Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess

Tsunade looked at Riku and asked, "Do you want to learn medical ninjutsu?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I’m more interested in medical ninjutsu."

Just as Riku finished speaking, Jiraiya chimed in, "Riku’s medical ninjutsu is already very impressive. I heard from Guy that he might be the most skilled medical-nin in Konoha right now—stronger even than the current director of Konoha Hospital."

Tsunade froze for a moment. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Riku. "Have you studied medical ninjutsu before?"

This time, Riku didn’t bother hiding anything. "Yeah, I’ve learned a little."

"It’s just that most of the medics at Konoha Hospital aren’t that great at it, so I didn’t have much to learn from them."

Tsunade found it hard to believe. Kage-level strength at just thirteen years old was already incredible. And now this? If what Jiraiya said was true, then Riku’s medical ninjutsu was approaching Shizune’s level—and Shizune had been personally trained by her, through years of hands-on guidance and direct instruction.

Seeing Riku’s composed expression, Tsunade couldn’t help but admire him. "You know... I think you’d make a fine Hokage."

At the mention of Hokage again, Riku shook his head. "You’re seriously overestimating me. I don’t want to be Hokage. I’m not suited for it."

"But you can believe Naruto might become Hokage one day. He’s always treated it as his lifelong dream."

Tsunade turned to look at Naruto, who was walking over from a distance.

"Him? I don’t buy it."

But after witnessing Naruto’s partial Rasengan earlier, Tsunade’s conviction wavered a little.

Maybe... just maybe, he really could master the Rasengan. After all, he was the Fourth Hokage’s son—he was bound to have inherited some of his talent. And then there was the Nine-Tails sealed within him.

Naruto approached, having overheard her last comment. He looked at Tsunade and said firmly, "Becoming Hokage is my dream, and I’m going to make it happen."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You haven’t even mastered the Rasengan yet, and you’re talking about being Hokage? Don’t make me laugh."

Naruto didn’t flinch. "I’m close. I’ve almost mastered the third step. I’ll get there soon."

Tsunade paused, surprised by his determination and confidence. She smirked. "If you can fully master the Rasengan within a week, then maybe I’ll start believing you could become Hokage."

Naruto frowned. A week? That was a tight deadline, and he wasn’t sure he could pull it off in time.

But looking at Tsunade’s smirking face, he felt a fire light up in his chest. He couldn’t back down now.

"Fine. Give me a week, and I’ll have it down."

Jiraiya didn’t really believe Naruto could master the Rasengan in such a short time, but he also knew how stubborn Naruto could be. Maybe—just maybe—he could pull it off.

Tsunade then turned to Riku. "How long did it take you to learn Rasengan? From what Jiraiya said, you and that kid started training around the same time, right? So why did you master it already when he hasn’t?"

Riku stiffened slightly. Why did the conversation always circle back to him?

What Riku didn’t know was that Tsunade, despite using the Strength of a Hundred Seal to maintain her youthful appearance, was mentally in her fifties. Like many people her age, she was deeply interested in the younger generation’s potential.

Riku hesitated to answer.

Thankfully, Naruto cut in. "Riku only had to see the technique once from Pervy Sage, and he got it. He learned it fast. But he told me it’s not about how fast you learn—it’s about how well you can use it. He said I’ll definitely make good use of it in the future."

Tsunade didn’t really take in the second half of Naruto’s explanation. In her mind, those words were clearly just Riku’s way of comforting Naruto.

She stared at Riku with wide eyes. "You mastered the Rasengan just by watching it once? Are you even human?"

Riku’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

Jiraiya let out a loud laugh. "Tsunade, don’t be like that. Plenty of people have called him a monster already. That’s how he’s so strong at such a young age. He picks up techniques fast, and he’s learned a lot of them."

Tsunade kept her eyes on Riku. The more she looked, the more impressed she became. Honestly, it felt like an elder watching over a promising grandchild.

In terms of age, Riku could practically be her grandson.

He was thirteen. She was in her fifties.

Wasn’t that about the right generation gap?

But Riku inwardly winced under her gaze. He could already sense her "grandmotherly" affection, and it unsettled him.

If Tsunade really took a liking to him and became Hokage, wouldn’t he end up like Kakashi?

He thought about how Tsunade constantly sent Kakashi out on missions like a workhorse in the years that followed. The thought made Riku’s eye twitch.

Tsunade laughed. "Honestly, I think if we train this kid properly, he might even surpass the Fourth Hokage one day."

Riku didn’t want to speak anymore. It didn’t matter whether it was Jiraiya or Tsunade—whenever they talked about him, it always circled back to being Hokage.

The thing was... he really didn’t want to be Hokage. Naruto wanted that title so badly—so let him have it.

It wasn’t that Riku lacked the ability. If he became Hokage, he could probably handle it well. But like Jiraiya, he just didn’t care for the title.

Seeing Riku’s helpless expression, Jiraiya chuckled. "In that sense, he’s a lot like me. Though, I think he’s just too young to understand yet."

Tsunade smiled. "Yeah, I think so too."

Riku decided not to say another word.

In the end, Tsunade still didn’t give a clear answer about whether she would return to Konoha and accept the position of Fifth Hokage.

Jiraiya figured it would be best to give her a week to think it over.

At the same time, Tsunade also needed that time to decide whether she’d help Orochimaru restore his hands.

So Jiraiya, Tsunade, Riku, and the others ended up staying at the same hotel.

While they were there, Jiraiya didn’t head out to gather intel like he usually would. Instead, he stayed close, watching Tsunade come and go each day.

Riku, on the other hand, meditated daily. Among the group, he was probably the calmest presence.

Everyone else had something on their mind—Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto alike.

Naruto was stressed about mastering the Rasengan within a week. He was determined to win the bet, even if the odds weren’t in his favor.

Shizune worried about what Tsunade would choose.

Tsunade herself was caught in a storm of thoughts about Orochimaru’s offer.

Jiraiya, having learned about the deal from Shizune, kept watching her closely, trying to figure out what she would decide.

He spent hours on the hotel balcony, quietly observing Tsunade.

But after a while, his gaze would shift to Riku. "Hey, didn’t you say you wanted to learn medical ninjutsu from Tsunade? Why haven’t you asked her yet?"

Riku opened his eyes and replied calmly, "I think it’d be better to ask once we’re back in Konoha."

"She’s not in the right mindset right now. She probably wouldn’t be up for teaching me anyway."

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