Black stripes covered Kaguya's face as it gradually transformed into Indra's, and the feminine contours beneath her clothing disappeared as well.
"I-Indra... turned against Mother!" Black Zetsu was overwhelmed with regret. "Ever since the distant past, I sensed that Indra possessed the potential to surpass Mother. That wasn't just flattery, but I never imagined things would come to this!!"
In midair, Indra looked down at Naruto with his Tenseigan and said gravely, "A ghost from the future, returning to the past to play savior? And you chose me as your sacrifice..."
Naruto turned to face Indra. "Do you hate me?"
Yet Indra's lips curved into a proud smile. "No, I don't hate you at all. What you did was right. And Asura's reincarnation ultimately became someone just like me. How ironic, yet it makes me wish we had met sooner..."
Naruto sighed with genuine feeling. "Indra, you've far exceeded my expectations too. Honestly, sacrificing you would be such a waste. Now that you know the truth, why not make a more constructive choice?"
"Join forces with you?" Indra voiced what Naruto meant before he could say it, but then declared in an unquestionable tone, "There can only be one king! If I cannot be king, I would rather fall! One of us must fall, and the victor will be the true savior!"
Naruto gazed at Indra and said somberly, "Too much rigidity leads to breaking. That isn't a wise choice..."
But Indra said, "I had no mother who loved me even after her death. The younger brother I cherished stole what should have been mine, and the father I revered cast me aside like a worn-out shoe. From childhood to this day, I've always fought alone. I need no one to rely on. Not before, not now, and not in