Chapter Summaries

Indra publicly accused the Sage of Six Paths of being as stubborn and unwilling to face reality as Asura, leaving the Sage unable to refute him. The Sage then announced that Ninshu needed a successor, and Indra looked on with anticipation.

• Indra told the Sage of Six Paths that Asura had inherited his father's obstinacy and accused the Sage of refusing to listen to reality.
• Shinobi watching the Sky Screen reacted to Indra's accusation, while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade reflected on how the Sage's ideals shaped judgments of good and evil.
• At the Ninshu gathering, the Sage of Six Paths answered Indra only that he would understand in time, and Indra responded with cold mockery.
• The Sage of Six Paths announced that he was old and Ninshu needed a true successor, drawing everyone's attention and stirring Indra's anticipation.

The Sage of Six Paths announced that Indra and Asura would compete to become Ninshu’s successor by resolving two disasters caused by the Ten-Tails’ remains. Asura protested the mission and insisted he only wanted to support his brother.

• The Sage of Six Paths gave Indra and Asura three days to prepare for an open assessment to choose Ninshu’s next successor.
• Indra confidently declared that he would win, while Asura feared he could not compete with his brother.
• Ninshu’s disciples and viewers beyond the Sky Screen largely expected Indra to inherit and accused the Sage of Six Paths of favoring Asura.
• At the assessment, the Sage of Six Paths explained that two sites still contained dangerous remnants of the Ten-Tails and ordered each son to resolve one disaster and help those affected.
• Asura questioned the mission and said he had never wanted the succession, only to support Indra and protect Ninshu.

The Sage of Six Paths sent Indra and Asura on separate missions to confront disasters, hoping they would learn from each other, but Indra recognized his father's disapproval of his beliefs and resolved to prove himself through strength. As the brothers departed in opposite directions, observers blamed the Sage for the conflict that would shape their descendants, while he insisted he only wanted his sons to grow together.

• The Sage of Six Paths explained that Indra and Asura would face real disasters so he could judge their character and hoped they would learn from each other.
• Indra accused his father of testing him, then accepted the mission and vowed to solve the disaster through overwhelming force.
• Asura worried that Indra might harm innocents and feared he would be unable to save people, but he accepted his mission without challenging his brother.
• The Sage of Six Paths gave each brother a scroll describing a disaster-stricken region, and they departed in opposite directions.
• People throughout the Shinobi World condemned the Sage's decision as favoritism and linked it to the later conflict between the Uchiha and Senju clans.
• In the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths maintained that he had wanted Indra to understand the limits of power and for the brothers to support each other.

Indra swiftly eradicated the Ten-Tails’ lingering malice and restored a disaster-stricken village before returning to Ninshu. Asura continued his slower journey, and the Shinobi World debated how the Sage of Six Paths would judge the brothers’ missions.

• The Sage of Six Paths blamed Indra’s stubbornness for the tragedies that had followed his chosen path.
• Indra reached the afflicted village, destroyed the lingering malice and chakra, purified the land and water, and left the villagers safe.
• Indra dismissed Asura as a rival and set off to report his completed mission at Ninshu.
• Asura traveled slowly, helping and advising people along the way, while the Shinobi World debated the brothers’ contrasting approaches and likely assessment results.
• The Sky Screen followed Indra as he returned to Ninshu to await the succession decision.

Black Zetsu tried to turn Indra against Hagoromo by claiming the successor trial was biased in Asura’s favor, then revealed that Asura had gained devoted followers while traveling. Indra rejected Black Zetsu’s provocations but learned that Asura’s kindness was giving him a major advantage in the trial.

• Indra sensed Black Zetsu in the forest and demanded to know why he had come.
• Black Zetsu claimed Hagoromo had already chosen Asura as his successor because Asura better fit his ideals, despite Indra completing his mission flawlessly.
• Indra accused Black Zetsu of stirring up trouble, but Black Zetsu said Indra had already suspected the favoritism.
• Black Zetsu told Indra that Asura was safe but still days away from the disaster-stricken village.
• Black Zetsu revealed that Asura had helped and comforted people along the way, gaining several loyal followers who would return to Ninshu with him.

Black Zetsu used Indra’s anger at the Sage of Six Paths and revealed that the Sage had secretly stockpiled food. He explained that the villagers Indra had helped would still starve before their land recovered, leaving Indra to confront the limits of his relief efforts.

• Indra rejected relying on others and condemned the possibility that the Sage of Six Paths would choose Asura as successor based on personal preference rather than merit.
• Black Zetsu praised Indra’s defiance to deepen his resentment toward the Sage of Six Paths.
• Black Zetsu told Indra that the Sage had secretly ordered Sarutobi to stockpile a vast amount of food.
• Indra described how he had cleared the village’s corruption and restored its water supply, expecting it to recover through farming.
• Black Zetsu warned that the villagers were already starving and would not survive until the land could yield crops without food to sustain them.

Black Zetsu convinced Indra that his disaster relief had failed because he had not planned for famine, while shinobi across the world suspected the Sage of Six Paths had arranged the food shortage to favor Asura. In Konoha, Tsunade questioned whether Ninshu had declined from its third generation onward, and the Sage angrily denied conspiring against Indra.

• Black Zetsu reminded Indra that his father had stockpiled food, and Indra admitted his relief plan had overlooked the famine.
• Indra confronted Black Zetsu over his insinuating sighs and demanded that he explain himself.
• Shinobi across the world suspected the Sage had hidden the food shortage so Asura could use the stockpile to win credit and supporters.
• Jiraiya compared the Sarutobi Clan's role in ancient Ninshu to Hiruzen Sarutobi's place in Konoha, and Hiruzen agreed with him.
• Tsunade wondered whether Ninshu had declined from its third generation onward, leaving Hiruzen silent.
• The Sage of Six Paths angrily denied favoring Asura, arranging food for him, or deliberately trapping Indra.

Black Zetsu convinced Indra that Hagoromo had rigged the succession trial to favor Asura, shattering Indra’s trust in his father and brother. Indra walked toward Ninshu insisting that “nothing happened,” while Black Zetsu concluded the resulting conflict would unfold without further interference.

• Black Zetsu told Indra that Hagoromo had withheld the grain from him and secretly prepared it to help Asura win the trial.
• Black Zetsu claimed Hagoromo had overlooked Asura’s delays and efforts to build influence while secretly ensuring he could save the village.
• Indra concluded that the trial had been a trap designed to preserve Hagoromo’s ideals, and he lamented that all his efforts had been a lie.
• Indra thanked Black Zetsu, then walked toward Ninshu and said, “Nothing happened.”
• White Zetsu asked whether they should keep provoking Indra, but Black Zetsu said Indra’s own nature would carry him forward and make the family conflict irreconcilable.

Asura earned the villagers’ trust by sharing their hardships, curing the plague, and restoring their land, then returned to Ninshu with followers who pledged to serve him. The Shinobi World argued over whether his compassion or Indra’s efficiency should determine the Sage of Six Paths’ successor.

• Indra reported his assessment to the Sage of Six Paths, who praised him and said he would decide Ninshu’s successor after Asura returned.
• Asura arrived at a plague-stricken village, where wary villagers rejected him and demanded that he leave.
• Asura worked alongside the villagers without using force, gradually earning their trust while purifying the land and helping end the plague.
• The recovered villagers pledged to follow Asura, and he agreed to take them with him on his return to Ninshu.
• Shinobi across the world debated the brothers’ missions, with some praising Asura’s compassion and others arguing that Indra had been more capable and was unfairly judged.

At Ninshu’s public final assessment, Asura described how he helped a disaster-stricken village recover by working alongside its people, while Indra reported that he had efficiently eliminated the calamity’s threats. The Sage of Six Paths praised Asura, and Indra’s callous remark about the villagers starving left Asura questioning whether his brother had known they were in danger.

• Asura told Indra he expected to lose the assessment, but Indra said the results had not been announced.
• Asura recounted how he lived and worked with villagers to overcome a plague and corrupted soil, then asked the Sage of Six Paths to let his followers join Ninshu.
• The Sage of Six Paths praised Asura’s compassion and ability to unite people, while Indra watched his remaining faith in a fair assessment fade.
• Indra reported that he had purged the Ten-Tails’ malevolence, purified the land, restored the water, and eliminated the village’s dangers.
• The Sage of Six Paths asked Indra what had happened to the villagers, and Indra wondered aloud whether they had starved to death.
• Asura asked Indra in shock whether he had known the villagers were in danger.

Indra challenged Asura’s account of saving a village, arguing that starving villagers could not have worked tirelessly without hidden support. The Sage of Six Paths revealed that the village Indra helped had destroyed itself fighting over water, and Indra exposed that Asura’s villagers had been sustained by Asura’s own support.

• Indra questioned how Asura’s starving villagers had managed to work day and night while clearing the land and digging wells.
• The Sage of Six Paths revealed that the villagers in Indra’s village had fought over the stream after he left and destroyed the village.
• Indra argued that disasters could be eliminated but human greed and conflict could not be controlled.
• Indra pointed out that Asura’s villagers had food and someone to rely on, revealing that Asura had secretly supported them.

The Sage of Six Paths named Asura Ninshu’s successor, arguing that Asura’s bonds with people fulfilled Ninshu’s ideals while Indra’s power could not change their hearts. Indra rejected the decision and his father’s teachings, awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and left in anger, while the Sage feared his eyes would bring calamity.

• Indra accused the Sage of choosing a successor who resembled himself, and the Sage defended his decision by contrasting Indra’s power with Asura’s ability to unite people.
• The Sage declared Asura Ninshu’s next successor, prompting Indra to angrily demand why his greater talent and achievements had not earned him the role.
• The Sage urged Indra to support Asura, but Indra rejected the ideas of love and bonds and declared that the strong determined the world’s order.
• Indra’s eyes transformed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he refused to accept the verdict or take responsibility for the villagers before leaving the hall.
• Asura panicked at his brother’s departure, while the Sage watched Indra go and worried that his eyes would bring calamity upon the world.

The Shinobi World debated Indra’s break with the Sage of Six Paths, while Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Jiraiya condemned the Sage’s biased succession judgment as the root of the brothers’ coming conflict. The Sage regretted that Indra had rejected Ninshu but still blamed his stubbornness, as Asura stood with him in the silent hall.

• Shinobi across the world argued over Indra’s departure, with many condemning the Sage’s decision and predicting conflict between the brothers.
• Tsunade called the Sage a stubborn old man, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed that he had mishandled the succession.
• Jiraiya argued that Indra had completed his tasks and was unfairly blamed for villagers’ greed, then said the Sage had chosen an heir who matched his ideals rather than the best successor.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi linked the Sage’s biased judgment to a thousand years of hatred between clans and reincarnations.
• The Sage of Six Paths regretted that Indra had rejected Ninshu but continued to believe Indra was too proud and stubborn.
• Asura stood with the Sage in the empty Ninshu hall, feeling uneasy and guilty as he stared at the doorway Indra had left through.

The Sage of Six Paths explained why Asura was better suited than Indra to inherit Ninshu, and Asura accepted the responsibility. The Sage gave Asura his yang power, while both mourned the brothers’ broken bond.

• Asura doubted that he could inherit Ninshu, believing Indra surpassed him in talent, strength, and ability.
• The Sage of Six Paths told Asura that his compassion and ability to unite people made him the right heir, while Indra’s Sharingan and belief in strength could lead him to disregard others.
• Asura agreed that Indra inheriting Ninshu could lead to the strong oppressing the weak, and vowed to carry on his father’s will.
• The Sage of Six Paths transferred his yang power to Asura, filling him with immense vitality and strength.
• Asura grieved over Indra’s departure, and the Sage of Six Paths lamented that his hope for his sons to work together had failed.

Ninja across the world concluded that the Sage of Six Paths chose Asura over Indra because Asura matched his ideals, setting the brothers on a path to conflict. In Konoha, Tsunade accused Hiruzen Sarutobi of repeating the Sage’s mistake when he chose Minato over Orochimaru as Fourth Hokage.

• Ninja across the world debated the Sage of Six Paths’ fear of Indra’s power and the consequences of choosing Asura as Ninshu’s heir.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said the Sage’s biased choice had caused Ninshu’s division and a thousand years of warfare, while Jiraiya argued that ideals needed power to protect them.
• Tsunade condemned the Sage for sacrificing his sons and the world’s stability to uphold his ideal of mutual understanding.
• Hiruzen said the brothers’ opposing beliefs and powers made conflict inevitable after the Sage gave his yang power to Asura.
• Tsunade accused Hiruzen of seeing himself in the Sage and recalled how he chose Minato over the more senior and accomplished Orochimaru as Fourth Hokage.

Tsunade confronted Hiruzen with how his choice of Minato over Orochimaru mirrored the Sage of Six Paths favoring Asura over Indra, leaving Hiruzen regretful about his role in Orochimaru’s fall. The Sky Screen showed Asura grieving his brother’s departure, Indra vowing to return to Ninshu and prove himself right, and Ninshu disciples celebrating Asura’s succession.

• Tsunade told Hiruzen that both he and the Sage of Six Paths had rejected capable successors whose beliefs differed from their own, and Hiruzen admitted he might have prevented Orochimaru’s downfall by speaking with him.
• Asura told the Sage of Six Paths that he felt no joy in inheriting power and asked if there was another way to bring Indra back.
• The Sage of Six Paths urged Asura to reach Indra through his heart but warned him to use Ninshu’s bonds against Indra if he refused to turn back.
• Indra sat alone in the Remote Mountain Wilderness and vowed to return to Ninshu to prove himself right and establish his own order.
• Ninshu disciples celebrated Asura becoming their successor at a grand banquet.

Indra returned to Ninshu’s succession banquet in a towering Susanoo and demanded to know why the Sage of Six Paths had chosen Asura. He rejected his father’s ideals of love and cooperation, declaring that he would impose peace through absolute force, while Asura watched in anguish.

• Asura questioned whether he deserved to lead Ninshu as the disciples celebrated his selection.
• Indra’s Perfect Susanoo crashed into the banquet grounds, destroying buildings and sending the disciples fleeing.
• Indra landed before the Sage of Six Paths and Asura and demanded to know why he had not been chosen as Ninshu’s successor.
• The Sage of Six Paths warned Indra that ruling through fear and power would bring disaster rather than peace.
• Indra rejected bonds and mutual understanding, insisting that he would force the world to submit.
• Asura, overcome with pain and panic, stepped forward and pleaded with his brother.

Indra rejected Asura’s pleas for reconciliation, declaring that the brother Asura remembered had died after their father favored Asura. As the Shinobi World debated the brothers’ split and the Sage of Six Paths’s ideals, Indra and Asura faced each other at Ninshu, with Indra asking what he had to stand beside Asura for.

• Indra told Asura that he was no longer the gentle brother who had protected him and that they could never return to the past.
• Shinobi discussed Ninshu’s celebration of Asura’s succession, the disciples who had once admired Indra, and the growing inevitability of a battle between the brothers.
• Young shinobi argued that Indra’s pursuit of absolute power could suppress war, while others noted the irony that the Sage of Six Paths’s rejection of power had driven Indra toward becoming like Kaguya.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade discussed the Sage of Six Paths’s failure to understand people and the weakness of ideals without power to protect them.
• Indra stood against Ninshu’s disciples as Asura pleaded for them to protect the Shinobi World together, and Indra asked what he had to stand beside Asura for.

Indra began his battle against Asura, using his Perfect Susanoo to overwhelm him and accusing the Sage of Six Paths of hypocrisy for giving Asura power while claiming to reject strength. Asura struggled to withstand Indra’s attacks, and the chapter left him badly battered and close to defeat.

• Indra summoned his Perfect Susanoo and rejected Asura’s pleas to reconcile, insisting that battle would decide whose ideals prevailed.
• Indra’s Lightning Release clashed with Asura’s Rasengan, but the Perfect Susanoo emerged unharmed.
• Indra accused the Sage of Six Paths of relying on power to support Ninshu and declared that Ninshu would vanish from the Shinobi World.
• Asura vowed to stop Indra with the power their father had given him to protect Ninshu and the Shinobi World.
• Indra formed a Purple Longsword and repeatedly drove Asura back, leaving him battered and struggling to defend himself.

Indra overwhelmed Asura and rejected Ninshu’s bonds as powerless, but Hagoromo urged the disciples to share their chakra with Asura. Empowered by their united strength, Asura entered Sage Mode and summoned Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, while Indra accused Hagoromo of favoring him.

• Indra mocked Asura and declared that absolute power, not bonds, ruled the world as he pressed his attack.
• Asura refused to retreat, telling Indra he would not let him destroy Ninshu and what Hagoromo had protected.
• Hagoromo called on the Ninshu disciples to lend Asura their chakra, and they joined together to send him their power.
• Asura drew strength from the disciples’ trust, entered Sage Mode, and created Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
• Indra mocked the wooden Buddha and accused Hagoromo of giving Asura every power but the Rinnegan because of his favoritism.