Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

"The message has been delivered. Please be punctual. Farewell." The Jonin leader finished speaking quickly and then turned and left with the other two as if fleeing, leaving the Haruno family in a mess and in a state of shock.

Haruno Chō supported his unconscious wife, pinching her philtrum and patting her back to help her breathe, working up a sweat.

Sakura stood to the side, looking at the messy house, thinking about the 'adopted child' who had inexplicably fallen on her head, and then thinking about her unconscious mother. She felt a huge wave of frustration and grievance welling up in her heart, and her little fists clenched tightly.

What kind of mess is this?!

She just picked up a form and signed her name, how did that turn into her adopting someone?! Is Grandpa Naruto getting senile?!

Chapter 240 Misunderstanding

Dean and pharmacist Nono stood in the shadows of the porch, looking at Kabuto and you standing side by side in the sunlight, her gaze complex and unreadable.

Because you are about to be adopted by an unknown family, Nono, out of an inexplicable sense of compensation, did not continue to strictly restrict your movements during these last three days.

She even took out some change and stuffed it into Dou's hand, her tone gentle but with a hint of barely perceptible weariness, "Dou, take Nagi out for a walk."

Dou gripped the money tightly and nodded emphatically, overjoyed by the sudden permission and mission.

He not only took the spare change given to him by the dean, but also secretly and carefully put all his savings, which he had painstakingly accumulated over the years, deep into his pocket.

He had a strong desire to give you a gift that you would remember.

The two walked silently, one in front of the other, down the bustling streets of Konoha.

Dou looked around nervously and excitedly, his brain racing as he assessed each shop and vendor.

Flowers? Too tacky. Dolls? Too childish. Desserts? You seem only interested in military rations... What should I give you? He's eager to find a gift that suits you.

You tilt your head slightly back and look at the still somewhat dazzling sun on the horizon. The sunlight shines on your pale face, but you can't feel much warmth.

Calculating the date, there's about a week left until the night of the full moon. Unconsciously, I open my palm, and sunlight filters through my fingers. In a daze, the light and shadow seem to twist into some kind of ominous pattern, like an inescapable curse on you.

"Nagi-chan!" Kabuto's excited voice interrupted your reverie.

He pointed with sparkling eyes, as if he had discovered a new continent, at a shop that looked quite old. "Look! Don't you love reading? There's a big bookstore up ahead! Shall we go check it out? Maybe they have some rare books that you can't find anywhere else!"

Before you could respond, perhaps out of excitement, or perhaps out of sheer courage, Dou instinctively reached out, grabbed you, and ran toward the bookstore!

You paused slightly, looking down at your wrist that was being held. The palm of the hand was warm, even sweaty from nervousness, a stark contrast to your cold skin.

Dou pulled you into the bookstore, and you were greeted by a unique smell of old paper and ink, quiet and solemn.

Only then did Dou belatedly realize what he had done. He abruptly released his grip as if he had been burned, his cheeks instantly turning bright red. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, and even breathing became difficult.

He...he actually held your hand! Even if it was just your hand! But it's still a huge step forward!

Dou was so engrossed in a dizzying mix of joy and shyness that she completely missed your reaction.

You glanced at your wrist, which had just been grasped, and it still seemed to retain a trace of unfamiliar warmth and sweat. Without showing any emotion, you were quickly drawn to the huge bookshelves lining the bookstore.

He habitually walked towards the areas where ninjutsu, taijutsu, secrets, or historical records might be stored, his eyes scanning the rows of book spines like a scanner.

This bookstore seems to cater more to the general public, mostly offering novels, travelogues, and general knowledge books, which may seem dull and worthless to you.

With a hint of barely perceptible disappointment, you glance at row after row of bookshelves, and just as you're about to leave, your peripheral vision is suddenly drawn to a book on a corner shelf whose cover design stands out from the rest of the books.

The book's cover was bold and ambiguous in color, and its title was even more peculiar—"Intimate Paradise."

You tilt your head slightly, having never heard of this book before, and unable to discern its contents from its title.

Is it some kind of cultivation experience? Or a record of emotional secrets? Out of pure curiosity and the desire to explore the power that the word 'heaven' might contain, you subconsciously reach out to take it down and read it.

Just as the fingertips were about to touch the spine of the book, another large hand with distinct knuckles and wearing a black half-finger glove snatched the book away with even greater speed!

You pause, look up, and follow the hand to its owner.

What comes into view is a head of striking silver hair, a headband covering one eye, and a pair of eyes that are currently filled with complex and indescribable emotions. It is the ANBU ninja who is always secretly monitoring you, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi held the book "Icha Icha Paradise" in his hand as if it were a hot potato. His face under the mask was extremely embarrassed. He didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of book.

"Cough..." Kakashi coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment. His voice sounded muffled through his mask.

“This book… right now… um… isn’t really suitable for you.” He tried to make his tone sound like a serious and reliable older brother guiding a lost girl.

You see his obviously uncomfortable reaction and his vague explanation, and a very faint hint of doubt flashes in his dark eyes. It's really inexplicable.

But you didn't fixate on that book; you simply looked away calmly and turned to the next bookshelf.

Kakashi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw you stop in front of the next bookshelf, your gaze falling on two other books with more direct and even slightly dangerous titles—"Intimate Violence" and "Intimate Tactics".

His usually calm, dark eyes suddenly lit up slightly! Violence? Tactics? These two words are finally related to the areas you are familiar with.

This must be a precious book containing some special combat techniques or strategies, you reach out your hand again.

"Wait!" Kakashi thought to himself, and almost reflexively, he grabbed the two books again and held them tightly to his chest.

Being robbed once could be considered an accident, but being stopped by the same person twice or three times is something even you can no longer ignore.

You slowly turned your head, your dark eyes revealing a clear emotion for the first time, looking directly at Kakashi with an almost scrutinizing displeasure.

Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine from your gaze, as if he were a villain hindering a child's exploration of knowledge. Then, he heard you clearly utter a sentence.

"You...you have such a twisted sense of humor."

Kakashi: "!!!"

He's not! He didn't! It's all a misunderstanding! Kakashi screamed inwardly, his face contorted beneath the mask.

But when he opened his mouth, he realized he couldn't possibly explain the blush-inducing content of these books. Was he supposed to explain the *Make-Out Paradise* series to a little girl who looked only six or seven?! Just kill him!

"Believe me...this,this is all a misunderstanding..." Kakashi's voice was extremely hoarse as he tried to make a last-ditch effort to salvage his image, which might have already plummeted to rock bottom in those dark eyes.

You've clearly decided that the silver-haired ninja is deliberately provoking and teasing you, so you've lost interest in staying in the bookstore. You don't even glance at Kakashi anymore, and you turn and walk straight out of the bookstore.

"Hey! Wait!" Kakashi instinctively wanted to chase after him to explain.

"Hey! You there, customer!" The bookstore owner's annoyed voice rang out immediately, "Do you want those books or not?! If you don't want them, put them back! If you do want them, pay first! What kind of business is this, grabbing them and running away!"

Kakashi then remembered that he was still tightly clutching the three books of the Source of Evil in his hand.

He was incredibly embarrassed. He frantically pulled a wad of cash from his ninja tool bag, shoved it at the shopkeeper without even looking at it, and hurriedly said, "Keep the change!" Then he rushed out of the bookstore like a refugee, trying to find you.

Dou, who had just carefully selected a seemingly profound ancient book in another area and was about to give it to you, looked up and saw this scene that made his blood boil.

A silver-haired ANBU ninja, always appearing and disappearing mysteriously and wearing a mask, is urgently chasing after you out of the bookstore, while you, walking ahead, seem to have an even colder expression than usual!

From this heavily filtered perspective, Kabuto instantly concluded that this malicious and perverted ninja was definitely harassing Nagi-chan!

A surge of anger mixed with an intense protective instinct instantly clouded Dou's mind! Without thinking, he immediately grabbed the heavy ancient book and quickly chased after it.

A strange scene unfolded on the streets of Konoha: a girl in black walked ahead expressionlessly, a silver-haired Jonin anxiously tried to catch up and explain, and behind them followed a gray-haired boy carrying a thick book, his face filled with anger and determination...

Naruto Uzumaki, who had just walked out of Ichiraku Ramen with a satisfied heart, was patting his round belly contentedly and letting out a loud burp.

"Burp—! Hehe, I broke the record again! I ate six bowls!" The blond boy's face was filled with pure joy, and his blue eyes sparkled with the feeling of fullness and rare comfort.

Yesterday, I spent most of the allowance that Grandpa Naruto gave me on the delicious ramen from Uncle Tateuchi.

This simple joy was always fleeting. The disgust, fear, and even malicious pointing and whispering from the villagers passing by were like cold sewage, instantly extinguishing the smile on his face.

Naruto instinctively shrank his neck, his blue eyes dimmed, and his previously puffed-out chest collapsed. He just wanted to get away from this suffocating street as soon as possible.

Just as he lowered his head, preparing to slip away quietly as usual, a frantic and angry shout suddenly came from not far away, "Someone is following the girl! Someone come quick to help!"

Seeing that Kakashi was about to catch up with you, Kabuto was so anxious that he didn't care about anything else and started shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to attract the attention of the people around him and create chaos to stop Kakashi.

That shout really worked!

Kakashi abruptly stopped, completely stunned for a moment. He had followed a girl without permission?! He, an elite Jonin of Konoha and a senior member of the Anbu, was being accused of such a crime in broad daylight?! His face behind his mask was a sight to behold.

Even you, who had been expressionless the whole time, turned around for once and looked at Kakashi, who looked embarrassed. You shrugged as if to say, "See? You've gotten yourself into trouble."

The surrounding villagers were indeed attracted by the shouts, and all their eyes turned to look.

But after realizing that the person being accused was a silver-haired, masked Jonin with a distinctly menacing aura, everyone immediately and tacitly looked away, either pretending to admire the scenery or hurriedly lowering their heads and walking away. No one dared to step forward and "act as a hero."

The authority of Konoha's strongmen is not something ordinary villagers dare to challenge, but there is one exception!

It was Naruto Uzumaki, a man with boundless passion and nowhere to vent it, who craved recognition and couldn't stand seeing anyone being bullied!

"What! Someone dares to follow a girl? Let me help!" Naruto was instantly filled with boundless energy, his previous frustration vanished, and his blue eyes burned with a fierce fire of justice!

Without a second thought, he immediately locked onto Kakashi, who looked the most 'unserious' (wearing a mask to cover his face) and the most 'bad guy' (tall, long-legged, and imposing), and charged towards him like a small cannonball.

"Hey! You! Let go of that girl!" Naruto yelled, waving his little fists as he tried to punch Kakashi.

Kakashi was already having a headache from Kabuto's accusation, and when he saw the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki rushing over noisily, he felt even more overwhelmed.

With a simple raise of his hand, he used his absolute height advantage to press down on Naruto's overly enthusiastic golden head with his palm, preventing Naruto from moving forward even an inch, no matter how much he flailed his arms.

"Damn it! Let me go! You bad masked man!" Naruto flailed his limbs wildly, yelling angrily.

Just then, Dou, who had neglected physical exercise for many years, finally caught up, panting heavily.

He was bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily, and asked intermittently, "Nagi... Nagi-chan... are you... alright?"

You shook your head to indicate that you were fine.

Kakashi released his grip on Naruto's head, sighing helplessly. What a mess this is...

"Hey! You big bad guy! Sneaking around like that! What are you trying to do by following a girl?!" As soon as Naruto was free, he jumped to a safe distance and glared at Kakashi defiantly, like a little fox that had been provoked.

"Yeah! That's right! He's obviously not a good person!" Kabuto finally caught his breath and immediately stood next to Naruto, pointing at Kakashi and echoing him with righteous indignation.

Although I don't know who this blond kid is, the enemy of my enemy is my friend for now!

You, on the other hand, simply watched the spectacle with a detached, amused expression, glancing back and forth between them.

Kakashi looked at the two boys glaring at him, and at you, who had actually caused all this but had nothing to do with him, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples and a terrible headache.

At this moment, Naruto finally noticed the girl who had been blocked by Kakashi.

He froze the moment his gaze fell on you.

The sunlight shines on you, outlining your slender figure and long, dark hair. Your skin is very fair, and your features are so delicate they seem unreal.

What was most striking were his eyes... so big, so dark, like the deepest, quietest night sky, containing no disgust, fear, or contempt that he had long been accustomed to, only a calm that seemed to encompass everything.

This was the first time in Naruto's life that he had seen such a beautiful girl, and also the first time... that he could see no negative emotions towards her in the eyes of someone his own age.

An indescribable excitement and longing surged into Naruto's heart. He almost immediately forgot to denounce Kakashi and rushed to you.

Without hesitation, he extended his hand and shouted with great anticipation, "Hello! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I...I want to be your friend!"

His smile was dazzlingly bright, carrying an irresistible sincerity and enthusiasm.

Kabuto, standing nearby, immediately objected, his jealousy flaring up. He stepped forward, blocking Naruto and Kaname, his tone clearly hostile and dismissive, "Hey! You blond brat! Nagi-chan's friend isn't someone you can just be anyone for! Who do you think you are!"

Chapter 241 Regret

Naruto's thinking is clearly not on the same wavelength as Kabuto's.

He completely ignored Kabuto's obstruction and hostility, his blue eyes still gazing at you with longing, even a hint of cautious ingratiation, "...Nagi-chan? Can I call you that? You...you'd like to be my friend?"

His pleading look was just like that of a small animal longing to be taken in.

You gaze silently into Naruto's blue eyes, which hold an almost reckless vitality and a pure, unadulterated longing.

Under Kabuto's almost fiery gaze and Kakashi's complicated look, you nodded slightly.

"Yay!!!" Naruto burst into a huge cheer, jumping three feet high with joy, his face beaming with a smile brighter than the sun. "Great! I finally have my first friend! Nagi-chan is my first friend, Uzumaki Naruto's first friend!"

Overwhelmed with joy, he became so excited that he opened his arms and lunged at you, wanting to give you a tight hug.

"Hey! You bastard!!" Dou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets! He'd never even hugged you, and this blond kid who appeared out of nowhere dared to!

Kakashi, standing to the side, also darkened instantly. Almost simultaneously with Kabuto, they each grabbed one of Naruto's collars, forcefully pulling the little sun back from the brink of falling on him.

"Hey! You bastard! Let me go! I want to celebrate with Nagi-chan!" Naruto struggled wildly in the air.

"Shut up! You rude and impolite guy! Stay away from Nagi-chan!" Kabuto's face turned red with anger, and he held onto Naruto tightly.

Kakashi didn't say anything, but he didn't loosen his grip at all.

Too lazy to get entangled in these meaningless interactions, you quickened your pace, trying to leave all the noise behind.

"Nagi-chan! Nagi-chan! Wait for me!" Naruto finally broke free from Kakashi's grasp and happily chased after him, his blue eyes shining with anticipation. "Can I come visit you every day from now on? We can eat ramen together! Ichiraku Ramen is super delicious!"

"You bastard! Who gave you permission to call her Nagi-chan! Stay away from her!" Kabuto's face turned red with anger, and he didn't care about his image anymore.

Naruto didn't care at all, and even turned around to make an exaggerated face at Kabuto, sticking out his tongue, "Hehehe~ Nagi-chan agreed to be friends with me! It's none of your business!"

"You!" Dou was absolutely furious.