Indra formed a hand seal and explained, "This is a seal for Dōjutsu. It lets you cast Genjutsu quickly."
"You both have a talent for Genjutsu. You could put some effort into developing it."
Creative people were generally good at weaving Genjutsu, unlike Madara, whose approach was so forceful he seemed determined to scramble his opponent's brains.
"Madara's Genjutsu is too heavy-handed. I'm going to arrange his training. You two carry on."
[Host, have you ever considered why Madara's Genjutsu is so heavy-handed? Isn't it because you forced your idea of enlightenment on him?]
"My Genjutsu is excellent. It feels completely real, and it's very gentle." Indra refused to admit it. His Genjutsu was so good that Madara's crude attempts were nowhere near his level.
[You keep ripping Madara's heart out in your Genjutsu, and you call it gentle?]
The system was speechless. Its host seemed rather childish at times.
"I'm desensitizing him. That way, he won't get stabbed in the back by Asura's reincarnation or have his heart ripped out by Black Zetsu. Doesn't he just want peace? I'll help him conquer the entire Shinobi World, and that will settle it."
Indra had yet to realize that he had already marked Madara as his own.
[The wisher asked you to treat him better, but aren't you taking that a little too far?]
The Wish System had noticed that many of the wisher's recent messages seemed off, but it couldn't pinpoint the problem. In the end, it could only chalk it up to the Uchiha's hereditary obsession with their older and younger brothers.
"Am I? It seems fine to me. I'm just training him and teaching him not to get scammed. Did you show up just to chat?"
Indra formed a seal with one hand and began sensing Madara's location.
[No. This system came to remind you that Madara and Hashirama have met.]
At the news, Indra stopped in his tracks. Had all that teaching still failed to make Madara realize his mistake?
It seemed this ordeal was simply his destiny.
"Hmph! Once I have a moment to spare, I'll just kill that man." Indra was already prepared to do it himself. All he had to do was change Madara's fate, right? Killing everyone responsible would solve the problem.
If all else failed, he would just keep Madara at his side like a belt around his waist. If Madara got fooled again, he would give him a beating.
If he still didn't change, that meant the beating hadn't been harsh enough.
From what Indra had seen of Madara while drifting through the Shinobi World, no one had been there to keep him in line. That was why he had been deceived by one person after another. He was simply too naive.
[Host, if-and this system is only saying if-Asura appeared, what would you do?]
"What would I do? Kill him! The moment he took the old man's power and used it against me, he stopped being my brother."
Indra's voice was low, his eyes cold enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
He could accept his father not choosing him, but he would never accept his brother choosing those damned insects and turning the power he had received against him.
The younger brother he had raised himself had ultimately turned against him for outsiders. How laughable.
He had to die!
When Indra found Madara, he was practicing Taijutsu alone against a wooden training post.
If Madara turned his blade on me for Asura's reincarnation, I would kill him.
The thought darkened Indra's expression. In a flash, he appeared behind Madara, hooked an arm around his neck, and murmured, "You let your guard down."
Madara Uchiha froze as though rooted to the spot. Why was Nii-san doing this again? Why did he always like wrapping an arm around my neck from behind?
"Hmph. I just didn't feel like dodging. What are you here for?"
Madara Uchiha's mouth was now the toughest part of him. Even with every hair on his body standing on end and his muscles rigid, his expression hadn't changed at all.
"To watch you train." Indra kept feeling that something was wrong. Normally, when someone grabbed your neck from behind like this, weren't you supposed to fight back at the first opportunity? Why was Madara standing there like a pillar?
He had left several openings just now. With Madara's strength, he could easily have broken free.
So Indra tightened his arm around Madara's neck a little more. Now their bodies were pressed together, and he could clearly feel Madara's muscles tensing. Madara could break free at any moment, so why wasn't he resisting?
That movement completely distracted Madara Uchiha. All he could think about was why Nii-san was standing so close behind him. His back was his most sensitive spot, and he couldn't move at all.
"Why are you so close? It's boiling hot!"
Indra released his neck, and Madara Uchiha immediately darted away with the Body Flicker Technique. He erupted, shouting, "My back is my most sensitive spot! Don't suddenly appear behind me. It feels awful!"
"Oh? Then why were people able to stab you in the back and rip your heart out?"
Indra's expression darkened. A sensitive back should have made it harder for anyone to approach him from behind. What was wrong with him? Did he trust Asura's reincarnation and that Black Zetsu fellow that much?
"I... I..."
Madara Uchiha stammered for ages without managing a single sentence. The two simply stared at each other, neither breaking the silence.
In the end, Madara gave in first. He pursed his lips. "My Genjutsu wasn't good enough. I got fooled."
"Mm. I'll teach you Genjutsu." Indra walked up to him and ruffled his hair. "We'll add another three hours of anti-scam training tonight."
"I'm not that easy to fool. Izuna is young. Shouldn't he be learning this stuff instead?"
"Izuna doesn't need it. He's smarter than you," Indra said.
Madara Uchiha was deeply unhappy about having to undergo anti-scam training every day. It felt as though Nii-san was treating him like a child.
Remembering the country bumpkin with the bowl cut he had met that day, he decided he ought to tell Nii-san about it.
He was just about to speak when Uchiha Chiri ran back and called, "Heir, the Clan Head wants to see you."
Seeing that it was Uchiha Chiri, Madara Uchiha decided it would be dangerous to leave his innocent older brother here alone. He simply grabbed Indra and took him along.
Uchiha Chiri watched them disappear into the distance, her mouth falling open. "But... the Clan Head said... only you were to come..."
The two arrived at the study Uchiha Tajima was using as a temporary office.
They each found a cushion, sat down, and stared straight at Uchiha Tajima.
Uchiha Tajima was utterly bewildered at the sight of Indra. Who on earth had invited this walking headache? He gave Madara a questioning look.
Madara, however, failed to understand what he meant. "Father, what did you want to see me about?"
Uchiha Tajima closed his eyes and took a deep breath. You knew I wanted to see you, so why did you bring that walking headache along?
I wanted to ask whether you'd learned his healing ninjutsu. Now that you've brought him here, how am I supposed to ask?
In the end, he kept his real purpose to himself and asked casually instead, "I heard you awakened your eyes?"
"Father, you called me here just to ask that?"
Before you continue