Naraku was utterly stunned.
Did Kakashi actually break out of the Genjutsu by himself?
Was Black Zetsu that weak?
However, seeing what happened next, he felt a slight sense of relief.
The jutsu hadn't been completely broken yet, so Kakashi was temporarily safe.
But from the looks of it, the Genjutsu wouldn't last much longer.
He had to quickly reassure Black Zetsu.
Otherwise, if Black Zetsu found out the jutsu had disappeared, wouldn't he hit Kakashi with another harsh blow, just in case?
The scene shifted to Minato.
He had just accepted a mission from the Hokage Office.
He still had to comfort Jiraiya, who was waiting for him downstairs and fretting over missing Tsunade.
After Minato asked why he was so dejected, Jiraiya showed the bitter smile of an elder who had experienced many hardships.
"One can lose opportunities again and again."
"But it cannot be a near miss, nor can it be a squandered chance."
"You are still too young..."
The audience initially thought they would delve into some life philosophy.
But Jiraiya's conversation quickly veered towards developing new ninjutsu.
At the end of the episode, the screen froze on Kakashi and Minato looking back at Konoha before heading to Rōran.
[Wow! Jiraiya is finally back!]
[He's still handsome in middle age, Toad Sage!]
[Can't complain, this is real life.]
[Yeah, last time I just missed the last bus and almost died of anger... Although a taxi would have worked, it just felt bad.]
[That feeling of just barely missing out is really frustrating; it can easily lead people astray.]
[This turn caught me off guard.]
[When did the topic get sidetracked?]
A near miss...
Naraku let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
The animator specifically excerpted this part to deliberately allude to him and Kakashi.
Presumably, in the animator's eyes, even if Kakashi could later break Black Zetsu's Genjutsu, it would already be too late.
Now, Uchiha Naraku's emotions and personality were almost destroyed.
His soul had completely fallen into the abyss, beyond saving.
Kakashi's awakening was ultimately a step too late.
They couldn't go back to how things were.
Wasn't this also a kind of missed opportunity?
Skipping the opening theme, the next episode was surprisingly not about Kakashi's experiences in Rōran.
Instead, it focused on the fanboy journey of idol worship from Uchiha Shisui's perspective.
[Woohoo! New character unlocked!]
[Cute Uchiha boy Come into Auntie's pocket]
[You creepy auntie, get away! I'll protect Shisui's smile!]
[Damn, Scum Shinji almost gave me PTSD; thankfully Entō is so normal.]
[This is what a good father is like!]
[Shisui: Eating my biological father's recommendation, so good~]
[Hhhhh, it's like me fangirling, so relatable.]
Following Shisui's complete emotional journey, the audience had already fallen deeply for this innocent and adorable little boy.
[Baby Shisui is an angel! Only he cares if Naraku is sad, boo hoo hoo hoo... ]
[Mom is so nice; she even gave him the idea to fold paper cranes.]
[Compared to Shisui, Naraku's childhood was really tough.]
[Let Shisui give Naraku some sweetness; he's had it so hard.]
Naraku's soul tumbled around in his mental space, utterly perplexed.
It was understandable that the animator might not want to show the part where Naruto and Yamato, two ninja from the future, might appear in Rōran.
It made sense to change the content.
But why start with Uchiha Shisui?
Although Shisui was highly talented, he wasn't at the point where the animator would focus on him now, was he?
As he pondered, the story progressed to Shisui's mysterious bow.
Bathed in the romantic and magnificent sunset glow, Shisui ran excitedly, full of anticipation.
Then he saw Naraku, sparkling under the setting sun, giving him an extremely gentle smile.
His heart pounded in his chest.
He was so nervous he didn't know what to do.
Finally, he cleared his mind and bowed instinctively.
This almost made the audience die of laughter, filling the comments with "hahahahaha."
Finally, amidst the conversation between Naraku and the clan leader's wife, Shisui clenched his small fists.
He vowed to talk to Senior Naraku next time.
[I totally understand Shisui; when I go to an idol's concert, everything on the way also seems especially good.]
[Oh my! Naraku got several levels handsomer again!]
[He's so incredibly handsome; no wonder the Uchiha clan, from top to bottom, all have their eyes on him (not really).]
[What, just standing there, screenshotting? (Too handsome to speak coherently)]
[This is exactly me seeing my idol; Old Thief, quickly turn off the monitor!]
[Hahahahaha, what a pure little cat! How can he be so cute!]
[Baby, you're a sweet, soft little cake Baby]
[Younger isn't out of the question...]
[Lewd words! Naraku isn't even ten years old yet!]
[Forgive me, Kakashi, this is really the last time!]
[Brother Fūyō and Little Brother Shisui, so hard to choose.]
[Oh my, Uchiha succubus.]
Naraku's face was covered in black lines.
So that time he was just nervous?
I thought he was trying to bid me farewell.
Continuing to watch, the next episode was still from Uchiha Shisui's perspective.
Could it be that the animator really thought highly of Shisui?
His mother's birthday was approaching, and Shisui had been worrying about a gift for several days.
So, Uchiha Obito, who hadn't appeared in a while, made a grand entrance.
He suggested they go hunting in the forest.
They did manage to hunt a wild rabbit, but it was immediately followed by a huge wild boar.
The two of them struggled with all their might to take down the wild boar.
Obito was badly injured, even breaking his leg.
He had to let Shisui go to the hospital to get someone to help him.
[Obito: I have a plan! Shisui: Alright, bro!]
[Holy cow, that wild boar must weigh several hundred kilograms, right?]
[Obito is a true man; he didn't hesitate at all.]
[That was too close; if Obito hadn't pushed him, the tusk would have slashed Shisui's waist.]
[Phew, that was a close win, brothers.]
Shisui endured the sharp pain in his ankle and ran towards the hospital.
As he passed the riverbank, he saw a familiar figure emerge from below the grassy slope.
Seeing him stammering and unable to speak, Naraku first healed his sprained ankle.
Then, he heard a long string of requests to save someone.
He immediately nodded in agreement and carried Shisui back the way they came.
[It's so late, why is Naraku here? What a coincidence!]
[Shisui: Just say it quickly!]
[Naraku is really so gentle; if my idol treated me like this, I'd follow him my whole life.]
[But at first glance, he looks so tired; his eyes are empty.]
[Suddenly I thought, on Naraku's way back, would his eyes be filled with Sakumo's image from back then?]
[Late night, saving someone, time is tight, all the buffs are maxed out.]
[Shut up, ah ah ah ah ah ah!]
[I have no quarrel with the gentlemen in front; why do you want to kill me?]
By the time Naraku rushed to the location in a frantic hurry, Obito was alive and kicking.
He was grinning as he slit the wild boar's throat to drain its blood.
Even Naraku, who had seen much, was stunned by the sight before him.
Shisui's eyes turned into dots, and he stood frozen on the spot.
Six huge black dots appeared behind the two of them, and a cartoon crow slowly floated by.
[Hahahahaha, Obito is such a clown.]
[Shisui: Brother Obito, next to you, we're like greenhorns.]
[It's too abstract, so much so that the relatively normal Naraku and Shisui can't understand it.]
[I'm telling you, Konoha people are all abstract masters.]
[This episode is so joyful; it almost makes me uncomfortable.]
Naraku was the first to recover from the shock.
He came to Obito's side and felt his injured ribs.
In the instant he answered a question, he neatly reset a rib.
The crack sound was incredibly crisp and loud, making the audience's scalps tingle.
Then, before Obito could even finish his scream of agony, there were three more sounds—crack, crack, crack.
This made Obito's face turn pale and his eyes roll back.
As for that weak and powerless accusation, Naraku simply adopted Minato's old excuse with a righteous expression, brushing it off.
[Hiss... My ribs hurt!]
[How do I dodge a zero-frame starter?]
[Plagiarism rate 100%]
[Naraku: It's finally my turn to say this to someone else.]
[Who made Obito so much fun to tease?]
[It seems Kakashi also liked to tease Obito and watch him lose his composure back in school, hahahaha.]
Seeing Naraku touch his calf again, Obito flinched in fright.
He had not expected that the other person was only checking and had no intention of doing anything.
He was secretly relieved that he wouldn't need bone-setting this time.
But then he saw Naraku use the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which he had always wanted to learn.
His eyes almost popped out of his head with envy.
He hadn't even had a few seconds to feel sour before a shadow clone scooped him up in a princess carry.
It held him firmly, and his little face immediately turned green.
He tried to struggle but found he was held even tighter.
So, Obito could only cover his face and comfort himself: It's the middle of the night; no one can see me like this.
He also inwardly grumbled that Naraku was actually a big schemer.
[Hmm???]
[No!! Why is he being rewarded!!]
[I can also fight a wild boar! Naraku, carry me!]
[The sound of the calculations from the sisters in front is deafening!]
[Another rival for Kakashi?]
[Not really, Obito likes that little girl named Rin.]
[It's fine, it doesn't stop me from shipping them.]
[Oh, Obito Who said no one can see? Now all the audience members have seen you being princess-carried Princess-carried~]
[Graciously accept Naraku's kindness, little princess Obito~]
[Kakashi: You're complaining? I wish I had that!]
[Naraku in this episode really has a bit of that natural darkness, so exciting.]
[Our Baby Naraku is just that alpha, hehehehehe!]
Afterward, the three went to the hospital for bandaging and treatment.
At Naraku's prompting, Obito cheerfully thanked Shisui.
He was completely unconcerned that all his injuries were from helping Shisui catch a rabbit.
Just as Shisui was about to be overwhelmed with guilt, Naraku paused for a few seconds.
He completely changed his usual humble and gentle demeanor and spewed venom at Obito.
Obito was dumbfounded and angrily accused him of being corrupted by Kakashi.
Naraku, however, escalated, leaning in provocatively to whisper "sweet nothings" into Shisui's ear.
This angered Obito so much that he threw away his crutch and grabbed Naraku by the collar, ready to fight him one-on-one.
Shisui couldn't even stop them.
He wanted Naraku to say something soft to de-escalate, but what he got was another provocation.
This made Shisui jump up and down with anxiety.
[Obito is so optimistic; Naraku will definitely become happier by spending more time with him.]
[I think Naraku is pretty happy right now; he was having a blast pranking Obito.]
[Oh wow Such sudden sharp-tonguedness I love him even more.]
[It seems teasing Obito is really fun? Even someone with Naraku's personality can't resist.]
[Baby Naraku is suddenly so delicate and sweet; I want to kiss him.]
[Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah, Baby Naraku's affectations are really getting to me.]
[The comment section is not a lawless zone.]
[Shisui and Obito, you two are really lucky; Sakumo and Kakashi never saw Naraku like this.]
["Senior, say something." "Senior, maybe you shouldn't say anything."]
[Naraku: If I really say something, you'll be unhappy...]
[On how to make a fanboy tell me to shut up with one sentence.]
[They're practically three clowns, hahahaha!]
[They should just debut on the spot! The group name will be Uchiha Brothers!]
[That's too cheesy, hey! So lame!]
Finally, the sudden farce ended.
Shisui was mentally exhausted, only wanting to go home and sleep, completely forgetting his guilt and shame.
Naraku's shadow clone returned with the prey and thoughtfully retrieved the lost wild rabbit.
It watched its original body, who was bickering with Obito at the hospital entrance, with a puzzled gaze.
The shadow clone was indeed the familiar person Shisui knew—kind, meticulous, and gentle.
So, he suddenly understood why the gentle and considerate Senior Naraku would suddenly cause such a scene.
Shisui turned to look at Naraku's original body, his surprised eyes tinged with emotion.
Was it so I wouldn't fall into self-reproach?
Senior is so kind; it must have been hard for him to act like that.
I must bear this lesson and strive to become stronger, so as not to betray this kindness.
The fanboy's idol filter had grown several layers thicker.
Even Naraku's insistence on carrying Obito home, despite Obito's resistance, was seen as consideration for his injured clan brother's leg.
Senior Naraku is truly perfect.
[Naraku was acting... I knew something was up when he suddenly started pranking Obito.]
[Actually, I still hoped it was real; at least he was happy.]
[Always thinking of others, Naraku, when will you think of yourself?]
[I just want to ask, why are there always people in the comments trying to assassinate me? Can't I just die in peace?]
[Shisui is smart, reacting so quickly.]
[It's over; the child has completely fallen.]
[Welcome to the Naraku solo stan family, little Shisui~]
[One should not meet too stunning a person in youth; otherwise, the rest of one's life will not be peaceful.]
The audience was immersed in a joyful atmosphere throughout the entire episode.
They marveled that the Old Thief had finally shown mercy, only to be stabbed in the back in the last minute.
After seeing Obito and Shisui home, Naraku walked alone on the path, bathed in moonlight.
It was late, and silence surrounded him, with only the rustle of his own footsteps in his ears.
The gentle smile on his face gradually faded.
His entire being exuded an aura of weariness and helplessness from within.
All outward appearances were a disguise.
Only when he was alone would he allow his lonely, sorrowful self to surface, gaining a brief respite.
[Naraku is alone again.]
[Turns out, even that quiet smile was an act o(╥﹏╥)o]
[Naraku has become so good at faking happiness...]
[Damage to the soul is not so easily healed; perhaps it takes a lifetime.]
[Enough, Old Thief, I said enough! I truly pity him.]
[Old Thief, do you have an addiction to hurting the audience?]