Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Just as your toes are about to cross the threshold, a warm hand suddenly reaches out and grabs your wrist with some urgency.

"Wait!" It's Sasuke.

After grabbing you, he seemed to realize that his actions were a bit abrupt, and quickly let go as if he had been burned, his ears turning slightly red.

He looked up, trying to make his expression look cool, but his obsidian-like eyes couldn't hide a hint of awkwardness and... grievance?

"You..." Sasuke's voice was hoarse, as if he were trying to remain calm, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

His emotions were churning. He longed to get closer to the girl who made his heart race and who inexplicably cared about him, but he didn't want to appear childish or be looked down upon in front of you. This conflicting feeling led him to blurt out this somewhat clumsy question.

You stopped walking, tilted your head slightly, and looked at him with your dark eyes, seemingly puzzled. After a few seconds of silence, just as Sasuke thought you wouldn't answer and his heart began to sink.

You finally spoke, your voice cool and indifferent, "...Thank you."

After saying those two words, you didn't linger. You walked straight past him and entered the library, your figure quickly swallowed up by the shadows of the tall bookshelves.

Sasuke was left standing there, stunned, staring at the air, his mind a complete mess.

Thank you? That's...that's it? That's all?

A wave of indescribable disappointment and frustration washed over me, but it was quickly overshadowed by the subtle joy brought on by that "thank you." At least... you talked to him, didn't you?

Sasuke shook his head, sorting out his chaotic thoughts, and followed them into the library.

However, the scene before him once again plunged him into immense shock—

Instead of reading or searching carefully as he had imagined, you stood in front of a row of bookshelves and quickly ran your fingers across the spines of the books.

His gaze didn't even actually read the text; it simply swept across the unfolded pages of the scroll like a scanner, page after page, at a breathtaking speed.

In the short time he was stunned, seven or eight scrolls that had just been read were already at your feet!

"!!!" Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief, almost doubting his own eyes.

Who...who taught you to read like this?! This isn't reading, it's stealing knowledge.

After the initial shock, Sasuke gradually became numb.

As he watches you read the scroll at such an inhuman speed, a familiar, suffocating sense of pressure quietly descends.

This feeling... is so similar to how he felt when he faced his brother Itachi!

That oppressive feeling of genius, as if they were born standing on clouds, easily achieving what others cannot reach even after exhausting their efforts...

But Sasuke's stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat soon resurfaced.

He pursed his lips, a small flame flickering in his dark eyes. He didn't believe it! You must have weaknesses too! He would never admit that he felt inferior because of your abnormal learning ability and calm demeanor!

Sasuke didn't have any desire to compete with you. Such emotions are meaningless when facing a true genius. On the contrary, your presence is more like a shot in the arm, further strengthening his determination to become stronger and desperately become stronger.

So Sasuke stopped daydreaming. He randomly pulled out a scroll containing his insights into Fire Release ninjutsu from the bookshelf next to him, and forced himself to calm down and carefully read, memorize, and understand it.

Learn as much as you can; don't waste a single minute here.

An eerie silence fell over the library, broken only by the soft rustling of rapidly turning pages and the occasional, slower sound of scrolls turning.

The sunlight moved slowly, and the angle of the beam of light gradually changed.

The clan bell's melodious and deep sound reached far and wide at noon, waking Sasuke from his immersion in the scroll's world.

He snapped out of his daze, rubbed his slightly sore eyes, and subconsciously looked in your direction.

This sight almost made his jaw drop again, just as you finished closing the last scroll in your hand and put it back on the bookshelf.

And that row of bookshelves next to you... the entire first shelf has been read?!

It's only been a morning!

Sasuke was first overwhelmed with an inhuman shock, followed by intense worry.

At this terrifying speed, if you come one or two more times, the entire scroll library in the Uchiha clan will be read. Then... will you still come to the Uchiha clan territory?

The answer is obvious—no.

This realization made Sasuke's heart tighten. A strong urge to not sever ties drove him, and he almost immediately took a few steps forward, blocking your way as you were about to walk towards the second-floor bookshelf area.

"Wait!" Sasuke's voice sounded somewhat abrupt due to his urgency.

You stopped and looked up at him, a questioning look in your dark eyes.

Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound natural and matter-of-fact, "It's lunchtime. I bothered you at the orphanage last time... this time it's our Uchiha's turn to entertain you."

He was afraid that you would do what you did last time and just pull out some military rations to get by, then he would really have no excuse to keep you any longer.

You stared at him quietly for a few seconds, seemingly seeing through his feigned composure to the little panicked thoughts lurking beneath his calm exterior.

But he didn't expose it. He just nodded slightly and put the next scroll he had just picked up back on the bookshelf as it was.

Seeing you nod in agreement, Sasuke's heart was instantly filled with immense joy. He almost thought he was going to float away. An indescribable sense of accomplishment mixed with elation washed over his entire body.

Even he himself found it strange that no matter what you do, even a simple nod, it would be magnified in his eyes and attract all his attention, making it hard to ignore.

When I'm with you, that flustered helplessness and the nervous rush of my heart seem to have a unique, addictive quality.

Although he was still somewhat flustered, Sasuke felt a strong, almost obsessive conviction that you and he would have an inseparable bond.

It's like... a destiny that was already predetermined.

When Sasuke led you to your front door, his palms were slightly sweaty. He took a deep breath and tried to look natural as he pushed open the door.

"I am back."

Mikoto, who was arranging flowers near the entrance, looked up at the sound and smiled gently, "Welcome back, Sasuke. What's up today...?"

Her words trailed off when she saw the girl in black standing quietly behind Sasuke.

Mikoto's face showed a hint of surprise and curiosity. "Sasuke, who is this...?" Her gaze fell on you, looking you up and down.

The girl was slender and pale, but what was most striking were her extremely beautiful black eyes, which carried a coldness and aloofness that were incongruous with her age.

"A very special child," Mikoto thought, and for some reason, looking at this girl, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

It felt like I'd seen it somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place it.

“She is…” Sasuke subconsciously wanted to say “friend”, but when the words reached his lips, he felt that it wasn’t quite there yet, and it would be too embarrassing to say it. He immediately changed his words, pretending to be indifferent, “…Nagi is my guest.”

“Nagi…?” Mikoto repeated the name softly, her brows furrowing slightly. The sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger. Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, a long-buried fragment of memory snapped into her mind.

That name! And those eyes... that aloof and detached air...

Mikoto's expression changed instantly. She took a step forward and grabbed your thin shoulders uncontrollably, her eyes filled with disbelief, immense sadness, and pity.

"Nagi! It's you! It was you all along!" Mikoto's voice was choked with sobs. She could no longer hold back her emotions and suddenly hugged the still somewhat bewildered Nagi tightly, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

"My poor child...my poor child...you must have suffered so much all these years, all alone out there..."

Mikoto's tone was familiar yet sorrowful, as if she were addressing a long-lost relative who had suffered countless injustices.

Her embrace was warm and firm, carrying the softness and tenderness unique to a mother.

The sudden hug and crying made your body stiffen instantly, and your memory rushed to search for any possible connection with the Uchiha woman in front of you, but the result was a blank.

Are you sure you've never seen her before?

Sasuke was completely stunned, staring dumbfounded as his mother hugged him and cried, utterly bewildered. He silently tugged at Mikoto's sleeve and whispered, "Mom...?"

Mikoto was pulled by her son and suddenly realized her loss of composure.

She quickly let go of you, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, and forced a broken smile. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I was too excited. Did I scare you, Nagi?"

Seeing that you still had no expression, she felt even more heartbroken and quickly said, "Let's not talk about this now. The food is ready, come in and eat! We can talk about it while we eat."

The table is set with exquisite and nutritionally balanced dishes, emitting an enticing aroma.

You and Sasuke sat down facing each other, and a subtle silence fell over the room.

Sasuke was still confused and embarrassed by his mother's actions. He secretly glanced at you and found that you seemed to have regained your usual calm, just quietly looking at the tableware in front of you.

Mikoto left in a hurry, but soon returned with an old, exquisite wooden box in her hand.

She sat down next to you and carefully took out a slightly yellowed old photograph from the box.

"Nagi, look!" Mikoto handed you the photo, her voice gentle yet tinged with excitement. "Look who this is!"

Your gaze falls on the photograph.

Chapter 237 Losing Composure

The photo shows two young and beautiful women, dressed in traditional kimonos, leaning close together and smiling brightly at the camera.

The one on the left, with a gentle smile and a resemblance to Sasuke in her features, is clearly a young Mikoto.

And the one on the right... your gaze froze.

The woman on the right has long, jet-black hair, and her bright smile carries a hint of heroism. Her facial features, especially her smiling black eyes, bear a three- or four-point resemblance to yours.

A vague sense of resonance, originating from the depths of your blood, quietly touched you.

"What is this?" Your voice remained calm, yet carried a very subtle hint of doubt.

“This is your mother, Nagi!” Mikoto’s eyes reddened again as she pointed at the woman in the photo. “Uchiha Rika! She was… my best friend!”

Sasuke immediately leaned over to look at the photo, his small body almost touching the table, his head between you and Mikoto, his eyes wide as he stared at the unfamiliar woman in the photo who looked somewhat like you.

You were so engrossed in looking at the photo that you didn't notice a few strands of dark hair falling down as you leaned slightly forward, and your cool, fragrant breath brushing very lightly against the back of Sasuke's neck, which was so close to yours.

The cool yet soft touch, like a faint electric current, instantly coursed through Sasuke's skin, causing his entire body to stiffen abruptly. He seemed frozen in place, the tips of his ears turning red rapidly at a visible speed, and his heartbeat suddenly went out of control.

He stood frozen in place, too afraid to move, even holding his breath, his mind blank, completely forgetting that he was supposed to look at the photos.

Lunch truly began only after we had seen the photos.

As Mikoto kept serving you food, she drifted into memories, her voice tinged with nostalgia and sadness, "Speaking of which, your mother, Rikka, and I used to be very close! We talked about almost everything, trained together, went on missions together... She was an exceptionally talented and kind ninja, but..."

Mikoto paused here, her eyes dimming, as if she had touched upon some heavy, unpleasant past events.

She finally just sighed softly and didn't say anything more, instead urging, "...Sigh, it's all in the past. Come on, Nagi, eat more. You're too thin."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was tinged with a faint sadness because of this past event.

As Sasuke listened to his mother's words and looked at you across from him, eating quietly and seemingly unresponsive to the sad story about your mother, he suddenly found the delicious food in his mouth tasteless.

He secretly glanced at your profile, a complex and indescribable emotion welling up inside him.

So... you have such a past, so your mother and you... have such a connection.

Inside the mansion's dining room, the atmosphere was tinged with a bittersweet warmth due to Mikoto's memories. Just then, the sound of a door being pushed open came from the entrance hall once again.

The footsteps were light and familiar.

"I'm back." A clear, gentle voice rang out.

It was Itachi Uchiha. He had returned from his mission, removed his Anbu gear, and changed into a simple set of dark-colored home clothes.

When he walked into the restaurant and saw you sitting at the table, quietly eating with your younger brother, a fleeting look of surprise flashed across his eyes, but he quickly regained his usual calm and composure, as if he were just seeing something ordinary.

"Itachi! You're back!" Mikoto's smile became even more genuine and joyful when she saw her eldest son. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you? You're just in time, sit down and eat with us!" As she spoke, she quickly got up and went to the kitchen to get another set of clean bowls and chopsticks.

Itachi nodded slightly to his mother, then naturally walked to the empty seat next to Sasuke and sat down.

His gaze fell on you, and he explained calmly, "Sorry, I have an urgent task today."

You were taking small bites of the food Mikoto had given you when you heard this, and you only slightly raised your eyelids. "It's nothing."

Two simple words, clear and unambiguous.

Sasuke, sitting across from you, subconsciously pursed his lips and tightened his grip on his chopsticks when he heard your straightforward answer to your brother.

Why...why do you respond to every word Nissan says, but always ignore him? A subtle, bittersweet sense of imbalance quietly grew in his heart.

"So you all know each other!" Mikoto set out the bowls and chopsticks, watching the interaction between the three children. As if she had discovered something interesting, her smile grew even gentler.

She sat back down, then seemed to suddenly remember something, and said with a smile that was both nostalgic and slightly teasing, "Oh, speaking of which, when Rikka and I were at our best, we even jokingly made a promise... that when Nagi and Itachi grew up, I would get you engaged~ I thought it was such a wonderful thing back then!"

No sooner had Mikoto finished speaking than a sharp, piercing sound shattered the tranquility of the restaurant!

The noise came from the spoon slipping from the assistant's hand and crashing heavily onto the plate.

All eyes immediately turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke's face seemed slightly paler, and his eyes held a hint of undisguised shock and...panic?

Itachi's hand, which was holding the cutlery, paused almost imperceptibly. He turned his head and looked at his younger brother, who had suddenly lost his composure, with some curiosity.

Even Mikoto asked with concern, "What's wrong, Sasuke? Are you feeling unwell? Or is it that you don't like the food Mom made?"