Chapter 195: Witness True Power

"Nagato?"

Konan looked at him in disbelief.

Nagato slowly shook his head. "Konan, I'm sorry… I can't give up on Yahiko's dream."

"Then I'll fight with you."

Her emotions calmed, and her gaze turned icy as she looked toward Ryo.

Seeing this, Nagato's pupils trembled slightly—then he smiled and nodded.

"Sigh…"

Ryo let out a soft sigh. "Is this really necessary? The outcome's already clear."

"You don't understand. This is our dream."

Ryo shook his head. "A dream? A hollow one. A dream manipulated by others."

"What did you say?"

Nagato frowned, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Even if you think it's laughable, it was Yahiko's dream. I won't let you insult it."

Konan's expression hardened as well.

"…Fine, I won't say anything more."

Ryo rolled his eyes in exasperation. He knew he didn't have Naruto's mouth—saying more only made things worse.

"Are you two really set on this?"

Neither answered. But their chakra flared again—Nagato's body igniting with power, and Konan floating above mirrored him. Their silence was an answer.

Ryo exhaled, glancing toward the broken wooden house behind him. "Hoopa, come here."

He was furious, yes—but he didn't plan to kill them.

In fact, he'd been planning to recruit the Akatsuki to help manage his future branches.

Who else could compare to them? So many elite-level fighters—too useful to simply discard.

There was no way he'd assign his top-tier Pokémon to every new branch. That was impossible.

Only the Akatsuki, with their strength and manageable nature, made sense.

What, was he supposed to poach Jiraiya? Or snatch elites from other villages? That was even more absurd.

So teaching Nagato and Konan a lesson? Sure. Killing them? Absolutely not.

Shwoop—

A golden ring appeared beside Ryo.

Hoopa emerged, tilting its head curiously. "Ryo! Did you call Hoopa? Is something fun happening? Hoopa was getting bored!"

Everyone turned toward the small figure in surprise.

Cynthia, in particular, looked panicked. "Ryo! Don't let Hoopa fight! This isn't something it can handle!"

She was ready to smack Ryo upside the head.

Calling in a Level 60 Hoopa during a battle like this? Was he planning to lose it in case they all died?

The others were also puzzled.

Of course, most of them didn't know much about Hoopa beyond its usual playful appearance.

Nagato narrowed his eyes. "What's the meaning of this, shopkeeper?"

Ryo smiled calmly. "I'm just going to show you… my true power."

That statement made Nagato and Konan wary, their gazes locked onto Hoopa.

The rest of the group was equally confused.

Only Tsunade and Cynthia had any real familiarity with Hoopa.

"Ryo! Say something to Hoopa! It'll get mad if you ignore it!"

Hoopa pouted as Ryo kept talking to Nagato.

Ryo reached out and gently patted Hoopa's head. "Hoopa, can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Hoopa asked.

"Would you mind unsealing your true power? Show them your real form."

Hoopa nodded cheerfully. "Okay! But Ryo, don't get scared, okay?"

Ryo smiled. "I won't. Go ahead, Hoopa."

Without another word, Hoopa reached into its own dimension and pulled out… the Jar of Punishment.

Gasps erupted as the jar appeared.

Everyone—aside from Cynthia—was either a Jōnin or stronger. They could all feel it.

That pressure—enormous, terrifying—like it could erase the world itself.

Even the Ten Tails' husk beneath Nagato trembled slightly in response.

———

Cynthia, who had been so worried moments ago, froze in place when she saw the jar.

Her voice trembled. "T-That… that's the Jar of Punishment!"

She'd never known. Ryo had never told her.

No wonder she'd been so anxious before.

Hearing her cry out, everyone around—members of Akatsuki, Tsunade, Jiraiya—turned to look.

"Cynthia, what is that? Why is it giving off such a terrifying aura?"

Cynthia stared at Hoopa and explained, "Hoopa used to be incredibly powerful. But because of its mischief, it caused great disasters. Arceus—the Creator—sealed Hoopa's power in this jar as punishment. That's why Hoopa looks small and playful now. But that jar… it holds Hoopa's true strength."

Silence.

Even if they didn't fully understand her words, they understood the key point:

The jar contained Hoopa's original power.

And that meant… Hoopa once wielded a force strong enough to destroy worlds.

They all turned to look at the tiny creature in disbelief.

How could such immense power be hidden in such a small, cute body?

Nagato and Konan, too, had overheard Cynthia's explanation. Their expressions changed instantly.

They launched a preemptive strike, trying to stop Hoopa from releasing its seal.

But Ryo only shook his head. "Trying to stop it now? Too late."

Beside him, Hoopa's small hands moved.

It unsealed the jar.

Power—pure and overwhelming—poured out. It surged into Hoopa's body.

The moment the seal broke, everyone felt it.

An immense pressure gripped the battlefield.

Whether it was Ryo beside Hoopa, Tsunade and the others on the ground, or even Nagato and Konan—

Everyone froze.

No one could move.

All they could do… was turn and look at Hoopa.

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