A few days passed. Indra sat in his Uchiha compound house, the quiet halls still echoing faintly with the memory of recent chaos. In the days since, he had met with Minato, Noboru, and even Mikoto when he was injured.
But Jiraiya-sensei hadn't met with him once. No explanations, no summons. Indra hadn't bothered to ask—some questions when left unanswered are the best.
Today, however, they were scheduled to train together. Training ground 7. Noon.
Indra packed up his bento, neat and deliberate, then stepped out of the compound. The air carried the chatter of merchants hawking their wares, the rhythmic footsteps of shinobi patrols, and the distant laughter of children. Strolling casually through the village streets, he eventually reached the outskirts where the numbered training grounds stretched one after another.
'5… 6… 7!'
He stopped, eyes narrowing briefly before a small grin tugged at his lips. Entering the ground, he spotted Jiraiya and Minato already standing near the entrance.
"Hope I'm not late!" Indra called, his voice light.
Before Jiraiya could respond, Minato piped up brightly, "No worries! Jiraiya-sensei and I just got here!"
Jiraiya exhaled, half a sigh, half a groan. "You kids…" His eyes, however, shifted to Indra, his expression sharpening.
"Indra. How did you save Kushina? And how did you know about it?"
The sudden weight in his tone made Minato blink. His head turned toward Indra, curiosity written across his face.
"Save… Kushina?" Minato muttered. "What did you do?"
Caught between their gazes, Indra faltered for the briefest second before answering evenly, "What do you mean? I was just training when I noticed a group climbing over the village wall. I happened to glimpse red hair… thought it might be Kushina. When I got closer, I found this."
He pulled out several strands of long red hair, letting them dangle in the sunlight.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he examined them. "So… Kushina must've torn out strands of her hair, hoping someone would notice?"
"Mm, maybe. That's your assumption." Indra tucked the hair away. "I only said I found it on the ground."
Minato's eyes lit with admiration. "Your eyesight must be incredible! To see Kushina from so far away, and even notice her hair—amazing!"
Indra just grinned, saying nothing more, while Jiraiya's squint deepened.
'I don't sense he's lying… but surviving a squad of jōnin? That doesn't add up.'
The three walked deeper into the training ground. Indra's gaze flicked over the familiar faces already waiting: Tsunade, arms crossed with a patient air; Mikoto, calm as always; and Kushina, restless energy radiating off her in waves.
"Oh, hi!" Indra waved dramatically. Kushina and Mikoto waved back almost in unison.
"Hello, Sister Tsunade," Indra greeted Tsunade warmly.
"Hello, Tsunade-sama," Minato echoed more formally.
Tsunade nodded faintly. Indra tilted his head. "Why are you here? Is this a team mission?"
"Sit down first, then we'll talk." Tsunade's firm voice brooked no argument.
The group sat cross-legged in the clearing. The steady hum of cicadas filled the air, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. Jiraiya reached into his pouch, drawing out a bundle of chakra paper. The faint parchment shimmered faintly, infused with a subtle energy.
"Alright, brats," Jiraiya said, holding a slip aloft. "These papers come from a tree born of chakra from the God Tree itself. Pour chakra into them, and they'll reveal your natural affinity. Most people have one. A rare few, two. This determines which elemental ninjutsu comes most naturally."
"You can still use other nature jutsu but at more cost of chakra because of your affinities."
Minato leaned forward, sharp-eyed with curiosity. Kushina practically vibrated in place, her excitement impossible to contain. Mikoto's expression remained calm, but her dark eyes betrayed interest.
Indra, meanwhile, crossed his arms, a faint smirk curling on his lips.
I'm an Uchiha… fire and yin, obviously. Maybe even lightning too.
"Okay, ladies first." Jiraiya handed two slips to Tsunade, who passed them to her students.
Kushina went first. She grinned as she poured chakra into the paper. It split cleanly, one side dampening instantly.
"Wind and water! Not bad, Kushina!" Tsunade praised.
Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "Lucky, huh? Wind is fast and aggressive, water is stable and adaptive. A versatile mix."
"Maybe we can start her with some of your uncle's water techniques," Jiraiya suggested, and Tsunade nodded thoughtfully.
Then Mikoto took the slip, her face calm but her hands betraying the faintest tremor. She channeled her chakra into the slip, silently praying for something worthwhile.
At first, the paper darkened, as though ink were spreading across it. Then it ignited in her palm, burning to ash in a sharp burst.
"Oh, great, Mikoto. Fire and Yin." Tsunade confirmed smoothly, though there was a faint curl of pride in her tone. Just faint, as Uchiha normally always have fire and yin affinities.
"How about I teach her some fire style… and genjutsu?That'd be in my control." Jiraiya grinned, puffing out his chest.
"She's from the Uchiha clan," Tsunade deadpanned. "She'll get higher-quality fire jutsu from her clan than from you."
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head thinking for a while as he broke into an awkward laughter. "My bad."
He turned, puffing himself up again. "So far the ladies are winning. Minato, don't disappoint me!"
Indra raised a brow at that, while Tsunade's sharp gaze flicked toward Jiraiya. "Already playing favorites, I see."
Jiraiya only shrugged.
Minato took his slip next, pressing chakra into it with a steady hand. The paper split neatly down the middle, the edges flickering into flame.
"Fire and Wind! Nothing unexpected from the 'Child of Prophecy'!" Jiraiya laughed, his voice booming across the training field.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "You still believe in that prophecy nonsense?"
Jiraiya's grin faltered for a moment. "…To be honest, I've judge that kid to be the Child of Prophecy."
Tsunade raised a brow. "Who? Nagato?"
When Jiraiya gave a solemn nod, she fell silent. Of course—those eyes of his, the Rinnegan. It wasn't an exaggeration to call him the "Child of Prophecy." , hopefully. He won't turn his back against konoha.
Subtle foreshadowing...
"Okay, Indra," Jiraiya said finally, handing the last slip forward. "Your turn."
Indra sighed, pinching the paper between two fingers. He closed his eyes, focusing, pushing chakra carefully into the delicate fibers.
At first—nothing.
Then—
Fsshh—
The paper split in half → Wind.
The edges curled and ignited → Fire.
The ash crumbled into coarse dust → Earth.
The dust dampened instantly, dripping water through his fingers → Water.
A sudden crackle surged; the paper spasmed before collapsing → Lightning.
The slip should have ended there. But it didn't.
The ruined paper darkened unnaturally, blotches of shadow spreading like spilled ink → Yin Release.
Then a faint golden shimmer pulsed from the fragments, warm and radiant → Yang Release.
The paper disintegrated entirely, scattering to the wind like fragile ashes.
The clearing went silent. Completely silent.
"…That… that's impossible." Jiraiya's voice cracked, wide eyes locked on Indra. "No one has all five basic natures… let alone Yin and Yang. Not even the First Hokage had that from the start…"
"He… he actually has a natural affinity for Yang Release," Tsunade whispered, frozen in place.
Minato blinked rapidly, struggling to process. Kushina gawked openly, then quickly scowled, crossing her arms. "Tch… show-off." But deep inside, relief and pride stirred.
Mikoto said nothing—her dark eyes simply studied Indra, sharp and unreadable.
Indra brushed the ash off his palms and stood, his lips curling into an eager smile that barely hid how surprised he seemed.
Of course, he knew what five fricking nature release meant!
If he wasn't going to be in the top tier of the Shinobi world now! He can be.
Just putting more shadow clones to master his nature's and then? Even Madara would have a hard time with him.
Specially with seal less ninjutsu—At the start of Chakra Era. Indra Otsutsuki shared the idea of seals which spread to where the ninjas use now.
Seal less ninjutsu? Nothing sort of god-like power in people's eyes.
"So?" he asked brightly with a knowing smile. "What does that mean, Jiraiya-sensei?"
Jiraiya just stared at him for a long, heavy moment. His jaw tightened, his breath uneven. Finally, under his breath, he muttered:
"…Could this brat… be another Child of Prophecy?"
Tsunade's voice cut through the stillness like a kunai.
"Jiraiya. Hand this student over to me."