'Naruto Shippuden' spoilers: Shikamaru's story arc begins with a mystery

Now that "Naruto Shippuden" has completed the Sasuke story arc, the anime moves forward to a new one focused on Shikamaru for episode 489.

The new arc begins later this week with "A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness: The State of Affairs," which will put Shikamaru in front of a new mystery.

"Naruto Shippuden" episode 489 will see Shikamaru do a secret assassination mission on Land of Silence, where missing shinobis from various villages are believed to be going for reasons yet to be revealed.

The promo for the new "Naruto Shippuden" story arc opener shows Shikamaru confiding to Kakashi with a bit of apprehension about doing a clandestine investigation on this problem.

"Regarding the issue with the Land of Silence, it's going to become violent eventually. If they find out we've been independently started investigating, it's going to get troublesome," he warns Kakashi.

Before he conducts his investigation in "Naruto Shippuden" episode 489, Shikamaru longed for a peaceful life of just watching the clouds for all his life.

Being the lazy man that he is, he hoped that nothing will disturb his peace. Clearly, this is not the case as he will actually lead the said investigation on the samurai-ran village.

Like the Sasuke arc, this "Naruto Shippuden" storyline is expected to cover five episodes. That being said, the whole month of January and early February will likely be dedicated to Shikamaru's story.

As revealed in the past, the upcoming story arc will be followed by "Hidden Leaf Village's Story: The Perfect Day for a Wedding," which will tell the tale of Naruto and Hinata's wedding.

However, it will focus more on Kakashi's effort to bring everyone together for the celebration despite the invitees being busy with their jobs.

"Naruto Shippuden" episode 489, "A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness: The State of Affairs," airs Thursday, Jan. 12, on TV Tokyo.