Before the branches were set up in the Five Great Ninja Villages, Ryo had been personally invested in these matters. But now…
"With those five villages included, we only have nine branches in total," Kakuzu reported.
"Only nine?" Ryo's brows furrowed. "Why so few?"
He clearly remembered stating that expansion needed to continue. Branches should've been established in the smaller villages as well.
Kakuzu gave a bitter smile. "Boss, it's not that we don't want to expand. We just don't have the manpower."
To him, more branches naturally meant more money. Who wouldn't want that? But they'd already stretched themselves thin. Originally, each new location was supposed to be staffed with two Akatsuki members. Now, even assigning one per store was difficult. There simply wasn't anyone left to spare.
"No one at all?" Ryo rubbed his temples, momentarily at a loss.
Just then, a few familiar voices called out to him.
"Boss Ryo!"
"Ryo, big bro!"
"Ryo!"
He looked up and smiled as he saw Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Naruto approaching. He nodded politely to Tsunade, then turned to the others. "Jiraiya, Naruto, you're back?"
"Yeah," Jiraiya replied with a nod.
Naruto rushed up, eyes wide with amazement. "Ryo, big bro, this place has changed so much since I was last here!"
Even Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "It's almost unrecognizable now, Ryo. The scale of it all..."
Ryo chuckled. "Nothing too fancy. But I'm guessing you're not here just to admire the renovation, are you?"
"Hahaha—"
Jiraiya gave a sheepish laugh. "You caught me. We're here to learn more about the Pokémon battle tournament... and the skill learning process."
"Yeah, yeah! Ryo, big bro, what's the tournament all about? And can Pokémon really learn new moves?" Naruto chimed in eagerly.
Ryo tilted his head. "Didn't Tsunade explain any of that to you?"
Tsunade waved dismissively. "I've barely had time to keep up. The Chūnin Exams have kept me busy."
Truthfully, she was just as curious as they were. This wasn't only for Naruto and Jiraiya—she wanted details too.
"Alright," Ryo nodded. "Let me break it down. The Pokémon battle tournament isn't that different from the third round of your Chūnin Exams—it's one-on-one matches. The difference is, instead of ninja, it's Pokémon battling."
"We know that already, Ryo. Tell us something new," Tsunade cut in impatiently.
Ryo rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just say you didn't know? I was just starting from the basics!"
Shaking his head, he continued, "Fine, let's move on. This time, the tournament will be divided into three brackets: the Beginner Group for levels 40–50, the Intermediate Group for levels 50–60, and the Advanced Group for levels 60–70."
"Each group will have its top three finalists. Those top three will receive prizes."
The group nodded with interest.
Naruto then asked curiously, "What about Pokémon under level 40?"
"Then they're out of luck," Ryo replied bluntly. "Originally, I didn't even plan to split by level, but the difference in strength was just too big, so I had to."
And honestly, what was the point of entering if your Pokémon hadn't even hit level 40? You wouldn't have all your moves unlocked, and you'd be totally outclassed.
Again, everyone nodded in understanding.
Then Tsunade asked, "What kind of rewards are we talking about?"
Ryo smiled. "That part's a surprise. But I can say this—they'll be valuable. Could be evolution items, could be items that enhance power, or even items that boost a Pokémon's level directly."
Truthfully, he hadn't finalized the prizes yet. At first, he had only planned for three. Back then, he'd worried not enough people would participate and was counting on those rewards to draw them in.
But reality outpaced expectations—the event had become a huge hit. Instead of just three prizes, he now had to prepare nine.
Satisfied with the explanation, the group moved on from the topic of the tournament.
"So, what about skill learning?" Jiraiya asked, much more intrigued by that than battling. As one of the Legendary Sannin, he didn't exactly have the time—or desire—to enter a tournament.
Ryo nodded and began to explain the process for learning new moves.
As they listened, both Jiraiya and Naruto looked increasingly stunned.
"Wait, you're saying... even really powerful moves can be learned directly?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.
Ryo nodded. "Yes. As long as the Pokémon is capable of learning it."
Jiraiya was momentarily speechless. He had assumed only low-tier, weak moves were available. But the idea that even high-damage, top-tier moves could be taught—this was game-changing.
It was hard not to be shocked.
Pokémon were already ridiculously strong. Now they could be taught moves on top of that?
"But," Ryo added, "don't get too excited. Just because they can learn a move doesn't mean they can master it. Every Pokémon has its own talent. Even if it learns a move, that doesn't guarantee it can use it well. And stacking too many moves isn't a good idea. Without enough practice, even the most powerful skill is useless."
"Ahh, just like us ninjas," Jiraiya said thoughtfully. "We can learn any jutsu, but whether we can actually use it effectively depends on ourselves."
"Exactly," Ryo nodded. "And just like your jutsu, the stronger the move, the harder it is to master. And remember—skills taught artificially are harder to grasp than those learned naturally."
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