That Day, Not One Person Followed Me

"Sorry, Brother. I got held up on the way and arrived late."

Asura scratched his head, still wearing that same good-natured expression.

"No matter."

Indra smiled gently.

As he saw it, his younger brother was weak-willed and far less capable than he was. Asura had returned late with a group of ordinary people in tow. He must have been unable to complete the task alone and had enlisted nearby villagers to help him muddle through.

If it had been Indra, he could have swept aside every obstacle by himself. Why drag anyone else into it?

Yet even if he thought his brother was incompetent...

Asura was still his only blood relative, and deep down, Indra still regarded him as family.

Once Indra inherited the Ninja Sect, he would guide his brother onto the "right" path and keep him safe.

Indra cast a brief glance over the timid yet trusting mortals behind Asura and said nothing.

At a window of the main hall, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo stood quietly, taking in everything below.

Looking at Asura, surrounded by ordinary people and wearing a warm expression, the old man's lips curved into a faint smile of approval.

The boy reminded him of his younger self, traveling the world and guiding its people. He knew how to connect with others and held love and acceptance in his heart. He treated all living beings with kindness.

And the test Hagoromo had set was never meant to measure strength alone.

What the Ninja Sect needed in a leader was not overwhelming power wielded at one person's whim, but warmth, tolerance, and the breadth of spirit to care for all people.

Indra's power surpassed that of anyone past or present, but he was proud and aloof. He believed power came before all else and understood neither connection nor compassion. He was not the right person to lead the Ninja Sect and carry on its ideals.

As for Asura's lack of strength, Hagoromo was the founder of the Ninja Sect. He had ways to force his own power into Asura and raise him to Indra's level.

In plain terms, he would give Asura an unfair boost by pouring power straight into him.

Before long, Sarutobi summoned all the Ninja Sect's core disciples to the main hall on Hagoromo's orders.

The hall was solemn and silent. Its bluestone floor gleamed like a mirror, and the Ninja Sect disciples kneeling on either side held their breath.

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo sat in the highest seat. His Chakra was steady and deep as an abyss, and his gaze slowly swept over those below.

Indra and Asura knelt side by side at the front of the hall.

Indra sat straight-backed and calm, still certain the position of heir belonged to him.

Asura sat with his eyes lowered, unease growing in his heart.

He was not afraid of failing to become the heir. He was afraid his father would choose him...

Every eye was on Hagoromo, waiting for his final decision.

Hagoromo slowly raised his gaze. His steady, commanding voice rang throughout the hall. "Today, I will announce the heir to the Ninja Sect."

The instant he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall tightened until a falling needle could have been heard.

Indra lifted his eyes slightly, certain of victory. He only had to wait for his father to say his name.

But the next moment, Hagoromo spoke clearly, without the slightest hesitation:

"The heir to the Ninja Sect is Asura."

The decision was final.

Asura's head snapped up!

His eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. His lips parted, but no words came out. He had never imagined the honor would fall to him.

Beside him, Indra's calm confidence froze. His dark pupils contracted, and his expression shifted from composure to shock, then utter disbelief!

Even his Chakra flared with a sharp ripple beyond his control!

He stood rooted to the spot, as if he could not believe what he had heard.

And it was not just the two of them.

Every Ninja Sect disciple was stunned!

They acknowledged that Indra was intimidating, but he had real power and authority. He was a leader among leaders.

Asura was gentle, and they preferred his company. Still, from the Ninja Sect's perspective, Indra seemed the better choice.

"Why!?"

"I don't have my brother's talent! Why choose me!?"

Asura scrambled to his feet, his voice urgent, almost pleading. "Father! You can't do this! I'm not suited for it!"

To Indra, Asura's panic and reluctance looked like nothing but hypocrisy and mockery.

Indra stood motionless, his dark robes perfectly still, his handsome face cold as ice.

"Why won't you let me take the position? Tell me your reason."

Indra slowly turned toward Hagoromo in the seat of honor, suppressing the fury and resentment surging through him.

He spoke one word at a time.

He was a genius the Ninja Sect would not see again in a thousand years. Born with the Sharingan, he commanded the greatest power. The position of heir should have been his. There was no reason it should go to anyone else.

Hagoromo looked at his two sons, and a trace of sorrow passed through his aged eyes.

"I just received word. The border village you were assigned to protect has been destroyed."

Hagoromo sighed faintly as he spoke.

The entire hall was stunned!

People looked up in horror, and hushed whispers broke out at once.

Sarutobi, standing near the front, darkened.

He stepped forward and looked at Indra with open suspicion. "Did you use force to wipe out the remnants of the God Tree and coerce the villagers, bringing disaster down on them?"

"Do I look that stupid?"

Indra whipped his head around, his icy gaze cutting toward Sarutobi like a blade.

Before the words had fully left his mouth, his crimson Sharingan opened. Tomoe slowly spun in his eyes, and a fierce pressure swept out, locking onto Sarutobi.

"You..."

Every hair on Sarutobi's body stood on end. A chill sank into his bones. Under the gaze of those all-seeing Sharingan and their terrifying pressure, even breathing became difficult.

Still, he gritted his teeth, straightened his back, and fought to withstand it.

The Sage of Six Paths, Manji, had personally brought him into the Ninja Sect, and Hagoromo himself had given him his name. As for connections, the legendary Grandmaster was his greatest backer. He had never been afraid of Indra.

Hagoromo watched it all, his brow furrowing as his disappointment deepened.

One question was all it took for Indra to use his Sharingan to intimidate someone.

This devotion to authority, this habit of threatening others with power at the slightest provocation—how was it any different from his mother Kaguya, who had once united the world only to rule it with cruelty?

Back then, Kaguya had used the supreme pressure of her Byakugan to crush all resistance and hold power alone, until obsession brought about her downfall.

Now, Indra's words, his bearing, and even the way he wielded his power all carried a hint of Kaguya's brutality!

"There's no need for anger."

Hagoromo spoke calmly, suppressing the pressure in the hall before revealing the truth.

"According to my information, after you left, the villagers fought one another over control of the water source. Both sides suffered terrible losses, and the village was destroyed."

"What?!"

Indra froze. His jaw clenched so hard a thin line of red appeared, and surprise flashed through his sharp gaze.

"Happiness handed to people without effort never lasts."

"You were too eager for quick results. You only knew how to solve problems swiftly with power, but you never thought to nurture bonds and affection among the villagers.

"Asura shared their hardships and personally taught them how to survive. He met sincerity with sincerity. Happiness built on bonds like that will not collapse so easily."

(It sounds naive, doesn't it? But Hagoromo really did say this in the anime. He certainly didn't sound like someone with absolute power.)

Hagoromo's voice remained calm.

Far from convincing Indra, the explanation only darkened his face. The fury around him was almost palpable!

"Asura needs those useless feelings because he's weak! Besides, what does the destruction of one remote village prove? It's nothing but a trivial matter!"

Indra's voice dropped to a furious growl.

Seeing that Indra still refused to understand, Hagoromo turned slowly toward everyone in the hall.

In that case, they would put it to a vote!

"Then tell me, everyone here: would you rather follow Asura or Indra?"

Hagoromo asked the question slowly.

Indra whipped around as well. His crimson Sharingan swept over the crowd, his gaze filled with insistent expectation and pressure!

He refused to believe it. He had granted these people power and taught them to control Chakra. Surely they would not abandon him for the good-for-nothing Asura!

"I'd rather follow Asura!"

Sarutobi blurted it out, his voice ringing clearly.

The others in the hall fell silent for a moment...

In their hearts, they had to admit that Asura was gentle and sincere. He was always willing to endure hardship alongside them, and his warmth was beyond anything the proud, distant Indra could offer. But Indra's power kept anyone else from daring to speak.

To Indra, that silence was betrayal laid bare!

"I'm the one who gave you power! I'm the one who gave you the means to survive! You should choose me! Without me, you would still be insects anyone could trample!"

The last thread of Indra's restraint snapped. His crimson Sharingan spun wildly, and anger twisted his face into something vicious.

Terrified by his expression, the others backed away. Fear showed on their faces, and no one dared meet his eyes.

Hagoromo sighed softly, his voice full of regret. "My son, you've lost sight of what matters..."

"Power is not the foundation of leadership. Bonds are."

Asura looked at his brother, who seemed almost mad with rage. Worry and helplessness filled his eyes. His lips parted, and his voice came out so faint it could barely be heard. "Brother..."

Indra's face was cold as frost. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, and a chill Chakra light seemed ready to seep between his fingers.

Suddenly!

Indra looked up sharply, past the crowd, and fixed his gaze on the old portrait hanging in the center of the hall.

It was a portrait of the legendary Grandmaster of the Ninja Sect, Manji, the Sage of Six Paths.

At that moment, the portrait became Indra's last hope!

"You fools! You would decide the heir based on your own petty preferences? Do you dare ask the Grandmaster to appear and let him choose the Ninja Sect's heir himself!?"

Indra shouted, the desperation of a final gamble in his voice.

He was certain that, given his talent and his bond with the Grandmaster, the Grandmaster would overrule everyone and name him heir if he appeared!

Now even Indra wanted to use his connections to get the position.

Hagoromo's brows rose sharply, helplessness and surprise flashing through his eyes.

Indra truly was grasping at anything now...

Even Hagoromo, the head of the Ninja Sect, rarely saw the Grandmaster Manji in person. Did Indra really think he could summon the Grandmaster whenever he pleased?

Beside him, Sarutobi struggled to keep a straight face, the corners of his mouth twitching again and again.

His grandfather had waited at the village entrance for a full hundred years, hoping for a chance to see the Grandmaster. And Indra expected to call him over with one angry shout?

"Enough of this nonsense!"

Hagoromo's tone grew much sterner.

"Fine! Fine, then! Hahaha!!!"

Indra clenched his fists and bolted from the hall!

That day, not one person was willing to follow me...

[PS: We're almost at 100,000 words, and the story is moving far too slowly. I never expected it to take this long. I thought I'd reach Hashirama and Madara by 100,000 words, but I've only made it to Indra and Asura. It'll probably be a while before I get to Minato, Obito, Kakashi, and the others. If that's what you're waiting for, please give it some time and let the chapters build up. I still have Indra and Asura's story to tell, followed by the story of the turbulent era...]