Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Page 156

Standing between the two of them, you truly experienced what a "battleground" is for the first time.

With a gentle flick of Xiao Nan's slender fingers, countless pieces of paper instantly hardened into blades, gleaming with a cold, metallic light under the lamp.

"Super Strength Fist!"

Tsunade shattered the oak table in front of her with a single punch; the heavy solid wood surface crumbled into pieces under her hand like a fragile biscuit.

The flying wood chips collided with the incoming paper blades in mid-air, creating a visible circular shockwave.

You quickly formed hand seals, and a semi-transparent chakra barrier unfolded in front of you, blocking the scattered fragments. A sharp piece of wood grazed your cheek, leaving a small bloodstain.

You see Konan's paper spear aimed straight for Tsunade's throat, while Tsunade's fist is only inches away from Konan's delicate face; the two seem poised to die together!

"Enough!" A burst of golden light suddenly erupted, and Susanoo in its skull form rose from the ground.

Two enormous golden skeletal hands extended simultaneously, one precisely gripping Konan's wrist, and the other holding Tsunade's wrist.

The paper spear froze one centimeter from Tsunade's carotid artery, and Tsunade's fist also stopped just before it touched Konan's nose.

"Let me finish." You take a deep breath, the golden light of Susanoo reflecting the different expressions on the three people's faces. "Konan, you are my most important companion."

Konan's eyes lit up, like a ray of sunshine suddenly breaking through on a rainy day, but that light was quickly overshadowed again as you turned to Tsunade.

“And Tsunade,” your gaze fell on the blonde woman’s tightly pursed lips, “you showed me a different future.”

Their expressions darkened simultaneously, and the chakra in the air, which had just eased up, began to stir again.

“So,” you gave a bitter smile, the curve of your lips carrying helplessness and sincerity, “I have no choice because you all occupy an irreplaceable place in my heart.”

The tavern fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the soft sound of raindrops dripping from the broken windows onto the floor.

Konan's paper wings slowly folded, and Tsunade's fist slowly loosened. You carefully withdrew Susanoo, but maintained a flow of chakra that could be summoned again at any time.

Finally, Tsunade broke the silence first, casually flicking her wrist as if the life-or-death confrontation just moments before was merely a game.

"What a cunning answer." She scoffed, but a slight smile played on her lips.

Xiao Nan also dispersed the paper spears. The anger in her eyes turned into complex emotions. She reached out and gently wiped the bloodstains from your face. "As always... greedy, Tanuki."

You know the storm has temporarily subsided, but you also know it's just the calm before the storm.

You stand beneath a withered giant tree, your long black hair soaked by the rain, clinging to your pale cheeks.

The Sharingan pierced through the rain, gazing at two figures gradually becoming clearer in the distance.

"Are you ready to face them?" you asked softly, your voice almost drowned out by the rain. The "them" you were referring to were the Uchiha clan members who had been transported here from Konoha through Kakashi's Kamui dimension.

Uchiha Shisui landed first in the puddle in front of you, without splashing a single drop of water.

A slight smile played on his lips, his ever-composed demeanor suggesting that nothing in the world could shake him. "Always ready."

Uchiha Itachi carried a subtle heaviness in his eyes. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles white from the force. Rain streamed down his cheeks, indistinguishable between rain and tears.

Although he knew that the massacre of his clan that night was just an illusion, his heart ached as if it were being pierced by a thousand needles whenever he thought of those familiar faces that had fallen.

Your gaze fell on Itachi's trembling fingers, and you slowly reached out and gently placed your hand on Itachi's cold hand. "Nothing happened. The night of the massacre was just an illusion."

Itachi's body jolted violently. He looked up and met your Mangekyou Sharingan, which was even more profound than that of an ordinary Uchiha.

In the depths of those eyes, he saw understanding, acceptance, and a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.

The warmth of your palm seeped through his skin, like a cup of hot tea on a winter's day, slowly melting his long-frozen heart.

"Mmm." Itachi responded softly, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, with a barely perceptible sob at the end.

He lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes trembling in the rain. Your hand was small, yet surprisingly strong, reminding him of the feeling of his mother leading him through the Uchiha clan's territory when he was a child.

Shisui watched this scene quietly from the side, his eyes filled with complex emotions like intertwined chakra threads.

He felt sorry for the heavy burden Itachi carried, and he understood your intention to comfort him, but a sour feeling welled up deep in his chest. He pretended to cough a few times, breaking the almost private atmosphere between you.

You calmly let go of my hand, but Itachi's fingers instinctively followed your warmth, lingering in the air for a second before slowly retracting.

Zhishui keenly caught that moment of reluctance, and his smile deepened, but it carried a hint of bitterness.

Two steps behind you, Itachi and Shisui's footsteps were strangely synchronized with the sound of rain, just like when they patrolled Konoha as captains of the ANBU back then.

Stopping in front of a vermilion torii gate, the rain curtain was suddenly parted by an invisible force, revealing a well-arranged group of Japanese-style buildings behind it.

Smoke rose from the chimneys of several houses, and a few Uchiha children were chasing and playing in the street, while shuriken-shaped windmills spun rapidly in the rain.

"This is......"

Itachi's Sharingan began to circulate involuntarily. He saw Uchiha Hachimoku teaching shurikenjutsu to children by the training ground, Uchiha Izumi haggling with vendors in the market, and even the familiar golden osmanthus tree in front of his own house.

Although smaller than the leaves, the branches are also covered with orange-red flowers.

"It's amazing that it was built like this in just six months." Shisui sighed softly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the handle of his kunai. His gaze swept over the newly built dango shop at the street corner, and he suddenly chuckled, "They even replicated your favorite shop."

The weasel's fingertips trembled slightly. Just then, a little girl with a ponytail bumped into your leg.

When the girl looked up, a lingering smile remained in her crimson Sharingan eyes. "Excuse me! Ah, it's Tanuki-sama!"

The little girl suddenly threw herself into your arms. You skillfully picked her up with one hand and used the other to brush the wet hair from her forehead. "Xiaoying, where is your mother?"

“They’re helping Uncle Inahaki set up his new house!” A girl named Uchiha Hotaru looked at the two strangers curiously. “Tanuki-sama, they have Sharingan too.”

The street suddenly fell silent. Housewives returning from grocery shopping stopped in their tracks, and the ninjas on the training ground turned their heads at the same time.

Countless Sharingan eyes lit up in the rain, like a blood-red galaxy suddenly illuminated.

"Itachi... Lord?"

Uchiha Izumi dropped the vegetable basket in her hand to the ground, tomatoes rolled all over the ground, and her trembling voice was like a stone thrown into still water, stirring up ripples.

"It's Itachi and Shisui!"

"They are really still alive!"

"That rumor is true..."

The crowd began to stir. Suddenly, a commanding voice pierced the rain, "Make way!"

The crowd parted automatically to make way, and Uchiha Fugaku walked in wearing the clan leader's dark haori, with Mikoto following closely behind, holding an umbrella.

When Mikoto saw her son standing unharmed in the rain, her umbrella fell to the ground with a thud.

"Father, Mother." Itachi's voice was calmer than expected, with only his slightly reddened eyes betraying his emotions. "I'm back."

Fugaku's gaze shifted from his son to Shisui, and finally landed on you, who were holding the little girl.

As a powerful being who had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, he instantly sensed the immense, beast-like chakra within the girl's body. Even more terrifying was—

He instinctively adopted a defensive stance. "You are...?"

“Father.” Itachi suddenly stepped forward, subtly blocking your way. “This is Lord Tanuki, the benefactor of our entire clan.”

Chapter 142 - The Date

You put the little girl down and gently patted Uchiha Hotaru's back, signaling her to return to her mother's side.

As you straightened up, you performed an ancient Uchiha bow, saying, "Clan Chief Fugaku, welcome to your new home."

Mikoto suddenly rushed forward and hugged the still-stunned Itachi tightly. This usually elegant and poised woman was now crying like a child, "Thank goodness...it's really thank goodness..."

Shisui quietly moved closer to you, her fingers lightly brushing against your fingertips. "If you don't mind, could you show me my new place?"

His voice was soft, but it made Itachi, who was comforting his mother not far away, suddenly turn his head.

Two pairs of Sharingan eyes met in mid-air, sparking invisible flames.

You pretend not to notice the undercurrent between the two best friends, and simply reach out to catch a falling golden osmanthus petal. "Your house is right next to Itachi's."

You paused deliberately, noticing the tense jawlines of both of them, a sly glint in your red eyes. "Of course, my house is just across the street."

The rain poured down harder, but the lights in the Uchiha clan compound grew brighter. In an inconspicuous corner, a man wearing a vortex mask silently observed everything, a complex emotion flickering in his single eye…

When your footsteps came from around the corner, the last descendant of the Kaguya clan froze on the spot like a startled deer, instinctively wanting to turn and run away.

"Kimimaro!" You hopped over to him in three quick steps, tilting your head as your long, black hair brushed against his arm.

Kimimaro's Adam's apple bobbed, and his knuckles involuntarily bulged, a sign that he was about to activate the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Stream).

"Are you avoiding me?" you asked, moving closer, your eyes filled with curiosity.

“No…” He turned his face away stiffly, the curse mark on his neck faintly burning.

This is so strange. Even when facing Lord Orochimaru, he had never felt his heart about to explode.

You suddenly circled around him a few times, and when you deliberately ran your fingertips across his back for the third time, Kimimaro almost reflexively thrust out his bone blade.

"I know!" you suddenly clapped your hands, startling the boy. "You've never gone out to play before, have you?"

Kimimaro's pupils dilated slightly. Training ground, laboratory, mission location—his life trajectory indeed only had these three coordinates.

Before he could answer, you had already grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside.

"and many more--"

Kakuzu, who was counting money in the corner, suddenly looked up. When he saw the two people's clasped hands, his green pupils shrank to slits.

The Earth Grudge's tentacles hurriedly rolled up the money box, while warily scanning its surroundings. Fortunately, neither the blond-haired explosive maniac nor the evil god cultist were there.

"Youth is wonderful..." Kakuzu's sigh was interrupted by a suddenly appearing piece of paper. Konan's icy figure emerged from the wallpaper, her purple eyes fixed on the two people leaving in the distance.

"Where did they go?" The piece of paper transformed into a sharp blade at her fingertips.

Kakuzu silently hid his wallet behind his back. "Orochimaru's lab...right?"

"You're lying." Xiao Nan's paper wings had already unfolded.

The sunlight fell precisely on Kimimaro's pale cheeks as you pulled him forward, his well-defined wrists feeling slightly warm in your palms.

"Let go." His voice was lower than usual, and the bone spurs on his spine had uncontrollably protruded with sharp points, only to be abruptly retracted the moment they touched your skin. "I have...blood on me."

Your fingers tightened even more, and as you turned around, sunlight pierced through your flying black hair, drawing delicate arcs of light before Kimimaro's eyes. "What are you afraid of? It's not like I haven't seen it before."

These words reminded the boy of the mission half a month ago, when his out-of-control Corpse Bone Pulse pierced the enemy's chest, and you enveloped his rampaging body with golden chakra.

"Watch where you're going." Kimimaro suddenly reached out and put his arm around your waist. A cart full of scrolls just barely passed where you had been standing. This instinctive protective action made you both freeze at the same time.

Your hair brushed against the tip of his nose, carrying a faint minty scent, and Kimimaro's ear tips instantly turned bright red.

"Wicked women! What are you doing?! Huh!" Deidara's blond hair exploded like an angry lion as he rode on a giant clay bird, the explosive clay in his hands already molded into a heart shape.

To make matters worse, Hidan's three-month scythe slammed down on the ground between you with a thud.

"Oh dear, we've been found out~" Instead of letting go, you clung to Kimimaro's arm even tighter, "We're on a date."

Kimimaro's spinal spurs all popped out. He stiffly turned his head and saw your mischievous blinking eyelashes, and... Deidara's face turned deathly pale.

"A...a date?!" Hidan's March Scythe suddenly turned to Deidara. "Hey! Lord Jashin, you mean that kind of date, right? The kind where men and women kiss?!"

"Shut up! Hmm!" Deidara's clay bird began to expand uncontrollably. "Kimimaro! I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"

Kimimaro looked at the chaotic scene before him, then looked down at you, who were still holding his arm.

"You did it on purpose." This is not a question.

You laughed like a cat that had just stolen some cream, "Because Kimimaro is cuter like this~"

With a light touch of her fingertip on the prominent spot on his collarbone, a tiny golden incantation immediately appeared there.

Kimimaro was shocked to discover that the excruciating pain in his Shikotsumyaki, which had tormented him for years, was actually... lessening?

"This is..."

"A gift for our date," you whispered close to his ear, your warm breath making the boy's bones burn, "but what if people find out..."

Your unfinished words were drowned out by Deidara's explosion, but amidst the flying clay debris, Kimimaro took your hand for the first time.

On a distant tower, Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly. "Interesting... You can even suppress Kaguya's bloodline disease?" His tongue traced the corner of his lips. "Just how many secrets are you hiding?"

In a tavern on the border of the Land of Fire, dim lights flickered, and the air was filled with the aroma of ale and roasted meat.

Jiraiya sat at a wooden table in the corner, a notebook open in front of him, his wine glass empty.

As he listened to the idle chatter of the drunkards around him, he jotted down interesting stories on paper, occasionally letting out a playful smile.

Suddenly, the tavern door was pushed open, and a gentle breeze carrying a familiar, light fragrance wafted in.

Jiraiya's pen paused slightly, a long-lost premonition causing him to slowly raise his head.

Long golden hair, an arrogant posture, and amber eyes staring intently at him.

"Jiraiya, it's been a long time."