Chapter 156: Will They Meet?

Ryo nodded at the group's questions. "That's right. We're in Konoha now—this is the Pokémon Sanctuary."

To be honest, even he found it a little hard to believe.

Despite his Kage-level strength, even using instant teleportation multiple times had taken a considerable effort to reach Sunagakure.

Yet Hoopa, at merely level 60, had transported them here in an instant.

Looking back, Ryo couldn't help but think—If Hoopa could link distances this vast… why was I struggling with teleportation yesterday like an idiot?

Kankurō, who had been staring at him, suddenly spoke up, his face blank.

"Boss… don't tell me you traveled to Sunagakure like this yesterday?"

Ryo shook his head. "No. Yesterday, I didn't know Hoopa could connect distances this far."

"Phew—"

Kankurō exhaled in relief.

But Ryo continued.

"If I had known, I could've saved a few minutes."

"Pfft—"

Kankurō, Temari, and Gaara spit out their drinks at the same time.

Their expressions turned sour as they all glared at Ryo.

"…Boss," Kankurō started, his voice twitching. "Are you telling me that your trip to Sunagakure only took a few minutes?"

Ryo nodded casually. "Yeah."

Kankurō's eye twitched violently.

They had traveled for days on foot, braving the scorching desert, eating bland rations, enduring exhaustion—

And this guy? Took a few minutes and still complained about the time wasted?

"…Boss," Temari sighed. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? If we had known, we could've waited and traveled back with you instead of walking for days."

Ryo shrugged. "I didn't even know I was going to Sunagakure at the time."

"…Ugh."

The three of them groaned in frustration but dropped the topic.

The more they thought about it, the more it hurt.

At that moment, Baki and the other Sunagakure shinobi stepped through the golden ring, their expressions blank as they took in their surroundings.

"Where… are we?" Baki muttered, scanning the area in disbelief.

More and more shinobi emerged from the portal—each one looking around in shock.

Temari, seeing their reactions, felt a little embarrassed and quickly stepped forward to explain.

"Sensei, everyone—this is Konoha."

"...Huh?"

Baki's eyes narrowed.

"Temari, are you sure?"

Temari nodded. "Yes. This is Konoha."

Gaara and Kankurō also confirmed it.

For a moment, Baki couldn't process the reality of it.

We… just stepped through a ring… and traveled from Sunagakure to Konoha?

It wasn't like long-distance teleportation was unheard of, but—

There should be limits, right?

A restriction on the number of people?

A requirement for immense chakra reserves?

Yet here, there were no limits.

Ryo's Pokémon had simply waved its hand, and they were here.

Behind him, the other shinobi stood frozen, staring at the unfamiliar landscape.

Even Chiyo and Ebizō, normally composed, looked completely dazed.

Meanwhile, Cynthia, who had been lounging in her chair and casually watching people step out of the ring, finally noticed their expressions.

Her gaze became odd.

One after another, each person emerged from the portal—

First, curiosity.

Then, shock.

Then, disbelief.

…As if they were all synchronized actors in a play.

Frowning, she turned to Ryo.

"…Ryo, what's up with them?"

Ryo answered casually, "I brought them here to catch Pokémon."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"…And that's why they all look like their souls just left their bodies?"

Ryo paused.

…Now that she mentioned it, it did seem like these shinobi had never seen the world before.

He coughed lightly. "Ahem—"

Without responding to Cynthia, he stepped forward and addressed the group.

"Alright, now that we're here, I'll explain the rules for catching Pokémon. Listen carefully, because if you break the rules—"

His aura flared, pressing down on the group like an overwhelming force.

"…I won't be letting you off easily."

The Sunagakure shinobi immediately straightened up, their previous confusion vanishing under the pressure of his words.

Realizing this was serious, they focused their attention.

Ryo continued, "There are three important rules—

You cannot force a Pokémon into capture. You cannot mistreat a Pokémon, even if it doesn't meet your expectations. You are always being watched, and if I catch anyone breaking the rules…"

His sharp gaze swept across them.

"I will make sure you regret it."

The warning sent chills down some of their spines.

Baki, stepping forward, nodded. "Boss, don't worry. If anyone here violates the rules, we won't let them off either."

Chiyo added, "That much, I can guarantee."

Ryo gave a satisfied nod.

"Good. Then get ready—you'll be heading inside."

He then turned to Temari, Gaara, and Kankurō.

"…I'll leave collecting the fees to you three."

The trio blinked.

"…Seriously?"

But seeing his completely serious expression, they sighed and reluctantly agreed.

Over the next few minutes, the Sunagakure shinobi purchased Poké Balls and entered the back area of the sanctuary to find their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Ryo sat next to Cynthia, who gave him a sideways glance.

"…What are you looking for?"

Ryo crossed his arms. "Those four—where are they?"

Cynthia knew exactly who he meant.

She shrugged. "Where else? In the training area."

"Ever since they got their Pokémon, all they do is train non-stop."

Ryo chuckled.

"Yeah… that sounds like them."

Given that the Akatsuki members were here, he wouldn't be surprised if they trained all day, every day.

And now that their previous work assignments were finished, their only focus would be getting stronger.

But there was one thing that crossed his mind.

I wonder… will they run into the shinobi from Sunagakure?

After all—

One of them was Sasori, and today, his own grandmother was here.

Ryo muttered to himself, "That would be interesting."

At that moment, Temari returned from collecting the fees and caught his last sentence.

"Boss, what are you talking about?"

Ryo quickly shook his head. "Nothing. Just wondering if they'll find any rare Pokémon in the back."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "Rare Pokémon? What kind?"

Before she could press further, Kankurō joined in, equally curious.

"Yeah, boss—what kind of rare Pokémon?"

Ryo waved them off. "Nothing special. Just ones that don't show up often."

Temari frowned. "Does that mean they're stronger than normal?"

Ryo shook his head. "Pokémon aren't about strong or weak. It's about how you train them."

He stretched and leaned back lazily.

"Anyway, let's take a break. They'll probably be gone for a while."

Temari sighed but nodded.

And with that, the group settled in to wait.

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