Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

He paused, his tone hardening, filled with undeniable killing intent, "This target is extremely special; we cannot afford to be careless! We must... kill them with a single blow!"

The surrounding Root members bowed their heads slightly in unison, their voices low yet carrying a chilling resonance, "Yes!"

The dense canopy cast heavy shadows, completely engulfing them as if they had never existed.

Only a faint trace of murderous intent lingered in the air, a mixture of earthy and rusty smells, foreshadowing that this place was about to become a bloody hunting ground.

On the other side, the atmosphere was completely different from the oppressive atmosphere of ambush in Konoha.

Going on a mission with Uchiha Shisui was an extremely unique experience.

It's almost impossible to feel the "travel" in the conventional sense. Every time the Instantaneous Movement Technique is activated, the surrounding scenery will instantly distort and then suddenly become clear, as if it were another world.

The speed of spatial transformation is dizzying, and the costs of travel and time are greatly reduced by this incredible speed.

After several long-distance "flashes," the humidity in the air suddenly increased, and the salty, fishy smell of the sea breeze hit us.

You have stopped on a towering cliff.

Below lies a vast, boundless blue sea, within which island nations, completely encircled by towering walls, stand like colossal beasts.

The fog swirled between the sea and the city walls, giving it a mysterious and exclusive feel.

Seeing this island surrounded by high walls, a strange sense of déjà vu wells up uncontrollably in your heart once again.

It felt as if this wasn't the first time you'd seen this scene; some deeply buried fragment of memory was being quietly stirred, and you forcibly suppressed this strange feeling.

In order to avoid attracting attention, you changed out of your conspicuous ANBU uniforms and put on coarse cloth clothes commonly seen by local fishermen. You also made simple disguises on your faces to cover up your outstanding appearance and the Uchiha's signature black hair and black eyes.

Standing on the largest cargo terminal in the Water Kingdom, the place was bustling with noise. Shouts in various accents, ship horns, and the sound of waves mingled together, creating a noisy scene.

Dark-skinned, burly ninjas from the Land of Water are a common sight. Their appearance and demeanor are quite different from those of the Land of Fire ninjas, exuding a ruggedness and ferocity honed by years of battling the sea.

You and Zhishui blended into the crowd, appearing somewhat out of place due to your clean and gentle appearance.

Faced with such a vast and complex environment and a mission objective that had no clue whatsoever, even the "priest" who only existed in rumors was momentarily lost.

The information is too limited and the scope is too broad, like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Looking at the endless stream of people, a motley crew, you calmly suggest, "Splitting up would be more efficient."

"No!" Zhi Shui immediately rejected the idea, her tone resolute and leaving no room for negotiation. "The situation here is unclear and too dangerous. If the two of us are together, we can at least look out for each other."

His concerns were obvious; he definitely didn't want you to be alone in a place like this.

You glanced at him and said nothing more. You could understand Shisui's concerns, but this aimless waiting also made you feel inefficient.

Fortunately, this stalemate and state of confusion did not last long.

Zhi Shui carefully observed the information about the ships coming and going at the dock and the direction of the flow of people. Combining this with some fragmented information he had obtained before, he made a decision.

“Let’s leave the dock first and head to the capital of the Water Kingdom—Canglan City,” he whispered to you.

"That's a hub of information exchange, with a more complex flow of people. Perhaps we can indirectly find out some information about that priest through taverns, the black market, or information brokers. It's better than waiting aimlessly here."

You nodded, agreeing to the plan.

In the narrow alley, figures dressed in all sorts of strange clothes mingled, whispering about their shady deals.

You and Zhishui sit in the corner booth, completely out of place with your surroundings. On the table in front of you, there are several hastily written notes, recording clues about today's "harvest".

The result was utterly frustrating.

From dockworkers to black market dealers, from wandering ninjas to tavern drunkards... you tried every possible method to inquire, and finally obtained the whereabouts of nine completely different priests, each more unreliable than the last.

Some say the priestess is an old turtle spirit living in a bubble in the deep sea; others say she's an old man who likes to disguise herself as a candied hawthorn seller and specializes in kidnapping children; still others say she's actually a stunningly beautiful woman who chooses her destined lover every night in a brothel.

There are even claims that the priest was actually just a prank played by the Mizukage himself out of boredom...

"As expected of the legendary figure." Shisui rubbed his temples, his tone carrying a rare weariness and helplessness.

This kind of baseless missing person search is more exhausting than facing an elite ninja squad head-on; all the clues are like smoke bombs pointing in different directions.

You sat silently opposite him, your cloak and hood pulled low, obscuring most of your face, leaving only your tightly pursed, pale lips visible.

The air pressure around them was lower than usual, and they were clearly annoyed by this inefficient and absurd process.

Just then, a bartender wearing a flashy vest walked over with a tray, a slightly frivolous smile on his face.

"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting~ Here are your drinks." He placed two brightly colored drinks, garnished with fruit slices and small paper umbrellas, in front of you.

The glass was covered with cool water droplets, which looked quite tempting.

Chapter 264 - Drunkenness

This is the Dreamy Coral Reef Special Fruit Wine that Zhi Shui finally selected after studying the wine list for a long time. It is labeled as having the lowest alcohol content and is almost like fruit juice.

He thought that after a long day of running around, he would drink something sweet to relieve his fatigue and frustration.

Your gaze shifted from the wine glass to Zhishui's face, a hint of barely perceptible doubt in your eyes. "You can't hold your liquor?"

You can't understand why anyone would actively order something that would obviously affect their judgment and reaction speed.

Zhi Shui felt a little embarrassed by your gaze, touched her nose, and smiled awkwardly, "Uh... it is a little... but this kind of fruit wine should be fine, it's just like drinking sugar water."

To prove his point, and because he was indeed thirsty, he picked up his cup and, as if to bolster his courage, drank it all in one gulp.

The sweet and slightly sour taste really does resemble fruit juice. The cool liquid glides down the throat, temporarily dispelling some of the irritability.

You didn't touch your own glass, but just quietly watched him, silently counting in your mind.

Almost the instant you counted to three, an unnatural blush spread rapidly across Shisui's originally fair cheeks, reaching all the way to her ears.

His once clear and gentle eyes began to become hazy and unfocused, unable to concentrate.

"I...I think..." He tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to be tied in knots, his voice was indistinct, and his body began to sway. He weakly braced himself on the table, trying to steady himself.

Without warning, he fell straight forward, his forehead slamming heavily onto the cold wooden tabletop with a loud thud, attracting curious glances from guests at several nearby tables.

Then there was complete silence, and his breathing became even and deep, clearly indicating that he was completely drunk and unconscious.

As you watch your partner fall asleep instantly, a clear crack appears on your face for the first time, a complex mix of astonishment, speechlessness, and headache.

I had a feeling he might not be a good drinker, but I didn't expect him to be this bad. A glass of almost non-alcoholic fruit wine, and he'd knock out a genius from the Uchiha clan and an elite member of the Anbu in three seconds?

What to do now?

Leave him here? Obviously not.

Should we carry him? That would be too conspicuous and easily expose us.

There was nothing you could do but sit there stiffly, trying your best to block the curious stares from those around you, praying that your partner, who was easily knocked out by a single drink, would sober up quickly.

Uchiha Itachi had just finished a day's work, completing the tedious basic assessment documents for the Anbu for Shisui, who was out on a mission.

The moonlight cast a long shadow over him as he walked silently home, his thoughts drifting away, unsure whether he was worried about Zhishui's mission or concerned about the increasingly tense atmosphere within the clan.

As he passed the majestic Fire Shadow Rock, a dark shadow flashed past without warning from the shadows of the cliff face, moving with incredible speed and carrying a deliberately provocative air.

Itachi's pupils suddenly contracted; his body reacted much faster than he could think.

Without any hesitation, he instantly changed direction, gathered chakra at his feet, and followed like an arrow.

The shadowy figure seemed to have no intention of getting entangled with him, but always maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too distant, like the most cunning guide, leading him to rush in a certain direction.

Itachi could sense that the other party had a clear objective and was very familiar with the environment around the Uchiha clan's territory.

The two, one after the other, moved like two silent bolts of lightning, across the quiet streets and woods, finally stopping in front of the long-abandoned Nanga Shrine of the Uchiha clan.

The ancient torii gate is decaying and dilapidated, the stone steps are covered with moss, and the towering ancient trees rustle in the night wind, as if whispering to the dead. The place is filled with an atmosphere of silence and oblivion.

The shadowy figure finally stopped, standing with its back to Itachi in the open space in front of the shrine's main hall.

Itachi stopped, his breathing steady, his Sharingan activated, the three tomoe slowly rotating as he warily scrutinized his opponent.

With the help of the dim moonlight and the insight of his Sharingan, he was able to see the other person's attire clearly.

He wore an orange mask, revealing only one scarlet Sharingan eye, and his long, loose black hair fell casually down his face.

Most notably, he held an antique-style Uchiha fan in his hand.

This imposing attire instantly struck a chord deep within Itachi's memory, causing one of the two towering, opposing stone statues in the Valley of the End to flash through his mind.

"You are...?" Itachi's voice was deep and calm, carrying an unquestionable question, but his heart was involuntarily beating faster.

Obito slowly turned around, his single eye peering through the hole in his mask, watching Itachi with a mocking and cold gaze. His slightly distorted voice came through the mask, "I am... Uchiha Madara."

Despite having a suspicion in his mind, Itachi's pupils still contracted violently when he heard the name with his own ears, and all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly.

The Uchiha clan patriarch, who only exists in legends and history books, was said to have the power to fight the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and single-handedly changed the landscape of the ninja world... is he still alive?!

"It seems that Konoha hasn't forgotten my name yet." Obito's voice carried a hint of pleasure, as if he was enjoying Itachi's shock at this moment.

Itachi forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and his extraordinary rationality quickly returned.

He stopped dwelling on whether the other person was really Madara and went straight to the point, "Why did you bring me here?"

"For what?" Obito chuckled, his laughter sounding particularly eerie in the abandoned shrine.

He took a step forward, and gently tapped the round fan in his hand on the ground, making a dull sound.

In an almost cruel tone, Obito uttered the question Itachi had been trying to avoid: "Of course, it's for... the annihilation of the Uchiha clan!"

This statement precisely pierced the core of Itachi's deepest, most painful contradictions, completely revealing the balance he had been struggling to maintain between Konoha and the Uchiha clan, and all his struggles and pain.

Itachi subconsciously pursed his lips, his face appearing even paler in the moonlight.

He didn't speak, but the sudden tremor in his pupils and the slight shaking of his fingertips betrayed the intense turmoil within him.

"The Uchiha clan is stirring up trouble and plotting a rebellion. The Konoha leadership sees them as a thorn in their side and wants to get rid of them as soon as possible."

Obito, like the coldest narrator, attacked Itachi's inner defenses step by step with his words: "This day was bound to come sooner or later, wasn't it, Uchiha Itachi?"

"Why..." Itachi's voice was hoarse. He raised his head, his Sharingan fixed on Obito. "You are... the head of the Uchiha clan..."

He couldn't understand why someone who had once led the Uchiha clan to glory would so calmly, even with anticipation, utter the words "extermination of the clan."

"Clan leader?" Obito scoffed, his tone filled with indifference and mockery. "From the moment I left Konoha, the Uchiha clan has had nothing to do with me anymore."

He waved the round fan in his hand, as if to sever all ties with the past.

Obito took another step closer, radiating a chilling aura of oppression, and turned to Itachi with the ultimate, judgmental question, "I'm just curious, between Konoha and the Uchiha, as a genius... who will you ultimately choose?"

Itachi fell completely silent, as if frozen in an invisible icy grip.

The night wind blew through the desolate shrine, swirling up a few withered leaves and making a rustling sound.

Family and village...blood ties and beliefs...

Everything he had always wanted to protect was now being presented to him in an extreme way, forcing him to make a choice.

Obito stood quietly opposite him, patiently waiting for the answer, or rather, waiting for this genius to break down.

Shisui's consciousness sank into a warm darkness, and in a daze, he seemed to see a figure.

A woman dressed in an old-fashioned style of black clothing.

She was backlit, her outline blurred, yet she possessed a fatal attraction. She slowly approached, her cool fingertips cupping his face, the movement carrying an irresistible intimacy and possessiveness.

Shisui could clearly "see" himself in his dreams, and he showed an almost humble, complete infatuation with that woman.

It was as if she were his faith, his light, the entire meaning of his existence; a suffocating sense of attachment enveloped him.

He desperately tried to see the woman's face clearly, wanting to know who could make him lose his composure like this.

Just as he was trying to focus his vision, the surrounding darkness receded rapidly like a tide.

The senses are instantly jolted back to reality! The cacophony of voices, the smell of cheap alcohol, the cold touch of the tabletop...

He suddenly opened his eyes, his vision blurred for a moment, then quickly focused.

What came into view was a face so close to his, with strangely calm black eyes that held a look of inquiry beneath the brim of a cloak and hood.

You seemed to have gotten very close just now, observing him.

Their eyes met, and they could almost hear each other breathing.

You clearly didn't expect him to wake up suddenly, and so abruptly, so you quickly distanced yourself and sat back down in the booth opposite, as if the person who had just approached you wasn't you at all.

Only the slightly turned head and the lips that seemed to tighten for a moment under the brim of the hat betrayed his unease at being caught.

The lingering warmth of the dream still lingered in Zhi Shui's mind, making it difficult for her to distinguish between reality and illusion.

He blinked, his gaze sweeping over the empty wine glass on the table, and his memory instantly returned.

He ordered a glass of fruit wine... drank it all in one gulp... and then...