Chapter 180 : Sandstorm, Premeditated
The existence of someone like Riku, who can suppress Tailed Beasts, has already become a cornerstone of Konoha’s stability and development.
A powerful individual is essential for any Hidden Village. If Minato Namikaze hadn’t been present during the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha might never have emerged victorious.
Even though Konoha ultimately didn’t gain much and had to make significant concessions to both Iwagakure and the Hidden Cloud Village, they still won the war because of Minato’s strength.
Without Minato, the Leaf would’ve truly faced defeat.
That’s why Riku’s existence now serves as a vital deterrent to the other villages.
It was precisely because of this that Asuma worried so much about him. Riku wasn’t just important to Tsunade—he was crucial to the future of the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Watching the three of them, Riku smiled and said, "Tomorrow’s the second exam. I think they’ll all pass. Each of them has improved a lot."
Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and Might Guy all nodded in agreement.
Last time was truly an accident. Otherwise, both Sasuke and Shikamaru might’ve already become Chūnin.
Back then, both Shikamaru and Sasuke had received the approval of the Third Hokage.
Sasuke had essentially been confirmed as a Chūnin because Genma Shiranui stated that Sasuke had already reached Chūnin-level back in Year 730, and that he would have to start carrying out official duties for Konoha.
In truth, both the Third Hokage and Genma had regarded Sasuke as a Chūnin by that point.
And, of course, Riku as well.
The Third Hokage had actually been even more eager than Tsunade—he had considered promoting Riku directly to Jōnin after the Chūnin Exams.
There was no "Special Jōnin" phase in between.
It wasn’t unprecedented—he had done the same with Kakashi during the Third Great Ninja War.
The next day, Riku, Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy stood in the main exam hall of Sunagakure, waiting.
The second test was identical in structure to the one in Konoha: to obtain the Earth Scroll.
But the environment here in Sunagakure was much harsher.
The testing ground was an arid, desolate desert Gobi. There was no food, no water—it was far worse than the training grounds used during Konoha’s Chūnin Exams.
Riku sat with Gaara in the exam observation hall.
In the center of the hall was a suspended orb of sand, a monitoring device that projected the status of each examinee.
Gaara kept glancing at Riku from time to time, while Riku leaned casually in his chair, legs crossed, arms resting on the edges, completely unbothered.
Gaara’s own disciple was currently inside the testing ground.
Riku glanced over and noticed Gaara staring into the orb.
Chuckling, he asked, "What? Got someone important taking the exam?"
Gaara was momentarily startled before turning to look at Riku. He hadn’t spoken much to him before, and even less so now.
Still, he replied, "Yeah. My disciple is in this exam."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "You have a disciple? That’s news to me."
Gaara gave a slight frown. "Can’t I have a disciple?"
Riku shook his head, laughing. "I never said you couldn’t. It’s just surprising—someone actually wanted to be your disciple? With that cold personality of yours? That’s rare."
Though Gaara looked slightly exasperated, he didn’t refute the comment.
Riku wasn’t wrong.
Suddenly, during the exam, an alert rang out.
A Sunagakure shinobi monitoring the test stood up and reported, "Lord Kankuro, a massive sandstorm has erupted inside the testing zone. It may endanger the examinees."
Within the orb, swirling sandstorms were spreading across a vast portion of the testing ground, gradually blanketing the area.
Gaara’s heart tightened.
His disciple was still inside.
Without hesitation, he stood up. "Where are they?!"
Kankuro and Temari turned to him, already aware of his concern.
"They’re still inside. But Gaara—you can’t interfere," Kankuro said firmly.
Gaara frowned. "But this storm is clearly abnormal. I suspect someone is sabotaging the testing grounds—attacking the candidates."
Temari and Kankuro felt the same, but they knew that if Gaara stepped in, it could incite panic. His sand-based ninjutsu was too destructive for a delicate situation like this.
And with the nature of the storm still unclear, they couldn’t allow him to act recklessly.
"We’ll go in and check," Temari said as she and Kankuro slung their gear over their shoulders. "But you need to stay here. You can’t afford to make a mistake."
Turning to the nearby guards, she added, "Watch Gaara. Don’t let him leave this room."
The two Sunagakure shinobi glanced helplessly at Gaara. "Apologies, Lord Gaara. But we have our orders."
Though Gaara wanted to rush in, he held himself back.
He was no longer the impulsive, reckless person he used to be.
Riku stood up.
Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy did the same.
"Should we check it out?" Guy asked.
Riku nodded. "Agreed. This storm isn’t natural—someone’s clearly behind it. And they’re targeting Sunagakure. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen this venue."
"To stir up a storm of this magnitude... The enemy isn’t weak."
Asuma and the others grew more anxious at Riku’s analysis.
They turned and made their way toward the testing grounds. Though exam proctors normally weren’t allowed to interfere, the severity of this situation had already prompted squad leaders from every village to take action.
No one would stop them now.
Deep in the desert, the storm had been conjured by a rogue shinobi—a ninja monk.
He hadn’t created the storm by his own strength alone. Someone even more powerful was backing him from the shadows.
Riku, Guy, and the others arrived at the edge of the desert.
Staring at the storm in the distance, Riku frowned. "A sandstorm like this... not even someone like Gaara could pull this off. Not alone."
"This is serious. What’s the endgame here? Is the storm just a cover to harm the participants?"
Riku searched his memory but couldn’t recall any event like this.
Whoever was behind this had to be extremely powerful.
Just as Riku prepared to lead the group into the desert, an eagle soared through the sky.
He narrowed his eyes. "That’s a Konoha messenger hawk."
Asuma nodded in recognition. "Yeah. That’s one of Lady Tsunade’s. Something must really be wrong if the Hokage sent a personal message."
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early Chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated
--------