Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

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“Sai…” His voice was weak, yet carried an undeniable firmness, “You must forget me. In this organization… you cannot have feelings… you cannot have any attachments… only then… can you… survive…”

Before he could finish speaking, several more mouthfuls of blood gushed from his mouth.

"I don't want to! I just want you to stay with me! Brother!" Sai's tears flowed like a burst dam, dripping onto Shin's gradually cooling face.

All his pretense and training collapsed completely at this moment, leaving only the most primal, excruciating pain of losing a loved one.

Shin's consciousness was fading, but he clung to his last strength, gripping Sai's arm tightly, and stammered, "If Nagi comes looking for you... please trust her... she can take you... away from this... hell..."

“...I understand,” he choked out, nodding vigorously as if trying to etch every word his brother said into his soul.

Seeing that his younger brother had finally made a promise, Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He took one last look at Sai's tear-streaked face, as if to remember his appearance forever, and then closed his eyes forever.

The hand that was tightly gripping Sai's arm also slipped down limply.

In the confinement room, only Sai remained, holding his brother's gradually cooling body, his desperate cries echoing through the room.

His only light, his only warmth in this cold hell, has been completely extinguished.

Taking advantage of the moment when Iruka-sensei was preoccupied with Naruto, you made a quick decision, using the excuse that "the Anbu had an urgent mission," and in a flash, you left the Ninja Academy.

You need to find a place to lay low and take care of some personal matters. Choose a secluded path and head in the opposite direction from the secret base.

Just as you're about to turn into a darker alley, the faintest footsteps behind you instantly put you on alert.

A suppressed groan rang out.

Nara Shikamaru didn't even see what happened. He only felt an irresistible force strike him. In a dizzying moment, his back slammed heavily against the cold wall. A slightly cool hand gripped his throat tightly, pressing him against the wall, rendering him unable to move.

A feeling of suffocation surged up instantly, and Shikamaru struggled to lift his eyes, meeting a pair of Sharingan eyes swirling with scarlet tomoe.

You frowned, released your grip on his throat, and asked with a hint of annoyance at being interrupted, "It's you? What are you doing following me?"

Shikamaru clutched his throat and coughed violently a few times before he could catch his breath.

He leaned against the wall, dusted himself off, his face still showing that lazy expression, but his eyes were unusually clear. "I just thought your behavior had been strange lately, so I followed you to check it out."

"This is none of your business." You turned to leave, not wanting to get entangled with him any further. The fewer people who know about the core issues, the better.

Shikamaru suddenly reached out and grabbed your wrist. "The direction you went wasn't the Anbu base at all."

Shikamaru's sharp gaze swept over the increasingly desolate surroundings as he lowered his voice, "That direction leads to Root territory, Uchiha Nagi, what are you doing there?"

He has seen part of your file and is well aware of the tense, even hostile, relationship between Root and you. Danzo has long coveted the secrets within you, and going to Root on his own initiative is tantamount to a lamb entering a tiger's den.

You turned around and looked at Shikamaru with some surprise. "Don't you hate trouble the most? This is the biggest trouble of all."

Logically speaking, given Shikamaru's personality, upon sensing trouble of this magnitude, he should immediately hide far away.

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru not only didn't let go, but instead tightened his grip even more. He smirked, "Anyway, I don't think there's anything more troublesome than being your deskmate."

Since getting involved with you, his peaceful life has been gone forever.

“Since you’re already in so much trouble, one more thing won’t make a difference. Take me with you, maybe… I can help you?” His eyes were honest and direct, carrying a calmness and composure beyond his years.

He didn't act impulsively; rather, he made the choice after assessing the risks and potential benefits.

He intuitively felt that the secrets you were hiding might be closely related to some undercurrents in Konoha, and understanding these might be crucial to the Nara family's future stance.

Of course, there might also be a subtle emotion of not wanting to see you take risks alone.

You look at him silently, pondering the value and credibility of his words.

Bring him along? Nara Shikamaru? His intelligence and strategy are indeed a great help, especially his father, Nara Shikaku, who is a relatively neutral figure with real power in the Konoha leadership. There might really be times when we need to rely on his strength in the future.

After a moment's deliberation, you made a decision: instead of shaking off his hand, you acquiesced to his colleague.

"Stay close, don't hold me back," you whispered, then turned and continued walking, faster and more elusive.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, focused his attention, and kept up closely.

You stealthily moved forward, avoiding several visible and hidden sentries. Just near the entrance in the shadows, your dark eyes had already activated the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Without forming hand seals or experiencing violent chakra fluctuations, his spiritual power spread out from his center.

Standing behind you, Shikamaru felt as if the air around you had frozen for a moment. The Root guards not far away had their eyes become empty, showing no reaction to the intruder who was so close.

He knew you were strong; being targeted by the Dark Guard was proof of your strength, but he never imagined you were this strong.

Terrifying mental and visual powers—is this the real reason they're considered forbidden?

Ignoring Shikamaru's shock, you walked straight into the oppressive passage. Shikamaru suppressed his inner turmoil and quickly followed.

Chapter 315 - Celebrating the Holiday

When you and Nara Shikamaru followed the scent of blood and the unusual fluctuations in chakra to the training room deep within Root, the scene that greeted you instantly tensed even the usually lazy Shikamaru.

Sai collapsed to his knees, clutching a lifeless letter tightly in his arms.

Their clothes were soaked in blood, leaving dark red trails on the ground.

Sai's face was expressionless, but his shoulders trembled slightly.

He clutched the letter tightly to his collar; the air was thick with the smell of rust and a suffocating stillness.

Nara Shikamaru could clearly feel the palpable atmosphere of sorrow. He frowned and subconsciously looked at you beside him.

Upon seeing Xin's lifeless face, you didn't hesitate for a moment, "Take Xin and come with me!"

The letter's last words still echoed in Sai's ears, like the cruelest curse.

He remained motionless, as if he hadn't heard you.

"You...have a grudge?" Shikamaru sensed that you knew each other and that you all exuded a gloomy aura that was out of place with your surroundings.

He lowered his voice and asked you, trying to sort out the chaotic situation.

You did not answer Shikamaru's question.

A holiday? Between you and Sai, it's less of a holiday and more of a twisted entanglement.

Shin had twice helped him, and both times he was severely punished by Danzo.

Sai blames all of this on you, sees you as a jinx who brings misfortune, and has always treated you coldly and with hostility.

“If you don’t leave your roots, you won’t even have a chance to avenge him.”

Sai looked up and met your dark eyes. Finally, he took your outstretched hand, silently carried Xin's body on his back, and secured it with restraints.

The weight of the letter pressed heavily on his back and on his heart.

You did not choose the path you came from, but walked towards the core area of ​​the roots.

Shikamaru looked at your back, then at Sai carrying the body, and alarm bells rang in his mind. He felt like he was walking into a trap.

But he gritted his teeth and ultimately chose to follow. He had a premonition that something revolutionary would happen tonight.

As they traversed the intricate passages, the guards became increasingly tighter the further they went. Under the silent gaze of the Mangekyou Sharingan, not a single one of the well-trained Root elites was able to step forward to stop them.

The Sharingan's genjutsu suppression was on full display at this moment.

They arrived at an iron gate engraved with sealing runes; this was Danzo Shimura's office.

Shikamaru and Sai were both on edge. Trespassing into Danzo's office was undoubtedly a capital offense!

The door was flung open.

Danzo Shimura was sitting upright behind a large desk, holding a pen in his hand, seemingly preparing to review documents.

His movements froze in mid-air, his entire body stiff as if he were a clay or wooden sculpture, staring blankly ahead, showing no reaction to the three people who broke in.

Sai and Shikamaru never imagined that your courage and ability would reach such a terrifying level, directly controlling the Root leader?

Sai laid the body with the letter on his back flat on the cold floor. You walked to his side and handed him the kunai. "Stab him twice, then we'll leave."

Sai took the kunai without hesitation, then stepped forward and, with all his might, stabbed it into Danzo's unsuspecting chest.

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was exceptionally clear in the silent room.

Danzo's body convulsed violently, but he remained firmly bound by the illusion, unable to move or make a sound.

Sai pulled out the kunai, looking at the gushing blood, his eyes filled with no pleasure, only a cold, deathly stillness.

He raised his kunai again, and without any hesitation, large patches of blood quickly seeped into Danzo's dark robes.

Having done all this, Sai seemed to have exhausted all his strength. Holding the blood-stained kunai, he took a step back, breathing rapidly.

You turned around first, and Shikamaru immediately followed. Sai took one last look at the letter on the ground, gritted his teeth, and also turned and left.

He glanced at Sai behind him, who had pale skin, short black hair, and a standard but empty smile on his face, before turning his gaze to Nara Shikamaru on the other side.

"Would he lie?" you suddenly asked.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by your nonsensical question.

He yawned and replied in his signature troublesome tone, "Well...it depends on the situation and the person. What, do you need my help to cover up a lie?"

You nodded and made your request directly, "Help me make a certificate."

"And what about the reward?" Shikamaru wasn't going to do anything that would lose money, especially something that would obviously cause trouble. "How are you going to repay me?"

You thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook your head. "I haven't decided yet."

Shikamaru sighed helplessly, "Sigh... Alright, I'll owe you for now, but you'd better remember to pay me back."

He had a rough idea that the trouble he had gotten himself into was probably related to the root of the problem. Although it was troublesome, for some reason, he did not want to refuse.

The Hokage's office was filled with smoke.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the peculiar group before him: Nagi Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, and Sai, a boy who was clearly from Root.

He held his pipe, his brow furrowed, his mind filled with doubt. These three people didn't seem like they would ever cross paths.

"So, what brings you all here to see me?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked kindly, his gaze sweeping over you.

Following the pre-arranged script, Nara Shikamaru stepped forward and explained in a somewhat lazy yet logically clear tone.

"Hokage-sama, it was Iruka-sensei who arranged for Nagi Uchiha and me to encourage each other to complete our Ninja Academy coursework, which is why we are discussing this together today."

He pointed to you beside him, his tone natural and flawless, and you nodded in agreement.

Shikamaru continued, "Then we ran into him on the way—"

He pointed to Sai, who was standing silently to the side, "He looked very flustered at the time. We found out after asking him that he was a member of Root and his name was Sai."

“I met him when I was in the orphanage,” you continued.

This is a statement that is half true and half false, enough to establish a connection without revealing too much.

Sai said that Danzo asked him to fight Shin, but Shin told him to run away and instead went to assassinate Danzo himself.

Sai lowered his head at the opportune moment, his hands clasped together nervously, his pale, weak appearance, along with the numbness unique to the roots, was extremely deceptive.

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to this absurd yet intricately connected explanation, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. What was Danzo up to now? Was he engaging in such cruel infighting among his own subordinates?

Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and an elite member of the Anbu strode in, kneeling on one knee to report, "Lord Hokage, urgent news has just come from Root. Elder Danzo has been assassinated again. Only a body named Shin was found at the scene, confirmed to be a Root member."

The report from the secret service matches your testimony perfectly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled, and his gaze toward Sai was filled with complex emotions.

Danzo, as expected, is using this cruel method to cultivate tools again.

Now that Shin's assassination attempt has failed and he has died, this kid named Sai probably won't be able to stay in Root anymore, and may even be silenced by Danzo.

A golden opportunity is before us.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly and gently as he reassured Sai, "Child, don't be afraid. Now that you've left Root, come to Anbu."

"Just like Uchiha Nagi, you can live freely in Konoha, no longer controlled or coerced by anyone." He brought you up as an example at the right time to increase his persuasiveness.

By taking over Danzo's meticulously cultivated genius weapon, not only can the power of Root be weakened, but the strength of Anbu can also be enhanced, which is a win-win situation.

Sai raised his head, his standard smile fading slightly, revealing a hint of hesitation and uncertainty. He looked at you, then at the Third Hokage, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, said, "...Okay."

Seeing that he agreed, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile became even more genuine. He added gently, "Good boy, the village will not treat you unfairly. They will give you appropriate subsidies. In a few days, you will go to the Ninja Academy with Nagi, Shikamaru, and the others to get used to normal life."

"Yes, thank you, Hokage-sama." Sai bowed respectfully, but a deep look that didn't match his baby face flashed quickly in his lowered eyes.

On the way back, only you and Nara Shikamaru remained.

The two walked silently, one in front of the other, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Shikamaru recalled the boy named Sai from earlier, who seemed to have something to say to you but was taken away by the elite ANBU.