More Problems

"Fine, you saved Guy. I'll give it to you."

"A wise choice."

But Duy wasn't willing to hand over this dangerous knowledge without a warning.

"Luo Lei, with your current strength, you don't really need the Eight Inner Gates," he began, his eyes fixed on him. "Yes, this technique can unleash terrifying power, but the side effects... are devastating. It's like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of losing eight hundred allies."

Duy paused. "Your power is already immense. If you were to use the Eight Gates, the explosion of energy would be... catastrophic. The side effects could be even more severe for you. The loss would far outweigh the gain."

His eyes softened slightly, a glimmer of his former self shining through. "I'm telling you the truth, Luo Lei. I only practice this technique to protect those who deserve it."

Turning to Guy, "If you hadn't defeated the Seven Swordsmen, I would have sacrificed my life opening the Eight Gates. I can do without my own life, but not my son's."

However, Luo Lei remained impassive. "I'm very interested in the Eight Inner Gates," he declared, his tone leaving no room for argument.

In his mind, he was already calculating how this technique could work with his Homelander template, imagining the power he could unleash.

With a sigh of defeat, Duy pulled out a scroll from his clothes. "Take it," he said. "But I beg you to use it with caution. Try to restrain yourself."

"Understood," replied Luo Lei, taking the scroll without further ceremony. Without another word, he turned and left.

His purpose fulfilled, there's no need to waste time here.

As for Duy telling the Hokage about this, he doesn't care.

He already knows Hiruzen's character, he will only get angry, resist, and then yield.

Watching as the figure of his former companion disappeared among the trees, Duy let out a deep sigh.

The decision to hand over the knowledge of the Eight Inner Gates weighed heavily. Had he done the right thing? Or had he just made a mistake that could have catastrophic consequences for the world? The gap between him and Luo Lei, already considerable before, now seemed like an abyss.

A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the rumors about Luo Lei's brutality in the battle of Kikyoyama. The massacre of Sunagakure prisoners and the death of Konoha ninjas, previously dismissed as exaggerations, now seemed terribly plausible.

'Thank heavens I arrived in time,' he thought, looking at his son.

Suddenly, a new worry assaulted his mind. "Wait a minute... why hasn't ANBU arrived yet?" The absence was disconcerting. Logically, they should have arrived at the same time as him, if not before.

A disturbing idea began to form in his mind. Could it be that the Hokage had deliberately delayed ANBU? To allow him to face the Seven Swordsmen in a suicide mission?

The thought left him cold. If true, the implications were terrifying. How far did the manipulation of Konoha's high command go?

His reflections were interrupted by Guy's voice, charged with emotion. "Father... did you r-really plan to use that suicidal jutsu?"

Duy forced a smile. "Hahaha! As a qualified ninja, your father will protect what's most important until death."

"Father!"

"Son!"

In an instant, father and son melted into an embrace, tears flowing freely. It was a moment of pure connection.

Genma and Ebisu, uncomfortable with this exaggerated display of emotion, looked away. But in their minds, the image of Luo Lei massacring the Seven Swordsmen played over and over again.

The brutality, the dominance, the pure violence... it was something they would never forget.

An hour later, when the ANBU teams finally arrived, they found a scene they never expected. Duy, Guy, Genma, and Ebisu, all unharmed, standing in the middle of a devastated battlefield.

The news that Luo Lei had annihilated the Seven Swordsmen fell like a bomb. The ANBU couldn't hide their astonishment and, in some cases, their fear.

The leader of the ANBU team, understanding the magnitude of what had happened, immediately departed for Konoha to report. He knew this news would shake the world once again.

...

Village of Konoha.

Inside the Hokage's Office in the Hokage mansion.

The air in the office filled with the aroma of Hiruzen's pipe tobacco.

Hiruzen rose abruptly from his chair, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What are you saying? Guy, Genma, and Ebisu are safe? And Luo Lei had already eliminated the Seven Swordsmen when they arrived?"

The ANBU, with his rigid posture, nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama. The scene... was terrifying. According to our investigation and Guy's testimony, Luo Lei-sama's attack was of extreme cruelty. The Seven Swordsmen... died in horrible ways. Some reduced to ashes, others... simply exploded."

Hiruzen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache beginning to form. This turn of events was completely unexpected. The Seven Swordsmen, Kirigakure's elite team, annihilated as if they were rookies... and by Luo Lei, no less.

Hiruzen's original plan, which involved Duy in a potentially suicidal battle, now evaporated.

"Kirigakure won't let this slide," he muttered. "The Third Mizukage... is likely to now enter the war directly."

Sunagakure was no longer an immediate threat, but Konoha was in a delicate balance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Kirigakure's entry into the conflict could dangerously tip the scales, putting Konoha in a situation of one against three.

This Luo Lei... once again, had drastically altered the game board of the World.

________

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