"Boo—"
Just then, Espeon, who had been nestled quietly in Renji Takahashi's arms, looked up at him with disbelief in its eyes. Having only just been born today, it hadn't yet known the depths of Renji's mental power. But what it had just witnessed shook it—it could feel it clearly. As a Psychic-type Pokémon, Espeon was particularly sensitive to these things. The overwhelming strength in Renji's mental force had surpassed its own, and that fact filled it with shock and awe.
Dragonite, standing next to Renji, heard Espeon's small cry and instantly turned its head, eyes narrowing sharply. It glared at Espeon with a fierce expression and growled threateningly.
"Draa-gooon!"
Espeon flinched, suddenly reminded of where it was—right in its trainer's arms. It had been so focused on watching the fight that it forgot its place. Espeon turned to look up at Renji with a slightly embarrassed expression, unsure of how to explain itself. What could it even do? It had only been born today. The opponents they faced were beyond its ability to handle, even if it wanted to help.
Renji noticed the atmosphere and gently raised a hand. "Okay, okay. Dragonite, don't blame Espeon. I just wanted to test my strength today."
He had been curious for a long time. Ever since gaining access to his mental power, he had yet to truly push it in battle. Today, with Root ninjas suddenly appearing at his door, he finally got the chance. And the results spoke for themselves.
"Not bad at all," he murmured to himself, his voice calm but clearly pleased.
As he reflected, Renji analyzed the battle more deeply. Though he had been able to suppress even the elite jonin, the toll on his stamina had been significant. His control was far from perfect. That particular attack—crushing a Root ninja mid-air using pure psychic force—had drained him far more than expected. There was still much to refine.
"I need more practice. Better precision, less waste," he thought. "Eventually, I should craft proper weapons too. Flying swords, flying knives. That would change everything."
If he had used actual forged weapons instead of loose stones earlier, that head-on clash with the enemy's fire dragon technique might have ended differently. There was potential here. Real, dangerous potential.
With a small sigh, he turned away from the crater in the earth and glanced back at Dragonite. "Dragonite, go teach them a lesson. As long as they don't die, you can throw them out when you're done."
He had a fairly good idea of what Danzo was after. The moment Konoha's underground knew about the presence of Pokémon, someone like Danzo would definitely make a move. Power like that was too tempting.
But even so, Renji knew better than to kill these ninja outright. Each jonin, especially an elite one, was a key asset to Konoha. If he crossed that line, it could escalate into a real fallout—not only with Danzo, but potentially with Hiruzen himself. And with his Pokémon Entrustment System still locked due to the Shelter Requirement, he couldn't afford to burn all bridges just yet. His foothold in Konoha was fragile.
Still, letting them go without punishment wasn't an option either. That would make him look weak. He had to send a message.
Dragonite growled in response, nodding fiercely. Its wings twitched with suppressed rage. These were the ones who dared attack its trainer. If not for Renji's command, they wouldn't even be breathing by now.
"Draa-goon!"
"Boo-boo!"
Espeon chimed in again, stepping forward.
Renji blinked in surprise. "Espeon, you too? You want to teach them a lesson?"
"Boo-boo!" Espeon barked, its eyes gleaming with determination. It nodded sharply and glanced at the defeated Root ninjas with unexpected fierceness.
Renji smiled. "Alright then. Go ahead. Just don't overdo it. Come back after you're done."
"Draa-goon!"
"Boo-boo!"
The two Pokémon responded in unison, as if to say, "Got it!"
Renji gave a small chuckle and turned back toward the house. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the fatigue from using so much mental power in a short span was starting to weigh on him. That's why he'd passed the job of finishing things off to Dragonite and Espeon.
As he reached the wooden house and walked around to the backyard, he glanced at the cold meal on the table and sighed.
"Damn it. Why'd they have to come during dinner of all times?" he muttered.
He greeted the other Pokémon briefly and began reheating the food, an annoyed look still plastered across his face.
Meanwhile, deep in the nearby forest, Dragonite and Espeon had dragged the unconscious Root ninjas and lined them up beneath the trees. One by one, Dragonite raised its powerful tail and slapped them across the face, forcing several of them to stir awake.
Groggily, the ninjas opened their eyes—only to find Dragonite and Espeon looming over them, eyes glowing with ferocity.
"Draa-gooon…"
"Boo… boo…"
The ninjas paled instantly. Their broken bodies were barely functional. Their chakra was sealed, their strength was spent—and now, the two monsters were staring at them like they were chew toys.
"What? What are you doing?"
"Wait! No! Stop!"
"I surrender! I was wrong!"
Their panicked cries echoed through the trees, but it was far too late. Dragonite and Espeon advanced on them slowly, deliberately. The beatdown resumed, and their screams filled the forest for half an hour.
By the time Dragonite and Espeon walked out again, the two Pokémon were humming happily, tails swaying in rhythm. Behind them, the eight Root operatives lay broken beneath the trees. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition, their eyes filled with despair. Even the harshest Root training had not prepared them for this.
Eventually, silence returned to the forest. But not for long.
Just minutes after Dragonite and Espeon disappeared, several masked figures stepped out from the shadows and surveyed the scene.
One of them crouched down and examined the battered bodies. With a deep frown, he turned to the others. "Take them back for treatment."
With that, the rest of the team moved in to recover the fallen, and the forest was quiet once again.
Back in Konoha, at the Root Base, Danzo's brows were furrowed in irritation.
"No word yet?" he asked coldly.
A ninja knelt in front of him and shook his head. "Danzo-sama, nothing."
Danzo's fingers tapped against the desk, face shadowed. It had already been an hour. There should've been a report by now.
"Bang—!"
The heavy doors burst open. Sarutobi Hiruzen stormed in, his expression thunderous, his anger palpable.
"DANZO!"
Danzo's gaze narrowed, but he remained seated, calm as ever.
Hiruzen looked ready to erupt. "Who gave you permission to move against him?!"
Danzo sighed. "Hiruzen, I did it for Konoha."
"You know damn well Renji Takahashi is not to be touched!"
Danzo's eyes sharpened. "Even if you shield him today, I won't stop. You know what he has. What he could become."
Hiruzen slammed his fist on the desk. "I am the Hokage!"
Danzo clenched his fists. "And you're going to ignore Kakashi's warning? Allow this boy and his Pokémon to develop unchecked? We can't wait, Hiruzen—we can't afford to wait!"