"Oh no! They've really lost their tempers!"
Watching Ashura's True Several Thousand Hands, Isamu immediately realized things had taken a turn for the worse.
At this moment, Indra did not possess the Rinnegan. Facing an Ashura who was fighting with his full strength, Indra had no chance of victory. It wasn't yet time for the Rinnegan to awaken, and Isamu couldn't allow Indra to be defeated. He still needed Indra's Rinnegan if he wanted to find a way back.
With a gentle blink, Isamu activated his Nine-Tomoe Rinnegan. Six Paths Mode instantly enveloped him, twelve tomoe floating behind his back. Having unleashed his strongest power, he flew directly toward Indra and Ashura.
"Th-th-this is…! The Rinnegan and Six Paths Power? How is that possible?!"
Garuda, standing nearby, was completely stunned. Her mouth hung open wide enough to fit several eggs.
"Stop, both of you!"
Isamu appeared between the two titans, his eyes fixed firmly on Ashura.
"This is…!"
Seeing the Rinnegan and Six Paths Power, both Indra and Ashura were shaken.
These powers belonged only to their father. Even as his sons, they had never fully inherited them. Yet now they were appearing before them in the hands of an outsider.
How could they not be shocked?
"Isamu, what is this?" Indra asked, staring at him in disbelief.
He had assumed that Isamu had already used his full strength during their battle. Now he realized that he hadn't even revealed his true trump cards.
"Indra, this battle has gone far enough. Withdraw."
Isamu didn't answer the question. Instead, he urged Indra to retreat.
"But—"
Indra hesitated.
His pride wouldn't allow him to suggest retreating. Yet, despite how unwilling he was to admit it, he knew he couldn't defeat Ashura in his current state. Since he refused to speak the words himself, he could only hope Ashura would be the one to back down.
Seeing Indra still wavering, Isamu turned toward Ashura.
"Let's end today's battle here. Your companions will be returned to you later. Lord Ashura, shall we stop the fighting?"
"…Very well."
Ashura had wanted to settle his grudge with Indra once and for all.
But the appearance of Isamu had changed everything.
The Rinnegan and Six Paths Power were not forces that could be ignored. Others might not understand their significance, but Ashura, as the son closest to Hagoromo, knew exactly how terrifying those powers were.
"Let's go, Indra."
The moment Ashura agreed, Isamu grabbed Indra and immediately flew away before he could object.
Watching the two disappear into the distance, Ashura slowly dispelled the True Several Thousand Hands.
His expression became complicated.
"I never expected those powers to reappear… and in the hands of one of Indra's followers."
"The road ahead won't be easy."
Thus, a legendary battle ended abruptly because of Isamu's intervention.
⸻
"Why did you leave so quickly? I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Brother Mandala!"
After returning to Indra's territory, Isamu headed straight for a mountain peak behind the settlement. Sitting on the edge of a cliff, he quietly gazed at the distant horizon.
Garuda followed him up the mountain and sat beside him, her face full of dissatisfaction.
"I never asked you to follow me."
Isamu rolled his eyes before lying back on the grass and closing them.
Having left the familiar ninja world and arrived a thousand years in the past, he found himself increasingly homesick. He missed Tsunade. He missed Senba.
More than ever, he wanted to go home.
"You think I wanted to follow you?" Garuda snorted. "If I wasn't worried you'd cause trouble, I wouldn't be here."
She looked every bit like a stubborn tsundere.
"Isamu, who exactly are you? And where did those powers come from?"
Suddenly, her tone became serious.
This time, she asked directly.
Those two powers were simply too extraordinary. She needed answers.
"You already know who I am."
"As for how I obtained them… that's my secret."
Isamu remained sprawled on the ground.
"Do you really think I'd reveal everything to someone I've only known for a short time?"
His casual response immediately irritated Garuda.
No matter how much she pressed him, he simply refused to explain.
⸻
Meanwhile, after returning to the clan grounds, Indra didn't ask about the Rinnegan or Six Paths Power at all.
After thanking Isamu, he locked himself inside his room.
Today's events had dealt a tremendous blow to him.
Both Ashura and Isamu had shown him how much stronger they currently were.
To obtain power capable of surpassing Ashura, Indra entered seclusion and began cultivating with everything he had.
⸻
"Damn it!"
"I was so close to succeeding, and then Isamu suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"
"Now making Indra and Ashura destroy each other will be far more difficult!"
In the dead of night, deep within a dark cave, a pitch-black humanoid figure sat on the ground, cursing furiously.
If Isamu had seen him, he would have recognized him instantly.
Black Zetsu.
One of the hidden masterminds behind the future ninja world.
"No… I can't give up now."
"I waited so long for Hagoromo and Hamura to disappear."
"The plan is almost complete."
"How can I abandon everything because of one mysterious intruder?"
Black Zetsu gritted his teeth.
For years, he had secretly manipulated the conflict between Indra and Ashura, pushing them toward endless war.
According to his plan, both brothers would eventually fight until they were severely wounded. At that moment, he would take control of Indra, awaken the Rinnegan, and begin the process of resurrecting Kaguya.
Everything had proceeded perfectly.
Through years of subtle influence, he had gradually twisted Indra's desire for peace into a belief that only power could create peace.
That philosophy directly opposed Ashura's ideals.
The conflict had grown exactly as Black Zetsu intended.
Then, a few days ago, everything changed.
A man named Isamu appeared from nowhere.
Even someone as ancient as Black Zetsu couldn't trace his origins.
After calming himself, Black Zetsu began thinking again.
"Isamu's strength is enormous."
"I cannot deal with him myself."
"If I want him gone, I'll have to use someone else's hands."
"In this era, only a handful of people can contend with him."
"Ashura."
"Indra."
"Mandala."
"Perhaps Kinnara."
"Indra is impossible. His relationship with Isamu is unusual."
"Garuda is also out of the question."
"In that case…"
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed.
"It seems I'll have to work through the others."