Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

You grab him by the collar, "Where's that little sun that fed the stray cats in the rain? Was it eaten by the dice in the gambling den?"

"Ahem..." Yahiko tilted his head and coughed lightly, but his ears were bright red. "Is there anything you need me to arrange when I get back?"

"You know what, there really is!" You bent down, picked up a sharp stone, and squatted down to start carving seriously. "As the leader, I must have a very grand and high-class mansion! I got so much money from the gambling den this time, it's not too much to ask for a big house, is it?"

A rough outline of a building quickly appeared on the soil. Your drawing skills are surprisingly good; the lines are clean and crisp, completely unlike your usual carefree personality.

Yahiko squatted down beside him and nodded thoughtfully, "Not excessive."

“And office buildings, some infrastructure,” you continue excitedly, the stone moving rapidly across the ground, “we must build more residential areas, there will be many more members joining later!”

Your voice grew faster, your eyes sparkling with anticipation, "The training grounds need to be large enough, the medical room fully equipped, and ideally, there should be a library..."

Chapter 90 Irritability

Yahiko suddenly chuckled.

Your voice abruptly stopped, and you saw yourself reflected in the orange-haired boy's pupils, your clothes disheveled, your cheeks stained with someone's blood, yet radiating an eerie glow of excitement.

What's even more terrifying is Yahiko's gaze, so gentle it's like he's gazing at a flower.

“I have remembered everything the leader said,” he said.

You abruptly stood up, your wide sleeves brushing against Yahiko's flushed cheeks. "Oh, right!" you blurted out, as if you were running for your life. "Remember to give Minami plenty of pocket money! Make sure she always looks beautiful!"

As soon as you finished speaking, you vanished like a gust of wind, leaving only a few leaves swirling down.

Yahiko remained crouched, staring blankly at the spot where you disappeared.

A moment later, he raised his hand to his chest, slowly closed his eyes, and his heart pounded violently in his palm, like a bird trying to break free of its cage.

“It’s over…” Yahiko muttered to himself with a bitter smile.

He was hopelessly captivated by those Sharingan eyes, eyes that could see through everything yet remain forever unfathomable, sometimes crazy, sometimes gentle.

On a distant treetop, you crouch on a slender branch, peeking through the gaps in the leaves at Yahiko, who is still standing in the same spot.

Her hand unconsciously went to her cheek, feeling the abnormal temperature of her skin. "This is so strange..."

You say to yourself, but you don't know whether what's strange is Yahiko's gaze or your own reaction to it.

Curled up in a crevice in the rock wall, his pale fingers were still clenched in the position of holding a kunai, and even in his sleep, his muscles were taut like a fully drawn bowstring.

"ah--!!!"

The moment Obito's scream exploded, your eyes snapped open, the three tomoe spinning wildly in crimson, and your fist slammed into his head with a whooshing sound.

"So annoying!"

The dull thud of bones colliding with skull echoed through the cave. Obito curled up like a shrimp, clutching his head, but a silly grin peeked out from between his fingers. "Why didn't you give me a heads-up before you came back? When I woke up and saw you, I almost thought I'd been ambushed by the enemy!"

You kicked the boy even further away, "Useless! You can't even set up a chakra warning network?"

Obito rolled twice and crashed into the rock wall, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head.

"By the way, how's your ninjutsu training going?"

The cave suddenly became so quiet that you could hear drops of blood falling from the stalactites. Obito's eyes began to dart from side to side, like a mouse with its tail pinned to a kunai. "Hey! Long time no see! Who asks about my studies right away?"

"Heh." Your cold laugh made the temperature in the cave drop sharply. "I knew it. Without me watching, you would have turned the Three Body Technique into a suicide technique."

Obito's face flushed red as he was about to retort when suddenly a pale crack appeared in the ground.

"Little girl—!" White Zetsu, with half his face resembling a mushroom, popped out, his voice distorted like an owl being choked, "Lord Madara is looking for you! Now! Immediately! Right now!"

You slowly straightened your collar, then flicked your fingertip hard as it passed over Obito's head. "I'll deal with you when I get back."

Obito covered his forehead, watching your figure disappear into the depths of the cave.

The morning light followed your footsteps, dyeing your black robe a dark red, like a stain of blood that hadn't dried.

White Zetsu tilted his head and sized up Obito, "Your smile is disgusting~"

"What do you care?"

Obito stood there, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his cheek, as if it still held some lingering warmth. He suddenly turned his head, staring at the pale, comical face of White Zetsu. "How do I look?"

White Zetsu tilted his head, his mushroom-shaped hair bun swaying with the movement. "Obito, what are you trying to say?"

“…It’s nothing!” Obito suddenly turned his head, his ears burning red.

He kicked away the pebbles at his feet, and the pebbles hit the rock wall with a hollow echo, as if mocking his absurd thoughts.

The winding cave passages resembled the intestines of a giant beast. You walked forward in the shadows, your wide sleeves sweeping across the damp rock walls, leaving behind a faint scent of blood.

Ban's figure was hidden in the shadows at the deepest part of the cave. Today, there was no Black Jue's mournful chatter; only the dripping sound of water seeping from the cracks in the rocks could be heard in the silence.

"You're back?" Madara's voice was hoarse with the patina of years, his Rinnegan glowing eerily in the darkness. "It looks quite interesting outside." There was a hint of bitterness in his tone that even he himself didn't realize.

You strode forward, squatted down without hesitation, and affectionately placed your arm on Ban's knee. "Did Madara miss me? I missed you so much!"

Ban's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He subconsciously turned his head away to avoid your burning gaze. "Stop talking nonsense." But his stern tone had already been betrayed by the slightly reddened tips of his ears.

“These aren’t just useless words—” you suddenly cupped Ban’s face in your hands, forcing him to look directly at you, “In my heart, Madara will always be supreme!”

Madara was filled with regret for not using chakra to maintain his youthful appearance. The contrast between his aged body and the girl's youthful face made the scene absurd and suffocating.

"What happened to you outside?" Ban coughed lightly, trying to change the subject.

He ruffled your black hair, a gesture that felt much more natural than he had imagined.

A triumphant glint flashed in your eyes. You took Ban's hand and reverently kissed the back of his hand. "I've seen many interesting people and things."

Your voice suddenly became vivid, as if you were telling a fairy tale.

He lets you hold his hand, watching you vividly describe your experiences in the Land of Iron. When you get excited, your Sharingan will involuntarily turn; when you get angry, your sharp fangs will appear and disappear.

"...Those commoners are as stupid as ants, aren't they?" You tilted your head, your eyes full of arrogance.

Ban listened quietly, his gaze deep.

He noticed that you deliberately omitted certain details, such as the orange-haired boy.

Bai Jue had already reported everything to him: your speech in the square, your madness in the casino, and the light in your eyes when you looked at that boy from the Rain Village.

"You seemed to be having a lot of fun because of that boy?"

Obito gripped the rock face tightly, his fingernails scraping against the stone with a harsh sound. White Zetsu poked half his body out from underground, "Oh dear~ Is this what humans call jealousy?"

"Shut up!" Obito slammed his fist into the rock wall, sending rocks raining down. "Who cares about that crazy woman anyway!"

The sound of his footsteps as he turned and ran away startled the bats on the cave ceiling. A dark swarm fluttered towards the cave entrance, much like the restless emotions in his heart at that moment.

"Hmph, it's just an old relic, what's so good about it?" Obito muttered under his breath, forcefully throwing the kunai in his hand against the cave wall, sending sparks flying.

Your heart begins to pound with unease, and your mind races back to every word you just uttered, carefully checking if any of your remarks were inappropriate and might have stirred up Ban's elusive thoughts.

Time slowly passed in this solemn silence, each second seemingly stretched out, making you increasingly uneasy.

Ban stared intently at you, his gaze seemingly piercing your soul, his eyes churning with complex emotions—calmness, contemplation, and a barely perceptible struggle.

Suddenly, you feel a lightness in your body, and you are involuntarily lifted up. In a panic, you instinctively wrap your arms around Ban's neck.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp pain came from your collarbone. Ban lowered his head and bit down there. This sudden action left you somewhat at a loss.

Ban slowly relaxed, and you then noticed a mysterious curse mark on your collarbone.

Before you could ask, Madara turned his head and said in a cold voice, "I want to calm down for a while."

Although I don't understand why Madara left the cursed mark, there's no rush.

After you left, Ban sat alone in the cave, staring blankly ahead.

He was currently experiencing a fierce internal struggle. On the one hand, his long-held beliefs were beginning to waver, and on the other hand, he could not easily abandon the plan he had been preparing for so long.

That curse mark was his way of trying to control you. He was afraid that you would become an obstacle to his plans, but he couldn't bear to hurt you.

You immediately see Obito sitting blankly on the edge of the stone bed, his hands hanging limply at his knees, his eyes empty like two dark holes. His thoughts have clearly drifted to some distant corner, and he doesn't even notice you approaching.

"Hey! Have you finished learning your ninjutsu yet? You're slacking off!" You stepped forward without any politeness and slapped Obito hard on the shoulder, so hard that his body lurched forward.

Obito jolted as if struck by lightning, his three-tomoe Sharingan instantly opening and closing. He turned his head, and upon seeing it was you, a smirk involuntarily appeared on his lips. "Weren't you with the old man? Why are you back?"

Without hesitation, you raised your hand, bent your index finger, and delivered a solid flick to Obito's forehead.

The crisp sound echoed in the cave, and Obito clutched his forehead in pain, a small red mark immediately appearing on his skin.

"What 'old man'? That's awful!" You glared down at him, a dangerous red glint in your Sharingan eyes. "And can't you speak normally?!"

Obito was stunned by the sudden attack. He blinked, and then a surge of anger welled up inside him. How could you chat and laugh with that sinister old man, but come back and boss him around?

"Hey! You lunatic, tell me to speak normally!" Obito suddenly stood up, almost nose to nose with you.

He was stunned as soon as he said it. It wasn't like what he would usually say, but seeing you come back from Ban's place made his heart feel like a tangled mess, so agitated that he wanted to tear something apart.

Your eyes widened slightly, you took a half step back, and sized Obito up and down as if he were a stranger. "You're the one who's sick! I can't be bothered with you!"

Obito watched your angry back as you clenched and unclenched your fists.

He wanted to say it wasn't intentional, wanted to ask what happened to the injury on your collarbone, and even wanted to grab your collar and question why you could smile so sweetly at Ban.

But in the end, he just kicked the pebble at his feet hard and watched it smash into the rock wall.

Deep within the stone chamber, Madara's Rinnegan slowly opened in the darkness.

His fingers traced the lingering warmth on his knees, where the weight of a young girl's coquettishness still seemed to remain.

"White Zetsu," he called hoarsely, "go and watch over them."

The fungi hanging from the cave ceiling chuckled softly. "Is Lord Madara afraid that the little girl will kill Obito?"

Ban didn't answer. "Youth is wonderful," he thought with his eyes closed.

"Hey..." Obito hesitated before speaking, his voice eight octaves lower than usual, "Just now..."

"Shut up!" you interrupt him without turning your head. "I don't want to hear what you're saying right now."

Obito's shoulders slumped. He slowly walked to his bunk, lay down heavily, and stared blankly at the stalactites on the cave ceiling.

The water droplets clinging to the stone tip trembled precariously, much like his current mood. The cave returned to silence, save for the occasional sound of water droplets falling.

Your kunai is polished to a shine, reflecting your slightly distorted image. You steal a glance in Obito's direction and see that he has closed his eyes, but his brows are still tightly furrowed.

"Idiot..." You moved your lips silently, but your eyes softened for a moment without your noticing.

You sighed softly, put away your kunai, and tiptoed to Obito's side. You stared at his sleeping face for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and pinched his nose.

"Ugh!" Obito suddenly opened his eyes and frantically slapped your hand away. "What are you doing!"

"Check if you've stopped breathing," you say expressionlessly. "After all, some idiot looks like he's about to suffocate from his own stupidity."

Just as Obito was about to lash out, he noticed a familiar glint in your eyes—your usual mischievous expression.

He paused for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing, "You're the biggest idiot!"

"Same to you." You shrug, turn, and head towards the cave entrance. "I'm going to find something to eat. If you dare to keep slacking off..."

You turn around and give him a sinister smile, threatening him.

"I won't slack off!" Obito shouted, his face flushed, but you had already leaped out of the cave with a laugh, your figure disappearing into the sunlight.

Obito sat alone on the stone bed, the blush on his face gradually fading.

He touched his forehead where he had been flicked, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. Although he still didn't understand why he was annoyed, at least... you're still that mischievous guy who used to tease him.

You climbed up from the stone platform early in the morning, your eyes filled with fanaticism. "God, grant me absolute power! Let me see through all the conspiracies and secrets of this world, and I will reshape this chaotic world in your name!"

Obito leaned against the cave wall, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Hmph, what kind of god is this? Don't be scared by your own shadow. You're always talking nonsense, don't you get tired?"

You instantly sprang to your feet like a cat with its fur standing on end, pointing at Obito and shouting, "What do you know! Last night I was talking to the rocks on the cave ceiling, and they all told me that you're inherently evil!"

Obito's lips twitched, looking helpless. "Could you be any more outrageous?"

Ban sat to the side, silently watching the two of you fooling around, not wanting to say anything.

His eyes were deep and calm, as if he were already used to such scenes.

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground like a ghost, his pitch-black body appearing particularly eerie, and he screamed in a shrill voice.

"What's all the noise about! You two childish kids, can't you shut up for a minute? We have important things to do, not to listen to your nonsense!"

Chapter 91 Crossing the Line

Having found a new target for your venting, you immediately start circling around Black Zetsu, yelling, "You're always so dark! Did you steal my sweet dreams at night? Is that why you're so gloomy? You must be jealous that I can communicate with the gods, while you can only burrow in this dark earth!"