Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Once again, you felt the cruelty of fate and your own powerlessness.

Dou's death was not far off, and Xin's farewell followed in quick succession.

How much glimmer of light has the darkness known as 'Roots' swallowed? And how much of the remaining warmth can I, in this quagmire, protect?

“...Okay.” You didn’t linger, as if the heated debate about reality had never happened.

The voice returned to its usual calm, even with a hint of coldness.

"Since you have chosen this dead end, I respect your decision."

You left behind those final, almost judgmental words, and silently disappeared into the darkness of the root base passage, without looking back.

Xin gazed in the direction you disappeared, letting out a soft sigh, "I'm sorry..."

Leave the oppressive roots and return to the ground.

The night breeze, carrying a coolness, brushed against my cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the heavy, sluggish feeling in my heart.

The sadness isn't intense, but it lingers and makes you feel uncomfortable.

You want to get rid of these feelings, but you find yourself all alone and with no one suitable to talk to.

Sakura might worry, but her pure sunshine couldn't comprehend the gloom of this ideological difference.

Naruto is all talk and no action, and Shikamaru would probably find him troublesome... At this moment, you suddenly understand Kakashi Hatake a little better.

When important people in your life pass away one after another, the feeling of having nowhere to confide in and having to bury everything under a mask of laziness is oppressive and lonely.

Driven by instinct, you once again arrive at the top of the Hokage Rock.

You sit with your knees drawn up to your chest on the cold rock, your chin resting on your knees, gazing at the village sleeping in the darkness, like a frozen statue.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint ripple came from the air around me.

A figure sat down silently, bringing with him a faint scent of gunpowder and dust, mixed with a barely perceptible fragrance of ink.

You didn't turn around, but you could sense who it was.

“I just finished my ANBU assessment and sensed your chakra here as soon as I came out.” Kakashi’s voice was slightly tired, but still maintained his characteristic languid tone. “What’s wrong? Sitting here, you look…melancholy.”

He didn't ask you why you were there, but he keenly noticed the unusually low pressure emanating from you.

You slowly turned your head, and in the hazy moonlight, looked directly into Kakashi's exposed eye, asking a question that struck straight to the soul.

"If the dead were to return to the world, would their regrets be redeemed?"

Kakashi's body stiffened, his pupils contracted slightly, revealing extremely complex emotions: shock, reminiscence, pain, and a faint hope.

He was stumped by the question.

Rin lying in a pool of blood, Obito's last look before being buried by rocks, Minato's gentle yet resolute smile... these images buried deep in his heart suddenly became clear because of your question.

"Are you thinking about... Kabuto who died?" he asked softly, his tone not dismissive, but rather filled with a sense of shared sorrow and understanding.

You didn't deny it, you just hummed in agreement and turned your gaze back to the lights in the distance.

Kakashi didn't think your idea was naive or impractical.

On the contrary, this question had lingered in his mind countless times. He remained silent for a while before answering in a voice heavy with the weight of the past.

“Perhaps…no one knows the real answer.” He paused, his voice softening. “But I think you shouldn’t be bothered by these ‘what ifs’ and regrets. Those who are alive must always move forward.”

His words weren't exactly sophisticated comfort, but they carried a resonance stemming from similar pain.

You seemed to have listened, yet you also seemed not, remaining silent.

Just then, Kakashi felt a cool touch; he had inexplicably taken your hand in his own.

He felt a pang of anxiety, fearing he might offend or attack you.

You only moved your finger slightly, without breaking free, and even turned your head to look at him again, as if wondering what the meaning of his action was.

Kakashi's heart was instantly filled with joy. He suppressed his surging emotions, tightened his grip on your hand slightly, but dared not use too much force.

His exposed eye curved into a beautiful crescent shape, and he tried his best to make his voice sound natural and reliable, "I'm willing to stay by your side, no matter what the future holds."

He offered a seemingly reasonable excuse: "Just consider it a gesture of kindness from a senior."

His clumsy yet sincere comforting words seemed to dispel some of the lingering sadness in your heart, and your cold emotions seemed to find a faint source of warmth.

Seeing Kakashi's tense yet composed demeanor, you suddenly felt a mischievous urge. You blinked and asked in your usual calm tone.

"Since you're so kind, senior, please share with me what interesting content is written in 'Make-Out Paradise' that makes you love reading it every day."

Kakashi seemed to have been instantly paralyzed, his eyes widened in shock, his cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, and even the tips of his ears turned crimson.

He let go of your hand, as if he had been burned.

"Ah... um... this..." He stammered, his eyes darting around, completely avoiding your gaze. "I... I suddenly feel so sleepy! Yes! Extremely sleepy! I should... I should go back to sleep!"

After stammering out his words, he didn't even dare to wait for your response. With a "whoosh," he leaped up from the top of the rock, used his teleportation technique, and almost fled in panic, disappearing into the night in an instant, leaving only an awkward breeze behind.

You chuckled softly as you watched him flee in panic.

You were teasing him on purpose. With your keen observation skills and authority in the shadows, you already knew what kind of book "Intimate Paradise" was.

However... seeing Kakashi Hatake, the self-proclaimed Copy Ninja and elite Jonin, blushing and fleeing in a sorry state because of a lewd book...

It seems quite interesting.

At least in this turbulent Konoha, you won't feel too bored for the time being.

Chapter 314 Tracking

Knowing Shin's final choice, your desire to settle scores with Naruto Uzumaki quietly faded away.

As for Sai, he has always been very resistant to himself. At this moment, you are more concerned about how to fulfill Shin's last wish.

They appear to be listening to the lecture, but their minds have already wandered outside the classroom, immersed in their own mental maze, searching for a possible exit.

A neatly folded piece of white paper is quietly handed to you from the side. You turn your head and meet Nara Shikamaru's eyes, which always carry a hint of laziness and insight.

He took the note and gently unfolded it under his desk. On it was his slightly messy but clear handwriting: "You had Naruto take your place at school yesterday, and you've been spacing out this morning. Did something happen?"

The question gets straight to the point: he noticed your unusual behavior over the past two days, your absence yesterday and your continued absent-mindedness today.

He stared at the note and remained silent for a moment.

You gently shook your head, without writing any reply, but simply folded the white paper again and carefully tucked it into the most hidden compartment at the bottom of your desk.

You don't want to get caught by Iruka-sensei for such a silly mistake as passing a note, which would only cause you more trouble.

Your head-shaking gesture and the act of hiding the note clearly conveyed that you didn't want to talk about it.

Shikamaru's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply lay back down on the table, as if everything that had just happened was just a minor incident.

Meanwhile, the rivalry between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, who were classmates, entered a new phase.

Naruto accidentally crossed the invisible dividing line on the table with his arm, and was immediately met with Sasuke's icy, knife-like stare, the disdain and warning in his eyes almost tangible.

Naruto was furious at the glare and felt greatly offended, so he immediately raised his hands high.

“Teacher Iruka!” he shouted, drawing the attention of the entire class.

Iruka was explaining the transformations of chakra when he was interrupted and looked over with a hint of exasperation. "What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Iruka-sensei! Sasuke is hogging the table and won't let me cross the line! He's even glaring at me!" Naruto pointed at the invisible line, complaining angrily as if he had suffered a great injustice.

When Iruka heard that it was such a childish dispute, he immediately felt overwhelmed.

He was about to speak up and try to get the two of them to back down when he heard Uchiha Sasuke's cold voice ring out.

"I want to change my deskmate." Sasuke didn't even glance at Naruto, his gaze fixed on Iruka. "Naruto is too noisy, seriously affecting my studies."

Sasuke actually suggested changing seats? And with the excuse that "Naruto is too noisy"? Many students, especially the girls, secretly glanced over, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Iruka felt a deep sense of powerlessness. How long had it been since he changed seats? He rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself.

"Sasuke, you haven't been sitting together for very long; you need time to adjust. It's unreasonable to suggest changing seats now..."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke pursed his thin lips and stopped speaking, but the cold aura emanating from him dropped even further, expressing his dissatisfaction through silence.

Seeing his expression, Iruka knew further words were pointless, so he turned to Naruto and raised his voice, "Naruto! Pay attention in class! Stop causing trouble!"

Naruto pouted and glared at Sasuke defiantly, but still reluctantly sat up straight, though he deliberately blurred the dividing line with his elbow.

Danzo Shimura, leaning on his cane, glanced with his one eye at the two boys standing side by side in front of him, Shin and Sai.

He saw in Sai the purer qualities that were not yet tainted by excessive emotions, and was determined to forge them into a perfect, flawless ultimate weapon.

During the forging process, the first thing that needs to be removed is the rust called "bond".

Danzo's voice was icy cold, devoid of any human emotion, like a dull knife scraping against rock: "Only one of you two brothers can survive."

He gave no reason, nor did he need one; at the root, his will was the only law.

To ensure that the selection process would not be disrupted by unexpected sentimentality, he ordered the two men to be confined in this small solitary confinement room, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

"I will come to check the results tomorrow."

Leaving behind this cruel ultimatum, Danzo's figure disappeared behind the heavy iron gate. The sound of the lock clicking shut was particularly jarring in the silence, completely cutting off any possibility of escape.

Sai looked at the short sword in his hand, then at his silent brother Shin across from him.

His face, which always tried so hard to maintain a fake smile, was now blank with confusion. He didn't move, and he didn't know how to move.

The letter, however, appeared unusually calm.

He didn't even look at the weapon that would decide his life or death; instead, he carefully took out a slightly yellowed piece of paper from his pocket, on which was drawn a simple yet heartwarming picture.

The two brothers stood hand in hand under a crooked tree; this was the most precious treasure in his barren life.

He waved the drawing gently at Sai, forcing a reassuring smile on his face.

Sai watched his brother's actions, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to utter a trembling title.

"...elder brother."

I know it's time.

In order to control him, the Anbu had long ago planted a deadly poison in him that was difficult to remove. For many years, a serious lung disease had been eroding his life. He had always put on a brave face in front of Sai, but at this moment, he no longer wanted to pretend.

"Cough...cough cough cough!" A violent spasm, as if coughing up his internal organs, suddenly struck him. Xin bent over, and large mouthfuls of blood gushed from between his fingers.

Sai's pupils contracted sharply, and the unease he had been feeling all along reached its peak. He wanted to rush over and support his brother.

"Don't come any closer!" Xin suddenly raised her hand and pushed him away with all her might.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, stood up unsteadily, and his eyes suddenly became sharp and resolute, as if he had become a different person.

“Let’s begin, Sai.” Shin’s voice was hoarse from the pain, but it carried a commanding tone. “This is our duel to the death.”

"No! I..." Sai retorted instinctively; he had never intended to fight his brother!

"Take up your weapon!" Xin interrupted him sharply, his eyes like cold blades piercing through Sai's hesitation. "Duel with me! That's an order!"

Under Shinna's firm attitude, Sai's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Looking at his brother's resolute eyes and the glaring blood on the ground, his mind went blank.

Almost instinctively, trembling, he bent down and picked up the cold kunai.

His fingers turned white from exerting too much force, and the kunai in his hands felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

He looked at the letter, waiting for his brother's attack, waiting for the expected tragic scene of brothers killing each other.

Shin's next move, however, froze Sai's soul!

Shin looked at Sai deeply, his gaze filled with love, reluctance, and resolve, all of which ultimately dissolved into a quiet tenderness.

Then he suddenly twisted his wrist and plunged the kunai, a symbol of the duel, into his own chest without hesitation.

"Pfft—!"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was chillingly clear in the silent solitary confinement room.

"elder brother--!!!"

Sai's kunai fell to the ground with a clatter.

He let out a heart-wrenching roar, lunged forward, and caught Xinruan's falling body.

Warm blood quickly soaked through his clothes. Sai clutched the letter tightly, watching the blood gushing from the wound, his voice distorted with extreme fear and grief, "Why?! Brother! Why?!"

Shin lay in his younger brother's arms, his face as pale as paper from the excruciating pain, his breathing rapid and labored. But when he looked into Sai's eyes, which were filled with tears and incomprehension, he gave a relieved smile.