Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Page 268

His purpose in coming today was indeed partly to test the waters and... perhaps even a sliver of hope to salvage the situation, but more than anything, he wanted to see what was so special about this girl whom the Hokage was willing to protect using absurd methods.

But I never expected to run into such a big obstacle.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger and maintaining the dignity of the main family, and said coldly, "...I came here today to apologize for my previous oversight, but now it seems that it is completely unnecessary."

Your reaction was extremely decisive; you didn't even bother with a polite "take care."

Leaving only those two cold words behind, before Hiashi and the others could react, you reached out and slammed the door shut again with a "bang," your movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The heavy wooden door completely shut out the grim expressions and tense atmosphere of the Hyuga clan outside.

Inside the door, Sakura leaned against the door panel, panting heavily, as if she had just gone through a life-or-death ordeal.

She raised her wet, emerald-green eyes and stared intently at you, who remained expressionless, her voice trembling with lingering fear.

"Nagi... thank you... and I'm sorry... I'm really sorry... and thank you... for not minding our family's ordinariness."

She was incoherent, her emotions a mixture of gratitude, guilt, and lingering fear.

You seemed completely unmoved by her heartfelt words, calmly walking back to the table and looking at the half-eaten, slightly cold sandwich on your plate.

Then, with utter nonchalance, you picked up the plate and handed it to Sakura, who was still immersed in complex emotions, and ordered in a calm, even voice, "It's cold, reheat it."

Sakura: "..."

Her overwhelming feelings of emotion and admiration vanished instantly, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, and her little face puffed up like a steamed bun.

"What the heck~!" Sakura couldn't help but complain softly, with a hint of grievance and helplessness, "You...you're practically a living ancestor I invited home!"

Even so, seeing that you didn't seem to notice anything wrong, Sakura resigned herself to taking the plate, muttering to herself as she walked towards the kitchen to diligently heat up your breakfast.

Haruno Chizuru and Haruno Mebuki returned carrying large bags of daily necessities, their faces showing both exhaustion and satisfaction after their busy work.

"We're back!" Yabuki's voice was as energetic as ever.

Sakura ran out of her room to help with the things when she heard the noise, and you quietly followed behind. Neither of you mentioned the unpleasant incident of the Hyuga clan's sudden visit during the day.

Haruno Chō enthusiastically carried a newly assembled, side-by-side double desk into Sakura's room.

"Look! Nagi and Sakura can study together from now on!" He smiled憨厚ly, beads of sweat still on his forehead.

Sakura immediately rushed to her half of the desk, excitedly touching the smooth surface. "Great! Nagi! We can do our homework together now, and we can read comic books together! I have so many interesting comics in my collection!"

Your gaze swept lightly over the brand-new desk, showing little interest. Your attention was drawn to a box of books that Haruno Meibuki had brought back from outside, which seemed to have been found at a flea market.

You silently walked over, squatted down, brushed the dust off the lid with your slender fingers, and opened the box.

Inside were various yellowed, musty-smelling old books, mostly outdated travelogues, popular novels, or basic life encyclopedias, and even some tattered account books. To an ordinary child, this was undoubtedly a box of garbage.

But you read through it very carefully and occasionally catch some useful information.

Haruno Chika and Mebuki watched you quietly flipping through old books, showing no dissatisfaction with the simple new environment. They couldn't help but smile at each other, feeling relieved and even a little gratified.

This child, although he looks cold and speaks very little, seems... not difficult to get along with. Perhaps he just appears aloof.

Sakura fiddled with her new desk for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She cupped her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at you who were reading. "Oh, right! Nagi! It's a full moon tonight! The moon will definitely be big and round! Shall we go to the rooftop to watch the moon? I heard that wishes made under the full moon are very effective!"

The words "full moon" act like a switch, causing your fingertips, which were turning the page, to suddenly freeze. The color fades from your pale fingertips at a visible speed, becoming almost transparent.

You lowered your eyes, your thick eyelashes concealing the fleeting darkness in them, your voice remaining calm and even, "It's meaningless."

"Huh?" Sakura's enthusiasm seemed to have been doused with cold water. She muttered, "Watching alone really isn't very interesting..."

But she quickly recovered and regained her energy, starting to chatter away around Nagi, asking what seemed to you to be completely nonsensical questions—

"Nagi, what color skirt do you like?"

"Nagi, do you think the miso chashu flavor or the salt flavor of Ichiraku Ramen is better?"

"Nagi, what kind of ninja do you want to become when you grow up?"

Most of the time you just stay silent, and only when you get annoyed by the questions will you answer one or two very briefly, and your answers often leave Sakura completely baffled.

Night falls quietly.

Haruno Chizuru received an urgent D-rank mission and hurriedly ate a few bites of food before heading out.

Haruno Mebuki also needed to work the night shift at the hospital. She left the prepared dinner in the kitchen to keep it warm, gave you some more instructions, and then left with peace of mind.

Suddenly, only you and Sakura were left at home.

Sakura leaned against the window, watching the neighbor's children playing and laughing under the streetlights outside, their laughter clear and melodious.

She was itching to join in, and excitedly ran back to her room, wanting to invite you to come along.

“Nagi! Let’s go out too…” Her words came to an abrupt halt.

Instead of reading or sitting quietly, you were curled up in the corner of the bed, your body trembling slightly, your long black hair disheveled and covering your face.

An extremely ominous and chilling aura is emanating from you...

"Nagi?" Sakura's heart jumped. She carefully climbed onto the bed and tentatively tried to get closer. "What's wrong? Let's go out and play together?"

Just as her fingertips were about to touch your shoulder, your tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

Sakura gasped in fright and froze on the spot.

It wasn't the familiar black eyes; instead, it was a pair of cold, golden vertical pupils, devoid of any human emotion, containing only a chilling emptiness and coldness, as if some sleeping monster had suddenly awakened.

"You...you..." Sakura was so frightened that her tongue tied itself in knots, and her body involuntarily shrank back, her back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

You seem to be in extreme pain, letting out a suppressed groan from deep in your throat, and your body trembles even more violently.

His golden, vertical pupils were fixed on Sakura, yet it seemed as if he were looking through her at something else entirely.

Although Sakura's heart was pounding with fear, seeing how clearly you were enduring immense pain, her kindness and concern overcame her fear.

She forced herself to remain calm, her voice trembling with tears, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I...I'll go get someone right now!"

As she spoke, she turned around and tried to climb to the window and shout for help.

A cold, icy hand suddenly reached out from behind and tightly covered Sakura's mouth, stopping her from crying out!

His other hand gripped her waist like an iron clamp, holding her firmly in his arms.

"No...you're not allowed..." Your voice was terribly hoarse, as if the two words were being squeezed out with difficulty from between your teeth.

The cold breath sprayed onto Sakura's ears and neck, raising goosebumps.

Sakura struggled in terror, her gaze frantically sweeping over the small mirror on the dressing table beside the bed, reflecting the scene behind her.

Your face was deathly pale, devoid of any color. Your disheveled long black hair clung to your sweat-dampened forehead and cheeks, and your eerie golden vertical pupils gleamed with an inhuman luster in the dim light... You looked... like a female ghost who had crawled out of hell to claim a life.

In the midst of extreme fear, Sakura's scalding tears welled up uncontrollably, and a few drops landed precisely on the back of your hand that was tightly covering her mouth.

The scalding heat felt like it was burning my skin.

Chapter 247: Changes

Your tightly wrapped arm suddenly stiffened, and the hand covering Xiaoying's mouth abruptly loosened as if burned.

Losing his support and suffering immense pain and backlash, he fell backward helplessly, crashing heavily onto the bed.

"Nagi!" Sakura, now free, immediately turned around.

The gold in your eyes has receded like the tide, turning back into a bottomless black, but that black is filled with pain and weakness.

My body was frighteningly cold, and even the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to be dropping rapidly. Tiny, glistening ice crystals began to condense on the sheets and the ends of my hair!

Her thin lips had been bitten raw, and the oozing blood stained her pale lips, giving them an eerie and tragic crimson hue.

Sakura was terrified. She didn't know what kind of strange illness it was, nor did she know what to do.

But seeing your fragile and painful appearance, she disregarded the freezing temperature and rushed over to hug your cold and stiff body tightly with her warm embrace.

"Why did this happen? Are you in pain? Tell me how I can help you?" Sakura's voice was trembling with tears, filled with anxiety.

Your vision has begun to blur, and your hearing has become unclear.

But in the boundless vortex of cold and darkness, one can clearly feel the small, warm, trembling body that is tightly holding one's back, and see those emerald green eyes that are close at hand, filled with pure worry and anxiety.

Sakura's embrace was like a drop in the ocean compared to the rampant cold poison originating from the depths of her blood, offering absolutely no relief.

But this time, you finally heard clearly that your usually silent and cold heart was beating wildly and uncontrollably because of someone.

"Sakura..." you whispered in a low, husky voice, your breath weak and cold, "I'm afraid of the cold..."

This almost submissive, dependent whisper startled Sakura, who was in a state of extreme panic.

In that instant, she suddenly felt... something about you in her arms seemed different.

But that fragile feeling vanished in an instant, so quickly it was like an illusion, and you were back to being the unfathomable Nagi.

"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!" Sakura immediately tightened her arms, hugging you even tighter. Even though the low temperature made her teeth chatter, she showed no intention of letting go. "I'll keep holding you! I'll warm you up!"

You seemed to chuckle silently, then pressed your burning forehead against Sakura's warm collarbone. From an angle she couldn't see, the corners of your bloodstained lips curved upwards in a barely perceptible arc.

You whispered your last words in Sakura's ear: "Sakura's embrace... is so warm that I can never... leave it again."

The last three words were so soft they were like a sigh, instantly swallowed by intense pain, and Sakura didn't hear them clearly.

"What? Nagi, what did you say?" Sakura asked anxiously, only to find that the body in her arms suddenly sank, completely losing all strength. You had already fainted in her arms.

"Nagi! Nagi!" Sakura was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she quickly checked your breathing.

Fortunately, although her breathing was weak, it was relatively steady.

Moreover, your body temperature seems to be... rising little by little? And the tiny ice crystals around you are also beginning to melt slowly.

Sakura finally let out a long, relieved sigh of relief, feeling almost completely exhausted.

She still didn't dare to loosen her embrace, but carefully adjusted her position so that you could lie down more comfortably.

She looked down at you, who were unconscious in her arms, your face still pale but with a strange sense of peace in your sleeping expression, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

She finally understood... why adopting you required the Hokage's personal approval... you seem to be hiding many secrets and pains that ordinary people cannot imagine.

When you opened your eyes again, it was already the next morning, and a lingering sense of confusion remained in your dark eyes.

Last night's pain and cold felt like a hazy nightmare, with only a lingering sense of weakness deep within my body proving that it was not an illusion.

Your gaze unconsciously falls on the small bed opposite you. It's empty, the blankets are neatly folded, and there's no sign of Sakura.

You get up, moving slightly slower than usual, and quietly leave the room.

In the living room, Sakura was standing on a small stool, tiptoeing, her hands gripping the windowsill, intently gazing outside through the glass.

The sounds of other children chasing and playing drifted in from outside the window, their voices filled with carefree energy.

Sakura stared, lost in thought, a hint of longing flickering in her emerald eyes.

You quietly walked up behind her, watching her focused profile, and almost unconsciously spoke, your voice still slightly hoarse from the morning, "Want to go out and play?"

The sudden sound startled Sakura, causing her to lose her footing and fall backward off the stool with a scream.

Just when she thought she was about to fall flat on her face, a cool but remarkably steady hand quickly supported her back, while another hand grabbed her arm, easily stabilizing her unbalanced body.

Sakura, still shaken, patted her chest and gasped for breath. Turning back to you, who had appeared behind her seemingly out of nowhere, she complained, "You scared me to death! How come you walk so silently? Like a ghost!"

Looking at her pale face, you paused for a moment, then almost immediately replied, "...I'm sorry."

Sakura: "!!!"

She suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at you in astonishment, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

You, who was completely indifferent to her yesterday and seemed unapproachable, are now apologizing so readily? You were unconscious all night... were you possessed?!

Sakura blinked hard, wondering if she was still half asleep.

Especially... when she met your dark eyes, she actually caught a hint of almost...morbid tenderness within them?

That look sent a chill down her spine for no reason, and she instinctively shivered.

She must be overthinking it! Hmm! She must still be recovering from the shock she felt yesterday! Sakura quickly reassured herself and shook off that absurd thought.

Your voice rang out again, interrupting Sakura's reverie, but the topic veered towards a more sensitive area, "About last night..."

Sakura jolted awake, immediately raising three fingers in a gesture of swearing, her expression serious and tense. "I swear! I didn't tell anyone! When Mom and Dad asked me why I went to bed so early, I told them I was tired! Really!"

Seeing her nervous and anxious expression, as if she were afraid of being silenced, you nodded almost imperceptibly, "Mm."

Sakura: "..."

This overly cooperative, even responsive, attitude didn't reassure Sakura; instead, it made her feel even more terrified! You weren't like this on the first day!

That cold, aloof indifference, while frustrating, was at least normal! This current state, where every word gets a response... it's like the calm before the storm, sending chills down my spine!