The battle between Indra and Ashura bore a striking resemblance to the legendary clash between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara centuries later—closely matched until the end, when the wielder of the Sage's eyes once again fell in defeat. It had happened in the past, and it would happen again in the future.
Although Ashura had defeated Indra, he himself had suffered catastrophic injuries. Only his Sage Body kept him alive for the moment. Even so, having exhausted nearly all his life force, he didn't have much time left—perhaps only a few hours. It would be more accurate to call the outcome a mutual destruction rather than a clean victory.
"I never expected… that I would lose to Ashura again, and by such a narrow margin. How laughable," Indra muttered, his gaze unfocused. The domineering aura that once made him seem like the ruler of the world had completely vanished. With that spirit gone from his heart, everything else felt meaningless.
Watching Indra in this state, Isamu couldn't help but sigh. This was the twilight of a hero—someone who had struggled his entire life only to be defeated by his greatest rival in the end. Isamu understood that feeling all too well.
"Why didn't you use Izanagi? If you had, the outcome might have—"
Before Isamu could finish, Indra cut him off. "That is not my power. I wanted to defeat Ashura with my own strength. I, Indra, will never resort to such cheap tricks. If I am to win, it must be fairly and openly!"
Isamu sighed inwardly. In the ninja world a thousand years from now, the concept of fighting "fairly and openly" had long since disappeared—ninjas relied on surprise and cunning. Yet it was precisely because of Indra's upright character that Isamu admired him. That he refused to use Izanagi came as no surprise.
"Ancestor, you…" Isamu realized he had slipped up and quickly closed his mouth. After a moment of thought, however, he decided to reveal the truth during Indra's final moments. "Ancestor, why push yourself so hard? You originally had a chance to win."
"Ancestor?" Indra looked at him in confusion. "Uchiha Tensei, what do you mean by that?"
"It's like this," Isamu explained calmly. "I'm not actually from this era. I come from a time a thousand years in the future, and I am your descendant. Over those long centuries, our two lines abandoned our Ōtsutsuki ties and took on new surnames…" He briefly summarized the history of Indra's and Ashura's descendants and openly revealed his own identity.
"I arrived in this era through a special method. That's the gist of it." Isamu exhaled softly and looked at Indra.
"So that's how it is. I never imagined you were actually my descendant!" Indra's eyes widened in realization. No wonder Isamu had been able to break through Amaterasu before. No wonder he had felt an inexplicable reluctance to treat him as an enemy. It all made sense now—his own blood had come to his side.
Ashura, slowly making his way over from a distance, overheard everything. So Uchiha Tensei was actually Indra's descendant. No wonder he had followed the so-called "evil" Indra. They had been family all along.
"Yes, Ancestor. I am your descendant," Isamu continued. "We have carried on your will, constantly clashing with Ashura's descendants, the Senju clan, and we have never abandoned the belief in ruling the world through power." He told a small white lie. While the old Madara might have held that ideology, by Isamu's generation—after the merging of bloodlines—the idea had faded. There was no need to burden Indra with that detail now.
"Good… good… good!" Indra's voice filled with gratification. "My descendants are all fine fellows. To have a powerhouse like you appear among them, I can finally rest easy. I was hesitating whether to entrust this to you, but now that hesitation is unnecessary!"
Having accepted Isamu as his descendant, Indra felt profound relief. As he spoke, he gouged out his own right eye—the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Originally, Indra had planned to offer the eye in exchange for Isamu's protection of his children, whom he considered unpromising. Now that he knew the truth, such measures were no longer needed. His descendant had overcome the barriers of time and strength to stand beside him. Seeing such an outstanding heir, he had no regrets left.
"Ancestor, what are you doing?" Isamu asked, startled by the bloody eye now in Indra's hand.
"Consider it a small parting gift for my descendants. Uchiha Tensei, give this eye to someone you deem worthy. My power needs a proper successor!" Indra said calmly. His face showed no trace of the disappointment of defeat. He believed that a descendant as powerful as Isamu had surely achieved what he himself could not. In that case, what was there to regret?
"Very well. I will definitely find the most suitable clan member for it," Isamu promised, carefully accepting the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Come, Uchiha Tensei. Help me into the shrine. I still have one last thing to do." Indra patted Isamu's shoulder and stared fixedly at the shrine, a trace of his former kingly presence returning.
Isamu glanced at Ashura behind them, then helped Indra walk inside.
Ashura said nothing and simply followed them step by step. He knew Isamu would not attack at this moment. Even if he did, Ashura had no intention of resisting. His body was already spent—any Kage-level shinobi could kill him now, let alone the powerful Isamu. Resistance would be pointless.
Once inside the shrine, Indra looked around slowly. He no longer needed Isamu's support. He walked to the center of the chamber and stood tall, speaking calmly:
"Uchiha Tensei, once this matter is settled, return to the era that belongs to you. This is not your time. Go back and take good care of the clan. Do not let my descendants vanish from this world."
"Yes!" Isamu knelt on one knee before Indra for the first time, accepting the ancestor's final command. "I, Uchiha Tensei, swear that as long as I draw breath, I will ensure the safety of the clan." It was both an acknowledgment of a fellow powerhouse and a show of respect for the founder of the Uchiha.
"Hmm. I am greatly reassured by you," Indra said with satisfaction. Though he did not turn around, he could feel Isamu's genuine respect—the first time he had seen the young man show him such deference.
Hearing this, Ashura also felt a sense of relief. If Isamu had stayed in this era, the world would likely have fallen completely under Indra's lineage. Fortunately, he would soon be leaving.
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