Chapter 183 : Is There Something Wrong With Riku Eyes?
Guy was completely stunned. "Promote Neji to Jōnin?"
"Lady Tsunade, I understand that you promoted Riku to Jōnin, but isn’t it too soon to promote Neji as well?"
It wasn’t that Guy underestimated Neji—far from it. But he genuinely believed it was still too early. Even Neji himself found the decision a bit shocking. Although he had accomplished a lot during this mission, it didn’t seem right to skip ranks so quickly. He hadn’t even completed an S-rank mission yet. If he were promoted to Jōnin now, the missions he’d be expected to handle in the future would be far more dangerous.
But Riku, who was standing beside Neji, shook his head slightly in disagreement.
"Actually, there’s nothing wrong with promoting Neji," Riku explained. "His abilities far surpass the level of a Chūnin—not just in strength, but in leadership as well, which is the most important trait for a Jōnin."
He turned to Guy. "You of all people should know that, Mr. Guy."
Guy paused, reflecting on Riku’s words. It was true. In their team, the one with the calmest demeanor and the highest intellect was Neji. Not just among his own students—when comparing with other teams too, aside from Shikamaru, who else demonstrated such leadership?
Moreover, Neji and Lee had played a pivotal role in rescuing Gaara, a mission that held diplomatic significance between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand. It would go a long way toward strengthening the alliance with Sunagakure.
Guy finally nodded. "Riku is right. I have no objections."
Neji didn’t blame Guy at all. He knew Guy was only concerned for him. After all, becoming a Jōnin meant shouldering heavier responsibilities and far more dangerous missions.
Although Guy never taught Neji the Eight Inner Gates—partially because Neji wasn’t suited to that style of taijutsu—he never treated anyone with favoritism. It just happened that Lee was naturally gifted in taijutsu and could inherit Guy’s techniques, while Neji and Tenten each had their own areas of expertise. Those were directions Guy himself wasn’t proficient in, so even if he wanted to teach them, he couldn’t.
Lee turned to Neji with a bright smile. "So Neji is a Jōnin now... Looks like I’ll have to train even harder!"
Deep down, he thought to himself: I have to master the Eight Inner Gates quickly... otherwise I really won’t be able to keep up with Neji in the future.
And then there’s Riku... He’ll always be my eternal rival. I must challenge him one day, once I’ve trained enough.
Lee had always wanted to challenge Riku, but never had. He wanted to do it only when he was strong enough.
Because Riku was different.
He wasn’t just strong—he was overwhelming. Strong enough to suppress even a tailed beast. Without absolute confidence, Lee would never rush to challenge someone like that.
Meanwhile, others around them were more focused on Riku’s promotion to Jōnin.
Even Asuma and Kurenai wondered if Neji’s promotion had been a way to justify promoting Riku as well.
Everyone knew Riku was Tsunade’s personal guard, and that his strength was more than enough for Jōnin. But he was still incredibly young. Unlike Kakashi, who was promoted during wartime, Riku’s generation lived in a time of peace. Promoting someone so young during peacetime needed a reason—and this was the perfect opportunity.
From a distance, Sakura watched Riku’s back. Standing silently in the corner, she felt that he was becoming more and more distant—like a mountaintop she could never reach.
Now that she had become Tsunade’s disciple, she should’ve felt pride in being chosen. And yet, Riku never seemed to experience the joy of being mentored—he had somehow reached the summit on his own.
But Sakura’s talent was undeniable. Otherwise, Tsunade never would’ve accepted her.
Precisely because they were both Tsunade’s disciples, Sakura had insight into Riku’s abilities that others didn’t. Even though she had never sparred with him, Tsunade often used Riku as a comparison during training.
Riku didn’t even need to be physically present—his name alone echoed across the training field.
She knew how quickly Riku had mastered Tsunade’s most advanced medical techniques. Whether it was the Hundred Healings Mark or the Strength of a Hundred Technique, Riku had learned it all within days. That knowledge left Sakura feeling even more hopeless.
Riku was a mountain whose peak she couldn’t even glimpse—yet Tsunade wanted her to scale it.
It felt impossible.
Hinata, meanwhile, smiled softly as she looked at Riku. She had always followed behind him quietly. When he was happy, she was happy.
Ino, standing nearby, clenched her fists. She stared at Riku and thought, He’s so strong... but the distance between us just keeps growing.
Even Sakura’s started training like crazy. I can’t fall behind.
But even though Ino wanted to improve, she knew that her clan’s jutsu was inherently supportive in nature. That was the Yamanaka legacy.
Still, just because support roles weren’t flashy didn’t mean they were useless. On the contrary—medical and support ninja were essential talents in Konoha.
Unfortunately, because they were so rare, it was often more practical to train front-line fighters instead.
After leaving the Hokage’s office, Riku suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes.
This was the first time something like this had ever happened.
Sakura had just been about to approach Riku to invite him to dinner when she saw him suddenly clutch his eyes—and then vanish.
She froze, murmuring to herself, "What happened to Riku? He looked like he was in pain..."
Tsunade, who was still in the Hokage’s office, had also noticed his strange behavior.
She frowned. Then something clicked in her mind.
No... there’s something wrong with his Sharingan.
Riku would never act that way in public—especially not in front of others. The fact that he covered his eyes and looked so pale meant something was seriously wrong.
Realizing this, Tsunade immediately bolted out of the office and ran toward Riku’s house.
On the way, she ran into Sakura.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"You were going to check on Riku too?" Tsunade asked.
Sakura nodded quickly. "Yes... I saw him a moment ago. He looked like he was in pain and just disappeared. I think something’s wrong."
Tsunade hesitated for a second, then said, "I was thinking the same. But you don’t need to come—I’ll go alone."
But Sakura shook her head firmly. "Lady Tsunade, I’m worried about Riku too."
Tsunade paused, then nodded. She trusted Sakura enough.
"Alright. Let’s check his place together."
Sakura nodded.
The two of them arrived at Riku’s house—but he hadn’t returned.
Tsunade furrowed her brows. He’s probably in the back mountains...
"That means it’s really serious."
Sakura felt her worry intensify. Riku had always been strong—he’d never shown weakness like that before.
Without another word, Tsunade turned and sprinted toward the remote training area behind the mountains where Riku often practiced.
Sakura followed, but Tsunade’s speed was far too fast for her. She trailed behind, trying her best to keep up.
Tsunade was genuinely anxious now—and didn’t have time to wait.
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