Chapter 112: A Strange Presence

"I understand. But whether or not Danzo is trustworthy, we must be fully prepared."

Black Zetsu nodded and continued his warning.

Obito's gaze turned sharp, his eyes glinting with killing intent. "I know that already. I don't need you to remind me. I'll be going along as well."

Black Zetsu flinched slightly but felt relieved internally. Though he could sense Obito's hostility, he didn't seem to care much about it.

"Alright, alright. Enough arguing."

White Zetsu, who had remained silent, finally spoke up to ease the tension. While Black Zetsu might not have been concerned about Obito's killing intent, White Zetsu certainly was.

"Hmph—"

Obito snorted coldly and shifted his gaze away from Black Zetsu. His killing intent faded, and the oppressive atmosphere dissipated.

White Zetsu, seeing the situation stabilize, sighed in relief.

In the Pokémon Home of Konoha, the morning sunlight bathed the lush forest behind the village, the rustling leaves dancing in the gentle breeze as if welcoming a new day.

Under the warm sunlight, the Pokémon residing in the forest stirred from their slumber, gradually coming to life. The once quiet, moonlit woods now buzzed with activity, exuding a vibrant, energetic aura.

At the foot of the mountain stood a wooden house—no, it could no longer be called a small wooden house. After extensive renovations, it had expanded significantly.

The once modest home had grown nearly five or six times in size, now standing three stories tall with an additional underground level. The structure closely resembled a luxurious modern villa, albeit with more natural materials. Instead of a front yard, the entrance had been remodeled into a storefront.

On the second floor, Cynthia knocked on Ryo's door.

"Ryo, Ryo, wake up! Today is the final match of the third exam! If you don't hurry, there won't be any seats left!"

Indeed, today marked the final round of the third exam.

It had been a month since Dragonite's breakthrough, and now, the final battle of the Chunin Exams was about to take place.

Having watched previous battles, Cynthia was extremely excited about this event. That was why she had come so early to wake Ryo.

Inside the room, Ryo was sitting cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed and brows slightly furrowed.

Invisible psychic energy swirled around him, subtly fluctuating, as if on the verge of bursting forth.

Beside him, Gardevoir watched with a mix of surprise and concern. Using her own psychic energy, she formed a barrier around Ryo to help stabilize his breakthrough.

She was truly astonished by his rapid progress.

It had only been a month since he reached quasi-Kage level…

And now, he was already about to break through to Kage level!

This was unheard of!

In Pokémon terms, it was like leveling up from 71 to 81 in just a month—an almost absurd speed.

That meant, on average, Ryo had been advancing one level every three days!

Gardevoir was so shocked she nearly dropped her jaw.

But beyond the shock, she also felt worried. Ryo's current breakthrough was massive, and she wasn't sure if she could fully contain its aftershocks.

Her own level was only 82, meaning she wasn't significantly stronger than Ryo.

If she failed to suppress the psychic backlash, the entire wooden house might collapse.

Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Ryo's psychic energy suddenly surged outward.

Gardevoir had no time to dwell on her worries—she immediately channeled her own psychic power to contain the eruption.

Her expression tensed, her body stiffened, and she clenched her teeth as she expanded her psychic shield.

A moment later, Ryo slowly opened his eyes.

The chaotic energy around him settled, and a delighted smile formed on his lips.

But when he turned to Gardevoir and saw her panting slightly, his eyes filled with concern.

"Gardevoir, are you okay?"

Gardevoir shook her head. "I'm fine, Ryo, but I won't be able to help next time you break through."

Hearing that, Ryo let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll go somewhere else for my next breakthrough."

Gardevoir hesitated, then lowered her head. "Ryo… Am I useless? As a Pokémon, I couldn't even contain your breakthrough's energy backlash. You advanced an entire power tier in a month, but I only gained one level…"

Disappointment was evident in her voice.

The next second, a warm hand gently rested on her head, accompanied by a soft voice.

"Gardevoir, how could you ever be useless? Don't overthink things. You're incredibly important to me—I need your help."

Gardevoir looked up at him. Seeing his comforting smile, her doubts slowly faded, and she nodded with a small smile of her own.

At that moment, Cynthia's voice came from outside the room.

"Ryo! Ryo, are you awake yet? Hurry up, the final match is about to start!"

Ryo chuckled and stood up. He gave Gardevoir a final reassuring look before heading to the door.

Opening it, he found Cynthia standing there, looking eager and slightly impatient.

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Why are you in such a rush? It's not like we're skipping it. I don't even get why you're so excited about this exam."

A month ago, he had already watched one of the battles…

And, honestly, he had nearly fallen asleep.

From start to finish, it had been incredibly boring.

He truly couldn't understand why Cynthia found it so fascinating.

Cynthia shot Ryo a glare. "What do you know? In the past month, everyone has learned a lot about Pokémon battles, and their Pokémon have leveled up significantly. The battles are bound to be exciting."

Thinking about how Pokémon battles from her world had made their way into this one, how could she not be excited?

Ryo heard her words but didn't bother to dampen her enthusiasm.

Learning a lot? Leveling up significantly?

Did she really think this world functioned like hers, where people started training with Pokémon from a young age?

The training pace in the Naruto world wasn't nearly as efficient as in the Pokémon world.

And as for the so-called "significant improvement," even the highest-leveled Pokémon in Kakashi's team had only reached the 30s, just barely hitting the equivalent of a Chunin's strength.

What kind of exciting battle could that even be?

Still, despite his thoughts, Ryo chose not to crush Cynthia's excitement.

He simply nodded. "Alright, don't be so anxious. We'll make it in time. You go take care of the Pokémon in the back mountain—I'll go wash up."

Cynthia nodded, turned around, and headed downstairs toward the back mountain. As she walked, she called back, "Then hurry up!"

Ryo waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. You go on ahead."

Watching Cynthia leave, Ryo then went to freshen up.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir, after seeing the exchange, also excused herself and went to prepare breakfast for everyone.

Just as Ryo finished washing up, his gaze instinctively shifted toward the view outside.

His expression turned serious, and he murmured to himself, "These chakra signatures… they're unfamiliar. And they're all at least as strong as old man Hiruzen…"

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