536-540

Chapter 536: Indra – No, You Must Let Me Kill My Father!  

The source of the Dream Rift lies in the future, while its end stretches into the past.  

Standing before the past are twelve Rashomon gates.  

But then, what lies beyond the Rashomon?  

As he surveyed the eerie and dimly lit surroundings, Shinji couldn't help but wonder.  

However, after thinking it over, a more pressing thought crossed his mind: compared to all this chaotic mess and the sudden surge of main quests…  

Why was he here in the first place?  

“Damn it! They haven’t even told me how to find myself again, and now they’re throwing me into this?!”  

Shinji cursed under his breath.  

"This unreliable ancestor of mine!"  

"And they expect me to convince Indra to kill his own father? Like, seriously, how am I supposed to pull that off?!"  

Just as his grumbling faded, a calm yet slightly confused voice suddenly echoed from the depths beyond the twelve Rashomon gates.  

"Find yourself? The price of Heaven’s Constant?"  

In the darkness at the end of the passage, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened, scanning Shinji with an indifferent gaze. Then, the voice spoke again.  

"But…"  

"Haven’t you already found yourself?"  

"...Found myself?" Shinji was stunned, his brows furrowing in confusion.  

The indifferent voice patiently explained:  

"The moment you chose to follow your own heart instead of the path Uchiha Naga set for you…  

The things you are doing now are exactly what you want to do.  

Once you comprehend yourself, you can anchor your existence in the flow of time. By following that anchor, you will be able to see yourself within the ever-extending river of time."  

"In simple terms, just open your Sharingan and look directly into the river."  

"Did Uchiha Naga not tell you this?"  

Shinji thought to himself, That sounds ridiculously profound but also strangely convincing. And the way you summarized it at the end actually made sense…  

But no, no one told me this!  

Shaking his head, he turned around and looked at the eerie green river that barely reached his knees.  

His eyes turned scarlet, and three black tomoe slowly spun within them as he gazed into the river.  

In the next instant—  

A deafening roar erupted inside his mind, as if an overwhelming surge of forgotten details and unnoticed truths came rushing out from his subconscious.  

These fragments fused with his current memories, forming a complete picture. Names, along with the meaning and information they carried, all fell into place.  

At that moment—  

Shinji remembered everything.  

His expression suddenly shifted, a look of pure shock taking over his face.  

He recalled the moment of his death in the Shinobi World—  

It wasn’t when he was burned to a crisp in his Sage Mode nuclear explosion. He had still been clinging to life, barely hanging on.  

No, his true death came when Kakuzu reinserted his Mangekyō Sharingan—one that should have awakened in Hell Valley—back into his eye sockets.  

Which meant that everything that happened afterward—the Edo Tensei resurrection of Uchiha Madara, his alliance with Orochimaru to capture Black Zetsu, and Orochimaru obtaining the Rinnegan—he had seen it all through his Kagura Mind’s Eye.  

Realizing this, Shinji suddenly felt a headache coming on.  

Madara actually let Orochimaru get the Rinnegan…  

And he even planned to have Orochimaru resurrect him three years later?!  

Compared to Black Zetsu—who could be easily killed with a single strike as long as one was prepared—  

Orochimaru was on an entirely different level.  

Madara had no idea what he had just unleashed.  

Shinji could already foresee it—  

Orochimaru, having learned far too much from recent events, would stop at nothing to fulfill his ambitions. Seeking omniscience and the ultimate truth behind all jutsu, he would inevitably attempt to reach the realm of Bloodline Selection.  

And to achieve that goal, he would go even further than Madara!  

From a results-based perspective—  

Madara merely wanted to put the entire Shinobi World under Infinite Tsukuyomi’s illusion.  

Orochimaru? He would straight-up drain every last ounce of chakra from everyone, refining the God Tree’s fruit and consuming it himself!  

And considering how much Orochimaru already knew, if he managed to turn all his newfound knowledge into scientific research, there was no telling how absurdly powerful he could become.  

Shinji had serious doubts that even Six Paths Madara—who believed himself to be invincible—would be able to suppress Orochimaru at that stage.  

Thinking about all this, Shinji felt another headache creeping in.  

Lifting his head, he gazed past the twelve Rashomon gates, deep into the shadows beyond.  

There, he saw a lone figure sitting cross-legged on the ground.  

That must be Indra.  

Aside from Uchiha Naga himself, only Indra—the creator of the Heaven’s Constant technique—could possibly know how to undo its side effects.  

Wasting no time, Shinji urgently asked:  

"How can I leave this place and return to the Shinobi World?"  

Sure, killing the Sage of Six Paths was a hidden main quest Shinji had just received from Uchiha Naga, and he did want to complete it.  

But priorities first, right?  

According to Uchiha Naga, the power gap between Shinji and the Sage of Six Paths was so enormous that even Naga had cursed out loud about it.  

So Shinji had no problem letting the Sage of Six Paths live a little longer.  

But on the other hand—  

Three years from now, the moment the Tailed Beasts revived, the entire Shinobi World would be forced into Infinite Tsukuyomi under the combined efforts of Madara and Orochimaru.  

At that point, the two protagonists of the next era might not even be born yet!  

What, were Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina supposed to save the world while pregnant?!  

If Indra wasn’t an option, Shinji could always use the Ōtsutsuki on the Moon to lift the barrier preventing access to the Shinobi World’s coordinates. Then, he could drag some Ōtsutsuki down from space to fight.  

Eventually, he’d reach a level where he could personally wreck the Sage of Six Paths.  

That wasn’t out of the question.  

But for now—  

Because of all this, Shinji’s motivation to persuade Indra to kill his father was rapidly plummeting.  

On the other hand, his urgency to return to the Shinobi World was skyrocketing.  

However—  

At that moment, Indra furrowed his brows from the depths of the Rashomon gates, his cold gaze fixed on Shinji.  

"You were just talking about convincing me to kill my father, the Sage of Six Paths…"  

"And now you suddenly want to leave?"  

Shinji threw up his hands and let out a deep sigh.  

"Time is tight, the mission is urgent. You wouldn’t understand, handsome. The whole world is waiting for me to save it!"  

However—  

Indra suddenly stood up in the darkness, his gaze growing even colder.  

"Do you know…"  

"For a thousand years, I have been waiting for another version of myself to come and seek revenge against me."  

"He only had one chance."  

"But instead, he chose to die… just to send you here."  

Shinji’s brows knitted tightly, his gaze turning just as cold as he looked into the darkness.  

"What do you mean by that?"  

Indra stepped out of the shadows, his voice indifferent.  

"It doesn’t mean anything."  

"I won’t tell you how to leave."  

"Unless—"  

"You can convince me… to help you kill my father, the Sage of Six Paths!"  

Chapter 537: Indra’s Divine Path  

Upon hearing Indra’s words, Shinji was momentarily stunned.  

What the…?  

Honestly, he had never encountered someone this utterly ridiculous before!  

He had already set aside the unrealistic notion of asking Indra to help kill his own father, yet this guy went ahead and metaphorically blew himself up, forcing himself to convince Shinji to kill his own father instead.  

Are you sure the Sage of Six Paths is your father and not your mortal enemy?  

Seriously, was there something inherently wrong with the brains of the Uchiha clan—from the top down, from old to young?  

Thinking this, Shinji couldn’t help but grit his teeth.  

At that moment, in the distance, Indra stood beneath the Twelve Gates of Rashomon. As he gazed at Shinji’s astonished and bewildered expression, his own remained unchanged.  

He spoke calmly.  

"You’re wondering why I want to kill my father?"  

"No."  

"Though I hold old grievances against him, I don’t have an absolute reason to kill him."  

"The so-called bonds of blood and family are meaningless in the grand scale of time. He is merely a being who happens to be a few decades older than me. And those so-called ties? As we walked different paths, as time eroded them, they became ever more distant and irrelevant."  

"Killing the Sage of Six Paths and ending the never-ending cycle of the ninja world—this is the will that Uchiha Nagah has upheld for a thousand years. Or rather, it is the hatred—for me, for the Sage of Six Paths, and for Asura."  

"But that hatred is not mine."  

Indra gazed at Shinji, stepping out of the shadows.  

The ghostly glow from the Rashomon Gates cast light upon him, illuminating his open-collared, high-necked Six Paths robe and the long tied hair draping beside his impassive face.  

His eyes were deep and indifferent, devoid of emotion. He simply observed—observed Shinji.  

"It may sound arrogant, but in the realm of techniques, the only one who can surpass me is myself. I have always been waiting—waiting for another me to be ready."  

"Waiting for him to harbor deep hatred toward me, to create an even more brilliant technique than mine."  

"And then, to come here."  

"To show me the true potential of ‘technique.’"  

"But—"  

Indra paused, a trace of regret flickering across his face, as if he had suddenly lost interest.  

"He chose you instead."  

Indra looked at Shinji and spoke calmly.  

"So—"  

"It doesn’t matter why you’re here, nor what you intend to do. But since he chose you, you must be extraordinary."  

"And that—I find intriguing."  

Across the vast distance between them, Shinji raised an eyebrow. Then, he let out a heavy breath.  

"Looks like I’ll have to convince you, huh?"  

"You have no other choice."  

Shinji nodded. He more or less understood what Indra wanted.  

So, he asked in a deep voice,  

"The Sage of Six Paths’ favoritism and protection of Asura were obvious to everyone."  

"Do you not resent him for it?"  

Indra was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.  

"From the very beginning of this conflict, the Sage of Six Paths favored Asura. That was a fact known to all."  

"In the past, I resented it. I was furious. I was mad with jealousy. That’s why I left the Ninshu, founded the Uchiha clan, and led the shinobi to destroy everything Asura inherited."  

"But later, I realized—"  

"Only the weak need protection."  

"And my brother Asura—he was the weak one."  

"Once I understood that, I lost interest in this childish struggle—this constant cycle of fighting and reconciling that the Ninshu believed in."  

Shinji scoffed.  

"You, Asura, Uchiha Nagah and Senju Soujin, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama—"  

"Even at the height of the Uchiha clan’s power, you were never able to truly defeat the Senju."  

"Isn’t this just self-consolation? Over a thousand years, have you ever once truly triumphed over Asura?"  

Hearing this, Indra furrowed his brows slightly, as if realizing something new about Shinji’s perspective.  

"Oh? So that’s how you see it?"  

He then shook his head and calmly continued.  

"Power is merely one way of measuring victory. But in a war that spans centuries—millennia—the true deciding factor is the divergence of ‘technique’ and ‘doctrine.’ These two paths can never coexist."  

"Should peace be achieved through unity, or should order be established through power?"  

"You judge my victory or defeat based on short-term gains and losses. But tell me—"  

Indra’s voice was calm yet absolute.  

"I have already won this war."  

"In today’s ninja world, the doctrines of Ninshu are all but forgotten, while the ninjutsu I created has become as fundamental as clothing, food, and water."  

"On battlefields where clans have slaughtered each other for a thousand years, the first thought people have is not to reach for a comrade’s hand—but to calculate how many more jutsu they can still cast."  

"So tell me—have I lost, or have I won?"  

Shinji frowned.  

The Indra before him had all but shed his humanity.  

His perspective was entirely detached, viewing everything from a vast, almost divine scale. Compared to the Sage of Six Paths—who was blinded by favoritism, who couldn’t let go of his sons even in reincarnation—Indra seemed far more like a god.  

Even Uchiha Nagah in the Reverse Flow River shared this trait. However, at least he had his hatred to anchor him. Though he often spoke in grand, abstract terms, he wasn’t as detached and unfeeling as Indra.  

It was as if time had eroded all of Indra’s human emotions—his ties to family, friendship, personal feelings—all ground away to nothing.  

But this was wrong.  

This was another kind of divine catastrophe.  

If the Sage of Six Paths had influenced the world’s course through his emotions, causing harm by acting on his feelings as a god—  

Then Indra was the opposite.  

He cared nothing for the world’s fate, nothing for whether the ninja world was trapped in an endless cycle orchestrated by the Sage of Six Paths.  

He only cared about one thing—whether his shinobi path—no, his divine path—prevailed and spread.  

A god with emotions is a disaster.  

A god without emotions is an even greater disaster.  

At that moment, staring at Indra, Shinji found this world more absurd and laughable than ever.  

The god who ruled the world had no divine qualities—only selfish whims.  

And those meant to oppose the gods had instead taken on the very divinity they should have rejected, indulging and enabling the cycle.  

It was as if the moment the Sage of Six Paths raised his blade against his own mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki,  

This entire clan had been cursed.  

There would be no salvation.  

Chapter 538: Three Sentences to Make Indra Work for Me!  

"You’re still fixated on the outcome of sheer strength, aren’t you?"  

Indra calmly examined Shinji’s unpleasant expression before speaking expressionlessly:  

"That is meaningless."  

"When the concept of ‘technique’ was established, people relied on its power to create order, rather than Asura’s naïve ideals. At that moment, I had already become invincible."  

"No matter how many times Asura reincarnates, all he does is futilely prove this point over and over again."  

"Once he loses the power of Wood Release and the Divine Tree, he is nothing!"  

No— 

Even without Wood Release, the Crown Prince could still roll dumplings so well it would make your scalp tingle! 

Haven’t you realized yet? The thing that defeated you wasn’t Wood Release—it was the dumplings! A whole variety of them, taking a toll on your kidneys and liver!  

Hearing Indra’s words, Shinji couldn’t help but mock him inwardly.  

However—  

He had no intention of continuing this philosophical debate with Indra. Arguing over such matters would only lead to an endless loop of self-justification, yielding nothing of value.  

Indra was indeed right about one thing: at this level, even the Sage of Six Paths could not defeat him.  

But—  

Shinji looked at Indra beneath the Rashomon gates and declared with certainty: 

"But Indra—"  

"You are still unwilling to accept it!"  

"Me?" Indra was momentarily stunned. He furrowed his brows slightly, confused.  

"What am I unwilling to accept?"  

"You devoted your entire life to creating and establishing the ideology of ‘technique,’ and it has indeed conquered the world—yet you could never conquer your father!"  

Shinji spoke with unwavering conviction.  

"Perhaps you have proven your point, revealed the truth of the world’s trajectory, and even the Sage of Six Paths, after witnessing history’s long verdict, could no longer refute that your ‘technique’ is indeed the path of this world.  

But there is one thing—one final step—you can never overcome!"  

"What is it?" Indra’s brows furrowed even more.  

Shinji spoke with a calm yet firm voice:  

"No matter how many times you have defeated your brother, Asura, you have never once been able to use the pure power of ‘technique’ to defeat your father—the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo!"  

"Not even once!"  

“…”  

Indra narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating this thought. It was as if Shinji had struck a chord deep within him, making him involuntarily think in that direction.  

"Interesting…"  

Then, he shook his head.  

Even though Shinji had just outright stated that he was inferior to the Sage of Six Paths, Indra did not feel frustrated or resentful.  

Instead, he rationally examined himself and reached a conclusion:  

"Your question is like asking a newborn child to kill a fully grown adult. Likewise, no one can rely on ‘technique’ derived from chakra to surpass the Sage of Six Paths, who is the very source of chakra itself."  

"They are simply not on the same level!"  

At that moment, Shinji suddenly curled his lips into a confident smile.  

"I can!"  

"You?"  

Hearing this, even Indra was taken aback for a moment. Then, he let out a cold chuckle and explained in a seemingly calm manner:  

"You don’t understand what kind of power the Sage of Six Paths’ Bloodline Prowess truly represents."  

"It is the divine power formed by the ultimate fusion of Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Yin, and Yang—the seven nature transformations—transcending all ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and even Kekkei Tōta!"  

"With a mere wave of his scepter, he can create new lands and reshape the world—"  

But before Indra could finish, a confident and resolute voice cut him off:  

"I said, I can!"  

Shinji took a step forward, crossing the first Rashomon gate, his gaze burning as he locked eyes with Indra.  

"I will create a power that surpasses the very concept of ‘technique’ itself!"  

Indra’s expression stiffened, and his brows furrowed deeply.  

Silently, he raised a hand behind his back.  

In his palm, seven types of chakra—Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Yin, and Yang—emerged and clashed with one another. Within moments, they combined into fifteen unique-colored Kekkei Genkai chakras. Then, these fifteen attributes began to devour and eliminate each other until only three remained—black, white, and blue—a manifestation of Kekkei Tōta.  

Finally, he attempted to fuse these three Kekkei Tōta together—  

Boom!  

A wisp of smoke quietly rose from his palm as the three terrifying chakra clusters dissipated into nothingness.  

Confirming once again that even he could not merge the seven fully-matured elemental chakras into Bloodline Prowess, Indra felt slightly at ease.  

Then, he turned his cold gaze toward Shinji, who was swiftly passing through the Rashomon gates.  

"You’re talking nonsense!"  

"Is it nonsense? You already know the answer, don’t you?"  

"Bloodline Prowess can be attained through training! Your father, and even your father’s brother, both cultivated their way to wielding Truth-Seeking Orbs and ascending to the Six Paths level!"  

"You, too, have been pursuing this path—but you’ve never been able to step through the door, have you?"  

Shinji sneered as he continued advancing, his piercing gaze locking onto Indra’s deep, dark pupils, which were now flickering with uncertainty.  

Despite having lost his ‘humanity,’ Indra still remembered Uchiha Naga and had waited for countless years in the River of Reversal, anticipating that Uchiha Naga would one day perfect his ‘technique’ and come here to seek revenge!  

If there was any way to awaken Indra’s humanity, it was to reignite his desire for ‘technique’!  

"Even if you know this, it changes nothing!"  

Taking a deep breath, Indra spoke:  

"If even I couldn’t do it, then you—who have only mastered two chakra nature transformations to their peak—stand no chance!"  

Upon hearing this, Shinji’s grin widened.  

"That only proves that your method is wrong!"  

"And Uchiha Naga chose to send me here precisely because he knew—I have the potential to do it!"  

"Because I am the only Uchiha in a thousand years who has successfully modified the shape of the Sharingan after you!"  

Indra’s brows furrowed deeply as he stared at Shinji, who was now closing the distance.  

A sense of irritation and indescribable unease stirred within his heart.  

It was as if someone were telling him that everything he had believed in for thousands of years was nothing more than a lie—a mere illusion.  

It was as if they were about to trample on the very foundations that had kept him going until now.  

Without hesitation, he coldly commanded:  

"Enough!"  

"Stop right there! Do not come any closer!"  

"I don’t want to hear your methods!"  

"Stay there, and I will tell you how to leave!"  

Shinji abruptly stopped in his tracks.  

He let out a sigh of relief.  

After all, despite speaking so confidently, he had no actual idea how to merge Bloodline Prowess.  

He had simply made a logical deduction based on available information and thrown in a few half-truths—his specialty.  

His real goal was to trick Indra into revealing a way out.  

However—  

At that moment, as he stood before the third-to-last Rashomon gate—  

Shinji suddenly saw something shocking.  

Standing beneath the final Rashomon gate, in front of the deep, dark entrance to the Pure Land—  

Indra stood in silence, lips pressed tightly together, head bowed.  

Chains, jet-black and ominous, extended from the Rashomon gate, shackling his wrists and ankles!  

Shinji’s eyes narrowed.  

Without hesitation, he took another step forward!  

Chapter 539: You Can No Longer Reach the Future!  

This meeting, spanning across a thousand years, with the Uchiha ancestor— 

From the very beginning, something about it felt off.  

At first, Shinji didn't notice anything particularly unusual. He only felt a slight discomfort, like two Uchihas—who were best at communicating through fists—had been placed on an arena seemingly predestined by fate. 

Yet, instead of competing through strength, 

they were discussing so-called ideologies and the path of the shinobi.  

This didn’t feel like a normal Uchiha-style conversation at all!  

However—  

Now, Shinji finally understood the root cause of all this—  

Indra had been imprisoned beneath the twelfth Rashomon at the end of time.  

Though his expression remained calm and indifferent, as Shinji approached, a slight tremor ran through his body. His weakness, now exposed before his descendant, was an unbearable humiliation.  

It was as if he felt an inexplicable anger, or perhaps it was just the futile struggle of a prisoner.  

In the end— 

Indra lowered his head in disappointment, staring at Shinji’s feet as he stopped in front of him. He shook his head and said, 

"Leave this place."  

"There are two ways out, but unfortunately, you won’t make it in time for either of them—"  

However, before Indra could finish speaking, Shinji suddenly interrupted, his voice cold and sharp:  

"Who did this?"  

The harsh reality, like a sharp axe, instantly shattered the thin veil of romanticized ideals that had long obscured the true cruelty of the shinobi world.  

Until now, Shinji had always believed that the thousand-year conflict of the shinobi world was merely a dramatic consequence of the discord within the Ōtsutsuki clan, the true progenitors of this world.  

And within this grand narrative, the Sage of Six Paths had always played the role of a biased yet benevolent father.  

But now— 

There was no doubt. The pitch-black chains binding Indra were none other than Truth-Seeking Orbs.  

And in the current shinobi world, only one being possessed Truth-Seeking Orbs—Indra’s own father, the Sage of Six Paths.  

Which meant that the so-called millennia-long struggle between Indra and Asura—  

Was nothing more than a prisoner, shackled and bound, forced to endlessly battle his unwitting, favored brother. 

For Indra, this was an eternal humiliation and torment.  

A father had imprisoned his son for a thousand years, solely to make him repeatedly fight against his other son in countless cycles of reincarnation, 

all in an attempt to cultivate the so-called "perfect future" for the shinobi path.  

Doesn’t this sound like a compulsive gamer trying to achieve a perfect save file, forcing his controlled character to suffer death after death, replaying the same events endlessly?  

To him, the real world had become nothing more than a toy to validate his chosen "path."  

And as for the two sons thrown into this endless struggle— 

Did the Sage of Six Paths truly care?  

To phrase it differently— 

Was he really favoring Asura?  

At this moment, standing in the midst of it all, Shinji felt a chilling sensation seep into his bones.  

For the first time, he finally understood why Uchiha Nahe had described Indra’s existence as "living like a dog."  

And he also understood why Indra had developed his so-called "divinity."  

Because what people call "divinity"— 

Is simply the ultimate numbness of humanity.  

"Even if you know the truth, what good does it do? It only brings you unnecessary troubles..."  

At this moment, Indra, momentarily drawn back to his human side through their discussion of jutsu, lowered his head and let out a self-mocking laugh. His voice grew quieter as he continued what he had started earlier:  

"There are only two ways for you to leave this place."  

"One is through the void beyond Rashomon. That is the endpoint of the Reverse Flowing River, where the past and future converge, ultimately leading to the end of time—"  

"Also known as what you people call the Pure Land."  

"If you go there, you will lose consciousness and await the Sage of Six Paths’ arrangements for reincarnation. For those who die in that place to be revived, they must wait for someone to perform the Rinne Rebirth or Edo Tensei to summon them back. However... since you entered the Pure Land as a living being, neither of these jutsu can bring you back."  

Indra paused for a moment, contemplating before offering another possibility. 

"You might be able to try using Reverse Summoning Jutsu... But crossing two layers of time-space in succession would require an enormous summoning array. In your era, there is probably one person capable of setting up such a technique."  

He slightly turned his head, gazing at the eerie green waters beneath them. His Sharingan glowed crimson, shifting through different patterns as if confirming that Shinji had some connection to the person he was referring to.  

But then, a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes as he looked up and asked, 

"Before you died, you must have prepared some contingency plan, right?"  

Shinji's expression became somewhat awkward.  

The person Indra was talking about was most likely Namikaze Minato.  

But not only was Minato completely unaware of any of this, Shinji had also torn up his summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave long ago. 

If he wanted to be reverse-summoned out of here, he’d have to rely on the Kusanagi Sword growing hands to form seals and perform the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.  

Oh, and by the way— 

At this point, Kusanagi Sword was nothing more than an empty hilt.  

Indra glanced at Shinji’s expression and continued speaking:  

"The second method is to return to the entrance of this rift in time and use Izanagi at the cost of one eye to erase your presence as a living being. This will allow you to pass through the Gate of the Future and return to the present world."  

"However, without the protection of the Heavenly Eternal Eye, even if your chakra is powerful enough to shatter countless small worlds within the Reverse Flowing River, by the time you reach the entrance island, at least ten years will have passed."  

"By the way," Indra added indifferently, looking at Shinji,  

"During the time you were sent here by Uchiha Nahe, the outside world has already advanced by about three years."  

"When you return to the future, back to the present world—"  

"You won’t be arriving in August of Year 47 of Konoha."  

"Instead—"  

"It will be Year 60 of Konoha, or even further!"  

Shinji was momentarily stunned.  

Konoha Year 60?!  

Wait, does this mean he has to win a resurrection match before he can even revive?!  

And even if he does manage to win, by the time he returns to the shinobi world—given how much he has already disturbed its timeline—everything might already be over!  

At most, three years— 

No, three years have already passed—  

Which meant that within these next few months, the tailed beasts would begin reviving in large numbers! 

Orochimaru, who inherited Uchiha Madara’s Moon’s Eye Plan and Rinnegan, would immediately start hunting the tailed beasts! 

The day of the Ten-Tails’ revival was now imminent!  

And this time, it wouldn’t be a fragmented Ten-Tails— 

It would be the complete, true Ten-Tails!  

At this point, no matter what, even if Indra were to reincarnate as Uchiha Sasuke, it wouldn’t be enough to stop Infinite Tsukuyomi from returning to this world!  

How is he supposed to fight? With baby fists?!  

This time, the war for the world had only two players: 

Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara.  

Standing frozen in place, Shinji felt the weight of despair.  

Indra, watching him, lifted his shackled wrist and smirked mockingly.  

It was as if he was laughing at Shinji— 

Or perhaps laughing at himself.  

"Now, do you understand?"  

"Shinji—"  

"—You can no longer reach the future!" 

Chapter 540: The Third Solution!  

Indra gazed at Shinji, who stood before him, gradually losing interest.  

The trace of humanity that had been momentarily awakened within him by Shinji’s arrogance was slowly overshadowed by an indifference that made it seem as though nothing truly mattered to him.  

Or rather—  

The fact that he had even spoken this much to Shinji, a descendant he hardly cared about, was already something of a miracle.  

Perhaps Indra had once valued his clan, cherished his friends and family. 

But now— 

He cared only for the victory of the divine path, the supremacy of "technique."  

If not for Shinji’s interference, disrupting what was to Indra nothing more than a post-meal entertainment—the revenge of Uchiha Nahe—an event that had piqued his curiosity about the potential of "technique,"  

Indra wouldn’t have even bothered acknowledging Shinji.  

And so—  

Indra let out one final sigh before speaking with indifference:  

"Due to the reassembly of the Ten-Tails in the present world, my reincarnation alongside Asura's from the Pure Land will happen much earlier than expected. Furthermore, we will not reincarnate in the usual manner. Instead, we will be directly summoned back to the Shinobi World by the Sage of Six Paths."  

"The battle for the Divine Tree, the final war between Shinobi and the Shinobi Sect, is about to begin."  

"And you—have no place in this war."  

"Leave now, and you still have a chance to return to the living world."  

Indra raised his hand, pointing to the pitch-black void beyond the Rashomon gates.  

"Once the Sage of Six Paths steps out of the Pure Land, even if you want to leave, you won't be able to."  

"I don't understand why Uchiha Nahe paid such a heavy price to send you here."  

"But—"  

Indra sneered coldly.  

"Shinji, you can change nothing!"  

However—  

A firm and resolute voice immediately interrupted Indra’s words.  

"No!"  

Shinji lifted his head and locked eyes with Indra.  

"There is a third solution!"  

"I told you, Indra, I will create a technique that surpasses the very concept of 'technique' itself—to change everything!"  

"But that's just 'will,' isn’t it?" Indra coldly interrupted.  

"If it’s just a possibility, then no matter what it is, it remains an unknown."  

"I once told the Sage of Six Paths—"  

At that moment, the word "will" seemed to strike a nerve within Indra. His expression darkened, his entire body trembled, and he gritted his teeth as he snarled:  

"I told him— 

‘I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you! 

I will make you taste the humiliation of being trapped in a cage! 

I will kill Asura! 

I will destroy the Shinobi Sect! 

I will tear apart everything you hold dear with my own hands!’  

But—"  

Indra let out a twisted grin as he raised his wrist, revealing the shackles bound around it. His voice was filled with resentment.  

"But that was just 'will,' wasn’t it?"  

Yet—  

Shinji's gaze remained unwavering. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Indra's outstretched wrist!  

"Are you insane?!"  

Indra’s pupils shrank violently as he immediately retreated a step, avoiding Shinji’s grasp. He roared in anger:  

"These chains are made from Truth-Seeking Orbs!  

A mere mortal—if they so much as touch them—will be instantly obliterated—!"  

But—  

Shinji refused to back down. He took another step forward and grasped the shackles on Indra’s wrist with his bare hand!  

"Impossible!"  

Indra’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Shinji’s hand, which was now clenched around the Truth-Seeking Orb chains.  

Moreover—  

He was applying force!  

He was trying to crush the Truth-Seeking Orbs that formed the Sage’s shackles?!  

Shinji’s grip tightened around the pitch-black chains. His forehead and temples bulged with veins, his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan locked onto Indra with unyielding fury. He roared:  

"So—  

So—"  

"Indra, are you really going to submit like this?"  

"As the first Uchiha, are you really going to kneel?!"  

Indra stared in shock at Shinji’s hand, which was sizzling and bleeding as the Truth-Seeking Orbs burned away the flesh.  

Yet, even this defied his understanding.  

This man— 

A mere mortal—was touching the Truth-Seeking Orbs. 

What kind of monstrous body did he possess?!  

Indra’s expression darkened. His Sharingan analyzed the complex structure of Shinji’s body, revealing the intricate network of countless "techniques" running like components within him.  

"I see now… So this is why Uchiha Nahe chose you?"  

"But even with a body like that, you cannot defeat the Sage of Six Paths!"  

"Even if I can’t fully comprehend its structure, a mere body of the Six Paths without Six Paths Power—"  

"Can never reach the true realm of the Six Paths!"  

Indra sneered.  

"Let alone surpass it to attain the so-called Bloodline Network!"  

"So—"  

Shinji locked eyes with Indra, enduring the searing pain in his palm. His voice was fierce and unwavering.  

"So, I need your help!"  

"Help me obtain the Six Paths Power! Help me surpass the so-called Bloodline Network!"  

"If there is anyone in this world who can turn the impossible into reality—  

Then that person can only be you, Indra—the very origin of 'technique'!"  

Hearing this, Indra’s pupils trembled violently.  

A storm of emotions—hesitation, anger, madness, hatred, fear, despair—flashed through his eyes.  

He was tempted.  

But in the end, he lowered his head and muttered:  

"…Sorry. I refuse."  

Indra sighed.  

"The answer I spent my life seeking is already engraved within my Mangekyō Sharingan.  

Kamui, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kotoamatsukami, Takamagahara, Kagutsuchi…  

These ocular jutsu, passed down through bloodlines, have reached the pinnacle of 'technique.'  

And yet, none of them compare to the simple chains on my wrist."  

"This is the ultimate Kekkei Genkai. I dedicated my entire life to forging it into its current form."  

"I exchanged light for the most extreme 'technique'—a power that rivals or even surpasses Kekkei Tōta!"  

"But… this is my limit."  

"No!"  

Shinji shouted firmly.  

"This is far from your limit!"  

"The only reason you’ve reached this ceiling is because you’ve confined yourself to these eyes!"  

"Indra—I will show you a new world! A new power!"  

"For example—"  

Shinji’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly.  

As he closed his eyes—  

The entire blackened corridor of the underworld trembled violently!  

As if some terrifying existence was about to awaken, the very fabric of this in-between world screeched in agony!  

A massive, shadowy figure flickered behind Shinji for an instant.  

The next moment—  

White-hot, flaming armor began forming over his right arm, covering it in incandescent plates of molten steel!  

Sage Art: Human Form—Ultimate State—Divine Armor—Susanoo Warrior!  

A power so overwhelming that it defied all physical laws surged through his body—  

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!  

A piercing sound erupted as fractures spread across the Truth-Seeking Orb chains!  

Indra’s face was filled with disbelief.  

And then—  

"BOOM!!!"  

The supposedly indestructible Truth-Seeking Orb chains—chains that could disintegrate anything—  

Shattered under the sheer force of the unimaginable power!  

(End of Chapter)