Chapter 191: I Need Power!
"Don't look at me with those eyes."
Indra seemed to sense the complex emotions surging in Sasuke's eyes.
Vigilance, resistance, rejection of an unknown fate, and even a hint of the annoyance of "why does it have to be me."
He waved his hand somewhat impatiently, as if shooing away a bothersome fly.
Indra pointed to the surrounding purple consciousness space that he had constructed.
"This is definitely not your final destination either."
"I told you, I have no interest in occupying your world of consciousness; this is just a temporary place for conversation."
He shifted the topic, and like a precise scalpel, he stabbed directly into the deepest, bloodiest wound in Sasuke's heart:
"Besides, don't you want revenge?"
These words were like a cold iron hammer, striking heavily against Sasuke's heart.
Revenge... revenge against that man... This was indeed his greatest motivation for survival so far, the foundation of all his actions, and the unhealable scar and obsession within his heart.
Indra's eyes, which had already transformed into the Mangekyo pattern, stared coldly at Sasuke, as if able to see through the hatred burning in his Soul:
"If you want to get your revenge sooner, I can teach you."
His voice carried a kind of temptation, an efficiency and ruthlessness that went straight for the goal.
"I will teach you how to truly stimulate the power of the Sharingan."
"Not the half-baked application you have now. But... Awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan."
The moment his words fell, the rotation speed of the three-tomoe Sharingan in Indra's eyes suddenly accelerated!
Finally, they formed a hexagram mark.
"As long as you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Indra repeated, his voice carrying a certainty as if he held the truth.
"You can obtain insight beyond the three-tomoe, more powerful Genjutsu abilities, and... your very own 'Dōjutsu'."
He even threw out an even more tempting, yet more dangerous bargaining chip:
"Even, if the conditions are right, I can give you a portion of my Eye Power to help you awaken even more powerful and special Dōjutsu."
"Allowing you to possess power sufficient to match your target for revenge, and even... surpass the power shown by that boy named Naruto."
This "gift" was too direct, too generous, and too... unreasonable.
Sasuke was not carried away; instead, the suspicion in his heart grew even stronger.
"You would give me power so easily?"
Sasuke's voice carried a cold questioning as he looked directly into Indra's Mangekyo Sharingan, which seemed capable of swallowing human hearts.
"What is your purpose? To make me a pawn for you to deal with Asura and Naruto?"
"Or does this power itself come with some kind of price or control that I cannot detect?"
Facing Sasuke's suspicion, Indra did not get angry, but instead let out a short, cold sneer.
"You're overthinking it."
He shot back, his tone sharp and direct, carrying an almost cruel honesty:
"If you could defeat that boy Naruto and achieve your goals with your own strength... then would you even need to see me here?"
"Controlling you would be easy for me."
"However, my true goal has always been only one, and that is to defeat Asura."
In Indra's voice, that obsession spanning a thousand years became clear once again.
"Defeat his ideals and prove my path. And you all are the vessels for this round of 'confrontation,' the 'battlefield' where our ideals clash."
He explained his logic, cold and clear:
"You, taught and guided by me, using the power and wisdom obtained from me to defeat Naruto, who was taught and blessed by Asura... That is the 'victory' I want."
"Only then can it be proven that my path is superior to his, more suited for this world where the strong prey on the weak, and more suited for you, who pursues power and revenge!"
Finally, Indra looked at Sasuke and, with an almost emphatic tone, said words that perhaps even he needed to repeatedly remind himself of:
"Don't think that being a Reincarnation makes us the same person."
"Even if there is a 99% similarity, even if the personality, experiences, and choices are nearly identical... that is still only a similarity."
"You and Naruto both have independent Souls, and you have appearances, names, and life experiences that are completely different from ours."
He paused, as if confirming his own understanding:
"To me, you are you, Uchiha Sasuke, not me, Indra. Naruto is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, not Asura."
"We are ghosts of the past, seeds of ideals, and the Legacy of Chakra."
"And you are independent individuals living in the present with your own will."
"What I need is not for you to become me, but to be your guide in life, to teach you and achieve the result I want to see."
"In this generation's 'confrontation,' I will prove that 'my ideals' have triumphed over 'his ideals'."
"So, whether to accept or not depends on you."
"Will you continue to struggle in the mire of the weak, gazing at that ever-distant goal of revenge and that radiant 'companion' whose back you can hardly reach?"
"Or will you take my hand and obtain the power to overturn everything, writing your own ending that also meets my expectations?"
In the purple space, Indra extended his right hand toward Sasuke.
There was no warmth, no deception, only a cold exchange of interests and a clash of ideals.
Sasuke's gaze moved back and forth between that palm and Indra's face.
He saw the obsession in the other's eyes, and he also saw the undisguised intent to use him.
This was indeed a deal, a deal with a devil.
The price might be far-reaching, the risks might be enormous, and it might even ultimately deviate from his original heart.
But... in his mind flashed that man's condescending gaze, looking at him like an ant; flashed Naruto's figure suspended in the air, creating miracles with a wave of his hand, radiant and brilliant; flashed his own struggles, powerlessness, and that flame of hatred that had almost scorched his Soul over the years.
Power... he needed power.
The night the clan was wiped out years ago had made him realize the importance of power.
If he had the power to defeat Uchiha Itachi... Power, power!
I need power!
Hesitation, struggle, fear... eventually, all were swallowed by that heart repeatedly scorched by hatred and pride.
Sasuke's gaze gradually became cold and firm.
Slowly, he raised his right hand.
There were no extra words, no solemn oaths.
His right hand was placed steadily upon Indra's open palm.
"I agree."
Sasuke's voice rang out in this purple space, calm yet carrying a resolve like burning one's bridges.
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