Back in his room, Indra sent a message to Asagiri Town by Ninja Hawk, telling them to deliver the intelligence. Mainly, he did not trust Uchiha Tajima. The man was rather useless, after all.
[Host, you're being too cold toward Madara. Your chakra shares the same origin. Even as strangers, you would instinctively trust each other.]
"He's too weak. So weak that I have no desire to fight him."
[Your main mission is to rewrite Madara Uchiha's fate of having his heart torn out by a Black Tiger Steals the Heart strike. He hasn't awakened his eyes yet, so this is the best time to change him. Aren't you Uchiha all obsessed with your brothers? You can use that.]
"Then I'll cripple him, make him an ordinary person, find him a wife, and let him have a few children and grow old."
The Wish System nearly crashed when it heard Indra's solution.
Was there something wrong with all these Uchiha's brains?!
No, wasn't this the very root of what was wrong with the Uchiha's brains?!
Why were his ideas so bizarre?
[No. He must be the most blazing rose on the battlefield. That is what the believer wished for.]
"Understood."
[Host, these are the petitioner's wishes. I can't change them either.]
"Must I be controlled just to live?" Indra disliked the feeling of being controlled. If he had to endure it for the rest of his life, he could take the other party down with him.
[No. I'm only telling you the general direction. How you proceed is up to you. Since this is your first mission, I was simply worried you might fail and wanted to remind you.]
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Tajima summoned Madara Uchiha to his room, where they sat facing each other.
"Father, do you have any instructions for me?"
Madara Uchiha did not think he had done anything wrong. If his father wanted his Nii-san in the meeting room, why not have the Shadow Guard notify him directly? Instead, he had sent Madara, and after they were interrupted, both brothers had forgotten.
"Madara, what do you think of Xia?" Uchiha Tajima looked serious. This was the son in whom he had placed such high hopes, the Uchiha's genius.
But after seeing his eldest son's talent, Madara no longer seemed quite so dazzling.
"Indra?" Madara thought for a moment. He remembered his Nii-san saying that his name was Indra. "Outstanding and aloof. His understanding of jutsu surpasses anyone else's, and he has three tomoe at fourteen. I acknowledge him as my elder brother."
Seeing Uchiha Tajima frown after he finished, Madara considered it, then continued, "As for my brother's attitude toward you, Father, please reflect on your own actions. If you'd brought him home earlier, things wouldn't have turned out this way. He hasn't actually beaten or killed you. Just bear with it, and it'll pass."
Uchiha Tajima's three tomoe emerged as his eyes widened. He wanted to calm down, but could not manage it at all. What was the son he valued most saying?
What did he mean by reflect on his own actions? What did he mean by he had not been beaten or killed? What did he mean by bear with it and it would pass?
Was that something a son should say to his father?
He had at least maintained a respectful manner before. Now he dared to brush him off openly.
That unfilial son must have been a bad influence on him.
"Surely you don't intend to kill my brother, Father? It's rather late for that now. Besides... I don't believe you could kill him."
Madara Uchiha had analyzed the situation thoroughly and concluded that his father had gone too far.
If he had either killed that person back then or brought his elder brother home, their relationship would never have deteriorated into this mockery of father and son.
Had it been him, he would have killed the person on the spot to prevent future trouble. He would never have been so indecisive.
Since his father had not killed that person, he could not simply have been tricked into everything. At the very least, he must have had some feelings for his elder brother's mother.
Uchiha Tajima's face turned livid with anger. He had wanted to use Madara as a way to bring that unfilial son into line, not have Madara take his side.
"Hmph. You certainly are brothers." Changing tack, Uchiha Tajima revealed his purpose. "You saw that boy's healing ability. I want you to obtain that jutsu and keep him under surveillance."
"You know that an ability to heal so quickly would reduce our clansmen's casualties on the battlefield. Think of your younger brother. If he were gravely wounded in battle, imagine what an ability like that could do."
"Is that why you brought my brother home, Father?" Kneeling on the cushion, Madara Uchiha clenched both hands. He could not accept that reason. It made his elder brother far too pitiful. "I'm sorry. I can't do it. From now on, I'll make it up to him on your behalf."
All he could think about now was how his father had abandoned his elder brother, then brought him back upon discovering his usefulness, never once treating him as his child.
If Izuna were treated like that, he would surely go mad.
Now he understood why his elder brother could not stand their father.
"Madara, I am the clan leader. For the clan's sake, I will pay any price. Don't forget that you are a shinobi."
Uchiha Tajima growled, trying to bring his most promising son to his senses. The boy was excellent in every way, except that he cared too much about his emotional ties.
"My blade will never be turned against my brothers." Madara Uchiha rose, ignoring Uchiha Tajima's anger entirely. He walked to the doorway, pushed the door open, and spoke solemnly.
Up on the roof, Indra lowered his eyes and murmured to himself, "Once, I had a younger brother to protect too."
"Who's there?" Detecting movement on the roof, Uchiha Tajima instantly went on guard.
But a teleportation barrier appeared beneath Indra, and he vanished from the rooftop.
Uchiha Tajima went up onto the roof and found nothing. Returning to his room, he slowly rotated the three tomoe in his scarlet eyes, a cold smile curling his lips.
Indra had only just appeared in his room when a knock came at the door. He opened it to find that reincarnated lump of chakra. Stepping aside to let him in, he asked, "What is it?"
"This is the mission intelligence." Madara Uchiha pushed a stack of documents toward Indra. By now, he saw his Nii-san as a poor little thing, abandoned at birth, forced to live in hardship, and now being used by their father.
Indra picked it up, glanced through it, then tossed it back onto the table. "Unnecessary. We leave tomorrow. Any problems with that?"
His mission was to drive out the Senju stationed in the Land of Lightning, but he wanted to take the opportunity to go to the Land of Fire and wipe out the Senju base there.
The main point was that there was a mine there.
Uchiha Natsu had coveted it while he was alive. His personal guard consisted of dozens of shinobi, and every day brought expenses from the moment he opened his eyes.
Early the next morning, Indra and Madara Uchiha appeared in the courtyard at the same time.
Izuna and the twin brothers looked reluctant to see them go. Uchiha Tajima merely offered a few casual words of advice, without taking any concrete action.
Once they left the Uchiha Clan Compound, Indra immediately changed their planned route.
"This isn't the route to the Moon Sea Plain Uchiha Outpost."
Noticing this, Madara Uchiha immediately asked about it, wanting to know what Indra planned. As for doubts, he had some, but not many, because keeping up with Indra's speed was genuinely exhausting. His chakra was nearly depleted.
"If you want to go there, I can send you over." Indra slowed down, took out a waterskin, drank a mouthful, and tossed it to Madara Uchiha.
Madara Uchiha caught the waterskin without standing on ceremony, gulped down his fill, then tossed it back to Indra.
"No, I just want to know where we're going. If the Uchiha outpost doesn't receive us for too long, they'll surely report it to the clan."
"Have you ever been on a battlefield?" Indra asked. By now, he had slowed down to let Madara Uchiha recover, and they were practically strolling.
Before you continue