Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

"I must obtain Showa's manuscript." Your kaleidoscope glowed eerily in the darkness, your voice chillingly calm.

Lengxi's fingertips dug into the skin on your neck, but she felt a strange flow of chakra. It wasn't the pulse that a human should have; it was more like... the rhythm of a tailed beast.

"What kind of monster have you turned yourself into..."

Your response was the cold touch of your fingertips, a power that once easily subdued the opponent, and still does now.

"This is the last time I'll help you." Leng Xi closed her eyes in pain and released her grip. "Get the stuff and get out of here."

Five years ago, after you completed the Hashirama cell transplant in Tobirama's laboratory, your body was on the verge of collapse.

"Your cells are rejecting Hashirama's power," Tobirama's voice echoed coldly in my memory. "Unless... you can completely sever some kind of connection at the soul level."

You understood then and there—

Ban's obsession with himself did not originate from this life, but rather from... Indra's curse on Prajna.

So, you disappeared.

He spent five years wandering in the shadows of the ninja world, searching for a way to break the "Chakra Reincarnation Contract".

The Showa era's notes are the last clue.

"What do you plan to do?" Leng Xi asked.

You put away the scroll, turned to look at him, and said, "Completely sever the shackles of reincarnation."

Lengxi's Sharingan trembled slightly, "Even if... it means becoming Madara's enemy?"

You didn't answer, but your eyes said it all.

Leng Xi gave a bitter smile, "As expected... you're still the same as you were back then."

The night wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept through the corridor. Madara's armor was still stained with blood that hadn't dried; he had just returned from the front lines, and the ferocity in his Sharingan eyes hadn't yet faded.

"Is there anything unusual within the clan today?"

Uchiha Setsuna knelt on one knee, head bowed. "Reporting to the clan leader, Elder Rei-ki replaced the patrolling ninjas of the Forbidden Pavilion at 7 PM."

Ban's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

His breath hitched almost imperceptibly for a moment. "I don't know."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Ban's mouth.

"戌时..."

He stood up, the clanging of his armor producing a crisp metallic sound.

Uchiha Rei was kneeling in the tea room, his fingertips tracing the rim of the teacup. The tea had long since gone cold, reflecting the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window.

"Bang!" The door was violently pushed open.

Before Leng Xi could even turn around, a terrifying chakra enveloped the entire room.

"Ban...Clan Chief?"

He had just started to get up when a pair of scarlet kaleidoscopes were already within reach.

"Tell me—" Madara's voice was deep and echoing like the depths of an abyss, "Has Nagi Uchiha returned?"

Leng Xi's pupils suddenly contracted, but the illusion had already invaded his consciousness.

“Yes…” His voice was stiff and mechanical.

Ban's breathing quickened noticeably for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

Which direction did she go?

"Nanhe Forest...the North..."

Ban's figure vanished instantly, leaving only the tea room door creaking and swaying in the night wind.

Leng Xi suddenly knelt down, his back soaked in cold sweat. The intense headache after the illusion was broken made his vision go black, but he still struggled to look north.

"I hope... you don't get caught."

You stopped deep in the forest.

The night wind rustled through the treetops, making a soft whisper, while the kaleidoscope glowed faintly with gold in the darkness, scanning the surroundings.

There was no chakra fluctuation, no traps, and not even the scent of wild beasts.

The feeling of being watched was ever-present, as if a pair of eyes were hidden in the depths of darkness, watching my every move.

You frowned, your fingers unconsciously tracing the kunai at your waist. "Come out."

Only the rustling of the wind through the leaves seemed to mock your suspicion.

Ultimately, you succumbed to exhaustion, the arduous journey of the past few days, and the depletion of chakra from the forbidden techniques recorded in the Showa Notebook.

You need to get some rest.

You found a hidden cave with its entrance covered by vines. The inside was dry, but enough for you to rest for a while.

After setting up several protective barriers, you sat down against the rock wall and closed your eyes.

Just two hours... We must reach the ruins in the north before dawn.

Sleepiness quickly crept in, and in the instant before my consciousness began to fade—'click.'

A very light footstep sounded outside the cave.

Your eyes snap open! Someone's there?

Holding your breath, your fingers gripped the katana, but the barrier wasn't triggered, and all you could hear outside was the sound of the wind.

Did I hear that right? You slowly relax and close your eyes again.

Dreams flooded in like a tide.

You dream that you are standing in the middle of a blood-red lake, with countless pairs of scarlet Sharingan eyes reflected on the water. The lake water is icy cold, like countless hands pulling at your ankles, trying to drag you into the abyss.

"You can't escape..."

A deep voice came from all directions, indistinguishable as to whether it was Ban's or... Indra's.

You try to break free, but find that your chakra is imprisoned by some kind of force.

Illusion?! Biting your tongue sharply, the pain instantly snaps you back to reality, but when you open your eyes, you're still all alone in the cave.

What exactly happened?

Your heart is beating faster than usual, and fine beads of cold sweat are forming on your forehead.

Could it be the effect of the 'Chakra Reincarnation Contract'?

Outside the cave, a tall figure stood silently in the shadows where the moonlight did not reach.

Madara Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan glowed faintly in the darkness, and a sickly smile curved his lips.

finally found you.

His fingertips gently traced the vines at the cave entrance, but did not disturb any barrier.

Soon... you won't be able to escape anymore.

On the third day after you received the Showa Notes, your footprints in the snow were quickly erased by the strong wind.

The breath he exhaled condensed into frost on his eyelashes, his vision was obscured by the pale snow curtain, the severe cold of the border of the Land of Snow almost froze the flow of chakra, and even breathing felt like swallowing a razor blade.

Your fingertips are already turning blue, the golden light of the kaleidoscope flickers faintly in the wind and snow, you clutch the Showa Notebook tightly, the ancient characters on the parchment scroll fade in the low temperature.

You look up abruptly, and in the blizzard, it seems as if a pair of scarlet eyes flashed by.

The feeling of being watched has been a constant companion throughout this journey.

Sometimes it's the unnatural collapse of snow from the treetops, and sometimes it's a string of footprints appearing beside the campfire at night.

What disturbs you most is that whenever you use your Sharingan to track someone, the feeling of being watched suddenly disappears, as if the other person knows the characteristics of your eyes better than you do.

Ban? No... if it were him, he would have already made his move.

The biting wind howled through the pale world, carrying snowflakes. Your breathing grew weaker and weaker, and the ice crystals that had formed on your eyelashes blurred your vision. You staggered forward a few steps and finally knelt down in the snow.

"Cough cough...cough!"

A mouthful of blood spilled from between your lips, blooming into a glaring red on the pure white snow. The rejection reaction of the interstitial cells was more severe than expected, and coupled with the corrosive effects of the extreme cold, your body had already reached its limit.

I can't...fall here...

You struggle to stand up, but your limbs are so frozen that you lose all feeling. In a daze, you seem to hear footsteps, very light, yet they shatter the deathly silence of the snowfield.

"Still not good at taking care of myself."

A deep voice sounded overhead, so familiar it made your heart skip a beat.

You want to look up to confirm, but your vision gets darker and darker. Before you are completely engulfed in darkness, you feel a pair of hands lift you up from the snow and warm chakra slowly enters your body.

Ban looked down at you, who was unconscious in his arms, his brows furrowed slightly. Your face was so pale it was almost transparent, but the bloodstains on your lips were shockingly red.

Five years have passed, and you are thinner than I remember. Your long black hair is scattered in his arms like broken raven feathers.

His gaze shifted to the distant snow-capped hills. "Having watched for so long, aren't you planning to show yourself?"

A figure slowly emerged from behind the snow-covered hill; it was Uchiha Reiki.

His Sharingan gleamed faintly in the snow, and he gripped a sealing scroll tightly in his hand.

“Chieftain,” Leng Xi’s voice was calm, “you shouldn’t have taken her back.”

A cold smile curled at the corner of Ban's mouth. "Since when did it become your place to tell me how to do things?"

Leng Xi did not back down, but instead stepped forward. "She has been searching for a way to break the 'reincarnation contract' for the past five years. If we forcibly take her back, it will only make her hate you more."

[Hate? She's hated me for a long time.]

He looked down at the person in his arms, then suddenly laughed, "So what?"

Your consciousness gradually emerges from the chaos, and the first thing you feel is warmth, a long-lost warmth that almost feels unfamiliar to you.

My eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. I struggled to open my eyes, and in my blurry vision, the flickering firelight cast swaying shadows on the ceiling.

As you try to sit up, a sharp pain immediately explodes from the back of your head, forcing you to fall back to where you were.

Beneath him was a rough but dry blanket, and he was covered with a large black robe that carried a faint smell of rust and a familiar, chilly aura.

A deep voice came from the corner of the room. You froze. The voice was like a dull knife, slowly grinding against your nerves. You turned your head with difficulty to look at the source of the voice.

In the shadows, a tall figure sat on a wooden chair, toying with a bright green flute between his slender fingers—the very flute that had once been yours.

The firelight cast dappled shadows on the man's face, but it couldn't illuminate his scarlet eyes, which stood out starkly in the darkness. The three tomoe slowly rotated, like a blood moon in the abyss.

It's Uchiha Madara.

Your fingertips unconsciously tightened around the sheets beneath you, your knuckles turning white from the force. How did you end up in his hands? More importantly, what did he want?

"Why are you here?" Your voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like your own, as if your throat had been rubbed with sandpaper.

Ban chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of warmth. He stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the firelight, enveloping you on the bed.

"That's a question I should be asking you." He approached slowly, each step a calculated threat. "What is there on the border of the Snow Kingdom that's worth risking your life for?"

You turn your face away, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze. You absolutely cannot tell him, not at all. The secrets recorded in Showa's notes are related to too many things, especially now, especially to him.

Madara suddenly leaned down, his movements so fast you didn't have time to react, his icy fingers pinching your chin, forcing you to look directly into those Sharingan eyes.

At such close range, you can see every line in his eyes, and the obsession and madness surging in the depths of his scarlet eyes almost devour him.

"What did Showa write in his notes?" His breath brushed against your face, carrying a faint smell of blood.

Their breaths mingled, and you could feel your heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of your chest.

Fear? Anger? Or something else? You can't tell.

But in Ban's eyes, you see something almost fragile, an emotion you've never seen in this man before.

This discovery made you laugh suddenly, "Are you scared?"

The moment the words left his mouth, you knew it was a mistake. In that instant, you saw murderous intent in his eyes, but what was even more shocking was the burning intensity that followed—it wasn't anger, but more like...desire?

He suddenly pushed you down onto the bed, his black robe spreading open to reveal your slender body beneath thin clothing.

The firelight from the fireplace cast a faint shadow on your collarbone, where there is an old scar.

"You think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Ban leaned closer, his long black hair falling down and tangling with yours. His breath was hot, carrying a long-suppressed rage.