Naruto Immersive Replay, The Curse of the Sharingan

Page 258

Kakashi walked silently to your side, no longer trying to look at you. His silver hair covered his profile, and his mask concealed all his expressions.

Only he knew how tightly his lips were pressed together and how sore his teeth were clenched beneath the mask.

The jealousy that was completely ignored did not disappear; instead, it fermented even more bitterly in the dark swamp of the heart.

The sun was still shining brightly, and the path was still quiet and secluded, but the silver-haired Jonin walking along it seemed to be shrouded in an invisible shadow.

For the first time, he realized with such clarity that some uncontrollable, dark emotion had quietly taken root, and you, who had triggered it all, were completely unaware of it, or rather... completely indifferent.

This realization was more frustrating for him than any failed mission, and more dangerous than any powerful enemy.

The road to the orphanage seemed both so long and so short for the first time.

Sunlight streamed through the clean glass window, falling warmly on Sakura Haruno's pink hair. She sat at her desk, biting her pen, the diary in front of her open with only the date and weather written on it, the rest blank.

"Sigh..." Sakura sighed listlessly, propping her head up with one hand and watching the birds flying around outside the window. "Today was so uneventful, nothing happened..."

Just then, her mother, Haruno Megumi's, voice came from the living room, as cheerful as ever, "Sakura! The Hokage Building is currently printing out the application forms for next year's Ninja Academy! Go and get one!"

"Ah! Okay, Mom!" Sakura instantly perked up, as if she had been injected with energy.

She immediately put down her pen, leaped up from her chair, and hopped out of the house like a happy little deer—finally, she had something to do!

In stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere at her home, the air in the Hokage's office was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Amidst swirling smoke, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a large desk, his brow furrowed, the light from his pipe flickering in and out of his hand.

Opposite him, the Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, sat upright with a solemn expression.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed a thick stack of documents in front of him. Hiashi took them, opened them, and found that they were all identical requests to adopt the orphan Uchiha Nagi.

In the lower right corner of each request, Shimura Danzo's personal seal and his highly recognizable, sharp-handled signature are clearly affixed.

A thick stack of papers, like a silent declaration, demonstrates its owner's determination to win.

Hiashi looked up in astonishment at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes filled with disbelief. Was Danzo so obsessed with this child?

Hiruzen didn't explain immediately, but silently handed over another file folder marked 'Top Secret'.

Hiashi took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, untied the seal, and pulled out the documents inside.

As he read on, his face grew paler and paler, and his fingers holding the paper trembled slightly.

The file contains an analysis report on the bizarre nature of Uchiha Nagi's bloodline limit, which far exceeds the understanding of ordinary people, as well as... a detailed record of the events six years ago when she was born, including the reversal of the flow of the Naga River, the withering of all trees, and the appearance of strange phenomena in the sky.

The words convey one conclusion: this is an extremely dangerous individual assessed as SSS-level by Konoha.

Chapter 234 Signature

"Lord Hokage, what is this...?" Hiashi's voice was a little hoarse as he tentatively asked. Hiruzen Sarutobi would never let him access such top-secret information without a reason.

Hiruzen took a heavy drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaling thick white smoke as if to expel the pressure in his chest. "Hiashi, you've seen it too. This Uchiha orphan is far too special."

"Danzo... has never given up the idea of ​​completely controlling her." His gaze, seen through the smoke, appeared deep and weary.

Hiashi Hyuga nodded silently. He had seen that girl before; her eerie black eyes and cold, sharp demeanor that didn't match her age made him understand what that meant. She was definitely not an ordinary child.

“The Uchiha clan is currently in turmoil, and relations between the clan territory and the village are tense. She absolutely cannot return to the Uchiha.” Hiruzen’s voice was low and serious.

"But at the same time, she absolutely cannot fall into Danzo's hands, as that would pose an unpredictable and enormous threat to the internal balance of Konoha."

He paused, as if he could see the girl standing indifferently in the center of the office, completely unconcerned about the power struggles around her.

“I originally thought that placing her in an orphanage, away from all eyes, might temporarily avoid these conflicts, but this action by the Hidden Cloud Village has completely disrupted the original plan.”

Hiruzen's gaze refocused on Hiashi, carrying an undeniable heavy pressure. "In order to restrain Danzo and balance the power within Konoha, a sufficiently influential and relatively neutral clan is needed to take over. The Hyuga clan... is the best, and only, candidate to adopt Uchiha Nagi."

Hizen's words fell heavily, like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirring up a storm in Hiashi's heart.

Adopting Uchiha Nagi?!

Hiashi unconsciously clenched the file folder in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. This didn't just mean adopting a child; it meant that the Hyuga clan would be officially drawn into the center of the struggle between the Hokage and Root, and that they would have to take over a dangerous SSS-rank figure!

The risks and responsibilities involved are enormous!

He lowered his head and replied in a strained voice, "Reporting to Hokage, the matter of adopting Uchiha Nagi is of great importance, and I need more time... to consider it carefully." He could not make a decision immediately, as it concerned the future of the entire Hyuga clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have anticipated his hesitation and did not press him. Instead, he took out a separate, specially formatted form from the drawer and pushed it in front of him.

“I understand your concerns.” Hiruzen’s voice was devoid of emotion. “I have already approved the main contents of this form. Now, all that’s missing is the signature of the adoptive parent to officially establish the adoption relationship.”

His gaze sharpened. "Remember, Hiashi, there's only one of these tables. There are no extra copies. Take it back and think it over carefully."

Hiashi picked up the form, which felt both light and incredibly heavy; his fingers could even feel the subtle raised marks of the Hokage's seal on the paper.

He didn't know how he bid farewell to the Hokage, or how he walked out of that oppressive office in a daze.

The corridor was brighter, but he felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his heart.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is forcing him to take sides, forcing the Hyuga clan to clarify their stance in the power struggle between the Hokage and Root!

And that orphan named Uchiha Nagi is the key bargaining chip in this game! No one knows what changes adopting her will bring...

Thinking this through, Hiashi felt that this matter could not be decided alone and had to be discussed through an internal meeting of the main family.

He walked down the stairs with a heavy heart and came to the lobby on the first floor of the Hokage Building.

In stark contrast to the somber atmosphere upstairs, this place was bustling with activity, crowded with ninjas and children who had come to collect their application forms for next year's Ninja Academy, their noise filling the air.

Looking at the chaotic and crowded scene, Hiashi couldn't help but frown slightly, wanting only to leave as soon as possible.

As he tried to push through the crowd, a ninja carrying a tall stack of brand-new registration forms hurried by, not noticing what was in front of him, and bumped into Hiashi.

"Splash—!"

Exclamations and the sound of papers scattering rang out simultaneously; the snow-white registration forms, like petals falling from the sky, instantly filled a corner of the hall!

Hiashi reacted extremely quickly, instinctively reaching out to support the staggering ninja who was about to fall, and steadied himself.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Lord Hyuga! Are you alright?" The ninja who bumped into him apologized hastily, his face pale with fright.

"It's alright." Hiashi released his grip, his tone calm, maintaining the dignity of the main family.

Unbeknownst to him, during the bump and the helping of others, the crucial adoption application form hidden in his wide sleeves had silently slipped out, drifting lightly among the white application forms scattered on the ground and disappearing instantly.

"Thank you, Lord Hyuga!" the ninja thanked him repeatedly, and without thinking, hurriedly knelt down to tidy up the mess of papers scattered on the floor, haphazardly stacking the scattered registration forms. Among them was that crucial form...

Hiashi, unaware of what was happening, had already straightened his robes, frowned, and quickly left the noisy place, still weighing the heavy choice in his mind.

At the entrance of the hall, Haruno Sakura curiously squeezed into the crowd, standing on tiptoe and waiting to receive a registration form.

Finally, the long queue slowly moved forward, and it was her turn.

"Here you go, little sister, this is your application form for the Ninja Academy next year." The ninja in charge of distributing the forms didn't even look up. He just grabbed one from the tall, somewhat messy stack of papers and stuffed it into Sakura's hand.

He needed to deal with the crowd as quickly as possible.

Sakura took the well-made paper and glanced down at it subconsciously. That one glance stunned her.

In the bottom right corner of the form, however, was a striking stamp—the Hokage Seal—that she had only ever seen in textbooks and on the Hokage Rock!

"Um... Uncle, did you give me the wrong one?" Sakura looked up, hesitantly asking in a low voice, trying to get the busy ninja's attention. "This one has the Hokage's seal on it..."

However, the hall was too noisy, and the ninja handing out the registration forms could only vaguely hear the words "wrong" and "brothers and sisters".

He assumed the pink-haired little girl in front of him had younger siblings who needed to register and that one sheet wasn't enough, so without even looking up, he casually pulled another sheet from the pile of papers next to him and stuffed it into Xiaoying's hand.

"Take it, take it! Hurry up, there are other people in line behind you!" The ninja waved his hand impatiently.

"Huh? No, I..." Sakura wanted to explain, but she was already being pushed away from the window by the crowd behind her.

She looked down at the second form that had inexplicably appeared in her hand, completely bewildered.

In a daze, she was swept away by the crowd and walked out of the bustling Naruto Building, holding a form in each hand.

Standing on the steps outside the building, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. Sakura blinked before carefully looking at the first form in her hand.

This form appears to be made of a thicker material than the registration form, and its format is completely different. At the top is printed a line of striking black text: 【Application Form for Establishing Special Relationships with Konoha Village】

Below are densely packed terms and conditions and fields to be filled out: Adoptee Information (Name: Uchiha Nagi, Age: 6, Current Address: Konoha Orphanage), Adoptive Parent Information (mostly blank, but some printed official approvals and the prominent Hokage seal are already present), Guardian's Will, Notarization of Property, Risk Assessment...

"What...is this?" Sakura tilted her head, her bright green eyes filled with utter confusion. An adoption application form? Uchiha...Nagi? Konoha Orphanage?

Although she couldn't quite understand all the terms, she roughly understood that it was a very important document about a child named Uchiha Nagi who lived in an orphanage being adopted.

Moreover, it even has the Hokage's stamp on it!

Kind-hearted Sakura immediately realized that such an important form absolutely could not be kept by her and had to be returned immediately.

She looked at the address recorded on the form—Konoha Orphanage.

She vaguely remembered that place; although it was located in a rather remote corner of the village, it was fortunately in the same direction as the road home.

"Alright, I'll send this over first and then go home!" Sakura muttered to herself, carefully folding the ninja academy application form and putting it in her pocket. Then, holding the special adoption application form, she headed towards the orphanage.

The closer you get to the orphanage, the quieter the surrounding streets become, and the fewer pedestrians there are.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse trees, casting dappled shadows on the road. The air was fresh, yet carried a strange sense of loneliness.

The orphanage's gate was an old wooden door, which wasn't completely closed today, but rather half-closed, and it was quiet inside.

Sakura was about to push open the half-closed door when a deep, resonant voice came from the guardhouse next door, "Hey! You pink-haired girl over there! Stop! Today isn't open day! You can't just come in like that!"

Sakura was startled and immediately stopped, turning around to look at the source of the sound.

An elderly man with gray hair, wearing reading glasses, and looking very serious walked out of the guardhouse.

She immediately bowed politely and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir! I'm not here to play around, I'm here to... submit a form!" As she spoke, she held up the special application form in her hand.

"Submit a form? What form? Let me see!" The old man pushed up his glasses suspiciously, stepped forward, and took the form from Xiaoying's hand.

He leaned closer and, using the sunlight, carefully examined the title at the top of the form and the prominent Hokage seal. His expression changed slightly, as if he understood something.

"Oh... is this it!" The old man's tone softened a bit. He took the form in his hand and said to Sakura, "Alright, I'll pass this form on to the dean for you later! Thank you, little girl."

Upon hearing this, Sakura immediately breathed a sigh of relief and a sweet smile appeared on her face. "You're welcome! Thank you, Grandpa! I'll trouble you then!" After saying that, she turned around and prepared to leave, hurrying home to give her mother the ninja academy application form.

"Hey! Wait! Little girl! Come back!" The old man suddenly called out to her again.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, puzzled, and turned around. "Grandpa, is there anything else?"

The old man pointed to the bottom right corner of the form, where there was a signature area that was currently blank. "You haven't signed this form yet! How can you submit it? Sign it now!"

"A signature? What signature? Did I sign it?" Sakura pointed to herself in disbelief, her bright green eyes wide with confusion.

She didn't fill out this form; she just found it and brought it over.

"That's right! Otherwise, who will sign it?" The old man looked at the child with a confused expression and urged, "Whoever brought it here signs it! That's the rule! Hurry up and sign it so I can give it to the director quickly; it might be urgent!"

The old man had clearly misunderstood. He thought Sakura was a staff member sent by the Hokage Building to deliver the approved document. Although she was a bit young, it was normal for ninja children to be precocious. She had just forgotten to complete the final signing procedure.

Sakura was a little flustered by the old man's urging. She looked down at the form and then at the place where she needed to sign.

Although she felt something was off, the old man spoke so confidently, and the form came from the Hokage Building and even had the Hokage's stamp on it, so... there shouldn't be any problem, right? Maybe she just needed some kind of proof of delivery?

She was, after all, just a five-year-old girl, and faced with the urging of an elder who seemed to have a lot of authority, her little doubts were quickly suppressed.

"Okay... alright..." Sakura hesitated before taking the pen from the old man.

"Sign here, in the bottom right corner, make it clear!" the old man pointed.

Sakura took a deep breath, no longer looking at the complicated terms and names on the form, only feeling that she had completed a task.

Holding the pen, she carefully and meticulously signed her name, stroke by stroke, in the lower right corner of the adoption application form that would determine the future of a special child—Haruno Sakura.

After signing her name, she seemed to have accomplished something significant and handed the pen back to the old man.

"Yes, that's right!" The old man nodded in satisfaction, put away the form, and said, "Alright, that's all for you. Go home now!"

"Thank you, Grandpa! Goodbye, Grandpa!" Sakura said politely, and this time she finally turned around and left smoothly, running lightly towards home, thinking that she should hurry up and hand the ninja academy application form to her mother.

The special application form, signed with 'Haruno Sakura', is currently lying quietly in the old gatekeeper's hand, about to be sent to the dean's office.

Chapter 235 The Way of the Ninja

Pushing open the door, a colder air than usual rushed in, but you didn't stop and walked into the center of the room as if you were oblivious.

The moment the door behind you silently closed, eight figures appeared like ghosts in every corner of the room without warning, completely blocking all possible escape routes.

They wore uniform Root uniforms and expressionless animal masks, exuding a cold and pure killing intent and aura of obedience born from rigorous training and brainwashing. The air seemed to be instantly sucked out, becoming thick and suffocating.

“Uchiha Nagi,” came the voice of the leading Root elite from behind the mask, tinged with a hint of mockery, “please come with us. Lord Danzo wishes to see you.”

You showed no surprise, fear, or intention to resist; you simply raised your eyelids slightly, your calm, dark eyes sweeping over the eight figures in the dim light, as if you were taking inventory.