Chapter 427: Wait Another Six Months?

Yet this wait far exceeded everyone's expectations.

The originally stipulated one-month deadline soon passed.

Asura was nowhere to be seen at the gates of the Ninshū.

At first, Indra and his followers merely scoffed, assuming that Asura must have encountered some difficult problem he couldn't solve, or that his inefficiency had delayed him.

Throughout the Ninshū, almost everyone had begun to believe that Indra would inevitably become the successor. His followers, in particular, were in high spirits every day, eagerly discussing the "new era" that awaited the Ninshū.

But then one month passed. Then two...

Time slipped quietly by.

Waiting turned into anxious speculation, which gradually gave way to a strange calm.

The composure on Indra's face began to erode bit by bit with the passage of time, though his confidence, founded on his strength, had not yet been completely shaken.

After all, the Sage of Six Paths seemed to have forgotten about the matter of selecting a successor altogether.

The one-month deadline?

Indra told himself that perhaps the problems in that village were more complicated than expected, or perhaps Asura had encountered some accident along the way—either possibility would only serve to highlight his own efficiency and strength.

However, when three months, four months, then five months had passed...

Even the disciples who supported Asura most fervently began to show unease and uncertainty in their eyes, and a subtle atmosphere started to spread through the Ninshū.

Finally, a full half year after the deadline had passed, just as most people had nearly forgotten about this test—or had tacitly accepted a certain outcome after such a long wait—

Asura returned.

He did not return in the glorious manner of a triumphant victor.

On the contrary, he was covered in dust from the road. His clothes bore the marks of long travel, dirt and dried sweat. His face showed obvious exhaustion, and he had even grown somewhat thinner.

Yet his eyes were brighter and more resolute than when he had left, shining with a calm, warm light forged through arduous experience.

He stepped into the Ninshū's central square.

There was no anticipated cheering, not even an excited welcome from the faction that supported him.

What greeted him was a complicated silence.

Even his most steadfast supporters could not hide the dejection and disappointment on their faces.

In their view, returning nearly half a year late meant that, no matter how well he had completed his task, he had already fallen behind in a competition whose implicit standards were efficiency and results. He had practically lost any chance of winning.

Meanwhile, Indra had long since built up an enormous advantage in reputation through his "perfect" and timely completion of the task.

Asura seemed completely unaware of the strange looks around him and the silent atmosphere—or perhaps he simply didn't care.

He merely bowed respectfully toward the platform.

The Sage of Six Paths once again summoned everyone in the Ninshū.

The atmosphere in the square was solemn. All eyes were fixed upon the travel-worn Asura.

The Sage of Six Paths gestured for Asura to recount his experiences during the mission.

Asura stood still. Unlike Indra's concise and forceful account, he spoke slowly in a plain yet passionate tone.

He described how he had entered that despairing village, how he had lived and eaten alongside the villagers, and how, through words and actions, he had gradually rekindled the hope in their hearts.

He spoke of the difficulties they encountered while digging wells and the joy of finally succeeding; of the blisters on their hands as they reclaimed wasteland and the excitement they felt at seeing the first hints of green; of how everyone had worked together to build roads and repair homes...

He did not emphasize how powerful the ninjutsu he had used was. Instead, he repeatedly mentioned the villagers' own efforts and wisdom.

He spoke of how chakra could serve as a force for "connection" and assistance, rather than domination.

The Sage of Six Paths listened quietly, his face still revealing no obvious pleasure or displeasure.

Only when Asura mentioned certain details would he nod extremely slowly, with barely perceptible movements, as though acknowledging a particular philosophy or approach.

When Asura finished, the square fell silent.

Many were still immersed in this vision of "helping others," so utterly different from what they had imagined.

At last, the Sage of Six Paths spoke. His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"As for the final result of this succession test..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the disciples below, whose expressions varied greatly, lingering in particular on Indra, whose face had visibly tightened.

"After I personally dispatch people to visit the two villages and verify the circumstances..."

He gave a timeframe that left everyone dumbfounded.

"Six months from now, I will announce the result."

The moment those words fell, he offered no explanation and no reassurance.

The Sage of Six Paths simply turned and left the platform, disappearing into the depths of the Ninshū as though the matter were settled for now and only needed time to deliver its verdict.

He left behind a crowd of disciples staring at one another, their hearts filled with astonishment and confusion.

"Six months... We have to wait another six months?"

"Why does it need to be verified? Didn't Lord Indra already solve everything perfectly?"

"Lord Asura may have been slow, but from the sound of it... it seems he did something more... thorough?"

"Thorough? But is that really what a leader is supposed to do?"

"What exactly is the Sage thinking?"

Whispers rose like a tide.

As for Indra, every trace of his former composure and confidence—even the faint impatience that had arisen during the long wait—vanished completely from his face!

In their place was an unmistakable mixture of shock, incomprehension, and profound disappointment!

The mission was supposed to last one month. He had completed it efficiently and returned early.

His younger brother had delayed for half a year before finally returning.

Yet rather than immediately declaring him—the obvious "winner"—victorious, his father intended to postpone the result for an entire year and even send people to "verify" the results?

It made no sense!

It defied all reason!

A powerful sense of injustice and doubt wound itself around his heart like poisonous vines.

At that moment, Black Zetsu's cold words, like the hiss of a venomous snake, seemed to travel through time and ring clearly in his ears once more, hammering mercilessly against the defenses of his heart, now weakened by disappointment:

["Your father simply doesn't like you."]

["You will absolutely never inherit the Ninshū."]

The doubts he had temporarily suppressed were like dry grass drenched in oil, suddenly erupting into a raging blaze!

The pain burned in his heart, throwing his thoughts into chaos!

Indra couldn't help but feel his heart sink, as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

His brows knitted tightly together, his fingernails nearly digging into his palms.

A thought he had previously refused to contemplate now began growing uncontrollably in his mind like a venomous serpent:

"Could it be... Father truly... wanted Asura to inherit the Ninshū from the very beginning?"

"Is that why he was so indifferent to my efficient results?"

"Is that why he doesn't care at all about Asura's delay and is even... giving him an opportunity to have his work 'verified'?"

"Is that why he's using this delaying tactic to... weaken my advantage and balance the situation?"