Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

He knew that all of this stemmed from the hatred and obsession deep within his heart, but when he faced you, his heart still wavered.

The forest was silent, save for Obito's heavy breathing and the occasional rustling of leaves.

His thoughts became increasingly chaotic, and his desire to understand your experiences over the years and why you had become the way you are today grew stronger.

"I can't just let this go." Obito gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

He decided to send White Zetsu to investigate your whereabouts. No matter the cost, he would find you, unravel the mystery in his heart, and make amends for the mistake he had just made.

White Zetsu emerged from underground and stood before Obito, asking in a hollow voice, "Obito, are you sure you want to do this? We still have a lot to do. Won't investigating her delay our plans?"

Obito glared fiercely at White Zetsu and said loudly.

"Stop talking nonsense! Just do as I say. She is very important to me, and I need to know about her situation."

Bai Jue shrugged helplessly. "Alright, since you insist, but you should know that this might cause us some unnecessary trouble."

"I don't care!" Obito replied impatiently. "Just find her as soon as possible, and I'll handle everything else."

White Zetsu nodded, turned, and disappeared into the woods. Obito watched the direction White Zetsu had gone, his eyes revealing a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

He knew that his actions might trigger a series of unforeseen consequences, but he couldn't care less about that now.

In a vast, boundless desert, the scorching sun hangs high, yellow sand fills the sky, and howling winds sweep across every inch of land, seemingly trying to devour everything in this endless desolation.

A caravan of Sunagakure ninjas is slowly making its way through the desert, carrying a shipment of precious supplies that are crucial for the reconstruction and development of Sunagakure.

You keep your eyes fixed on the caravan below. You've come here on behalf of a mysterious employer to seize these supplies. For you, it's just an ordinary mission.

With your superb ninjutsu and unique abilities, you are confident that you can complete the task successfully.

Just as they were preparing to take action, a piercing whistling sound came from the sky.

You look up and see a figure riding a giant clay bird, swooping down towards the caravan.

The boy had a dazzling high ponytail of golden hair, as if kissed by the sun, fluffy and messy, freely displaying his unruly personality.

His skin was as white as snow, with an almost sickly pallor, which contrasted sharply with his passionate personality.

Deidara looked down at the caravan below, a hint of excitement and fanaticism in his eyes. He rapidly formed hand seals and chanted, "Drink! Art is an explosion!"

In an instant, the clay bird spat out small clay bombs, which rained down on the caravan.

The Sunagakure ninjas in the caravan panicked and began to use ninjutsu to defend themselves and counterattack.

A slight anger rose in your heart. This sudden appearance had disrupted your plans. The kunai in your hand gleamed coldly as you thrust it toward Deidara.

Deidara sensed the attack from behind, dodged easily to the side, and turned to look at you with a hint of surprise on his face. "Oh, where did this wicked woman come from, daring to ambush me!"

You glared at Deidara, "Why did you suddenly come here to cause trouble? What are you trying to do?"

Deidara laughed heartily, "In this desert, I can go wherever I want. Bombing anywhere is my art, how can you call it meddling? As for you, sneaking around here, you're definitely up to no good!"

"What you call art is nothing but children's tricks."

Deidara's temples bulged with veins. "What did you say?! You wicked woman!" He swiftly reached into the clay sack at his waist. "Let me show you true art!"

You gracefully flipped backward, dodging the first wave of clay birds. The blast wave billowed your robes, revealing your slender waist and snow-white thighs.

Deidara inexplicably felt a tightness in his throat, and his second attack missed its mark by a few points.

"Is that all you've got?" You gracefully turned in mid-air, forming hand seals, "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

Dozens of fireballs flew toward Deidara like blooming flowers. He hastily created a clay barrier, but the heat still scorched his cheeks.

Strangely, he didn't feel annoyed; instead, he felt a strange sense of excitement. Every attack from this woman was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Hmph, not bad, you wicked girl!" Deidara whistled, summoning an even larger clay bird and leaping onto its back. "But the air is my home turf! Hmm!"

You sneered, precisely capturing his every hand seal movement. When Deidara threw the Twin-Winged Bird, you neither dodged nor evaded, but walked straight through the smoke of the explosion; it was nothing more than an illusionary clone.

The real you had instantly appeared behind him, but there was nothing to stop him from hitting the back of the heart.

“Your art,” you whispered in his ear, your warm breath brushing against his earlobe, “lacks soul.”

Deidara shuddered, not from fear, but from the sound that felt like a feather brushing against his heart.

He suddenly elbowed you from behind, but only hit air. You were already several meters away, a mocking look in your eyes.

"Damn it!" Deidara felt his cheeks burning, whether from anger or some other emotion, he didn't know. His attacks became more restrained, and the C1 clay spiders only exploded sporadically at your feet, as if he was deliberately avoiding them.

You keenly sensed something amiss and, during a close-quarters encounter, deliberately exposed an opening, but Deidara's clay centipede avoided your vital points.

"You bastard," you suddenly stopped in mid-air, your chest heaving from the intense movement, "what exactly are you trying to do, attacking one minute and holding back the next?"

Deidara touched his nose and turned his face away. "Who, who showed mercy? I just haven't gone all out yet! Hmm!" The setting sun made his red ear tips almost transparent.

Just as you were about to retort, the sand beneath your feet suddenly shook violently.

Dozens of Sand Village ninjas joined forces to form hand seals, and a huge sand wave rushed in like a tsunami.

"Sand Release: Great Sand Burial!"

"Damn it!" Deidara instantly realized there was no way to dodge, and he reached out his hand towards you. "You wicked woman! Come on up if you don't want to die!"

Looking at the outstretched hand, you hesitated for a moment. The sandstorm was already close at hand. With a soft click, you leaped onto the bird's back with your toes touching the ground.

Deidara immediately urged the bird to soar into the sky, the tip of the sand wave barely brushing against the bird's tail.

"Hold on tight!" Deidara suddenly turned around and pounced on you on the bird's back, shielding you with his body.

A boulder, swept up by the sandstorm, struck him in the back. He groaned, and warm blood dripped onto your face.

The boy's face, so close to mine, was contorted with pain, yet he still stubbornly smiled. "How was it? My flying art... not bad, right? Hmm?"

Birds were tossed about in the sandstorm, the two bodies pressed tightly together. You could feel Deidara's rapid heartbeat and smell the strange scent of clay and blood on his body.

Deidara secretly glanced at the unfamiliar girl beside him out of the corner of his eye. Her profile was like a sculpture in the twilight, and the black patterns on her face now had a strange and eerie beauty.

"What are you looking at?" You suddenly turned your head and stared straight into Deidara's heart.

"Who's looking at you!" Deidara hurriedly turned his face away, his ears turning bright red. "I was looking...at the scenery!"

You gave a soft hum, but the corners of your lips turned up slightly. You reached out and brushed the sand off Deidara's hair, a gesture so natural that it stunned both of them.

"Your face..." Deidara, as if possessed, raised his hand and lightly touched the dark lines at the corner of your eye with his fingertips. "Does this hurt?"

Your pupils constricted, and you abruptly slapped Deidara's hand away. "Don't touch me!"

The bird swayed violently due to the sudden movement. Deidara instinctively grabbed your waist to steady you. Your noses almost touched, and as your breaths mingled, a subtle electric current crackled in the air.

"I'm sorry!" Deidara released his grip as if he had been burned.

"Put me down." Your voice was colder than the wind high in the sky.

Deidara's fingers trembled, and he widened his azure eyes. "Are you crazy? Going down now will be..."

"My mission isn't finished yet." You turn around and notice that the boy's knuckles are white from the force he's exerted, and there are several fine cracks on the wings of the clay bird. The impact of the sandstorm was more severe than he showed.

Deidara clicked his tongue, his left hand unconsciously reaching for the clay bag at his waist. "What kind of stupid mission is worth risking your life for? Are they all as stubborn as you? Hmm?"

"None of your business." You took a step forward, your toes already dangling in the air. This action caused Deidara to straighten up abruptly, almost releasing the chakra that was maintaining the bird's flight.

"How could I possibly ignore this!" he practically roared, his cheeks instantly turning bright red. "You... troublesome wicked woman!"

The last word abruptly faded, and the bird fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of the wind passing between the two.

Deidara felt his heart pounding in his chest at an unfamiliar frequency; he was certain you could hear it, it was a heartbeat right next to him.

Chapter 114 - Tsunade

You looked away first, the shadow cast by your long eyelashes obscuring the fleeting emotion in your eyes. "Whatever, but don't get in my way."

Clay birds slowly descend on the edge of the desert. The setting sun has sunk below the dunes, and the last ray of golden light brushes past your brow bone, casting a fleeting illusion of warmth.

You leaped lightly off the bird's back, not looking back as your black boots sank into the fine sand.

"Hey! It's Deidara!" he suddenly called out to you. "At least tell me your name! Hmm?"

“Li Nu.” You turned and walked into the depths of the desert, but then stopped. “...Your art is indeed quite interesting.”

Deidara stood frozen in place, watching the black figure gradually blend into the moonlight until it was completely invisible.

"Just you wait, you wicked woman..." the boy muttered to himself in the night wind, "I'll make you acknowledge the art of explosion!"

The afterglow of the setting sun casts a warm golden hue on the stone streets of the Land of Earth, and you walk briskly through the crowd.

The relief of completing the mission allows you to enjoy this rare moment of leisure. Your long black hair sways gently with each step, and a flash of red light appears in your Sharingan.

The buildings along the street are sturdy and ancient, with a few tenacious wildflowers occasionally peeking out from between the stones. You bend down and gently stroke a pale purple flower, a slight smile playing on your lips.

Just then, a commotion arose from the gambling den ahead. "You dare to gamble if you have no money? Get out!" A rough male voice rang out, accompanied by shoving sounds.

You look up and see several burly men pushing a blonde woman out the door.

The woman staggered a few steps before regaining her balance. Sunlight shone on her golden hair, making it appear like flowing gold. You unconsciously held your breath; even though she looked slightly disheveled, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Tsunade bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed with anger. She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, but ultimately did not strike.

You can see that she is trying her best to restrain her power; it's a kind of self-control that only a strong person has.

"Are you alright?" You involuntarily stepped forward, your voice softer than usual.

Tsunade looked up, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes, which was then replaced by surprise. She hadn't expected anyone in a foreign land to care about a stranger who had been kicked out of a casino.

"It was just bad luck." Tsunade forced a smile and tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.

“Gambling is ultimately unreliable.” You paused, keenly catching the fleeting pain in Tsunade’s eyes. “Besides, you don’t seem like the kind of person who would become addicted to it.”

Tsunade was stunned. Over the years, people had only seen the halo of the "Legendary Sannin" or mocked her gambling addiction, but no one had ever seen through her escape behind gambling.

The stranger's keen insight startled her.

"Some things... aren't so easy to let go of." Tsunade's voice lowered, carrying an unprecedented vulnerability.

The air between the two seemed to freeze, and you felt a strange resonance, as if you were seeing your former self.

Without thinking, you reach out your hand, but stop just before you touch Tsunade's shoulder.

“Running away won’t solve the problem.” You withdrew your hand. “Only by facing it can you truly let go.”

Tsunade gazed into your eyes, where there was no pity, only sincere understanding, and a long-lost warmth rose from the bottom of your heart.

"My name is Tsunade," she heard herself say, her voice softer than she had expected.

"Tanuki," you smiled slightly, "there's a nice tavern up ahead, wanna come together?"

Stone Heart Tavern is an unassuming little shop, but the warm woody scent and just the right amount of dim lighting make it feel comfortable.

You chose a corner seat and pulled out a chair for Tsunade, a gesture that made her raise an eyebrow.

"Do you often strike up conversations with strangers like this?" Tsunade took the sake you offered, their fingertips brushing against each other unintentionally, a subtle electric current running between them.

“Only for special people.” You took a sip of your drink. “Like… a legendary medical ninja who clearly shouldn’t be in a casino.”

Tsunade's hand trembled, almost spilling the wine. She narrowed her eyes. "You know me?"

"Who doesn't know the name of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha?" You swirled your wine glass. "I just never expected to meet you here, and even more so..."

You hesitated for a moment, then said, "You look so lonely."

These words were like a key, unlocking Tsunade's tightly locked heart. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, or perhaps it was the undisguised concern in your eyes.

Tsunade finds herself recalling past events she has never told anyone: Dan's death, Nawaki's departure, and the collapse of the entire world that followed.

“...Sometimes I feel that living too long is a curse.” Tsunade’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of her wine glass.

"He always says I look like a cat with its fur standing on end when I drink..." Tsunade suddenly chuckled, but more tears welled up in her eyes. "Even though I have a terrible alcohol tolerance, my face turns red after just two drinks..."

"The night before the final mission..." Tsunade's knuckles turned white. "He knelt down and helped me put on my armor, saying that after the war was over..."

Her words were broken by sobs, and you could see blood seeping from between Tsunade's tightly clenched fingers; her nails had already dug deep into her palms.

An unprecedented impulse compels you to reach out and gently place your hand on the back of hers.

"You..." Tsunade's voice caught in her throat. She had never seen eyes like those before, eyes that seemed to shimmer with starlight.

You wiped away Tsunade's tears with your thumb. "He must have loved you very much." You said the cruelest comfort Tsunade had never heard before. "So even death couldn't bear to take away the pain left by this love."

Tsunade suddenly leaned forward, her forehead resting on your thin shoulder as she sobbed. You froze for a moment, then slowly wrapped your arms around her, your fingers running through her radiant blonde hair.

“You can’t stay trapped in the rain forever.” Your chin gently brushed against Tsunade’s hair, and you smelled the bitter scent of alcohol mixed with the aroma of her hair. “Look at the world under the sun…look for him.”

"I know!" Tsunade stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly on the floor.

A black cat darted past in fright from the shadows in the corner of the tavern.