Naruto Shippuden - Shikamaru (Photo : Naruto Poster)
Naruto Shippuden anime series will enter yet another arc on Thursday, and this time, the focus will be on Shikamaru Nara and his mission two years after the Fourth Great Ninja War. Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Darkness, the second book in the Naruto Hiden Series, will be the main source material of the entire arc.
What to Expect in Episode 489:
-Again the plot of the story takes place 2 years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War. By that time, Shikamaru has become the chief coordinator of the Shinobi Union, a peacetime organization succeeding the Allied Shinobi Forces.
-Despite his role as the top man in the Shinobi Union, Shikamaru finds his life unremarkable and thinks it's going to end in an unremarkable way as well. As he watches clouds drifting in the sky, he spots Sai's ink birds making its way to the Sixth Hokage office.
-Eager to find out the outcome of Sai's mission, Shikamaru rushes to the office. There, he discovers from Sai's letter, which was apparently written in haste as it lacks the clear and concise elements of his handwriting, that his entire team has gone missing for days. Sai also noted in the letter that Gengo, the land of Silence charismatic leader, poses a threat to the Shinobi Union.
-Sai then reports that he is persuaded by Gengo's words and starts doubting the value of the Shinobi Union. These along with the fact that Sai did not personally send the report, which is very uncharacteristic of him, alerts Kakashi and Shikamaru.
-To find out what happened to Sai and his group, the Sixth Hokage decides to give the mission to Shikamaru. Kakashi also tells Shikamaru that Gengo must be assassinated if he really threatens the current peace.
-The mission bothers Shikamaru in many ways. Temari notices something different with Shikamaru during a Shinobi Union meeting. Choji and Ino also notice it as well, forcing them to ask Shikamaru the nature of his mission. However, Shikamaru wants no friends or allies involved in his mission.
-Shikamaru visits the grave of his father, Shikaku and teacher, Asuma Sorutobi. He then runs into Kurenai and her daughter Mirai Saratubi. The next day, Shikamaru along with his two ANBU teammates Ro and Soku secretly leaves Konoha for the mission.
Naruto Shippuden Episode 489 will be airing Thursday at 6:25 a.m US EST / 19:25 JST on Tokyo TV. The show can also be watched on streaming sites Crunchy Roll. Episode 490 preview and teaser promo will be posted below once available.
