Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Your cheek is pressed against his chest, and you can hear his heart pounding faster. "There's a mission for the tribe that I need to handle," he says, his voice muffled by his clothes. "It won't be long."

Ban's arms tightened, almost suffocating you. "When are you leaving?"

"Three days later."

"With whom?"

"Alone," you answered softly.

Madara releases you, cups your face in his hands, and forces you to look directly into his eyes. "You're lying." The complex patterns in his Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotate. "Tell me the truth, Nagi."

You should have realized that at such close range, Madara's Sharingan could easily see through your lies.

But he must not know about the actions of the Land of Tea; it's too dangerous, and Madara would definitely stop him.

“I need to do something, Ban.” You chose a vague but true answer, “For my eyes.”

Madara frowned, the pattern in his eyes spinning even faster. "Is it related to Tobirama Senju?"

"No," you shake your head, "completely unrelated."

This answer was at least true. Madara stared at you for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh. "Promise me you'll come back."

You didn't answer, but instead tiptoed and gently kissed the corner of his lips.

This sudden intimacy froze Ban instantly. By the time he realized what was happening and tried to deepen the kiss, you had already pulled away.

"Hashirama and the others are back," you whispered, your fingers gently brushing against Madara's lips, carrying away a trace of warmth.

Madara turned his head and, sure enough, saw Hashirama dragging the reluctant Tobirama towards them.

He holds your hand tightly and silently vows in his heart that no matter what you are hiding or where you are going, he will find you.

The largest gambling den in the Tea Country, "Golden Sparrow Tower," is always brightly lit, with an atmosphere of extravagance and debauchery permeating the air. In a private room on the second floor, you sit alone by the window, twirling a kunai between your fingers, reflecting the candlelight.

I've been waiting here for two days now. The rain outside the window is falling obliquely, wetting the wooden window frames.

Your gaze cuts through the rain and lands at the entrance of the gambling den. Finally, a familiar figure appears in your field of vision: Uchiha Reixi, wearing a dark blue cloak, with raindrops dripping from his hair and leaving dark marks on the floor.

Leng Xi walked straight to the private room where you were. When he pushed open the door, he brought in a gust of damp wind. He took off his cloak and hung it on the clothes rack by the door, revealing the black ninja outfit underneath, with the Uchiha clan's fan crest embroidered on the left shoulder.

"You've come." You didn't look up, but simply stopped spinning the kunai and gently placed it on the gambling table.

Leng Xi sat down opposite you, her dark eyes revealing no emotion. "Let's play a game."

You slightly raised the corners of your mouth, revealing a half-smile, and gestured to the waiter. Soon, an exquisite set of dice gambling equipment was brought over.

The chips on the gambling table began to slide between you, and the ivory dice clinked crisply in the tube.

"You can't beat me, not before, and not now." Your voice was low and calm. You suddenly stopped shaking the dice cup and slammed it down on the table.

After a dull thud, the surroundings seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Even though your pupil power has declined, your aura is no less than it was during your most glorious period.

Leng Xi didn't deny what you said; it's simply the truth.

He saw you at your peak; those Mangekyou Sharingan could see through all illusions, making any gamble seem transparent.

You gently tap the table; the dice cup remains face down. "Let's go see an old friend."

After saying that, you stood up, the hem of your black kimono drawing an elegant arc in the air, and walked towards the entrance of the gambling den.

Lengxi lifted the die tube, and three ivory dice neatly displayed six points—a leopard.

He put down the dice cup, got up and followed you. The noise of the gambling den was left behind. The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp.

You walked through the streets of the Tea Country and finally arrived at a secluded mansion. You didn't knock on the door, but instead climbed over the wall and entered, with Lengxi following closely behind.

The inner courtyard was exquisitely and elegantly decorated, clearly belonging to someone of high status. Her red hair in the mirror was as fiery as flames, and the maids around her were busy combing her hair.

The girl sat upright in front of the bronze mirror, and after half an hour, her two high buns were finally completed.

Suddenly, a kunai flew in through the window and embedded itself in the wall in front of her, only inches away from her cheek.

The maids gasped in surprise, and some even knocked over the powder box on the dressing table.

"What are you all shouting about? Get out of here." The girl's voice was unbelievably calm, as if what had just flown in wasn't a deadly weapon.

"Yes, Princess." The maids bowed and hurriedly withdrew, the last one of them considerately closing the door behind her.

The girl gracefully rose and pulled the kunai stuck in the wall.

She took down the note, which contained only three simple words: "See you at the altar." The handwriting was sharp and swift, undoubtedly Nagi's.

As night falls completely, you meet at an ancient altar on the outskirts of the Tea Country.

The altar was built of bluish-gray boulders, its surface covered with vines and moss, clearly indicating that no one had come here to offer sacrifices for a long time. Moonlight shone through the clouds, casting dappled shadows on the stone surface.

"Long time no see, Mito." You stand in the center of the altar, the night wind blowing through your long hair, while Rei leans against a stone pillar at the entrance, remaining vigilant.

The night wind carried fallen leaves, swirling around the ancient altar. As Mito Uzumaki walked by carrying a lantern, the candlelight cast flickering shadows on her delicate face.

Her red hair was striking in the moonlight, and her green eyes flashed with wariness and impatience.

"The Uchiha can't afford to worship your two great gods?" Mito's voice was clearly sarcastic. The lantern in her hand swayed slightly, illuminating the mottled inscriptions on the altar.

Uchiha Rei chuckled upon hearing this, "Yeah, that's why I came to find you." His Sharingan gleamed faintly in the darkness, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the kunai at his waist.

You stand in the center of the altar with your back to them, your black kimono fluttering in the wind.

Hearing Mito's voice, I turned around, and the lantern light finally illuminated your face.

Those Sharingan eyes that once struck fear into the hearts of enemies are now dull and lifeless.

Mito's pupils suddenly contracted, and she almost dropped the lantern. "I knew you wouldn't come looking for me for anything good."

She took a deep breath and placed the lantern on the edge of the altar, the flame flickering uneasily inside the glass dome.

"Save me or not? Give me a straight answer, I don't want to waste time." You rotated your wrist, and faint golden lines could be seen moving like living things under your skin.

Mito sneered, "With your attitude of begging, you might as well just explode and die." Despite her words, she still walked towards the center of the altar, her long red hair fluttering behind her.

She sat cross-legged, her hands forming a mudra, and closed her eyes to begin using her senses to probe the condition within your body.

Leng Xi straightened up, activated her Sharingan, and warily surveyed her surroundings.

He knew how dangerous this process was; if it weren't for your special physique and Uchiha secret techniques, you would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Mito's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

A moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes, cold sweat sliding down her cheeks. "Even if the seal is reinforced, it won't last long."

Mito Uzumaki's voice trembled slightly, "That power is stronger than last time; it's adapting to your body."

“I know,” you say calmly, as golden runes begin to appear on your face, like living words flowing across your pale skin, “this power has begun to erode my will.”

Looking at you like this, Leng Xi suddenly recalled that bloody sunset a few years ago, when you stood alone in front of the rampaging Nine-Tailed Fox, covered in blood and with golden runes crawling all over your face.

A huge black phantom appeared behind you, its shape unlike Susanoo or any known ninjutsu.

"Get out." That was the only word you uttered, but your voice seemed to come from the depths of the abyss.

Shockingly, the Nine-Tailed Fox cried out in pain as if it had seen something terrifying, and curled up and retreated. That scene remains a mystery that Leng Xi cannot understand to this day.

Coming back to her senses, Leng Xi immediately activated her three-tomoe Sharingan, watching your changes with vigilance.

Mito also closed her eyes tightly, her hands rapidly forming hand seals, and red chakra flowed from her fingertips like threads, wrapping around you.

"Seal of Evil - Modified!" Mito shouted, and the red chakra tightened abruptly, seeping into your skin.

The ancient inscriptions on the altar suddenly glowed with a blue light, resonating with the sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan.

You painfully tilt your head back, a suppressed groan escaping your throat, the golden runes on your face flashing violently, as if resisting the seal.

Mito bit her finger, drawing a blood-red incantation in the air, "In the name of the whirlpool, seal!"

A crimson incantation was imprinted on your forehead, and the golden runes all over your body instantly solidified before slowly fading away.

Most amazingly, your previously dim Sharingan began to regain its brilliance, the three tomoe slowly rotated, and finally settled into a complex pattern, and the Mangekyou Sharingan reappeared.

"Release!" you shouted in a low voice, emitting an even stronger golden light.

In an instant, the entire altar was illuminated, and the ancient characters on the inscription were clearly visible; they were sealing techniques from the era of the Sage of Six Paths.

Mito staggered backward, only to be caught by Rei-kye to prevent her from falling.

She looked at you breathlessly, "This altar... is not an ordinary place of worship."

You flexed your wrists, feeling the power temporarily suppressed within you. "Legend has it that this is one of the places where the Sage of Six Paths sealed the Ten-Tails." Your voice regained its usual calm. "That's why it resonated with your sealing technique."

Mito wiped the sweat from her brow, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "I only temporarily reinforced the seal. If it gets out of control again..." She paused, "I will end you with my own hands."

You smiled slightly, a smile tinged with madness, "Don't worry, before that, I'll end my own life first."

Lengxi's kunai suddenly struck the altar steps, the metallic tremor interrupting your conversation with Mito. "The caravan from the Land of Wind is arriving." His eyes were sharp as knives. "They are still three miles from the capital."

Mito stood up, supporting herself on the edge of the altar. Her red hair was slightly disheveled, and her forehead was covered with fine sweat from the sealing procedure.

"I haven't fully recovered my chakra yet." She frowned, sensing the remaining 50% of her chakra reserves, a hint of unease flashing in her green eyes.

"That's enough." You walked down the altar steps without looking back, the hem of your black kimono sweeping across the ancient stone surface.

The Mangekyou Sharingan has been restored to its original state, with three scythe-shaped patterns slowly rotating against a blood-red background.

Under the moonlight, your pale profile was sculpted like a knife, carrying the arrogance unique to the Uchiha clan.

“By the way,” Mito suddenly called out to you, “I sensed a similar energy fluctuation in your body during the sealing process.” She pointed to the ground, “There should be a power of the same origin as the Tailed Beasts sealed beneath the Land of Tea.”

"The power of the same origin?" You paused, your fingertips unconsciously touching your left eye.

The memory of that blood-red sunset from years ago, the almost divine power of the Nine-Tails' chakra and the seal...

"Ahem." Leng Xi deliberately cleared her throat, her three-tomoe Sharingan gleaming faintly in the shadows. "Don't forget what you're here for."

Chapter 36 Transaction

High atop the walls of the Land of Tea, the night wind whips your long black hair as you squint your crimson Mangekyou Sharingan, looking down at the heavily guarded caravan from the Land of Wind below.

Dozens of elite Jonin surrounded the luxurious carriage in the center, maintaining tight security so that not even a fly could get close.

"The Crimson Flame Spirit Herb is in that carriage," Leng Xi said in a low voice, her tone tinged with seriousness.

“The odds of winning by force are too low.” Mito’s red hair was as striking as flames in the moonlight. She frowned. “Besides… the people of the Land of Wind recognize me.”

Your fingertips lightly tapped the city wall bricks, and your Sharingan slowly rotated. "Then let them deliver the goods to their doorstep."

"Assassin! Catch him!"

A dark shadow swiftly swept across the rooftops, followed closely by more than a dozen ninjas from the Land of Wind. Leng Xi finally vanished into the vicinity of the Uzumaki clan's residence in a flash.

The minister of the Wind Kingdom, his face grim, waved his hand and shouted, "Search! Anyone who dares to steal betrothal gifts must be severely punished!"

Mito's father stood in the center of the courtyard, a gentle smile on his face, but a sharp edge lurked in his eyes.

"Gentlemen, is it not rather impolite of you to intrude into my residence so late at night?"

The minister snorted coldly, "The betrothal gifts from the Land of Wind have been stolen, and the thief has fled to your residence. I request Lord Uzumaki's cooperation in the search!"

Ashina's smile remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly. "Of course, please go ahead." But his fingers silently formed a hand seal inside his sleeve.

The ninjas from the Land of Wind roughly pushed open door after door, searching every corner, until finally they arrived at Mito's residence.

"Bang!" The door was suddenly pushed open.

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, and Mito sat upright in front of the chessboard, not even raising her head.

You held a chess piece between your slender fingers and slowly placed it down before raising your eyes. "It's been years since I last saw you. All the etiquette I learned in the Land of Wind has been for nothing."

Your voice was calm and unhurried, yet it instantly froze the intruding ninja, and the minister's expression changed. "My lord..."

Mito finally looked up, her green eyes as cold as a deep pool. "You've trespassed into my room. Do you want to die?"

The air froze for a moment. The ninja from the Land of Wind instinctively took a step back, while the minister broke out in a cold sweat; he recognized him.

The wide sleeves of the purple kimono hung down to the edge of the chessboard, with subtle patterns embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs.

"A misunderstanding..." The minister forced a smile, his plump face trembling. "We were just tracking down thieves..."

You chuckled softly, your fingertips lightly tapping the chessboard. "Thief?" A few stray strands of hair from your high-tied black hair fell across your forehead, making the coldness in your eyes even more pronounced. "Is this... what you lost?"

With a flick of his wrist, a crimson spirit herb lay in his palm, its edges shimmering with a golden halo—the very "Crimson Flame Spirit Herb" from the Wind Kingdom's betrothal gifts.

Mito slowly stood up, her red hair moving without wind, and the Vajra Lock chains around her body faintly visible, emitting a cold metallic clanging sound.

"Now, you have two choices." Her voice was as calm as a deep pool, yet it made all the ninjas unconsciously take a half step back.