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Chap-52 Remembrace
🕑 Added 2022-03-18 15:02:53 +0000 UTC(Land of Fire)
Daen Nara had always perceived the Uchiha to be a fierce and cold hearted clan. Even their pride and arrogance were as famous as their legendary power. What he had never seen before was a broken dragon.
It was the sight that greeted him and Sakumo alongwith their hundreds ninjas as they watched a frozen Tajima standing at the banks of the Naka river holding two jars in his hands.
Two jars that contained the destruction of the man's family and that of the Land of Fire.
"The King is dead"
Sakumo's sad but firm declaration was met with many looks of despair and anxiety. Since the last few days, they had started receiving thousands of Uzumaki refugees that were being evacuated by Naruto.
Tajima had been confused as to why his son would decide to help a clan that was never an ally of the Uchiha. But knowing the boy's kindness it was something that he could possibly be moved to do. However, when the Uzumaki survivors mentioned the horrors destroying their homeland and most importantly the defeat of King Naruto, the Uchiha clan head had not believed them.
Up until the point where hundreds of jars containing ashes of fallen Uchiha warriors reached the Fire Capital and in them were those of King Naruto and Naori Uchiha. The fact that they were sent by none other than Shisui Uchiha alongwith a somber letter left little doubt as to the fact that the Uzumaki were telling the truth.
The Otsutsuki were back with an army of dead intent on destroying the world of men.
And they had killed the Dragon King.
Naruto was the only reason the former enemy ninja clans were staying united, now with most of the elite Kingsguard warriors wiped out and the King dead...the alliances were on the brink of destruction.
The Uchiha were badly hit as many of their elite fighters had went with their King only to come back in ashes with him and Naori. Now, an ancient enemy was marching towards the Land of Fire with few reports even saying that they had already started attacking the coastal cities and villages.
With no news of Madara or even the queen, Tajima was the last capable and official leader left behind by the deceased King to defend their homeland.
The said man was not loved by many because of his ruthlessness but he was feared too.
Daen and Sakumo stepped towards the veteran Uchiha knowing they had to keep this peace standing until atleast Madara or the Queen arrived with their armies. It could also spark another war since the Uchiha's would now want Madara to rule since his brother was dead, the Senjus however were not entirely comfortable with Madara and would likely push for Tsunade to rule since she was the deceased King's widow. It could very well start another bitter civil war.
"Lord Tajima" said Sakumo gently, and saw the man still staring at the two jars of ashes with a broken gaze.
"The Naka river has always been the final burial site for my ancestors. My fathers and his fathers before him, my three sons and my siblings. They all lie here" whispered Tajima, his voice heavy with regret and sadness.
"Now it shall be the grave of my last sister and my fourth son"
Sakumo placed a hand on the man's shoulder knowing very well how Tajima felt since Sakumo's eldest son had died a few weeks ago protecting his Hokage. It had consumed Sakumo with grief, even if they were shinobi and he had two more children still alive, that pain had threatened to consume him.
Tajima might have committed many heinous acts in his life but so had the other clan heads. It was the nature of shinobi, but Sakumo could only imagine the pain of the Uchiha for he had now lost his fourth son. A child he had a stormy relationship with but one who had also made Tajima most proud. If it was not enough, Tajima's last surviving sibling whom he had loved more than anyone else had also perished.
"The gods have seen fit to punish me with these dark days. That I should live to see the fall of my house, my family" said Tajima sadly,
"Their deaths were not your fault, Lord Tajima" consoled Daen,
Tears fell from the old Uchiha's eyes as he saw the jar containing the ashes of his son. His youngest child had been the most loyal and best member of their clan raising it to powers even Tajima never dreamed of. Izuna and Naruto were the last remnants of his dead wife, and now they were both gone.
"No father should have to bury his sons"
Sakumo had to grab the broken man as tears slipped from his eyes. Tajima clutched the two jars deep in his chest as he fell to his knees. Heavy sobs wrecked his body as memories of Naruto and Naori passed through his heart.
Daen and the ninjas could only watch the Uchiha head wallow in grief and misery as he poured the ashes into the river with Sakumo's help. Even the most bitter enemies of the Uchiha remained silent having also lost loved ones to this war.
They all knew that the enemy was now marching towards them with a very large force. Possibly more than 150,000 strong if Shisui's report was correct.
In comparison to that, they barely had 10,000 men and those too were not the best fighters of each clan.
Tajima remained standing on the bank watching the last ashes of his family being carried away. His hands were clenched shut and so were his eyes. He could feel the anxiety and fear burning within the men with no one knowing for certain what course of action they were supposed to take.
Daen blinked when Tajima swiftly turned around. Grief and pain still coursed through his dark eyes but there was also a fierce hate alongwith grim determination present in them.
"Our King is gone...but we are not. The Otsutsuki took everything from us. They want to destroy our people, our homes, our lives but we will not let that happen" declared Tajima fiercely,
Sakumo and many others were surprised by the declaration but they would be lying if they were not relieved to see the cold determination in the Uchiha leader's eyes. The Hatake and Nara leaders quickly stepped behind Tajima as the man swiftly starting walking towards the Capital.
"We will stop those bastards for as long as we can until our armies return home" decided Tajima,
He cast one look at Sakumo making the man stand even more straighter, "Muster the army at Castle Tsukiyomi. As many men of fighting age, ninjas and civilians both. You have three days" ordered Tajima,
Sakumo swiftly nodded and hurried off with several ninjas to carry out the orders making Tajima turn towards the other clan head.
"Prepare the Capital for a siege and hoard provisions so that we can shelter as many of our people behind the city's walls if the enemy overruns us" instructed Tajima,
"Our people?" asked Daen with a wry smile, earning a grim stare from Tajima.
"My son and my sister died for the world of men. I shall see to it that their sacrifice didn't go in vain"
For the second time in his life, an Uchiha had defied Daen's expectations. He nodded at Tajima's resolution and decided to carry out his orders. The matter of succession would be a point of contention in the future but for now humanity had to unite against an army of dead led by the Otsutsuki.
He watched Tajima stand in front of the ninjas and looked them all straight in the eye.
"Warriors of Fire! WE MARCH TO WAR!"
A thunderous roar of battlecries was unleashed at Tajima's statement as ninjas from various clans and even civilian fighters raised their swords. The last of the defenders, the final wall between death and their people.
We march to death.
(Coast of Land of Lightning)
After several days of travel, Itachi caught sight of land for the first time. It elicited a wave of cheers from the men on the ship even as he approached their leader.
"You think we'll find them in time?" asked Itachi hesitantly,
"We have to. Otherwise our king won't survive his physical wounds" replied Shisui resolutely,
"We still don't have any idea about his mental state. For all we know his mind may have already left his body" pointed Itachi, it was a bitter fact but one not out of the realm of possibilities.
Shisui grimaced knowing his friend was right but he just could not believe that their King was gone.
"Let us hope the queen and Lord Hashirama can get him back on his feet" said Itachi hopefully, earning a nod from his friend.
He saw Shisui was still wallowing in guilt and rightly so for he had sent all the surviving Uzumaki and the remaining Kingsguard forces to the Land of Fire only leaving a handful men and Mito to carry Naruto to the Land of Lightning where they had received information that their main army was currently stationed.
The enemy had been ruthlessly pursuing them on sea for every day and they had to leave many civilian ships behind when they were not able to escape quickly. It only added to their list of failures alongwith thousands of more dead to the enemy army. For some reason, the Otsutsuki desperately wanted Naruto dead which had forced Shisui to risk a costly diversion at the price of many warriors and civilians.
Their small ship had escaped in the chaos and by making all the Kingsguard survivors and Uzumaki go the Land of Fire, they had essentially directed a large chunk of enemy forces in that direction. To make things more safer, Shisui and Itachi deliberately spread rumors of Naruto's passing among the Uzumaki survivors so that in the case if the enemy had spies in the mainlands then they would focus on the Land of Fire and other areas first leaving them alone.
It was a heartless move but one necessary for the survival of their King.
Both boys could only imagine the grief it would have caused Lord Tajima knowing that his sister and son both died. Not to mention hundreds of Uchiha. However, their duty was now first towards their King and then to their clan.
Shisui had no doubt the enemy had spies in the mainlands that were providing them critical information and if that was the case then he was definitely expecting the possibility of another attack.
Lord Hashirama and Tsunade had the main army of the Land of Fire under their command. If they managed to defeat the Samurai Nation then it was now possibly the largest force of fighters left in the world. The enemy would surely try to wipe them out while also focusing on destroying the Land of Fire. Not only destroying the most powerful nation in the world send a message, but it would also bolster the ranks of the army of dead tremendously and nearly destroy the moral of the ninja forces if their home was destroyed.
Shisui did not know what the future held for them but unless Madara came back from the Land of Wind with his forces, assuming he had any left or was not defeated or ambushed.
Then Lord Tajima was the last line of defense for their people.
(Land of Wind)
Tobirama deflected a sword strike aimed at his neck and used the momentary opening to drive his lightning sword clean through the man's heart. As his enemy coughed blood and fell, he was assaulted by the overwhelming battlecry resonated across the battlefield.
"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"
"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"
"THE FIRST HOKAGE!"
Madara charged through several ranks of enemy forces with his sword making quick work of any warrior that got in his way. The poor bastards never had a chance thanks to this sharingan predicting their every move. He grabbed a nearby warrior and slapped explosives on his body before throwing him in a group of his own comrades watching them be shred to pieces.
From the skies, he saw Rei unleash a powerful barrage of explosives destroying scores of enemy. If that was not enough, the remaining Namikaze were firing volley after volley of precise kunai and shuriken strikes thinning out enemy forces at an alarming pace.
On the other side of the battlefield, Sasuke Sarutobi was wrecking havoc with his gigantic monkey summon. While on the left flank, Tobirama demolished his enemies brutally.
Madara grinned when he saw another large wave of enemies charging towards him. Judging from their attire, these were ninjas from the Land of Earth. He defiantly charged towards them and was not surprised when Danzo, Kakashi and Mikoto joined him alongwith several more Uchiha.
The heat of the desert didn't bother them nor did the treacherous sand. The enemy might have been able to mount up a powerful defense had his forces not descended down on them so suddenly that half their forces were butchered before they could even yell out the first scream.
The earth ninjas gave out a battlecry expecting a brutal close quarter combat and were terribly alarmed when the men led by the Hokage quickly performed a set of hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fire Tornado!"
One of the disadvantages of fighting in the desert was the fact that the earth ninjas had no mud or stone to use for their ninjutsu. That was not the case for the Sand ninjas who were used to fighting in this environment but they were too few to begin with leaving the Earth ninjas to do the heavy fighting.
Madara watched in satisfaction as the earth ninjas panicked on seeing the massive wave of fire being unleashed at them at such close quarters. Half of them tried to run, few tried to unleash water jutsu but there was hardly any source of water nearby and none of them were powerful enough like Tobirama who could gather water from the air itself. It was no wonder when all 200 of them were incinerated and died in agony.
He glanced at Tobirama as the Senju came near him. Watching the remnants of the once 30,000 strong enemy army being reduced to half their number and surrendering quickly was a satisfying sight. Not that those sand and earth buggers had any chance with most of their leaders murdered by Madara and Tobirama.
A small smile came upon Tobirama's lips as his thoughts went back to the conversation shared between him and Madara...
(Flashback)
Tobirama and Madara stood alone in the Hokage's tent observing the map of the Land of Wind.
The Senju could not help but steal occasional glances at the older Uchiha. After their encounter against the Kaguya and suffering heavy casualties, he had expected their army to fall apart. He was proved wrong when a grim faced Madara woke up the next day and took charge again. Contrary to his expectations, Madara personally made sure the dead from all clans received proper burials as per their clan's traditions. Madara had consoled those who had lost friends and loved ones, visited the injured and thanked them for their bravery and in doing so he had not shown discrimination between anyone. Those warriors still fit enough to fight were given a straightforward speech by Madara regarding the importance of their campaign and how despite their losses they had to link up with Sasuke Sarutobi's forces and defeat the combined ninja armies of the Land of Wind and Earth.
It was the first time Tobirama had seen Madara actually rise to the task of a leader. He never thought the Uchiha had it in him but Madara had developed a strange streak of proving Tobirama's expectations wrong again and again. A fact which baffled the white haired Senju.
"The enemy has 30,000 forces under their command. They have divided their forces equally and stationed them in two important cities here and here" pointed Madara,
''Those locations are heavily defended and travelling there alone will wipe out more than half of our supplies. Our troops are not used to fighting in that terrain and it is very likely Sand ninjas will ambush us all the way using the desert as their weapon" said Tobirama worriedly,
"Then we need to force them to get into open combat with us" suggested Madara,
"How?" questioned Tobirama, the enemy knew they had the advantage and unless drastic measures forced them to move they were not going to take such a risk.
"Take two small companies of the best water ninjutsu specialists from our forces. Take this dam and stop water supply to this city held by majority of the Land of Wind's forces" directed Madara shrewdly,
"They'll come back in full force and retake the dam back. I won't have enough men to stop them" pointed Tobirama, and was not relieved when he saw Madara give him a grim look.
"When that happens, destroy the dam"
Tobirama froze.
His wide eyes stared at the large damn which held almost 50% of water for the Land of Wind. Destroying it would not only make the nation literally bleed to death, but also wipe out the largest city nearest to the Dam where most of the Land of Wind's forces were currently stationed.
It would also wipe out thousands of civilians.
Even for ninjas this was a drastic step and the collateral damage would be massive but on the other hand Madara did not have enough men to defeat the enemy in combat on their own turf. Even their army's morale was currently low and they had suffered many casualties.
With the majority of Sand fighters wiped out, the warriors from Land of Earth would be left alone to deal with the armies from the Land of Fire. Those stone fighters were the most hot-headed race of the world and a properly placed challenge would have them charging like stupid donkeys.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Tobirama seriously, he was not averse to doing dark things if it helped in saving the lives of his people but Madara needed to understand that as the leader of this army he would not be judged favorably by history if he did this.
The Uchiha gave a grim smile.
"A Hokage protects his people from all enemies in whatever way he can. I bear this burden so my people don't have to. It is my duty"
Tobirama watched the Hokage walk away in silence and could not help the grim but small smile that came on his lips.
(Flashback End)
Nights in the desert were truly one of the most unique and beautiful phenomenon Tobirama had ever witnessed. The sight of their people cheering and dancing over their victory also added to his joy.
Madara's brutal plan had worked.
Tobirama acting on the Hokage's orders stormed the Dam and took it from the small company of sand ninjas defending it. They had never expected such an attack and had actually thought Madara would foolishly siege the two cities where the main enemy armies were stationed. When the Dam fell, the Sand ninjas in the city panicked and rushed to take it back. Tobirama and his men held it for as long as possible and then at the last second destroyed it completely and flooded thousands of kilometers of land wiping out half of the enemy's joint army in a massive wave. Tobirama and his soldiers would have themselves died in the flood had Rei Namikaze and her clansmen not waiting to evacuate them on eagles. The Namikaze female had made a terrific recovery from her grave wounds thanks to Tobirama's help and she had been most eager to return the Senju's favor by saving his life.
With the Suna forces mostly wiped out, the Earth ninjas panicked and some carefully timed crass words from Madara had the fools charging stupidly out of their well defended city walls. Tobirama and Madara had made sure to defeat them thoroughly which marked the complete victory of their nation over the Land of Wind and Earth. After their initial losses against the Kaguya, it was a much needed victory which boosted the morale tremendously.
In the campaign, they had lost 2000 more fighters but compared to the enemy which lost close to 17,000 (mostly in the flood), 4000 injured, 8500 prisoners and remaining fleeing away...it was a small price.
Civilian casualties were in thousands as many had drowned in the massive flood but Tobirama wrote it off as bad effects of war. Anybody who believed wars were won without any dark actions were utter fools.
"NO!"
He was not prepared for the anguished scream that escaped from Madara's tent. Alarmed, the Senju dashed towards the Hokage's location as did many of the other ninjas. When they began their campaign, Tobirama had hated Madara thinking the man not capable of leading their army. But Madara had proved him wrong and did everything necessary, including taking harsh steps to protect the lives of their people. It had earned the Uchiha a grudging respect in Tobirama's heart, enough to make him worried as that painful scream was definitely Madara's.
When his group reached the location, they barely saw Madara storm away from them furiously. Darkness and hatred were resonating from the man in waves making many ninjas scramble for cover.
But what shocked Tobirama were the tears falling from Madara's eyes as he dashed away towards the outskirts of their camp.
Madara was many things but an emotional man? He was not!
The fact that such a hardened warrior was reduced to tears after such a splendid victory he had achieved made Tobirama gulp. He gestured the others to wait outside as he entered the tent and saw an unconscious messenger lying on the ground. The man must have instantly passed out under Madara's explosion of anger. The Uchiha could be really scary when he was angered and his killing intent was not something even Tobirama could dismiss.
He narrowed his eyes as he saw an abandoned letter lying idly in the middle of the tent not far from the messenger's unconscious form.
Hesitantly, he stepped forward and picked it up only to have his world shattered.
The King is dead.
Tobirama could barely believe what he just read which forced him to quickly read the rest of the letter which detailed the King's campaign to rescue Uzu which was being attacked by Otsutsuki. There were mentions of the army of dead, the cursed statue, and a list of important leaders who had died there alongside their leader.
One of them took away Tobirama's breath.
Tears came in his eyes as he gingerly touched the name so dear to him written on a piece of parchment.
Itama Senju.
His cheeks were stained with his tears as the cursed letter crumbled to dust in his hand. Anger and pain flooded his veins, his hands shook terribly as memory of a young boy dutifully following him around came back to haunt him. For years, he had encouraged the boy that he had the capability to become a good leader.
In the end, Itama proved him right but at the cost of his life.
The whispers in his head and the darkness on his chest started to spread rapidly as Tobirama was consumed in his grief and misery.
He sat in the empty white plains bound within the unbreakable cage.
The aura of cold, death and doom infested the air.
The visage of his lonely presence sitting in a chair the only thing of notice in this empty existence.
Time and reality had lost meaning making him clueless but he didn't care.
All he could think, all he could feel, all he could see was...
Hate.
It burned through every inch of his broken form sucking away every last ounce of emotion. Yet it also made him stronger, it fueled his anger and desire for retaliation.
He remembered feeling like this a long time ago and even then this feeling had been small compared to what he felt right now.
He had tried to get out of the cage only to fail again and again.
The cage was strong and not possible to break no matter how hard he tried.
But it would not stop him.
It might take years, generations or eternity itself but he would get out one day and then he would...
Burn them all!
The field of white twisted into shades of red and in the high sky he saw a dark moon staring down at him.
"It's powerful, isn't it?"
He blinked on seeing another presence appear in this pointless existence for the first time. The man was older than him but what disturbed him was the fact that he looked exactly like an older version of him with a few minor details being different.
"What do you feel after what you just went through?" asked the man,
"Did you put me in here?" demanded the prisoner, his dark red eyes narrowing dangerously but it only earned a smirk from his visitor.
"Yes. To save your life once again, just as I did years ago"
His eyes widened on hearing the man make that claim. For years, he had wondered as to why he was almost immune to fire and now he had his answer.
"You are like me in many ways and in others you aren't" commented the man nostalgically,
"I know you now" replied the prisoner, receiving a grim nod from the older man.
"That you do now, my son" said the older man, but was surprised when he received a cold look at his last statement.
"You are not my father" spat the prisoner bitterly,
The older man laughed.
"Hate clouds your mind and emotions, just like it did to me once...it still does. But you, your father, and his fathers before him all came through me. Your people remember me just as your descendants will remember you long after you have passed from this world" said the man sagely,
"Indra"
"Naruto"
Both Uchiha's stared at each other trying to discern all they could about the other. For Indra, the boy was an anomaly. He had accomplished all Indra had ever desired and expected from his descendants, yet he had also refused to make Ashura's descendants stoop to their rightful place and instead gave them power as his equals.
"Am I dead?" asked Naruto seriously,
"Do you want to be?" countered Indra, considering the boy's past he would not be surprised if he wanted that after what happened. In some ways, Naruto was too fragile like Ashura had been.
"No"
"Why?" questioned Indra, now intrigued by the level of anger he saw in the boy's eyes.
"They took something from me. Someone who meant the world to me...and they murdered her. They butchered my people, I will see to it that they all die screaming in agony. I'll bring Fire and Blood to their lands, to their people and destroy everything they ever held dear" promised Naruto vengefully,
A ghost of smile came upon Indra's lips as he felt pride swell within him on hearing those words. He had expected the boy to fall apart and not be capable of bearing the loss of a loved one, but Naruto was like him in many ways. Instead of drowning in grief, he was being consumed in hate and the desire to burn alive those who had hurt him.
The boy had almost restricted himself to foolish morals his entire life...but now the cracks were wide open for Indra to see.
"There would be many among your people who will use your recent defeats to overthrow you" warned Indra, aware of the treacherous nature of shinobi.
If possible the intensity of the boy's dark red eyes doubled.
"Then they shall burn"
Indra was satisfied with that answer as he approached the boy's cage.
"The Uchiha's are the rightful ruler of the world, King Naruto. It is your responsibility to see that our line continues its dominance over the world of men. Those whom you call allies might support you but they will always need a reminder as to never cross the dragon" explained Indra,
"I will butcher every last Otsutsuki from this earth" declared Naruto, earning a nod from Indra.
"I will help you in that. The one who killed your beloved aunt is Kaguya's third son. But he's not their leader." revealed Indra,
"Then who is?" asked Naruto seriously,
"Her name is Hinata Otsutsuki, before my father and his brother defeated Kaguya, the mad bitch created a woman in her image that inherited most of her powers. She was made with the sole intention of becoming Kaguya's vessel once the mad bitch was revived" explained Indra, his hatred for the cursed woman clear for Naruto to see.
"How did Kaguya's son and her clone daughter survive for so long?" questioned Naruto, making Indra grimace.
"My father once told me that an average Otsutsuki could live for atleast 3000 years. The stronger ones even longer, originally they never even originated on earth but somewhere else in this vast universe. They are creatures that need energy like chakra to survive and consume every world that has that power before moving on to their next meal. Apparently, Kaguya was tired of that practice and broke away from her kind and settled on this planet. In the beginning, she had good intentions and a desire to protect humanity and this planet from getting destroyed by her people. But she was a frightened woman who always dreaded that one day her kind would come and destroy everything she held dear, it drove her to gather more and more power until she finally became insane and thought herself to be a god. Stupid bitch" explained Indra bitterly,
"She was your grandmother and you were not exactly the paragon of sanity" rebuked Naruto playfully taking great comfort when Indra glared at him.
"I'd watch your tone, boy. I saved your life by trapping your soul in your body otherwise you'd be dragon chew by now" warned Indra, projecting a great portion of his power to make the boy cower.
He was mildly surprised when Naruto gave him a cold look.
"Death does not scare me, Indra. All men must die someday, but your self interests lie in my survival so your threat is useless" countered Naruto coolly,
He was waiting for Indra to be outraged and was surprised when the Uchiha founder gave him a cold but proud smile.
"I made the right choice when I chose you to be my successor in this era. You are not just a dumb powerhouse like your brother, or a cunning but less powerful man like your Father. You have both those traits and it is why I will not let you die if I can help it" said Indra honestly,
"I'll say this once so listen carefully. Don't ever insult my family, they may not be what you want them to be...but they are my blood. Cross them and you cross me" warned Naruto icily,
Unknown to the King, a wave of sadness and nostalgia washed over the Uchiha founder as he remembered a young boy just like the one standing before him now. That boy too had loved his brother and father dearly once only to have them betray him.
"Then I hope your family does not end the way mine did" whispered Indra,
Naruto's anger lessened as he realized what Indra must be feeling. It raised a question in his mind...
"Why did you try to revive the Ten Tails?"
Indra clenched his fists as a wave of anger washed over him.
"With my powers I tried to defeat my brother and father, but they were too strong with the help of their supporters. They destroyed my allies until I barely had any left. Defeat was staring at me and in that dark time a foul creature full of malice and hatred whispered in my ear. Zetsu was his name, another foul creation of Kaguya before her defeat. The bastard convinced me that reviving the Ten Tails would give me enough power to defeat my family and take what was mine. Truthfully, the idea was not bad. Dangerous, yes because it was no easy task to control that beast but with my Mangekyo Sharingan I could do it. I captured the tailed beasts one after another except for the Kyuubi who always evaded my grasp, but still I managed to capture a large portion of his chakra which was enough to atleast revive the Ten Tails at half power"
Indra paused and if possible his fists clenched even more tightly and there was unmistakable sadness visible in his eyes. Something which Naruto didn't fail to miss.
"Something went wrong" deduced the King, making his ancestor nod solemnly.
"I was betrayed. Hinata and Kimimaro Otsutsuki had been waiting for me to revive the Ten Tails and when everything was in place, they attacked me with full force of their power and supporters. I fought them for seven days and lost five of my sons and hundreds of my last supporters in those battles. In a desperate move, I sent my eldest son Indranil away so that my line would atleast survive and gave him Dawn which I had made through a foreign metal that Kaguya had brought with her from her homeworld and fused it with the Juubi statue's chakra. Indranil also had a small portion of that metal and in the future he made the sword Fury albeit with the less powerful chakra of the other tailed beasts. When my end was near, my family came to fight" explained Indra,
"They came to help you after all that had happened?" asked Naruto in surprise, but could also understand why. No matter the differences between him and Madara, they were always brothers.
Apparently, Indra and Ashura were not much different if the older Uchiha's sad smile was any proof.
"It was at Ashura's insistence and my father's desire to stop the Ten Tails from being born. Together with the Kyuubi, we fought the Otsutsuki. It was a bitter battle and many of our supporters died, victory was near until Hinata almost killed my brother. I gave my life to save his own" whispered Indra, earning a surprised look from his descendant.
"Indra..."
"I was better than my brother at everything yet people always loved him more. Neither of us cared about that, we both had seen in our lives that humans understood authority very well. Allow them too much freedom and they would show their hidden animal and the only way to keep it in check was establishing order with an iron fist. The burden of leadership is not easy to bear and always isolated the ones tasked to carry it. Ashura understood it once and promised to support me when my time came to replace our father. And then..." said Indra bitterly, as his entire body shook with rage as he remembered what happened after.
"Then he betrayed you by siding with your father" deduced Naruto, earning a nod from Indra.
"Ashura always held that old man in a higher pedestal than me. His words were like gold and the final command for Ashura, he was foolish enough to buy into the old man's bullshit that LOVE and CO-OPERATION was enough to keep the peace? In a way they were just as delusional or perhaps mad like Kaguya" spat Indra furiously,
Naruto winced but could not help but agree. Humanity even before the emergence of shinobi were certainly not a peaceful race. Men were ambitious and it was not bad if it didn't go out of control. Sadly, humanity did not like to be bound and most of the time had to be controlled by firm authority or it would have destroyed itself with the sheer level of chaos and anarchy they would wrecked on each other. Ambition was good and even needed, but humans needed moderation was well to a certain degree.
And that certainly was not going to be achieved by something childish like Love.
"Ashura forgot everything we once promised each other. It was supposed to be him and me against the world bringing order to the world of men. But he betrayed me, defied me, mocked me with his childish ideologies. He brought his doom upon himself with his treason...but I loved him, Naruto. I always loved him" whispered Indra,
Naruto could not help but feel Indra's sadness and anger. His emotions were so raw and open for him to feel and it made him angry at Kurama. The fox had told him a very biased account of the First War for Dawn!
Kurama never failed to mention Indra's mistakes but never mentioned the fact that Indra for all his hate gave his life for his brother. It did not lessen his crimes but it surely did not make him the monster Kurama said he was.
Indra was a powerful man with his shortcomings, and in some ways he had been right. His methods to attain leadership might have been misguided or even wrong but Naruto could not help but wonder how the world would have been had Indra succeeded.
"My father also died stopping the Otsutsuki. He was very old by then and that allowed those bastards to slip away but before he died he again created a rift that continued the war that ended when you became King. Before I died, I had seen in Ashura's eyes...the desire to end this feud between us. He would have even accepted my son Indranil as the one true leader until my father instructed him not to. Ashura knew he had the power to end our civil war yet he chose to again obey that old fool and follow his wishes. He died very shortly consumed by grief as my sons and his sons tore each other apart" spat Indra furiously,
"Is that why you don't want me to trust the Senjus?" asked Naruto cautiously,
"Hashirama is the reincarnation of my brother and is more like him than I would like. He is someone whom you can trust to a degree, there may be some more like him in that family. But never trust the Senjus blindly, if arrogance and pride is the weakness of Uchiha...then idealism and emotions are the weakness of Senju. Your own wife is a stark example of that weakness" explained Indra honestly,
Naruto winced as he was again reminded of his spat with his wife. Tsunade was very emotional and opinionated in her views, the same went for Tobirama and many Senjus.
Hashirama and Itama were the exception...
But still...
Grief washed over him as he dearly missed Naori and her support. It was not to say she was not opinionated in her views, but she was one of the more rational Uchiha and she had always given him the right advice.
And now she was gone.
Just like his brothers.
He would never see her again, never get to see her smile, hear her snarky remarks, not feel her comforting hand on his cheek...
Fear coursed through his heart as he wondered about the fate of his friends. The fate of his dear brother whom he had left alone with a vicious man like Tobirama.
How would he ever face his father again after being unable to save Naori and hundreds of his clansmen?
Despair and sadness overwhelmed him again to the point that even his hate felt small in comparison to the grief that threatened to consume him entirely.
He had failed his people.
He looked up when the cage vanished and he saw Indra come forward to lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Your eyes will never be the same"
Naruto looked at his reflection in the water that Indra conjured beneath their feet. His sharingan now sported a twisted shuriken instead of the regular three tomoe. Considering what he had read vaguely from the Uchiha tablet before destroying it, this was the ultimate form of the Sharingan. Perhaps, he was even the first to awaken this dark power after Indra...
"You have proved yourself to be a better leader than me and my brother. I would want you to keep the Senjus in check but will trust your judgement in the end. I will tell you all there is to know about the Otsutsuki you face and teach you all I have ever known including the power of your new eyes" offered Indra sincerely,
"Foes and treacherous allies surround me" said Naruto bitterly,
"The crown lies heavy upon your head but is a burden that you must bear if you desire to rule. You have suffered defeats, you have lost loved ones and comrades, but don't fall apart now. Rise a true dragon and make your enemies burn in the flames of Amaterasu" said Indra fiercely, dark eyes ablaze with the same hatred that burned in Naruto's heart.
He surprised the boy by engulfing him in a firm hug and felt the fiery hate burning brightly in his descendant's heart.
Naruto's entire body was engulfed in a power so enormous and dark that it was even hard to comprehend its true magnitude. It washed over him, soaking all his hate and grief only to embolden his resolve and strength with Indra's words resonating across his heart.
"The Uchiha Remember, my son. The Uchiha remember..."
