"Believing he had transcended human limitations, he no longer saw value in ordinary followers. Instead, he sought those who would grow stronger for his ambitions, using them to maintain control over the villages and everything under his command. He preferred to rule through his internal power."
"Hagoromo's other son, Asura, was Indra's complete opposite. Though he lacked his brother's abundant chakra and Kekkei Genkai — including the powerful Sharingan — his warm personality and sociable nature drew many followers in the village."
"The Sage of Six Paths had hoped these contrasting personalities would complement each other perfectly. However, this hope led him to overlook Indra's true thoughts."
"The Sage assigned both brothers to different villages facing identical crises. Their water sources had been corrupted by the remnants and roots of the Ten-Tails, destroying their water supply. Though the Ten-Tails' remnants retained little power, even this trace amount proved overwhelming for ordinary villagers who relied on these water sources."
"When Indra and Asura arrived at their assigned villages, they had two clear objectives."
Yūsuke took a deep breath, then continued to look at everyone before him.
"First, they needed to eliminate these corrupted roots. Second, they had to restore the villages' water sources."
"Both brothers completed their tasks, but the time they took varied dramatically. Indra finished in less than a week, while Asura needed two to three years. After completing their missions, they returned to report their results."
"As expected, Indra returned first, having taken only seven days to complete his village's trial. Once finished, he promptly departed and returned to his own village."
"Upon Indra's return, his followers erupted in cheers. They were deeply impressed that he had completed the Sage of Six Paths' trial not only the fastest but in mere days while solving numerous problems."
"This remarkable speed earned Indra even greater respect from his followers. They believed following him was both the most important and wisest choice they had ever made."
"When the Sage of Six Paths saw his eldest son's return, he inquired about the mission. Indra responded simply and directly: he had removed the Ten-Tails' remnants, solved the village's water crisis by digging a deep well, and ensured their continuous water supply. He believed this well would gradually resolve other issues in their ninja village."
When Yūsuke finished speaking, his smile faded.
He knew this incident changed how Hagoromo viewed Indra, which led to numerous significant events that followed.
"After hearing Indra's report, Hagoromo didn't immediately pass his position to him. Instead, he told him to wait until his brother's village had resolved their problems. Only then would he decide, based on both their performances, whether to pass his position to Indra or Asura."
"Though Indra's face remained expressionless at this news, he felt deeply displeased. After all, he had completed his task swiftly and perfectly — why did his father still insist on waiting for Asura?"
"Indra's curiosity stemmed from his excellent completion of the task in less than fifteen days, half of which was spent merely traveling. Yet the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't pass his position to him, preferring to wait for Asura's return before making his decision."
"This situation made him increasingly unhappy. After all, everyone considered him a supreme genius. The Sage's approach of treating Asura and Indra as equals seemed impossible, as he appeared to ignore the vast difference between his two sons."
"The Sage's judgment had long since become unbalanced, subtly favoring Asura's direction. His compassion led to this favoritism, which would eventually trigger significant consequences."
"While his brother still struggled with his task, Indra had taken on additional responsibilities in the village, conducting numerous powerful Ninjutsu experiments. His immense power naturally drew followers under his command."
"These followers ardently supported Indra as the Sage of Six Paths' successor. They questioned why the Sage hadn't announced his choice yet, and began drawing stark comparisons between Asura and him."
"Ultimately, most villagers chose to support Indra — after all, he had taught them to harness their chakra, creating this method himself. Their loyalty naturally gravitated toward him, a fact Indra clearly recognized."
"He naturally knew what he had done had brought many changes to the village. But he was very curious why his father hadn't announced him as his successor yet. And at this time, guess what was happening with Asura."
At this moment, Yusuke tilted his head slightly, looked at Madara and the others, and smiled.
"What was happening with Ashura at this time?"
Everyone looked at him with confused expressions.
"If the Sage of Six Paths hadn't been so indecisive and had simply passed the position to Indra, these problems would never have appeared later. The root cause was that the Sage of Six Paths was too weak-willed. Though he wanted to combine the powers of both his sons to manage the village together, he overlooked a crucial point — his heart was biased towards Asura."
"Consider this mission: regardless of how the brothers were progressing, Indra was the first to complete his tasks and return. He had fulfilled both assignments exactly as Hagoromo had instructed: cleaning up the Ten-Tails' remains and helping villagers solve their clean water source problems."
Yusuke continued speaking slowly.
"Yet because Asura hadn't returned, the Sage used this as an excuse to make Indra and others continue waiting. This became the primary reason why the brothers eventually became mortal enemies! Even after this conflict emerged, the Sage of Six Paths showed no remorse. He merely wondered which part of the process had gone wrong. Until his death, he never understood his mistake."
"The Sage's indifference toward Indra grew so cold that it created the perfect opportunity for Black Zetsu, who began seeking chances to approach Indra."
"While Indra performed his usual patrol duties around the village, his followers expressed their displeasure with the Sage's decision. They suggested that Indra should break away and become independent, assuring him that many would willingly leave the village to follow him. After all, it was Indra who had taught them to control their internal chakra and harness its power."
"Hearing his followers speak this way, Indra's heart grew uneasy. However, having not yet turned to darkness, he showed no signs of dissatisfaction. Instead, he spoke quietly, telling them to maintain a low profile. 'This is a crucial time.' He said, 'Don't cause any trouble in the village. It would jeopardize what comes next.'"
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T/N: An important announcement! This book is on hiatus on Patreon!
Only available up to Chapter 234 because I can't understand a shit of what's happening anymore. It has become really difficult to translate this book because the author is simply banging their head on the keyboard and praying to some Chinese god to fix the words.
So when this book reaches Chapter 230 here on Webnovel, I will also announce a temporary hiatus.
I hope you enjoy and have a good read! (-‿◦)