Just as he was about to leave, Nagato's voice called out behind him.
"Boss, you should be careful. That Uchiha Madara isn't as simple as he seems. He might come looking for trouble."
Ryo paused for a moment, turned to glance at Nagato, and nodded. "Got it. I'll keep an eye out."
Then he turned to leave again, but his brows furrowed slightly.
Now that Nagato mentioned it, he realized it was highly likely. Obito and Black Zetsu weren't the type to give up on their plans. If they weren't letting go, then they were bound to take action against him.
He didn't know exactly how Obito might strike, but one thing was certain—it wouldn't be simple. Knowing how crafty that guy was, a straightforward approach was out of the question.
Still, even with that in mind, Ryo didn't take it too seriously. The idea of Obito coming for him didn't exactly frighten him.
Without saying more, Nagato and Konan headed toward the back mountain to bond with Pokémon, while Ryo reclined in a lounge chair to rest.
But just as he sat down, Dragonite—who had watched Nagato and Konan leave—floated over with a cheerful expression.
"Raaao~"
Ryo heard the familiar sound and shook his head with a chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I promised I'd take you out next time. I won't go back on it."
"Raaao!"
Satisfied with the answer, Dragonite spun around joyfully and returned to its training.
"Ryo, I'm heading to Konoha to meet Tsunade. I won't be back for lunch," Cynthia said as she approached.
Ryo nodded without much reaction. "Alright."
Time passed quickly, and by noon, under Gardevoir's gentle call, the group and their Pokémon gathered for lunch.
However, when he saw the four former Akatsuki members approaching, Ryo's eyelid twitched. "What's with you guys? You look like you've lost weight. Have you not been eating?"
Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame all sighed simultaneously and glanced at Itachi.
They wanted to cry. They had learned a painful truth—Sharingan couldn't copy everything.
At the very least, cooking skills were not something Itachi could replicate properly.
Ryo looked at their defeated expressions but didn't press for answers. Soon, everyone began enjoying their lunch.
"Uuuuugh~"
Deidara took one bite of Gardevoir's cooking and immediately teared up. "This is amazing… I can finally eat real food again!"
He devoured his meal like he hadn't eaten in days.
The other three didn't say anything, but their actions mirrored his. They dug in like starved wolves.
Ryo, Nagato, and Konan were all stunned by the sight.
What on earth had happened to them? These were top-tier shinobi, and they looked like they'd been through hell.
Nagato and Konan even started getting nervous.
Was life here really that hard? Why did it seem like Itachi and the others had been starving?
They hadn't even left Akatsuki that long ago, and yet they were already like this.
Still, after the initial shock, Nagato, Konan, and Ryo quickly joined the battle—because if they waited any longer, the food would be gone.
Burp—
After the meal, the four former Akatsuki leaned back in their chairs, burping in satisfaction. Their expressions were finally relaxed and content.
Ryo, Nagato, and Konan couldn't help but be speechless again.
Then, Nagato turned to Ryo. "Boss, I think I'll go and gather the rest of the Akatsuki members today."
Ryo nodded, though his gaze turned a bit cautious. "Sure, but be careful. It's possible that in the time you've been gone, Uchiha Madara has already tried to sway them."
Nagato nodded. "I understand. But don't worry—since I was the one who recruited them in the first place, I can bring them back again."
Ryo didn't argue further. After all, with Nagato's strength, Obito shouldn't be able to stop him.
Of course, Ryo didn't know that Obito had already broken through to a new level—otherwise, he wouldn't have been so confident.
After a short rest, Nagato and Konan set off again, ready to bring back the rest of Akatsuki.
Meanwhile, Itachi and the others returned to their duties.
Ryo stayed behind, reclining in his chair, muttering, "My training has really slowed down lately. I hardly feel any progress anymore."
Once someone reached Kage-level, improvements were harder to notice. In the past, even a single night of training brought obvious gains, but now, even a week felt stagnant.
"Looks like at this stage, I can't just rely on training anymore."
He didn't feel like he'd hit a bottleneck yet, nor did it seem like he'd reached his full potential.
But progress had undeniably slowed to a crawl.
"Guess I'll need to start getting into some real fights. If I keep letting the Pokémon handle everything, I'll keep falling behind."
Shaking his head, Ryo stood up and walked toward the small grove nearby.
Inside, he looked at the Pokémon moving through the trees and nodded in approval. "Good. Looks like you're all recovering nicely."
This small grove was a sanctuary he had created for Pokémon that had lost their trainers.
Those Pokémon had struggled to get along with others who hadn't experienced similar loss. They were isolated, distant.
So Ryo had set aside a space just for them to heal.
Some of the Pokémon he had recently recovered—those the system had asked him to take in—were here as well.
Unlike before, they no longer seemed so depressed. They were finally starting to return to normal.
They weren't quite as lively as other Pokémon, but the difference was barely noticeable now.
Compared to when they had first been brought in, the change was huge.
"But lately, I don't know why, there have been a lot more of them showing up…"
Before, it had taken a long time just to collect ten.
But now, after just a single week away, five more had already been added.
Ryo released the newly recovered Pokémon, sighing as he shook his head.
"Let's hope you can all recover soon."
He looked at one of the newest arrivals—its expression like the sky had fallen, eyes filled with pain and helplessness—and felt a deep pang in his heart.
Loyalty was a beautiful trait in Pokémon, but that same loyalty could cause them immense suffering.
Sighing again, Ryo turned and quietly walked away.
There wasn't anything else he could do for them right now. All he could do was give them space… and hope.
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