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"Horyu," Kurenai began, her voice softer now, "I appreciate your concern. But this isn't just about Asuma. It's about my freedom to choose."
Horyu nodded, understanding. "I know, Sensei. And I respect that. But you shouldn't have to fend off unwanted advances. If Asuma doesn't get the message, I'll make sure he does."
Kurenai couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude and something else she couldn't quite place. "Thank you, Horyu. I... I never expected this from you."
Horyu shrugged. "You've done a lot for me, Sensei. This is the least I can do."
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. A young Chunin entered, bowing respectfully. "Horyu-sama, the council is ready for you."
Horyu stood, his expression returning to its usual stoic calm. "We'll continue this later," he said to Kurenai. "Right now, we have a war to manage."
As they walked to the council chamber, Kurenai couldn't help but steal glances at Horyu. He was no longer the boy she had trained; he was a leader, a force to be reckoned with. The transformation was astonishing, and she felt a mixture of pride and sadness. Pride for the man he had become, and sadness for the bond they had shared as teacher and student, which had inevitably changed.
Inside the council chamber, the atmosphere was tense. The remaining elders and key Jonin were already gathered, discussing strategies and updates. Horyu took his seat at the head of the table, a position that felt both natural and daunting.
"We have reports from the Sand and Cloud fronts," Deputy-Nara head began, his tone grave. "The situation is escalating faster than we anticipated."
Horyu nodded, his eyes scanning the room. "We need to act decisively. Hokage-sama and Itachi-sama are handling the Sand front, but we need to prepare for potential attacks from all sides."
Deputy-Yamanaka head leaned forward. "What about the intelligence we've gathered on the League of Immortals? Orochimaru is a significant threat. If they decide to join forces with our enemies, it could be disastrous."
Horyu's expression hardened. "Jiraiya-sama is on that. We need to trust that he'll manage to keep them at bay. Our focus should be on securing our borders and fortifying our defenses."
The discussion continued, with each member contributing their insights and concerns. Horyu listened carefully, his mind racing with strategies and countermeasures.
The next morning, Horyu was woken up by Kurenai. Not everyone could enter his room in the Hokage Tower now. Due to the war, he and some of the key names were staying in the Hokage Tower to make quick decisions.
"What is it?" he asked, seeing Kurenai's worried face.
"The League of Immortals are attacking us," she said, her voice tense.
Frowning, Horyu jumped from his bed and connected his chakra to the nodes around the village. He sensed five attacks hitting the border simultaneously: four from the four corners and one from above.
"Let's go," he said, and they vanished.
Outside, the village was already in chaos. Explosions echoed in the distance, and smoke billowed into the sky. Horyu and Kurenai appeared on a rooftop overlooking the southern gate, where the fiercest fighting was taking place.
Kakuzu, with four of his thread monsters unleashed, bombarded the border with attacks from all five elements. Despite the fierce assault, Horyu sensed the village barrier holding strong. Shisui's enhancements to the defenses and the regular rotation of the barrier team had paid off. Unlike in the anime, where both Orochimaru and Itachi could infiltrate the village with ease, Shisui had ensured that such breaches were nearly impossible.
Horyu wasted no time. "Escort civilians to shelters. They have 20 minutes," he ordered. "Chunin and lower-ranked shinobi will stand in defense at the shelter entrances. Jonin-level shinobi will gather to fend off the attackers. No one acts without my command. Move!" His orders were swift and clear, and a few ANBU appeared to carry them out.
As the ANBU dispersed, Jiraiya arrived, his face tense with worry. "Where did you send them?" he demanded.
Horyu glanced at him briefly. "To follow my orders."
Jiraiya's gaze hardened. "Horyu, you're not in charge. You're part of the council, but you're not the Hokage."
Horyu snorted. "And are you? Weren't you supposed to keep track of the League of Immortals? Why are they here? At my doorstep? Do you even know anything about the enemy besides Orochimaru?"
Taken aback, Jiraiya tried to mask his surprise. "You speak as if it's easy. If so, why don't you tell me who they are?"
Horyu smiled coldly. "I will, when everyone else arrives. Until then, be a good lap dog and stay."
Jiraiya's fists clenched in anger. "You bastard!"
At that moment, the two village elders arrived. "Jiraiya, this is not the time for infighting," one of them admonished.
Jiraiya snorted but turned his attention away from Horyu, waiting for the Jonin to gather.
Soon, the Jonin who were still in the village arrived and knelt behind Horyu and the others, awaiting orders. The tension in the air was palpable as they prepared to face the imminent threat.
Kakuzu's relentless attack continued, his elemental monsters wreaking havoc at the village's periphery. Horyu could sense the desperation and fear among the civilians being herded to safety, but he remained focused.
Pointing at Kakuzu, Horyu started, "The enemy in front is an old monster who fought against the First Hokage." The gathered Jonin gasped in disbelief. Jiraiya looked ready to mock him, but Horyu cut him off. "Of course, he lost miserably. As the name suggests, although it seems some here can't understand the basic meanings of words, the League of Immortals houses those who have either managed to deceive death or have the ability to escape from it. Kakuzu has the ability to steal the hearts of other shinobi, allowing him to use five nature elements and escape from old age."
Horyu's voice was steady, each word carrying the weight of their situation. "Each mask can only use one element, and his main body can use another. The mask monsters can merge to use combination jutsu, and Kakuzu can gather all of them to his body. Even if he dies, if a mask monster is alive, he can still call it back to evade death. Be careful. Also, those threads are like chakra strings, and Kakuzu has full control over them. They're not soft or easy to cut, so don't underestimate them."
Jiraiya's mouth was wide open. "How do you know so much?"
Horyu ignored him and pointed at the one above, Deidara, floating on a clay bird. "Up there is Deidara, a rogue ninja from the Hidden Stone. He specializes in explosive clay techniques. His bird and other creations are made of explosive clay that he can detonate at will. His attacks are deadly and unpredictable."
He then added, "Although it doesn't seem like it, it is a variation of Explosion Release and is weak against Lightning Release. All Lightning users, fight against the enemy above. He's tricky and has a suicide jutsu that can blow up the whole village. Either lure him away or finish the fight quickly."
Horyu pointed to the west. "Orochimaru is leading the attack from that side. He's a former Konoha Sannin, known for his forbidden jutsu and experiments. He has an array of summoning jutsu, including giant snakes and other dangerous creatures. His primary goal is likely to cause chaos and capture any valuable targets, possibly for his experiments."
One of the Jonin, visibly shaken, asked, "How do we counter him?"
Horyu's gaze was steely. "Orochimaru is incredibly dangerous, but he's not invincible. He relies heavily on his summons and his regenerative abilities. But you don't need to care about him."
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