On a mountain peak a thousand meters away from the battlefield where his clone had been fighting the ghost-like entity, Riku finally finished healing Anko and Kurenai. He handed them each a soldier pill to help restore their chakra and stamina.
The two kunoichi had lost a significant amount of blood and needed to recover their energy quickly.
When they regained consciousness, both looked at Riku with expressions of awkward embarrassment.
Thankfully, Riku had set up a concealment barrier. No one else had seen what transpired—only Riku.
Their injuries had been extensive, with wounds covering much of their bodies, making it incredibly difficult to treat them without removing their clothes. The process had been meticulous and invasive out of necessity.
Once they had sufficiently recovered, Riku dispelled the concealment barrier.
As the two women blushed, Riku turned his attention toward the battlefield in the distance, a thousand meters away. With his Rinnegan, he could see everything with perfect clarity.
Suddenly, a violent explosion erupted in the distance. A massive mushroom cloud rose hundreds of meters into the air, blanketing the sky with smoke and fire.
The shockwave from the blast spread outward like a tidal wave. Pulverized rocks and dust were swept up into the air, turning the surrounding area into a choking maelstrom of ash, flame, and debris. For hundreds of meters, the land was engulfed in darkness, the sun blotted out by smoke and flame.
Amidst the chaos, flickers of lightning still danced—remnants of the thunder-based jutsu Riku had unleashed.
But what truly shocked Kurenai and Anko was the monstrous figure standing amidst the devastation.
The towering figure, over seventy meters tall, left them stunned.
They temporarily forgot the awkwardness of their earlier situation, all thoughts redirected to the battlefield.
"W-What is that?!" Kurenai gasped. "How can something like that even exist?!"
She mistook the titanic being for a living creature.
In truth, it was not a living being at all, but a manifestation of pure chakra—Riku’s Thunder Titan, formed entirely through ninjutsu.
When Riku confirmed through his Rinnegan that the ghostly opponent had been destroyed, his eyes narrowed.
His distant clone immediately dispersed into smoke, and the Thunder Titan vanished just as suddenly—disintegrating into countless streaks of lightning that scattered across the sky.
"The mission’s complete," Riku said calmly. "That Thunder Titan wasn’t a living creature—it was just a jutsu."
Kurenai and Anko looked at him in disbelief.
"Just a jutsu?" Kurenai repeated, stunned.
"But... it looked alive," Anko added. Her voice was filled with awe and uncertainty.
Riku offered no explanation, only a faint smile.
Anko seemed to realize something. "Oh! You activated Sage Mode, right? That must be it. That kind of power... it’s definitely Sage Art."
She glanced toward the battlefield again. The once-proud mountain range had been reduced to rubble and scorched earth. Craters and gouged stone stretched across the land.
"The destruction that ghost left behind... it’s terrifying," Anko muttered.
Riku remained composed. "His strength had already surpassed Kage-level. He sacrificed himself to the Shinigami. If the timer hadn’t expired, I would’ve had to fight him far longer."
Anko’s eyes widened. "Beyond Kage-level?!"
Riku didn’t respond, but Kurenai spoke up. "From the start, he was far stronger than any normal Kage. I doubt even Lady Tsunade could’ve stood against him."
"And after we were knocked out, he absorbed the chakra of his entire clan. That power boost alone could push him well beyond any Kage-level fighter."
"Especially since he sacrificed his soul to the Shinigami. His strength at that point was... unimaginable."
"Looking at the battlefield now, this war may be far more devastating than we realize."
Kurenai turned to Riku, her voice quiet. "Just how strong are you? And wait... you weren’t even there. How did you fight him for so long?"
Of the two questions, Riku answered only the second.
"I sent a clone to fight him."
Anko stared at him, dumbfounded. "A... clone?"
"You’re kidding, right?"
But Riku didn’t elaborate—he simply smiled.
Kurenai thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "That’s right... you were here healing us. You couldn’t have been there in person."
Only then did Anko realize the implications.
Her eyes widened. "You fought that monster with just a clone?"
She couldn’t even fathom how powerful Riku’s true body must be if a mere shadow clone had been capable of that.
Riku remained as calm as ever. "Let’s return. The mission is complete."
As they prepared to depart, Kurenai glanced at Riku, her face flushed. Although she knew Riku had only seen her unclothed during treatment, the embarrassment lingered. He wasn’t a child anymore.
The thought left her feeling guilty—especially when she thought of Asuma.
Anko, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. She had always had a close relationship with Riku, and she knew full well he hadn’t done anything inappropriate.
And she was right. Riku’s only intention had been to heal them. He hadn’t harbored a single indecent thought.
Despite both women having attractive figures, Riku remained unaffected. Even if he were tempted, no one compared to Tsunade in that regard. But more importantly, Riku had focused solely on saving lives. That was the kind of shinobi he was.
Still, Kurenai couldn’t shake the guilt. She and Asuma hadn’t even made it to that level of intimacy, yet here Riku had seen everything.
Riku, of course, noticed this instantly.
She understood that Riku had only been trying to help, but the knowledge that he’d seen everything still left her uneasy.
Just as Riku and Anko were preparing to leave, Kurenai hesitated. Then she turned to Riku and asked softly, "Riku... you didn’t see anything just now... right?"
Her eyes searched his for reassurance.
Anko, grinning, added, "Yeah, and how was my figure, huh?"
She teased him playfully, unconcerned and openly flirtatious. Her comfort with Riku was clear.
Riku frowned slightly, not wanting Kurenai to carry any unnecessary guilt.
"No," he replied. "I didn’t see anything."
Kurenai let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you."
Anko just smiled, dropping the matter.
They didn’t waste any more time and traveled quickly. After more than a day of hard movement, they finally arrived back in Konoha.
The moment they returned, Riku heard the news—Gaara had been kidnapped by Akatsuki.
Standing in the Hokage’s office, Tsunade sighed heavily. "It looks like Akatsuki has made their move."
Riku stepped up to the window, arms crossed. The room was empty save for him and Tsunade.
"Is it still two-man cells?" he asked calmly. "Every time Akatsuki acts, it’s always in pairs."
Tsunade nodded. Though she didn’t know the full details of Sunagakure’s situation, she was aware that Akatsuki had struck swiftly—kidnapping the Kazekage in one decisive move.
For a Kage to be abducted from their own village... it was an unimaginable humiliation.
But with Sunagakure, it was almost a pattern.
The Third Kazekage had been poisoned by Sasori of the Red Sand.
The Fourth Kazekage had been assassinated by Orochimaru and Kabuto with Kimimaro’s help.
Now the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, had been taken by Akatsuki.
Sunagakure seemed cursed. Aside from the First and Second Kazekage, their successors had all met tragic ends.
If not for Chiyo’s Reanimation Jutsu, Gaara would have died as well.
It only proved how weak Sunagakure had become—none of their shinobi had been strong enough to stand against Sasori or Deidara.
And Akatsuki’s members were all monsters.
Even their weakest were elite Jonin-level or possessed secret techniques, like Hidan’s immortality. Without prior intel, even a Kage-level shinobi could fall.
Just look at Yugito Nii and the Two-Tails. Even someone like her couldn’t escape once caught by Akatsuki’s trap.
Even Kumogakure, a far stronger village, had struggled against them.
The Akatsuki were a force unlike any other.
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