Ryo sighed as he looked at Danzo.
Danzo remained expressionless."What? You can't do it?" he asked flatly.
Ryo shook his head."It's not that I can't. I never planned on harming Konoha. I just find it difficult to accept… and a little regretful."
Danzo's gaze did not waver."Difficult to accept that I would say something like this?"
Ryo shook his head again."Not that either. You're undeniably a ruthless person, willing to do anything to achieve your goals. But your loyalty to Konoha isn't fake. So, while I'm surprised by your words, I'm not exactly shocked."
Danzo fell silent, simply staring at Ryo.
Ryo continued, "What's hard to accept is that I'm actually about to kill you. And what's regrettable… is that you didn't die sealing a bridge."
Danzo, still floating midair under Ryo's psychic power, twitched at these words. His mouth spasmed uncontrollably, his face darkening with rage.
"Ryo, don't you think that's a bit much?" Danzo gritted his teeth. "I, Danzo, a major figure, dying because I sealed a bridge?!"
What the hell?!
Did Ryo seriously think he was that stupid?
Even if he had grudges against him, this was too much!
If he could, Danzo would tear Ryo apart right now.
Ryo didn't respond. Instead, he calmly reached out and gripped Danzo's throat.
But then, a thought struck him.His expression turned curious as he asked, "How about you seal a bridge and self-destruct?"
"Ryo!" Danzo roared in anger, his face turning red with fury."Even if I die, I will never forgive you!"
He thrashed violently, struggling against Ryo's grip.
His eyes burned with rage.He had never been so insulted in his life.
Ryo chuckled."Fine, fine. Looks like you won't agree."
Crack!
With a swift motion, he snapped Danzo's neck.
Danzo's body went limp.
Ryo let out a quiet sigh.Danzo was dead.
Yet, somehow, it felt like something was missing from Naruto's storyline.
But there was no helping it now.Shaking off the thought, Ryo turned his gaze to the ongoing battle behind him.
Sun Espeon was still locked in combat with Danzo's Root Anbu.
The Root members remained tense, completely unaware that their leader was already dead.
Ryo cleared his throat awkwardly."Ahem— Danzo's dead. Are you guys still going to fight?"
The Root shinobi froze.
Slowly, they turned to look at Ryo.
And then… they saw it.
Danzo's lifeless body on the ground. His head slumped to the side, his arms severed.
Shock spread across their faces.
They couldn't believe it.The man they had followed, almost like a god, was gone.
For a moment, they exchanged glances—then, without hesitation, they drew their short blades and stabbed themselves in the stomach.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
One by one, they collapsed, lifeless.
Ryo watched in astonishment."These Root guys really are devoted."
He had assumed that, without Danzo's control, they might finally be free.
But to his surprise, they all chose to die instead.
Thinking about it, though, it made sense.In the original series, the only Root members who escaped Danzo's grasp were Yamato and Sai.
Both of them had found new bonds and developed emotions, leading them to leave.
The rest?
All were willing to die for Danzo.
Not to mention, the Root members here were Danzo's most elite subordinates.
Sigh…
Shaking his head, Ryo let out a quiet sigh.Then, he began searching their corpses.
After a while, his brows furrowed."…Why don't they have anything? Did none of them have Pokémon?"
The plan had been simple—Kill them and reclaim their Pokémon.
But… nothing.
He had expected this from the Root shinobi, but Danzo?He was certain Danzo had Pokémon.
So why couldn't he find them?
"…Did they store their Pokémon somewhere else?"
Frowning, Ryo turned to Gardevoir."Gardevoir, scan the area. See if you can locate their Pokémon."
After all, when Danzo first acquired Pokémon, Gardevoir had left a psychic mark on them.
Gardevoir's eyes glowed as she scanned.
A moment later, she shook her head."Ryo, I can't sense them. It's like they've disappeared."
"…Disappeared?" Ryo's frown deepened."Could they have… died?"
Gardevoir shook her head again."No. If they had died, I would've known."
Ryo pondered for a moment but found no answer.Eventually, he sighed."Forget it. Let's leave. As long as they're still alive, we can find them later."
Gardevoir nodded.
She teleported over to Sun Espeon, then grabbed Dragonite, and in an instant—vanished.
Ryo watched them go.He didn't say much, simply activating his own psychic power and disappearing as well.
Not long after they left…
A golden ring suddenly appeared in the air.
A small figure floated out from the portal.
Hoopa.
"Ryo! Ryo! Are you here?" Hoopa called out.
Silence.
Hoopa pouted, looking very displeased.
"Hmph!"
The little Pokémon snorted."Fine! If Ryo's not here, Hoopa will play alone!"
With that, another golden ring appeared.Hoopa hopped in, disappearing from the underground base.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Konoha.
In the streets, Sand and Sound ninja rampaged, alongside massive serpents.
Konoha's defenders struggled to fight back.
"Quick! Evacuate the civilians to the shelters!"
"Everyone, for Konoha—fight!"
"We can't hold them off! Fall back!"
Shouts and clashes of weapons echoed across Konoha as the village descended into chaos. The streets were littered with debris, smoke rising into the sky, and the ground was stained with fresh blood.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive toad appeared amidst the battlefield. Its solemn eyes scanned the enemies before it.
"Jiraiya! Lord Jiraiya is here! Everyone, fight back!"
The moment Jiraiya arrived, the demoralized shinobi regained their fighting spirit, rallying together to launch a counterattack.
Jiraiya didn't hesitate either—he charged straight into the battle, clearing a path through the enemy forces.
Before long, the tide of battle shifted, and the enemy forces began to falter.
Jiraiya furrowed his brows as he turned to a nearby Konoha shinobi."What happened here? Why is Konoha suddenly under attack?"
The shinobi, still catching his breath, gasped,"I-It's Orochimaru… Orochimaru is leading an attack on Konoha!"
He suddenly recalled something and urgently added,"Jiraiya-sama, Orochimaru is fighting the Hokage right now! Please go help him—leave this battlefield to us!"
Jiraiya's expression darkened.Nodding, he gave his summon a quick command and then turned toward Hydreigon, calling out,"Hydreigon! Let's go!"
Without hesitation, his figure flashed away from the battlefield.
Hydreigon swiftly followed, rushing toward another part of the village.
Meanwhile, at the Chunin Exam arena, another fierce battle raged.
Kakashi and several elite jonin stood their ground, facing off against the invading Sand shinobi.
Their expressions were grim.
Kakashi glared at the opposing commander—Baki—his voice cold."You Sand shinobi… have you allied with Orochimaru to attack Konoha?"
Baki's eyes flashed with unease, his brows furrowing."…Orochimaru?"
His voice wavered slightly.
Kakashi, noticing the reaction, narrowed his eyes."Don't tell me… you didn't know?"
Baki's face darkened instantly.
He gritted his teeth before suddenly barking an order to his men:"Retreat!"
Without another word, he turned and left immediately.
The remaining Sand shinobi, momentarily stunned, exchanged glances.Then, without hesitation, they followed suit and fled the battlefield.
"Stop them!"
Might Guy sprang into action, prepared to chase them down.
However, before he could move, Kakashi blocked his path.
Everyone turned to look at Kakashi, confused.
Kakashi's voice was firm."We need to head to the Hokage's location. Orochimaru is a far bigger threat than these Sand shinobi. And… this situation might not be as simple as it seems."