Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Your eating habits, on the other hand, are in stark contrast to Naruto's.

You ate extremely slowly, even somewhat reluctantly, fiddling with your chopsticks in the bowl, showing little interest in the char siu and bamboo shoots that Naruto considered delicious.

"Don't you like it?" Kakashi noticed this keenly and asked in a low voice, remembering that you weren't a picky eater.

You looked up and glanced at Naruto, who was eating heartily next to you. "I'm just tired of this food... He's been dragging me here for a month now."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi was taken aback for a moment, then a complex emotion welled up inside him. He was surprised that you would be so accommodating to Naruto's preferences, eating food that you might not even like for a whole month?

This is completely inconsistent with your usual cold and aloof style.

Fortunately, dinner didn't last long. After finishing his ramen, Naruto rubbed his round belly and wanted to take you for a walk home so he could continue his dance partner's persuasion.

At this moment, Kakashi suddenly spoke up, his tone serious and businesslike, "Naruto, the Anbu has some matters to discuss with Uchiha Nagi, so I'm afraid she can't go back with you."

"Eh? I see..." Naruto was a little disappointed, but he also knew the importance of the Anbu mission and couldn't just mess with it.

He could only wave goodbye to you reluctantly, "Nagi-chan, see you tomorrow! Think about your dance partner again!" After saying that, he left, looking back every few steps.

The boisterous Naruto left, and the street instantly fell silent, leaving only you and Kakashi.

You looked up at Kakashi, "What tasks need to be handed over to the Anbu?"

Kakashi leaned lazily against a roadside lamppost, his hands in his pockets. His eyes, visible above his mask, curved into a smile as he frankly admitted, "There's no mission. It was just an excuse to get rid of him."

You raised an eyebrow slightly, your tone teasing, "Looks like you didn't waste your time reading 'Make-Out Paradise,' senior. You've finally figured it out."

Kakashi felt his cheeks burning under the mask, but unlike his usual panicked escape, this time he just smiled helplessly, as if he had gotten used to occasionally losing his composure in front of you. "There's no other way, I have to put what I've learned to use."

There was a moment of awkward silence before you cut straight to the point, "Senior, could you lend me some money?"

This is not a problem for Kakashi.

Without even asking why, he simply took his wallet out of his ninja tool pouch and handed it to you, asking, "Is this enough?"

You took the leather wallet, weighed it in your hand, and then shook your head, saying firmly, "Not enough."

"What do you need so much money for?" Kakashi asked, somewhat curiously.

He knows you don't have many material desires. With the subsidies from the Dark Division and the care from the Haruno family, you don't have many expenses.

“I’m going to participate in the summer festival parade,” you explain. “Sakura wants to book the entire hot spring inn that night so everyone can relax and also treat everyone back to the last gathering, but we don’t have enough money.”

You paused, your dark eyes clearly reflecting his figure in the night. "So, Kakashi-senpai..."

You didn't finish your sentence, but the meaning was already very clear.

Kakashi looked at you without hesitation, reached into his pocket and took out a personal savings book, gently placing it on your outstretched palm.

His movements were casual, as if he were only giving away insignificant pieces of paper.

"This is all the money I've earned from missions over the years," Kakashi's voice carried his characteristic languor, yet it also revealed a hint of indulgence. "Spend it as you please. If it's not enough, I'll go earn more."

You held that thin yet heavy savings book, and a rare, genuine surprise flashed across your eyes.

I never expected Kakashi to be so generous, giving away almost everything he had.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, you seemed to remember something, trying hard to recall the tone and expression of Yamanaka Ino when she praised Sasuke, "Kakashi-senpai...so handsome."

The way you said those words, without a trace of coquettishness or admiration, sounded more like you were simply stating a fact. Paired with your expressionless face, it created a strange contrast.

Kakashi was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh, his exposed eyes curving into crescents as he chuckled softly.

He raised his hand and habitually ruffled your soft black hair, his tone filled with helpless indulgence, "Where did you learn such words... You should just be yourself."

He prefers you to be yourself, whether it's your brooding indifference or your occasional clumsiness.

You seemed to understand but not quite, but you still nodded gently and carefully put away your passbook and wallet.

"Oh, right," Kakashi asked casually, as if suddenly remembering something, "If the summer festival involves booking out the entire hot spring inn on the night... then I can join in, right?"

"Of course." You answered readily; this was originally a gathering that Sakura hosted to reciprocate everyone's hospitality.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Kakashi's smile deepened. He raised his hand again and ruffled your hair. "Go home early, Nagi. Goodnight."

"...Goodnight, senpai." You nodded slightly. You didn't quite understand the meaning behind Kakashi's affectionate head pat, but you didn't reject it.

Kakashi stood there, watching you leave until your black figure completely disappeared around the street corner.

He touched his empty wallet and pockets, then thought about the savings book he had given you. Instead of feeling any heartache, he felt a sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

Someone has to spend the money for him, and when he handed the money to you, seeing your slightly relaxed profile as you achieved your goal, Kakashi inexplicably felt that the money was... well worth it.

You returned and walked up to Sakura. Without saying a word, you simply reached out and placed two items next to the spread-out change.

One was a high-quality leather wallet, and the other was a passbook bearing the logo of a Konoha financial institution.

Sakura's gaze drifted blankly from the pile of loose change to her wallet and bankbook. She blinked, momentarily stunned.

When she subconsciously picked up the wallet and felt its heavy weight, and then opened the passbook and saw a long string of dizzying numbers, she gasped sharply, and her hands holding the passbook and wallet trembled uncontrollably.

This... how many S-rank missions would it take to accumulate this amount?

She looked up abruptly, her voice trembling with shock, "Nagi...Nagi...how...how did you...do that?!"

The sheer amount of money involved triggered a bizarre yet seemingly idiosyncratic guess in her mind.

Could it be that you actually went and robbed Kakashi-senpai? With your strength and familiarity with Anbu operations, it doesn't seem entirely impossible.

Faced with Sakura's eyes that seemed to say, "Have you broken the law or committed a crime?", you simply shook your head calmly.

Remembering Kakashi's nonchalant attitude when he handed her the bankbook, she felt she needed a reasonable explanation.

You're not good at weaving complicated lies, so you chose the simplest version of the facts.

“It was a loan from my senior.” You recalled the smiling look in Kakashi’s eyes as he ruffled your hair, and tried to find a motive for this overly generous loan, adding, “He said I was cute.”

You don't truly understand the subtle emotions that the word "cute" carries in ordinary interpersonal interactions. In your view, it's just Kakashi's way of expressing his willingness to help, a convenient excuse.

"Cute...cute?" Sakura repeated the word, her eyes wide as she carefully examined you.

Your long black hair contrasts sharply with your pale skin, your dark eyes lack vitality, and you exude an aura that keeps strangers at bay... You are completely at odds with the universally accepted image of sweet, soft, and adorable.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and a thought uncontrollably rushed into her mind: unless, the cuteness that Kakashi-senpai mentioned didn't refer to her appearance, but to the person herself!

This made her seriously doubt Kakashi's feelings for you.

Or perhaps this truly reflects the care and concern of a senior for a junior, to the point of giving them everything they have.

But given Kakashi's lazy, trouble-averse, and seemingly indifferent-to-money personality, would he really go to such lengths simply because of his senior status? Sakura thought the possibility was extremely slim.

Therefore, the only remaining explanation is the second possibility: Kakashi-senpai harbors feelings for you that transcend the typical senior-junior relationship.

Having known you for so long, no one understands better than her how deadly your fleeting, captivating charm can be.

If she herself couldn't resist falling deeper and deeper into it, then what's so strange about others being attracted to her?

"Even if everyone in Konoha likes Nagi... I don't think it's an exaggeration."

Sakura gripped the savings book containing the huge sum of money in her hand tightly, as if she were holding a hot potato, or a silent declaration of war.

Sakura took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart.

In any case, this money solves the immediate problem, allowing you to relax after a tiring festival parade and giving everyone a wonderful evening.

That was her original purpose.

As for Kakashi's thoughts... and the potential for more competitors in the future...

Sakura's eyes even held the sharpness of a guardian.

She clutched her bankbook and wallet tightly in her hands and gave you a smile that was no different from any other.

"Great! The problem is solved! Thank you, Nagi! And... please thank Kakashi-senpai for me."

Chapter 336 Summer Festival Dance (10)

Inside a secluded base, a spatial vortex silently appeared, and Obito Uchiha stepped out from it, his body still damp with moisture.

The swirling mask on his face concealed all expressions, except for his exposed Sharingan, which gleamed with a deep, eerie light in the dim light.

He had just finished an inspection of the Akatsuki's peripheral members and was pondering his next plan.

Just then, the miniature summoning beast he had planted at a specific contact point to receive intelligence from Konoha spies silently appeared on his shoulder and spat out an encrypted scroll.

It's news about Uchiha Nagi.

Obito's heart stirred slightly. This was the first secret letter he had received since he had half-coerced and half-enticed you into agreeing to become an undercover agent.

Logically, this first secret letter should contain valuable intelligence about the movements of Konoha's high-ranking officials, defense deployments, or the Third Hokage's recent decisions.

With barely perceptible anticipation, he deciphered the encryption spell on the scroll and slowly unfurled it.

When his gaze fell upon the cold yet familiar handwriting on the scroll, his Sharingan froze instantly.

The contents of the scroll were extremely brief, consisting of only two lines:

"The Third Hokage opened the village to the entire ninja world on the day of the Konoha Summer Festival."

I need to compete for the most popularity during the festival parade, so I'd like the organizers to support me.

Obito: “…”

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

The fine sound of rain tapping against the windowpane became the only background noise in this deathly silence.

Obito stood frozen in place, holding the scroll, for several seconds.

He even wondered if his Sharingan was hallucinating due to exhaustion from working for days on end, or if there was a mistake in the decryption process, causing him to see some absurd gibberish.

He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. The words on the scroll were still clearly visible: Konoha Summer Festival, Festival Parade, Competition for the Most Popular Person, Organize Support.

What kind of intelligence is this?! This is blatant vote-buying!

Uchiha Nagi! Does she have some huge misunderstanding about the word "undercover agent"?!

The undercover agent's mission is to steal intelligence, sabotage operations, and sow discord among the enemy! It's not about having her participate in some kind of festival parade in the enemy's headquarters, but about using the influence behind the undercover agent to vote for her and make her the most popular girl!

An indescribable rage suddenly surged from the depths of Obito's heart, rushing straight to the top of his head.

He felt his temples throbbing, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the scroll so tightly.

He could almost picture Uchiha Nagi's matter-of-fact expression as she wrote those words, perhaps even thinking she was being very efficient.

Absurd! Bizarre! Incomprehensible!

He had never seen or heard of any undercover agent doing such a thing! It was an insult to his intelligence, to the Akatsuki organization, and to the entire undercover profession!

"Uchiha Nagi...you're really something!" Obito gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words from behind his mask, his voice low and dangerous, filled with barely suppressed anger.

He felt like he was about to be driven crazy by this unconventional girl.

Why did he initially believe she could be a suitable undercover agent? Was it simply because of her unusual abilities and the many secrets she harbored?

In retrospect, this is simply an uncontrollable troublemaker with unconventional thinking!

"You want me to do as you wish? Dream on!" Obito snorted coldly, immediately making up his mind.

He would never use any of Akatsuki's resources to support such an absurd thing.

He was even considering whether to secretly sabotage her and make her look foolish at the festival, teaching this arrogant girl a lesson.

Just as this angry thought was surging, another image inconveniently and forcibly squeezed into his mind.

Imagine Uchiha Nagi, who is indifferent to the whole world, walking in a lively and noisy parade wearing a festival costume that may not fit properly.

Surrounded by a cacophony of voices and dazzling lights, she performed those childish dance moves with an almost sleepwalking or assassination-like seriousness, vying for that laughable popularity...

Just imagining it is full of extreme contrast and a twisted sense of comedy.

Moreover, setting aside the absurdity of this letter, it seems... to be an excellent opportunity to openly observe Konoha's defensive deployments, personnel mobilizations, and even to have close contact with representatives of various factions during a major event?

Nagi Uchiha's involvement itself provided an excellent vantage point for observation...

More importantly... it was an expectation that even Obito himself was unwilling to admit.

He wanted to take a look.

He wanted to see with his own eyes what it would be like to see Uchiha Nagi standing in that incongruous light and noise.

Was he trying to see her embarrass herself? Was he trying to check on her condition? Or... was he simply trying to quietly observe her from the shadows, where no one could see him?

This complex and contradictory emotion strangely calmed Obito's anger somewhat, replacing it with a deeper and more unfathomable state of mind.

He glanced once more at the secret letter, a veritable disgrace to an undercover agent, but ultimately did not destroy it. Instead, with an indescribable feeling, he rolled it up again and put it away.