Konoha cat breeder

Chapter 265: Dominance

Danzo was still in a dazed state.

He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. All his life, he had worked for Konoha—every action, every sacrifice, every calculated move had been for the sake of the village.

So why—why was he now being labeled as a traitor?

Why had he not become a hero?

Why had he not become Hokage?

Instead, he was the one being dragged forward like a criminal.

"Let go of me, you fools! Do you even understand what you're doing?!"

But no matter how much he screamed, no one believed him anymore.

The sight that Tonari had revealed—the horrific experiments using Konoha's own shinobi—had sealed Danzo's fate.

His reputation, his life's work, had been shattered beyond repair.

The tables had completely turned.

At first, it had seemed like Tonari was the traitor.

Instead, he had exposed the real enemy—Shimura Danzo.

The irony was almost painful.

If Root's forces had been in the village, perhaps things would have been different.

But most of them were out on missions, sent to negotiate with Iwagakure, handle affairs in Kumogakure, and carry out covert operations.

Danzo's own web of schemes had worked against him.

Now, he was powerless.

Even his precious trump card, Izanagi, had already been used.

The shinobi dragged Danzo forward, throwing him to the ground in front of Tonari.

He looked up, his once-sharp gaze now filled with disbelief and confusion.

Tonari, standing atop his wooden dragon, looked down at him and laughed coldly.

Then, he crouched down.

Face to face with the man who had once ruled the shadows of Konoha.

"You never thought this day would come, did you?" Tonari's voice was calm—but it carried an icy chill.

"Now, take a good look at what you've done. You should start repenting."

Danzo's remaining eye trembled, then hardened into a glare filled with hatred.

"You... you're not a Senju! You're not Hashirama's descendant!"

Tonari smirked. "Does it matter? Everyone already believes it."

Danzo's chest burned with fury.

"Damn you! If I can't have it… then neither can you!"

Blood rushed to his head, his veins bulging as he forcefully tore his arms free from his captors.

With a violent motion, he ripped open his robe, revealing the sealing formula engraved onto his chest.

The shinobi around him gasped in horror.

"Step back! That's a self-destruction sealing jutsu!"

But Tonari didn't move.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly, amusement flashing in his eyes.

"Did you really think I wouldn't know what tricks you've hidden on yourself?"

Before Danzo could activate the jutsu, Tonari raised his hand—

And a massive surge of wood burst from his palm.

"Sealing Jutsu—Binding Forest."

Thick tree branches exploded from the ground, coiling around Danzo's entire body.

One after another, they wrapped around him tightly—layer upon layer—completely restraining him like an insect trapped in a cocoon.

Danzo's eyes widened in horror.

He tried to struggle—but it was futile.

His last chance for revenge had been ripped away from him.

His sealing jutsu had been completely neutralized.

A fresh wave of despair washed over him.

Danzo spat blood, his face turning deathly pale.

At that moment, he knew—

He had lost. Completely.

The dream of becoming Hokage…

The vision of protecting Konoha his own way…

Everything he had worked for had crumbled to nothing.

And yet…

Something didn't make sense.

How?

How had Tonari known so much about Root's secret experiments?

Even inside Konoha, only a select few were aware.

His mind reeled.

This was the last mystery Danzo would never solve.

Tonari straightened up.

But even now, he wasn't satisfied.

Danzo's Root forces were still scattered across the world, and many of them were highly trained operatives.

If they received no orders, they might act recklessly.

That was unacceptable.

So…

Tonari's Mangekyō Sharingan spun.

And in that instant—Danzo's own eye flickered with the same glow.

Then, it faded.

To everyone else, it seemed like nothing had happened.

But Tonari smirked.

Now, he controlled Danzo.

Now, he controlled Root.

Danzo was no longer a threat—he was a pawn.

With Root under his grasp, Danzo's survival no longer mattered.

Tonari waved a hand dismissively.

"Take him to the deepest level of Konoha's prison. No one is allowed near him."

"Yes, sir!" The shinobi responded immediately.

Danzo was dragged away, wrapped in layers of wood, his fate completely sealed.

Tonari didn't stop there.

"Seal off all Root facilities. Any returning Root members are to be detained immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

If Root's shinobi were elite, then they should serve him instead.

The Konoha shinobi watched in awe.

In their eyes, Tonari was already the next Hokage.

If someone had asked them to choose between Tonari and Minato—

There wouldn't even be a debate.

The power of Wood Release was too deeply ingrained in Konoha's identity.

To them, Tonari was a second coming of Hashirama Senju.

"With him, Konoha will be unstoppable."

They didn't see a man.

They saw a legend in the making.

Danzo's restrained form disappeared into the distance.

Tonari turned toward Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage met his gaze silently.

Both men knew.

A line had been crossed.

Tonari had commanded the village's forces.

And Hiruzen had let it happen.

Tonari smiled faintly.

"See, Third Hokage? I gave you face—I didn't kill him."

Hiruzen sighed heavily, his face a mixture of exhaustion and resignation.

He had spent years tolerating Danzo, ignoring his sins for the sake of Konoha.

But Tonari…

Tonari had simply exposed it all.

And now, the village had turned against Danzo.

He had lost control of the situation.

No, he had lost control of Tonari.

Hiruzen felt the weight of his years press down upon him.

"I understand."

He had no other choice but to accept it.

Tonari's smile widened.

Now, Hiruzen had publicly acknowledged him as a Senju.

With that single admission, Tonari's position in Konoha was cemented forever.

"Three Hokage, my friend."

Tonari leaned in slightly, his voice mockingly polite.

"You will make the right choice… won't you?"

Hiruzen couldn't reply.

Because he already knew the answer.

He had lost.

And Tonari had won.

For the first time in years…

The Third Hokage felt the crushing weight of irrelevance.

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