No one knows more about awakening the Sharingan than I do

"Don't kill us! The Senju Clan forced us to do this." The hideous, ape-like ninja wearing the Sarutobi Clan crest immediately tried to disavow any involvement when he saw the tables turn.

"That's right. With our strength, we were just there to make up the numbers." The cold-faced Shimura ninja quickly added, "We couldn't afford to offend the Senju, and we're no match for you Uchiha."

"Yes, exactly! Most of the time, we just follow the major clans around to scrape out a living."

The Sarutobi ninja now felt this trip had cost far more than it was worth. If he had known, he would have broken his own leg and pretended to be sick. Following the Senju to fight the Uchiha would have been fine if they had killed them, but now the tables had turned, and they were prisoners.

"Jun Wuji!"

"Yes, my lord." Jun Wuji understood instantly. He drove bones through their collarbones and tossed one of the bones to Uchiha Naoto. "Hold this."

Indra's gaze did not linger on the two clans' ninja. These ants were not worth his attention.

He walked behind Madara Uchiha and pressed a hand onto his shoulder. His low, icy voice slowly rang out. "Madara, do you want revenge? Then become stronger!"

With him standing so close behind him, Madara Uchiha went rigid. His eyes remained fixed on his two younger brothers, their bodies covered in blood. They lay there now, utterly motionless.

Before he left, they had still been so lively, saying they would wait for him to return and join their eldest brother in rebelling against their father.

Now they had died right before his eyes.

Why?

Why?

Because I'm too weak!

If I became stronger.

Even stronger.

I could overthrow Father and become clan leader myself. Then I wouldn't have to let my little brothers go on missions.

Indra pressed close against Madara Uchiha's back, his slender fingers gently stroking those terrified eyes as he murmured into his ear, "Madara, you're too weak right now. So weak that killing a few ninja takes you this long. So weak that you can't even avenge your brothers."

"Losing the brothers you love hurts, doesn't it?"

Held from behind, Madara Uchiha was tense from head to toe, half his attention wandering elsewhere. The emotions building inside him failed to trigger his Sharingan. All he could think was, When is Big Brother going to let me go? Let go already. Let go!

One waited for the Sharingan to awaken; the other waited to be released.

The two remained silent, both waiting.

In a rare display of intelligence, Uchiha Naoto realized what was happening. His lord was trying to awaken their young clan leader's Sharingan.

Now this was something he knew!

He had awakened one tomoe in three days, evolved to two tomoe in nine days, and achieved three tomoe in two months. No one knew more about awakening the Sharingan than he did now.

"My lord, leave it to me." Uchiha Naoto stepped forward, a sick, deranged smile spreading across his face. "Just fifteen minutes. I guarantee you'll get what you want."

Indra turned his head to look at Uchiha Naoto, hesitation and distrust in his gaze. Mostly, it was because this man's mind did not work like a normal person's. Letting him carry out orders was fine. Letting him think was absolutely out of the question.

Kaguya was mad. He was pure derangement.

"Trust me." There was sincerity in Uchiha Naoto's sickly smile.

Indra released Madara Uchiha and pushed him toward Naoto.

Suddenly freed, Madara Uchiha found that his grief had completely vanished. It was all an aftereffect of how sensitive his nerves had become when his eldest brother held him from behind.

Before he could think, a blade plunged into his stomach with a wet squelch. When it was pulled out, it took a chunk of flesh with it.

Uchiha Naoto stared at him with his three-tomoe Sharingan, then licked the bloody blade he had just withdrawn. His smile was sick and vicious. "Young clan leader, I've tasted your blood. Hehehehehe!"

"Come on, stab me! I stab you, you stab me. But can you even do it? You useless trash!"

Madara Uchiha's pupils widened. He stared in disbelief at his pierced, freely bleeding abdomen, but the words "useless trash" grated on his nerves.

"Your strength is nothing special. Well, yoooung claaaan leeeader, can you stab me? A useless little brat born of a useless old man. You watched your brothers die right in front of you and couldn't do a thing. You're the most incompetent person I've met in my nineteen years of life."

Squelch!

Squelch!

Squelch!

Three more stabs in quick succession!

The display stunned both Indra and Kaguya Jun Wuji.

But seeing that none of the stabs struck a vital spot, Indra left him alone.

Kaguya Jun Wuji, meanwhile, felt a little guilty. Wasn't this how they had motivated Uchiha Naoto back then?

"Young clan leader, your little brothers are rather pretty. They're still warm, too. My lord will give them to me. Hahahahaha! And if I could lock you up as well, hehehehehe..."

Madara Uchiha's emotions surged. The feelings that had dissipated earlier returned. Useless trash? He actually called me useless trash? I couldn't do anything while my brothers died before my eyes, and now he wants to violate their bodies...

How could anyone in this world be so shameless?

"I'll kill you!"

His chakra erupted in an instant. His pitch-black eyes turned scarlet, a single tomoe slowly revolving within them. He charged at Uchiha Naoto at tremendous speed, striking directly at a vital spot.

Even if he couldn't kill him in one blow, he would destroy the tool he intended to use for his crime.

The blade aimed at Naoto's heart abruptly changed course, striking between his legs.

"My lord, ten minutes." With a pop, Uchiha Naoto used the Substitution Technique, his real body already appearing beside Indra. As though seeking praise, he said, "No one knows more about awakening the Sharingan than I do."

Indra: ... He really wanted to swear.

"Mm. You did very well." Keeping his face stiff, Indra walked over to Uchiha Xing and Uchiha Yue and tossed out two Healing Talismans. The two, who had barely been breathing, slowly opened their eyes.

Madara Uchiha also came out of his earlier frenzy. He raised his blade and saw his own eyes reflected in it. His Sharingan had awakened.

Then he looked at his eldest brother, and a nameless fury swiftly spread through him. He did it on purpose.

Seeing Madara Uchiha standing there in a daze, Indra walked over and personally pressed a Healing Talisman onto his forehead. In an instant, every wound on his body healed. Even the split skin between his thumb and forefinger vanished.

At that moment, he finally understood why his father was so obsessed with this ability of his eldest brother's.

"Not bad." Indra reached out to pat his head and offered a word of praise. As expected of his chakra's reincarnation. Although it was only one tomoe, he had at least awakened his Sharingan, and his strength had clearly improved.

"You! Liar!"

Madara Uchiha put away his blade and swung a fist at Indra. Indra, however, dodged effortlessly and very patiently gave him a kick.

"Your strength really has improved noticeably. I have high hopes for you." Indra treated his anger entirely as an attempt to test his new power. In a cheerful mood, he turned to the other two rebellious brats. Their faces were pale, but they also looked relieved to have survived.

"Big Brother. Brother Madara." The two looked just like quails now, huddled together with their heads lowered.

"Why are you here?" Madara Uchiha redirected his anger. He couldn't beat his eldest brother, but surely he could beat his little brothers? His eldest brother hit him, so he would hit his little brothers.

He gave each of them a solid punch on the head.

"We came to find you, Brother Madara! Father said Big Brother had kidnapped you, and if he didn't pay the ransom, * compensation. Then he sent us with some clansmen to gather information," Uchiha Xing cried, clutching the large lump on his head. "Liuhuo is hurt too. Can you save him?"