Tsunade's mouth twitched violently at Ryo's words, her once pitiful expression quickly turning into one of barely suppressed fury. "Ryo!" she snapped.
"Ahem—" Ryo coughed awkwardly as he saw her reaction, quickly straightening his face. "Alright, alright. Tsunade, seriously though, maybe you should just give up on getting that item. Even if I gave you a 50% discount, you still couldn't afford it. Better to accept it and move on."
Tsunade froze.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, Ryo's words made too much sense. Given her current financial situation, even a discount that big wouldn't change much.
Actually, now that she thought about it carefully, even a 90% discount wouldn't help her scrape together the money she needed.
Pouting slightly, Tsunade tried once more, her voice uncertain. "Ryo, what if we... dropped it to a 99% discount? I could probably handle that."
Ryo turned his head slowly and stared at her in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"
In his heart, he didn't even know what to say anymore. Seriously? A 99% discount?! That was shameless even by Tsunade's standards.
"Forget it," Tsunade said with an awkward laugh, realizing how ridiculous she sounded. Then she sighed heavily, her voice tinged with regret. "If I'd known this earlier, I would've just signed up for the tournament myself. Winning would've saved me ten million ryo, just like that."
Ryo didn't argue with her this time. It was true—after spending so much time around Eliza and picking up knowledge here and there, Tsunade had actually become quite competent with Pokémon battles. Her odds of winning the tournament were indeed pretty high.
But then he shook his head again. Realistically, it was too late. Besides, as the Hokage, it wouldn't have been appropriate for her to participate in a public competition meant for civilians and low-ranked ninjas.
"Well, it's too late now. And honestly, your Pokémon's only around level sixty. Even if you had the item, it wouldn't make a huge difference yet. Save up your money, wait until you have a Pokémon at Kage level, then come find me. I'll keep one reserved for you," Ryo said.
Tsunade didn't look particularly reassured. Given her current situation, she doubted she'd ever have enough spare cash to buy one of those things. Still, she could only nod reluctantly. "Fine. I guess that's the best I can hope for."
Ryo smiled faintly. "Alright then. Let's head back."
Without wasting more time, the group made their way back to the Pokémon House.
Before long, they returned. Tsunade peeled off to head toward Konoha's administrative center, while the rest of them retreated into the backyard of the Pokémon House.
"Ahhh—" Ryo flopped into a chair and stretched out lazily. "Running a tournament really is exhausting."
At first glance, it looked like he hadn't done much throughout the day. But in truth, there had been countless matters requiring his attention. Every arrangement, every contingency—he had to personally oversee them.
Physically, he wasn't tired. But mentally? He was drained. All day he'd been tense, constantly on edge worrying about what might go wrong. Only now that the day's events were over could he finally let himself relax—and the accumulated exhaustion came crashing down all at once.
"Seriously? You're tired?" Eliza, seated on a chair nearby, couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Looks to me like I did more work than you today. If anyone should be tired, it's me."
Ryo didn't bother arguing. He knew she was right.
Eliza had handled a lot—probably even more than him. And during the battles, she had been just as nervous, just as vigilant.
Glancing over at her tired face, Ryo sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine, you win. You're the one who's worked the hardest. Just rest for now. I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Hearing that, Eliza simply nodded and closed her eyes, letting herself drift into a light rest.
Ever since they'd woken up early that morning, excitement had carried them through. But now that the day's stress had lifted, exhaustion hit like a tidal wave.
With Eliza resting, Ryo turned toward Konan and Nagato, who were still awake. "So," he asked casually, "after watching today's matches, any thoughts?"
Konan shook her head calmly. "No particular thoughts."
Ryo's mouth twitched. He then shifted his gaze toward Nagato, hoping for a better answer.
Nagato, catching the unspoken plea, nodded thoughtfully. "I used to underestimate Pokémon a bit. I thought they were just slightly more powerful summoning beasts. But after today, I realize they're a whole different level. They're not simple at all."
Ryo smiled with satisfaction. That was exactly why he'd insisted Nagato watch today's matches—to shatter any lingering misconceptions.
After that, their conversation died down. They chatted lightly for a few minutes, then each of them went to rest for a while.
Later, when Gardevoir came to summon them for dinner, they gathered together to eat.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world...
Deep inside a dark, cavernous hideout, a masked figure stood silently by the entrance, his lone Sharingan eye gazing out into the night sky.
It was Obito.
Around him were more than a dozen ghostly figures, their forms faint and wavering, as though they were mere illusions.
Anyone familiar with advanced ninjutsu would immediately recognize it—the Phantom Lantern Body Technique.
Had Nagato been here, he would have known at once what these images represented.
Suddenly, Obito's eye sharpened with cold determination. His voice rang out clearly across the cavern.
"The time has come. Begin the operation. I don't care what methods you use. I only want one thing—the result."
"Yes, sir!" came the simultaneous reply from the ghostly figures. A low hum of murderous intent filled the air.
Obito nodded, satisfied. With a simple wave of his hand, he dismissed them.
One by one, the spectral bodies vanished—no sound, no trace, as though they had never existed.
Hiss—
After the others disappeared, Zetsu emerged from the ground behind Obito. Half white, half black, the creature looked particularly grim.
"Obito," Black Zetsu spoke first, "are you sure about this? If we fail now, capturing the Tailed Beasts will become even more difficult in the future."
Hearing that, Obito turned sharply, his killing intent surging. "Are you questioning me?"
Unfazed, Black Zetsu continued, "I'm just reminding you. Opportunities like this are rare."
Obito stared at him for a long moment, then slowly reined in his killing intent.
"I trust them," he said coolly. "Besides, it's none of your concern. You just stick to providing intel."
Without waiting for a reply, Obito activated his Kamui. Space distorted around him—and in the next instant, he vanished completely.
Left alone, Black Zetsu frowned, his gaze darkening. Muttering something under his breath, he too sank back into the ground, disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.
As night fell across the world, conflicts erupted in scattered corners.
Sounds of combat echoed in the distance—screams, clashes of steel, the scent of blood hanging thick in the air.
A storm was beginning to brew, one that would soon engulf the entire world.
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