Chapter 124 : Possess Kage-Level Strength At Only Thirteen Years Old!!!
But Tsunade had heard a strange name—Riku. Who was this guy?
Naruto had even said that Riku was more qualified than him to become Hokage.
That alone proved how much Naruto admired him.
And Jiraiya hadn’t contradicted anything.
Tsunade turned to Jiraiya and asked, "Who is this Riku? Is he really that good?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment and said, "Yeah. He’s very strong. He’s only about thirteen right now, but already has Kage-level power."
He spoke calmly, but Tsunade was completely stunned. Even Shizune looked shocked. "What? He has Kage-level strength at thirteen? Is he even human?"
Tsunade had seen many gifted ninja—like Minato Namikaze or Kakashi Hatake—but never anyone like Riku.
She frowned. "Are you serious? How could someone like that exist?"
If such a person were around, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi have been killed by Orochimaru?
Jiraiya was about to answer when Naruto chimed in, "Of course Riku is amazing! Even Kakashi-sensei couldn’t beat him. And no matter what Kirigakure threw at him, Riku took them all down!"
Shizune blinked. "Kirigakure? Are you talking about Zabuza Momochi—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? He was killed by this Riku?"
Naruto nodded. "Of course. Even Kakashi-sensei wasn’t his match at first. But in the end, it was Riku who appeared and finished him off."
"But Riku is my goal. Someday, I’ll catch up to him."
Shizune barely registered Naruto’s last sentence. She could only marvel at what she’d heard. Riku had not only defeated an elite Jōnin, but killed one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—a man with battlefield experience far beyond a Genin’s.
As Tsunade’s assistant and medic, Shizune had access to intelligence reports and was very familiar with Zabuza’s capabilities.
Yet a thirteen-year-old ninja had killed him.
Even Kakashi’s achievements paled in comparison.
Kakashi had been promoted to Jōnin at twelve, a legendary feat in Konoha history. Even after all these years, no one had broken that record.
Jiraiya didn’t know much about the Zabuza mission—only that Riku was incredibly powerful, to the point that he could subdue the temperamental and terrifying Ryūchi Cave summon, Shinya, and bring it under control. That alone was a Kage-level feat.
Jiraiya said, "Actually, the Third Hokage originally intended to train Riku as the Sixth Hokage—or even make him the Fifth Hokage. But things happened too fast. And Riku is still... very young."
Tsunade frowned. "If he’s so powerful, then why did the Third die?"
Jiraiya hesitated, unsure whether he should tell her.
But knowing Tsunade’s personality, he decided to be upfront. "Because at the time, Riku was training in Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave. He couldn’t return in time."
Tsunade was floored again. "Training in Sage Mode? He’s a thirteen-year-old child and you let him go learn Sage Mode? Are you insane?"
Sage Mode wasn’t something you just learned on a whim. It was incredibly dangerous. At Mount Myōboku, failure meant turning to stone. In Ryūchi Cave, failure could mean being devoured by one of the three snake elders.
Even among the Legendary Sannin, only Jiraiya had succeeded in learning it.
Tsunade felt Jiraiya was being reckless—sending a child to train in such a dangerous art.
She glared. "You had him learn Sage Mode? That’s beyond irresponsible!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "Calm down. I didn’t send him. He tamed a massive Ryūchi Cave serpent—Shinya—on his own. It was the snake who brought him there."
"I tried to stop him, but I was too late."
"And... he succeeded."
Tsunade was left speechless. She had never even met Riku, but she was already doubting whether he was even human. Thirteen years old. Kage-level strength. Sage Mode mastered.
She had never encountered such overwhelming talent—not even in Minato.
Jiraiya turned to her. "Anyway, the village wants you to become the Fifth Hokage. What’s your answer?"
His tone was serious.
Naruto looked like he wanted to object, but this time he stayed quiet.
Tsunade was silent for a while.
Eventually, she muttered, "Only an idiot would want to be Hokage."
The moment the words left her mouth, Naruto exploded.
"You bastard! You stupid old hag! How dare you call Hokage an idiot?!"
He leapt at her, fists clenched—only for Jiraiya to pull him back.
Tsunade turned away, her cheeks flushed—not with embarrassment, but from the alcohol she’d been drinking. She held her chin high with pride.
Naruto genuinely wanted to fight her.
Obviously, he hadn’t thought about the massive power difference between them.
Though, to be fair, Naruto probably never thought about things like that.
Jiraiya sighed from the side. "How did it come to this? And why hasn’t Riku shown up yet? He’s never this slow. Don’t tell me... is he just sitting back watching this whole thing?"
Jiraiya wasn’t wrong.
Riku had arrived a while ago—but chose not to show himself. Perched atop the roof of the izakaya, he watched the whole scene unfold below with mild boredom.
This was all just a bet between Naruto and Tsunade.
What irritated him more was that Jiraiya had casually revealed so many of his secrets.
Sure, if Tsunade returned to Konoha, she’d find out about him sooner or later.
But still—he’d wanted to keep a low profile.
He knew exactly how Tsunade used elite Jōnin like Kakashi.
She’d dump every high-risk mission on them without hesitation.
Riku had no intention of ending up like that.
But with Jiraiya spilling everything... it looked like returning to Konoha would no longer be quiet or peaceful.
Standing atop the roof, Riku sighed. "Looks like I won’t be having any idle days anytime soon."
His perception and hearing were sharp—he could hear everything happening inside the izakaya from the rooftop.
By now, Naruto and Tsunade had stepped outside. Tsunade looked across the street at Naruto and said with a faint smirk:
"I am one of the Legendary Sannin. If I fought you at full strength, it wouldn’t even be a contest. So I’ll make it fair—just one finger. That’s all I’ll use to defeat you."
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