload speed.
"Sick! That was fast!""Update speed is god-tier!"
After all, the editing for these last two episodes had been exceptionally quick. The episode opened immediately following the plot of Masahiko's battle with Kakashi. However—
"Damn! He dipped so fast!""Saw the Lightning Blade and booked it immediately. He understands Kakashi too well.""Even though he's running away... the Old Thief's movement design is seriously handsome. Treading on the waves like he's flying.""Truly cool. Even when fleeing, he maintains the act!"
The comments were full of teasing regarding the black-robed man's "light-speed retreat," and the audience had all but accepted that the black-robed figure was indeed Masahiko. From the "God's Eye" perspective of the show, the amount of information available made it easier to lock onto his identity.
Masahiko didn't care. Did winning or losing matter? What mattered was the camera time and completing his objectives. A ninja who fought without using their brain was, at best, Hidan.
He dragged the progress bar forward.
After the black-robed man evacuated, a shot of "Madara" flashed by fleetingly. Then, the scene shifted with "Madara" to Uchiha Itachi's location. He had just finished killing a clansman. Moments later, Uchiha Fugaku was thrown out of the spatial void by "Madara."
Immediately, a massive wave of curses directed at Itachi flooded the screen, densely packing the interface until the video itself was barely visible. The viewers' resentment was practically spilling out of the display. Masahiko had to toggle the comments to 'semi-transparent' just to see the animation.
The plot unfolded largely as he had anticipated. The key difference this time was that Uchiha Mikoto took the incapacitated Fugaku and committed suicide together with him. At the moment of her death, the vitriol against Itachi subsided slightly.
"My heart hurts for Sasuke.""He just got a taste of warmth, a happy family, everything was looking up, and then... Sigh!""If I were Sasuke, I'd knife this bastard sooner or later!""Seriously, don't go soft on him. Itachi is not innocent at all."
The audience's sentiment shifted heavily toward pitying Sasuke. A seven-year-old child, desperate for attention and happiness, was destined to be shattered in this moment. Putting oneself in his shoes... the Sasuke of the future suddenly seemed tragic rather than annoying. No wonder he turned out that way.
On screen, the lights in the house dimmed. The camera transitioned seamlessly to the outside, shifting to Danzō's perspective.
From a high vantage point, the audience could see a girl carrying two wooden tubs, trailed by a black-robed figure whose attire and movements were undeniably suspicious. In the next second, Danzō launched himself from the heights, his feet deftly kicking off protruding rocks and tree branches to change trajectory in mid-air. As he descended, his chakra birthed violent gales that exploded outward, intercepting the massive surge of water created by the Water Style: Wild Water Wave.
Simultaneously, Danzō landed and delivered his line.
"Not gonna lie, the special effects and production here... putting aside Danzō's weird outfit, he's actually kinda handsome."
A comment praised the scene. The action choreography drew unanimous acclaim. If not for his previous actions, anyone seeing this would assume Danzō was a hero. However, as he unleashed Wind Style: Pressure Damage, public opinion took a sharp nosedive.
This was a large-scale area-of-effect Wind Style ninjutsu. The target was clearly not just the black-robed man, but also the little girl and the infant behind him.
"Wow, truly inhuman. Look at what you just said!""Did you even consider them villagers?""Danzō: To prevent the villagers from being kidnapped, I have decided to kill them all myself!"
Many viewers began to worry if the "Black-Robed Man" could escape—after all, he was previously alone, but now he was burdened with a group of children. The difficulty was incomparable.
But in the next second, their worries were rendered unnecessary.
The ground cracked open, and a torrent of water soared into the sky. Within the surging waves, the figure in the black robe moved like a phantom, weaving through the curtain of water and the howling gales.
He gripped a bone knife in his hand. Under the cover of the water, he charged straight at Danzō, the short, ivory blade tearing through the wind.
Water pillars, massive waves, and the man within the water...
From his appearance to the drawing of his blade, it happened in the blink of an eye. Water droplets and mist seemed to float around him, parting the razor-sharp wind blades of the Pressure Damage as he moved.
Yet, in another blink, the space occupied by the mist and spray was empty.
The wind could not stop the one who held the blade!