Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Shikamaru leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious, carrying a hint of guidance, "At least, at the upcoming ball, the one who can rightfully stand beside her and dance with her... is you, Nara Shikamaru."

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly cleaving through the fog in Shikamaru's mind.

Yes! No matter how many people are watching you, no matter how many people admire you, in front of everyone, the one who will dance with you at the ball is him!

This in itself is an irreplaceable unique characteristic.

He had gotten himself into a rut, focusing only on the intangible attention he received, while ignoring the privilege that was right in front of him and within his grasp!

The confusion and gloom in Shikamaru's eyes were instantly replaced by clarity and determination.

He didn't even have time to explain in detail to his parents. Under the slightly astonished gazes of Yoshino and Shikaku, he stood up from his seat and hurriedly said, "I'll be back tonight!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already rushed out of the house like a gust of wind and disappeared into the courtyard.

Watching her son's unusually energetic figure disappear from sight, Yoshino turned her gaze to her husband beside her, her tone tinged with curiosity and amusement, "So, do you think our Shikamaru can win over that special Uchiha girl?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiu shrugged, a broad-minded and wise smile appearing on his face. He put his arm around his wife's shoulder and looked out the window at the distant blue sky.

“Who knows?” His voice was gentle and calm. “But as long as he has tried his best, no matter the outcome, the very act of taking a brave step for someone and leaving no regrets is a beautiful thing.”

Lunchtime at the Haruno family's house was originally filled with the warm aroma of home-cooked dishes and a harmonious atmosphere.

Meibuki is enthusiastically serving food to Sakura and you, reminding you that you need to eat more as you grow.

The tranquility was broken by a slow, deliberate doorbell ring.

Yabuki put down her chopsticks, wiped her hands, and stood up with a smile. "Who could it be at this hour?"

She strode to open the door, and standing outside was none other than Uchiha Sasuke, whose expression was cold and aloof.

"Sasuke?" Meibuki was a little surprised, but quickly welcomed him in warmly. "Please come in, we're having lunch right now, why don't you join us?"

Sasuke gave a polite nod, as if to say hello.

He walked into the living room, his gaze passing over the enthusiastic buds and landing directly on the quiet figure by the dining table.

You didn't even lift your head, continuing to enjoy the food in front of you indifferently.

Sakura, sitting next to you, glanced at Sasuke with a complicated expression. Her eyes no longer held the same adoration and shyness as before, but rather a calm indifference based on friendship and a hint of estrangement caused by yesterday's hot spring incident.

Haruno Mebuki was oblivious to the strange atmosphere between you two, busy setting out bowls and chopsticks for Sasuke and inviting him to sit down.

While Ya Chui was temporarily leaving the living room to get something from the kitchen, the air at the dining table seemed to freeze instantly.

Sasuke didn't touch his chopsticks; he just stared intently at you with those eyes, as if trying to see right through you.

You completely ignored the intense gaze, without even changing the frequency of your chewing.

Sakura looked at this and that, feeling that this meal was incredibly agonizing, and had no idea why Sasuke had suddenly come to visit.

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

Just as you were about to get up, you saw Sasuke, who was sitting near the door, stand up first, his movements as natural as if he were the master of the house, and walk straight to the entrance.

Sakura and you exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Sasuke's actions today are extremely unusual.

Just as Nara Shikamaru was about to speak, his usual lazy expression froze instantly when he saw that the person who opened the door was Uchiha Sasuke, and an undisguised look of astonishment flashed across his face.

The moment Sasuke Uchiha saw Shikamaru outside the door, his eyes turned icy and sharp. He didn't even bother with polite words, and without any hesitation, he pulled his arm back sharply.

A clear, resounding slam of the door shut abruptly cut off Shikamaru's words before he could even utter them.

Inside, Meibu, who had just come out of the kitchen with seasonings, heard the noise and poked her head out to ask, "Sakura, was that the doorbell ringing? Come and see who it is!"

Sasuke turned around without changing his expression, his tone flat and indifferent, and answered for Sakura, who was about to get up, "An unimportant person."

Sakura's lips twitched slightly as she watched Sasuke's actions, which were clearly driven by personal emotions. In the end, she decided to go and check it out herself.

She walked to the door, reopened it, and sure enough, saw Nara Shikamaru standing outside with a speechless expression.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura wondered to herself. When did Sasuke and Shikamaru ever have a relationship that would make him act so childishly?

Mebuki then saw Shikamaru and her face immediately lit up with a delighted smile. "It's Shikamaru! What a rare guest! Come in, come in! We can have lunch together!"

Shikamaru took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and stepped in, his gaze instinctively turning to you.

Noticing his gaze, you looked up and calmly greeted him, "Good afternoon."

Shikamaru's gaze swept over Sasuke Uchiha, who stood beside him with an unfriendly expression. The annoyance he felt at being inexplicably locked out made him twitch the corners of his mouth.

He replied in a slightly defiant tone, "No."

Sakura, who was listening to your conversation, couldn't help but cover her face with her hands. What kind of terrible way of communicating is this?!

Chapter 349 Summer Festival Ball (23)

When Haruno Mebuki returned from the kitchen, she was carrying a delicate little plate with four freshly boiled eggs neatly arranged on it.

She placed the plate in the center of the table and said, "Come on, one for each of you, to replenish your nutrition."

As he spoke, he personally placed the eggs in front of Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, and you.

Shikamaru looked at the round egg in front of him and his lips twitched.

"What are you standing there for? Eat up!" Seeing Shikamaru staring at the egg without moving, Yabuki urged him again.

You picked up your egg, tapped it skillfully on the table, and began to slowly and methodically peel the shell.

Shikamaru looked up and met your gaze, his eyes conveying a clear signal for help.

You looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and finally nodded.

Just as Shikamaru resignedly began to work, having painstakingly peeled the egg, revealing the perfectly white egg white—

Under everyone's astonished gaze, you quickly snatched the egg from Shikamaru's hand and ate it.

Sakura and Haruno Mei were both dumbfounded, their heads seemingly filled with countless question marks. What... was going on?

You swallowed the food in your mouth, met the questioning gazes of the crowd, and explained, "...I just really wanted to eat this."

Haruno Mebuki couldn't understand this snatching behavior at all, but seeing that you looked natural and Shikamaru didn't seem displeased, she smiled and showed respect for the way young people interacted, "Ah... I see, as long as you like it, as long as you like it."

Seeing this, Sakura felt a little strange, but she still subconsciously put the untouched egg in front of her into your bowl. "Nagi, here's mine too."

Looking at the extra eggs in the bowl, you don't really want to eat them, but you can't refuse Sakura's kindness, and you're about to force yourself to eat them.

But the other hand was even faster!

Suddenly, Sasuke Uchiha reached out and snatched your bowl away.

This sudden action stunned Meibuki and Sakura once again, creating an extremely awkward situation.

Meibuki reacted quickly, immediately making up an excuse, "Ah! There seems to be soup simmering in the kitchen, Sakura, come help Mommy check the heat!"

Without saying another word, he pulled up the still somewhat bewildered Sakura and quickly left the living room, a place rife with trouble.

You looked at the bowl Sasuke had taken away, then at his tense profile, and vaguely guessed his intentions. "Thank you."

Sasuke didn't even look at you, his voice awkward, "If you can't eat, don't force yourself."

His gaze swept meaningfully over Shikamaru, who was once again lost in thought, and his tone was laced with sarcasm, "Not everyone deserves this."

As he spoke, he didn't seem to care that it was a bowl you had used. He picked up the egg inside, started peeling it, and then calmly began to eat.

As Sasuke ate, the sarcasm in his words was undisguised: "Even something as simple as this requires relying on others to solve..."

He emphasized, "It seems that the intelligence that the Nara clan is so proud of does not include basic self-care abilities."

Shikamaru was initially too lazy to pay attention, but when he heard Sasuke point the finger at the clan, he leaned back lazily, put his hands behind his head, and retorted in a slow, leisurely tone.

"Ah...yes, it's better than some people who can't even find a reasonable excuse to help others and can only resort to robbing."

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his gaze shifting playfully between Sasuke and the bowl. "At least, she helped me willingly just now, unlike someone... tsk, she's jealous of even an egg. I can smell her sourness across the table."

"Excessive appetite can impair the brain's judgment," you said, interrupting their increasingly heated argument.

You put down your chopsticks. "Did you all come here today just to argue, not to eat?"

The two, who had been at loggerheads, instantly fell silent. Shikamaru touched his nose and sat up straight again.

Sasuke snorted coldly, turned his face away, and didn't say anything more.

"Sakura... what do you think Sasuke and Shikamaru came here for today?" Meibuki frowned slightly, her tone filled with the bewilderment of an ordinary housewife facing an extraordinary situation.

"Isn't Nagi usually... not very talkative and doesn't like to interact with people? Why did she suddenly snatch Shikamaru's egg just now? And Sasuke is usually quite polite, why did he turn around and take Nagi's bowl away?"

The water gurgled and splashed, and bright red strawberries rolled in the clear water.

Sakura chuckled awkwardly, trying to keep her voice steady and natural. "Mom... this, this should be called playful banter between friends, right?"

She drained the washed strawberries and put them into a glass bowl, carefully choosing her words, "Probably...probably similar to when Ino and I were fighting over the last piece of sandwich, and we were kicking each other's chairs?"

Yabuki nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite, her gaze still fixed on the living room. "Oh, I see..."

But her doubts weren't completely dispelled. "However, I feel like there's something strange about the atmosphere between Sasuke and Shikamaru."

Sakura picked up the fruit bowl, turned and walked towards the kitchen door, silently shouting in her heart: Of course it's strange! This isn't just friends playing around, it's a blatant rivalry.

But she couldn't say that to her mother, so she could only force a smile and reassure her, "Mom, don't think too much about it."

She carried the bright red, juicy strawberries as she walked towards the restaurant.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Yabuki left home under the pretext of having something to do.

The moment the door closed, the air in the living room seemed to freeze, leaving only the distant birdsong outside the window and the silent tension between them.

Sakura felt a strange sense of embarrassment. She cleared her throat and glanced at the two uninvited guests.

"Um... Sasuke-kun, Shikamaru-kun, is there something you need today?" She tried to make her voice sound natural.

Nara Shikamaru leaned back in the armchair, his posture seemingly languid, and looked past Sakura, landing on the quiet figure by the window.

You are looking out the window, your profile appearing unnaturally pale in the light.

"I need to discuss the ball's schedule with Nagi." This was a perfectly reasonable excuse, and Sasuke spoke up as soon as Shikamaru finished speaking.

"I have completely mastered the basics of swordsmanship you taught me. Shouldn't you move on to the next stage of instruction?"

Two pairs of eyes were fixed on you.

"I don't have time," you refuse outright.

Sakura's heart leaped with joy at the rejection. Look, they were all rejected! Only she... She immediately seized the opportunity, her voice lightening with barely concealed smugness.

"Nagi already promised to watch a movie with me at home this afternoon!"

After a brief silence, Shikamaru's mind raced, and his strategy changed in an instant.

“Perfect timing,” he replied casually, “I don’t have anything particularly important to do this afternoon, let’s watch it together, it’s good to relax.”

Shikamaru acted like a friend who had come on a whim, so naturally it was flawless.

Although Sasuke didn't say anything, he leaned back against the sofa, showing his attitude through his actions.

Sakura's smug expression froze instantly; she hadn't expected these two guys to be so shameless!

The afternoon she longed for, to be alone with you, was suddenly interrupted by two glaring third wheels!

She was inwardly groaning, but couldn't bring herself to directly ask them to leave, so the situation turned into the four of them watching the movie together.

Sakura went to prepare the DVD in a sullen mood. She had carefully selected a romantic and heartwarming love story, hoping to get closer to you in a cozy atmosphere.

Now... she looked at the two boys sitting on the small sofa next to her and found them incredibly annoying.

When she put the DVD into the player and the movie started, she was surprised to find that you, who had previously shown little interest, were now completely engrossed.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. It's okay, she told herself. Losing face doesn't matter, and it doesn't matter if her plans are disrupted.

As long as she's not afraid of embarrassment, it's others who will feel awkward!

Sakura and you sit side by side on the longest sofa in the middle, while Shikamaru and Sasuke occupy the smaller single sofas on the left and right sides respectively.

The movie begins, with warm colors and soothing music, telling a story about encounters and redemption.

The living room curtains were half-drawn, making the light soft and hazy, and the light and shadow from the screen flickered on your faces.

Sakura's mind wasn't on the movie at all; her attention was entirely focused on you.

She could feel the faint air movement when you breathed, and she secretly observed your profile out of the corner of her eye.

She slowly moved her hand to the edge of the sofa, just centimeters away from your naturally drooping hand.

Sakura didn't have the courage to hold it directly; she just tormented herself by feeling the closeness of being so close yet so far.