Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

But deep down, he still believes in the inherent goodness of humanity and that peace can be achieved through understanding and tolerance.

“I…I don’t know,” he finally answered honestly. “But I can’t give up. If even we lose hope, what about those who have lost everything in the war?”

Chapter 89 The Gamble

Your expression shifted subtly, from anger and confusion to a final, complex understanding.

“You’re a strange fellow, Yahiko,” you said softly. “You’ve witnessed the ugliest side of war, yet you can still maintain this innocence.”

“This is not naiveté, it’s a choice,” Yahiko said earnestly. “I choose to believe that people will ultimately make the right choice.”

After a long silence, the setting sun bathed your profile in gold, softening your sharp angles.

But then you suddenly laughed, a genuine laugh this time. "You haven't even set up your own organization yet, and you're already thinking about saving the world?"

Yahiko scratched his head and laughed. "There has to be a beginning. By the way, how did you end up in the Land of Iron?"

"I wanted to see what was fun, but I ended up stumbling upon a failed speech by some idealist."

"Hey! That's not a failure!" Yahiko protested, but then smiled helplessly at your teasing look. "Okay, at least the result is not bad."

You sit down by a dilapidated fountain. You take two rice balls out of your ninja tool bag and hand one to Yahiko.

"What are your plans for the future?" you ask while eating.

Yahiko gazed at the lights gradually coming on in the distance, his eyes resolute. "Continue to lobby various countries to form a peace organization that transcends the ninja villages. Konan and Nagato are also working towards this goal. What about you?"

You looked at Yahiko, "I only have three days. Maybe it's not bad to follow you, this idealist, for now. At least your speech needs someone to save the day."

Yahiko felt a surge of inexplicable joy, but he quickly suppressed it. "Seriously?"

"What, not welcome?" you raise an eyebrow.

"No! Of course you're welcome!" Yahiko said hastily, then felt embarrassed by his eagerness. "I mean... with the Uchiha clan joining us, our strength will be even greater."

You chuckled softly, "Don't overthink it, I'm just temporarily bored."

"I think it's a bit difficult to solve the predicament of Amegakure through a speech." Your voice was light, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

Yahiko knows you wouldn't say something nonsensical without reason. "So... what's your plan?"

You turn around, a sly smile playing on your lips. "There is one, it just depends on whether you dare to accept it."

"Where are you taking me?" Yahiko asked anxiously as you pulled him along, quickening your pace. The shops on both sides of the street gradually became more luxurious, and the pedestrians' clothes became more and more refined.

You'll see when you get there!

Standing before the gilded gates of the "Golden Sparrow" casino, Yahiko finally understood your plan. Two fully armed guards stood at the entrance of the casino, while inside came the clamor of dice rolling and cheering crowds.

"We..." Yahiko was pulled inside before he could finish speaking.

The warm air, mixed with the smell of alcohol and tobacco, filled the golden hall, which was packed with well-dressed gamblers.

You weave through the crowd like a fish, heading straight for the largest gambling table in the center. You press Yahiko down into the red velvet chair, then gracefully sit down next to him.

“I think…” Yahiko tried to advise, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

This kind of place is incompatible with his ideals; he uses the misfortune of others to gain his own benefits.

Your index finger suddenly pressed against his lips, stopping him from saying what he was about to say.

"Quiet, I know what you want to say, but now—it's my turn."

Yahiko's ears burned uncontrollably. He pursed his lips and finally fell silent.

The dealer was a middle-aged man with a mustache. He sized up the strange pair in front of him: a wild-eyed black-haired girl and a restless orange-haired boy.

"Miss, our minimum bet here is..."

"I want to play the biggest game."

You casually pour a large amount of money from the scroll at your waist; gold coins and silver notes cascade onto the table like a waterfall, making a crisp clinking sound.

—You stole this scroll from Ban.

Madara merely glanced at it indifferently, saying, "I don't need it."

And now, this money is piled up on the gambling table, gleaming with an alluring luster.

The dealer's eyes lit up, and the surrounding gamblers also cast greedy glances their way.

You lazily rest your chin on your hand, your fingertips lightly tapping the table, your Sharingan gleaming eerily in the dim light.

"let's start."

Your tone was nonchalant, as if you weren't gambling, but playing a game you already had the upper hand in.

Yahiko looked at your profile. The girl's eyelashes cast long, thin shadows under the light, and blue veins were faintly visible beneath her pale skin. At this moment, she was both breathtakingly beautiful and dangerously unapproachable.

The game has begun. Your Sharingan glows slightly with each card dealt, allowing you to see through the back of every card and predict the landing point of each die.

The chips piled up like a small mountain in front of you, drawing gasps of amazement from the surrounding gamblers.

"This young lady is so lucky!" said a fat businessman, wiping his sweat.

"It's not good luck, it's skill." Your fingers traced the stack of chips, your Sharingan scanning the entire arena like a black panther scrutinizing its prey.

Yahiko noticed several men dressed in black on the second floor of the casino staring at you, their hands on the weapons at their waists. He quietly leaned close to your ear and whispered, "We might be being watched."

Without even lifting your eyelids, you said, "I know." Then you casually tossed out a handful of chips, "Raise again."

"But..."

“Yahiko,” you suddenly turn your head, your faces are inches apart.

Yahiko could smell the faint scent of blood and the bitter aroma of some kind of herb on you. "Sometimes, the fastest road is not the most righteous road."

Just then, a tall man in fine clothes walked up to the gambling table. "Miss, I am the casino manager. May I ask if you would like to move to the VIP room? We have prepared a gambling game that is more... suitable for your status."

A cold smile curled at the corner of your lips. "Finally here." You stood up, and the chips flew into the scroll automatically. "Lead the way."

Yahiko hurriedly followed, whispering, "This is a trap!"

“Of course it’s a trap.” Your voice carried a strange excitement. “But the one who sets the trap isn’t always the hunter.”

The VIP room is more luxurious than the lobby, but it is also more like a cage.

As the heavy door closed behind him, Yahiko's heart sank. In addition to the manager, there were four guards dressed as ninjas in the room, their eyes filled with hostility.

“Miss, we’ve noticed your… unusual winning percentage,” the manager said with a forced smile. “At ‘Golden Sparrow,’ we do not tolerate any form of cheating.”

You lean lazily against the gambling table, twirling a strand of hair between your fingers. "Oh? Where's the evidence?"

A guard stepped forward. "Your eyes, Miss, those are Sharingan, aren't they? The bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan."

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. You stopped moving, slowly raised your head, and your black hair slipped down your shoulder.

Yahiko saw your Sharingan begin to spin wildly, the three tomoe twisting into bizarre patterns.

"So?" Your voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"So please return all the chips you've won and pay five thousand taels... for reputational damage." The manager wiped his sweat, clearly intimidated by your gaze. "Otherwise..."

"What else?"

The guards drew their weapons, and Yahiko immediately stepped in front of you, "Gentlemen, this is a misunderstanding! We can resolve this peacefully..."

"Peace?" You sneered behind him.

The next second, Yahiko felt a gust of wind brush past his ear, and you were already in front of the manager, with a kunai pressed against his throat.

“I hate being threatened, especially when I’m having fun.”

The room fell into a deathly silence. Yahiko saw your fingers trembling slightly, not out of fear, but out of a repressed, almost manic excitement.

Your eyes were frighteningly bright, and the corners of your mouth were twisted into an unnatural arc.

"Tanuki!" Yahiko shouted sharply, "Don't do this!"

You seemed not to hear, the kunai had already sliced ​​through the manager's skin, a trickle of blood flowing down the blade. "Do you know that?"

"I've seen far more blood on the battlefield than this..."

“This is not the way to solve the problem!” Yahiko stepped forward, but was stopped by the guards.

You finally turned to look at him, and in that instant, Yahiko saw the chaos and pain in your eyes.

That wasn't just madness; it was the despair of a young girl who had lost everything in the war.

"Then tell me, how do you plan to solve this, Yahiko?" Your voice suddenly became fragile. "With your speeches? With your ideals? Look at reality!"

The guards seized the opportunity to launch an attack, but your reaction was astonishingly fast. You pushed the manager aside, and your Sharingan predicted every incoming kunai.

The battle erupted in the cramped VIP room, where every move you made was precise and ruthless.

Yahiko was forced to join the battle, but he only used defensive ninjutsu in an attempt to prevent casualties.

He saw your eyes growing increasingly red and your movements becoming more and more frantic, as if you were immersed in the thrill of killing.

"Tanuki, that's enough!" Yahiko seized an opening and rushed to your side, gripping your wrist tightly. "We have to go!"

Your pupils contracted slightly, as if you were jolted awake from some kind of daze.

Looking at the groaning guards on the ground and the manager huddled in the corner trembling, he suddenly showed a hint of exhaustion. "...Okay."

The two quickly gathered their chips and rushed out of the casino.

As you navigate the intricate alleyways of the Iron Kingdom under the cover of night, the shouts of your pursuers echo from behind.

When you ran to a secluded spot under the eaves, you suddenly stopped, your shoulders trembling slightly. Yahiko thought you were injured and was about to ask when he heard a suppressed laugh.

"Hahaha...look at their expressions..." You cover your mouth, laughing so hard you can barely breathe.

Yahiko was stunned. Under the moonlight, your smile was pure and bright, like an ordinary girl who had just succeeded in playing a prank.

Her black hair was a little messy, her cheeks were flushed from running, and her Sharingan had returned to its normal black color.

At this moment, you are no longer that crazy Uchiha ninja.

“You really are…” Yahiko shook his head helplessly, but couldn’t help laughing, “You’re too reckless.”

You suddenly leaned closer and reached out to brush the dust off his shoulder, an intimate gesture that stunned both of you.

You quickly took a step back, your expression returning to its usual indifference.

“At least we have funds now.” You shook the scroll full of chips, your tone flat, but Yahiko noticed that the tips of your ears were slightly red.

The sounds of pursuers grew closer in the distance, and your expression sharpened again. "Let's go. I know a way out of the city."

You reached out to Yahiko, a hand that had killed, yet also a hand that had saved him.

Yahiko grasped it without hesitation.

The only sound in the woods was the rustling of leaves in the wind. You stopped, took out the scroll filled with casino funds from your pocket, and casually tossed it to Yahiko behind you.

"Here, take it."

The scroll drew an arc in the air, and Yahiko caught it in a flurry, almost dropping it.

He looked down at the heavy scroll in his hand, then looked up at you, his eyes full of confusion.

"Take it now!" you urged impatiently, your black hair fluttering in the wind, your Sharingan gleaming faintly in the twilight. "Don't look at me like that, it's meant for you anyway."

"Ah...oh!" Yahiko quickly put the scroll into his ninja tool bag, his fingers clumsy with nervousness.

He had a lot to say, but he didn't know where to begin. The silence between them was like an invisible wall, heavy and suffocating.

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he managed to squeeze out a sound, "Do you want to come back to Amegakure with me?"

With your back to him, your shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. You looked up at the darkening sky, your voice calm to the point of indifference, "I have other things to do, so I shouldn't go."

"I see..." His voice sank into the earth.

“But—” you suddenly turned around, pressed Yahiko’s shoulder, and leaned closer, “Don’t look at me like that… I’m going back to take the leader’s position from you!”

Yahiko blinked, the damp evening breeze brushing against his orange hair. The next second, he suddenly knelt on one knee, looking up with his eyes filled with the shattered sunset. "When will the leader return?"

"......Um?"

The patterns in your Sharingan froze, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instinctively taking a half step back, the heel of your clogs crushing a pebble.

"you--"

Having succeeded in his prank, Yahiko suddenly burst into laughter, which startled the crows on the withered tree.

You stare at him in disbelief, as if you can see the waters of the Naka River flowing backwards. "Alright, Yahiko!"