Konoha cat breeder

Chapter 15: Konoha Hidden Village

Tonari felt his eyelids weighed down by an unbearable heaviness, his entire body aching with a swollen, dull pain.

The cuts and scratches across his body burned and itched, as if hundreds of ants were crawling over his skin, burrowing beneath it.

He tried desperately to open his eyes but found that no matter how hard he struggled, they wouldn't budge.

Worse still, a strange tingling sensation was spreading from his abdomen downward, gathering in a sensitive area he'd rather not think about.

The creeping sensation grew unbearable, and Tonari could only grit his teeth, futilely willing it to stop.

And then, just as quickly as it had started, the sensation dissipated, leaving him feeling oddly hollow.

Finally, his eyes fluttered open.

But instead of the vibrant, colorful world he hoped to see, Tonari was greeted by the dark, oppressive confines of the familiar sealing space.

As his consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse, he had been forcibly pulled into this space. The overwhelming pain in his physical body had vanished, replaced by the eerie calm of the seal.

"Thanks, Big Beauty. I owe you one," Tonari said, his voice carrying a hint of gratitude.

He didn't blame the Two-Tails for its timing. On the contrary, he was thankful the beast had lent him its chakra at the critical moment.

Though the overflow of chakra had almost consumed his consciousness entirely, Tonari recognized that it wasn't the Two-Tails' fault. For a creature of its immense power, what it had given was barely a fraction of its true strength. The fault lay with his own fragile body, which simply couldn't handle the strain.

"Hmph."

The Two-Tails snorted dismissively, turning its head away in feigned indifference. But the subtle twitch at the corner of its mouth didn't escape Tonari's notice.

So smug… you little tsundere, Tonari thought with a smirk.

"You're too weak to handle my power," the Two-Tails said, its tone dripping with disdain. "If you hadn't stopped me in time, my chakra would have torn you apart.

"But… how did you know?" Its eyes narrowed as it leaned closer, scrutinizing Tonari through the bars of the cage. "How did you know how to form a Tailed Beast Ball?

"You had barely any chakra, and yet you managed to produce a half-formed version of one. It was pitiful, but unmistakable!"

The beast's gaze bore into him, its mismatched eyes filled with suspicion.

Tonari shrugged nonchalantly, long accustomed to the Two-Tails' intense stares. "I didn't know. I just had a feeling that this was the best way to unleash the strongest attack I could muster. My body was already at its limit—I didn't have the luxury of second-guessing myself."

The Two-Tails remained skeptical but said nothing further.

In truth, Tonari wasn't lying. The method for creating the Tailed Beast Ball had surfaced in his mind instinctively, as if it had always been there, buried deep in his subconscious.

"By the way, Big Beauty," Tonari began, changing the subject. "Before I passed out, I think I saw something… a green vest. It looked like the kind of flak jacket worn by ninja."

At this, the Two-Tails' expression grew serious.

If a ninja had appeared at the end of the battle, it could spell trouble—for both Tonari and the beast. The biggest concern was which village this ninja belonged to. If it was a Cloud ninja…

"I can't say," the Two-Tails admitted, shaking its massive head. "I'm bound to your body. What you see is all I can see. Once you lost consciousness, I couldn't perceive anything.

"All I know is that your injuries aren't fatal. My chakra is working to heal your wounds, and you should recover soon enough. But where your body is now, or who has it, I cannot tell."

Tonari nodded grimly. Though he had his suspicions about the green vest, the uncertainty gnawed at him.

His carefully laid plans had been completely upended by the Cloud Anbu's unexpected appearance.

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Meanwhile, in the heart of the Land of Fire, the largest and most prosperous territory in the ninja world, lay the famed Konoha Hidden Village.

Konoha, the strongest of the ninja villages, represented the military might of the Land of Fire.

At the village's center stood a circular building with a domed roof, adorned with a massive kanji for "Fire." It was the Hokage's office, the heart of Konoha's governance.

Inside, a man sat behind a massive desk, a pipe clenched between his teeth as wisps of smoke curled into the air.

Clad in a white Hokage robe, emblazoned with the title of Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen exuded an air of authority. His weathered features bore the marks of age and experience, yet his sharp eyes remained as perceptive as ever.

In front of him lay a detailed report, accompanied by a photograph of Tonari's unconscious face.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Gathered in the office were several individuals, each lost in their thoughts.

Among them was a group of four: one adult and three children.

The adult, wearing the signature green flak jacket of a Konoha jonin, stood at the forefront. He was flanked by the three children, who were clearly fresh graduates, their expressions a mix of nervousness and curiosity.

Breaking the silence, Sarutobi exhaled a plume of smoke and addressed the jonin.

"Nara Shikashin, you ensured the area near the border was properly cleaned up, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Third," Shikashin replied, his tone respectful yet tinged with resignation.

He had been assigned what he thought was a routine patrol near the border—an opportunity to show his young charges the ropes. Yet what was meant to be a simple mission had turned into a tangled mess.

Not only had they intercepted what appeared to be a foreign agent, but they had also brought back something far more complicated.

As Shikashin glanced at the children under his care, he couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and excitement.

"Of all the things to stumble upon…" he muttered under his breath.

Sarutobi nodded solemnly, his expression unreadable as he returned his attention to the file on his desk.

The situation was far from ordinary. With the Second Shinobi War nearing its conclusion, this unexpected development could have far-reaching implications.

The room remained heavy with tension, the faint crackle of burning tobacco the only sound.

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(End of Chapter)