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Suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion shook the entire village.
The ground beneath our feet trembled violently, and a deafening roar echoed through the night.
My eyes widened.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Ashura flinched beside me, while Hagoromo immediately turned toward the source of the explosion.
Without wasting another second, the three of us rushed outside.
The moment we stepped out, I froze.
A massive purple aura had erupted in the distance, towering above the village like a monstrous specter. Its overwhelming chakra pressure spread through the air, making the atmosphere feel heavy.
My eyes narrowed as I stared at it.
"That…"
I knew exactly what I was looking at.
"Susanoo…"
Ashura's expression suddenly changed.
His eyes widened in panic.
"Kanna!"
He immediately looked toward the direction of the voice.
I followed his gaze.
My own eyes widened.
"Shirai?!"
There, near the edge of the village, Shirai and Kanna had been thrown across the ground by the blast. They weren't seriously injured, but both had clearly been caught in the shockwave.
Ashura and I immediately rushed toward them.
"Kanna!"
"Shirai!"
We reached them almost simultaneously.
I grabbed Shirai by the arm and helped her back onto her feet while Ashura carefully helped Kanna stand.
"Are you alright?" I asked quickly, looking her over for injuries.
Shirai coughed lightly before waving me off.
"I'm fine… just a little shaken."
Kanna nodded as well, though her face was still pale.
"I'm alright…"
Ashura let out a relieved breath.
"Thank goodness…"
I looked back toward the enormous purple chakra looming over the village.
My expression hardened.
That was definitely Susanoo.
Which means…
My eyes narrowed.
Indra.
I clenched my fist.
After everything that had happened between us, I had hoped for at least a little time before our paths crossed again.
Apparently, fate had other plans.
I glanced toward Hagoromo.
He was staring at the purple giant in the distance with a grave expression.
"Father…"
Hagoromo didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the enormous chakra construct.
Then his expression became even more serious.
"Everyone… stay behind me."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Whatever was happening…
This wasn't a simple dispute anymore.
The enormous purple Susanoo slowly began to fade.
The chakra dispersed into the night, revealing a lone figure standing at the center of the destruction.
Indra.
His clothes were torn slightly, his breathing heavy, and his Sharingan burned crimson beneath the moonlight.
He stared directly at Hagoromo.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence.
Then Indra's fists clenched.
"Tell me…"
His voice trembled with restrained fury.
"Why didn't you choose me as your successor?!"
The words echoed through the village.
Ashura stiffened.
I remained silent, watching my elder brother carefully.
Indra took a step forward.
"WHY?!"
His Sharingan spun violently.
"What was I lacking?!"
His voice cracked with anger.
"I had the power! I had the talent! I was the strongest among your disciples! I devoted myself to mastering Ninshu while everyone else was still trying to understand it!"
His breathing became heavier.
"I was the one who should have inherited your position!"
He pointed toward Hagoromo.
"I had everything necessary to become a great successor!"
His eyes suddenly shifted toward me.
"You chose Danava first."
My expression remained calm, but my eyes narrowed slightly.
Indra's gaze then moved toward Ashura.
"And when he rejected it…"
His voice became almost incredulous.
"You chose Ashura?!"
Ashura looked down sadly.
Indra's fists trembled.
"I wasn't even an option to consider?"
His voice echoed through the night.
"Not once?"
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Indra's expression twisted between anger, disbelief, and something deeper.
"After everything I accomplished… after everything I sacrificed… you couldn't even consider me worthy?"
Hagoromo looked at him solemnly.
"Indra…"
"Don't!"
Indra shouted, cutting him off.
"Don't give me some meaningless answer about compassion or bonds!"
His Sharingan glowed brighter.
"I have spent my entire life proving that I am worthy!"
He clenched his teeth.
"So tell me, Father…"
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"What exactly did I lack?"
"The villagers relied on my power," Indra said, his voice filled with conviction. "Power was everything. Ashura and Danava lacked it."
Hagoromo remained calm.
"It isn't about power, Indra."
His gaze softened.
"It is about love."
Indra's expression twisted with disbelief.
"Love?"
He scoffed.
"There is no need for love. Those villagers relied on me because I possessed true power. With enough power, anything is possible."
His eyes shifted toward Ashura, then toward me.
"Ashura and Danava lacked that strength."
He clenched his fist.
"And I don't need the help of the weak."
The moment those words left his mouth, Hagoromo's expression became solemn.
"That…"
His voice was quiet.
"…is exactly what my mother, Kaguya, would have said, Indra."
Indra's expression flickered for a moment.
Hagoromo continued.
"Other people cannot progress as quickly as you can. They cannot reach the heights that you can reach."
He looked directly into Indra's eyes.
"But that does not make them worthless."
"People don't gain true respect simply because they fear your power."
Indra's expression hardened.
"Respect?"
He laughed bitterly.
"Then perhaps they need to be taught."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Indra…"
His Sharingan began spinning.
"Perhaps…"
His voice became colder.
"I'll simply force them to obey."
Suddenly—
WHOOM!
An immense surge of chakra erupted from Indra.
The air itself seemed to distort around him.
His Sharingan changed.
The tomoe twisted and reshaped themselves, forming a far more sinister pattern.
My eyes widened.
Ashura's mouth fell open.
"Elder brother…"
Even Hagoromo's expression changed.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Indra…"
He stared at his son's eyes.
"When did you…?"
Indra slowly raised his head.
A cold smile appeared across his face.
"I awakened this power…"
His Mangekyō Sharingan glowed crimson beneath the moonlight.
"…the day I nearly killed Danava."
My expression immediately hardened.
Indra looked directly at me.
"And I'm grateful I did."
He tilted his head slightly, his smile becoming colder.
"Because that pain gave me these eyes."
Ashura's fists clenched.
"Elder brother…"
I said nothing.
I simply stared into Indra's Mangekyō.
So this was it.
The moment the boy I once knew finally disappeared behind the monster he was becoming.
Indra's gaze never left mine.
"Thank you, Danava."
His smile widened.
"You gave me the power I needed."
The night fell silent.
And for the first time, I truly understood.
There was no longer anything left of the brother I once knew.
"Elder brother, stop this madness!"
Ashura's voice rang through the village, desperation clear in every word.
"We can still settle this peacefully!"
He stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly.
"I don't want to fight you."
Indra stared at him for a moment.
Then his lips slowly curled into a smile.
"You're going to fight me?"
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun within his crimson eyes.
"Why do you believe you can take me?"
Before Ashura could respond—
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning erupted from Indra's hand and shot toward us.
"ASHURA!"
I moved instantly.
My shadow surged from beneath my feet.
WHOOOM!
A massive wall of solid darkness erupted between us and the lightning.
The bolt slammed into the barrier.
BOOOOOOM!
Lightning scattered across the surface of the shadow wall before dissipating into the night.
I lowered my hand slowly.
Ashura stared at the barrier.
"Elder brother Danava…"
I stepped forward, my expression calm but my eyes sharp.
"Stay behind me."
Indra's smile faded slightly.
His Sharingan focused on the shadow wall.
"So…"
He tilted his head.
"That's the power you received from Father."
I glanced at the darkness covering my arm.
"Partly."
The shadows beneath my feet began to ripple.
Indra's eyes narrowed.
"You've grown stronger."
I smiled faintly.
"And you have too."
My gaze shifted toward his Mangekyō.
"But don't mistake that for me wanting to fight you."
Indra's expression hardened.
"Then why are you standing in my way?"
I didn't answer immediately.
I looked at Ashura.
Then at Father.
Then back at Indra.
"Because you're attacking my family."
The shadows around me began rising.
"And whether you like it or not…"
My eyes narrowed.
"…I'm still your younger brother."
Indra's Mangekyō spun.
"Then prove it."
His chakra erupted once again.
"Show me whether you're truly worthy of Father's power."
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
I slowly raised my hand.
The shadows responded instantly.
"Fine."
My smile disappeared.
"Indra…" I said, my voice dropping into something colder. "I have no choice now."
"I won't hesitate to end you for good."