"Did'ya really have to take it that far?"
Indra's not too sure he understands the question. Both Itachi and the blue haired woman aren't harmed (just like he and Asura wanted, respectively) and they'd been in the middle of an S-ranked fight for a handful of seconds. Indra's relatively certain he'd used 'appropriate force' in this instance.
The way Asura's looking at the smear that was once Stitches, he's got the feeling she disagrees.
"Susanoo? Really?"
Now that he's not reeling from seeing Itachi, his (little? Younger?) brother, Indra can admit that maybe Susanoo had been overdoing it.
Stitches had gone the same way as a bug does under a fist. All the funny looking masks on his back had snapped and cracked. It'd been a messy death, but at least it's been quick. Now, neither he nor Asura has to deal with the S-rank criminal that neither of them are willing to vouch for (though, honestly, he doesn't have a clue how Asura recognises the woman. He certainly doesn't).
"Konan! Konan! Can I talk about Yahiko's vision?!" And she's off.
Indra's not really worried about it right now; Asura's stronger than him (probably her one saving grace among his ancestors' considerations) and he doesn't know the woman, which means she must of died before he got into the Akatsuki. Weak.
Asura'll be able to take her in a fight. But that leaves him with Itachi.
Now, living Itachi he'd dealt with, he'd died a bloody death pressing two fingers to his forehead.
'Forgive me. It ends with this.'
Then there'd been undead Itachi, helping Konoha by ending a war from the shadows, unacknowledged yet again.
'I will always love you.'
And now, because of time travel, there's (dare he think it?) baby Itachi.
God, he's so young. Maybe it's because he's always seemed untouchable to Indra, always a step ahead. Now, with half the power of a god in one hand and eye, Indra can only look at him and see where the adults have failed.
For fuck's sake, he's sixteen and has already been a missing nin for three years.
He's gonna carve Danzo's innards our with a spoon. And he's not well-versed with anything other than chopsticks, so it'll be messy and painful and exactly what the fucker deserves.
Is this what it feels like to be a big brother? It's weird as fuck but this is Itachi. He's too old to be the little brother of the relationship now, so there's no other choice.
Indra will embrace his role wholeheartedly.
"Hey," he starts, taking a step forwards and watching his brother watch him. He feels the genjutsu Itachi slips on him when they make eye-contact. He slips his own around it, Rinnegan thrumming in his eye-socket and overriding Itachi's Mangekyo. Why the hell had it taken the Sage so long to give him this power? Super genjutsu would have been so much more useful five years ago.
Indra stops before Itachi, lifting his hand. The illusion shatters just as Indra pokes his elder-younger brother in the forehead, watching the other's eyes widen. He can hear his heart rate speed up; it's the most telling reaction that Indra's ever managed to startle out of him.
"Let's talk next time we meet. Until then, don't consider me an obstacle to overcome. I'll help you however I'm able, because that's what brothers are for." He can't bring himself to say big brother. Not yet. He'll have that sorted by the next time they meet. "For now, leave everything to me."
Itachi doesn't seem to know what to do. Indra wonders if it's because he has their mother's soft face, wonders if it's the surprise of the Rinnegan illusion actually catching him. Either way, Itachi is here, so young (but not innocent, others ruined that long ago) and so fragile. Even if he doesn't look, doesn't act it.
"Indra! Time to go!" And then there's Asura, snatching him away as quick as a flash.
.
He's not sure where they land, where Asura flash-steps them to with her Kyūbi power form (and oh, is that gonna be reported back to the Akatsuki? Probably not a good thing but what can they do about it?) but it's far enough away that he can't sense Itachi.
And, out of everyone in the land baring present company, it's Itachi he's best at sensing.
Itachi he'd got to poke in the forehead, Itachi who'd stared up at him with wide, startled eyes. Oh yeah, that was very satisfying. Ten out of ten, would fuck with again... huh, maybe this is how the Uchiha obsession with mind-fuckery begins? Maybe this is why they had a bit of a reputation... nah. The rest of the world is wrong; his family weren't that deranged.
"You okay, Indra?"
Indra hums, stretching his arms out and fuck his ribs. They still hurt. Asura had regrown Kakashi's eye, hadn't she? Can she manage ribs? Then again, he's not had them forcibly removed. Probably best to wait for them to heal.
"Indra?"
A finger pokes his cheek and Indra lets one eye lazily drift towards Asura. She's squatting beside him (yes, he'd not climbed up out of the slump he'd landed in the dirt in) with a worried look on her cute little face, cheeks puffed out as she considers him. The Fourth War sucked; he's slept in a bed once since then; they're not at war now, they should be sleeping in beds as often as they can.
"Did you really poke Itachi in the head?"
At that, Indra does smile, snickering slightly under his breath. It'd felt good, really good, tables turned and all that.
"I'm the older brother now," is all he gives for an explanation and Asura nods, as if this makes perfect sense and aligns perfectly with her view of the world.
See, this is exactly why she's perfect for him; he doesn't need to explain anything to her.
"I think time travel brain suits you," Asura muses, sitting herself down on the ground, the hand that's been poking his cheek changing course to run through his hair and oh. That's really, really nice. Fuck, the way her nails are dancing across his scalp is divine. He's never moving from this position; he'll die here, thank you for asking.
"You're like a big, lazy cat," Asura laughs, smiling so bright; she's warmer than the sun itself. "Hopefully, when they go back, Zetsu'll be worried. I can sense him the second he gets close enough and then BAM!" The hand leaves his hair to hammer into an open palm as a closed fist, highlighting what Asura believes to be the key point of their plan. "No more plant bastard."
"No more plant bastard is a good goal," Indra agrees, refusing to point out the multitude of holes in her plan. Wide enough for a summons to pass through. It all works out for her in the end anyway, doesn't it?
Whatever Asura's up to, he's down to join in, no matter how ridiculous a plan it may be.