Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

"Thank you all for coming to my rescue." You chuckled, breaking the silence, your fingers lightly brushing across the three men's shoulders. "But right now, I'd rather relax in a hot spring. I've heard the mixed-gender baths here are quite famous, aren't they?"

"Mixed bathing?!" the three exclaimed in unison, their expressions varying.

Scorpion's ears turned completely red, and he turned his face away. "I...I'd better go back to the hotel first."

"Just kidding." You winked playfully. "Men and women are separated, but..."

You lower your voice, "If you want to sneak over, I won't mind."

After saying that, you turned and left gracefully, leaving three young ninjas standing there with their hearts pounding.

"Let's go! We need to get something to eat!" Your voice rang out, pulling Yahiko and Shisui back to reality.

The two quickly snapped out of their daze and hurried to follow you away.

Scorpion, clutching the wooden carving, was still watching your retreating figures, murmuring softly, "A raccoon dog..."

"Tanuki, that person is Sasori of the Red Sand. Shouldn't we be careful?" Yahiko said in a low voice.

"What are you afraid of? Let's see how things go first," you said nonchalantly.

Shisui chimed in, "But he is, after all, a dangerous person."

"Danger? That depends on who it is."

Back in his hotel room, Scorpion carefully placed the wooden carving on the table, examining the knots and carving techniques on it.

The more he looked, the more amazed he became. The craftsmanship of the wood carving far exceeded his imagination, and your image kept appearing in his mind.

With their excellent disguises and agile skills, Nagato and Konan cleverly avoided the patrolling ninjas of Kirigakure and successfully infiltrated the upper levels of the village.

As they walked along a narrow alley, a tall figure suddenly emerged from the shadows and blocked their way.

Under the moonlight, Kisame Hoshigaki's iconic shark face appeared particularly cold and stern. He held his greatsword Samehada, the blade gleaming coldly in the night.

"Who are you? What do you want?" His voice was deep and hoarse, like a roar from the depths of darkness, exuding a formidable power.

Nagato and Konan were slightly startled, then stopped and looked at each other.

After a brief exchange of glances, Nagato calmly said, "We are members of the Akatsuki organization, and we found you through Tanuki-sama's arrangement."

His tone was calm and polite, an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere, while he was secretly observing Kisame's reaction.

Upon hearing this, Kisame frowned deeply, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "Lord Tanuki? I've never heard of him before."

He was filled with vigilance, and instinctively felt uneasy about this unfamiliar name.

In the world of ninjas, the unknown often means danger, and he has to deal with it carefully.

Nagato calmly replied, "Lady Tanuki is quite low-key and never leaves her name. Hanzo, who was once known as a demigod, died at her hands."

His words were concise and powerful, deliberately mentioning Hanzo's death to pique Kisame's interest and curiosity, while also demonstrating the Akatsuki's strength and resources.

Kisame's expression changed slightly, clearly indicating that he had heard about Hanzo's affairs.

Hanzo was a renowned figure in the ninja world, and anyone who could defeat him was no ordinary person.

He was silent for a moment. “It seems he is indeed a person of importance. I have heard of the Akatsuki organization in Amegakure. They seem to be pursuing some kind of peace, but I don’t think that aligns with my beliefs.”

Kisame expressed his opinion bluntly, his voice carrying a hint of indifference and disdain.

In his view, the ninja world is a dog-eat-dog world, and peace is nothing but an illusory pursuit that is difficult to achieve in reality.

Seeing this, Konan took a step forward and said, "To be honest, we found out your wish before we came: to find your true self and live in a world without falsehood. The Akatsuki organization is indeed pursuing peace, and not long ago, Tanuki-sama changed our direction."

"We will use our power to unify the ninja world to achieve true peace. At that time, there will be no more deception, no need to harm our comrades, and no need to hide our feelings from the people we like."

Konan's voice was gentle yet firm as she spoke, while keeping a close eye on Kisame's changing expressions.

She knew Kisame's inner desires and pain, and these words were spoken to him in the hope of touching the depths of his heart.

Kisame listened quietly to Konan's words, a hint of wavering gradually appearing in his eyes.

He recalled his experiences in Kirigakure, the painful memories of having to turn against his comrades to complete missions, and the days of struggling in false relationships, which filled his heart with exhaustion and confusion.

Now, the world that Xiao Nan described seemed to be a ray of light shining into his dark inner world, giving him a glimmer of hope.

"I'll join you. I want to meet that Tanuki-sama!" Kisame made his decision almost without hesitation.

His eyes revealed a firmness and determination, as if he had already tightly linked his fate with the Akatsuki organization.

In his view, this might be his only chance to realize his inner desire, and he was willing to take the gamble.

A relieved smile appeared on Nagato's face. He extended his hand, "I am Nagato, and this is Konan. Akatsuki welcomes you!"

Kisame stepped forward and tightly grasped Nagato's hand.

The rising steam condensed into water droplets on the glass window, and the dim light of the ramen shop cast the shadows of the three people together on the wall.

You sit at the innermost side, with Yahiko's broad shoulders on your left and Shisui's slender figure on your right. The small space allows you to smell the different scents on both of them at the same time.

Yahiko carried the scent of sun-dried grass and trees, while Shisui was as clear and cool as a cold spring.

"Three bowls of ramen, thank you." As Yahiko spoke to the shopkeeper, his elbow brushed against your arm unintentionally.

His orange hair tips shimmered like dancing flames under the light, and his smile seemed more relaxed than usual.

"Here you go." Yahiko suddenly put the char siu from his bowl into yours. "You're too thin."

"Clink," Zhi Shui's chopsticks tapped lightly on the rim of the bowl. He didn't say anything, but simply pushed the vinegar towards you.

The steam from the noodles flushed your cheeks, and a few strands of black hair slipped from behind your ears, swaying on the edge of the bowl.

Yahiko reached out and tucked your hair behind your ear, his fingertips lingering noticeably longer as they brushed against your earlobe. Meanwhile, Shisui silently took a hair tie from his sleeve and placed it beside you.

"I heard there's an evil god's sacrifice in three days!" The voices at the next table suddenly rose. "This time, the evil god will manifest..."

Your chopsticks paused, and when you looked up, your eyes sparkled with a light that hadn't been seen in still water for a long time—a pure curiosity about the unknown.

"How about we wait until the evil god's ritual is over before going back?" You turned to Yahiko, your toes unconsciously brushing against Shisui's calf under the table.

Shisui immediately straightened his back, while Yahiko smiled and took your hand from the table, "Whatever you like—"

“It’s too dangerous,” Shisui interrupted, his voice lower than usual. “The evil god festival in the Land of Hot Water is no ordinary holiday.”

You withdrew your hand, then rested your chin on your hand and looked at Shisui. "It's precisely because it's dangerous that it's interesting," you deliberately drawled. "Besides, with 'Shisui' protecting me, what's there to be afraid of?"

Their knees collided again under the table, this time Yahiko's leg pressing down on Shisui's. The two engaged in a silent contest from an angle you couldn't see.

Until you suddenly stood up, both of you looked flustered for a second.

"Then it's settled." You stretched. "I'll go buy some dumplings for dessert. You guys... can chat sometime." You winked, leaving a meaningful trailing off.

The moment the curtain swayed, the air between the two men suddenly cooled.

“She doesn’t know the truth about the evil cult.” Shisui stared at the remaining soup in the bowl. “Those chosen as sacrifices will—”

“I will protect her.” Yahiko interrupted, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the teacup. “But you… is your prosthetic eye still working?” He looked meaningfully at Shisui’s left eye.

Shisui's Sharingan slowly rotated, "Enough to see through your tricks."

Chapter 100: The Evil God

As the streetlights gradually illuminate, they gild your silhouette as you stand before the dumpling stall, holding a skewer of dumplings in each hand, seemingly hesitating over which flavor to choose.

Still water's gaze passed through the window and landed on the tips of your hair, which were being blown about by the night wind.

The curtain was lifted again, and you returned to them, bringing with you the coolness of the night breeze and the sweet aroma of dumplings.

"Red bean paste and sesame paste," you said, shaking the dumpling in your hand, your eyes crinkling into crescents, "which do you want?"

The two reached out at the same time, their fingertips touching above the bamboo skewers for the dumplings.

You suddenly pulled both hands back, took a bite from each, and said indistinctly, "I'll eat it myself," with a little red bean paste still on your lips.

Yahiko burst into laughter, while Shisui shook his head helplessly. In the steamy ramen shop, the unspoken emotions between the three were as real as the impending danger.

The moonlight spread like a silver veil across the surface of the hot spring, the scent of sulfur mingling with the coolness of the night dew.

Shisui leaned back against the bluestone pool, his mechanical prosthetic eye reflecting the stars, while his real Mangekyou Sharingan reflected Yahiko's dazed expression. "How did you and Tanuki meet?"

The water rippled gently, and water droplets clung to the ends of Yahiko's orange hair, making them look like melted amber.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his fingers unconsciously drew ripples in the water. This usually sunny boy revealed a rare tenderness in his expression.

"Five years ago...on the border of the Land of Rain." Yahiko's voice seemed to come from a great distance. "That day, the rain was so heavy it felt like the sky was leaking, and we almost gave up hope..."

The steam from the hot spring blurred Shisui's vision, but he could clearly see the gentle curve of Yahiko's lips.

In the shadows of the eaves, a palm-sized spider puppet moved silently, its eight wooden limbs bending at strange angles to avoid all areas illuminated by moonlight.

Through the puppet's eyes, Sasori saw that Shisui's lips were clenched tight, while Yahiko's fist clenched and unclenched underwater.

“She’s like a female protagonist who suddenly appears in a ninja novel.” Yahiko’s laughter stopped, turning into an almost reverent whisper, “But she did…change Akatsuki’s fate.”

Shisui's fingers traced an old scar on his chest, the one he left after shielding Itachi from a kunai. His inscrutable expression was reflected in the water. "Is that so?"

The spider puppet's compound eyes gleamed with the eerie light of chakra. In Sasori's vision, Yahiko's expression suddenly came alive. "She always says strange things, like 'This time we must change the ending'... as if she can foresee the future."

The wooden floor of the corridor creaked almost inaudibly. The puppet stopped outside the paper door, and barely perceptible chakra threads seeped from its joints as it slipped through the crack in the door and into the room.

In the hot spring, Shisui's Sharingan suddenly turned towards the direction where the puppet was hiding. Yahiko followed his gaze and turned around, but only saw the bamboo curtain being blown by the night wind.

“Speaking of which,” Yahiko deliberately raised his voice, “why do you think Sasori is so interested in tanuki?”

The spider puppet in the room suddenly froze, while on a tower three streets away, Sasori's main body's fingers trembled, almost breaking the chakra threads.

Zhi Shui cupped a handful of spring water. "Who knows...maybe he was attracted by the wood carving?" He suddenly tightened his fingers, splashing water droplets everywhere. "Just like us."

The spider puppet's compound eyes suddenly contracted, and through them, Sasori saw that Shisui's Sharingan was staring intently at the puppet's hiding place.

The scorpion on the tower suddenly stood up, his red hair dancing wildly in the night wind. He manipulated the puppet to retreat rapidly, but at the last second, he glimpsed the scene inside your room through the crack in the door.

Suddenly, the spider puppet went out of control and crashed through the paper door. Its eight legs flailing comically as it fell into the hot spring. The hot water instantly soaked through the mechanism, and the chakra threads snapped with a "crack".

Scorpion groaned in the distance and severed the connection. Just a moment ago, he clearly saw the triumphant smile on Shisui's lips and the possessiveness that flashed in Yahiko's eyes, just like his own.

The hot spring pool returned to silence, with only the floating remains of the puppets proving that it was not an illusion.

Shisui picked up a broken puppet leg; the intricate sand-like patterns on it were clearly visible in the moonlight.

“It seems,” he handed the wooden limb to Yahiko, “that we’re not the only two fools.”

In the corridor late at night, Sasori stood in front of the door, his fingertips gently caressing the newly woven knots on the wooden carving. He had carefully repaired them with chakra threads, each strand perfectly wrapped, just like his subtle feelings at that moment.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Knock, knock."

The knocking was exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor, as if even the air itself froze for a moment.

You are organizing ninja tools in your room when you hear a knock on the door. You frown slightly, put down the kunai in your hand, and slowly walk to the door. Your fingertips lightly touch the door frame, and your chakra flows quietly as you sense the presence outside.

You squinted slightly and opened the door.

"It's you, Scorpion?" You tilted your head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in your eyes. "Is there something you need so late?"

Scorpion didn't answer immediately, but simply raised his hand and handed the wooden carving to you.

Looking down, you see that the broken knot has been rewoven, with intricate patterns that are more elaborate and ornate than before, clearly showing that a lot of thought and effort has been put into it.

"The knot in the wood carving is finished." His voice was soft, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.

As you take the wood carving, the fleeting touch of your fingertips brushing against his palm causes Scorpion's fingers to curl slightly.

As you examine the knot, moonlight flows across the wood carving's texture, casting delicate shadows.

"Thank you, Scorpion." You looked up, a smile playing on your lips. "Your cooking is really good."

The scorpion stares at you intently, as if trying to uncover some secret from your eyes.

He took a small step forward, suddenly closing the distance. You could even smell the faint scent of pine on him, mixed with the unique, cold aura of a puppeteer.

“Compared to you, I seem to be far behind,” he said softly, a hint of inquiry in his voice. “I’m very curious, how can someone so young possess such exquisite woodcarving skills? And…”

His gaze lingered on your face. "You don't look like an ordinary ninja either."

You noticed his approach and subtly took a half-step back, your back gently resting against the door frame.

"I've been interested in wood carving since I was a child, and I studied under a master craftsman for several years. As for who I am..." You tilted your head slightly, "Does that matter?"

Scorpion's eyes darkened, seemingly disappointed by your retreat, but he quickly composed himself, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Perhaps it's not important, but I always feel there's a special quality about you that makes me want to get closer to you and understand you."

You raised an eyebrow, your smile deepening. "Scorpion has a sweet tongue; he must be very popular with girls."

Scorpion's ear tips turned slightly red. He coughed lightly and took a step back, as if to cover up his momentary lapse in composure. "Well then, goodnight, Tanuki."