Sakura and Naruto were stunned. The old woman who had been so stubborn just moments ago had said something so unexpected. For a brief moment, they wondered—were they really that different from Riku?
Kakashi, noticing their expressions, said calmly, "Riku has been by Lady Tsunade's side for a long time. Naturally, he's picked up quite a bit. That kind of skill is also necessary to become Hokage."
"After all, a Hokage is the leader of a village. Political ability is paramount. Raw strength is only secondary."
Sakura and Naruto both nodded, especially Naruto, who looked unusually thoughtful. Kakashi felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Even though he didn't know exactly how much stronger Riku had become, his maturity and composure spoke volumes.
After Temari introduced Riku to the team, she led them to reinforce the border defenses.
Riku and the others had to wait until the following day—once Sakura completed the antidote—before they could pursue Gaara.
Back in his room, Riku chatted with Kakashi for a while before the Jonin excused himself.
Now alone, Riku stood by the window, gazing out over Sunagakure.
Though the village sat in the middle of a harsh desert, it wasn't completely devoid of resources.
At the very least, water wasn't in short supply.
If it were, there was no way this many shinobi and villagers could survive here.
The Land of Wind wasn't entirely barren either—around thirty percent of it was mountainous or forested terrain.
Most of the population lived in that small portion of the land.
Still, compared to the other four great nations, Sunagakure definitely had the harshest environment.
Konoha had the best living conditions, followed by the Hidden Cloud, then the Mist, then the Stone, and finally the Sand.
Though Iwagakure and Sunagakure both struggled, their terrains were vastly different—one all mountains, the other endless desert.
Riku's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
He sensed it was Sakura.
"Come in."
Sakura entered, holding two syringes.
Riku smiled. "Success?"
Sakura beamed. "Yes. Now, when we go after Sasori tomorrow, we don't have to worry about his poison. But the antidote only lasts five minutes. After that, it loses its effect."
"So we have to beat Sasori within that five-minute window."
Riku looked at the two doses in her hand and nodded. "Not bad."
In truth, Riku wasn't fully satisfied. The five-minute time limit was far from ideal. While the antidote was usable, its effect didn't meet his expectations.
If Tsunade had brewed it, the antidote would've lasted several days.
Still, considering it had only been three years, Sakura's progress was impressive.
It was just that Riku's current standards were too high—his strength and knowledge so advanced that even a solid antidote like this one felt inadequate to him.
Sakura walked over and handed one of the syringes to Riku.
"Here, this one's for you."
"You're our main force tomorrow. You should carry one just in case."
Riku glanced at the antidote in her hand and smiled. "You keep it. He won't be able to harm me. I've mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique. That antidote won't be necessary."
The Strength of a Hundred Technique came with a major drawback—it healed even the smallest of injuries, but the chakra consumption was far higher than that of standard medical ninjutsu. That's why it was used in conjunction with the Hundred Healings Seal.
Even if your body were cut in half, with enough chakra, you could regenerate easily.
It worked similarly to the First Hokage's Sage Body regeneration.
The difference was that Hashirama's healing was passive—no technique needed. But Tsunade, lacking the Sage Body, had to use a specific jutsu.
Riku often suspected that Tsunade had created the technique after studying her grandfather's regenerative ability.
But now, Riku's body surpassed even Hashirama's in physical resilience. He didn't need the Strength of a Hundred Technique at all.
He'd learned it purely out of curiosity—to study it.
Once he understood it completely, it had little use for him. His body's natural recovery was already as fast as the jutsu's, and didn't cost chakra.
Sakura looked stunned at his refusal, then glanced down and asked quietly, "Is it because you're not satisfied with the antidote I made?"
It was the only explanation she could think of.
And though it was partly true, Riku wasn't about to say that.
"No," he said gently. "The antidote you made is fast-acting and the effects seem solid. I can sense it. But I trust my strength. And you know I have enough chakra. I can activate the Strength of a Hundred at any moment."
Sakura's eyes drifted to the diamond-shaped mark glowing faintly on Riku's forehead.
"Right… with your chakra reserves, you've probably stored up a massive amount over the years."
At this point, the chakra stored in Riku's Hundred Healings Seal was enormous—so vast he could maintain super S-rank jutsu for over ten days straight if he wanted.
Even without touching his sealed chakra, his current active chakra reserves were over three times that of the Nine Tails.
He didn't even need to tap into his backup reserves unless he encountered an opponent on the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
In contrast, the chakra Sakura had stored over the last few years barely matched what Riku could accumulate in a single day.
Seeing her slight disappointment, Riku smiled and said, "Keep it. You might need it when the time comes."
"Tomorrow's battle—you're the main force. Lady Tsunade sent me to observe and support you."
Sakura tucked the syringe back into her ninja pouch and sat by his bed, watching Riku lean against the windowsill.
"You've gotten so much stronger these past three years," she said softly. "But I've never seen you fight."
Riku responded calmly, "I haven't fought much in the last three years. Or maybe it's just that you haven't been around to see it."
"Lady Tsunade gave me a lot of missions. After Kakashi-sensei, I've had the most A-rank and S-rank assignments."
He let out a quiet sigh.
Still, Riku didn't dislike that kind of life. In this world, aside from growing stronger and studying things, he found fulfillment in participating in its daily affairs.
Being part of this world—it was enjoyable.
Riku had never thought that his strength meant he should do whatever he pleased. That kind of thinking came naturally to some, but not to him.
Some people enjoyed a life of excess and power. Riku didn't.
That kind of life got boring too fast.
It was like eating sweets. Some desserts were delicious, but if you ate too many at once, you'd get sick of them. But if you limited yourself, only tasting them once in a while, they became more precious—more satisfying.
Riku was that kind of person.
He enjoyed life in this world.
Of course, that was only possible because he was strong—strong enough that no one alive could pose a threat to him.
Still, every mission, every encounter, was a fascinating experience.
Even though he could destroy most enemies instantly, Riku rarely relied on brute force to complete missions. He almost never resorted to killing.
More often than not, he approached his assignments with a playful curiosity.
Some missions, after all, couldn't be solved by sheer strength. They required strategy, finesse, and insight.
And those were the kinds of challenges Riku found interesting.
Learning how to navigate the ninja world. Discovering strange legends and unusual secrets. Interacting with different people and cultures.
He never got bored—not even for a day.
And there was a beautiful girl who liked him.
Riku found this life… fascinating.
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