Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

His voice startled you, and your dark eyes shifted from the pages of the book, refocusing and instantly shattering the fleeting illusion of gentleness, restoring your usual calm and aloofness.

You close the book, stand up, and the movement is smooth and natural.

Your visit to Shisui's residence, witnessing his interactions with Itachi, and the subtle descriptions of the tense relationship between Konoha's high-ranking officials and the Uchiha clan mentioned in the book have left you with many questions.

You looked at Shisui, finally unable to hold back the question that had been lingering in your mind, "With the Mangekyou Sharingan," your gaze swept over Shisui, then glanced almost imperceptibly at Itachi beside him, "why did you choose to join the Anbu and serve Konoha?"

This seems contradictory to you.

The obvious fear and suppression of the Uchiha by the Konoha leadership, coupled with the fact that geniuses like Itachi and Shisui chose to serve them, creates a stark contrast that is hard to understand.

Shisui paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting you to ask such a direct question.

He was silent for a few seconds, then a complex yet incredibly determined smile appeared on his face.

Instead of directly addressing the paradox between power and loyalty, he offered an answer that leaned more towards emotion and legacy.

“I am carrying on my father’s will.” He said solemnly, then turned and went into the bedroom. A moment later, he took out a carefully preserved photo frame and handed it to you.

The photo is quite old, and the colors have turned slightly yellow.

Above are several boys dressed in old-fashioned ninja vests, surrounding a white-haired man with a cold demeanor.

Shisui pointed to one of the Uchiha boys with slightly curly black hair like his own, "This is my father, Uchiha Kagami. He was once a student of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju."

His finger moved to the white-haired, red-eyed, and serious-faced man behind the boy, and the image of the Second Hokage on the Hokage Rock instantly came to life.

"My father...he believed in and practiced the Will of Fire throughout his life, protecting the village and his comrades. Lord Tobirama also spoke highly of him."

Shisui's eyes shone with reminiscence and reverence for his father's glory. "So, I want to be like him."

You look at the photo, your gaze lingering for a moment on the face of the boy named Uchiha Kagami, before falling more on the white-haired, red-eyed Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Your intuition tells you that Tobirama Senju is no simpleton. You think Shisui may have overly believed in and romanticized the so-called 'Will of Fire,' and may even be somewhat bound by it.

You couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at the itachi standing to the side.

Could it be... that Itachi was also bound by this ethereal will for a similar reason?

Itachi keenly noticed your gaze and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

You shook your head, indicating that it was nothing.

But it's certain that there's a reason why Itachi and Shisui can get along.

They seem to share some similar beliefs and convictions.

Having received an answer and the book by Zhishui, you decide not to stay any longer and hand the photo frame back to Zhishui.

"See you tomorrow." Before leaving, you said to Shisui, your tone still calm, but with a touch more... natural familiarity than before.

Zhi Shui immediately noticed this subtle change and could sense that your relationship with him seemed to have grown closer because of this sharing.

He was overjoyed and quickly waved goodbye, "Okay! See you tomorrow! Be careful on the road!"

Itachi stood aside, silently watching the brief interaction between the two, observing the undisguised joy on Shisui's face, and the seemingly different gentleness You showed towards Shisui.

A slightly astringent and uncomfortable feeling quietly grew in his heart.

Have you and Shisui become that familiar already?

He watched your departing figure until you disappeared around the street corner before slowly turning his gaze away.

Downstream from the Namga River, the river flows gently, its waters crashing against smooth pebbles, producing a clear and melodious sound.

The evening breeze, carrying the coolness of moisture, rustled the grass and reeds on the shore. When you arrived on time, you found Uchiha Sasuke already waiting there.

He stood with his back to the river, ramrod straight, as if he had been waiting for a while. Hearing footsteps, he suddenly turned around.

Your gaze fell on him, pausing slightly. Sasuke seemed to have dressed up specially today.

He wore a well-tailored black samurai robe, instead of his usual tribal attire, which made him appear even more upright.

Sasuke was clearly hoping to see a hint of amazement or at least attention in your eyes.

Your dark eyes lingered on him for less than a second before gently moving away, as if he were just an ordinary stone on a riverbank.

You don't understand why Sasuke arrived so early, nor why he's dressed like that, but these questions have nothing to do with the purpose of this trip, and you're too lazy to ask them.

The barely perceptible expectation in Sasuke's eyes quickly faded, and he felt somewhat frustrated. The advice about using a handsome man that he had secretly read in some miscellaneous books was indeed completely useless.

"Where's the knife?" you asked, your voice as clear and calm as the stream beneath your feet. You came here to teach knife skills, yet the students didn't bring any weapons? This made you even more confused.

"!" Sasuke was stunned for a moment, a look of panic and embarrassment flashing across his face.

He was so focused on making himself look more handsome and attention-grabbing that he completely forgot to bring the most important item: his knife!

Just as he was stammering and unsure of what to do, you stopped looking at him, walked to a tree nearby, bent down and picked up two dry branches that were about the same thickness, weighing them in your hands.

Walk back and hand one of them to Sasuke.

"Let's use this." His tone was flat, as if using a tree branch instead of a knife was perfectly natural.

Sasuke quickly took the rough branch, secretly relieved but also feeling incredibly ashamed. Next time... next time he absolutely must not make such a silly mistake again!

He gripped the branch tightly, as if that would allow him to regain the face he had just lost.

Just as he gripped the branch—

The branch in your hand was like a real blade, carrying a fierce momentum, stabbing straight at Sasuke's face without any warning or mercy.

Sasuke barely managed to raise the branch in his hand to block the attack, relying entirely on his body's instincts and years of basic training.

The two branches met and made a crisp sound.

Sasuke's arm went numb from the shock, and he staggered back two steps before regaining his balance. His face was filled with surprise and confusion as he looked at you, who had suddenly launched an attack.

You maintained your attack stance, the branch in your hand pointing steadily at him, your dark eyes calmly fixed on him, and explained, "I want to see your basic swordsmanship."

Sasuke instantly understood your intention.

A surge of competitive spirit and a strong desire to perform well immediately welled up within him; he was determined to leave you with the most perfect image.

He readjusted his stance, his eyes becoming incredibly focused and serious. "Let's go!"

The time that followed became your one-sided observation; you didn't use your full strength, perhaps not even a tenth of it.

Watching Sasuke's every subtle movement—the shift in his feet, the change of his center of gravity, the angle of his wrists, the force exerted by his shoulders...

Sasuke tried his best to block, dodge, and occasionally counterattack, but he felt like a flying insect caught in a spider web. All his movements were seen through, and all his power was easily guided and neutralized.

His proud foundation in Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu appeared clumsy and riddled with flaws in the face of true swordsmanship.

Soon, you stopped, the branch in your hand gently touching the ground.

Sasuke was breathing slightly heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, and his black samurai robe was covered in dust, making him look somewhat disheveled.

But he didn't care about any of that; his eyes were fixed on you, full of expectation, waiting for your evaluation.

He felt that although he was on the defensive, he had managed to withstand all the attacks, so he should... be considered alright?

Chapter 262 Denial

You looked at him silently, and after a few seconds, just as Sasuke's expectations were at their peak, you uttered a sentence with a hint of helplessness, "Maybe we should give up."

"……???"

Sasuke's expression froze instantly.

Anticipation, nervousness, a little bit of pride... all shattered, replaced by immense astonishment, disbelief, and a rapid surge of grievance and hurt.

What do you mean by that? Are you mocking him? Are you concluding that he has no talent for swordsmanship? Are you just dismissing him so easily?

The overwhelming sense of loss was like being doused with ice water, making his nose sting and his eyes instantly redden.

He bit his lower lip hard, staring at you stubbornly, as if he was about to cry, yet he stubbornly refused to show weakness in front of you.

Seeing him on the verge of tears, you seemed to realize that what you had just said might have been too... blunt and hurtful.

This was not your intention; it was merely a statement of the results of objective observation.

So, just before Sasuke's tears were about to burst forth, you decided to salvage the situation. Your tone remained cold, but you added, "If you change your focus and habits... you can still learn."

These words were like a pardon, instantly stopping Sasuke's impending emotional breakdown. He abruptly raised his head, almost unable to believe his ears!

The next second, as if afraid you would change your mind, he suddenly moved closer to you.

The distance between the two instantly shrank to the point where they could almost feel each other's breath.

Sasuke's eyes, still glistening with tears, stared at you expectantly, filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster and an even more fervent desire.

"Really? How do I change it? Teach me now!" he asked eagerly, completely forgetting his earlier sadness and grievances.

And so, on this evening when the setting sun painted the Nanga River red, you had your first, and perhaps only, apprentice.

While you might think Sasuke's talent in swordsmanship is indeed unremarkable—stiff, rigid, overly reliant on Sharingan prediction and lacking in physical instinct...

Fortunately, he is physically flexible, has an extremely positive attitude towards learning, and is able to make timely adjustments and changes based on your guidance.

Watching Sasuke, under your corrections, although still clumsy, visibly improve his power generation, the branches he swung gradually began to make a decent whooshing sound.

The initial frustration caused by his poor foundation has actually made you feel much more relaxed.

Sasuke, completely absorbed in his studies, naturally has no idea what you're really thinking right now.

He could only sense that his swordsmanship was visibly improving under your personal instruction.

He thoroughly enjoyed the sense of accomplishment and recognition. Every nod from you, every clear and cool voice from you, made his heart race and motivated him to practice even harder.

The setting sun casts your long shadows on the riverbank, intertwining as one teaches with calm and strictness, while the other learns with great enthusiasm.

Time slipped away quietly amidst focused teaching and learning. When you signaled that today was over, Uchiha Sasuke was still holding the tree branch, his face showing lingering reluctance.

Walking alongside you on the road back to Konoha is a novel experience for him.

Sasuke's heart was beating faster than usual, not only because of the training he had just finished, but also because of the quiet girl beside him.

When you reached the fork in the road leading to the Uchiha clan's territory and the Haruno family's villa, you stopped. Sasuke also stopped instinctively and looked at you.

You turn around and face him.

Just when Sasuke thought you would give a summary of your swordsmanship, or at least a simple "goodbye"—

"Sasuke." You called his name, making Sasuke's heart skip a beat.

“I have to go on a mission soon,” you said, your dark eyes appearing even deeper in the twilight. “I won’t be going to Nanga River for a while.”

You paused, then continued, "Remember... to keep Granny Cat's batch of ninja tools safe for me."

You thought your tone was much gentler than usual, even carrying a hint of negotiation.

To Sasuke, these unadorned words, coupled with your expressionless face, sounded like an unquestionable command.

Strangely, Sasuke didn't find it offensive.

Perhaps it's because he's gradually gotten used to your straightforward speaking style.

Or perhaps it's because, through this period of contact, he vaguely discovered that deep down, beneath your seemingly gloomy and aloof exterior, there might be a gentle heart.

You seem to have a peculiar inclusiveness.

As long as you don't cross the line or overstep it, you show an almost indifferent acceptance of all kinds of external behavior, such as Sakura's enthusiasm, and his clumsy attempts to approach and test the waters time and time again.

This discovery subtly turned on a switch in Sasuke's heart, providing him with reasons and courage to push his luck time and time again.

Faced with this almost commanding entrustment, Sasuke simply nodded, without even a trace of reluctance on his face, and said, "I understand."

He added, with a hint of awkward concern, "I wish you success in your mission."

You nodded slightly, which was considered as accepting his blessing.

Without the slightest hesitation or lingering, he turned around decisively and walked towards the Haruno family's residence, his figure quickly blending into the crowds of Konoha's streets.

Sasuke stood there, looking in the direction you disappeared, raised his hand to scratch his cheek, and muttered softly, "That's... weird..."

He wasn't sure if he was talking about you, or about the strange mix of excitement and emptiness he felt at that moment. He shook his head and turned to walk towards the Uchiha clan's territory.

When I returned to the Haruno family villa, the aroma of dinner was wafting out of the house. Stepping into the living room, I found the Haruno family bustling about.

"I'm back," you said softly.

Sakura was the first to run over, "Nagi! Training's over? Are you hungry?"

You look at them and calmly say, "I've received a mission and I have to go out immediately. I won't be in Konoha for several days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lively atmosphere in the living room suddenly froze.