Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

You lightly tap the table with your fingertip, as if in thought, then smile slightly and say, "Okay."

Everyone was taken aback, not expecting you to agree so readily.

“However—” you changed the subject, your gaze sharp as a blade, “the Water Kingdom must also return the iron ore region it seized ten years ago.”

Akiyama Musashi's face darkened. "That iron ore area is already a disputed territory, so how can there be talk of 'returning' it?"

You slowly picked up your teacup, took a sip, and said, "If the Kingdom of Ruoshui is unwilling, then the marriage alliance will probably have to be reconsidered."

A threat! A blatant threat!

The hall was deathly silent, and the faces of the ministers of the Land of Water were grim.

Seeing this, Nana could no longer contain herself and suddenly stood up, shouting, "Enough!"

All eyes immediately focused on her.

You calmly looked at her and asked, "What insightful opinion does Your Highness have?"

Nana sneered, her eyes gleaming with victory. "Lord Tanuki, before we begin our negotiations, I have a question for you."

You raised an eyebrow slightly. "Please speak."

Nana took a deep breath, her voice clear and loud—"Are you really a man?"

Leng Xi's hand instantly gripped the hilt of her knife, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

You remained calm, and the smile on your lips even deepened.

"What makes you say that, Your Highness?" You slowly put down your teacup, your gaze fixed on Akiyama Nana as deep as an abyss.

She raised her chin smugly. "Stop pretending! My guards have seen through your disguise! You're not a man at all, but a woman dressed as a man!"

Akiyama Nana turned to her father and shouted, "Father! The Wind Kingdom sending a woman to arrange a marriage is an insult to us! This marriage must be annulled!"

Chapter 40: Arranged Marriage

The hall was deathly silent. Several elderly ministers were so shocked they almost dropped their teacups. Even Akiyama Musashi frowned. All eyes turned to you, the one being accused.

Akiyama Nana's chest heaved violently. She finally spoke! She wanted to see this arrogant "raccoon dog" mask shatter with her own eyes!

Without even raising an eyebrow, you put down your teacup, the porcelain making a soft "click" as it touched the sandalwood table, a sound that was particularly clear in the silent hall.

A soft sneer escaped your lips, tinged with a pitying mockery. You raised your eyes, your dark pupils calm as still water, staring directly at Nana's face, which was gradually losing its color.

"I never claimed to be a person involved in a marriage alliance, Your Highness." Your voice rang out calmly, as if stating a simple fact. "I am here on behalf of the Daemon of the Wind Kingdom to discuss the marriage."

Nana swayed, as if she'd been punched. "Wh...what?"

To her even greater surprise, the commotion inside the hall quickly subsided.

The officials from the Water Kingdom, who should have been furious, surprisingly regained their composure after a brief moment of surprise and continued discussing other topics as if nothing had happened.

Even her father, Akiyama Musashi, only gave her a slightly reproachful look, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.

"No...it's impossible!" Akiyama Nana's voice trembled. "Didn't you hear? She's a woman! The Land of Wind is deceiving us!"

An old minister from the Land of Water coughed and said tactfully, "Your Highness, Lord Tanuki's personal situation has no direct relation to the marriage alliance between our two countries."

Another minister chimed in softly, "Moreover, Lord Tanuki's status and position are sufficient to represent the Wind Kingdom in any negotiation."

Nana staggered back two steps, grabbing the back of the chair to avoid falling.

She finally understood that in the eyes of these politicians, the power and value of the identity of a cat slave had long transcended the boundaries of gender.

So what if she's a woman? She's still the prime minister who strikes fear into the hearts of nobles from all nations!

"Then...who is the real person to be married off?" Nana's voice was barely audible, carrying a final struggle.

A meaningful smile curved your lips. "You'll see the princess soon." Your gaze swept over Nana's pale face, then glanced at Lian, who had been standing silently to the side of the hall. "I believe... it will be a surprise."

Akiyama Musashi tapped the table at the opportune moment, steer the conversation back on track, "Regarding the border outpost issue, our side believes..."

The negotiations continued as if the farce had never happened.

Akiyama Nana sat blankly in the chair, feeling dizzy. She had thought that exposing Tanuki's identity would free her from this political marriage, but she never expected that she was the one being played.

After the meeting ended, the officials left one after another, but Nana remained seated, her hands clenched into fists on her knees, her knuckles white.

"Your Highness seems quite interested in my identity?"

Your voice suddenly rang in her ears, startling Nana so much that she looked up abruptly.

Before she knew it, the other person was standing in front of her, looking down at her with a playful, cat-and-mouse expression in their eyes.

“You…you planned this all along,” Akiyama Nana managed to squeeze out. “It was a trap from the very beginning.”

You smiled noncommittally. "Politics is an elaborately designed game, Your Highness." You leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, "But rest assured, your fiancé... is absolutely worthy of the title of princess of the Water Kingdom."

After you finished speaking, you straightened up, gave an elegant bow, and turned to leave.

Soon only Akiyama Nana remained in the hall. Lian appeared silently beside her and placed a cup of hot tea in her trembling hands.

"Why..." Nana's voice trembled with tears, "Why is no one on my side? Not even my father..."

Lian was silent for a moment, then spoke up, which was unusual for her, "Because the name 'Li Nu' represents power, which is more important than gender."

His pure white eyes gazed in the direction you left, his voice low and deep, "And what she holds in her hand is the power to overthrow a small country. The Water Kingdom... dares not take the risk."

Akiyama Nana buried her face in her hands, and tears finally streamed down her face. For the first time, she truly felt that she was nothing more than a pawn in the great power game, without even the right to resist.

At the other end of the palace corridor, you stop and look out at the shimmering sea.

You look ahead and think, "She's just a spoiled princess. But that ninja named Lian... she didn't interfere at all. Interesting."

Meanwhile, inside the princess's palace.

Akiyama Nana smashed everything in sight to pieces. Porcelain shards, torn silk, and broken writing implements littered the ground. She knelt amidst the chaos, panting, tears blurring her vision.

"Why...why did everyone betray me!"

Lian crouched down and gently picked up a small, intact box from the ground. It was Akiyama Nana's most cherished jewelry box from her childhood, containing her mother's keepsake.

“They didn’t betray you,” Lian’s voice unusually warm. “It’s just that politics has always been like this.”

Nana looked up with tearful eyes, "You knew all along, didn't you? You...you lied to me too!"

Lian was silent for a moment, then placed the jewelry box in her trembling hands. "I warned you, things won't be that simple."

"What should I do then?" Akiyama Nana gripped the jewelry box tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Do I really have to marry that nobleman from the Land of Wind?"

Lian did not answer immediately. Outside the window, the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, and darkness enveloped the palace of the Water Kingdom.

Just as the shadows completely engulfed the two, Nana seemed to hear Lian say very softly, "Not necessarily."

These three simple words, like a spark, fell into Nana's despairing heart.

Akiyama Nana looked up abruptly, only to see that Lian had already returned to his usual silent posture, standing in the shadows with his eyes closed, as if what he had just said was just her illusion.

But in some unknown corner, Bai Lian's one eye gleamed dangerously in the darkness. He licked his triangular teeth and silently disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

Inside the Uzumaki clan's library, sunlight streamed through stained glass windows onto the heavy mahogany table. Mito sat at the table, her fiery red hair cascading down like a waterfall, reflecting the sunlight like burning flames.

Four gold-embossed picture books were neatly arranged in front of her, each with the family crests of the Uchiha, Senju, Hyuga, and Kaguya printed on its cover. These were the "Marriage Candidate Illustrated Book" that her father, Uzumaki Ashina, had carefully prepared for her.

“Princess, the head of the family says this is the preliminary list.” The maid Sayoko knelt respectfully outside the door. “Please give us your reply within three days.”

Mito didn't turn around, but simply waved her hand to signal the maid to leave.

As the eldest daughter of the Uzumaki clan, she was well aware of the importance of political marriages, especially given the current turbulent situation in the ninja world, where the Uzumaki clan needed strong allies.

Mito first picked up the picture book embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up.

Thinking of Uchiha Nagi, who could stir up relations between countries with just a few words, her curiosity was piqued. "Let me see what kind of people are in the family that can raise such a madwoman."

The first picture is of the young clan leader, Uchiha Madara. The boy in the painting is only sixteen or seventeen years old, but he already exudes a suffocating sense of oppression. His upturned eyebrows are full of arrogance, and the corners of his mouth are pursed into a cold straight line.

Mito raised an eyebrow. "The young Uchiha clan leader... he is indeed handsome, but that expression is just too fierce."

The second picture is of Uchiha Yoshihide. Unlike his older brother, this second young master has a delicate, almost effeminate appearance, except for his eyes...

Mito shivered. The artist had clearly tried his best to beautify it, but he still couldn't hide the stagnant indifference in her pupils.

"Tsk, that crazy woman Uchiha Nagi is actually the most normal one." Uzumaki Mito chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Next was the third young master, Uchiha Izuna. His brows were slightly furrowed and his lips were tightly pursed. His eyes were sharp, as if he were scrutinizing his prey, with a hint of barely perceptible irritation.

"This... is like being owed eight million dollars and not getting paid back?" Mito couldn't help but complain, recalling the "I'll destroy you if I'm not happy" look that Uchiha Nagi occasionally showed, and seemed to have found a common trait among the clans.

Then there's the fourth young master, Uchiha Inori. His style is even more gloomy. His half-length black hair covers part of his eyebrows and eyes, and his eyes are deep and dark, as if they are hiding an impenetrable fog and a heavy secret. His aura is oppressive.

"As expected... the Uchiha clan is known for producing problem children." Mito Uzumaki sighed, rubbing her forehead.

The last picture shows Uchiha Gen, a seven-year-old boy who looks very young. His eyes are surprisingly clear, but he still stands out from the group of "abnormal humans" around him.

"Hoo..." Mito Nagato let out a long breath, with a sense of knowing it was true, and without hesitation closed the Uchiha sketchbook, casually tossing it to the other end of the table with a soft "snap".

As expected of the clan that madwoman Uchiha Nagi belongs to, from the young clan head to the young master, their style is unique. None of them seem to be easy to deal with, let alone able to communicate normally.

Arranged marriage? Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Mito Uzumaki composed herself and organized the remaining picture books.

The Byakugan inheritors of the Hyuga clan were all dignified, with calm and unwavering eyes, exuding rigidity and discipline. Although powerful, their deeply ingrained hierarchical structure and conservative style made her feel as if she were facing a group of walking corpses.

The Kaguya clan, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. The people in the portraits mostly have undisguised wildness and bloodthirsty fighting spirit in their eyes, advocating pure bone violence, and the clan is known for its bloody competition.

Although both are prestigious families, in terms of heritage, strength, and contribution to the future of the Uzumaki clan, they are indeed a level below the legendary "Forest Senju" and "Uchiha with Fan".

Finally, her gaze fell on the dark brown picture book embroidered with the thousand-handed clan emblem.

This is the only option, and also the family with the same bloodline and the closest theoretical kinship.

With mixed feelings, Mito slowly opened Senju's picture book.

Hashirama Senju's smiling face suddenly came into view.

The boy in the painting has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his black hair is messy and sticks up, as if he has just come back from the battlefield.

Unlike the portraits of other family members who sit upright, he is actually grinning, revealing a set of white teeth.

Mito unconsciously traced the edges of the portrait with her finger. It is said that the Senju clan's physique is most similar to that of the Uzumaki clan, both possessing strong vitality and chakra reserves.

“At least he looks like a living person…” Mito muttered to herself, turning to the next page.

Tobirama Senju's face made her pause. In stark contrast to Hashirama's sunny and cheerful demeanor, this young master had silver hair and red eyes, with features as sharp as if carved by a knife.

"Too dangerous," she remarked instinctively, but couldn't help glancing at it a few more times.

Those scarlet eyes reminded Mito of Nagi's Sharingan, but they lacked that captivating, demonic quality; instead, they exuded a certain cold rationality.

The third portrait made her pause for a moment. It was of the fourth young master, Senju Itama, with a peculiar hairstyle. The left half of his hair was long and snow-white, while the right half was short and jet-black.

"Was this hairstyle... intentional?" Mito couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Turning to the next page, she discovered that the page about the third young master, which should have been there, had been torn out, leaving only a tattered corner.

Mito's expression darkened. She had heard that Senju Kawarama, the third young master of the Senju family, had died in an ambush orchestrated by the Uchiha and Kurosawa clans.

“It seems that only Hashirama and Tobirama meet the criteria…” Mito took out their portraits separately and laid them flat on the table.

As potential marriage partners, both men have their advantages and disadvantages: Hashirama is the young clan leader and will surely inherit the Senju clan in the future, and his personality is easier to control; Tobirama, although only the second son, is exceptionally intelligent and his influence within the clan should not be underestimated.

"If Father were here, he would definitely choose Hashirama..." Mito muttered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously circling the image of Hashirama.

Suddenly, she stopped and abruptly withdrew her hand.

The ink on the two portraits on the table had been smudged by water stains at some point. Mito Uzumaki was stunned for a moment before realizing that they were her own tears.

"What am I doing..." She wiped the wetness from her cheeks fiercely, a strange anger surging in her chest.

Why cry? Arranged marriages are the fate of noblewomen, especially in the current turbulent times of the ninja world.

The vortex needs powerful allies, and as the vortex princess, she should dedicate her life to this cause.

But the seductive words of Uchiha Nagi kept echoing in her mind: "How about the name 'Land of Whirlpools'? Become the first female daimyo in the ninja world..."

Mito suddenly stood up, grabbed the portrait on the table and was about to tear it to shreds, but stopped at the last moment.

No, we mustn't act impulsively, at least not now.

The cry of a ninja hawk came from outside the window. Mito looked up and saw a ninja hawk with the markings of the Land of Wind soaring across the sky. Her thoughts drifted to the woman who was stirring up trouble in the Land of Water.

"I wonder how far along Uchiha Nagi's political games have progressed..." Mito muttered to herself. "That madwoman said she'd send the Land of Water a 'big gift,' could she have wiped out their royal family?"

Thinking of Uchiha Nagi's unfathomable black eyes and her perpetually unpredictable smile, Mito couldn't help but shudder.