"So there's really nothing left to discuss?"
The sharp crackle of lightning filled the air. The Indra who had just been impaled through the chest by Uchiha Itachi dissolved into a flash of lightning and reappeared unharmed on the opposite side, without so much as a scratch on his body.
A secret jutsu like the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique? Uchiha Izumi muttered to herself. At the exact moment she had manipulated Itachi's body to strike, Indra had transformed into pure lightning, completely evading the fatal blow. She hadn't expected that.
"You truly are a worthy ancestor—your strength is indeed formidable," Itachi praised, awe shining in his eyes.
"You don't seem surprised. Or even the slightest bit worried that I almost just killed you," Indra remarked, narrowing his eyes at the strange glint in Itachi's gaze.
He had clearly tried to take over this man's body. And yet instead of fear, this younger Uchiha looked at him with… admiration?
What the hell was wrong with this kid?
"Don't tell me you've been affected by Asura's chakra and developed some kind of Hostage Syndrome?" Indra asked darkly.
"Asura's chakra? What do you mean by that?" Itachi blinked, momentarily thrown off.
He had heard of the hostage syndrome—known as Stockholm Syndrome—where captives start to identify with their captors, even aiding them. Victims can become emotionally dependent on their abusers, sometimes to the point of loyalty or love.
But affected by Asura's chakra? That was new. Some kind of brainwashing genjutsu?
Subtly, Itachi tugged on the red thread connecting him to Izumi. Izumi gave a small shake of her head, signaling that his mental state was stable and his emotions hadn't been tampered with. Only then did Itachi relax a little.
Indra glanced at Asura before turning back to Itachi. "Over the years of fighting Asura, I discovered something. Whenever my subordinates were captured by him, they'd end up turning against me. I started calling this chakra-induced affliction the 'hostage complex.'
Once they were in Asura's hands, they'd start forming psychological bonds with him.
He controlled whether they lived or died—and because he spared them, they felt deeply grateful.
In their minds, their fates became tied to his. His future became their future. His safety, their concern. His ideals, their beliefs. To them, he was their heaven and earth—they would literally die for him.
So when we finally rescued them, they'd treat us like the enemy. They'd fight against their former allies. Even I—their former leader—became their mortal enemy," Indra explained with a grim look.
Asura: "…"
Wow. Rude.
"Brother, I reasoned with them. I inspired them with ideals. How can you accuse me of manipulating them?" Asura protested.
"Shut it!" Indra snapped, shooting him a glare. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important?"
Asura: "…"
Itachi: "…"
As Indra spoke, something suddenly clicked in Itachi's mind.
In the original timeline, he had committed near-genocide, slaughtering his clan and parents—yet afterward, he obeyed the Third Hokage's orders to the letter, almost reverently. Even after the Third spared Sasuke, he was deeply grateful.
…Was that really loyalty? Or had he, too, been affected by this so-called syndrome?
"Itachi, snap out of it!" Izumi yanked on their red string, pulling Itachi's consciousness back. The hollow, disoriented look on his face faded. The blankness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by clarity.
"Son of a—! You were messing with me?" Itachi exploded, no longer bothering to hide his fury. The admiration and reverence in his gaze evaporated, replaced by killing intent.
He'd always been the one manipulating others—how had he let Indra play him like that?
It was like one of those old slapstick skits—walk if you're not sick, only he'd almost been conned into limping away.
"So genjutsu really doesn't work on you, huh?" Indra sighed.
Itachi: "…"
If it hadn't been for Izumi, he would've fallen for it completely.
"Descendant, I will personally verify what you've said, but my words remain the same: I require your body," Indra stated seriously.
Your mother's!—like hell I'm letting you take mine! Itachi cursed silently, before firing back:
"My words remain the same as well: for the future of the ninja world, for the peace of the universe, I require your chakra!"
"Hmph! If that's how it is, then go to hell!" Indra snarled. His body crackled with lightning as he appeared right in front of Itachi. Lightning Release surged around his right hand as he drove it straight toward Itachi's chest—he was out for revenge.
"You think I'm scared of you?" Itachi formed a Rasengan in his right hand, black flames of Amaterasu dancing across its surface. "Blaze Release: Rasengan!"
"Hah! You're fast, kid, but you think you can outrun Lightning Release? I'm not gonna clash with you head-on!" Indra sneered. His chakra surged and his entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning, flickering to Itachi's side. Without pause, he thrust a hand toward Itachi's back.
Backstab me? Not today! Just before Indra's hand could pierce him, Itachi vanished.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!" Indra turned to see a glowing seal exactly where Itachi had almost stabbed him earlier. In the blink of an eye, Itachi reappeared in front of him and slammed his palm against Indra's chest.
"Blaze Release: Rasengan!"
Boom!
The powerful jutsu sent Indra flying.
Black flames of Amaterasu consumed him in an instant. Seeing this, Izumi finally relaxed. The tension in her body eased. It was over. Amaterasu's flames wouldn't extinguish until the target was completely incinerated. Indra was done for.
"…Not bad. You've got some skill."
Indra stood up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His left eye—bearing the six-pointed Mangekyō Sharingan—flared. The Amaterasu flames consuming him disappeared, seemingly absorbed into his body.
"Your teleportation jutsu is fast," he said mockingly. "But using my own techniques against me? How embarrassing."
"Is that so?" Itachi replied calmly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Indra began gathering chakra in his hand again—only to suddenly falter. His chakra surged chaotically, spiraling out of control. He coughed up blood, eyes wide with disbelief.
"This is Asura's technique? Fierce Attack Wind Sphere?" Indra growled.
Asura: "…"
When struck by the Fierce Attack Wind Sphere, the target's chakra would be thrown into disarray. Wind beats lightning—it was a jutsu Asura had specifically developed to counter Indra's Lightning Release.
Who would've thought his big brother would actually get taken down by a junior Uchiha? Life sure was unpredictable.
Still… how the hell did this kid learn one of his techniques?
"I told you—you're old news," Itachi sneered. "Can't keep up with the times? Then stop showing your face and embarrassing yourself! And by the way, it's called a Rasengan, old man."
"Oh, and if you're supposed to be a chakra entity, how come you're coughing up blood?"
Indra: "…"
"You're dead meat!" Indra roared.
Behind him, Susanoo erupted—a towering, violet giant over a hundred meters tall rose from the earth with a deafening roar.