Summary: Indra and Ashura decide on a course of action to end the conflict between their descendants

Sequel to chapter 53: "A secret within a secret"


Indra had been livid when he learned that, somehow, his descendants and Ashura's descendants had been embroiled in conflict for several centuries. Ashura reasoned that the children must have blamed each other for his and Indra's disappearance. Indra didn't think that was the case, but it was a possiblity. The only real way to know was to ask the children themselves but they were all dead. Long dead and that brought an ache to his chest.

What mattered the most now, however, is trying to end all the needless conflicts between their clans. It had pained him, Ashura even more so, when he learned that the children of his descendants were dying. Dying before their time. No child should have to die, by wars or illness-though one or the other is always inevitable. It just wasn't right and he often thought about his own children, of Ashura's children, as a result.

During his father's time period-his and Ashura's time period-people weren't expected to live very long, at most living to one's twenties or thirties, due to various dieseases and living conditions. If someone lived to their forties or beyond...well, that was just mere good fortune. He was lucky to be alive himself. If Ashura hadn't cared for him in his time of illness, then perhaps he'd been dead at twenty, Indra mused. While their lifespan, due to their grandmother not even being well...human, might be emunnaturally long/em, but the people in his family, himself included, were still subject to illnesses that could end a life too soon, like everyone else.

"What are you thinking of?" Ashura asked, taking him from his thoughts.

Indra immediately answered, "What we can do to end these wars and conflicts." He looked at Ashura in the eyes. "Uchiha and Senju shouldn't fight. This not what we wanted-neither for our children nor for our descendants.

"No," Ashura agreed. Then he sighed. "If we could only figure out what started this conflict then perhaps we could find out how put an end to it and stop it from happening again."

"Or put an end to it before we focus our attention on how it happened," Indra shot back. The younger male repressed another sigh. It's always like this. His older brother was always about ending conflicts and disputes quickly, without even knowing the cause of it beforehand, while he preferred to figure out how it happened and then act to put an end to what caused the conflict and/or dispute. So he decided on this action: "I'll seek out as to why my descendants are fighting with yours and you can seek the answer on how to put an end to the fighting. Is that acceptable?"

Very," came Indra's response. He might have to use violence, but Ashura knew that though he didn't approve of it. There was only so much the younger can do to restrain the elder, after all.


A/N: This hasn't been updated since June. I'm so sorry. I have been busy with college. I barely have time to write or draw anymore. It's been so so long. Prepare for an influx of updates from this work.

Let me know what you thought.