Now, I'm the World's Number One... Ancestor Master, Save Me!

Now, I am the world's number one... Ancestor, save me! BOOM—!!

A deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth suddenly exploded!

A thick, violet-blue pillar of light pierced through the clouds and shot straight into the firmament, illuminating the pitch-black night sky as if it were broad daylight!

Asura had not yet reacted.

However, the expression on the face of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo changed drastically. His Rinnegan contracted violently, the pale purple ripple patterns trembling intensely as a monstrous wave surged in the depths of his heart!

Indra actually... let his malice overcome his better judgment and struck directly!?

It was not that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had never anticipated that Indra might take a desperate gamble to seize power by force, but he never imagined that Indra would be so impatient as to not wait even a single moment. He had not even waited for his father to reach the end of his natural life before tearing off his mask completely, abandoning even the slightest pretense!

At least wait until I'm dead before making your move, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo thought.

Good grief, he wasn't even bothering to act anymore.

Such decisiveness and brutality were far more terrifying than he had ever envisioned!

"Father! I'm going to check it out!"

Asura finally snapped out of his daze, his face deathly pale as a sense of intense unease welled up within him.

Without time to overthink, Asura tapped his toes against the ground.

His figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, violently bursting through the doors of the Quiet Room and rushing toward the direction where the pillar of light soared into the sky.

Inside the Quiet Room.

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo stood alone, his Rinnegan flashing with extreme complexity—there was heartache, regret, and a trace of cold, icy resolve.

He had once sealed his own mother, Kaguya; he was no longer the indecisive youth he had been back then.

If Indra remained obsessed and insisted on destroying the Ninja Sect and bringing ruin to all living things, then he would not mind striking down his own flesh and blood.

If the world were threatened, whether it was his own mother, his son, or his brother, he would never show mercy!

He could not afford to be soft-hearted!

Even if the Sage of Six Paths Manji were to threaten the world, he, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, would still fight him!

With his mind made up!

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's Rinnegan chakra surged, and with a flash, he followed in Asura's wake, darting out of the Quiet Room and speeding toward the direction of that violent pillar of light.

At the same time, a thousand meters above the Ninja Sect, at the very peak of the clouds, a figure hovered silently in the void. His robes fluttered violently in the high-altitude gales, yet he remained as still as a statue.

This person was none other than Manji.

He had not come to assist Indra, nor did he have any intention of favoring either side; he simply stood between heaven and earth, silently overlooking the violent chakra erupting from below and the two figures racing out from within the Ninja Sect.

"Fukasaku, record this moment. This battle will determine the history of the next thousand years."

Manji said with profound meaning.

Fukasaku nodded from the side, but soon realized something was wrong.

That's not right. How could the Great Toad Sage know these things?

However, Fukasaku quickly reasoned that it made sense.

The Great Toad Sage possesses the power to see into the future; isn't that perfectly normal?

On the plains of the Ninja Sect.

A massive, pale purple Susanoo stood beneath the firmament, its blade shimmering with a cold light that could destroy the world, casting the entire land into shadow.

"Brother! Why are you doing this!?"

"Are you going to destroy everything we built with our own hands!?"

Asura clenched his fists tightly, asking in confusion.

Inside the Susanoo, Indra lowered his eyelids, his Sharingan as crimson as blood.

He did not look at his distraught brother; his gaze pierced through the air, pinning itself onto the figure standing behind Asura—the man with white hair draped over his shoulders and an expression as calm as an ancient well: Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.

"Hagoromo."

"Why did you not pass the position of successor of the Ninja Sect to me!?"

Indra's voice was as cold as ice, every word tempered with years of pent-up resentment and unwillingness.

"Sigh..."

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo stood quietly where he was, his Rinnegan devoid of joy or sorrow.

Indra's paranoia, brutality, extreme pursuit of power, and disregard for others had long since caused him to be completely struck from the list of successors. This was a conclusion he had forged with his own hands; no one could change it.

"Indra, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo's voice was calm and rippleless.

"What am I trying to do?"

"Hahahahaha!!!!"

Indra suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter filled with madness and hatred. The giant hand of the Susanoo gripped the katana at its waist, and the chakra erupted with a piercing, screeching sound!

"It is exactly as you see! Since you refuse to give it to me, I shall conquer it with my own hands! I will seize it with power, and take it by force!"

"I will take everything in this Ninja Sect by armed force. Only I am worthy of being the master of this Ninja Sect, worthy of being the ruler of this world!"

The roar shattered the clouds. Hagoromo's heart sank, and a bitter taste rose in his throat.

Years ago, to protect the world, he had sacrificed his own kin and personally sealed his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. He had thought it would bring peace, but now, was it his turn to raise his hand against his own son?

"Brother! Have you forgotten the days we spent training together, protecting the Ninja Sect together? Have you forgotten our original aspirations!"

Asura's face was twisted in struggle, his eyes red-rimmed. He tried to muster his last ounce of strength to bring his brother back, but before he could finish, he was cut off by Indra's furious shout.

"You weakling! Shut your mouth!"

Indra's Sharingan contracted violently, and the aura of his Susanoo surged. Looking at his brother, who still lived in warmth and bonds, his eyes held nothing but contempt and jealousy:

"You only know how to rely on others, only know of these so-called bonds; you don't understand the true essence of power at all!

I am now the world's number one, the strongest existence in this world! No one is worthy of lecturing me!"

The moment the words left his lips, Indra hesitated no longer. He manipulated the Susanoo to raise its giant blade, the steel wrapped in chakra capable of incinerating everything, and struck down ferociously toward Asura and Hagoromo!

"It's over!"

BOOM—!!!

The moment the blade slashed down, a monstrous shockwave and clouds of dust exploded outward!

The ground was plowed into a bottomless chasm, and debris and fragments of chakra flew through the air. The very heavens seemed split in two by that single strike.

The members of the Ninja Sect turned pale with fright, but the moment the dust settled, everyone's eyes widened—

Floating around Asura were several black Truth-Seeking Orb, rotating slowly and emitting a tyrannical pressure!

In his hand, Asura gripped a Black Receiver formed from Yin-Yang Release, having firmly blocked the fatal blow. The chakra around his body had not dissipated; instead, it had become even more dense and solid.

"This is!?"

Indra's pupils contracted sharply, the patterns of his Sharingan distorting from shock. He stared fixedly at the Truth-Seeking Orb on Asura, his voice trembling: "The old man's Six Paths power... you actually inherited it completely!?"

In the next second, extreme jealousy and rage erupted like a volcano. Indra's face twisted into a hideous mask, the resentment in his heart churning like a stormy sea.

Why!?

How is this fair!?

Both were sons of Hagoromo, yet he had been gifted with extraordinary talent since childhood, his comprehension far surpassing Asura's. His ninjutsu and ocular powers were the pride of the Ninja Sect, yet Hagoromo had never truly valued him!

Thinking back, the one who had taught him to cultivate, imparted power to him, and accompanied him in understanding the Way for these past ten years was never his father, Hagoromo, but that calm, detached, yet peerlessly powerful grandmaster, Manji!

Yet Hagoromo, this so-called father, had given the core power and the position of successor to the Ninja Sect to the mediocre Asura, who knew only how to rely on others!

They were both his sons, so why was there such a vast difference? It was clear that he was the more excellent one, the one more worthy of possessing everything!

Just as Indra's mind was in turmoil and his hatred reached the heavens, the core members of the Ninja Sect finally reacted.

Led by Sarutobi, countless disciples performed Hand Seals in unison. Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth style techniques rained down upon the Susanoo like a storm, the light of their chakra illuminating the entire sky.

"Heh... Hahahaha! Good, good, good!"

As Indra's Susanoo was struck by countless techniques, his rage completely shattered his reason!

He laughed in his fury, his voice filled with coldness and madness.

"It was I who taught you how to control chakra, I who passed down the foundations of your ninjutsu, and now you use the power I taught you to turn against me!?"

If that is the case, then this Ninja Sect, everything he had once wanted to control with his own hands, need not exist!

Destroy it!

Destroy it all!

Hahahaha, kill them all!

Hahahaha, die, die, die!

Hahahahahaha, all of you, go to hell!!!!!

The chakra around Indra went completely berserk. The Susanoo's form expanded once more, the purple-black chakra carrying an aura of total destruction, ready to turn the entire Ninja Sect into a scorched wasteland—

Just then, a warm yet heavy hand rested gently on Asura's shoulder.

It was Hagoromo.

Hagoromo looked at his younger son, his eyes filled with expectation and trust, his voice firm: "Asura, accept the power of us all. This is not the power of a lone fighter; it is the connection of human hearts, the power of bonds."

Before he could finish, all the disciples of the Ninja Sect joined hands, heart to heart. Countless streams of warm chakra surged from within each person, like golden brooks converging into a vast ocean, all pouring into Asura's body.

"HUMMM----!!"

Asura instantly felt an unprecedented power sweep through his entire body. It was not power that belonged to him alone, but the wishes of every person, the heart of every person to protect, tightly entwined around him, making his once-struggling heart instantly firm.

To protect everyone, what did it matter if he abandoned his own small love?

To protect the peace of the Ninja Sect!

Asura took a deep breath and pressed his palms together. Hagoromo's Immortal Art chakra and power fused completely with the bonds of the people, erupting with a power that shook the ages!

"Haaah--!!!"

BOOM--!!!

A Thousand-Handed Buddha, towering and earth-shattering, suddenly erupted from beneath the plains!

Golden light flared brilliantly!

The Buddha's face was both merciful and majestic, its thousand giant palms blotting out the sky. Its size far surpassed the Susanoo of Indra, completely obscuring the heavens above.

"How is this possible!?"

Indra's entire body trembled.

He could clearly feel that this power had long since transcended his own limits. It was the power he had spent his entire life chasing, yet in the hands of Asura, it had been born in such a manner!

"Brother!"

"This is the power of bonds! It is the power of hearts connected! This is the true foundation of the Ninja Sect!"

Asura stood upon the shoulder of the Buddha, his voice resounding across heaven and earth, carrying endless resolve and sorrow.

Amidst his roar, Asura swung his hand down violently!

Countless giant palms of the Thousand-Handed Buddha crashed toward Indra's Susanoo like a surging tide!

"Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa------!!!"

"Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa------!!!"

"Aaaah------!!!!"

The deafening, relentless barrage of impacts was ear-splitting. The golden Buddha palms collided violently with the purple-blue Susanoo. Each strike carried world-destroying power; the outer shell of the Susanoo shattered like fragile glass, cracking inch by inch and crumbling layer by layer, with shards of purple chakra falling like raindrops.

"Aaaah--!!!"

Indra let out a scream of extreme agony from within the Susanoo. It felt as if every bone in his body were being crushed, and the backlash of his chakra pierced his internal organs like thousands of steel needles!

On the ground, Hagoromo wore a cold expression, though a trace of imperceptible pain was hidden deep within his eyes. He did not make a move.

Asura stood atop the Buddha, his chakra flowing out continuously. The bombardment of the Buddha palms never ceased, his eyes filled only with the determination to protect everyone.

High above the firmament, a detached figure stood silently—it was the grandmaster of Indra, Manji.

Manji had lived for endless ages and had long since grown indifferent to life, death, and parting; his state of mind was nearly unique in this world.

Yet, watching Indra being relentlessly bombarded by the Thousand-Handed Buddha below, suffering in agony, his brows furrowed slightly, and a faint sense of discomfort stirred in his heart.

This was the first disciple he had taught personally, the junior into whom he had poured his heart and soul. Seeing him end up in such a state was, after all, a bitter pill to swallow.

"Enough..."

Manji shook his head secretly, ultimately suppressing the urge to intervene.

But just then, Indra, being continuously struck by the Buddha palms, Seemed to see that familiar figure in the sky through the clouds of dust and golden light.

He used the last of his strength to open his blood-drenched mouth, his voice weak and desperate, carrying the plea of a child:

"Grandmaster... Grandfather, save me..."

"Grandfather, I am going to die..."

Manji's brows furrowed even tighter.

The offensive of the giant palms below grew increasingly fierce, each strike carrying the weight of everything Asura had. Indra's screams became more shrill and heart-wrenching, piercing to the core.

"Aaaaaah--!!!"

"It hurts... it hurts--!!!"

"Grandfather, save me!!!"

"Grandmaster, save me!!!!!!"

Indra's face was as pale as paper, and he spat out mouthfuls of blood. His aura had weakened to the extreme, his life force slipping away like quicksand, and his originally scarlet Sharingan began to lose its luster.

Manji's pupils suddenly constricted, and the layer of near-ruthless indifference in his heart began to shatter--

Manji realized with a jolt: this time, Indra was truly going to die!