"Brother…!"
Just as Garuda wanted to say something more, Isamu stepped forward and interrupted her.
"Say no more, Garuda. They're looking for me. This is my personal affair. You'd better stay out of it!"
Having recovered sixty percent of his strength, Isamu did not fear Ashura at all. His Power of Time had also reached the condition for preliminary use. As long as he used his time-based Dōjutsu, dealing with Ashura would be no problem.
"Isamu, you…?"
Garuda frowned in confusion. She truly didn't know where Isamu got the confidence to face two brothers at the same time. To her, it made no sense. Could it really be for the sake of pride?
Isamu shook his head and offered no explanation. The power of his Rinnegan was far beyond what Garuda could imagine.
Turning to Ashura, he said with a look of disdain,
"Although I don't know why you're so hostile toward me, your current behavior is perfectly in line with the philosophy you believe in."
"Hmph! You dare lecture me about philosophy? Isamu, are you too cowardly to admit what you've done? It's too late for excuses now!"
Ashura's eyes burned with anger. He had no interest in listening to another word.
Cowardly to admit it?
Isamu frowned.
The way Ashura was talking made it sound as though he had committed some unforgivable crime. He had expected Ashura to be angry because he was blocking his pursuit of Indra, but this reaction was far beyond that.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed he had been framed.
Suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind.
Black Zetsu.
Since arriving in this era, his attention had been focused entirely on Indra. He had almost forgotten about that ancient schemer.
That was a mistake.
No—it was more accurate to say that Black Zetsu had hidden himself too well.
If he hadn't reached out first, Isamu might not have remembered him even after returning to his own era.
That damned bastard.
Don't let me find you.
Otherwise, I'll make sure you learn exactly how hard an iron pot can be.
Although he had already guessed he was being framed, Isamu had no intention of explaining himself.
The more he explained, the guiltier he would appear.
Besides, judging by Ashura's current state, he wouldn't listen anyway.
In any case, Isamu needed a reason to fight Ashura. Delaying him would buy time for Indra.
So why not?
"Ashura, if you want my life, then come with me."
Having made his decision, Isamu turned and headed toward a distant open area.
"Hmph! You're courting death!"
Ashura snorted coldly and immediately gave chase.
The moment he saw Isamu, thoughts of Indra were completely pushed aside.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his heart.
Kill Isamu.
Avenge Shōkai.
"Isamu, wait…!"
Seeing him leave so decisively, Garuda became anxious.
As the leader of the Ninja Sect, Ashura had inherited the Six Paths Power, and his strength was terrifying. Even Indra had once been defeated by him.
How could Isamu possibly be his opponent?
She wanted to chase after them, but Mandala stepped in front of her.
"Garuda, can't you understand plain words? This is Isamu's own affair. It has nothing to do with you. Since he's willing to accept it himself, why are you interfering?"
Mandala's expression was gloomy as he scolded his younger sister.
"Brother, although Isamu is very strong, how could he possibly be a match for Second Brother? You know exactly how powerful Second Brother is. If we just let this happen, Isamu might really die!"
Garuda shouted anxiously.
It was obvious she still had no understanding of Isamu's true strength.
"Hmph! If he dies, then he deserves it. What he did is worthy of death."
Mandala snorted coldly, showing no concern whatsoever for Isamu's fate.
"Huh? What exactly happened?"
At this point, Garuda was completely confused.
She could understand Ashura's anger if it was related to Indra, but why was her own brother so furious?
"The situation is this. Uncle Shōkai…"
Mandala began explaining everything to her.
…
Meanwhile, Isamu and Ashura continued racing across the land.
One chased.
One led.
After traveling dozens of kilometers, they finally stopped in a vast open plain.
Here, neither side would need to hold back.
The two stood facing one another from a distance.
Killing intent filled Ashura's eyes.
A solemn expression appeared on Isamu's face.
This battle was extremely important to both of them.
"Why did you kill Shōkai?"
Looking directly at Isamu, Ashura had regained a measure of calm.
He was not a reckless fool.
In his view, every action had a motive.
He wanted to know why.
"Shōkai had no prior dealings with you. You two had never even met. Why did you kill him?"
These people who prided themselves on benevolence and righteousness were truly troublesome.
They clearly wanted to kill someone.
Yet they insisted on preserving their righteous image.
They restrained themselves and searched for justification, hoping the enemy would provide an excuse so they could kill in the name of justice.
It was hypocrisy.
Pure hypocrisy.
"I killed him because I killed him."
Isamu shrugged indifferently.
"I, Isamu, don't need so many reasons to kill someone."
"Just like a person stepping on an ant. No reason is necessary. It's simply convenient."
The name Shōkai sounded familiar.
Combined with Ashura's reaction, Isamu quickly pieced everything together.
Shōkai was the first person to receive Chakra from Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
He was also the man who inspired Hagoromo to establish the Ninja Sect.
Black Zetsu really knew how to choose his targets.
If Isamu hadn't known about the existence of Black Zetsu, he probably would have been schemed to death by now.
Even after understanding the truth, however, he still had no intention of explaining.
If he had to take the blame, then so be it.
After all, he didn't belong to this era.
He was merely a traveler passing through time.
Once the appointed moment arrived, he would leave.
There was no need to care about what these people thought of him.
A thousand years would wash away everything.
Who would still remember Isamu a thousand years from now?
"Is that so?"
Ashura slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his emotions.
"In that case, there is nothing left for us to discuss."
Losing control of one's emotions was a major taboo.
Once a person lost their rationality, their strength would be greatly diminished.
That was a lesson personally taught to him by the Six Paths Sage.