After playing the wedding episode, Naraku glanced at the directory and realized that this update of the anime only had one episode left.
A mere twenty minutes or so would probably only be enough to explain Minato's succession.
"It seems the Pakura incident was cut by the animator... So Jin won't be able to appear now."
"Also, Ichiro's story is out of the picture; the animator probably doesn't care much for such small details."
Naraku neatly put away the washed pots, pans, and bowls, wiped his hands with a towel, and went to the courtyard to sunbathe with Kakashi.
In the morning, the not-yet-hot sunlight was just right, making one feel warm inside.
Naraku leaned against a wooden pillar of the veranda, feigning sleepiness by closing his eyes to rest, but was secretly watching the last episode of the anime.
As for the anime's content, it was much as he had guessed: the entire process of Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage.
It began with the overt and covert struggles at the Jonin assembly and concluded with the completion of the inauguration ceremony.
Given that he had already witnessed it firsthand and up close, the system directly activated 3x speed, and the episode finished playing in a few minutes.
However, even in the fast-forwarded atmosphere, where character actions and words seemed slightly comical, Minato's heartfelt speech in the final few minutes still struck Naraku as benevolent and sincere.
Not to mention the viewers in another world, who watched at normal speed, each of them excitedly jumping and screaming in the comments.
After quickly watching the anime, Naraku had the system open the forum and plunged into the plot discussion area.
— —
"Betting a pack of spicy strips: Hiruzen Sarutobi will become the next Ninja of Darkness" (Hot)
"1L (OP): Friends, what more is there to say? Hasn't The Old Thief laid out the groundwork clearly enough?"
"From Hiruzen Sarutobi's reluctant agreement to step down and his tacit intention to sideline Minato, it's clear he won't give up so easily."
"I believe the biggest possibility now is that he and the two Advisors will cling to power, intending to make Minato a Hokage in name only, while he continues to be the de facto underground Hokage."
"There are many reasons why the old man is so confident."
"Firstly, he has been in power for over a decade, and the F4 families are deeply entrenched in Konoha. Even if many people dislike him, the various chains of interest are complex and not so easily severed."
"Secondly, Minato is indeed too young, lacks experience in struggles, and his methods are relatively immature. Moreover, while his commoner background offers some advantages, it is also a significant disadvantage."
"This identity can bring him the support of commoner Ninja, but it also means he has no backing, no large number of blood relatives, and no reserve of resources that Ninja Clans naturally possess."
"Thirdly... So, from the old man's perspective, sidelining Minato is probably not an impossible task."
"2L: There's also one more point: Minato's last sentence during his speech."
"'I will, like all those who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, protect Konoha and everyone in the Village with my life, never breaking my oath!'"
"Originally, I didn't think much of it, but now, doesn't this really sound like a flag...?"
"Minato is an honest kid; he'll definitely be the first to act if something happens. If he has an accident in a certain battle, wouldn't Hiruzen Sarutobi be able to reclaim his position??"
"Referencing Emperor Yingzong's actions, the feasibility is quite high...!"
— —
Naraku: "Holy crap! There's a seer!!!"
— —
"3L: Hiruzen Sarutobi: 'Danzo, after you die, I will become you...' (T_T)"
"4L: Reply to 3L: Don't ruin this beautiful sad line, hey!"
"...It's over, I can't unsee it anymore! Pay me for my emotional damages, you jerk!"
"5L: I, for one, don't think Hiruzen Sarutobi will necessarily outmaneuver Minato."
"This kid is like a black sesame dumpling; he looks harmless, but in reality, he's ruthless and cunning towards his enemies."
"As long as he confirms that old Hiruzen is up to no good and is determined to fight, the outcome after three or five years is really hard to say."
"Plus, the Uchiha Clan and most Ninja Clans support him rather than the Third Hokage, so even if it comes to a direct confrontation, he probably has a greater chance of winning."
"6L: I agree that Minato is not easy to deal with, but to say that all Ninja Clans support him is a bit too idealistic."
"Aside from a few families who have genuinely suffered and are irreconcilably at odds with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the rest of the Ninja Clans are fence-sitters; they'll follow whoever gives them more."
"Don't forget, a Clan Head cannot act on impulse; everything he does must be for the sake of his existing Clan Member."
"7L: Reply to 6L: With so many scandals about the Third Hokage, which Ninja Clan would still be willing to follow him?"
"That Danzo affair is still unclear; which family with a bloodline limit would be crazy enough to choose him over Minato?"
"8L (OP): Reply to 7L: What if there's no other choice?"
"I think what brother 2L said makes a lot of sense. If Minato is gone, would most small Ninja Clans really have the courage to defy the Third Hokage?"
"9L: Oh, come on, can't you guys think of something positive?"
"Couldn't Minato, during a crisis caused by Hiruzen Sarutobi, take the lead, turn the tide, and completely crush the old man's conspiracy?"
"10L: Exactly, everyone be more optimistic, don't always think the villain will win!"
"11L: Reply to 10L: Has Hiruzen Sarutobi's role already become a villain, hey?"
"Sigh... He was quite good in the second season...!"
"12L: Reply to 11L: Danzo was also a good guy in the early to mid-second season. Look at him now, he's been justly executed by the Uchiha Clan."
"People change. A person can be completely different in youth and old age."
"13L: Reply to 12L: That's right, I can't even empathize with my 17-year-old self; I find him too unreasonable... 'Love is the medicine that heals the Uchiha Clan.'"
"1L (OP): 'Teacher, will our Naraku get better?' 'He will get better!'"
"In the last episode, where they bought the refrigerator, Naraku in the sunlight seemed to be healing little by little."
"Kakashi, please show Naraku more favoritism, make him feel that he is your top priority, just as he cares about you the most."
"Naraku has suffered too much, boo hoo hoo hoo..."
"2L: Sometimes I really feel like the Uchiha Clan has been cursed by the heavens."
"They can only gain power by losing what they cherish, and once they have power, their emotions are destined to remain unsoothed, leading them to gradually descend into madness."
"Unless they once again receive enough love to heal their souls, there is no way for them to be saved."
"This setting is inherently designed to deliver heartbreak."
"3L: But precisely because of this, the Uchiha Clan's soul and temperament are unique throughout the Ninja World, making them irresistibly captivating."
"4L: Reply to 3L: Absolutely, falling in love with a beautiful, strong, and tragic Uchiha is as simple as breathing."
"Though they really do make one's heart ache... (´ • ω • ̥ `)"
"...12L: In that light, Karin is truly too lucky."
"She didn't lose her loved ones and friends during the war, and she even awakened the Three Tomoe directly due to the intense happiness she felt at her wedding."
"13L: Reply to 12L: I hope future Uchiha can also be like Karin, not having to lose their loved ones, but instead awakening their Sharingan due to sufficiently strong positive emotions."
"Relying on the power of love to completely break free from this curse hidden in their bloodline."
"14L: They will, right? Everything will slowly get better..."
After quickly browsing the plot discussion area, Naraku turned his attention to the fanfiction section.
Even before watching the second-to-last episode of this update, he had been somewhat anticipating what new works the artists would create.
As the comments had predicted, Kakashi, through his excellent performance, successfully increased the number of KakaNara / naka (naraku/kakashi cp) fanfictions with tags like "male ghost," "gloomy," or "darkened."
Normally, when Naraku read these things, he always approached them with a sense of watching a show, not taking any plot seriously.
But this time, he sorted by popularity and clicked on a fanfiction titled "But the Person I Love Has No Chance (KakaNara)", and as soon as he read Kakashi about to confess, his heart suddenly began to pound.
Naraku, flustered, closed the post, cleared his mind, and calmed down for a while. Then, against his better judgment, he clicked on another popular post—"Uncontrolled (Kakashi x Naraku)."
Similarly, he couldn't read past the halfway mark.
He had seen countless ambiguous plots and all sorts of Kakashi in many fanfictions.
Whether cold-hearted, intensely morbid, or gentle as water... he had seen every kind of "Kakashi."
"—Why is it like this now?"
"—Am I unwilling to be tied to Kakashi anymore?"
"—Could it be like this?"
Naraku dazedly questioned himself, yet dared not truly uncover the answer that was only a thin veil away.
He closed the forum as if fleeing, opened his eyes, and turned his head to look at Kakashi, who was quietly sunbathing with him.
Before, merely gazing at the other person would slowly calm his heart.
But at this moment, Naraku's chest was filled with bitterness, emotions nourishing the wild grass that was breaking through the soil, almost causing him to lose control.
After a long while, just before Kakashi was about to notice his gaze, he silently lowered his eyes and forcibly suppressed all his thoughts.
To distract himself, Naraku quietly began to calculate how many popularity points he would receive.
However, his screen time this time wasn't very long, and his biggest highlight was probably leading the young Uchiha Clan Member to beat up the Hidden Mist Village with Kakashi, so the harvest shouldn't be much.
According to the system's calculation, only a little over ten thousand popularity points were added, barely topping up his wallet.