Chapter 204 : The Arrival Of Riku Made Sunagakure Fearful
This time, Riku acted alone.
He appeared in Sunagakure in an instant.
Because Riku had previously left a Flying Thunder God seal at the entrance of the village during the Chūnin Exams hosted by Sunagakure, he was able to teleport directly there.
As Riku appeared at the gates of Sunagakure, it just so happened that Temari was exiting the village with several subordinates on a mission to secure the border.
Temari and her team were stunned by Riku's sudden appearance and immediately grew wary, assuming a defensive stance.
But upon confirming it was Riku, Temari asked with a hint of confusion, "Why are you here?"
She genuinely didn't understand what brought him to Sunagakure. Then again, she considered the possibility that Lady Tsunade had sent him—perhaps Konoha had finally decided to get serious about rescuing Gaara.
Riku smiled and asked, "Where are you headed?"
After confirming his identity, Temari approached him. Her subordinates, all loyal supporters of Gaara, kept a cautious distance.
Gaara was now officially recognized as the Fifth Kazekage, but there were still many within the village—especially seasoned shinobi—who didn't fully accept him. On the other hand, younger villagers who hadn't experienced Gaara's former rampages were highly supportive.
In terms of strength, appearance, and lineage, Gaara was nearly flawless. Those who hadn't witnessed the chaos he once caused viewed him as an exceptional Kazekage.
The village leadership had sent Temari to patrol the border to prevent a possible sneak attack from neighboring villages. It was, after all, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage that had triggered the Third Great Ninja War. At that time, Sunagakure had dispatched numerous ninja to search for their missing leader, leaving the borders with the Land of Wind poorly defended. Cloud Village took advantage of the situation and invaded.
If not for the Fourth Kazekage fending them off with his mastery over gold dust, Sunagakure might have been destroyed.
So, the decision to post Temari at the border wasn't entirely unreasonable.
But now that Gaara had been abducted, it seemed odd—almost cruel—that Temari, his sister, would still be sent to the front lines.
"I'm heading to the border," Temari said flatly. "Now that Gaara's been taken, we can't afford to give other nations an opportunity to attack the Land of Wind."
Her tone was direct, and Riku nodded. "Got it. What about Kakashi and the others? Where are they now?"
Temari's expression softened slightly. "You're here to help? If that's the case… then Gaara really might have a chance."
Temari trusted Riku's strength completely. She even believed that none of the Five Great Nations had a shinobi who could stand against him.
Granted, she hadn't met all of the Kage—only Tsunade—but even so, her instincts told her that Riku stood apart.
Riku grinned. "Yeah, Lady Tsunade wasn't comfortable sitting back. Thought I'd check in. So they've already set out to chase Gaara?"
Temari shook her head. "No, they're still in the village. Want me to take you to them?"
Riku nodded.
Though she was technically en route to the border, a slight delay wouldn't hurt. In truth, the higher-ups had sent Temari out more for political reasons—to weaken the influence of the three siblings.
Over the past two years, Gaara had risen to the position of Kazekage, but he held little actual power. Most of his support came from younger generations.
Kankuro and Temari, meanwhile, still commanded considerable influence. The elders had grown increasingly uneasy with that.
Sending Temari to the border with just three Chūnin was laughable. If another village were to launch a real attack, what could four people do?
Temari knew it was absurd, but it was an order from the village leadership—she had no choice but to follow it.
She placed her trust in the Konoha team sent to rescue Gaara.
Now that Riku had arrived, her confidence that Gaara would be brought back safely had risen significantly.
The three Chūnin following her watched Riku and Temari walking ahead, chatting and laughing, and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Who is that guy? Why is Lady Temari being so friendly with him?"
Temari was known for being stern and serious. None of them had ever seen her smile this much—let alone laugh.
One of them, Ji, who happened to be a disciple of Gaara's, knew a bit about Riku.
She had encountered him during the Chūnin Exams and had heard Gaara mention his name before.
Thinking back, she whispered, "I think his name is Riku. He's a top-level ninja from Konoha. I heard he can suppress tailed beasts. Even Lord Gaara couldn't beat him."
The two other Chūnin stared at her, stunned.
"No way. Gaara-sama couldn't beat him? Ji, stop messing around. You're his student—you of all people shouldn't say that."
But Ji furrowed her brow. "I'm not joking. I didn't make it up—Gaara-sensei told me himself. I didn't believe it either at first, but he said it clearly."
"He also said that this guy might be the strongest shinobi in the entire ninja world."
Both Chūnin were devout Gaara supporters—otherwise, they wouldn't have been chosen to accompany Temari.
But hearing Ji's explanation, they found it hard to believe. Riku didn't look intimidating. In fact, his calm demeanor and kind expression made him seem harmless.
Weren't powerful shinobi supposed to be aloof and stoic?
Gaara never smiled.
Still, Sunagakure's younger generation thought Gaara was incredibly cool. His stoic, detached aura had earned him a strong following.
Yet now they were seeing Riku casually laughing with Temari.
It was hard to believe that someone like him could be stronger than Gaara.
Stronger than someone who could command a tailed beast.
Possibly the strongest in the entire ninja world.
The two Chūnin exchanged doubtful glances, but Ji looked on with quiet confidence.
If Riku's here… then Gaara-sensei might really be saved.
"Konoha even sent him—they must be serious," she said quietly. "If he's the one going after Gaara-sensei, the odds of success are way higher."
The other two still didn't quite believe the hype, but Ji's words gave them hope.
"If he really can bring Gaara-sama back… that would be incredible."
Riku followed Temari into the village.
News of his arrival reached Sunagakure's higher-ups immediately.
And the entire leadership sprang into action.
They ordered the village's defenses to be strengthened without delay.
To them, Riku's appearance was more terrifying than the Akatsuki's abduction of Gaara.
Even though Riku hadn't killed many people over the years, the fact that Konoha had dispatched him personally was alarming.
The man could suppress a tailed beast.
And they weren't about to take a chance on what he might do.
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