Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

What time is it now?! The fox spirit is nowhere to be found, whether she's alive or dead! That powerful yet fragile woman, the one who makes her itch with desire at first sight, is in grave danger!

How could she possibly be in the mood to play the role of a happy bride? She's completely absorbed in this fake, meaningless wedding game!

Mei Terumi scrutinized the perfect groom, who was getting closer and closer, with a critical eye.

Tsk, he's not bad looking, but he's nowhere near as stunning as Tanuki, who's so cold he's practically genderless!

His demeanor is so fake, he's obviously not as genuine as Tanuki. And his strength? He probably couldn't even beat Tanuki by a single finger! What a jerk!

There's no one who can match even half the charm of her cat!

Even if she were to get married, it would be to Li Nu! Wouldn't it be better for two beautiful women to be together? Why would she need a stinky man!

Thinking about it this way, Terumi Mei's anger flared even more.

This lousy illusion not only wasted her time, but its aesthetic sense was also so low-class and clichéd!

"What useless illusion!" She completely lost her patience, put her hands on her hips, and, no longer caring about manners or image, started cursing at the air. Her clear and loud voice instantly drowned out the beautiful wedding march.

"This is utterly pointless! This vulgar farce! I'm not buying it! Let me out! Do you hear me?! Otherwise, when I get out, I'll twist your head off and use it as a football!"

The entire wedding hall fell into a deathly silence.

The smiles on the faces of all the guests froze, and they stared in disbelief at their beloved Mei Terumi, who was supposed to be shyly waiting for her groom, but was now acting like a female hooligan, standing with her hands on her hips and cursing in the street.

The perfect groom who was walking towards her also stopped in his tracks, his gentle smile shattered completely, leaving only embarrassment and bewilderment.

Tsukuyomi Space... also seemed to be stuck because of this sudden and merciless insult.

The rain of flowers paused for a moment, the music went out of tune, and even the lights flickered eerily.

It was as if this supreme illusion had never encountered such an irrational, volatile, and... disdainful victim.

The exquisitely woven dream that could captivate anyone was, in this woman's eyes, rendered "useless," "vulgar," and "boring"?

Tsukuyomi felt an unprecedented...frustration and a hint of grievance?

(If illusions have emotions.)

Mei Terumi didn't care about any of that! Looking at the frozen scene around her, she became even more convinced that this was a low-quality illusion, and rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Tsk, you get stuck after I scold you a couple of times? With such poor mental fortitude, you still dare to try and cast illusions? Hurry up! Don't waste my time! My cat is waiting for me!"

Her words were like sharp knives, precisely piercing Tsukuyomi's fragile heart.

Tsukuyomi seems to have finally been completely enraged, or rather... broken down?

It could no longer endure this woman's insults and disdain! She rejected such a perfect wedding dream! She looked down on such a handsome groom! And kept calling him "little fox"!

Go! Get out of here! I don't want to serve you anymore!

The next second, before Mei Terumi could even speak again, the entire wedding hall, along with the frozen, perfect groom, the dumbfounded guests, and the petals floating in the air... shattered into countless fragments like a broken mirror.

A strong feeling of weightlessness washed over me!

"Hmph! That's more like it!" Mei Terumi felt a blur before her eyes, and the noisy wedding music and fragrance of flowers disappeared instantly, replaced by the damp and cold air and pattering rain unique to the border of the Land of Rain.

She shook her head and found herself standing at her patrol post, her ninja robe still on, as if the cumbersome wedding dress from before had never existed.

"Trash illusion magic, a waste of time." She disdainfully patted non-existent dust off her robe, her emerald eyes immediately scanning her surroundings sharply, searching for any potential enemies, her heart filled with even greater anxiety.

I need to finish things here as soon as possible, and then... go find that fox I can't let my guard down!

The Tsukuyomi space that had been rejected seemed to ripple with grievance after she left before slowly dissipating into nothingness.

This is truly... I have never suffered such a humiliating disgrace!

[Extended Reading: Redemption Within Tsukuyomi] — Naruto Uzumaki

[Naruto Uzumaki's Tsukuyomi World]

Naruto Uzumaki, dragging his slightly weary steps, pushed open the familiar, somewhat dilapidated apartment door.

He had grown accustomed to the scene that greeted him behind the door: instant noodle containers scattered everywhere, snack wrappers strewn about, and cluttered furniture that was never tidied up.

Loneliness and desolation are the eternal themes here, but today they are quite different.

The moment the door opened, a warm and enticing aroma of food wafted out. It wasn't the MSG smell of instant noodles, but the true taste of home: the fragrance of rice, the richness of miso soup, and the smoky aroma of grilled fish.

Naruto stood frozen at the door, wondering if he had gone to the wrong door.

He blinked his bright blue eyes, looking at the scene inside the room in disbelief. Although the place was not big, it was clean and tidy.

There was even a potted plant with small white flowers on the windowsill.

What shocked him most was that in the small kitchen where he usually only boiled water to make instant noodles, a figure was busy with his back to him.

She was a woman with striking long red hair, a well-proportioned figure, wearing a clean apron, skillfully stir-frying the dishes in the pan, humming an off-key tune, and exuding a warm and vibrant aura.

"Who...who are you?! What are you doing in my house?!" Naruto's finger trembled as he pointed at the strange woman, his voice filled with shock and wariness.

Are they enemies? What transformation technique did they use?

The woman turned around at the sound, her emerald green eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and indulgent smiles.

She wiped her hands, walked over, and very naturally reached out to ruffle Naruto's dazzling blond hair.

"Naruto, stop pretending to have amnesia and joking with your mom. Go wash your hands and eat. I made your favorite grilled fish and miso soup today." Her tone was affectionate yet carried an undeniable authority, as if she had done this a thousand times before.

Naruto's mouth dropped open, his brain completely shut down, and he had no idea how to react.

Like a puppet, he was pulled by the arm by the woman who claimed to be his mother and forcibly pressed down in front of that unusually clean and tidy small dining table.

Several delicious-looking home-style dishes were already laid out on the table, steaming hot and tempting to the eye.

"No! Wait! Should I know you? Who are you...?" Naruto struggled to ask clearly; this was too strange!

Before he could finish speaking, a spoonful of warm miso soup was already placed to his lips.

Kushina Uzumaki looked at him with a "stop messing around and eat your food" look, and almost forcibly shoved the spoon into his mouth.

"Ugh!" Naruto swallowed instinctively.

The warm liquid slid down my throat, bringing an indescribable, warm, and comforting taste.

The saltiness was just right, with the fresh aroma of bonito flakes and the softness of tofu. This tasted a hundred times better than any instant noodles he had ever eaten! It could even be compared to his absolute favorite Ichiraku Ramen!

"How is it? Has Mom's cooking improved again?" Kushina put her hands on her hips, looking expectant and excited, waiting for praise like a little girl waiting to be complimented.

“It’s…delicious! Yes…” Naruto nodded subconsciously in agreement, but the next second, he suddenly realized something, his eyes widening in shock. “Wait! What?! Mom?! You really are…my mom?!”

Overwhelmed by shock and a sense of absurdity! He had been an orphan since childhood, the embodiment of a fox spirit, a figure everyone in the village avoided! How could he have a mother?

Is she still the same kind of mother... who cooks for him, ruffles his hair, and seems both gentle and lively?

"I'm here, Naruto!" Kushina put down her soup bowl, leaned closer with concern, and touched his forehead, her brows furrowing slightly. "You don't have a fever? Why have you been talking nonsense ever since you got back? Is it because you've been training too hard?"

The warm touch on his forehead and the genuine worry in those emerald eyes were like a warm current, unexpectedly breaking down the high wall of loneliness in Naruto's heart.

So this is what it feels like to have a mother's care...

So this is what home tastes like...

An immense sense of injustice surged up like a flood bursting its banks.

"Mom!" He suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged Kushina tightly around the waist, burying his face in her apron, which smelled of cooking oil but was incredibly warm, his voice choked with emotion.

"I thought... I thought I had no home! I had no mom or dad! Do you know, the other kids in the village always laugh at me... bully me... say I'm an unwanted monster... Waaaaah..."

He became more and more upset as he spoke, and finally he burst into tears, as if he wanted to vent all the grievances and loneliness he had accumulated over the years in the arms of his mother who had appeared out of nowhere.

Kushina's body suddenly stiffened.

Immediately, a visible, almost tangible rage erupted from the top of her head! Her long red hair seemed to move almost without wind!

"What?! Such a thing exists?!" She slammed her hand on the table, making the dishes jump. "Which bastards dared to bully my son, Kushina Uzumaki?! Tell me their names! I'll go hang them on the Hokage Rock right now and let them dry in the sun!!"

Naruto was so startled by this sudden outburst of rage, even more terrifying than the Nine-Tails' rampage, that he choked back his sobs.

I instinctively shrank back; this mother seemed a bit...too irritable?

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock rang out. A man dressed in a white Hokage robe, with equally dazzling blond hair, pushed open the door and walked in, a gentle smile on his face. "I'm back. Hmm? It smells so good. What delicious food did you make today..."

His words trailed off when he saw the scene inside the house: a mess on the floor, his wife's head flaring with anger, and his son huddled in a chair with red, swollen eyes and a look of fear on his face.

"Uh... what happened?" The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sensed something was wrong.

Naruto looked at the man who walked in and felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Wasn't this one of those Hokage statues? The Fourth Hokage of Konoha? How could he be...?

"It's your father." Kushina answered Naruto's unspoken question through gritted teeth, then abruptly turned her head.

She turned her anger on her husband, Minato Namikaze, who had just entered the room. "Minato Namikaze! You've come at the right time! Tell me! What's going on with Konoha under your management?! Why is anyone daring to bully my son Naruto?! What kind of Hokage are you?"

Minato was taken aback by the barrage of shouts, momentarily confused. "Naruto got bullied? Really? The atmosphere in Konoha is great right now, there shouldn't be anything like this..."

He tried to explain that Konoha had always been peaceful and friendly under his rule.

"You mean I misunderstood? I'm talking nonsense?" Kushina's tone grew increasingly dangerous, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Minato felt a chill run down his spine. His survival instinct kicked in, and he immediately changed his tune, "No, no, no! That's not what I meant! Kushina, calm down! I'll investigate thoroughly! I'll definitely investigate thoroughly! I'll arrest and beat up all the guys who bullied Naruto!"

Kushina snorted coldly, but her anger was clearly not yet appeased.

Naruto was still completely immersed in the bombshell news that the Fourth Hokage was his father, his brain completely shut down, and he stared dumbfounded at the surreal scene before him.

The legendary Fourth Hokage, who saved Konoha, is handsome, powerful, and as warm as the sun. He is being chased all over the house by his seemingly gentle but actually short-tempered red-haired mother, desperately dodging flying spatulas and cushions!

"Hey! Stop fighting!" Naruto finally came to his senses and quickly got up to try to stop them.

What kind of nonsense is this?! How could Kushina Uzumaki, enraged, possibly listen to anything?

Looking at the chaotic yet... inexplicably vibrant scene of his home, Naruto's eyes welled up with tears again.

Although it was chaotic and absurd, it was exactly the kind of lively home he had longed for countless times in his dreams—a home with his parents.

He took a deep breath, mustered all his strength, and shouted, "Mom and Dad! Stop hitting me! Listen to me!"

His voice successfully stopped the two people chasing him, and they both looked at him in confusion.

Naruto looked at them, at this dream that Tsukuyomi had woven for him so beautifully, and his heart was filled with gratitude and reluctance, but even more so with a clear-headed resolve.

"I...I am not the son of your world." He spoke with difficulty, each word feeling like a knife cutting through his throat.

“I don’t know why I came here and saw you all, but I’m really happy, so happy to see you, to eat my mom’s cooking, to… to have a home.”

As his words fell, the warm scene around him began to blur, fading away like a faded photograph. The dining table, the food, the cozy little house... all gradually became transparent.

Minato and Kushina's figures have not yet completely disappeared.

The anger and confusion on their faces gradually faded, replaced by a deep and sorrowful understanding and... an incomparably intense heartache.

Kushina's tears welled up instantly. She stepped forward, wanting to touch Naruto's face, but her fingers passed right through his image.

"Naruto..." Her voice choked with emotion, "Are you doing well in that world? It must be tough being alone..."

Even within the illusion, a mother's instincts still made her immediately concerned about her son's true situation.

Naruto felt a sharp pain in his heart as he watched his mother cry, but he forced a big, bright smile, as radiant as the sun, and shook his head vigorously.

"I'm fine, Mom! Don't worry! I'm going to be Hokage! How could I be defeated by something so trivial!"

"I've been eating well, and I have good friends! Kakashi-sensei may be lazy, but he's very reliable! Iruka-sensei also cares about me a lot! And then there's that arrogant Sasuke and Sakura... Everyone... everyone is great!"

He spoke urgently, wanting to comfort his parents, whom he had never met but who loved him deeply.

Minato Namikaze silently watched his son, his usually gentle blue eyes filled with complex emotions—guilt, heartache, and pride.

In the end, he simply reached out and placed his hand lightly on Naruto's head, making a stroking motion.

"Mm," he responded softly, his voice hoarse. "That's good."

That's enough. Knowing that our son is living a strong and resilient life, striving towards his dreams, even without their company, is enough.

The world of Tsukuyomi has completely vanished.

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself still standing on the cold, damp border of the Land of Rain, his face cold and already soaked with tears.

The warmth of the miso soup and the bittersweetness of that brief encounter still linger in my heart.

But he wiped away his tears, clenched his fists, and a determined light rekindled in his azure eyes.

Mom and Dad, did you see that?

I will continue on this path, for your sake as well.

I will definitely become Hokage!