Chapter 60: There's No Such Thing as 'Face' Here

Tap, tap, tap…

Just then, a series of footsteps echoed through the cabin.

Hearing the sound, everyone except Cynthia—who was still focused on the Pokémon egg—turned toward the entrance.

When they looked over, they saw Danzo leading a few of his subordinates, walking in with a cold and expressionless face.

Seeing this, Ryo's eyes grew serious.

"Danzo?"

Even Asuma, standing nearby, showed a look of surprise.

Danzo glanced at Asuma with a fleeting look of curiosity before shifting his gaze toward Ryo. His eyes then lingered on Dragonite and Gardevoir behind him.

"So, you must be the owner of this place," Danzo said, his tone flat. "I apologize for intruding uninvited."

Ryo smiled slightly. "How could the leader of Root be considered an uninvited guest? However, I am curious—what brings you here today?"

Danzo got straight to the point. "I've heard that the Pokémon here are quite powerful. I was wondering if my Root members could each be assigned one."

Upon hearing this, Ryo hadn't even responded yet when Asuma's expression changed to one of shock.

Even though he had only had his Pokémon for a single day, he had already realized how powerful they were.

But now, Danzo wanted his entire Root organization to have one?

Ryo ignored Asuma's reaction and kept his gaze on Danzo, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

"Of course," he said. "As long as your Root members can capture them, I'd even be grateful for the business."

"Oh?"

Danzo remained expressionless. "Can't you just distribute them directly?"

Ryo shook his head. "That won't do. Rules are rules."

Internally, he scoffed. Who the hell do you think you are, demanding free handouts?

Danzo's gaze turned colder. "Then I wonder if you would give me some face?"

At that moment, the atmosphere in the cabin instantly shifted.

The previously cordial conversation now felt as if it could erupt into conflict at any moment.

Asuma and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio tensed up, their faces filled with unease.

Judging by Ryo's suddenly hardened expression and Danzo's icy stare, a fight might break out any second.

Ryo's smile vanished as he coldly met Danzo's gaze.

"In my place," he said firmly, "you have no 'face' to speak of."

He had been polite, yet this guy still thought he could throw his weight around? Who did he think he was?

"How dare you?!"

Before Danzo could respond, the Root ninja behind him stepped forward, glaring at Ryo with hostility.

Roar!

At the same time, Dragonite and Gardevoir moved to the front, their eyes locked onto Danzo and his men.

Watching from the sidelines, Asuma and the others grew even more anxious.

It wasn't that they were afraid something would happen to Ryo.

No—they were more worried about Danzo.

If something happened to Danzo here, then Konoha might end up in direct conflict with Ryo.

And that was something none of them wanted.

Although Danzo wasn't exactly well-liked—many saw him as an expendable nuisance—Asuma, being more aware of Konoha's inner workings, knew the implications of a confrontation.

Danzo remained silent, his gaze fixed firmly on Ryo.

Ryo, unfazed, returned the stare without the slightest hint of backing down.

Then—

"Heh."

Danzo suddenly let out a low chuckle.

"You're quite confident," he said coldly. "But don't worry. I was only joking."

His words took everyone by surprise.

Even the Root ninjas, Asuma, and Ryo himself were momentarily stunned.

Was this really Danzo?

Wasn't he the type to strike first and ask questions later?

Since when did he ever back down so easily?

Even when dealing with the Hokage, he wasn't this restrained.

Yet now, he was letting this slide?

Especially the Root members—they looked utterly dumbfounded.

Even in front of the Hokage, Danzo had never acted this way. He had always been confrontational and unyielding.

And now? He was backing off just like that?

"Heh."

Ryo let out a cold chuckle of his own.

"Try not to joke around like that next time," he said.

Though he said this lightly, his head ached slightly.

If Danzo had simply attacked outright, that would have been fine—Ryo would've just finished him off on the spot.

But now that he was holding back, it meant he was scheming something in the shadows.

And that was far more annoying to deal with.

Ryo knew Danzo well—his cold glare earlier was real.

A man like him, who would do anything to achieve his goals, would definitely not let this go.

Asuma and the others, however, let out a sigh of relief.

They didn't know what was going on in Ryo and Danzo's heads.

All they knew was that a fight hadn't broken out, and that was good enough.

"By the way, boss."

Danzo suddenly spoke up again.

"Would it be possible for me to capture a Pokémon?"

Ryo nodded. "Of course. I welcome all customers."

Even though he knew he might have to face Danzo in the future, that didn't mean he had to deny him now.

After all, Pokémon bonded with their trainers based on trust.

Even if Danzo raised one, it wouldn't necessarily turn against Ryo.

It wouldn't necessarily help him either, but as long as it didn't attack him, that was good enough.

Most importantly—he wasn't about to pass up on that treasure chest reward.

Danzo didn't say much in response. Instead, he calmly pulled out a sum of money and handed it to Ryo.

"Boss, give us some Poké Balls, Pokédexes, and Ability Cubes."

Ryo smiled as he accepted the payment and handed over the requested items.

It was clear that Danzo had done his homework—he knew exactly what he needed.

There was no doubt in Ryo's mind that some of the people who had come over the past few days to capture Pokémon had been sent by Danzo to scout the place.

Still, he didn't press the issue and simply watched as Danzo and his men headed toward the back.

As they walked away, Ryo gave Dragonite a subtle glance.

Understanding the silent command, Dragonite nodded and followed them toward the mountains.

Phew…

As soon as Danzo and his group disappeared from sight, Ino let out a relieved sigh, patting her chest.

"That scared me to death," she said. "Boss, I really thought you were going to start a fight."

Ryo shook his head with a chuckle.

"Why would I?" he said. "He said it was just a joke, didn't he?"

Ino nodded.

"Yeah, but that kind of joke is terrifying."

Meanwhile, Asuma's expression was far more serious.

"Boss, you should be careful," he warned. "I don't think this is as simple as it seems."

Knowing Danzo as well as he did, he couldn't believe that the man would just let things go so easily.

"Hm?"

Shikamaru furrowed his brows.

"Why do you say that, Asuma-sensei?"

Unlike Asuma, he didn't fully grasp Danzo's methods yet.

Everything seemed fine now—so why wouldn't it be over?

Asuma sighed and turned back to Ryo.

"Boss, if anything happens, you should go to the Hokage," he advised. "I'm sure he'll help you."

With that, he left, taking the still somewhat confused Ino-Shika-Cho trio with him.

Ryo, on the other hand, merely shook his head, feeling slightly amused.

Do they really think I'm scared of Danzo? That I can't handle him?

If it ever came down to it, he'd simply eliminate him and set up shop somewhere else.

The only downside was that Konoha had the most important characters in the story.

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