Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

How could this girl know his true identity? Where did she slip up? Was it his chakra? A habitual action? Or...? No, impossible!

"I am Madara, what nonsense are you spouting!" Obito suppressed his inner panic, deliberately raising his voice, trying to overwhelm the other party with his aura and maintain his shaky pretense.

Although Itachi Uchiha had long suspected his identity, he still dared not relax in the slightest.

Your next words completely shattered Obito's mental defenses: "I think Kakashi-senpai... would be very happy to see you again."

The seemingly casual words, like a final judgment, exploded in Obito's ears!

The name Kakashi pierced the deepest, most unhealed, and perpetually festering wound in his heart!

The despair in Rin's eyes when she died, the image of Kakashi piercing Rin's chest, and the endless darkness and resentment as he sank into the rocks... all the painful memories overwhelmed him like a flood bursting its banks!

You know! You really know! Not only do you know he's not Madara, but you even pinpointed his connection to Kakashi.

Panic and a furious outburst, stripped of all pretense, engulfed him, nearly driving him out of control.

Itachi Uchiha keenly sensed Obito's sudden change in aura and violent fluctuations in chakra.

He immediately realized that your words had struck at the mysterious man's most fatal weakness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Itachi instantly released Susanoo, and the dark red skeleton turned into chakra specks and dissipated.

He knew that the battle no longer needed to continue; the initiative had already shifted to him.

"...What exactly do you want to do?" Obito's voice was dry and hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

He neither admitted it nor denied it again.

Under the gaze of the girl before him, he felt like a puppet controlled by invisible threads, with all his secrets and weaknesses exposed.

This feeling of being completely seen through and controlled sent shivers down his spine.

"I just wanted to keep the Uchiha here," you repeated your original intention, but then, your tone changed, and a calm calculation flashed in your dark eyes, "but after seeing your abilities, I have a new idea."

Itachi and Obito's gazes are both focused on you.

"An idea that wouldn't lead to the extermination of the clan, but would still allow the Uchiha to survive." You clearly uttered each word, "Now, you only have this choice: Uchiha Madara."

You know he isn't, yet you deliberately call him by that name again, your tone filled with undisguised wickedness and mockery, as if you were toying with prey that has fallen into your grasp.

These words ignited Itachi's previously stagnant heart: a way to spare the Uchiha clan without jeopardizing their extermination?

Is this even possible? If such a method truly exists... His gaze towards you became more complex, filled with an incredulous anticipation.

If before Obito only suspected that the girl in front of him might share the same name as the painting in the Forbidden Pavilion, now he is 100% certain that you are the person Madara Uchiha was searching for before his death!

Although he hasn't had a chance to verify whether you really have the special curse mark that Madara mentioned on your collarbone, the way you're manipulating people's hearts right now is exactly the same as Madara in his memory.

Obito dared not confront him head-on anymore. From the moment you learned his true identity, the course of events had completely slipped out of his control.

On the way back, Itachi walked silently beside me, but his gaze kept drifting involuntarily to you.

He wanted to ask, why are you helping him like this? He even wanted to ask, who are you really, and how many secrets are you hiding?

But all the words that came to his lips turned into a thicker, more ambiguous and indescribable emotion, stuck in his throat.

Behind these questions, there seems to be an answer he both longs for and fears: about you, about his own heart that has long since lost control.

You can clearly feel the frequent gazes from the boy beside you, like the subtle vibrations on a spider web, which cannot escape the spider's perception.

This is the perfect opportunity to strike while the iron is hot. This is the moment when Itachi's psychological defenses are most easily guided and controlled. You won't let this chance to make him completely submit to you slip by.

Back in Itachi's room, you didn't leave immediately, and Itachi didn't ask you to leave either. A tacit silence filled the space between you.

Time flowed silently, the sky outside the window gradually changed from deep blue to a pale white, and finally, the first ray of golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, streaming into the room through the windowpane.

It dispelled the chill of the night and illuminated the dust particles floating in the air.

"It's dawn." You suddenly spoke, your voice exceptionally clear in the tranquil morning light, breaking the silence that had lasted all night.

Itachi's heart seemed to skip a beat. He nodded hastily in response, his voice slightly hoarse as if he had just woken up, "...Mm."

You approach Itachi step by step, your footsteps light, almost making no sound on the wooden floor, but to Itachi, they sound like drums, each step striking his taut nerves.

The sunlight behind you cast a hazy halo, but shrouded your face in a faint shadow. Your raised black eyes were astonishingly bright, as if they could steal your soul.

Itachi felt his heart was completely out of control, pounding wildly in his chest.

Was it the thrill of surviving a disaster? Was it admiration for your wisdom and strength? Or... a feeling he had been quietly cultivating, but deliberately suppressing, called liking?

He could no longer tell, nor did he want to. He just stood there, frozen, watching you get closer and closer, as if pulled by invisible threads, unable to move.

Until you reach out and grab his slightly open collar with a light but irresistible force, forcing him to lower his head and meet your gaze.

“I helped you,” you said, tilting your head back to lock onto his slightly widened Sharingan eyes, “aren’t you going to thank me?”

All composure and rationality crumbled at this moment. Itachi let himself sink into the deep black vortex, his voice trembling slightly and showing complete surrender.

"How do you want me to thank you? I can do whatever I want." He has completely handed the choice and himself into your hands.

You didn't expect Itachi Uchiha to be so perceptive. The fingers gripping his collar tightened slightly, bringing him closer, almost touching his lips.

"Whether it's that guy who calls himself Ban or me, we're all after you."

To you, this statement is a statement of fact: Obito covets his power and his status as an executor, while you covet his personal value, his loyalty, and his...submission.

These words took on a completely different meaning when they reached Itachi's ears.

Tu Ni is so direct, so passionate, like a fire that instantly ignited his blood. His cheeks and ears turned crimson at a visible speed, the heat astonishing.

He abruptly turned his face away, no longer daring to meet those dark eyes that seemed to see through all his hidden thoughts, his voice stuttering with embarrassment and panic.

"I... I can't right now, you, you're still young..." Itachi tried to use his age as a fragile barrier to withstand the emotional waves that he was not yet prepared to deal with.

You frowned slightly. Still young? Why is Itachi Uchiha discriminating against age? Right now, he doesn't need to show any substantial gratitude, but who knows what the future holds.

His evasive attitude makes you uncomfortable. Were his previous compliance and promises all fake?

"Couldn't you wait until I'm an adult?" Your voice turned colder, and your grip on his collar loosened slightly, your eyes filled with clear doubt. "Or do you simply not want to thank me?"

"No!" Itachi immediately retorted, turning sharply to meet your slightly cold gaze, and hurriedly explained, "I...I'll wait for you!"

As if afraid you wouldn't believe him, afraid you would take back the help and attention he had come to rely on, he made the promise almost without thinking.

The moment those words left his mouth, he seemed to hear the sound of some kind of shackles being fastened, but he did so willingly.

"You keep your word, Itachi-kun." Having received the promise you wanted, the coldness on your face vanished instantly. You completely loosened your grip on his collar and turned to leave.

The moment you take a step, Itachi, as if driven by some kind of instinct, suddenly reaches out from behind and hugs you tightly.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Itachi buried his burning cheek in your cool hair, his arms tightening around you so much that it made you feel uncomfortable. His voice was muffled, tinged with a relieved sob and complete surrender, "Thank you..."

You paused slightly, feeling the boy's rapid heartbeat and undeniable strength behind you, but you didn't push him away. You just stood there quietly, letting him hold you.

The door was pushed open at some point, and Uchiha Sasuke stood in the doorway, his once clear and bright eyes wide, staring intently at the two embracing inside the room.

He was holding a basic ninjutsu scroll in his hand, and had come to his brother for guidance with great excitement, but instead witnessed a scene that made his heart stop.

His beloved brother hugged you so tightly from behind, and you...you didn't push him away!

Why are you here? Shouldn't you be resting in a hospital ward? Countless questions and a sharp pain of betrayal instantly swept over Sasuke's mind.

He likes you. He was attracted to your aloofness from the first time he saw you. He wanted to get your attention, but you always ignored him.

But now, you and your brother...

Meeting Sasuke's aggrieved and angry eyes, Itachi felt as if he had been burned. He instantly released his grip on Sasuke's arm, quickly took a step back, and created distance.

A fleeting hint of panic crossed his handsome face, which he quickly suppressed. He coughed twice, trying to mask his inner turmoil with a calm tone, "...Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Sasuke didn't answer his brother's question. His gaze was fixed on you, his voice trembling with suppressed sobs and accusation, "Why are you here?!"

In your opinion, Uchiha Sasuke always seems to be intentionally or unintentionally creating trouble for himself, or staring at you with that incomprehensible, stubborn gaze.

You dislike this entanglement, so you choose to ignore his questions again, as if he were nothing more than air.

Turning to Itachi, you said in your usual calm tone, "I'm leaving now."

After saying that, you tried to get around Sasuke, who was blocking the doorway.

Chapter 287 - Locked Affection (9)

Just as you were brushing past him, Sasuke reached out and grabbed you. "You haven't answered my question yet!"

He tilted his head back, staring stubbornly at you, his eyes already slightly red.

You stopped and met Sasuke's obsessive gaze, your tone flat and even, "What do you want me to say?"

This complete disregard and indifference stung Sasuke more than any scolding.

Seeing his younger brother grabbing at you so out of control, Itachi felt a surge of unease and irritation that he hadn't anticipated.

He lowered his voice, carrying a hint of elder brotherly authority, "Sasuke! Let go."

But Sasuke was blinded by jealousy and despair and couldn't hear his brother's words. He gripped your wrist tightly, his voice filled with broken sobs and accusations.

"Why? We've known each other for the same amount of time... You can see everyone—Kakashi, my brother, even Sakura Haruno... but you can't see me..."

The pent-up grievances and unrequited affection overwhelmed his reason at this moment. Sasuke suddenly lowered his head and bit down hard on your shoulder.

The sudden, sharp pain made you groan. You hadn't expected Sasuke to act so out of control. A clear, sharp pain, like teeth marks, came from your shoulder, accompanied by a domineering possessiveness.

The pain has only strengthened your resolve to stay away from this emotionally unstable Uchiha Sasuke; it was definitely the right decision.

Itachi's expression changed drastically. He immediately stepped forward, forcefully separated Sasuke, and shielded you behind him.

He looked at the clear teeth marks on your shoulder, his eyes filled with apology and remorse. "Nagi, are you alright? I'm so sorry, Sasuke..."

You shook your head and gently brushed away Itachi's hand that was trying to check the wound. "It's nothing."

He left those two words behind, never looking at the brothers again, and strode away from the place of trouble, his back view resolute, carrying a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.

Watching you disappear at the end of the corridor, Itachi felt a mix of emotions, including anger at his brother's actions and guilt towards you.

And the dark emotions arising from Sasuke's overly intense concern for you.

Sasuke seemed to have exhausted all his strength, standing there blankly. He raised his head, looked at his brother with his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with tears, and said something that shocked Itachi to his core.

"Nii-san... will you give Nagi to me?"

Sasuke's childlike, unreasonable request pierced Itachi's carefully maintained facade of calm, and he could almost hear the faint sound of his own mental barrier crumbling.

What surged in my chest was my fear of my brother's overstepping his bounds and my fear that you would pay extra attention to Sasuke because of it.

“…Sasuke,” Itachi’s voice was deliberately calm, he had to use all his strength to prevent the slightest tremor from showing, “She is independent, there is never any question of giving her up or not giving her up.”

Sunlight streamed through the windowpane, dancing on his lowered eyelashes, but couldn't penetrate the suddenly deep depths of his eyes.

These words were spoken to Sasuke, but even more so to himself. He was trying to use reason to contain his heart, which had already lost control for you, and to remind you that you were not something to be fought over.

Sasuke stared intently at his brother's face. Although he was young, he possessed the innate keenness of the Uchiha clan.

From Itachi's overly calm tone, and from the darkness and sharpness that now filled his eyes, which were always full of gentle concern, he understood everything.

Brother... I like you.

It wasn't the kind of care you show to a friend, but rather a kind of affection that's exclusive and uncompromising, just like his.

This realization instantly froze all his hopes and words. The light in Sasuke's eyes quickly dimmed, and his disappointment was replaced by resentment towards his brother.

He lowered his head without saying a word, turned around and rushed out of Itachi's room, his footsteps sounding particularly chaotic and hurried in the empty corridor.

The door was gently closed, cutting off the outside light and seemingly cutting off Itachi's last shred of hesitation.

The silence surged in like a tide, only to be broken by an even more tumultuous wave within.

Itachi stood still for a long time.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips seemingly still carrying the lingering sensation of your slender waist during our embrace and the cool, faint fragrance of your hair.

A twisted, secret joy welled up from the dampest corner of my heart. Look, Sasuke is gone.

You are special to him.

Just now, when you were in his arms, you didn't push him away. Even when Sasuke saw you, when you left, your disgusted look was directed at Sasuke, not him.

So what if it's Sasuke? Even if he's the younger brother he'd be willing to protect with his life, he would never back down an inch when it comes to you.

You are his bottom line, the only hope he wants to hold onto firmly in this sea of ​​despair and bitterness. No one can touch you, and no one can take you away.

He will show you his value, not only as a genius of the Uchiha clan and as the executor of the massacre, but also as... a blade and shield that belongs only to you.

He will prove his loyalty to you, and he will follow you without hesitation, no matter what your thoughts are, even if it means turning the entire ninja world upside down.

He will make you feel his emotions, which go beyond appreciation and exploitation, and are a morbid love that blends worship and possessiveness.