Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Just as they were pretending to have something to do and preparing to leave, the people lying in ambush on both sides jumped out.

On the Senju side, Butsuma stared coldly at the Uchiha clan on the opposite bank, his eyes revealing a strong fighting spirit.

On the Uchiha side, Tajima remained calm, arms crossed, showing no fear of the situation.

On the river, Izuna and Tobirama stared at each other, their eyes filled with hostility and wariness.

Izuna gripped a kunai tightly in his hand, his movements lithe and agile, while Tobirama wore a serious expression, ready to respond to Izuna's attack at any moment.

"Hmph, today is the end of the Senju!" Izuna sneered and took the initiative, throwing the kunai in his hand at Tobirama.

Tobirama dodged easily to the side, and at the same time quickly formed hand seals. A stream of water rose from the river and transformed into a water dragon that rushed towards Izuna.

Chapter 20 - The Letter

Izuna remained calm and activated his Sharingan. The tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly. He dodged the water dragon's attack with a flash, followed by several leaps.

Tajima and Butsuma were not idle either; the two exchanged blows several times on the riverbank.

Seeing this, Madara and Hashirama hurriedly shouted, "Stop!"

Both sides were so engrossed in the fight that they ignored all advice and continued their fierce battle.

In this evenly matched situation, a resolute glint flashed in the eyes of Tajima and Butsuma.

They knew that on the battlefield, wavering of one's mindset often determined victory or defeat.

At almost the same moment, Tajima threw his kunai at Tobirama, while Butsuma threw his kunai at Izuna.

At the critical moment, Madara and Hashirama reacted extremely quickly.

Ban quickly picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the kunai that Butsami had thrown. The stone struck the kunai precisely, sending it flying.

Hashirama also threw a stone, knocking Tajima's kunai away.

To protect their younger brother, they had no choice but to stand on opposite sides.

Ban was filled with helplessness and disappointment. Looking at the chaotic situation before him, he couldn't help but sigh, "Is the ideal of peace just a mirage after all?"

Panting heavily, Butsuma looked at Madara and Hashirama, secretly pondering the strength of both sides.

He turned to Hashirama and asked, "Do we have a chance of winning now, three against three?"

Hashirama's gaze never left Madara. He remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "When we spar, he never uses the power of the Sharingan, yet he can still hold his own against me."

Intelligence from the Senju clan indicated that Madara had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. Hashirama understood that Madara was afraid of revealing his identity, which was why he had never used the power of the Sharingan in previous sparring matches.

If Madara had truly used the power of the Sharingan, he knew he might not be Madara's match.

Tajima smiled upon hearing Hashirama's words. "Butterfly, you're still as competitive as ever. Don't forget, you have a kid in the Uchiha clan who challenges you!"

Upon hearing this, Hashirama and Tobirama turned deathly pale. They knew that Itama was in a very dangerous situation.

"Everyone, please don't be nervous. What I want to say is that this kind of fighting can't go on forever. Why can't the two clans sit down and negotiate peacefully?" Uchiha Tajima's eyes revealed a hint of weariness and emotion.

Years of war had cost him too many of his people, and he knew all too well that such a struggle would only result in mutual destruction.

"Sit down and negotiate? Tajima, you're getting more and more confused. How can you so easily let go of the hatred between the Senju and Uchiha!" Butsuma said with a face full of disdain.

In his view, the hatred between the Uchiha and Senju was deeply rooted and could not be easily let go.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Hashirama and Tobirama shouted "Agreed!" at the same time, their eyes filled with determination and resolve.

They knew perfectly well that as major clans in the ninja world, the Uchiha and Senju clans would suffer enormous losses and countless clan members would die if they continued to wage war like this. Peace was the goal they should truly pursue.

Faced with their father's questioning gaze, Hashirama and Tobirama stood tall and did not back down.

They understand what their choice means, but they are willing to try and strive for peace.

"It seems your child is more suited to lead the Senju than you." Tajima left these words behind and prepared to leave with Madara and Izuna.

At the very last moment, Fojian seemed to age considerably, his eyes revealing a hint of struggle and helplessness.

Suddenly, he called out to Tajima, "Give me three days to consider the negotiations."

Tajima looked at Butsuma with some surprise. As a rival of many years, he knew how difficult it was to get Butsuma to change his mind.

"We look forward to good news from Senju." After saying that, the three Uchiha turned and left, leaving only the three Senju behind.

"You two brats, do you know what you're doing? Negotiating with the Uchiha is a complete pipe dream!"

Hashirama raised his head and looked directly into Butsuma Senju's eyes. "Father, we can't go on like this anymore. Our people are suffering."

Tobirama also said, "Brother is right, war is not a solution."

Buddha stood there, lost in thought. Had he really done something wrong?

You and Uchiha Yasuo, along with some elite ninjas, quietly hid in the shadows near the riverbank.

The crowd's breathing was light and steady, yet subtly tinged with tension and anticipation, their eyes fixed intently on the opposite bank of the river.

Time passed slowly, each minute and second feeling incredibly long. Finally, three familiar figures appeared in the distance.

"Clan leader, what happened?" Uchiha Yasuo rushed forward to greet Tajima upon his return.

Uchiha Tajima was slightly out of breath, his face showing signs of exhaustion. "I proposed negotiations to Senju Butsuma."

Hearing Tajima's words, a ripple of emotion stirred in everyone's hearts.

Negotiations mean that peace may be possible between the two ninja clans, but they are also fraught with unknown risks.

Madara approaches you seemingly casually, but his eyes are filled with undisguised affection. "By the way, what's the situation with the Senju?"

You lowered your eyes, your long eyelashes trembling slightly. "As expected, Senju Momoka and Senju Kashiwagi were also lying in ambush nearby with some of their men."

Izuna frowned, arms crossed, still looking worried. "It seems that Senju had the same idea as us before this."

His eyes revealed shrewdness and vigilance; years of fighting had instilled in him a constant high level of wariness towards the Senju clan.

Looking at his third son's appearance, Tajima gently patted his shoulder, his eyes full of love and comfort. "Izuna, don't overthink it."

Izuna felt the warmth of his father's palm, and his heart warmed. He nodded gently.

Seeing Madara's relaxed demeanor, a hint of doubt arose in your mind, "Are you really that confident that the Senju will agree to negotiations?"

Your gaze is fixed on Ban's eyes, with a hint of inquiry in your eyes.

Madara Uchiha's lips curled into a confident smile, a smile that shone brightly in the setting sun. "I only believe in my own strength, and..."

He suddenly leaned close to you, so close that your breaths mingled, and said, "You seem a little different today."

"What?" You met his gaze, puzzled, your heart suddenly racing, unsure whether it was because of Ban's proximity or his inexplicable words.

"I won't tell you." Ban crossed his arms, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You realize that Ban is teasing you, so you force your gaze away and whisper two words, "Childish."

"Want to know? Just give me a kiss." Ban seduced you, his smile growing increasingly unrestrained.

Hearing Ban's shameless words, you quickened your pace, unwilling to pay any more attention to this "scoundrel".

Madara followed leisurely behind, a satisfied smile on his face, as if he had just won an important battle.

Upon returning to your tribe's territory, you stopped in your tracks. "Madara."

Ban stood not far away, waiting for the next words, his eyes filled with anticipation, wondering what you were going to say.

"I should know what's different now."

Madara felt a kiss on his face and stood there stunned.

My mind went blank, as if time had stood still, and you had long since disappeared, leaving only Ban standing there, savoring the kiss from just now.

To the foster father of the cat:

The camel bells of Fengdu City, shrouded in dust, swept through the streets and alleys once more, each crisp sound remarkably like the clear clinking of your ninja tools at your waist.

Rin is doing well these days and can now independently disassemble and reassemble high-level shuriken. Master said that my chakra control is becoming more and more refined, but I always think of the temperature of the 亥-戌-酉 that you taught me when I was forming hand seals.

The torrential rain the day before yesterday destroyed the old mansion. I braved the rain to rescue half of the ninjutsu scroll you left behind. The wet pages contained the key points of your improved Body Flicker Technique, which you annotated with cinnabar.

The red marks looked like dried blood under the candlelight, and for a moment I was reminded of your blood-stained clothes five years ago—when you were covered in blood but still shielded me with your body, the warmth of your palms burning hotter than the campfire.

The rainy season came earlier than usual. Listening to the rain at night, I always think of the nights when you taught me to identify the stars.

I've read the book "Ninja World Chronicles" that you left me seven times, and now I can recite the shortest route from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire.

I wonder if everything is going well for you in the Land of Fire? The desert winds blow eastward every day, asking about your return date for me.

The desert cactus has bloomed for the third time this year.

Your loyal Shika Rin"

Your fingertips brushed across the letter, creating tiny sparks, and the edges of the parchment began to curl and turn black.

Gazing at the words licked by the flames, I vaguely saw Lu Helin's lowered eyelashes as he held the pen. He always liked to embroider star trails on the letter paper with silver thread, saying that the letter would drift along the Milky Way to your hands.

Now is not the time to leave the Uchiha clan, let's wait a bit...

As night deepened, Uchiha Reiki's consciousness gradually blurred, and the moonlight bathed the stone steps of the Naga Shrine in a bluish-gray hue.

The mottled ink on the pages resembled dried blood, and the broken characters for 'clan rules,' 'honor,' and 'Sharingan' were being swept away by the night wind into the depths of the shrine.

"You're five years late." The boy raised his hand and formed a seal. Suddenly, the surrounding ruins were reconstructed into a magnificent palace with carved beams and painted rafters, and the wind chimes on the eaves tinkled.

Lengxi's Sharingan stung. This was their "secret base" built in Nanhechuan when they were children, but now it was covered with the remains of corpses.

Uchiha Suku was sitting on a branch of a century-old sacred cherry tree, carving the clan emblem with a kunai. He swung his legs, and cherry blossoms fell softly into his open robe.

Leng Xi then realized that those were not cherry blossoms at all, but congealed blood droplets seeping from the cracks in the tree trunk, reflecting the triple scythe pattern of the Sharingan under the moonlight.

Su suddenly leaped down from the branch, her fingers covered in wood chips pressing against Lengxi's brow. "Look, back then, my sister and I swore an oath under this tree to change the future of the Uchiha clan."

"They turned me into a shackle to monitor my sister." Su's illusion suddenly distorted, and in the image, the cursed seal beneath Nagi's collarbone would burn with scorch marks every time he formed hand seals. "Until my sister discovered that my chakra contained the elders' binding talismans..."

Lengxi's pupils, marked with three tomoe, spun wildly, attempting to decipher the shape of Nagi's lips moving in the illusion.

That was the lip reading he had been familiar with since childhood—run away!

The shrine suddenly trembled violently, and the roots of the blood cherry blossoms pierced through the ground, releasing countless puppet limbs. Su's voice echoed in and out of the collapsing dreamscape.

"My sister always says love is the most twisted curse..." Blood began to seep from Su's right eye, and the cold, mocking shadows of the old elders appeared behind her.

“They say that my sister’s eyes can see rifts in space and time, so she became a weapon. The elder’s staff pierced through her collarbone, and twelve tomoe-shaped curse marks spread along her meridians.”

The illusion suddenly twisted into a dungeon scene, where Lengxi saw Nagi suspended by chains in the center of the altar, and Uchiha Yoshio was inscribing a sealing technique on her face.

Whenever she convulses in pain, the Uchiha clan crests around her absorb the splattered blood droplets, projecting afterimages of future wars onto the stone walls.

"I will use the method they fear most to show all ninjas how a tamed weapon can turn against its master." Su tore open his clothes to reveal the shikigami runes on his chest, and the pattern was exactly the same as Uchiha Nagi's Mangekyou Sharingan.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure was suddenly stained with blood, and countless chains appeared behind him, dragging him into the bottomless darkness.

"Su!" Leng Xi sat up in shock, her back soaked with cold sweat.

The moonlight outside the window remained cold and clear, while the boy who once talked with him about his ideals had long since turned into a silent stone monument in the Uchiha Cemetery.

Leng Xi trembled as she reached for the Kusanagi sword beside her pillow. The lingering warmth on the hilt seemed to still carry Su's last vow.

You are leaning against the window, flipping through an old medical scroll, the glow of the oil lamp dancing on your tired face.

Suddenly, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence of the night.

You frowned slightly; there shouldn't be any visitors at this time. You put down the scroll, your fingers unconsciously tracing the ninja tool pouch at your waist, and slowly walked towards the door.

The wooden door creaked slightly, and when it was opened, a tall figure stood outside against the moonlight.

Madara Uchiha was carrying a lacquered wooden food box, his long black hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

His crimson Sharingan gleamed faintly in the darkness, and there were suspicious charred marks on his cuffs, as if he had just experienced a small explosion.

"Eat," Ban said curtly, slamming the food box down on the low table by the door, so hard that a few drops of liquid spilled out.

You raise an eyebrow and lift the lid of the box.

A steaming bowl of red bean glutinous rice balls comes into view. Three plump white glutinous rice balls float on the dark red soup. Two of them have already cracked open, and the red bean filling has seeped out, turning the surrounding soup into a murky brownish-red color.

"The young clan leader is cooking himself?" Your voice was clearly teasing as you lightly tapped the edge of the food box with your fingers.

Ban crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his gaze shifting elsewhere. "Leftovers from the kitchen."

But you notice that his Sharingan is subtly shifting, and he is closely observing your reaction out of the corner of his eye.

You suppress a smile, pick up the matching wooden spoon, and scoop up the only intact glutinous rice ball.

The moment he bit through the outer skin, the sweet red bean filling melted in his mouth, but it was mixed with a slight bitterness—he had indeed forgotten to remove the lotus heart.