"Boss, are you seriously telling us to work for you?"
In the backyard of the wooden house, Sasori stared at Ryo in disbelief.
The others also looked at him, equally stunned.
Ryo nodded. "You heard me right. You'll be working for me."
Otherwise, what was the point of keeping them around? They had come here intending to attack him—if they weren't useful, he would have killed them already.
"You've got to be kidding me! I'm an S-rank rogue ninja, and you expect me to work in a shop? No way!"
Hearing Ryo confirm it again, Deidara immediately protested.
Ryo's gaze turned cold. "Fine. If you refuse, you die. Your choice."
If not for his future plans, he wouldn't have bothered keeping them alive.
And now, they dared to refuse? Did they not understand their situation?
"Uh—"
Deidara froze, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation. He quickly shut his mouth.
After all, given the choice, no one actually wanted to die—not even them.
"Hmph—"
Ryo snorted, sweeping his gaze across the group. "I'm not negotiating with you. You can refuse, but I'll just kill you."
"But if you accept, then shut up and do as you're told."
Hearing this, the Akatsuki members nodded silently, saying nothing more.
At that moment, Itachi, who had spoken little, suddenly asked, "Boss, aren't you afraid our organization will take revenge on you?"
The others also turned to look at Ryo, awaiting his answer.
Ryo chuckled. "Why would I be afraid?"
They frowned and glanced at Dragonite, sighing inwardly.
True, with Dragonite's strength, there really wasn't much to fear in this era.
"Besides, I know more about Akatsuki than you do. Do you really think your leader would come to rescue you?"
Silence.
None of them said a word.
Ryo shook his head slightly. He truly had no reason to fear Akatsuki.
Unless Nagato personally left his fragile body and engaged in a battle with Dragonite, there was no real threat.
But that was impossible. Even these members here didn't know about Nagato's true form—all they knew was the puppet named Pain.
Under these circumstances, why would Nagato ever step out himself?
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. For now, you'll be responsible for watching over the back mountain, ensuring no one disturbs or harms the Pokémon there."
It wasn't time to expand the shop yet, so this would be their job for now.
It would also give Dragonite and Gardevoir a bit of a break.
Although constantly monitoring the back mountain wasn't difficult for them, it was still a distraction.
"The Pokémon in the back mountain… and how many?"
Sasori asked, his expression puzzled and surprised.
He even wondered if he had misheard.
If just one or two Pokémon were this powerful, how could there be more of them in the back mountain?
Hearing Sasori's question, the others also turned to Ryo with curiosity.
Ryo rolled his eyes. "You're overthinking it. There are a lot of Pokémon in the back mountain, but they're not strong—most are at about a Genin's level. But with proper training, they could reach Dragonite's level."
He didn't even know what to say at this point.
They had come here without knowing any of this?
Was it overconfidence, or just carelessness?
"Ryo, are you guys done yet? The exam is really about to start!"
Just then, Cynthia's voice rang out, urging them again.
Ryo decided to wrap things up.
"Alright, you guys just watch the shop. If anyone comes, tell them I'm not here."
Hearing this, the Akatsuki members' eyes lit up slightly.
But before they could think of anything, Ryo added, "Of course, I've already marked your chakra. If you want to try escaping, go ahead—but if I catch you, you won't want to know what happens next."
After that, he glanced at them once more before turning to leave.
He wasn't worried about them running at all.
With teleportation skills in his arsenal, they had no chance of escaping.
The Akatsuki members watched Ryo leave, one by one sighing heavily.
"Damn it, we never should have taken this mission…"
Deidara muttered in frustration, feeling full of regret.
But then his expression changed. Looking at the others cautiously, he whispered, "Should we just run? I don't believe he can actually catch all of us if we split up."
"Idiot."
Itachi coldly dismissed the idea before sitting down and meditating.
"What did you just say?!"
Deidara glared at him, already irritated by his presence.
"Keep it down."
Sasori glanced at Deidara. "We can't escape. That boss has space-time jutsu. If a Kage-level shinobi with that ability is after you, where do you think you can run?"
"…Ugh—"
Deidara sighed heavily and slumped to the ground in frustration.
Meanwhile, Kisame shook his head slightly and started observing his surroundings.
In the distance, atop a tree, Obito emerged from a swirling vortex.
His eyes still held a trace of fear.
Then, his expression darkened, and he muttered angrily,
"Damn that Danzo… He knew there was a Super-Kage-level figure here and kept it a secret!"
Obito clenched his fist tightly as he glanced down at the Akatsuki members below.
His frustration was evident. He felt like sinking his teeth into Danzo for keeping such crucial information hidden.
With a swirl of space-time distortion, he disappeared.
Chūnin Exam Venue.
On the battlefield below, two ninjas were engaged in a fierce battle.
The surrounding audience was brimming with excitement, some waving their arms, others shouting in support.
The atmosphere was electric.
At that moment, at the last row of the spectator stands, Ryo and Cynthia appeared out of nowhere.
"Boss Ryo, Miss Cynthia, you're here too?"
"Good morning, Boss Ryo, Miss Cynthia."
"…."
Seeing their arrival, many in the crowd enthusiastically greeted them.
Ryo and Cynthia nodded and smiled in response before finding an empty spot to sit down.
"Ryo, look, it's already started."
Cynthia pointed at the battle below and shot him a slightly annoyed look.
"Alright, my bad."
Ryo sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
Cynthia didn't press the issue further and turned her attention back to the match.
Soon, the battle ended, and the referee jumped in to announce the winner.
Cynthia, watching from above, suddenly frowned in confusion.
"Wait, why did they change the referee? What happened to the old one—the guy who couldn't say two sentences without coughing?"
Smack!
Ryo slapped his thigh in frustration, his brows furrowing.
"Damn it! I missed my chance!"
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