Chapter 141 : Akatsuki’s Purpose
Tsunade’s face darkened. "Didn’t you hear what I said?"
Riku sighed, setting his book down. "I did, but I don’t think it’s right for you to treat me like your disciple."
"I won’t inherit the will of your brother or your lover. Naruto can do that—but not me."
"I never wanted to be Hokage. Never have. So I guess you’ll be disappointed."
The reason Tsunade had just shared those stories was clear—she wanted to guide Riku toward the path of becoming Hokage.
But Riku had no such desire.
Tsunade waved her hand. "I knew you’d say that. Fine, forget it. I won’t force you."
Riku understood the moment his strength was exposed—and with the fact he was Kakashi’s student—that he’d caught the attention of both Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Even before that, when he revealed power on the level of a Jōnin, the Third Hokage had already taken notice.
Being watched by Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn’t surprising. There weren’t many truly powerful and talented ninja around anymore.
To the Third Hokage, Riku represented hope—a promising candidate. It was only natural he’d want to keep a close eye on him.
But Jiraiya and Tsunade had a different agenda—they wanted Riku to become Hokage. Jiraiya believed that with Riku’s background, capabilities, and strength, if he didn’t become Hokage, no one else truly could.
Tsunade’s reasoning was more complicated.
Part of it was the same as Jiraiya’s—she wanted a successor.
But another part stemmed from her growing fondness for Riku.
And now, Riku was officially her student.
Yet Riku himself clearly had no interest in that future.
He smiled lightly. "Then I’ll keep reading."
But before he could turn the page, Tsunade grinned. "Reading, huh? You can do that later. Come have a drink with me."
Riku didn’t drink, but Tsunade always dragged him along anyway.
He didn’t even get a chance to protest before she’d pulled him out the door.
Soon, they arrived at the same izakaya as before.
Riku wasn’t surprised. He could already guess that, sooner or later, she’d start talking about the past again.
Sure enough, after a few drinks, Tsunade began reminiscing once more.
By the time the night had dragged on into the early hours of the morning, she was completely drunk—collapsed over the table.
Riku sighed. "Just like always, Doctor."
Still, he wasn’t annoyed. He had originally planned to grab something to eat, but now it was far too late.
Seeing Tsunade passed out, Riku gently lifted her onto his back and carried her back to the hotel, just as he had done before.
Watching her sleeping figure in the dim room, Riku could tell—after drinking, she had clearly been consumed by memories and pain.
Tsunade had suffered more than most. He wasn’t sure if her fate was cursed or simply tragic. Her brother died in battle, and the man she had loved for so long had died in front of her.
Staring at her silent form, Riku murmured, "There really is no one else like her in the ninja world."
But he only looked—he didn’t dare do anything more.
Even drunk, Tsunade was still Tsunade. If he tried anything, she would most likely make him regret it the moment she woke up.
Fighting her would be suicide.
Just like Jiraiya—he probably could beat her in a fight, but that didn’t stop her from nearly killing him once during an argument.
Just as Riku was about to turn around and leave, Tsunade suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
—
The next morning, Riku stood on his balcony, holding Tsunade’s necklace in his hand.
His expression was complicated. "That... was too close. Scary."
"Thank god I kept my head."
But what truly left him speechless was the necklace now in his possession.
"This necklace is cursed. Nawaki wore it and died soon after. Dan wore it and died too. I shouldn’t wear it."
"Even if I think I have a tough life, some things are better left untouched."
Just then, Jiraiya entered from the balcony’s sliding door and spotted the necklace in Riku’s hand. His eyes narrowed.
"Isn’t that Tsunade’s necklace?"
He knew exactly what that necklace meant to her.
Riku nodded.
Jiraiya sat beside him, clearly surprised. "Why do you have it?"
She had never let it out of her sight before.
"She gave it to me," Riku said. "Said it was to thank me for helping her get over her phobia."
That wasn’t the real reason, though.
Last night, when Riku was about to leave her room, Tsunade—no longer drunk—had given it to him.
He had refused many times. Not because he didn’t want it—hell, the thing was worth a fortune. You could probably buy several mountains with it.
And ninja still needed to eat. A priceless gem like that was certainly tempting.
But it felt too cursed. Everyone who wore it died—except for Tsunade herself. Even Naruto, after inheriting it, nearly lost his life multiple times.
Riku was genuinely afraid to accept it.
But under Tsunade’s piercing gaze, he eventually gave in.
Jiraiya seemed curious but didn’t press further.
Riku wrinkled his nose. "No wonder you’ve got no chance with her. You’ve been hanging around the red-light districts again, haven’t you?"
The smell clinging to Jiraiya’s clothes made it obvious.
Jiraiya just laughed. "I was gathering intel. Those places are filled with valuable information."
Riku rolled his eyes but didn’t argue—he knew Jiraiya’s intel sources weren’t all shady.
Still...
"Master Jiraiya, what exactly is this ’Akatsuki’ you keep mentioning?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "Still not sure. They’ve been lying low lately. But they’ve been collecting various jutsu... something tells me they’re plotting something."
Riku smirked. "Isn’t that obvious? And if all of them really are as strong as Elite Jōnin or higher... then yeah, they’re a serious threat."
"Plus, they’re a mercenary group. Someone must be paying them to carry out missions."
Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, they take jobs. Whoever hires them must have deep pockets."
Riku was genuinely curious about the Akatsuki. He was especially interested in the unique jutsu used by their members.
At this point, studying jutsu had become more of a hobby for him than anything else.
After chatting with Jiraiya for a few more minutes, Riku stood up and left the room again.
Later, Jiraiya and Riku found themselves laughing together—Jiraiya sharing shameless stories about the women from the red-light districts.
Riku was both speechless and embarrassed.
He wasn’t a kid anymore, but even so, hearing Jiraiya talk about those things so openly made him squirm.
It reminded him of the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen had always been a bit of a pervert, too. He even used the Telescope Jutsu for peeping. And he was frighteningly good at it.
Jiraiya, for all his talent, still hadn’t managed to win over Tsunade.
And every time he got close—someone else beat him to it.
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