Chapter 176 : The Rumored Man
After Riku arrived Sunagakure, the village’s senior leadership convened to discuss one pressing matter:
Riku’s strength.
His reputation in the ninja world had grown significantly—reminiscent of Minato Namikaze’s rise back in the day.
In particular, his ability to suppress the Three Tails single-handedly was enough to prove just how formidable he was.
The fact that Konoha had sent someone like Riku to lead a team into Sunagakure made the higher-ups feel uneasy.
However, Gaara did not participate in the meeting.
At this time, Gaara had not yet become the Fifth Kazekage.
In fact, Sunagakure had yet to appoint a new Kazekage at all—there simply wasn’t anyone suitable.
The strongest shinobi in the village was currently Baki, but he was only an elite Jōnin. He lacked both the strength and the influence needed to become Kazekage.
For now, the village was effectively being run by a council of elders.
Inside the high-level meeting room, several veteran shinobi stood up in frustration.
"What is Konoha playing at?" one of them asked sharply. "Sending someone like Riku—don’t they realize what a threat he poses to Sunagakure?"
He had suppressed the Three Tails on his own and mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique to the level of a Kage. Yet Tsunade had still appointed him as a team captain—clearly, they believed this was no ordinary mission.
To the council, sending someone like Riku to their village felt like letting a Tailed Beast walk through the front gates.
It placed immense pressure on Sunagakure’s security.
Still, due to their previous attack on Konoha, the village had no choice but to yield. After surrendering to Konoha, they were in no position to object when Tsunade assigned Riku as the team leader for the Chūnin Exams.
The elders grumbled, but deep down, they understood—they had no leverage. The best they could do now was tighten internal security.
Even so, it stung. Despite this being the weakest moment in Konoha’s history, they still far outmatched Sunagakure. And that was largely because of Riku.
The pressure his presence exerted was crushing.
Temari, Kankuro, and Baki were also present at the meeting.
Both Temari and Kankuro currently held positions higher than Gaara’s.
While Gaara logically should’ve been included among Sunagakure’s high command, the villagers were still reluctant to trust him. The fear and trauma he had once instilled in the village hadn’t faded completely.
As the grumbling continued, Kankuro frowned and finally cut in.
"Riku is a special Jōnin of Konoha and also serves as the Hokage’s personal guard. There’s nothing wrong with him leading a team for the Chūnin Exams."
"We should be focusing on how to organize the exam. Villages like Amegakure and Takigakure are also participating—we need to ensure this event reassures the other nations."
Right now, Sunagakure was weak—any vulnerability could be exploited.
To Kankuro, this issue was far more important than worrying about whether Riku posed a threat. From what he knew of Tsunade, she wasn’t the kind of leader to instigate war lightly.
If she trusted Riku to enter Sunagakure, then that alone should be enough.
The room fell silent.
One of the older ninjas, though, still couldn’t help but mutter, "But if that boy really wanted to—"
Temari rose to her feet before he could finish.
"He won’t," she said firmly. "Riku isn’t that kind of person. Unless he wants to start a war with Sunagakure, he won’t lift a finger against us—and the Fifth Hokage would never allow that."
"He’s strong, yes—but he isn’t aggressive."
"And honestly, if Tsunade allowed this, then it’s just a normal assignment. With Riku’s rank and status, it’s entirely appropriate."
The veteran shinobi were simply being cautious. Their village was vulnerable, and that made them paranoid.
Temari then asked, "Let’s say, hypothetically, he did want to do something. Who in this village could actually stop him?"
"Would it be you, Lord Baki?"
Baki fell silent.
He thought back to the Konoha invasion, when he’d personally witnessed Riku summon his contract beast.
That creature alone had been terrifying in its strength.
If Riku truly wanted to harm Sunagakure, he wouldn’t have needed to come in through the front door.
Even Orochimaru had to act with caution because the Third Hokage could still suppress him.
But in Sunagakure—who could suppress Riku?
Certainly not Gaara—not yet. Riku had suppressed the Three Tails. There was no one in the village who could rival that kind of strength.
At last, Baki stood up and said, "Enough. Temari and Kankuro are right. What matters most now is successfully hosting the Chūnin Exams."
After his words, the elders reluctantly quieted down, though unease lingered in their expressions.
Unaware of the high-level scrutiny surrounding him, Riku remained the subject of intense speculation in Sunagakure.
During his stay at the local inn, he encountered numerous "coincidental" meetings.
Many shinobi in the village were eager to catch a glimpse of him—to see for themselves what kind of man could suppress a Tailed Beast on his own.
The upcoming Chūnin Exams included participants from several smaller villages: Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure, among others.
To them, Riku had already become something of a living legend.
Even most Kage would struggle to subdue a Tailed Beast alone.
Third Raikage had once become a legend by battling the Eight Tails to a standstill.
And yet, Riku—only fourteen years old—had already done something similar.
Even more incredible was the fact that the story hadn’t come from Konoha. It had been spread by the shinobi of Kumogakure.
Since then, Riku had completed three S-rank missions. In each, he’d encountered and defeated several rogue Jōnin-class shinobi.
None had escaped.
They were either dead... or captured.
His name had only continued to grow.
Naturally, that attracted many curious ninja from smaller villages—eager to meet him, hoping to understand what kind of man he really was.
They imagined someone like the Third Raikage—towering, burly, a walking fortress.
But when they actually laid eyes on Riku... they were stunned.
He looked completely ordinary.
Standing at 1.78 meters tall, he was admittedly quite tall for his age. But his physique was lean—well-proportioned, but not overly muscular.
There were no bulging biceps, no intimidating glare.
In fact, he was... good-looking.
Clean features. Calm expression.
Nothing about him screamed "monster."
He didn’t look like someone who had fought a Tailed Beast and won.
The contrast between appearance and legend was so extreme that many found it hard to believe.
Could this really be the boy who subdued the Three Tails...?
It just didn’t add up.
He didn’t look like a monster.
He looked human.
Too human.
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