Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

With unknown risks, unclear objectives, and vague commitment deadlines, this kind of uncertain cooperation does not conform to your operating principles.

Lian didn't show much surprise at your rejection; instead, she seemed to understand with a sense of "I knew it."

He had long anticipated that even if the cat lost its memory, its inherent caution and desire for control would not change.

He lowered his head slightly, his tightly closed eyelids seemingly conveying a sense of destiny. "Lord Tanuki, everything is predestined. Even if you are unwilling to accept it now, we will meet again in ten years."

This statement is like a prophecy, or perhaps a resolute farewell.

After he finished speaking, he seemed to want to take a step forward, perhaps to say something more, or perhaps it was just an unconscious movement.

But the moment he made a move, "What do you want to do?!" Shisui seemed to have his most sensitive nerve touched, and almost instinctively took a step forward, firmly blocking your way.

His Sharingan activated instantly, and his voice was filled with vigilance and warning, "Stay away from her!"

Lian paused, and seeing Zhishui's posture, as if she had suddenly remembered something from a very long time ago, she chuckled softly.

"Heh..." he murmured to himself, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "How familiar this scene is... back then, that person also protected you like this..."

He seemed to be lost in a brief recollection, remembering the Warring States period, when your loyal adopted son stood in front of everyone who tried to get close to you, just like he had done countless times.

You and Zhishui were both taken aback by his inexplicable laughter and whispers, completely baffled as to the source of his current sentiments.

Peeking out from behind Shisui's shoulder, the gesture seemed somewhat comical on your part, but your expression was unusually serious, your dark eyes fixed on Lian, grasping the key information in his words.

"Will we cross paths again in ten years?" You keenly sense that this seems to be more than just a farewell; it's more like a prophecy of a specific point in time.

When you asked Lian that question, she seemed to suddenly realize that she had accidentally let something slip.

His sentimentality vanished instantly, replaced by a rare sense of panic, as if he had touched upon some taboo that shouldn't be mentioned.

Even across the vast expanse of time, the oppressive aura of a superior from the Warring States period seemed to transcend time and descend upon him once more, inspiring awe in him.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to make amends, but didn't know how to explain.

"Hey! You guys!" Yuan Ni, who had been shivering from the cold, finally couldn't take it anymore and struggled to stick his head out of Shisui's ninja tool bag, loudly breaking the eerie atmosphere.

"Have you all forgotten the mission you came here for?! The Daimyo of the Land of Iron is looking for a priest who can foresee the future, not to listen to your riddles and discussions about some ten-year agreement! I'm practically frozen solid!"

Yuan Ni's shouting was like a bucket of cold water, waking you all from your own thoughts.

Yes, the primary task of this trip is to confirm whether Lian is the priest targeted by the Land of Iron, and to obtain as much information as possible or reach some kind of agreement.

Instead of getting bogged down in the confusing past and the uncertain future.

Lian turned to the crystal coffin, her gaze piercing through the crystal to fall on the pale face of the sleeping Akiyama Nana inside. "Regarding the request from the Land of Iron... please go back. I will no longer participate in any conflicts between powerful nobles."

His tone left no room for negotiation: "Protecting the princess is my only mission."

For you, the core objective of this mission has been achieved: finding the priest's whereabouts and confirming his attitude.

As for how the Daimyo of the Land of Iron will react upon learning the news—whether he will forcibly conscript him or find another way—that is his business and has nothing to do with you and Shisui.

You never wanted to get involved in these political turmoil, and you were about to signal Shisui to leave this cold crystal tomb.

Just as he turned around, "Wait..."

Uchiha Shisui's voice suddenly rang out, trembling slightly yet remarkably firm.

You stop and look at him. You see Zhishui with his lips tightly pressed together, his face pale in the dim blue light, but his usually gentle eyes now hold a complex emotion.

There is a fear of the unknown, but more than that, there is a courage to face fate head-on.

“Please…” Shisui took a deep breath, his gaze passing over you and looking directly at Lian, “Let me see my future.” He seemed to be using all his strength.

Your pupils contracted slightly, and a fleeting trace of sadness flashed across your eyes.

Having already glimpsed the bloody ending through his dreams, you didn't stop Shisui from personally experiencing it when he asked to; it was his choice.

Lian didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded calmly, "As you wish."

He raised his hands, forming an ancient and complex mudra.

The source of water, suspended above the crystal coffin, seemed to be summoned, and a wisp of pure blue energy, like a gentle tentacle, slowly enveloped the still water.

Shi Shui offered no resistance, closed her eyes, and let the icy energy permeate her entire body.

The next moment, his consciousness was suddenly pulled into an incredibly realistic illusion, or rather, he experienced his original ending firsthand.

Shisui ran breathlessly through the dense forest, his dark-clothes clothes torn in many places and stained with blood and dust.

He was evading the pursuit of all the elite members of the Root, those ruthless figures closing in from all directions.

The image of Shimura Danzo unwrapping the bandages on his right arm, covered with countless Sharingan eyes that looked like a curse, kept replaying in his mind.

Each one represents a member of the Uchiha clan who was brutally murdered. He never imagined that his clansmen would suffer such cruelty! Anger, grief, disgust... all sorts of emotions almost consumed him.

His right eye had already been taken by Danzo in the previous sneak attack, and the empty eye socket was throbbing with pain, but what hurt him even more was his heart.

Now, he can only do everything in his power, even at the cost of his life, to prevent the other eye from falling into the hands of the Roots!

Fortunately, Itachi arrived just in time to save them from their dire situation.

Upon seeing his dearest friend, Shisui felt a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly overwhelmed by even greater despair.

He realized that Danzo and Root were determined to kill him here and would never let him leave alive, so that he could become evidence against them.

There was no time to hesitate.

In the final moments of his life, Shisui made a resolute choice.

He solemnly entrusted his left eye to Itachi.

He believed in Itachi's wisdom and strength, and that he could use that eye to protect Konoha and stop the Uchiha rebellion.

Itachi suppressed his immense grief and reluctance, tears welling in his eyes, but he knew this was not the time to be weak. He took the still warm eye, looked deeply at Shisui one last time, then gritted his teeth, turned around, and left with his best friend's last wish and the future of the Uchiha clan.

Watching Itachi's disappearing figure, Shisui finally felt relieved.

All the burdens seemed to be lifted at that moment, and he believed that Itachi could change everything.

Even if Itachi ultimately fails, he believes that there will always be other people in the ninja world who have light in their hearts and will change this darkness.

He just... had some regrets. He regretted not being able to see all the wonders of the ninja world, regretted not being able to see Konoha shrouded in true light, and regretted not seeing the day when the Uchiha clan was finally accepted by Konoha and lived in peace.

With these unfulfilled dreams and deep regrets, Shisui turned around, facing the bottomless cliff behind him and the ever-flowing Namka River below.

He fell backward.

The wind whistled in my ears, and a feeling of weightlessness enveloped my entire body. Perhaps, falling into the Naka River, the birthplace of the Uchiha clan, could be considered a kind of... homecoming.

Shisui watched helplessly as he plummeted into the abyss of death, feeling the passage of life.

This is his...dead end.

Even in the last moment before consciousness was about to completely dissipate, the fragments had not yet disappeared.

During his fall, his gaze inadvertently swept across the turbulent surface of the Namga River below.

In the reflection on the water, he vaguely saw... himself and Nagi standing side by side.

The background no longer seemed to be Konoha, but a more open area. The fleeting reflection was like an illusion, quickly dissipating.

Immediately afterwards, all the images shattered completely.

Zhi Shui's consciousness was abruptly pulled back to reality.

In the last moment before he woke up, the blurry vision captured the scene of you standing on the banks of the Naga River in the illusion you had just witnessed, with his corpse lying at your feet...

Shisui woke up with a start, gasping for breath. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode. He instinctively covered his empty right eye and pressed his other hand tightly against his chest, as if only then could he confirm that he was still alive.

Everything I just experienced felt so real—the despair and pain of being betrayed, being hunted down, entrusting my eyes to someone, falling off a cliff to my death, and finally seeing you.

He looked up and immediately looked at you.

You stand in front of him, quietly watching him, your dark eyes clearly reflecting his terrified and disheveled appearance.

Far from the hustle and bustle of Canglan City, the campfire crackled in the silent wilderness. Uchiha Shisui, unusually, did not immediately use the Body Flicker Technique to return to Konoha.

He needed time to process the death rehearsal that felt like a personal experience.

The right eye that was gouged out in the illusion still seemed to be throbbing faintly.

The old tortoise, Yuan Ni, had already found a flat boulder and lay down sprawled out, its shell rising and falling slightly with its breath, emitting a loud snoring sound that seemed completely out of place in the solemn atmosphere.

You sit on the other side of the campfire, glancing occasionally at the silent Zhi Shui across from you.

He hugged his knees, rested his chin on them, and stared blankly at the leaping flames, his whole being enveloped in a visible atmosphere of low pressure.

You worry that the ending Shisui witnesses will have an irreversible impact on his mentality; that kind of despair is enough to destroy a person's beliefs.

In the silence, only the sound of burning firewood and the snores of the mythical lion could be heard.

Suddenly, Shisui spoke, his voice seeming to come from a great distance, "Will the Uchiha ever be accepted by Konoha?"

This question is tinged with deep confusion and a glimmer of almost extinguished hope.

Your heart sank suddenly. This question instantly reminded you of the scene where Itachi Uchiha held a sharp blade, with countless corpses of his clansmen behind him.

Acceptance? In the future, all that remains is internal slaughter and external fear.

You didn't answer the doomed question directly; instead, you got up, walked around the campfire, came to Zhishui's side, and sat down next to him.

The warmth of the campfire dispelled some of the night's chill.

"Maybe, but it's not important to us."

"Is it...important?" Shisui repeated your words, as if she couldn't understand.

Protecting Konoha and hoping that the Uchiha clan would be accepted were the cornerstones of his beliefs.

You turn your head to look at his profile, which is filled with confusion and pain, and then raise your hand, gently touching his heart with your fingertips.

In that instant, Shisui clearly felt the icy touch, as if it had a strange penetrating power, piercing into his flesh and blood, arousing a slight shiver.

This feeling... is so unreal, yet so real.

“We have long been plagued by the curse of the Sharingan,” you state an objective fact. “Power is accompanied by hatred and darkness. Konoha… or rather, any power holder will eventually be wary of the Uchiha’s power and unable to give them true trust and acceptance. This is a contradiction rooted in the nature of power, and it has nothing to do with right or wrong.”

You apply slight pressure with your fingertips, as if trying to press down on his heart, which is pounding violently due to wavering faith.

"Shisui..." you called his name, your dark eyes unfathomable in the firelight. "Have you ever thought about...the future? A future that belongs to you, not a future bound by responsibilities?"

A future that belongs to...oneself?

Shisui was stunned by your question.

His life seemed to have been predetermined: to become a powerful ninja, protect the village, and maintain the fragile balance between the Uchiha and Konoha.

He never truly considered what Uchiha Shisui really wanted after stripping away these external identities and responsibilities.

“I’ve thought about it…” he murmured, his voice filled with endless bitterness and confusion, “but I have no other choice.”

The foreseen death hung like a sword over his head; the family's predicament, the village's suspicion... he felt as if he were bound by countless chains, unable to move.

A wave of immense helplessness and resentment washed over him, especially when faced with your almost blunt concern. The strength he had been maintaining finally began to crack.

He didn't know why, but he just wanted to cry.

His eyes quickly welled up with tears, and his vision blurred. He tried to hold them back, but the scalding tears still spilled out uncontrollably, falling in large drops onto the back of your hand that was touching his chest.

The tears were shockingly hot.

You were stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to suddenly burst into tears.

Looking at the water stains spreading rapidly on the back of her hand, and then looking up at Zhishui's red eyes and the way she was trying to hold back her sobs, a feeling of helplessness swept over her.

Chapter 270 - Heartfelt Concern (6)

After a few seconds of silence, you raised your other hand and awkwardly wiped away the wet tear stains on his cheek.

The fingertips brushed against the skin, bringing a slightly cool and itchy sensation.

“Zhi Shui,” your voice was a little softer than before, but still carried an almost cruel clarity, “you should save yourself first, instead of having a selfless dedication that leads to being completely consumed.”

First, save yourself...

These words struck Shisui to the deepest part of his heart. His belief had always been to dedicate himself to protecting others, but no one had ever told him that before saving others, he should perhaps first save the self that was about to collapse under the pressure.

Your words touched a nerve that had been stretched to its limit.

Just as you were about to remove your hand from his face, Shisui grabbed your wrist and pulled you forcefully into his arms without saying a word.

You were completely taken aback by his actions and found yourself crashing into a warm embrace, thick with tears and the scent of a campfire.

Zhi Shui's arms wrapped tightly around you like iron hoops, pressing your head against his shoulders.