'Naruto Shippuden' episodes 491, 492 spoilers: Will Shikamaru be Gengo's next pawn?

Who is Gengo, and what does he have that gets people to listen and hang on to his every word? Shikamaru may finally uncover the truth behind the mysteriously influential man in the next episode of "Naruto Shippuden."

After a failed attempt to rescue Sai, who has already been put under Gengo's influence, Shikamaru himself is now in danger of being turned into one of Gengo's Enlightened Ones. The charismatic ruler of the Land of Silence will imprison him and force him to listen to the tortures of his comrades Soku and Ro in an attempt to break his resolve.

Shikamaru will not be so easily swayed. However, when he is finally brought face-to-face with Gengo in a last-ditch attempt to enlighten his mind to the promise of a better world where shinobis rule over the normal people, instead of being sent out to fight and die trying to resolve conflicts between the ruling classes, he will start giving in.

But just when Gengo thinks he's finally won over Konoha's celebrated genius, an unexpected reinforcement comes rushing in. Who will come to help Shikamaru out? Will it be Soku and Ro, who have somehow managed to free themselves from their own imprisonment, or someone else who has been on their tail all this time?

In the light novel "Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness," from which the on-going arc is based, it was Temari who came just in the nick of time to save Shikamaru from being completely taken by Gengo. It was also eventually revealed that the man's influence was brought on by his genjutsu-laced voice.

Temari's unexpected appearance pulled Shikamaru out of Gengo's spell, and they, together with other allies who came rushing in, worked together to bring Gengo to justice.

"Naruto Shippuden" episode 492 titled "A Cloud of Suspicion" airs on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. JST on TV Tokyo.

Meanwhile, a new update has been released for the upcoming spin-off series, "Boruto: The Next Generations." According to an article published in the newest issue of "Weekly Shounen Jump," the series will kick off with a brand new story instead of the just being based on the canon-compliant manga series that is currently in publication.

The upcoming spin-off anime will feature Boruto, the eldest son of Naruto and Hinata, and the children of the first generation characters of the long-running anime series.