Chapter 156 : The Background Of The Senju Clan
After talking with Tsunade, Riku smiled and said, "Alright, I should head back too."
Just as he stood up, Tsunade reached out and grabbed his hand, smiling. "Why not stay here tonight?"
Riku glanced up at the night sky.
Tsunade followed up, "You’ve got the Flying Thunder God Technique. What are you so worried about?"
Riku thought it over. She had a point.
So, he stayed the night with Tsunade.
The next morning, Riku quietly teleported back to his own room using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was important that no one found out. Things were still sensitive—Tsunade was pushing for his promotion to Jōnin and planning to assign him as her personal Hokage guard.
But in truth, nothing had happened the previous night. Riku was adamant about drawing the line until he turned sixteen. He wouldn’t cross it, no matter what.
That was his personal bottom line.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—nor was Tsunade stopping him. It was just that Riku wasn’t sure if he was ready to bear the consequences. His relationship with Tsunade wasn’t just some casual affair. That uncertainty still lingered in his mind.
Tsunade clearly wanted to go further with him. And she could see his hesitation. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have bothered. It was always others who chased after her, never the other way around.
And maybe that’s why she treated Riku so well.
For the next five days, it was as if Riku had vanished from the village.
Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino searched for him. Even Anko and Yugao tried, but none of them could find him.
During that time, Riku spent his days deep in the Senju clan’s secret chamber, poring over ancient scrolls and documents. To him, the knowledge hidden there was more valuable than anything.
Now that his strength had reached a certain level, Riku’s studies were no longer driven by necessity—but by sheer passion.
Like a gamer pulling all-nighters, Riku found joy in absorbing ninjutsu—especially obscure or forbidden ones—alongside sealing techniques, genjutsu, and even medical ninjutsu.
At night, he would rest in Tsunade’s quarters.
Sometimes they’d chat in the evening, but most of the time, Riku would dive straight back into the scrolls. The Senju clan’s archives were a treasure trove—he’d discovered a mountain of gold, and he was determined to read every last piece of it.
It wasn’t just ninjutsu. There were secrets of the shinobi world, details of historic battles, and intel that had never seen the light of day.
This was the true legacy of a great clan.
Before, Riku had tried to acquire scrolls and knowledge through missions and side routes—he once got his hands on a scroll detailing a bloodline fusion technique during a mission with Yamato and Yugao. It wasn’t a perfect method, but thanks to his exceptional talent, Riku had refined it through trial and error.
That process took him several years to successfully integrate Wood Style.
But in the Senju archives, there were detailed, elegant methods for such bloodline integrations—far superior to anything he’d found before. If he’d had these techniques from the start, he could’ve mastered Wood Style within a single year.
Of course, his unique physique and learning speed played a huge role in that potential.
The Senju method was intricate, but the fact remained—aside from Hashirama Senju himself, no other member of the clan had ever mastered Wood Style. That alone showed how rare and difficult it truly was.
Even his meals were brought to him by Tsunade herself.
Every time she found him hunched over scrolls, absorbed in study, her heart would ache a little.
She wasn’t sure why—but seeing him so serious and sleep-deprived made her feel protective. He hadn’t gone to bed early in days.
Thankfully, Riku had incredible stamina. Anyone else would have collapsed by now.
On the fifth day, Tsunade’s Hokage inauguration ceremony arrived.
At first, Tsunade didn’t plan to disturb Riku. After all, he was still technically a Genin. Whether he attended or not didn’t really matter.
But just as she and Shizune were about to head to the Hokage building, Riku appeared at the gates of the Senju estate.
Tsunade and Shizune were both stunned.
Tsunade blinked, then composed herself and walked over. "You didn’t need to come," she said calmly.
Riku chuckled. "Today’s the day you officially become the Fifth Hokage. Of course I have to be there."
"I’ll take you to the Hokage building myself."
Tsunade paused. "Huh?"
Before she could ask further, Riku activated his chakra. In the next instant, the three of them vanished.
The sudden arrival in the Hokage chamber left everyone stunned.
Jonin and special Jonin were already gathered—Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Anko, Jiraiya, the two elder advisors... and many more.
"This... this is space-time ninjutsu, right? Since when does Lady Tsunade use space-time techniques?" someone whispered.
Kakashi stepped forward with a faint smile. "So this is where you’ve been. I thought you’d gone missing."
Riku gave a casual reply. "I’ve been training. I just started learning medical ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade, so I’ve been working hard."
Kakashi nodded. "That’ll be a valuable skill for you in the future."
Tsunade’s demeanor shifted completely as soon as they appeared in the Hokage chamber. Gone was the warmth she showed in private.
She turned serious. "Is everything ready?"
A Jonin stepped forward and responded, "Yes, Lady Tsunade. Preparations are complete."
Without sparing Riku another glance, Tsunade strode to the front of the room, radiating confidence and authority.
"Then let’s begin."
This was the Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin—powerful, decisive, commanding.
If she had so much as looked at Riku now, she might’ve lost that edge.
Despite being only a Genin, Riku’s status was already under quiet review.
Tsunade had spoken with the two village advisors and the higher-ups about promoting him to Jōnin and assigning him as her personal Hokage guard.
And unsurprisingly, they had agreed.
Now that Tsunade had assumed the mantle of Hokage, she had the authority to promote any shinobi she deemed worthy. She could appoint guards, delegate responsibilities, and raise ranks as she saw fit.
Besides, both advisors were fully aware of Riku’s mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique and his elite-level strength. From a combat standpoint, he already met the criteria for an elite Jonin.
His age was irrelevant—he wasn’t being elevated to a political office, just assigned a protective role.
In fact, even Hiruzen Sarutobi had discussed grooming Riku as a potential Sixth Hokage with the advisors.
With all that in mind, neither the advisors nor the village elders had any objections whatsoever.
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