'Naruto Shippuden' episodes 489, 490 spoilers: Shikamaru goes on a mission to uphold newfound peace in the Shinobi World
Shikamaru is off on an important mission in the next episode of "Naruto Shippuden." What challenges, realizations, and life lessons will he be learning along the way?
Adulthood seems to have hit Shikamaru ahead of everyone in his batch, and he has almost forgotten the pure bliss of simply laying out on the roof and watching the clouds pass by. Even his friend Ino has pointed out that it's been a while since he last used his favorite catchphrase, "What a drag." What could possibly be going on with Shikamaru? What's bothering him so much that it has even gained him a slap on the face from his special friend, Temari?
By taking on the position of the right hand man to the current Hokage in order to train for his ultimate goal of becoming Naruto's right hand man when the latter eventually succeeds Kakashi, and all this following the Great Shinobi War, it looks like Shikamaru has made it his personal mission to keep the peace across the Shinobi world intact. So when someone threatens it, he just has to be there to stop him.
The threat in question is a man named Gengo, reportedly the leader of the Land of Silence. The trailer for the next episode shows that Shikamaru and his two Anbu companions will reach the place without a hitch, but getting inside poses a brand new problem. This ongoing mission is especially sensitive since the Shinobi Alliance has no knowledge of it, and keeping it a secret is crucial to their success.
Another thing that Shikamaru hopes to accomplish by taking on this mission himself is to find out what has become of his friend Sai, who was initially sent in with some of Konoha's best fighters but has since failed to return with favorable news. In addition to this, Sai's last message seems to hint on the missing shinobi's admiration to the man named Gengo.
Who is Gengo? What does he have to do with the large number of shinobi that are gone and are still going missing following the Great Shinobi War? Will Shikamaru's strength and cunning, plus his mentorship of his two companions, be enough to take this man down, or will an unexpected reinforcement arrive to give him some added assistance? Will he finally be able to find the answer to the question posed by Kakashi at the beginning of the new arc's first episode: What does it mean to be an adult?
And most importantly, will he finally find that one person for whom he would willingly give his life to protect, just like how his father and his mentor did?
"Naruto Shippuden" episode 490 titled "Shikamaru's Story: A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Dark, Part 2: Dark Clouds" airs on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. JST on TV Tokyo.
This current arc will reportedly be followed by "Konoha's Story," which will feature Naruto and Hinata's much-anticipated wedding day.
