Chapter 117: The Despair of Sasori and Deidara

In the next instant, under the shocked gazes of everyone, the terrifying energy beam from Dragonite's mouth shot toward Kisame.

Its speed was absolute.

In the blink of an eye, it reached Kisame.

His eyes widened in horror as he desperately unleashed his chakra to counter it.

But even though his sharks surged forth at breakneck speed, they failed to slow the attack in the slightest.

Not even for a single second.

Boom!

The next moment, the energy blast struck Kisame head-on. A deafening explosion erupted, sending thick smoke billowing across the battlefield, covering an area of dozens of meters.

"Did Kisame just die?"

Deidara squinted at the smoke-filled area before turning to Sasori with uncertainty.

Sasori nodded. "He should be dead."

Even from a distance, the sheer power of that blast made them feel an overwhelming sense of danger.

And Kisame, who took the attack directly, was undoubtedly in a worse state.

However, at that moment, Dragonite's eyes sharpened as the energy around its mouth intensified.

The next beam it fired was even stronger, tearing through the smoke like a raging storm.

As the smoke cleared, everyone finally saw the target of the attack.

Amidst the destruction, a massive chakra figure—standing over ten meters tall—knelt on one knee, barely resisting Dragonite's assault.

"Susanoo?"

Ryo furrowed his brows upon seeing the towering figure.

He quickly glanced toward the crater where Itachi had fallen earlier.

But Itachi was no longer there.

His expression darkened.

He managed to move to Kisame's position, and I didn't even notice?

"Hmph—"

Ryo scoffed before shifting his gaze back to the Susanoo.

"Let's see whether Dragonite's Hyper Beam is stronger or your Susanoo is tougher!"

Sasori and Deidara both sighed in relief at the sight of Kisame's survival.

If Kisame had died, their chances of escaping would have been even slimmer.

Crack—Crack—

But suddenly, the Susanoo—previously holding firm—began sliding backward, cracks forming along its armored exterior.

Dragonite's eyes glowed with interest.

The energy in its mouth swelled once again.

Then—

With another surge of power, the Hyper Beam completely overwhelmed Susanoo.

The enormous chakra construct was torn apart, shattering into pieces.

Pfft—

Up in the sky, unable to sustain his Susanoo any longer, Itachi coughed up blood before losing consciousness.

His body plummeted toward the ground.

Before he could hit the ground, the badly injured Kisame rushed forward and caught him, collapsing onto the dirt, panting heavily.

Dragonite, unfazed, turned its attention to Sasori and Deidara, who had been frozen in place.

"S-Sasori… Big Bro… What do we do?"

Deidara nudged Sasori's arm, his voice trembling.

At first, he had been wary of Dragonite's speed and physical strength, but still believed they could fight it.

But now, after witnessing Hyper Beam, he was terrified.

That single attack was far more devastating than a Tailed Beast Bomb.

And worst of all—Dragonite hadn't even used its full strength yet.

Each successive attack had been stronger than the last.

Who knew how much more power it could unleash?

Sasori let out a bitter chuckle. "What else can we do? We can't fight it, and we can't escape… That only leaves one option—"

"Ryo, what the hell are you doing?!"

Before Sasori could finish his sentence, a frustrated voice rang out.

The doors to the Pokémon House swung open, and Cynthia stepped outside, her expression filled with irritation.

"I thought an earthquake was happening!"

Sasori instantly reacted, his body flickering forward.

Even Deidara was stunned by how quickly he moved.

Cynthia, seeing the state of the battlefield, immediately realized what was happening.

Her face changed as she instinctively tried to retreat.

But before she could move, Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet appeared in front of her.

"Perfect timing!"

Sasori smirked, relief washing over him.

Just moments ago, he had been considering surrender. But now—he had a hostage.

Cynthia tensed. "What do you want?"

Sasori chuckled and glanced toward Ryo. "I just want to leave."

Ryo shook his head with a smirk. "I don't think you'll be able to."

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "If you don't let us go, I'll have no choice but to take her down with me."

However—

Just as he finished speaking, his instincts screamed danger.

Reacting instantly, he maneuvered the Third Kazekage puppet to defend himself.

Boom!

In the next moment, a new figure appeared, delivering a powerful strike that sent the puppet flying.

A furious Garchomp locked eyes with Sasori.

Roar!

"Garchomp! Thanks for the save."

Cynthia let out a sigh of relief.

Roar!

Garchomp shook its head before turning its menacing gaze back toward Sasori.

Sasori felt utter despair.

What the hell is this place?!

Why does someone who looks like an ordinary shopkeeper have so many powerful Pokémon?!

Do they just get these creatures for free?!

Behind him, Deidara finally lost it.

"What the hell—there's another one?! Just how many Kage-level Pokémon do you guys have?!"

He was on the verge of tears.

With this kind of strength, why even run a store?

Why not just take over the entire ninja world?

Ryo simply chuckled at their reactions.

Garchomp had always been by Cynthia's side—Sasori had made a fatal mistake trying to use her as leverage.

Now, as he approached the two defeated Akatsuki members, they both looked completely resigned.

Sasori let out a long sigh.

"Can I ask one thing before I die?"

Ryo nodded. "Go ahead."

Sasori fixed his gaze on him.

"What are these Pokémon? Where do they come from? Why have they never appeared before? And… why are they so strong?"

Deidara, still in shock, also perked up at the question.

Ryo, seeing no harm in answering, began explaining Pokémon to them.