Chapter 187 : Ten Times Strength Growth
Tsunade walked over, sat down, and said with a calm smile, "Those two old geezers are still as nosy as ever."
Hearing Tsunade speak so disrespectfully about the two Hokage advisors, Shizune was immediately alarmed. Even the Third Hokage had treated those two with some measure of respect.
But ever since Tsunade had accepted the position of Fifth Hokage, she had shown little regard for them.
Truthfully, Tsunade downright hated those two.
Riku walked to his usual place. On either side of Tsunade were two seats—one for Shizune, the other for him.
Reading had always been part of Riku’s daily routine.
In the past, he spent time with the Hokage’s archives, or immersed himself in the Senju clan’s private collection. Later, he shifted to various records, scrolls, and anecdotes about the shinobi world. Riku soaked it all in.
Needless to say, he found it all fascinating—and even after so many years, he hadn’t grown tired of it.
Just then, the door to the Hokage’s office opened.
Tsunade and Shizune looked up at the same time.
Seeing who it was, Tsunade froze for a brief moment before her expression shifted to surprise and delight. "Jiraiya! You’re back?"
Jiraiya smiled as he stepped in. "Tsunade, it’s been three years. Thought it was about time."
Riku stood up and walked over. "Master Jiraiya, it’s been three years, but you really haven’t changed at all."
Jiraiya grinned, stepped forward, and gave Riku a firm pat on the shoulder. "You rascal, I’ve heard no shortage of rumors about you while I was out. The entire shinobi world’s been shaken."
It wasn’t unheard of for someone to suppress a Tailed Beast—but those who could usually held the title of Kage or were among the elite forces of the Five Great Nations.
But someone like Riku, who had subdued the Three-Tails single-handedly, was clearly in a league of his own.
Still, Jiraiya wasn’t exactly surprised. He’d always known that Riku’s strength was abnormal.
He’d even mastered Sage Mode. Naturally, suppressing a Tailed Beast wouldn’t be out of the question.
Even if Jiraiya himself wasn’t sure he could do such a thing, he knew others existed in the shinobi world who could—especially those affiliated with the Akatsuki.
What truly caught Jiraiya’s attention now, however, was how much Riku’s presence had changed. After three years, his aura had grown far deeper—so much so that Jiraiya couldn’t even sense his chakra anymore.
That could only mean one thing: Riku’s strength had surpassed his own.
Riku didn’t seem to care about that and smiled modestly. "Those are just exaggerated rumors. But... did you manage to uncover any new intel these past three years, Master Jiraiya?"
As Riku conversed casually with Jiraiya, Tsunade stood beside him in silence, watching.
Jiraiya couldn’t help noticing the dynamic between them. Something felt... odd.
It was like watching a couple.
Yes, that’s exactly how it looked—Riku and Tsunade standing close, Tsunade smiling softly without saying a word, her attention fixed solely on Riku.
Jiraiya quickly shook the thought from his mind. No, that’s ridiculous.
Tsunade’s far too old for him... that’s absurd.
Forcing himself not to dwell on it, Jiraiya turned to Tsunade. "I’ve trained Naruto well over these past three years. I heard you took Sakura on as your apprentice?"
At that moment, Sakura—standing beside Naruto—was watching Riku closely. As he stood there talking and joking with Jiraiya, it reminded her of Sasuke.
She couldn’t help but think, If only Sasuke were here...
Naruto, meanwhile, was curious whether he had managed to close the gap between himself and Riku over the past three years.
Of course, he’d asked Jiraiya, but the answer had been vague.
"Why don’t you try and find out for yourself?" Jiraiya had said.
But even Jiraiya knew what the result would be. Even three years ago, he hadn’t been confident he could defeat Riku—and Naruto, who still hadn’t caught up to Sasuke, stood no chance now.
Over the past three years, Jiraiya hadn’t spent much time actually training Naruto. He’d mainly kept the boy close for protection while focusing on gathering intelligence on the Akatsuki.
Tsunade nodded. "Yes, Sakura is officially my student now."
Then she added, "And since you mentioned it, I’d like to see exactly what you’ve taught Naruto over the past three years."
Naruto’s eyes lit up as he clenched his fists. "Alright, Granny Tsunade! How do you want to test me?"
Then he turned toward Riku with clear intent in his eyes.
But Tsunade only smiled coolly. "The person I’ve arranged to test you two isn’t here yet. And no—it’s not Riku. He’s already far beyond your level."
Jiraiya gave her a sidelong look.
"Has Riku really grown that much in the past three years?"
He couldn’t quite believe it. Jiraiya had assumed Riku would hit a plateau.
After all, Riku had started off so strong—it seemed inevitable that he’d eventually stagnate. It was the same with every genius. No matter how talented, they were still human.
Jiraiya had never seen anyone more gifted than Riku.
But even so, back then, Jiraiya hadn’t been confident he could beat him. That was despite knowing what techniques Riku had up his sleeve.
If he hadn’t known, he wouldn’t even have stood a chance.
And now... if Riku had truly gotten even stronger, then the gap between them would be terrifying.
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya and nodded calmly. "He’s more than ten times stronger now."
While Riku’s chakra had only tripled, his combat strength had more than tripled. Ten times was just her rough estimate.
Jiraiya was floored. "T-Ten times!?"
He couldn’t believe it. Tsunade had said it herself—clearly, she had seen the change with her own eyes.
This wasn’t just growth. It was monstrous.
Jiraiya stared at Riku in disbelief. "No wonder I couldn’t sense your chakra... So this is what you’ve become."
In truth, Tsunade was the only one who had a clear sense of Riku’s current strength.
Even she didn’t know the full extent of it.
Because in the past three years, Riku had never once made a scene.
Shizune and Sakura were the same—they only had vague impressions.
Shizune remembered Riku during the Sannin Showdown. Even then, he had been on par with any of the three legendary ninja.
Sakura’s image of him came from their mission in the Land of Waves.
And Naruto? His memories were the same as Shizune’s.
Jiraiya had once thought Riku was on his level. But if Riku was now ten times stronger...
That was terrifying.
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