Chapter 17 Planting Trees During the Ninja Clan Era (17) As the younger brother, the most...
Three punches.
Thousand Hand Bamboo also forgot about the debt of wanting to punch Indra's father three times, but from now on, it was all wiped clean. Although it was a one-sided grudge, the other party didn't even know who he was.
Senju Take was unaware of how strong the Sage of Six Paths was, so in order to ensure that he could hit the Sage of Six Paths in his soul form, he directly activated Sage Mode. In this mode, Senju Take would feel as if he had divine assistance, and everything was so free and joyful, as if everything could be accomplished—and in fact, that was indeed the case.
Knowing that he would be alone for a long time to come, the boy looked down at his clenched fist and exited Sage Mode.
Ignoring the Sage of Six Paths who had been punched three times by him, Senju Takeya now had more important things to do.
Gently lifting Indra's cold body horizontally, the man's body began to stiffen, making Senju Take feel an indescribable heaviness and even a sense of unfamiliarity. Perhaps it was because he had never held his sworn brother like this since he grew up, which was why he felt so unfamiliar.
My sworn brother's clothes are torn and dirty, so he needs to go back and change into new ones. Indra is very clean, so he also needs to take a bath.
"Who are you?" Ashura looked at the boy who was about to take Indra away and called out to him. His feelings toward this person were complicated. The boy had attacked his father as soon as he appeared and his purpose was clear: to take Indra away. His position was obviously opposed to Ashura's. However, Ashura felt a peaceful and steady sense of ancient stability from the boy, which made him feel extremely close to and fond of him.
Senju Take also looked at him. This was the first time he had seen Indra's younger brother, but it would probably be the last. He would not interfere with the cause and effect between Indra and Ashura, but he could not accept Ashura who had taken Indra's life. Even though Senju Take felt a faint sense of closeness between himself and the other, as if it were a closeness flowing in his blood.
Suddenly, Senju Takeshi remembered Indra's surname, a surname that perfectly matched his best friend's. He was momentarily stunned, as if fate had connected them together, yet also caused their destinies to be out of sync.
Thus, this tale of being destined to meet but not to be together came to an end. Thousand Hand Bamboo replied to Ashura, "I am Thousand Hand Bamboo, Indra's sworn brother."
"My sworn brother...?" Ashura murmured absentmindedly.
The boy before them vanished without a trace, and the grass and trees receded like the tide, leaving everything in its original, dilapidated state.
Ashura lowered his head, looking at his still unhealed hands. Large tears fell onto his blood-soaked and dust-covered palms, stinging him painfully.
"Asura."
His brother's gentle calls still seemed to echo in his ears.
Ashura couldn't describe his emotions. He was saddened that his brother had truly abandoned him completely, a distance that seemed impossible for him to bridge. Yet, he was also happy that his brother had found a new, deeply loving family, someone who was far from the kind of person his father described as incapable of love.
Indra's love is extreme and narrow, intolerant of any other thoughts. It is like a raging fire that can burn a person to ashes. Only those who have gained it and then lost it can understand this unforgettable love.
Ashura recalled his younger brother's diligent studies, enduring day and night toil, full of energy, wanting to support his younger brother, to shoulder all responsibilities and hardships, to become his father's pride and his younger brother's support. No matter how tired he was, as long as he saw little Ashura, his face would show an incredibly gentle yet firm expression.
His puppy died, and his brother was just as sad as him. When he wanted to be lazy and cheat, his brother would understand him and cover for him. After his playfulness subsided, his brother would patiently tutor him. They were like yin and yang, each other's half, and should empathize with and understand each other.
Hahahahahahahaha...
What are they fighting over? What have they gained? Why is he so determined to catch up? In the beginning... he just wanted his brother to be less tired, to spend more time with him, not to be away for so long, not to always say things he can't understand, and not to leave him so far away that he can't see him anymore.
Ashura felt increasingly powerless amidst his mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.
The Sage of Six Paths, whose form was almost transparent, returned to Ashura's side and fell silent upon seeing his second son, who was crying and laughing like a madman.
"I will not give up, I will not give up..." Ashura almost buried his head in the ground, muttering to himself.
At this moment, the Sage of Six Paths realized that his second son, who was incredibly similar to him, and his eldest son, who was rebellious and self-centered, also shared a striking resemblance.
Yes, they were brothers, bound by blood, even closer than father and mother—he was wrong, but what good is realizing that now?
Without lingering for even a second, Thousand Hand Bamboo answered Ashura's question and took Indra back to Mount Xilin.
At this moment, Xilin Mountain is deathly silent. The flowers of the Xilin grass, which cover the entire mountainside, droop and touch the cold, damp earth. The chirping of insects has ceased, and even the wind has stopped.
Senju Takeya carefully bathed Indra, changed his clothes, and dried his hair. He discovered the leaf that Indra had always kept close to his heart. It was soaked in blood and slowly withered and curled under Senju Takeya's gaze, turning into a blood-red seed. He carefully put the seed away, carried Indra to the sapling, and gently placed Indra on the ground.
He watched as the sapling stretched out its roots to wrap around Indra and pull him into the ground. After the ground slowly closed and returned to its original state, the sapling, which had failed to grow for several years, suddenly rose from the ground.
Thousand-Hand Bamboo watched it sprout branches, watched its lush green leaves, and felt the ground tremble, yet he couldn't shed a single tear. His eyes were so dry that it seemed as if he had run out of tears, and his trembling throat couldn't utter a sound. He had never felt so like an emotionless monster, even though the other person's voice, smile, and the child's appearance from childhood to adulthood were all deeply imprinted in his mind, so clear and bright.
The little white gold that was quietly accompanying Senju Takeya was also looking up, its usually upright ears now drooping.
The sapling has grown up, which should be a joyous occasion, but no one is happy at this moment.
Does Indra know this?
Did the child know this when he asked him to bury him under the tree?
Thousand Hand Bamboo leaped up to the tallest tree nearby, besides the 'sapling'. With his view unobstructed, he looked up and saw a small fruit growing on the towering treetop, which looked like a green peach.
As usual, Little Platinum helped Thousand Hands Bamboo deal with the aftermath of the 'sapling' growing up. Thousand Hands Bamboo and Little Platinum returned to the time when there was only one person and one rabbit. Both of them were very clear that no child would ever chase after Little Platinum to this place again.
Thousand Hand Bamboo also planted the blood-red seed at the place where Indra trained Sage Mode, and took care of it as carefully as if it were a sapling.
The sapling's leaves will not turn into useless seeds, especially since these are seeds formed after being soaked in Indra's blood. The moment Thousand-Hand Bamboo saw it, it knew that it had to plant and raise it, and cherish it as it cherished Indra.
Senju Take also felt that he must be sad, otherwise he wouldn't miss his best friend so much.
I'm sorry, Indra. He's an older brother who can't even shed a single tear for you. He... is a monster.
After standing by the stream for a long time, Qian Shouzhu slowly blinked his dry, aching eyes. He should go back now, to live a good life, eat well, and sleep well.
No matter what you've been through, you have to keep moving forward; only by moving forward can you see hope—that's what his best friend told him.
This was one of the few things he was able to teach Indra by example.
The fruit from the tree garden was as large and good as ever, with a high yield. Although the thousand-hand bamboo could eat it all, it couldn't eat that much. So, in order not to waste it, the extra fruit was sent to the shrine in the center of Xilin City.
Thousand Hand Bamboo doesn't like to show its face, so it's Little White Gold who carries basket after basket of fruit to the shrine at the foot of the mountain.
Having not seen Indra for so long, and knowing about the strange events that occurred in Xilin Mountain a few days ago, the people of Xilin City all understood what was going on. No one spoke of it, but they knew that a pillar of their hearts had fallen, and from now on, there would only be the Mountain God and the Divine Messenger Rabbit.
From that moment on, the people of Xilin City hated the Ninja Sect to the core, and even more so, the Ninja Sect Master. But what could they do? The Mountain God cherished and protected Lord Indra so much; how could he not have tried to dissuade him? Lord Indra's death must have been his own choice. The only one to blame was the Ninja Sect Master for being too much of an obstacle.
The people of Xilin can only live well and strive to become better so that Lord Indra's spirit can rest in peace. But the hatred in their hearts cannot be dispelled by sobriety and reason. If given the chance, they would definitely stab the Ninja Sect hard to vent their anger.
The new lord of Xilin City is a student of Indra. To be precise, all the children who were supervised and trained in chakra by Indra were considered Indra's students.
The new city lord perfectly inherited Indra's ideals and ideas. The books that Indra spent countless hours writing at his desk during his lifetime were not in vain. The books displayed in his study and the notes he made word by word in them all came in very handy. The seeds of thought and knowledge were completely preserved by Indra.
Senju Takeru was once again proud of his sworn brother.
So Qian Shouzhu also put a big red flower on his sworn brother's portrait.
Whenever he discovers that his sworn brother has done something praiseworthy, Qian Shou Zhu remembers to put a big red flower that he folded himself on Indra's portrait. He will leave it there for a few days before burning it for the child. He can't praise him in person, but he can still give him the big red flower. He hopes that the child can receive it in the underworld... no, in the Pure Land.
The ninja world does not yet have a definite concept of the underworld, but there is indeed a Pure Land. Indra told Senju Takeya that it is the place where the dead rest in peace.
So Senju Takeshi remembered and hurriedly burned a bed and bedding for Indra. His child couldn't sleep directly on the ground, so they were all specially made. Although the wooden bed was durable, it was difficult to burn completely. Senju Takeshi burned it for a long time but only suffered external injuries. He had no choice but to give up and buy an ordinary large bed at the foot of the mountain to burn over there.
Gazing at the raging fire before him, the boy's deep, black eyes slowly rippled with intense flames, the flames burning along with his emotions, carrying them away.
The people who need graves are not the dead, but the living.
A note from the author:
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Indra's final mission was accomplished; he successfully sacrificed himself to fulfill all the conditions required for the sapling to grow to the next stage.
If he were still alive, Thousand-Hand Bamboo would never have given him to the sapling, so Indra never intended to live. Of course, the best outcome would have been to perish together with Asura.
However, as everyone who has read the text knows, Indra will return; he is currently in a Schrödinger's cat-like state of being dead but not completely dead.
I also tried turning on the paragraph comments!
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