Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

On the cobblestone streets, pedestrians were few and far between. The shops on both sides had hung lanterns early in the morning, and the dim yellow light spread in the damp air, casting long, mottled shadows on the walls.

You were wearing a heavy black cloak, with the brim of your hat pulled low, revealing only half of your pale face and a pair of heterochromatic eyes.

Chakra seemed to tangibly surround him, cold and oppressive, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Ordinary people passing by instinctively gave way, vendors hurriedly packed up their stalls, and children were pulled into their homes by their mothers. The entire street fell into an eerie silence because of your arrival.

Lu Helin followed three steps behind you, dressed in white, with a long, unsheathed sword at his waist.

His face was calm, but his dark eyes constantly scanned his surroundings warily. Occasionally, a fearless wandering samurai would cast a glance at him, only to be driven back by a single look.

“Foster Father,” Lu Helin lowered his voice, “turn right at the third alley ahead, and that’s the contact point Bai Lian left behind.”

You nodded slightly, your gray left eye gleaming with a deathly light in the shadows.

Her fingertips lightly touched the crimson sachet hanging from her waist. The spiritual herbs inside had withered most of their color, yet they still emitted a faint fragrance.

Suddenly, the sound of iron boots pounding the ground came from the alley entrance.

Five Iron Country patrolling samurai blocked their way. The one-eyed samurai in the lead gripped the hilt of his sword. "Gentlemen, please show your travel documents."

Rin's hand quietly moved towards the hilt of the sword, but you stopped her with a single look.

Beneath the cloak, your gray left eye suddenly gleamed with an eerie golden light.

“We’re just pharmaceutical dealers.” You looked up. “I already checked the paperwork, didn’t I?”

The one-eyed samurai's pupils dilated abruptly, and he repeated blankly, "Yes...it has already been checked..."

His companions, equally unfocused, mechanically made way for him.

After you had gone some distance, the samurai suddenly shook their heads to wake up, completely forgetting the incident that had just occurred.

The moment you turn into the dark alley, a putrid smell hits you. Dilapidated houses are crammed together crookedly, and dried herbs hang from the eaves, rustling in the evening breeze.

“This is it.” Rin stopped in front of a dilapidated house with a lantern bearing the character for ‘medicine’ hanging on it, and tapped the door three times with her fingers.

The wooden door creaked open a crack, and a pair of cloudy eyes peered through the gap, sizing you up. "Buying medicine?"

"Buy 'Moon-Viewing Grass'." Lu Helin gave the code.

The person behind the door was silent for a moment, then suddenly coughed violently, "Cough cough...come in."

The room was dark and damp, and the medicine cabinet was filled with all kinds of bottles and jars.

The hunched old pharmacist lit an oil lamp, and in the dim light, his wrinkled face looked particularly sinister. "Lord Bailian said you would come... I didn't expect it to be 'Li Nu' who came in person."

You take off your hood. "Where's the stuff?"

The old apothecary trembled as he pulled a scroll from his robes. "This is the whereabouts of the last 'sacrifice' you requested."

The moment the scroll was unfurled, the oil lamp suddenly shook violently!

Shikaga Rin suddenly drew his sword, and the flash of the blade deflected three incoming shuriken!

At the same time, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside—

"It was here after all!"

"Surround them!"

The old pharmacist's face suddenly contorted, and his figure vanished like smoke. "I'm sorry, sir... they gave far too much..."

"Traitor." You scoffed coldly, and the golden chains pierced through the fading figure in an instant!

Blood splattered on the medicine cabinet. The old pharmacist looked down in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest. "No...it can't be...my Substitution Technique..."

You retract the chains, turn around and look at the pursuers who have broken down the door. There are more than ten warriors from the Iron Kingdom, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The leading samurai shouted, "By order of Lord Mifune, we are here to apprehend the 'tanuki' who is disrupting the order of various nations!"

Rin Kaga's sword was already drawn. "With you guys?"

"Step back, Rin."

You slowly step forward, your right Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotating, and you lightly touch your brow with your fingertip, causing black runes to suddenly spread!

A suffocating burst of chakra erupted—"Night Parade of One Hundred Demons".

Countless golden chains surged forth from behind like living creatures, each chain tip transforming into a demonic form, roaring as it pounced on the warriors!

Screams echoed through the dark alley.

As the last warrior fell, you suddenly staggered, the black runes spreading down to your neck.

Lu Helin hurriedly helped you up, "Foster Father!"

"It's alright," you said breathlessly. "Compared to this..."

On the unfolded scroll was written a name that made his pupils shrink in shock—

[Offering: Mito Uzumaki]

"What's the date today?" you asked hoarsely, your voice sounding like it came from a great distance.

Lu Helin, standing beside you, glanced at you with concern. "Today is December 24th."

"December...24th..." you repeat the date, your eyes suddenly becoming unfocused.

Consciousness is like being caught in a storm, the boundary between reality and dreams blurs and distorts before your eyes, and in a daze, you seem to have returned to this day last year.

You kneel before a low table, surrounded by piles of documents left behind by the hawks, your fingers stained with ink, and your forehead throbbing from prolonged concentration.

"This proposal on border patrols still needs revisions..." you mutter to yourself, making marks on the document with your pen.

In the corner of the room, Madara Uchiha sat quietly.

He showed up here early this morning, did nothing but cross his arms and watch you work with a deep gaze.

You could feel his gaze pressing down on your back, almost tangible.

"Is he here to oversee the handover of affairs between the doves?" you wondered to yourself, without looking up.

The conflict between hawks and doves has intensified recently, and as the leader of the hawks, I do need to be cautious about taking over dove affairs.

Time passed in silence. Ban's breathing grew heavier, and when you occasionally looked up, you could catch a fleeting glimpse of emotion in his eyes. What was it? Dissatisfaction? Anger? Or...disappointment?

"...Is something the matter?" you couldn't help but ask when the documents were finally finished.

Ban's body stiffened slightly, his lips pressed into a straight line, and the emotions in his eyes became even more complicated.

When did you first notice a hint of grievance and sadness in his eyes?

"It's nothing," Ban replied curtly, his sleeves billowing as he stood up.

His departing figure appeared exceptionally lonely, his long black hair shimmering in the sunlight until he disappeared at the end of the corridor.

You frown in confusion, but are quickly drawn to the new document.

You didn't finish all your work until dusk, and you stretched your aching shoulders, ready to go home.

"Elder Nagi! What are you still doing here?"

In the corridor, Uchiha Kawanashi hurried towards you, carrying a pile of scrolls in her hands. When she saw you, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Where should I be?" you asked back, helping Chuan Lan catch the scroll that was about to slip.

Chuan Lan looked even more confused: "Didn't the young clan leader invite you?"

"Is something important happening today?" you ask hesitantly.

You notice that decorations are hanging in the corridor, and the tribespeople seem busier than usual.

Chuan Lan gasped, looking at you incredulously, "Today is the young clan leader's birthday! Elder Nagi, you couldn't possibly not know that, could you?"

"Birthday?" Your fingers unconsciously tightened, wrinkling the edge of the scroll.

In an instant, all of Ban's unusual behavior today became clear: his silent companionship, his gloomy expression, and the hurt in his eyes when he left.

You've never cared about these kinds of things; the battlefield and politics have occupied your entire mind, and you've deliberately suppressed your personal feelings deep inside.

But Madara is different. Madara's feelings for you are something that the entire Uchiha clan knows.

"Elder Nagi, hurry and go find the young clan leader! He looks terrible today!" Chuan Lan urged, her eyes filled with worry.

Without hesitation, you turned and walked towards Ban's mansion. The cold wind brushed against your cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the anxiety rising in your heart.

In front of the mansion, you encounter Uchiha Kakuno, who is carrying his clan robes.

"Elder Nagi, what is this?" Huo He spoke first, his gaze shifting back and forth between you and the mansion.

"I've come to apologize to Ban," you say bluntly.

"Huh? An apology!" Firecore's eyes widened, then her expression turned strange as if she had just realized something. "It's... about forgetting it's his birthday today?"

You nodded, then awkwardly looked away.

A sly glint flashed in Huo He's eyes, and he suddenly shoved the tribal robe in his hand into your arms.

"In that case, Elder Nagi, please put my clan robe in the young clan leader's bathroom. He's still at the training ground. You can go in and wait for him to come back."

You take the ethnic clothing and vaguely sense that something is wrong, but your guilt prevents you from thinking about it too much.

The moment you stepped into the mansion, you heard Firecore whisper with delight, "This time, the young clan leader will definitely praise me!"

The hot spring in the backyard of the Uchiha mansion is Madara's private territory. Normally, no one dares to approach it except for certain servants. You hesitated for a moment, but still pushed open the wooden door of the dressing room.

A wisp of steam wafted from the direction of the bathroom, carrying a faint smell of sulfur.

You folded your dark blue tribal robe and placed it on the bamboo rack in the dressing room, your fingertips lingering on the fabric for a moment.

As you turn to leave, you hear footsteps approaching from afar.

"Fire Core, I told you I don't need it—" Madara's voice stopped abruptly the moment he opened the door and saw you.

Your breath hitches. Ban is wearing only a loose black bathrobe, the front of which is wide open, revealing his muscular chest and abs.

Water droplets slid down his collarbone and disappeared into the depths of his clothes. He had obviously just finished bathing; his black hair was wet and clung to the back of his neck, with water still dripping from the ends.

You immediately turned your face away, saying, "Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in!" and then quickly walked towards the door.

A hand covered in moisture suddenly grips your wrist, so tightly it almost hurts.

"Don't you have anything else to say?" Ban's voice was so low it sounded like it was being squeezed out from the depths of his throat.

"I'm sorry, I forgot it's your birthday today." As soon as you said it, you felt a strange sense of guilt.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Ban's mouth as he released your wrist. "Whatever, I haven't cared about these things for a long time." As he turned around, the hem of his bathrobe fluttered in the breeze, his tone as indifferent as if he were discussing the weather.

But you're all too familiar with that tone; it's the sound of Ban suppressing his anger.

"What gift do you want? I'll get it ready for you now." You take a step forward, your finger hovering in mid-air, hesitating whether to grab him.

These words seemed to touch a sensitive nerve in Ban, and he turned around and used his fingertips to lift your chin, forcing you to look directly at him.

“Last year you gave me a wood carving for my birthday,” Ban’s voice trailed off, “and then this year, you even forgot my birthday.”

You opened your mouth, but didn't know how to explain.

Indeed, last year you personally carved an eagle with outstretched wings and gave it to Ban, but this year... you didn't even think about it.

"Go away, I don't want to see you." Ban suddenly let go of your hand, turned around, and you couldn't see his expression.

“I know you’re angry,” you interrupted him, your voice unconsciously rising, “but I’ve been dealing with hawkish documents all day, and if Chuanlan hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have…”

"Enough!" Ban turned around abruptly, his bathrobe opening completely to reveal his lean waist and abdomen.

The kaleidoscope pattern in his eyes spun wildly. "You're always like this! To you, the Uchiha's political affairs, battlefield intelligence, even those damn documents are more important than me!"

Ban's chest heaved violently, and his eyes, which were always brimming with pride, now held a look of hurt and grievance.

This is not the invincible Uchiha clan leader on the battlefield, but an ordinary person who is ignored and feels sad.

"Ban, I..." Your voice softened.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you at Hawk's today?" Ban approached her, his body still carrying the sulfurous scent of the hot springs. "From dawn till dusk, just to hear you say 'Happy Birthday'?" He emphasized each word, as if those words had been stuck in his throat all day.

Your heart clenched suddenly, remembering how Ban stood by the window with his arms crossed in the council chamber that morning.

Sunlight filtered through the grille, casting dappled shadows on his face. His gaze would occasionally sweep over you, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

You were so busy reviewing those damn border reports that you didn't even glance at him.

“It was my fault,” your voice lowered a few decibels, “I’ll give you whatever compensation you want.”

"Any compensation is acceptable?" Ban didn't turn around, but the danger in his voice intensified.

"Yes..." Before you could finish speaking, Madara suddenly picked you up and strode towards the hot spring pool.