Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

She held a string of ancient silver bells in her hands, the bells ringing clearly.

"I heard that the High Priest of the Deer Dance this year is quite unique, so I took the liberty of coming here to tie the sacred bell for you and pray for the success of the festival."

The shrine maiden's voice was gentle and melodious, with impeccable manners.

According to the procedure, during the parade, the High Priestess of the Deer Dance and the Shrine Maiden of Kagura will have a brief duet dance interaction, which is reasonable for them to get to know each other beforehand.

You nodded slightly, without refusing.

The shrine maiden stepped forward, approached you, and carefully picked up the sacred bell, preparing to tie it to the obi (sash) of your yukata.

At such close range, she inevitably looked up and met the only pair of eyes visible beneath the mask.

Being stared at by such eyes, the shrine maiden's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and the movement of tying the bell in her hand paused slightly. She lowered her head in a fluster, not daring to meet your gaze again.

Her prepared polite greetings got stuck in her throat, and in the end she just focused more intently on tying the bell.

The magic bell is tied on, and with every subtle movement you make, it will emit an ethereal tinkling sound.

Just then, a brightly colored lion waddled up to you, its adorable antics eliciting a few good-natured chuckles from those around it.

The lion stopped in front of you, and then its head was suddenly lifted off the ground, revealing Tian Tian's face, which was covered in sweat but had a bright smile.

"Wow! I thought it looked like you from afar, but I didn't dare to recognize you! Nagi, you look...so special today!" Tenten's eyes sparkled, making no attempt to hide her admiration.

"He has a... um... handsome! Very attractive feeling!" She searched for words to describe it.

Your gaze fell on Tiantian's heavy lion dance costume. Instead of responding to her praise, you asked her directly.

"Aren't you bored in here?" Your concern is always so direct and practical.

Tian Tian was stunned for a moment, then her smile became even more genuine. She hadn't expected you to care about this, and her heart warmed. She quickly waved her hand.

"It's alright! I'm used to it! Besides, I have a clever plan!" She winked playfully and pointed to some inconspicuous little ventilation holes inside the lion's head. "But thank you for your concern anyway!"

She refocused her gaze on your outfit and exclaimed sincerely, "I think you're going to shine today! Nobody's ever seen you like this before! You're sure to get the most attention!"

"I wish you success." You offered the same blessing.

The drumbeats that signaled the start of the festival were already approaching from afar, deep and powerful, urging all the performers to take their places.

"Okay! See you at the hot spring inn tonight!" Tiantian nodded vigorously, put her lion dance headgear back on, waved her paw at you, then turned around and hopped towards her spot in the parade.

You turned around, the magic bell rang softly, and walked to the front of the deer dance team.

The drumbeats quickened, and the sacrificial procession officially began.

In order to blend into the hustle and bustle and avoid being spotted as suspicious individuals by the Konoha Anbu or patrolling ninjas, the Akatsuki members had to temporarily put away their fearsome Akatsuki robes and put on a disguise that they were not used to.

They changed into ordinary yukatas, each with different materials and patterns, and wore masks of foxes, tengu, and lucky gods commonly seen at festivals. Mixing in with the bustling crowd, they really looked like ordinary tourists or villagers who had come from all over to join in the fun.

However, the aura hidden beneath the mask—whether cold, manic, or eerie—is completely out of place with the pure joy around them, like ink drops in clear water, which, though diluted as much as possible, still retain their essential, strange color.

"Leader! Waiting aimlessly like this is not a solution! Hmm!" Deidara was the first to lose his composure. He tugged at his slightly restrictive dark blue yukata, his golden ponytail swaying restlessly behind his head.

Through his comical kappa mask, his tone was full of anxiety.

“Behave yourself…” a deep voice sounded from beside him.

Sasori of the Red Sand was hiding behind an unremarkable passerby mask and wearing a simple gray yukata, but his ability to manipulate chakra threads was in no way diminished.

Several invisible threads silently wrapped around Deidara's wrists and ankles, a warning sign that restricted his movements.

"Don't forget our main purpose for coming here." Scorpion had no interest in the so-called festival and popularity vote; he just wanted to ensure that the mission could proceed smoothly and not be disrupted by his companions' recklessness.

Hidan clearly agreed with Deidara's words. He was wearing a flashy purple yukata and a demon mask, and casually held the back of his head.

"Exactly! Sasori, you're too rigid! We're not here to cause trouble anyway. Pain said we're just looking around, so of course we should openly stroll around! What's the point of staying here!"

He longed to experience that excitement, and even wanted to find a place to spread his heretical doctrines, if he could find an audience.

Chapter 338 Summer Festival Dance (12)

Kakuzu stood next to Hidan, his dark green yukata making him look more like a staid businessman, and the mask on his face was the common God of Wealth.

Hearing Hidan's words, he snorted coldly, his green eyes flashing with a calculating light through the holes in his mask. "I think you're just looking for an excuse to waste money!"

He could already foresee how Hidan would squander his money at various food stalls and game stands, which was like tearing his heart out.

"Hey! Kakuzu, you old devil! Isn't the point of going out to have fun to spend money? What do you know about fun, you miser!" Hidan immediately retorted, and the tension between the two instantly intensified, attracting the attention of several real tourists around them.

Seeing that these two sworn enemies were about to start arguing in public again, Pain, who had been silently observing his surroundings, finally spoke up.

"Quiet down." These three simple words made Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu instantly quiet down a bit.

Pain's Rinnegan swept over the group and made a decision: "You are allowed to move freely, but you must stay with your partner, maintain contact, be discreet, and avoid causing trouble unless absolutely necessary."

This is the biggest concession he can make.

"Yay! Long live the leader! Hmm!" Deidara cheered immediately, glancing triumphantly at Sasori beside him. Although he was a little annoyed by being entangled by the puppet strings, it was always good to be able to move freely.

Hidan let out a wail, "Ah?! With that old fogey Kakuzu?! I'd rather not go at all! He'll definitely stop me from doing this and that!"

He could almost see how boring his trip would be.

Kakuzu snorted coldly, which was taken as tacit approval of the arrangement, but he had already begun to plan in his mind how to keep an eye on Hidan as much as possible and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

The two then disappeared silently into the surging crowd, their destination unknown, to carry out their own observation mission.

Deidara, with great enthusiasm, dragged the reluctant Sasori along, squeezing towards the direction the parade might take.

Hidan, while complaining, was followed closely by Kakuzu as if guarding a treasure, and reluctantly moved towards the food stall.

Along the main road of the festival, a queue of moderate length formed in front of a temporary popularity polling station.

Most of the attendees were enthusiastic villagers and tourists, exchanging silver coins for tickets to vote for their favorite performers.

In this rather ordinary group, two figures stood out.

One of them was tall, with indigo skin and a ferocious shark mask on his face; it was Kisame Hoshigaki.

Standing in front of him was Uchiha Itachi, who was wearing a dark blue yukata and a simple, unpatterned white mask.

Kisame watched as Itachi Uchiha handed a heavy purse to the staff member without hesitation, and calmly requested, "Exchange it all for tickets."

The money pouch contained the generous reward Itachi had recently earned for completing a highly difficult rogue ninja mission.

The staff were clearly taken aback by the large sum of money, and after a moment of stunned silence, they hurriedly began to count it.

Kisame couldn't help but lean closer to Itachi, lowering his voice and trying to dissuade him with an incredulous tone, "Itachi-san... are you sure you want to exchange all the reward for this mission for those kinds of tickets?"

He found this action even more incomprehensible than a direct attack on Konoha.

This is no small sum; it's enough to buy several decent ninja tools or intelligence on the black market.

No one could see Itachi's expression behind the mask.

He merely tilted his head slightly, his calm eyes glancing at Kisame, his voice still devoid of any emotional fluctuation, "...Hmm."

He seemed completely oblivious to the advice and absurdity in Kisame's words, remaining stubbornly unenlightened.

Seeing Itachi's focused expression, Kisame couldn't help but shake his shark-like head and cover his face with his hand.

He witnessed firsthand today that someone as calm and almost cold as Mr. Itachi could be so crazy and reckless when it came to idolizing celebrities.

Meanwhile, the procession of the festival was moving slowly forward.

You stand on a tall float decorated with rice ears and deer antler totems.

You can even sense that on the float carrying the shrine maiden Kagura ahead, the shrine maiden will occasionally turn her head secretly, her gaze passing through the crowd and landing on you, filled with shyness and curiosity.

You can't understand this frequent attention; you can only attribute it to the personal charisma required by the identity of the High Priestess of the Deer Dance?

Without giving it much thought, he simply calmly performed his duties.

Amidst the surging crowd, Sasori was being dragged around aimlessly by Deidara, feeling utterly helpless.

Deidara, like an over-energetic retriever, nimbly weaved through the crowd, trying to find the best viewing spot.

"Hey! Hinata Hyuga!"

A familiar shout, tinged with a hint of smugness, startled Hinata Hyuga, who was standing on tiptoe peering at the parade.

She turned around timidly and saw the boy with a high golden ponytail and wearing a comical kappa mask. Although she hadn't seen him for a long time, his unique voice and posture still reminded her of him.

"You...you are...Deidara?" Hinata was somewhat surprised, not expecting to meet him here.

But her gaze immediately fell on the figure beside Deidara, who exuded a cold aura that kept strangers at bay, and a hint of vigilance instinctively rose in her white eyes.

Deidara noticed Hinata's wariness and immediately patted his chest, loudly introducing, "Don't be afraid! This is my partner! He may look a little intimidating, but actually... um... he's not a bad person!"

He tried to defend Scorpion, though his explanations were rather unconvincing.

Before Hinata could respond, Sakura Haruno, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, immediately stepped in front of Hinata, her emerald green eyes scrutinizing the two unfamiliar figures before her.

"Who are you? What do you want with Hinata?" Her tone was firm, as if she were protecting her friend.

"I'm Hinata's best friend! You can ask her if you don't believe me! Hmm!" Deidara said, hands on his hips, with an air of self-righteousness.

At that moment, Shino Aburame also appeared silently beside Sakura, his sharp gaze behind his sunglasses locked onto Sasori.

With the help of his insect senses, he could clearly perceive that this silent man was extremely dangerous, far more dangerous than the boisterous Deidara.

Sakura turned to Hinata and looked at her questioningly. Hinata hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and whispered, "He... should be considered a friend."

She recalled their brief encounter in the past; although Deidara behaved strangely, he had never actually harmed her.

Seeing Hinata confirm, Sakura's vigilance eased slightly, but it didn't completely disappear.

Deidara, however, had no time for pleasantries. He immediately asked about his most pressing question, "By the way, Hinata! Do you know where Uchiha Nagi is? Hmm!"

"What's your relationship with Nagi-chan?" Naruto Uzumaki squeezed in at some point. Hearing Deidara call him by his name and act like they were old friends, he immediately looked at Deidara suspiciously, like a puppy guarding its food.

Sasuke Uchiha's expression also darkened instantly. He hadn't expected to encounter a love rival who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere at the summer festival.

"Nagi-chan? What gives you the right to call her that?" Deidara was immediately displeased when he heard Naruto's affectionate nickname for you, and his kappa mask seemed to puff up a little in anger.

"This is Nagi-chan's permission! You haven't answered my question yet!" Naruto proudly flaunted his special status.

Sasori watched from the side, his brows furrowed. He felt it was unwise to deal with Konoha's ninjas at this moment, and reached out to grab Deidara, this troublesome fellow.

"Don't pull me!" Deidara forcefully broke free from Sasori's grasp. His competitive spirit was ignited by Naruto's attitude. He puffed out his chest and proudly announced a bombshell, "Well! I'm going to marry Nagi someday!"

Upon hearing this, a deathly silence instantly fell around him.

Naruto's mouth dropped open, as if he had heard the most shocking thing in the world. It took him a long time to find his voice before he pointed at Deidara and stammered.

"You...you you you! Where did you come from?! Marrying Nagi-chan? That's wishful thinking! A pipe dream!" He had never imagined anyone could be so audacious!

Even the usually calm Scorpion paused for a moment, a rare occurrence.

This partner, who spends all his time researching clay explosions and shouting "Art is an explosion," is actually... a hopeless romantic at heart? How come he never noticed?

"She promised me too!" Deidara stubbornly believed that since you didn't explicitly refuse his offer to marry you, it was tacit consent and agreement!

Sasuke felt like his back teeth were about to shatter. The cold aura emanating from him lowered the surrounding temperature by several degrees. One by one, they were all coveting the person he cherished!

Just as a conflict was about to erupt, Akamaru, who was being held in Inuyagi's arms, suddenly barked twice. Its keen senses made it the first to notice the commotion in the distance.

"Look! The parade is coming!" Ya shouted.

In the distance, the sound of drums and music grew clearer and louder, and a colorful procession, like a long, winding dragon, slowly moved toward them.

The palanquin and platform at the very front were already faintly visible. Naruto and Deidara glared at each other fiercely, temporarily suppressing their arguing thoughts, and simultaneously stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, and intently watching the direction from which the procession was coming.

The advance team, carrying cleaning branches and shouting long chants, cleared the way, and the crowded people, like a parted tide, quickly and orderly retreated to both sides of the street, craning their necks in anticipation.

As the solemn procession of priests slowly came into view at the edge of the horizon, the atmosphere of the entire festival was instantly pushed to its first climax!

On the first float, decorated with flowers and shimenawa (sacred rope), the Kagura shrine maiden, holding a golden Kagura bell, waved gracefully to the crowds on both sides of the road with a holy and gentle smile, drawing warm responses and applause. The crowd's expectations went far beyond that.

As the shaman's float slowly passed by, a heavy, rhythmic drumbeat resounded, like the heartbeat of an ancient tribe, instantly drowning out the clamor of the scene.

The drumbeats carried a primal calling, causing everyone's hearts to beat involuntarily to its rhythm.

Immediately following, a second, even taller float solemnly drove in, accompanied by the beat of drums.

In the center of the float, you stand still, your body turning with extreme restraint in time with the rhythm of the drums.

With each turn, the ethereal bell tied around the waist emits a series of clear, melodious sounds, intertwining with the heavy drumbeats.

Compared to the sweet and approachable Kagura Shrine Maiden, the Deer Dance High Priestess brings a completely different sense of holiness and aloofness.

Even though the blue demon mask concealed your face, Sakura recognized the red yukata she had carefully chosen at a glance.