"Who on earth did this?! To be able to bypass all of our surveillance and silently assassinate Uncle Shōkai—who exactly is this person?!"
Ashura stood before the deceased Shōkai, his face full of rage as his mind raced, trying to determine who possessed such ability and what motive they could have had for the murder.
Shōkai was the Six Paths Sage's most loyal follower and his eldest disciple. After the Ninja Sect was founded, Shōkai became the Six Paths Sage's most capable subordinate, and his status rose accordingly. When Indra and Ashura were still young, Shōkai was already the second-in-command of the Ninja Sect and the mentor of the four siblings. Yet now, this mentor who had guided them through life had been murdered. How could Ashura not be furious?
"This Chakra signature seems to belong to that Uchiha Tensei. I have fought him before and am very familiar with his Chakra. I cannot be wrong; this is definitely Uchiha Tensei's Chakra signature!"
Mandala's face was livid, his nails digging into his palms. His eyes could perceive many things that ordinary people could not. While they were not as capable as Kaguya's in surveying the heavens and the earth, detecting residual Chakra signatures in the air was not difficult for him.
It had to be said that Black Zetsu played this move very skillfully. While traveling to the mountain of the Ninja Sect, he specifically visited a place where Isamu had fought before, used a special method to collect the residual Chakra Isamu had left behind, and used it to frame him.
"Uchiha Tensei? It's that guy! Damn him, he's asking for death!"
Ashura's eyes widened upon hearing this, filled with intense killing intent. Shōkai was an elder from his father's generation and the only one still alive today. He had not only assisted the Six Paths Sage but had also been Ashura's mentor. Now that the person he respected most had been killed, the rage in Ashura's heart could no longer be contained.
"Taizou, go quickly and mobilize the entire army. We are going to find Indra and demand the culprit. Today, I will make Uchiha Tensei pay in blood!"
Ashura gritted his teeth as he glared at Taizou beside him.
Taizou was Ashura's childhood friend and staunchest supporter. He supported Ashura unconditionally in whatever decision he made. Upon receiving the order, Taizou immediately rushed off to mobilize the troops.
"What's going on? Why is Lord Ashura mobilizing so many people?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Let me tell you, I heard that Lord Shōkai was suddenly assassinated last night, and it's said that it was done by someone named Uchiha Tensei from Indra's side. Lord Ashura and several high-ranking officials are furious, and now Ashura is about to take people over there to demand the culprit!"
"No way. That guy Indra is full of pride. Even if Uchiha Tensei really did this, I doubt Indra will hand him over so easily. It's going to be another war!"
Over 15,000 members of the Ninja Sect stood in a massive field, whispering among themselves, their words laced with worry. While they felt sorrow over Shōkai's death, they were even more concerned about the impending war.
The last war had ended only half a month ago, and now another was about to begin. Recently, wars had been coming far too quickly; they had barely had time to recover. In the past, wars occurred only once every six months, but now they seemed to happen every ten days or so. This was simply…
Before long, Ashura arrived with Mandala, and everyone immediately fell silent, looking toward Ashura and awaiting his orders.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Indra, having finished over ten days of secluded cultivation, had also mobilized all of his people and was continuously advancing southward.
"Indra, where are we going?" Isamu asked curiously. Although he had already guessed something from the direction they were heading, he still wanted to confirm it.
"Yeah, Brother, where exactly are you taking us?" Garuda also looked bewildered. After her brother Indra finished his secluded cultivation, he had excitedly mobilized the army and headed south, yet she had no idea why.
Indra ignored Garuda and looked at Isamu.
"Isamu, have you ever heard of the Tomb of the Six Paths?"
"Tomb of the Six Paths? What is that?"
Although he had guessed that Indra was heading toward a small island far away in the South Sea, he knew nothing about the Tomb of the Six Paths.
"My father, that old man, was known as the Six Paths Sage and founded the Ninja Sect. Precisely because of this, he possessed a broad-mindedness that ordinary people could never have. In his eyes, everyone was family. Therefore, as for me and Ashura, he only passed down his power to us. As for all the good things he possessed, he buried them all in his tomb—the Tomb of the Six Paths I mentioned, the burial place of the old man!"
Perhaps sensing Isamu's confusion, Indra offered an explanation, though his tone was filled with dissatisfaction. It was clear that Indra was deeply unhappy with his father. Whether it was because his father rejected his philosophy or because he had buried all those treasures away, these were all points of contention for Indra.
"Oh, I see. So what is your purpose this time?"
Isamu appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was shocked beyond measure. He had not expected that place to be the Tomb of the Six Paths Sage, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. If he could see the body of the Six Paths Sage in person, the trip would be worth it.
However, since Indra was taking them there so openly, it seemed he had long known the location of the Tomb of the Six Paths. But could he really be planning to dig up his father's grave? Would Indra truly be so devoid of conscience?
"My purpose? To open the tomb and take back what belongs to me, of course!"
Indra sneered coldly, stating the purpose of their trip without the slightest concern.
"No! You can't go! Uncle Hagoromo is your father, how can you do this?!"
Hearing that Indra intended to open Hagoromo's tomb, Garuda immediately stepped in front of him. She absolutely would not allow someone to dig up their own father's grave.
Although Isamu also felt that doing this was somewhat immoral, he did not step forward to stop it. In order to return to the future, he knew that this was where Indra would awaken the Rinnegan and create that space-time tunnel. To complete his mission sooner and return to his family, Isamu had no choice but to pretend he did not see Indra committing such a heartless act.
"Garuda, do not block my path. I don't need you to teach me what to do. Besides, didn't you hear me say that I'm going to take back what belongs to me? Get out of my way!"
Looking at Garuda blocking his path, Indra frowned. With Isamu and Ashura constantly staying ahead of him, he could not afford to concern himself with his sister right now. Improving his strength was his highest priority.
"Brother, you've changed. You are no longer the brother I knew. My brother Indra was affectionate and righteous, and he cherished his family. Yet now you are going to dig up your own father's grave and commit such an unfilial act. You must not be my brother, you are not!"
As Garuda spoke, tears streamed down her face. At that moment, she realized that the brother Indra who protected his younger siblings was gone.