Chapter 121 : The Old Man Said, Let You Be The Sixth Hokage
Riku hadn’t expected the Rasengan to come so easily to him. If he’d known this earlier, he would’ve practiced it on his own long ago.
Jiraiya looked at Riku with admiration in his eyes. "Back in the day, I thought Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage, and Kakashi were the most talented shinobi I’d ever seen... but now, I think even their talent doesn’t compare to yours. You might surpass all three of them one day."
"No wonder the old man wanted you to be the Sixth Hokage. Honestly, if it weren’t for your age, I’d say you could’ve even been the Fifth Hokage."
Riku remained calm. "Being Hokage isn’t my dream. But I do think Naruto might become Hokage one day. I’ve always believed he has what it takes."
If you looked at the previous Hokage, the Second, Third, Fifth, and Sixth had all done well. Their political skills and leadership were solid. The First, Fourth, and Naruto were of a different kind—more powerful in combat, symbols of strength. The Fourth was probably better than the others, but his time as Hokage lasted only a year, so it was hard to say how he would’ve handled the long-term responsibilities.
Truthfully, the most simplistic Hokage were the First and Naruto.
But they didn’t need to excel politically. Their sheer power alone intimidated the rest of the ninja world. When they sat in the Hokage’s seat, the other villages dared not make any reckless moves.
And Naruto didn’t even know that he would become Hokage in the future—or how powerful he would eventually become.
Looking at Riku, Naruto’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? Riku, you really think I’ll become Hokage someday?"
Riku looked at him seriously. "I believe it. Because you’re different from everyone else. You genuinely care about others. That—more than anything—is what it truly means to be Hokage."
Jiraiya didn’t entirely agree. Though he admired Naruto, most of that admiration came from the boy’s personality and heritage. As for becoming Hokage... Jiraiya had never believed Naruto was suited for the role. In fact, he thought Naruto’s personality made him unsuitable.
But looking at Riku’s expression, hearing those sincere words—"Naruto will be considerate of others"—something in Jiraiya stirred. That was the most important quality of a Hokage. Even he had to admit it.
Naruto beamed. Riku, someone even Jiraiya respected, someone the Third Hokage had once thought suitable to be the next Hokage... he actually believed in Naruto.
That recognition stunned Naruto, but it also filled him with happiness.
To Naruto, Riku wasn’t like everyone else. His approval mattered—a lot.
Jiraiya frowned slightly as he looked at Riku. "Still... I think you’re a perfect fit to be Hokage. With your abilities, all it would take is your will."
Jiraiya couldn’t help but think that Riku, like Naruto, should set his sights on becoming Hokage. With his strength and talent, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.
But before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Riku smiled and interrupted, "Master Jiraiya, I really don’t want to be Hokage. Honestly, I’m kind of like you. If you wanted to be Hokage, we wouldn’t even be out here looking for Lady Tsunade, right?"
He grinned. "You like to collect... certain types of literature. I like reading, training, taking the occasional mission—that’s good enough for me."
As Riku spoke, a vein popped on Jiraiya’s forehead. "What do you mean, my hobby is collecting ’obscene material’? Riku, I have to correct you—"
But he didn’t get the chance. This time, Naruto cut him off.
"That’s right! Isn’t Pervy Sage’s hobby just collecting pervy books? You don’t know, during the Chūnin Exams—"
Before Naruto could finish, Jiraiya slapped a hand over his mouth. "Idiot! Don’t talk nonsense!"
Not that it mattered—Riku already understood Jiraiya’s personality and hobbies. If not for his immense strength and towering reputation, the man would honestly just be an old pervert.
Riku chuckled. "Anyway, I really have no interest in becoming Hokage. I think the position should go to someone who actually wants it."
Jiraiya replied, "It’s not that simple. Only capable people can take on that role."
Riku smiled. "Ability can be learned. It’s not something you’re born with."
Jiraiya looked at him and laughed. "Do you think everyone’s like you? That you can just pick things up by glancing at them?"
Riku didn’t want to keep arguing. After all, he already knew the future. After Tsunade, Kakashi would become Hokage, and after him—Naruto.
As for who came after Naruto... Riku didn’t care. It didn’t concern him.
Jiraiya had crafted a training method suited to Naruto’s learning style.
Ever since then, Naruto practiced Rasengan every chance he got.
He no longer aimed to compete with Riku. After seeing Riku’s monstrous talent firsthand, Naruto realized comparing himself to him was just setting himself up for failure.
Now, Naruto’s motivation for learning Rasengan—besides growing stronger—was this vague idea that maybe, once he mastered it.
Of course, that was just Naruto’s imagination.
But from that day forward, Naruto poured all his effort into Rasengan training.
Riku, meanwhile, meditated daily in the hotel and would occasionally wander into town for some entertainment.
He used to train relentlessly to become stronger—that was simple.
Now that his strength had reached a certain level, training had become more of a hobby. He enjoyed practicing, studying ninjutsu, and exploring strange or obscure techniques. It was fun.
The shinobi world was full of things Riku hadn’t seen yet. It fascinated him.
He’d either spend his time reading or disappearing into solitude for deep training.
From time to time, even Shinya—the massive Ryūchi Cave serpent—would urge him to summon it so they could travel back to Ryūchi Cave and consult with the Three Great Snake Princesses or even the White Snake Sage to discuss matters of chakra cultivation.
That peaceful routine went on for over a month.
Jiraiya continued gathering intel outside, and Naruto had mostly grasped the Rasengan by then.
But he still couldn’t use it reliably in battle.
Jiraiya often asked Riku to accompany him on his intelligence missions, but Riku knew exactly what those "missions" involved—Jiraiya rarely strayed far from brothels or red-light districts.
Riku didn’t mind women, but he had no interest in that kind of place.
Despite being only thirteen, he was already 1.75 meters tall and looked much more mature than his age—practically like an adult.
Even so, he had no desire to follow Jiraiya into those dens of distraction.
Not that Jiraiya seemed to care. He waltzed into those places like they were ordinary restaurants—sometimes even doing more than just information gathering.
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