Chapter 190 : Riku Is A Monster, Not A Normal Person
Riku sat perched in a tree, watching Kakashi spar with Naruto and Sakura.
To be honest, he found it mildly entertaining at first.
But the battle had dragged on far too long. From evening to the next morning, both sides were still exchanging attacks without much progress.
Riku had never been involved in such a drawn-out fight before. The longest battle he’d ever experienced might have lasted half an hour at most.
Even back when the elite of Hidden Sound Village used forbidden techniques to forcibly reach Kage-level strength, things never took this long.
At first, the fight was interesting. But after a while, Riku pulled out a book and started reading instead.
Tsunade turned and glanced at him, noticing he wasn’t paying attention at all. She sighed.
"This level of battle is far too boring for someone like him."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Yeah, for someone of his strength, it must be dull as hell."
"But at least over the past three years, we’ve made some progress. Now the two of them can actually challenge Kakashi."
Tsunade smiled. "It’s been three years, and Naruto still only really knows Shadow Clone and the Rasengan. He hasn’t learned any new ninjutsu besides those. Sure, he’s built a solid foundation, but his attack style is still way too straightforward. Too easy to counter."
Honestly, if Naruto didn’t have the protagonist’s aura, his combat style would be severely limited.
And with his impulsive personality, he was unlikely to use stealth or subterfuge in combat either.
In a real battle, that kind of recklessness could easily get him killed.
Jiraiya, however, didn’t agree. "If he can use what he knows well, even a single technique can have great effect in battle."
"Minato’s style was simple too, but it was incredibly effective. If we keep working on his fundamentals, I believe Naruto can pull it off."
Tsunade laughed. "You’re expecting too much from him."
Jiraiya was about to argue but then looked over at Riku sitting calmly in the tree. He sighed.
"Compared to that guy, no one looks impressive... But Naruto’s got great potential. If he can master the power of the Nine Tails inside him, maybe—just maybe—he could reach Riku’s level someday."
Tsunade’s expression remained calm as she offered a slight smile.
"Do you actually believe that?"
It wasn’t favoritism. Tsunade was simply being honest—no one she knew had talent like Riku’s. No one had his strength.
Not even Jiraiya with Sage Mode could compare.
Even Tsunade wasn’t sure how powerful Riku truly was now. When she’d said his power had increased tenfold over the past three years, she wasn’t joking.
She truly believed it.
Jiraiya, of course, didn’t buy it. Maybe three years ago, he could’ve believed Riku was slightly stronger than him. But now? Jiraiya hadn’t even managed to gauge Riku’s current power. That in itself showed the gap between them had grown impossibly wide.
Even if Naruto eventually mastered the Nine Tails’ power, would he really stand on the same level as Riku?
Jiraiya didn’t think so. He didn’t have that kind of confidence in Naruto.
He knew Naruto might one day surpass Sasuke—Sasuke was still within human limits.
But no matter how hard Naruto worked, he might never even catch a glimpse of Riku’s shadow.
Because Riku wasn’t normal.
He was a monster.
At just sixteen years old, Riku already possessed power that may have exceeded Kage-level.
If that wasn’t monstrous, what was?
Of course, if Jiraiya knew that in just another year Naruto would also reach—or even surpass—Kage-level, perhaps touching the level of the Six Paths himself, he might have reevaluated everything.
In this world, hard work and talent mattered. But sometimes, the difference between success and failure came down to sheer luck—like being born with certain powers. Without those advantages, there was no way to stand against monsters like the Ōtsutsuki clan.
And Riku’s body... that was his only chance of contending with them.
The Ōtsutsuki were absurdly powerful.
Riku wanted to fight them, but his current power was far from enough. Even though he had awakened the Three-Tomoe Rinnegan, it lacked the overwhelming power that came with full mastery.
He hadn’t yet gained control over Yin-Yang Release either.
He still lacked the ability to seal Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And that was the terrifying part—Kaguya couldn’t be killed, having merged with the Ten Tails.
There might be ways to destroy her, but for now, Riku had no such power.
Still, what intrigued Riku most was the question: how far could his body go if strengthened endlessly?
Was there truly no limit to how much he could grow?
By the next morning, the sparring match finally ended.
Both Naruto and Sakura managed to grab the bells from Kakashi.
This time, they had really matured.
Riku closed the thick book in his hands and smiled. "Not bad, Naruto. You actually managed to take Kakashi-sensei’s bells."
Jiraiya laughed. "Of course! I’ve been training the kid hard these past three years."
"His strength has come a long way."
Tsunade also smiled. "Sakura’s made excellent progress too. She’s picked up the Strength of a Hundred technique well."
Riku put the book away and leapt down from the tree.
As he approached Tsunade, he said, "But over these three years, your training nearly killed her more than once."
Tsunade’s methods were brutal—even Riku found them terrifying.
She trained Sakura to the brink of death. Riku had had to look away several times; it was simply too intense.
Sakura nearly died on more than one occasion. Tsunade’s monstrous strength wasn’t something most people could endure.
Upon hearing Riku’s words, Tsunade didn’t hesitate to respond.
"It’s for her own good. Whether it’s the Strength of a Hundred or the Mitotic Regeneration, they both require immense physical stamina."
"Look at her now—she’s strong, isn’t she?"
Riku smiled faintly. "I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. Just... your way of training is painful."
Tsunade looked at him and smirked.
"Didn’t I ask you to help train Sakura? And you turned me down."
At that, Riku fell silent.
Tsunade had asked him to help train Sakura. But he refused. He believed that if Sakura wanted to truly master Tsunade’s techniques, she needed to learn directly from the source.
Riku didn’t have the time or patience to guide her himself.
Just then, Naruto and Sakura walked over. Sakura had overheard part of their conversation and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Shishou was really good to me. Without her strict training, I’d never be this strong."
Riku looked at her with mild exasperation.
"Sounds like you were beaten within an inch of your life. Might have some trauma from it."
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