Pressure exploded through the depths as the ancient seal began to crack.
The coffin, forged from Kongō Fūin Hagane, creaked and groaned under the immense strain.
Voices rattled around the gathering Atrium of the clan.
"Is he dead?" whispered one of the Uzumaki.
A hand reached out and touched the cold, iron lid.
Suddenly, a deep pulse vibrated through the water.
Red eyes snapped open.
Uchiha Indra awakened.
The youngest Uzumaki staggered back, some falling to their knees, overwhelmed by the force of his presence.
Uzumaki Maria knelt, bowing low.
"King Uchiha Indra, my name is Uzumaki Maria," she said softly.
Indra's sharp gaze pierced her.
"Huh? Uzumaki Maria… who?" he asked, suspicion darkening his voice.
Maria blushed but answered, "Master, I was one of your maids from the night section."
His hand shot out, grabbing her chin with cold strength.
"So, what do you want, my maid?"
She hesitated, but before she could speak, Indra's mind raced.
Maybe this is the timeline's turning point—the destruction of the Uzumaki clan.
"You had your chance. When your clan teetered on the brink—before or after Hashirama's death—you could have unsealed me."
He smiled cruelly, voice like ice.
"But you waited until now, when your clan nears extinction."
"More than a century sealed, and you free me now. Tell me, what do you and your clan offer? Or am I free to take revenge on Uzumaki Mito and all who reinforced my prison with their blood?"
Maria's voice grew firm.
"Master! Our clan has twenty to thirty beautiful women, as you like. Our Uzumaki will follow you for eternity."
Indra's hand shifted, gripping her waist now while the others averted their eyes.
"That's a good plan," he sneered, "but wouldn't your clan follow Uzumaki Mito? Seducing me, poisoning me to sleep... They could only seal me; they couldn't kill me."
Maria's eyes burned with pain.
"That bitch Mito betrayed you. I couldn't save you then—lack of power. Now I'm one of the elders. I lead the clan alone. The other elders are dead."
Indra's anger flared, his eyes blazing.
His left eye awakened—the dreaded Mangekyō Sharingan: Shokugan—Devouring Eye.
Chakra fangs appeared; a cursed chakra core ignited in his gut, fueled by Mangekyō energy.
This power let him bite into living foes—snakes, wolves, even tailed beasts—absorbing their flesh, chakra, and bloodlines rapidly.
Muscles bulged with every devoured enemy.
Reflexes and chakra surged.
Temporary traits blossomed: fire resistance like Salamander Beast, keen senses from the Inuzuka hound, partial physical transformations—horns, scales, tails, wings.
"Your strength… will become my strength."
His right eye sparked—the Fūinjōgan, the Seal-Cleansing Eye.
It perceived every seal, curse mark, and bloodline suppression as glowing threads.
It could break seals instantly—tailed beasts sealed inside jinchūriki, souls in the Reaper Death Seal, even forbidden scrolls locked for centuries.
"Your seal is paper. My eye is fire."
When both eyes merged power, he entered Chakra Predation Mode.
Demonic chakra engulfed him.
Eyes glowed red-black.
Ancient runes marked his skin.
Every bite or strike drained chakra.
He could siphon tailed beast chakra with a mere touch.
The true horror had awoken.