"My brother is the best brother in the world! He is the best person in the world!"
This sentence runs through Ashura's life.
Although it is a bit hard to say, when he was a child, Ashura always thought that Indra was the "father" figure.
All the ninja clans in the world belong to one person. The old man in their family is very busy. Indra accompanies Ashura in his study, life and entertainment.
Ashura still remembers Indra's surprised look when he used chakra for the first time and it condensed into crystal.
Although he did not praise him verbally, his admiring look was undisguised. Ashura felt light all over when he saw his brother's smile, so he gave this "result" to Indra as a gift.
Indra made it into a necklace and never took it off.
In the eyes of Asura, Indra has been both a father and a mother since he was a child. Although he looks very stern, he is actually a soft-hearted person.
When Ashura got into trouble as a child, Indra would help him solve any problem as long as he called him "Brother" softly.
Therefore, Ashura was an absolute naughty child in his childhood. Relying on his brother's favor, he acted like a mountain king every day, catching turtles in the water and climbing trees to take bird eggs. Sometimes he would even mess up his father's paperwork.
But every time Indra would lecture him verbally while helplessly helping him clean up the mess.
Of course, there was one thing about which Indra was always very strict.
That is practice.
At first, Ashura tried to get away with it by acting cute, but later he found that Indra could tolerate him doing many things, but skipping school and escaping from training was absolutely unacceptable.
For this, Indra closed the door and spanked Asura once.
After being beaten that time, Asura promised himself solemnly that he would not talk to his brother for the next two days.
But at night, I started to feel a little worried again.
Two days is too long, how about just one day?
He also sneaked to Indra's door in the middle of the night. Asura no longer remembered why he sneaked there. He could only remember that when he left Indra's door, he saw the sky full of stars.
When the next morning came, Asura thought, I have ignored my brother all night, how can I not talk to him today?
So he ran to Indra's room happily again.
Without Indra's knowledge, Ashura completed the entire process of anger, revenge, and reconciliation on his own.
Later, he lost his father's important documents while playing. His father was very angry and the little Asura was terrified.
After all, unlike my close brother, my father is more like a boss than an elder.
He stood outside the door, mentally prepared for a severe beating from his father - however, if he was beaten so badly, his brother would probably exempt him from the next few days' schoolwork.
Ashura could only comfort himself in this way.
But it was not the father who came out of the meeting room, but the elder brother.
The elder brother spoke in a bad tone and took him back to the room fiercely, then gave him a severe scolding. He also punished him by not allowing him to go out to play for the next few days, and to practice well. He also had to be checked at a fixed time and place every day.
It's like lifting up high and putting down low.
It was a long time later that Ashura realized that it was his elder brother who took the blame for him.
Asura felt extremely regretful when he recalled that Indra had been keeping an eye on his studies for a few days, but in fact, it was because he needed to recover from the family discipline and therefore could not practice.
He shouldn't be so naughty.
My elder brother has to practice on his own, learn how to manage the affairs of the Ninja Clan, and take care of himself, and he always causes trouble for Indra.
Since then, Ashura stopped doing those out-of-line things. He took his elder brother as the standard for everything he said and did, imitating everything he did.
However, Indra soon discovered this and told him with a smile that Ashura is Ashura and there is no need to become another Indra.
He is already fine.
Ashura has a cheerful personality and is straightforward in his actions. He has a very good relationship with most of the people in the Ninja Clan, especially those of his age.
Compared to Indra who has a distinct sense of distance, everyone prefers to hang out with Ashura.
Although Ashura is a really troublesome person.
"My elder brother has developed a new attribute today, which is even more powerful than the fire attribute he developed last time!"
"My brother mixed the two familiarities together yesterday, and he can learn without the Sharingan!"
"My elder brother will go to the palace to discuss matters on behalf of father tomorrow. Just wait and see. My elder brother will definitely return in triumph!"
"I'm telling you, my elder brother—"
Anyway, he mentions "Brother" every three sentences and flatters me to the sky.
But Ashura is a very sincere person. Even though he exaggerates to such an extent, he does not have the slightest false hypocrisy.
He felt in his heart that Indra was the best person in the world.
Therefore, when his father first intended to let him get involved in the affairs of the Ninja Clan, he did not think much about it. He just thought that he could help his brother, so he worked extra hard.
But soon, he found something wrong. When everyone talked about things, they were talking about him, as if he was so great. It was as if he just had this kind of talent, so he was a late bloomer, and he could handle it properly even though he had not received this kind of course.
But Asura knew that was not the case.
He couldn't understand these tasks at all at the beginning, and Indra needed to teach him step by step. He even had to revise all of his plans after they came out.
Indra will pave the way for him. The tasks prepared for him are all selected by himself and are gradual. He will never be at a loss for difficult tasks, but will be guided first and then allowed to think.
However, Indra never spoke clearly about these things, nor did he deliberately publicize anything.
Even do it secretly.
Indra thought he was helping Ashura from the dark, but Ashura was more alert than he thought.
But Asura knew his brother well. His brother was thin-skinned and would definitely not admit it.
It doesn’t matter if others don’t know. As long as he knows, it’s fine. He has always known.
However, Ashura is sincere, but not everyone is sincere. Unbeknownst to him, rumors about the two brothers continue to spread.
Until one day, Ashura heard someone talking about Indra behind his back, saying that what he had learned since childhood was not as good as Ashura, who had just changed his career path to Buddhism.
Every word was a disdain for Indra.
In fact, Ashura knew in his heart that these people did not understand Indra, but just imagined that those excellent people were not living well, and used it to comfort themselves.
He also heard people talking about him when he was a child, but he never took it seriously.
But the elder brother is different. He is the most talented person in the entire Ninja Clan. It was he who invented Ninjutsu, detected the power of various attributes, and helped the entire Ninja Clan to practice.
It is also because my elder brother often works late into the night to handle mundane affairs that these people can have such a stable life.
How dare they!
Ashura, who usually didn't care about anything, acted like an Asura for the first time. He was very angry, so angry that he hit people without reason.
As long as someone dares to say this about Indra, the Asuras cannot remain calm.
But it was also from these people that Ashura learned for the first time that his father might intend for him to be the successor to the Ninja Clan.
But, it is obvious that my brother is the most suitable person.
Ashura never beats around the bush when it comes to his family, so he went to ask - or even question his father.
At that time, Otsutsuki Hagoromo had not yet decided on a successor, and only said that the two brothers should help each other.
But to Ashura, these words meant that he should help his brother.
Isn't that what he has been doing?
With his father's words, he felt more at ease.
However, the conflict between his father and brother became more and more serious. Intellectually, Ashura agreed more with his father's ideas, but he also did not oppose his brother's ideas.
He often thought that he could take his elder brother as the main person in the future, and if he had any ideas, his elder brother would definitely accept them.
It has always been like this.
As long as it was something the Asura said, Indra would naturally believe three-tenths of it, listen to three-tenths of it, and let his reason judge the remaining four-tenths.
Ashura has always been proud of this brotherly love.
You see, I have a brother like this, no one else has.
So, when Indra blurted out that he hated him, the Asura was very hurt.
In other words, it is very aggrieved.
His elder brother had never said such harsh words to him.
After Indra said this, he seemed to be stunned, and then hurriedly left the meeting room.
Asura squatted in the corner and drew circles for a while, and then he heard that his elder brother was going out to practice.
Go out alone!
Don't take him!
Asura jumped up immediately, and when he saw his brother, he just told him some things and then prepared to go out at a set time.
"Then when will my lord brother come back?" Ashura asked aggrievedly.
"...Wait until I have finished my training." Indra avoided Ashura's sight, which caused Ashura great harm.
I thought to myself whether I had done anything excessive recently.
No - I don't think so - a few days ago, he broke his elder brother's favorite inkstone, and he secretly bought a new one and put it back. His elder brother shouldn't have noticed, right?
Asura felt a little guilty and didn't dare to try to persuade him to stay. He could only think of bringing more things for his brother.
When my brother goes out and sees these things, I will think of him.
Maybe he'll be back soon.
He waited and waited until the next year, when he received the letter a few days before Indra's birthday.
My brother is coming back soon!
He was extremely happy. Thinking about his brother's birthday, he planned to prepare well and let him see his brother's growth!
After all, every time Ashura learned something new, Indra would always be happy.
Oh yeah—and the Rock.
He learned from Xue Na that giving a rock to an important person can express one's determination.
He also talked to his father for a long time after his brother left last time.
After the conversation, he was very afraid that his brother had misunderstood his meaning, so he wanted to take this opportunity to express his determination.
What to write?
Are you sure you want to support your elder brother in inheriting the Ninja Clan?
No, no, it's too superficial.
Asura knew that his elder brother didn't care about this position as much as outsiders thought. The one who really cared about that position was himself. In his eyes, only his elder brother was qualified to take that position.
Then write that you are not an enemy of your brother!
right!
Just write this, no matter what happens in the future, he will never be an enemy of his brother.
After he finished carving, he felt it was too ugly.
He should practice carving the characters carefully before carving them officially. Asura was too anxious, so what he wrote looked like scribbles.
Should I bring it directly to my brother like this?
Asura covered his face, it was so embarrassing.
Find something to cover it?
He counted the time.
Ahhhh, the time is almost up!
In the panic, his father's confidant happened to see him and said, "Master Ashura, the things you ordered have been prepared. Master Yuyi is personally confirming some details."
When Asura saw him, he seemed to have found a life-saving straw and quickly asked him if he had any cloth that could cover the stone.
As he was talking, the confidant saw the words on the stone, then chuckled, and made a seal to make a piece of cloth with chakra aura.
Asura didn't have time to think too much, he thanked him and walked out quickly.
Even if you speed up, it's already too late to leave.
When he arrived, Indra had obviously been waiting there for a while.
I was late at such an important moment and made my brother wait for me!
This is totally wrong.
But fortunately, my brother didn't seem angry.
He put the stone down and was about to say something when his confidant caught up with him.
Seeing that he was being evasive when mentioning his father, Asura immediately realized that maybe something went wrong with the birthday party prepared for his brother?
This is a big deal.
Asura thought that since the stone had already been sent out, he should go back and check the progress.
My brother said before that he would come back in the evening.
Most likely you don't want to meet your father directly, right?
Asura understood, and hurried back.
On the way back, the confidant told Ashura that Lord Hagoromo had decided that Ashura would inherit the Ninja Sect.
How can this be possible!
He frowned. He had clearly discussed this with his father before!
Why did you suddenly change your mind, and on such an important day as today?
Absolutely not!
Asura didn't have time to think too much and rushed to find his father.
However, Otsutsuki Hagoromo was not there, but left an order.
The war on the border breaks out again, and Ashura, who is the best in medical ninjutsu, must set out immediately.
This is a serious matter that concerns the lives of millions of people. There is no room for negotiation and no time for hesitation.
In a hurry, Ashura could only pick up the pen and ink at hand to leave a letter for Indra, which expressed Ashura's feelings and his father's thoughts for the past six months.
Finally, he begged Indra to wait for him to come back and talk to him in detail.
He was worried that the letter could not be delivered to Indra in time, so he asked his confidant to help him deliver the letter.
Be sure to let my brother see it.
He believed that as long as his elder brother saw it, he would understand.
After doing all this, he left without even having time to pack his luggage.
What he didn't know was that after he left, the letter was never delivered to Indra, and the so-called "something" of the Six Paths Sage was actually at the training ground not far away.
At the same time, Otsutsuki Hagoromo also received a fierce letter from Indra.
Of course, the letter should belong to Ashura, but his confidant intercepted the letter and gave it to him.
The above is almost forcing Ashura to leave the Ninja Clan, using the younger brother's dependence on the older brother to achieve this goal.
It even goes into detail about how Indra himself can sense, utilize, and even guide the emotions of other ninjas to make them submit to him.
This shocked Otsutsuki Hagoromo extremely.
Had Indra become like this without his knowledge?
The lack of communication for a long time led the Sage of Six Paths, who didn't know his two sons well, to reflect on himself and wonder if he had pushed Indra too hard or put too much pressure on him, which led to the current situation.
He cared so little about Indra that he didn't even know he had such abilities.
He sat in the meeting room and listened to the report from his confidant that Ashura left the Ninja Clan immediately after meeting Indra.
This made him more convinced of the authenticity of the letter.
He was waiting here, waiting for Indra's explanation.
At night, he thought that maybe it would be better to hand over the Ninja Clan to Ashura temporarily. The pressure on Indra was too great, maybe he should let him stand in another position and see what happens.
At least you should not take advantage of other people's emotions or abuse their abilities.
Especially since this matter has already become known to others, if it were to be leaked more widely, it would be a fatal blow to Indra's reputation.
After all these things have settled down, it would not be a bad idea for Indra to succeed.
The relationship between the two brothers is obvious to all. Indra went out to practice probably because he didn't want to quarrel with Asura, so... there shouldn't be too much of a barrier between them.
But the next day, Indra came back and caused a big fuss, which completely shattered Otsutsuki Hagoromo's plan.
By the time Asura returned, everything had been settled.
His beloved brother didn't want to see him, so his father directly handed over all the affairs of the Ninja Clan to him.
What does this mean?
He wanted to question his father, but was stopped by his father's confidant, who simply told him about the fight between his brother and his father, and then said that Otsutsuki Hagoromo was not having an easy time either.
When he saw his father again, Asura found that this "immortal" had indeed aged a lot and seemed to have lost some of his heroic spirit.
He fell silent, not knowing which step he had taken wrongly to end up like this.
My elder brother once said that the split of the Ninja Clan was a matter of time, but he did not want to fight. My elder brother would be the first to leave the Ninja Clan and set up his own sect.
He went there several times, but was stopped each time.
When they met again, they fought with swords. The elder brother didn't want to listen to him, but he couldn't do anything to the elder brother.
Things became strained and their relationship became worse and worse.
Not only the relationship with my brother, but also the relationship with my father is the same.
Although few people can see it, Indra has always been the bridge of communication between Ashura and Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
Ashura seems to be easy to get along with, but when he gets stubborn, no one can persuade him.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo had brought up Indra, so he at least knew some ways to communicate with Indra, but Ashura was different, as he was raised by Indra.
So it seems like the father and son can communicate very easily, but it also seems like they can't say anything.
Over time, even their relationship cooled.
It's very strange, Ashura still looks so enthusiastic, and Otsutsuki Hagoromo is still as majestic as before, even a little more kind, but some unspeakable gap remains.
On January 4th of every year, Ashura would visit the tribe founded by Indra. He would bring Indra's favorite food and some of his own new achievements.
It had been a long time since he had heard Indra's doting voice, and it had been a long time since he had heard his elder brother's praise and teachings.
Not even a good look.
This goes on day after day, year after year.
Until his body couldn't take it anymore.
He only remembered his last look, seeing the starry night sky through the gap in the window, just like what he saw when he left his brother's room many years ago.
It was as if the one-sided cold war would end tomorrow morning, and he and his brother would continue to live their ordinary lives just like every day before.
But this time, he couldn't wait until the next day's sunshine.