Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

The ability to spy on or even interfere with the future emotional bonds of others, regardless of whether its effects are real or not, is itself an extremely dangerous and unstable heresy.

Moreover, this old tortoise seems extremely unreliable and clearly enjoys seeing others entangled in emotional entanglements.

If we leave it unattended, who knows what trouble it might cause in the future?

"Hey! You're repaying kindness with enmity!" The old tortoise finally realized what was happening, its shell trembling with rage. "I even went out of my way to tie the red thread between you! Is this how you repay a matchmaker tortoise?! Let me go!"

Zhi Shui ignored its cries, stepped forward, and reached out to lift the golden chain wrapped around the old tortoise with a swift and decisive movement.

You probably think the old turtle is too noisy. Shisui immediately understood and quickly formed a simple hand seal with his free hand.

The old tortoise's mouth was still opening and closing, but it could no longer make a sound; it could only stare with a pair of small eyes filled with accusation and disbelief.

The old turtle was filled with grief and indignation. It had lived on the seabed for hundreds of years, fooling fish, playing matchmaker, and living a happy life. How could it be so unlucky!

How pathetic that I was kidnapped by two human brats who suddenly appeared!

Zhi Shui, carrying the old tortoise that could only grumble with its eyes, nodded to signal you to ascend.

Chapter 267 - Heartfelt Concern (3)

You and Shisui returned to the ship with the old tortoise, which was tightly bound by golden chains.

Looking at the dejected old tortoise, Zhishui finally felt it was a bit unfair to just tie it up. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and formed a hand seal to release the seal on its body.

As soon as the spell was lifted, the old tortoise took a deep breath of the salty sea air, then opened its mouth and began to curse and swear like a machine gun.

"You two ungrateful bastards! You've crossed the river and burned the bridge! You've used the millstone and then discarded it! You've gone too far! I kindly helped you two find your match, peeked into the secrets of heaven, and even lost my cultivation in the process. Instead of being grateful, you actually tied me up! Is there no justice in this world?! Is there no law?! Is this the kind of quality ninjas have?!"

Its cursing was urgent and loud, with a strange tone, making it particularly noisy on the open sea.

You were adjusting your sleeves, which were slightly damp from the seawater, when you heard this. You paused for a moment, then glanced at them.

The old tortoise's cursing stopped abruptly, as if an invisible hand had choked his throat, and all his remaining complaints were stuck in his throat.

Its tiny, bean-like eyes met your cold, dark gaze, and it instinctively sensed immense danger, immediately becoming docile and even shrinking its neck in a fawning manner.

Shisui found this scene somewhat amusing, and also developed a strong interest in this magical old turtle.

He crouched down, looking the old tortoise on the deck at eye level, and asked curiously, "You... tortoise spirit, what is your origin? Why do you possess such... strange abilities?"

He carefully chose his words to avoid provoking it again.

"What turtle spirit!" The old turtle was indeed enraged by this name, and forgot his fear, stubbornly retorting.

"You rude brat! Listen up! I am the Moon God Turtle Yuanni, born from the interaction of heaven and earth! Born from the aura of marriage in heaven and earth, I possess the supreme power to foresee marriages and act as matchmaker!"

"Our duty is to help all things in the ninja world find their destined soulmates! Understand?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhi Shui's face showed surprise. "The Matchmaker Turtle? Born between heaven and earth?"

He never expected that this seemingly unreliable old tortoise would have such an extraordinary origin.

Although the ability to "predict marriage" still sounds far-fetched, given that he had indeed seen some glimpses of the future, he couldn't help but believe it.

Seeing that Zhishui seemed to be intimidated by its identity and even showed an interested expression, Yuanni became even more excited, as if it had forgotten that it was still a prisoner and put on an air of superiority.

"Hmph, you've got some sense, kid." It shook its head smugly, then, as if remembering something, lowered its voice and said to Zhishui, "You'd better thank this old man properly."

"?" Shisui was puzzled, his face full of question marks.

Yuan Ni carefully made sure you weren't paying attention before using its flippers to gesture for Shi Shui to lean closer, as if it wanted to share a huge secret.

Although Shisui was full of doubts, she obediently lowered her head and brought her ear close to Yuanni.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of an abstract image of a person and a turtle sneaking together, and you feel a throbbing pain in your forehead. So you simply turn away completely and turn your gaze to the seagulls soaring on the distant horizon, out of sight, out of mind.

"Don't let this girl's fierce appearance fool you. Hmph, let me tell you, she's got a lot of red threads tied to her body! A tangled mess, she's bound to have plenty of romantic entanglements in the future! And each one of them has a deep-seated obsession!"

Zhi Shui's heart sank suddenly.

Yuan Ni didn't notice his sudden change in expression and continued to act as if he was doing this for his own good, using his flippers to mimic touching a non-existent beard.

"If I hadn't just deepened your connection and firmly tied your loose thread to her tangled mess, with your lukewarm attitude, how could you possibly stand out from so many covetous 'connections'? It would be incredibly difficult! As difficult as ascending to heaven!"

Shisui choked immediately, coughing violently, his cheeks turning bright red instantly, the redness spreading down to his neck!

What...what did he hear?!

Will you have many romantic entanglements in the future?

There are still many people eyeing this opportunity!

Is it...like Itachi? Or like that gray-haired boy who's always hanging around you? Or...someone else?

And this old tortoise actually helped him "deepen their bond"!

The overwhelming amount of information and the feeling of shame overwhelmed him like a tsunami, making him dizzy, his heart racing, and his whole body stiffened on the spot. He even forgot to cough, leaving only a flushed face and a sense of helplessness.

Yuan Ni looked at his reaction and nodded in satisfaction, as if he had accomplished some great feat.

"What are you talking about?" Your voice cut through the sea breeze and the coughing of still water, asking directly.

Zhishui and Yuanni shook their heads simultaneously, as if they had rehearsed it countless times beforehand.

He shook his head and tried to calm his breathing, his cheeks still suspiciously red, and his eyes darted away, avoiding your gaze.

Yuan Ni then retracted half of its head into its shell, then quickly poked it out again, its little eyes looking left and right, but refusing to look at you.

Seeing that they clearly didn't want to talk to you, you stopped asking.

You're not a particularly curious person, so you lack interest in exploring such trivial secrets that aren't relevant to the core of the mission, and your thoughts quickly return to the important matter at hand.

“Although Yuanni has the ability to foresee the future,” you calmly analyzed, glancing at the bound turtle, “it is clearly far from what the Daimyo of the Land of Iron is looking for—a priest who can predict the future.”

You looked up at Zhishui, "Let's go find the next clue."

Shisui nodded immediately, forcibly suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart stirred by the words of the Yinyuan Lion, and tried his best to make his voice sound normal, "Okay."

He also believed that the Daimyo of the Land of Iron would not have gone to such lengths to secretly search for a priest for something as trivial as matchmaking.

“But…” Shisui looked at Yuanni, who was still trying to express his dissatisfaction with his eyes on the deck, “What should we do with Yuanni?”

"Hey! You two! When you're discussing whether I should stay or leave, can you please stop pretending I don't exist?!" Yuan Ni protested loudly again, slapping the ship's deck with its flippers.

You completely ignored Yuan Ni's clamor, simply looked at Zhi Shui, and tossed the decision-making power to him, "How do you want to deal with this?"

Zhi Shui was taken aback by the question. He coughed twice to cover up the subtle selfishness in his heart that arose from wanting to deepen their connection, and tried his best to make his suggestion sound reasonable.

"Hmm... I think it's not safe to leave its abilities out in the open; it still needs supervision. I happen to need a pet, and Yuanni would be perfect." After he finished speaking, he looked at you nervously, afraid that you would think his idea was too strange.

You looked at Zhishui again, and you really didn't expect that the seemingly mature and composed Zhishui would have a unique hobby of keeping turtles as pets...?

However, this does seem to be the easiest way to deal with the Yuanni at present, so there is nothing wrong with it.

"...Look at you." You replied calmly, which was tantamount to acknowledging Shisui's meaning.

"You two little brats! You're going to be the death of me!!" Yuan Ni completely lost his temper, rolling and struggling on the deck.

"I am the mighty God of Marriage, the Divine Tortoise! ​​Not a pet! How dare you treat me like a pet! Outrageous! This is too much to ask! Once I regain my freedom..."

Its curses, ignored by you, gradually turned into feeble groans.

The small boat docked and returned to the land of the Water Kingdom. It was almost noon, and Shi Shui, who had been traveling all morning, felt a little hungry. Just then, he passed by a bustling ramen stall, and the rich aroma of bone broth wafted towards him.

Zhishui had a sudden thought and bought three bowls of ramen. He specifically asked the owner to add an extra portion of fish cake and then placed them on the ground in front of Yuanni.

"Here, try it. The ramen from the Land of Water is delicious too," Shisui tried to be friendly.

Yuan Ni originally wanted to maintain its proud demeanor as a divine turtle, turning its head away and refusing to look, but the tempting aroma kept wafting into its nose, especially the round, white, tender fish cake with pink patterns, which had a fatal attraction for it.

It glanced at it furtively, then glanced at it again... In the end, the temptation of the food overcame its dignity.

It cautiously approached and took a bite of the fish cake soaked in broth... The next second—

Yuan Ni's beady green eyes widened instantly! It was as if stars were twinkling inside!

This is an incredible delicacy! It tastes a million times better than the moss and sashimi it usually eats on the seabed!

It didn't care about being tied up anymore, and immediately buried its head in the bowl, wolfing it down with gusto, making loud smacking noises as it ate, its shell even trembling slightly with happiness.

The bowl of ramen was quickly emptied, and not a drop of soup was left.

Yuan Ni let out a satisfied burp, lifted his face still covered in soup, and looked at Zhi Shui with a completely different expression.

It smacked its lips, savoring the wonderful taste, all its previous anger and protests forgotten. It wiped its mouth with its flippers and solemnly announced.

"Hmm... I've thought about it carefully... Actually, being a pet isn't so bad."

"Food and lodging included, and someone to wait on you, kid!" It looked at Zhishui, its tone becoming self-righteous. "I want to eat this again tomorrow! Double the fish cakes!"

Shisui: “…”

You silently look away, and sure enough, there's nothing a bowl of ramen can't solve.

If you have it, then add a fish cake.

According to the second unreliable clue, the so-called old man who likes to disguise himself as a candied hawthorn seller is a priest who specializes in kidnapping children.

You demonstrated amazing patience and execution, spending a whole day observing every candied hawthorn vendor in the streets and alleys of Canglan City.

From the east to the west of the city, from white-haired old men to middle-aged men, you stand silently at a distance, scrutinizing the behavior, eyes, chakra fluctuations, and even the customer groups of each target.

The results were disappointing.

None of them met the criteria for a so-called mystical priest.

They were either ordinary street vendors struggling to make a living, or elderly people with cloudy eyes and no distinguishing features. This was nothing but a rumor spread by misinformation.

As evening falls, you sit in a corner of a teahouse by the street, a simple map of Canglan City spread out in front of you. With a blank expression, you pick up a pen and forcefully draw a bright red cross on the area representing the second clue.

His movements were swift and decisive, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of annoyance.

Shisui sat opposite you, witnessing both your efforts and your eventual defeat.

He considerately handed over a cup of tea, but his gaze drifted to Yuan Ni, who was contentedly blowing bubbles.

A thought struck him, and Zhishui couldn't help but lower his voice to ask, "Yuanni, you've lived so long and are so knowledgeable, have you ever really heard the rumors about that priest who can foresee the future?"

Yuan Ni yawned lazily, slowly moved its flippers, glanced at Zhi Shui with its beady green eyes, and struck a pose before slowly opening its mouth.

"Hmph, you've come to the right person, kid. For such vague and ethereal matters, asking this old man is the right thing to do!"

It paused, as if recalling something, and its tone became unusually serious, "I do know of such a person. The last time I met him was during the Warring States period."

You were carefully organizing the clues when you heard the words "Warring States Period," and your fingers suddenly stopped.

The nib of the fountain pen left a small blot of ink on the map.

It's the Warring States period again, which always easily stirs up the deepest sense of familiarity and resonance in my heart.

The hazy fragments of dreams, the portraits in the forbidden pavilion, and even his own preference for ancient ninja tools... all seem to subtly point to that era.

A strong intuition tells you that the priest Yuan Ni mentioned is not just a rumor, and that he is about to appear.

You interrupted its reminiscences of its glorious past, your voice carrying a barely perceptible urgency, "Who is it?"

Yuan Ni felt a chill run down its spine from your suddenly focused gaze, and dared not keep you in suspense any longer, so it answered honestly.

"I don't know exactly who he is either. That guy is very mysterious, even more so than I am. His aura is very special, carrying a kind of... well... like a decaying smell that is both seen through and bound by everything."

It gestured with its flippers, trying to describe, "But given his intense obsession... if he were still 'alive,' or still exist."

"As expected, they will definitely be guarding the underground vortex ruins in Canglan City. That place is very eerie, and neither ordinary people nor turtles dare to approach it."

The underground vortex ruins of Canglan City.

Shisui and you exchanged a glance at each other.

Without needing to say a word, they could see affirmation and determination in each other's eyes.

The clues were absurd, but the information provided by Yuan Ni carried a strange sense of reality.

“Underground vortex ruins…” Shisui repeated softly, his expression turning solemn.

As a member of the Dark Guard, he had vaguely heard of that place. It was a forbidden area in the Land of Water, sealed off by strict regulations. It was rumored to be connected to deep-sea trenches, where unusual energy vortexes would occasionally erupt, making it extremely dangerous.

"Go take a look." You've already stood up, put away the map, and your tone leaves no room for argument.

Whatever is there is much more reliable than aimlessly searching for an old man selling candied hawthorns.

Chapter 268 - Heartfelt Concern (4)

The air was thick with the dull smell of millennia-old dust mixed with damp moisture. Every step on the ancient stone steps echoed hollowly, as if knocking on the door of the depths of time.