"Hahaha! Well said, Isamu! I never expected you to have such a unique perspective!"
Upon hearing those words, Indra burst into laughter.
Although Isamu's views differed somewhat from his own philosophy, they ultimately reached the same conclusion through different paths. For years, he had been rejected by both his father and his younger brother. Receiving acknowledgment from someone whose strength rivaled his own was something Indra genuinely valued.
Hearing Indra's laughter, Ashura, whose convictions had begun to waver, quickly regained his composure.
Although he couldn't refute Isamu's arguments, he absolutely could not accept them—especially not in front of Indra.
He immediately turned to Mandala beside him.
"Third Brother, please hold Isamu back. As for Garuda, she's our sister and shouldn't cause you any trouble."
"You only need to keep Isamu occupied. Once I defeat Indra, I'll come help you."
"No problem."
Mandala curled his lips into a cold sneer.
His eyes were filled with hostility as he looked toward Isamu.
The words Isamu had spoken earlier had only widened the rift between his two brothers. Because of that, Mandala was eager to teach him a lesson.
As for whether he could actually defeat him…
That possibility never even crossed his mind.
⸻
"Want to fight? Very well."
Seeing that Ashura and his side intended to settle things by force, Indra let out a cold laugh.
He glanced at the warriors behind him before pointing toward the Ninja Sect army.
"Ay!"
"Lead the charge and show them our spirit!"
"As for the Ninja Sect…"
"Show them no mercy!"
"Yes, Lord Indra!"
A towering man stepped forward immediately.
Behind him stood two other warriors of similar caliber.
All three possessed Super Kage-level strength.
The burly warrior glared fiercely at the Ninja Sect army ahead.
"B!"
The moment he spoke, the two men beside him instantly understood.
They crossed their arms together to form a launch platform.
The giant warrior stepped onto it.
Lightning Release Chakra erupted around his body.
The next moment—
BOOM!
He shot into the sky like a cannonball.
⸻
Watching him soar above the Ninja Sect forces, Ashura's expression changed.
He knew exactly who this man was.
Ay.
The strongest warrior under Indra's command.
A peak Super Kage-level powerhouse.
Among those who weren't members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, almost no one could rival him.
The instant Ashura understood Ay's intention, he shouted:
"Scatter! Everyone scatter!"
Unfortunately, there were simply too many people.
The warning came too late.
⸻
"HAAAAAA!"
Ay gathered all his strength into a single fist.
"Heavy Flow Explosion!"
BOOM!!!
His punch crashed into the center of the Ninja Sect formation.
The earth shook violently.
Dust exploded into the sky.
A gigantic crater nearly two hundred meters wide instantly formed.
Hundreds of Ninja Sect members died on the spot.
Hundreds more were injured.
⸻
"Oh?"
Even Isamu raised an eyebrow.
"Not bad."
Creating a crater hundreds of meters across with a single strike was no small feat.
This man's strength was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Hearing the praise, Indra couldn't hide his pride.
"Of course."
"Ay's father was the very first person to follow me."
"He sacrificed his life long ago, but Ay has never shamed his father's name."
"After years of training and persistence, he has become the strongest warrior in my territory."
"Ay alone can match thousands of men."
"He is my strongest subordinate."
Isamu nodded.
He had to admit it.
Ay's strength was impressive.
In fact, he reminded Isamu of the future Raikage.
If someone like him existed in Isamu's era, holding back tens of thousands of shinobi alone wouldn't be impossible.
⸻
After creating the massive crater, Ay immediately charged toward the surviving Ninja Sect members.
"How dare you!"
Seeing so many of his people slaughtered, Ashura's anger erupted.
"Wood Release!"
Massive trees burst from the ground and instantly wrapped around one of Ay's arms.
"Hmph."
The moment Ashura intervened, Indra moved.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan activated instantly.
The skeletal frame of Susanoo materialized around him.
Slash!
One swing severed the trees binding Ay.
"Ay."
"Leave Ashura to me."
"Go deal with the others."
"Yes, Lord Indra!"
Although Ay was eager to exchange blows with Ashura, he obeyed without hesitation.
Turning toward the battlefield, he roared:
"Brothers!"
"Follow me!"
⸻
Soon, the Ninja Sect army and Indra's forces clashed elsewhere, leaving the central battlefield to the two leaders.
Ashura and Indra immediately engaged each other.
One summoned a massive Wood Dragon.
The other manifested a Half-Body Susanoo.
The battle between the brothers began once again.
⸻
As Isamu watched thousands of Ninja Sect members collide with only a few hundred of Indra's warriors, he was just about to join the battle when a figure appeared before him.
It was Mandala.
"Where do you think you're going, Isamu?"
"With me standing here, you still think you can leave?"
"Are you really ignoring me that much?"
His tone was filled with displeasure.
⸻
"Oh?"
Isamu glanced at him lazily.
"You must be Garuda's brother, Mandala."
"Didn't you hear what happened last night?"
"Even Indra couldn't defeat me."
"Yet someone at your level dares to block my path?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
The contempt in Isamu's eyes couldn't have been more obvious.
Since awakening in Konoha, over a month had passed.
After his battle with Indra, his recovered strength had reached sixty percent.
That ten percent increase might not sound significant, but the difference was enormous.
Previously, he had only recovered half of his original power.
Now he had surpassed that threshold.
With most of his strength restored, Mandala, who was merely at the Quasi-Six Paths level, simply wasn't someone he considered a threat.
⸻
"You're the one who's lost your mind!"
Mandala snorted disdainfully.
"The only reason you defeated Indra was because he went easy on you."
"I'm different."
"I won't hold back when I beat you down."
In Mandala's eyes, the rumors of Indra's defeat were absurd.
He believed Indra had intentionally allowed Isamu to win in order to recruit him.
After all, how could a member of the mighty Ōtsutsuki clan truly lose to an outsider?
⸻
Hearing that, Isamu could only shake his head.
This entire family truly failed to understand Indra.
A man as proud as Indra would rather die than deliberately lose a fight.
Of all people, Mandala should have known that.
Yet somehow, he understood Indra the least.