Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

A strong arm caught her waist just in time, preventing her from falling.

The hand, warm through her clothes, provided just the right amount of support, gently holding her steady before politely letting go without overstepping any boundaries.

Mei Terumi steadied herself and looked up at the owner of the arm.

Uchiha Nagi had already withdrawn her hand, her gaze fixed on the shadows of the trees beside her, as if she had just done something insignificant.

“Thank you,” Mei Terumi smoothed her hair, her smile deepening, tinged with a hint of slyness. “Nagi-kun is indeed… a true gentleman.”

Uchiha Nagi then withdrew her gaze, glanced at her indifferently, and said, "It was nothing."

They walked to a viewpoint overlooking a vast, misty canyon.

The wind gently blew Mei Terumi's long hair, and a few strands playfully touched her lips. Just as she was about to raise her hand, she saw Nagi Uchiha's gaze fall on her lips, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Then, he made a move that even Mei Terumi didn't expect.

He took out a clean, plain white handkerchief from his ninja tool bag and handed it over.

His movements remained natural, even somewhat indifferent, but in his always calm and unwavering black eyes, there was not flattery or obsequiousness, but rather something more like... an almost instinctive kind of obsession?

Mei Terumi paused for a moment, then took the handkerchief. It was soft to the touch and carried a very faint, cool fragrance, like pine needles after a snowfall.

She wiped the strands of hair from her lips, handed the handkerchief back, and her fingertips inadvertently brushed against his.

His fingertips were slightly cool, but the moment she touched them, they curled up almost imperceptibly.

Mei Terumi's heart raced again; she was finally certain that beneath this iceberg lay a turbulent undercurrent.

She took a step forward, closing the distance between them, and looked up at him.

Mist swirled around them, and sunlight tried to pierce through the clouds, casting a brilliant and bold light into her eyes.

“Uchiha Nagi,” she called him by his name for the first time, her voice losing some of its softness and gaining more seriousness and strength, “is your indifference directed at everyone, or is it only towards me… that’s different?”

Uchiha Nagi looked down at her, the woman's eyes burning with undisguised aggression and expectation, like flames.

He remained silent for a moment, and just when Mei Terumi thought he would again evade the question with silence or cold words, he spoke, his voice lower than usual, "What does the Mizukage think?"

He neither answered directly nor denied it.

In the depths of those usually cool and aloof eyes, something seemed to be being gradually stirred and melted by her passion.

Mei Terumi smiled, as if she had won the first battle. She knew that this game of love and conquest had only just begun.

She possesses absolute patience and charm, completely melting the cold, snow-capped mountain and revealing the deep-seated gentleness that belongs only to her.

[Foreshadowing: Indra Otsutsuki] — Ju-on (The Grudge)

Inside the Pure Land Temple, constructed from the power of all things in the universe, the air was so heavy it felt almost tangible.

Indra stood before his great father, the Sage of Six Paths, his deep purple Rinnegan eyes burning with unprecedented anger and resentment.

"Father, why?" His voice trembled slightly as he struggled to suppress his emotions, his knuckles turning white from gripping his fists so tightly. "You know perfectly well! You know my feelings! You know I admire Prajna! Why did you still grant Asura's request and arrange her marriage?!"

The Sage of Six Paths sat calmly on his futon, his face serene, as if he were not facing his son's questioning, but merely engaging in a routine discussion of the Dao.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like an ocean encompassing all things, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness and helplessness.

“Indra,” his voice was deep and authoritative, “as a member who inherits the bloodline of the Otsutsuki, many things have no reason, only responsibility and order.”

"Responsibility? Order?" Indra scoffed, his smile filled with mockery and pain. "Just for that laughable balance? Just to appease your precious son who 'inherited all things in the universe'? You're willing to sacrifice my happiness? Sacrifice Prajna?!"

The thought of that aloof, moon-like woman about to wear her wedding dress and stand beside his seemingly sunny but actually foolish younger brother filled Indra with a burning, bone-deep jealousy that threatened to consume him and overwhelm his reason!

He took a sudden step forward, his powerful chakra overflowing uncontrollably, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker violently. "I absolutely refuse! Father! I will never allow Hannya to marry Ashura! Even if it means becoming an enemy of the entire Ninja Clan! I will not hesitate!"

His declaration was like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent temple with an unquestionable resolve and madness.

The Sage of Six Paths looked at him, his eyes filled with even deeper helplessness.

He saw the almost obsessive flame in his son's eyes, a dangerous light that, once ignited, was difficult to extinguish and capable of destroying everything.

"Indra, excessive obsession will ultimately backfire on you." In the end, the Sage of Six Paths simply said this and closed his eyes again, as if unwilling to say anything more.

The conversation ended unhappily, and Indra left the temple filled with resentment and unwillingness. The gears of fate did not stop turning because of his resistance.

Prajna herself did not seem to have much emotional fluctuation about this, remaining as calm and indifferent as ever.

This unfulfilled longing, this possession forcibly taken from me, is like the most vicious curse, deeply imprinted upon me.

Deep within Indra's soul, along with his death, he sank into the eternal Pure Land, yet found no peace.

For Indra, the thousand years after his death were a long and agonizing search.

His soul lingered on the edge of the Pure Land, frantically sensing and searching for traces of Prajna's every reincarnation through the reincarnation mantra formed from love turned to hate and obsession.

He watched her descend into the world time and time again, and watched her reincarnations, some of whom were exceptionally talented, others unknown, but without exception, they all carried that familiar, cold sense of alienation.

Until... the appearance of Uchiha Nagi.

When his senses locked onto the black-haired girl, his soul, which had been dormant for a thousand years, suddenly surged! It was her! Although the aura was different, the intense resonance of the reincarnation seal clearly told him that Nagi was Hannya.

He eagerly projected his power onto her, trying to awaken her, trying to make her remember him!

However, all he received was cold denial and wary hostility; she even went so far as to use a force that stung him to resist his approach.

Why won't you admit it?

Why won't you look at me?

Indra's obsession fermented and deteriorated over a thousand years of waiting and repeated rejections, becoming increasingly twisted and profound.

He always knew one thing: Prajna had never loved him.

He used to think that was just her nature.

She was like the cold moon hanging high in the sky, indifferent to all things in the world, incapable of love, and never staying for anyone.

He believed that as long as he was strong enough and persistent enough, he would one day be able to melt that frozen shell.

But... what did he see?

Through the vague senses of the reincarnation seal, he saw how Hannya treated his reincarnation, Uchiha Madara.

That indulgence! That tacit approval! That helpless yet not truly resistant attitude that even shows when the other party aggressively approaches.

It was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, instantly sobering him up, only to plunge him into even deeper madness and chill.

So... so she wasn't incapable of love! She wasn't heartless!

She simply...didn't love Indra!

How ridiculous! How ironic!

The man who had yearned for this for a thousand years, tossing and turning in vain, now... regards his reincarnated self with special regard?

That Uchiha Madara...why?!

Just because he's the reincarnation of Indra in this generation? But that's merely an extension of his power! A vessel that holds his chakra! A... lucky successor!

Why should he receive the special treatment he had longed for for a thousand years?

He didn't understand! He just couldn't figure it out!

He doesn't want much... really not much.

Just a little bit of Prajna's attention, a little bit of gentleness that is different from others, a little bit of...love, is enough.

But why was she so heartless? To his thousand-year-old obsession, she only offered cold rejection and complete neglect, as if his very existence was a tiresome nuisance.

This realization was like a dull knife, relentlessly cutting into his soul day and night.

Resentment, jealousy, hatred, and that twisted love that never faded wove together into a huge net, trapping him within it, tightening its grip ever more.

He dared not provoke Prajna's anger any further.

Once those golden eyes truly turned cold, the intimidation and damage they brought were more deadly than any attack he had ever endured.

So he poured all his obsession and madness into the reincarnation seal that connected them.

Since I can't get it...

Since you value the reincarnated beings of this era...

A dark and insane thought began to take root in his mind.

He began to expend enormous spiritual power, carefully and secretly weaving new spells into the ancient reincarnation seal.

This is an extremely risky move; the slightest mistake could alert Prajna or even cause a backlash.

But he couldn't care less about that now.

He wanted to leave behind a "gift".

A "gift" for Uchiha Nagi, or rather, for the last reincarnation of Hannya.

When the power of the Prajna is completely unified in this generation, and when Uchiha Nagi, as her last reincarnation, welcomes a true rebirth... this hidden technique will be activated.

It will gently and thoroughly erase all her memories.

All those memories of Madara Uchiha, all the bonds of this era... will vanish into nothingness.

At the same time, it will also maximize the stimulation and influence of his last reincarnation. He has already selected a vessel filled with darkness and possessiveness deep within her soul, to find her, to entangle her, to fill the gaps in her memory, until...

Until the name Uchiha Madara no longer held any special place in her heart.

Until her gaze... perhaps truly falls upon him.

Even if it's just an illusion, a falsified version, or a stolen piece of information...

The obsession of a thousand years has long since turned into a poisonous curse that prevents reincarnation.

What he cannot have, his reincarnations... will never truly possess either.

Deep within the Pure Land, Indra's soul emitted a silent, manic laugh, a laugh filled with the pain of unrequited love and the mad expectation of destroying all that is beautiful and then reshaping it in his hands.

(Prajna...we...have a long future ahead of us.)

[Extended Reading: Redemption Within Tsukuyomi] — Rin, Tsunade

【Rin's Tsukuyomi World——】

"Loser! Your fire jutsu control is still so bad! You almost burned my hair!"

"Hmph! Who told you, you idiot genius, to stand so close! Besides, my Fire Release technique is clearly very powerful! It was Rin who said so!"

"Lin was just trying to comfort you! You idiot!"

"What did you say?! Kakashi! A duel!"

It was Obito and Kakashi arguing again over some trivial matter, full of youthful energy and... a daily routine that she missed dearly.

Lin frowned subconsciously, not because of annoyance, but because some indescribable emotion suddenly seized her. She looked at the two figures chasing and playing in the sunlight on the training field, like children who would never grow up, and her eyes welled up with tears without warning.

How long... how long has it been since I've heard such a lively argument?

She took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions, and gave them a gentle, almost sorrowful smile. She spoke softly, "Long time no see."

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through their noise.

Obito abruptly stopped chasing Kakashi, scratched his always-upturned black hair in confusion, blinked, and looked somewhat dazed.

"Huh? Oh... Long time no see? Lin, didn't we just see each other this morning?" Although he didn't understand why Lin suddenly blurted out such a strange question, he still responded habitually and innocently, with a carefree smile on his face.

Kakashi stopped instantly. He pulled down the mask that had been covering his face, and his usually lazy, half-closed eyes opened slightly. His sharp gaze fell on Rin's face like a scalpel.

He seemed to be keenly sensing the hidden motives and deeper emotions behind Rin's words; he was much more sensitive than Obito.

Lin took in their reactions, her heart filled with mixed emotions, yet she couldn't help but chuckle softly, perfectly concealing her unease. "Alright, alright, stop arguing, let's go eat first? I specially made bento boxes today; my cooking skills have improved quite a bit lately!"

Upon hearing about food, especially Rin's cooking, Obito's attention was immediately diverted, his eyes lighting up and instantly banishing his earlier doubts.

"Really? That's great! I want to eat it! I want to eat it! Kakashi, you're not allowed to take my tamagoyaki!"

Kakashi glanced at Obito, lazily pulled his mask back up, and said in a calm tone, "Idiot, who's going to steal yours?" But his gaze lingered on Rin for a moment before slowly moving away.

The three sat down under the shade of a tree by the training field.

Lin took out the prepared lunchbox. The dishes inside were exquisite and nutritious, and it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Obito wolfed down his food, his cheeks bulging, and kept praising, "Mmm! Delicious! Rin, you're amazing!"

Kakashi ate relatively politely, but he was still quite fast.