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Despite the exposed corruption, Danzo showed no signs of backing down. That in itself was dangerous.
Homura Mitokado glanced at Neji, then at Hiashi Hyuga beside him, and cleared his throat.
"Danzo—"
But Tsunade cut him off, her eyes burning with fury. Now it made sense why Neji had exposed everything to Shikamaru. She clenched her fists.
She was the Fifth Hokage yet with overwhelming evidence in hand, she still couldn't bring a criminal like Danzo to justice. Pathetic.
"That's enough. I'm ashamed—ashamed for my grandfather and great-uncle. They fought to protect the Leaf, only for it to fall into the hands of cowards and schemers."
"Danzo's crimes are out in the open, and yet there are still people shielding him worse, actively resisting arrest. When did the Hokage's word become meaningless?"
"If that's the case, then maybe I shouldn't be Hokage!"
Her words sent a chill through the room. Across from them, the ANBU and Danzo's Root members stood at a standoff, both sides locked in tension. Two covert factions within one village were madness.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune's voice cracked with worry.
Gasps echoed through the chamber. Homura and Koharu turned pale. If Tsunade really stepped down now, Konoha would be left without a leader, and after Danzo's scandal, who would even be fit to take over?
The other clans would rise up. Fear would spread. Chaos would follow.
"No! Tsunade, you can't!" the elders pleaded in unison.
"Hmph. Why not?" Tsunade replied coldly. "What's left here worth staying for?"
"Shizune…"
Koharu quickly interjected, "We weren't protecting Danzo!"
"We just wanted to fully understand the situation," Homura added quickly.
But Tsunade was unmoved. Danzo, meanwhile, stood silently, his expression unreadable.
Seeing Tsunade truly ready to walk away, the two elders looked at each other. Koharu gave a small nod.
"Danzo," Homura said solemnly, "for the sake of the village—surrender."
"Effective immediately, we revoke your advisor status, dissolve the Root division, and authorize your arrest. All Root members are to be detained or disbanded."
Tension exploded. The lead ANBU officer stepped forward. "Danzo, surrender peacefully."
Danzo closed his eyes. A long sigh escaped him. He looked at the Root operatives, ready to fight at his command, and shook his head.
"So be it."
"I accept the outcome. But I won't admit I was wrong. Everything I did… was for the Leaf."
Root members, following his silent command, dropped their resistance and were restrained by ANBU. Danzo, too, was captured.
Neji watched in silence, a strange mix of awe and irony in his chest. He never imagined his former mentor would pull such a dramatic act.
"The great manipulator brought down like this… and still acting like a martyr. 'For the Leaf,' huh? Funny. If I remember right, Uchiha Madara was the one who named the village in the first place. The irony."
His voice carried through the room. Many flinched. Danzo's face went stiff.
The ANBU captain sealed Danzo's chakra and turned to Tsunade.
"Lady Hokage, Danzo is in custody. Awaiting your command."
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
"I'm not your Hokage anymore. Report to someone else."
That sent shockwaves through the room. The two elders panicked. If Tsunade truly quit, no one else could lead.
Jiraiya was off who-knew-where, and Konoha was leaderless at its most vulnerable.
Neji froze. "She's not kidding… she's really stepping down?"
This couldn't be happening!
"Sensei, wait—"
"No more, Neji. I've had enough. Konoha has disappointed me deeply."
She gazed out over the rooftops of the Leaf Village, her eyes distant.
So many memories here… but the more beautiful they were, the more they hurt.
Everyone she ever loved had ended up buried in this village's soil.
"Please, Lady Tsunade, reconsider!" Koharu begged.
Homura added, "There is no one else fit to bear the title."
Hiashi joined them. "Lady Tsunade, the village is still healing. If you leave now, we may never recover."
Even Shizune chimed in, "We need you…"
Kakashi, behind his mask, spoke in a rare solemn tone. "Tsunade-sama… this village still needs its Hokage."
Finally, Neji stepped forward. He spoke quietly but with conviction. "Sensei… we couldn't find a second fool willing to take on this job."
The elders and Hiashi scowled at him—but Tsunade chuckled despite herself.
"You calling your teacher a fool?"
She poked Neji in the forehead, exasperated but amused.
"If there's no second fool, are you really asking me to keep being one?"
The tension broke, and Neji laughed nervously. "Well, at least until you train the next fool. Sakura and I still rely on our Hokage, you know?"
He rambled on, but it all came down to one thing:
"Please, Sensei… stay."
Tsunade fell silent for a long while. Her thoughts wandered to Dan and Nawaki, her fallen loved ones. She finally let out a long, weary sigh.
"Fine. I'll stay."
The entire room exhaled in relief. The elders, however, felt a creeping bitterness.
In a village once overflowing with legendary talent, there was now no one else to take the reins. Konoha had truly fallen from grace.
The masked ANBU captain bowed again.
"How should we proceed with Danzo?"
Tsunade stood tall once more.
"Throw him in the village prison. Since he surrendered, we'll honor that but he's to order all Root agents to stand down."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Swift and firm, her orders spread across the village. The dark machinery of Root began to unravel.
Danzo complied, instructing the remaining agents to disband but before the ANBU could act further, Root's headquarters mysteriously went up in flames.
Much of the evidence was lost. Many Root members were absorbed into the ANBU; others simply disappeared.
With Danzo imprisoned but never formally convicted, Tsunade faced no more resistance in her decisions, and a new chapter began for Konoha.
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Meanwhile, deep within the prison's shadows, Danzo sat bound and sealed. Only his lone eye remained uncovered.
He glared ahead coldly.
"Tsunade… I was right. One day, you'll see that. Execute the contingency."
"Yes, sir."
A shadow slipped away from his cell, vanishing into the darkness like it owned it.
Only one thought echoed in the silence:
Danzo… what a snake.
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