Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Sakura's smile vanished instantly, and a clear sense of reluctance welled up in her emerald eyes. She stepped forward and took your hand.

"How long will you be gone? I'll miss you!" Her voice was full of coquettishness and affection, as if you weren't going out on a mission, but rather on a long journey.

Upon hearing this, Haruno Mebuki immediately put down what she was holding, her face filled with worry. "Oh dear, why so suddenly? I can't eat or sleep well outside..."

As she muttered to herself, she hurried towards the kitchen and storage room, "Wait, Mom's preparing some lunchboxes and snacks for you, along with a change of clothes, and an extra jacket..."

She busied herself with work, wanting to cram the whole house into your luggage, just so you could have a comfortable time away from home.

Although Haruno Chizuru didn't show his emotions as openly as his wife and daughter, he put down the newspaper and his expression became serious.

He walked up to you and, in the tone of someone who had been there before, shared his years of experience from missions, explaining how to choose a safe campsite, how to quickly replenish energy, how to avoid common tracking traps, and so on...

In the simplest and most practical way possible, I'll tell you that the look in his eyes is full of concern and advice from his elders.

You were momentarily moved as you watched the three members of the Haruno family express their care and concern for you in their own unique ways.

A strange, warm feeling, as if enveloped in lukewarm water, briefly soothed my frozen heart, like a ray of light shining through solid ice.

But this feeling was fleeting.

You don't need too much emotion.

Too many entanglements are weaknesses and burdens; they can interfere with judgment and make you unlike yourself.

You lowered your eyes slightly, concealing all your outward emotions, and simply nodded gently in response to their kindness, "I will be careful."

You take the luggage bag that Yabuki hastily packed, "I'll go upstairs and get ready."

Turning around and going upstairs, you slightly shut out the rich warmth of home downstairs. Your back still looks lonely, as if the momentary emotion you felt just now was merely an illusion cast by the lamplight.

Emotions are a luxury; you've long been accustomed to walking alone in the dark.

You lie on the bed, your brow furrowed, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on your forehead, tossing and turning restlessly in your sleep, as if bound by invisible shackles.

It was those bizarre, bloody, and despairing dream fragments again, this time clearer and more horrifying than ever before.

Countless Uchiha clan corpses lay scattered on the ground, each with an empty black hole in its eye socket, its most precious Sharingan eyes gouged out, leaving only silent accusations and despair.

The air was thick with the smell of rust and the stench of death.

The scene abruptly shifts, and Shimura Danzo's aged and sinister face suddenly appears, a sinister grin spreading across his lips, filled with greed and triumphant malice.

His right arm was tightly wrapped in bandages, faintly emanating an ominous chakra fluctuation.

Finally, the image freezes on a familiar face—Uchiha Shisui.

With his back to the broken cliff, his face, which usually wore a gentle smile, was now filled with unbelievable sorrow and despair.

Two streams of crimson tears flowed from his tightly closed eyes, tracing down his pale cheeks.

"Zhishui?" you murmured unconsciously in your dream, struggling to wake up and to stop the scene from happening.

But nightmares are like the heaviest boulder, choking you and pinning you down in a despairing illusion.

"Hoh—!" I jolted awake from my bed, sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, bringing waves of suffocating palpitations.

Instinctively, he clutched his throbbing head, his cold fingertips pressing hard against his temples, trying to dispel the nauseating bloody image lingering in his mind.

First, there was the foreshadowing of Itachi's bloody future of annihilating his clan... and now there's Shisui's bloodshot eyes and his near-death state...

These shattered omens, like cold daggers, pierce the calm you're trying to maintain.

how so?

What is the truth...?

Cold rationality quickly returned, suppressing the initial shock. Barefoot, she walked to the window, opened it, and let the cold night wind blow on her sweaty forehead and burning cheeks.

What darkness lurks beneath Konoha's glamorous exterior? Why did the Uchiha clan meet such a tragic end?

Why did someone as unwavering in his belief in the Will of Fire, and willing to sacrifice everything for the village, end up with such a desperate fate?

You have a vague feeling that all of this is probably related to the seemingly bright and lofty 'Will of Fire' that is so highly praised, and the political infighting and ruthless calculations that it conceals.

Choosing to join the Anbu was initially intended to leverage Konoha's power and intelligence network to uncover his own secrets and the truth, but now it seems, will this path truly be smooth sailing?

The answer is obvious: it's impossible.

You may very well go from being an idle pawn to a pawn that is used more thoroughly, or even, like Zhi Shui, unknowingly become a victim of power struggles.

So, where is the way out?

If there were organizations in the ninja world that were not controlled by major powers and remained outside of political conspiracies, you might gain more freedom and initiative to do what you want and seek the true truth.

Is it really possible?

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it.

Even if such a thing exists, it has probably already been infiltrated, or it has its own limitations and constraints.

Rather than joining someone else's organization, your inherent independence and desire for control make you more inclined to create your own power base.

An organization completely under your control, serving only your will, capable of seeing through all illusions and breaking the curse of fate.

This thought, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, instantly illuminated the uncertain path ahead, bringing an almost thrilling sense of excitement.

A bold idea quickly takes root and sprouts in your mind.

To realize this idea, you need power, you need intelligence, you need... like-minded members.

The image of Shisui, along with his Mangekyou Sharingan containing the power of Kotoamatsukami, naturally came to mind.

It would be such a pity if such immense power and pure conviction were to ultimately become sacrifices to a conspiracy.

Shizuku's abilities and personality will be a great asset to the organization you envision.

The primary objective at hand is to make Shisui realize the truth about Konoha's higher-ups and awaken him from the indoctrinated Will of Fire.

Only by letting him see the harsh reality firsthand can he be drawn into your camp.

Speaking of which... you still don't know the true power of 'Kotoamatsukami'.

Chapter 263 - Emotional Debt

Only the streetlights cast blurry halos of light through the fog on the streets.

You are dressed neatly, with a white animal mask pinned to your waist, and are silently walking towards the starting point you agreed upon with Shisui.

The stone path underfoot was slippery due to the mist, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the barely audible sound of my own footsteps and the occasional bark of a dog in the distance could be heard.

In this silence, your senses suddenly tense up.

An extremely dangerous presence suddenly appeared, a feeling that vanished in an instant, so fast that it was almost an illusion.

You abruptly stop, turn around, and instantly activate your Sharingan, its crimson light scanning the street behind you warily through the thick fog.

A single cherry blossom petal, defying the natural order of the seasons, slowly drifted down from the mist and silently landed on the slippery stone slab in front of me, its edges still bearing a strange trace of chakra.

To be able to spy on you at such close range, yet vanish without a trace the instant you notice, leaving not even a trace that the Sharingan can detect? This level of concealment and speed...

Alarm bells rang in your mind, and you instinctively wanted to turn back, trying to track down the last trace of aura and figure out the other party's intentions.

Just as you take a step, a warm hand suddenly reaches out from behind and gently grasps your wrist.

"Nagi?" Uchiha Shisui's voice rang out with a hint of concern. He had obviously just arrived, and his face still had a slight blush from the journey.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for?" He noticed your sudden tension and alertness, and followed your gaze, only to see a vast expanse of mist and an untimely patch of cherry blossoms on the ground.

Your body stiffened for a moment when he touched you, then quickly relaxed. When you sensed your surroundings again, the dangerous aura had completely disappeared, as if it had never existed. Only the cherry blossoms remained, like a silent mockery.

"...It's nothing." You looked away, gently freeing your wrist from Shisui's grip, and without explaining, you turned and continued walking towards the edge of the village. "Let's go."

Shisui looked at his suddenly empty palm, his fingertips still seeming to retain a cool and delicate touch.

He subconsciously rubbed his fingertips, a subtle sense of loss passing through his heart. He quickly composed himself, hurried to catch up with you, and began to explain the details of the mission while pretending to be calm.

"This mission was commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Iron to Lord Hokage," Shisui said in a low voice, making sure only the two of them could hear. "They asked us to secretly travel to the Land of Water to find... the whereabouts of a legendary priest."

"Priest?" You glanced sideways, your brows furrowing slightly.

“Hmm,” Shisui nodded, his expression also becoming somewhat solemn. “Rumor has it that the priest has the ability to see fragments of the future, and the daimyo of the Land of Iron seems eager to find him, though the specific reason is unknown.”

"What the Hokage means is that we should do our best to investigate and do our best. Our primary task is to ensure our own safety, and we don't need to force anything."

You immediately became highly alert, realizing that you possessed this uncontrollable precognitive ability and were well aware of the terrifying and uncontrollable nature of this power.

Now, Shisui's message tells you that somewhere in the ninja world, there might be others who possess similar abilities?

This gives you a vague sense of unease.

If the priest were renowned and verifiable, that would be fine, but unfortunately, it's just a vague rumor.

It has no name, no origin, and no specific description of its appearance; it is too mysterious.

This uncertainty is often the source of many unexpected events. No one knows whether the rumor is true or false, or what kind of traps or conspiracies are hidden behind it.

I walked on in silence, the thick fog enveloping me like a cold veil, and my ominous premonition grew stronger.

You seem to sense that this seemingly ordinary search for someone might be inextricably linked to your own fate.

Glancing at Shisui beside him, who seemed to underestimate the potential dangers of this mission, I realized that this task would be far more complex than Shisui had described as "just doing my best."

The enormous Uchiha clan crest, a fan shape, was etched on the central floor. Though faded and peeling, it still exuded an invisible, heavy pressure.

A figure suddenly appeared in this forgotten forbidden chamber.

Obito wore a black robe with red clouds, and an orange spiral mask covered most of his face, with only his Sharingan showing, which gleamed with a cold light in the dim light.

He disregarded the forbidden technique scrolls around him that would drive ordinary ninjas mad.

His footsteps led him to a wall, and his intuition told him that there was something there.

He reached out, ignoring the wall, and retrieved a dust-covered scroll from the other side.

The scroll is made of a special material, and it has not been completely damaged over the long years.

Obito casually brushed away the accumulated dust, his movements rough and indifferent to the past. As he slowly unfurled the scroll—

The crimson Sharingan suddenly froze.

What shocked him most was the line of frenzied words written in dark brown blood next to the scroll: "Uchiha Nagi, Madara's beloved."

“Uchiha... Nagi?” Obito’s voice sounded unusually hoarse and deep in the deathly silent Forbidden Pavilion. His fingers unconsciously tightened, almost deforming the scroll.

In his mind, Madara was the Asura of the ninja world, the embodiment of power, a ruthless schemer, and a madman who would sacrifice everything for the Eye of the Moon Plan.

His life seemed to revolve solely around fighting, conquering, and that elusive Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Associating this word with Madara Uchiha is more of a joke than the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself!

This completely overturned Obito's understanding of Madara over the years. That paranoid and insane old man, in the distant Warring States period, actually had such a... love affair?

"That's really unbelievable." Obito chuckled softly, his laughter echoing in the empty Forbidden Pavilion, carrying a hint of mockery and an indescribable complexity.

He seemed to have glimpsed the hidden vulnerability of an absolute powerhouse, and casually tossed the scroll onto a dilapidated stone table covered in thick dust.

The scroll rolled away, and the woman on it still gazed arrogantly into the void with those same eyes.

Obito's thoughts drifted away from Madara's memories, suddenly recalling the brief glimpse he had just caught in the thick fog of Konoha.

The Uchiha girl wearing Anbu uniform and with a high ponytail...

He was perfectly hidden in the Divine Might Space, isolated from the real dimension. Theoretically, it was impossible for anyone to perceive his existence.

The girl turned around abruptly the moment his gaze fell on her, her calm black eyes seeming to pierce through the barriers of space, staring straight in his direction.

Although it lasted only a moment, it was by no means a coincidence.

A terrifyingly keen intuition, a perception that seems to pierce through illusion...

The new generation of the Uchiha clan is truly full of hidden talents.

Shisui's Body Flicker and Kotoamatsukami, Itachi's wisdom and hidden magnanimity, and now there's this mysterious and unpredictable girl...

Originally, he came to Konoha to investigate as a routine matter for the Eye of the Moon plan, and also to see if the Uchiha clan was burning bright enough and could become the right fuel for his plan.

But now, he has indeed developed some selfish motives.

Soon, Obito's figure slowly sank into the vortex-like spatial ripples and disappeared.

Shortly after Uchiha Shisui took you away using the Body Flicker Technique, dozens of figures silently emerged from the once quiet shadows of the forest.

The leader of the root squad swept his sharp gaze across the direction you disappeared in, and gave the order in a low, emotionless voice.

"Lord Danzo has ordered an ambush to be set up here."