Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness (Arc)

is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It covers episodes 489 to current. This arc is an anime adaptation of the Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness novel from the Naruto Hiden series that focuses on Shikamaru's life after the Fourth Shinobi World War. In the anime, it takes place after the Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise arc.

Summary
Shikamaru has been busy helping the Sixth Hokage with paperwork since the war but he is bored with his desk job and insists he is doing the work until Naruto becomes Hokage. After work, Shikamaru plays shogi with Ōnoki, whom he easily defeats, and goes to the forest to train. At Shinobi Union meeting in the Land of Iron, the village ambassadors each discuss the decline of shinobi assistance and Shikamaru simply replies the matter is being investigated, but Temari suspects he is hiding something and his refusal to answer her questions causes her to punch him in anger. After returning to Konohagakure, Shikamaru and Kakashi discuss their suspicions of the leader of the Land of Silence, Gengo recruiting missing-nin and how Konoha has been silently investigating. However, Sai's team has been killed and they are concerned for Sai's well-being. Kakashi asks Shikamaru to go to the Land of Silence to capture or assasinate Gengo, with the company of two Anbu, Hinoko and Rō, as teammates. Shikamaru visits the grave sites of his father and Asuma, where he is greeted by Kurenai and Mirai, who have come to visit Asuma's grave. He later meets with Ino and Chōji for dinner and the three discuss how much their lives have changed since their genin days. The next morning, he leaves to meet his comrades at the village gates, Shikamaru runs into Naruto, who is on his way to eat ramen for breakfast, and advises him to stay the way he is because he will become Hokage one day.

One they arrive in the Land of Silence, Shikamaru decides that disguising themselves will help them get past the checkpoint of the village, Toberi. However, Hinoko believes killing the shinobi is easier and using her Chakra Needle to knock them out. They track Sai's last known location, which is an inn near the checkpoint. Shikamaru plays shogi with a villager to gain information on Gengo and the man's remarks about shinobi being disposable tools for citizens angers Hinoko, who fears shinobi will be eradicated during peaceful times. Hinoko's desire to prove her worth and the inn suddenly being raided by the shinobi Hinoko attacked nearly exposes them. Shikamaru, Hinoko and Ro are saved by a busboy named Komori who claims to hate Toberi. Hinoko contemplates defecting Konoha to prove herself, which strains her from Shikamaru and Ro, who warn her about the consequences of betraying her village. Later that night, Hinoko goes to the checkpoint and asks to join the Land of Silence. The guards doubt her trustworthiness but Komori reveals himself to be a follower of Toberi and he had spied on her to see her abilities for himself, and wants her to prove her loyalty. Hinoko easily defeats two guards before Shikamaru and Ro arrive to stop her. Shikamaru abruptly accuses Ro of betraying him as well but both are seemingly killed by Hinoko. Satisfied, Komori takes her into the village but she knocks him out and returns to let in Shikamaru and Ro, who had been placed under a temporary death state as part of a plan to gain entry.

Episodes