Chapter 240 : Are You Sure To Complete This Mission?
Riku was preparing to speak with Yugito Nii—better known as the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki. She clearly had plenty of time to spare.
Samui leaned in and reminded him of something in a low voice, catching Riku by surprise.
This woman had completely changed her attitude. Back in the Land of Water, she had treated Riku no better than a stranger, barely showing him any respect.
Now, she was willingly offering him advice. That was a good start.
Yugito, standing nearby with her arms crossed, fixed Riku with a cold stare. "I know you're strong," she said flatly, "but for this mission, we were given direct orders from the Fourth Raikage. Our priority is to protect the shrine maiden. We're not here to follow your lead."
Her tone was firm, unyielding.
Neji and Lee both frowned slightly. They understood Yugito's position. Realistically, it made sense for Konoha and Kumogakure to act independently. The history between the two villages wasn't exactly peaceful.
Even though the Third Great Ninja War had ended with an armistice, there was still lingering resentment.
After all, Neji's father had died because of a political maneuver involving the Cloud Village.
It was a testament to his restraint that he could stand here now and carry out this mission side by side with them.
Riku, who had been seated next to Samui, suddenly appeared beside Yugito in an instant. He smiled and said casually, "Jōnin Yugito, as a shinobi, shouldn't you understand what it means to adapt to the situation? You're a Jōnin of Kumogakure. Is this really the level you operate at?"
"You should know by now—this mission cannot fail. If the Miko cannot reseal the Demon Moryō, the Land of Fire could fall. Do you really think the Land of Lightning would be spared?"
"And I never said you have to follow me. I'm just suggesting cooperation."
Yugito narrowed her eyes, but not because of Riku's words.
It was his speed. She hadn't noticed him move at all. One moment he was sitting beside Samui, and the next, he was beside her. It was an instantaneous teleportation.
This wasn't just speed—it was space-time ninjutsu.
And in that moment, Yugito understood clearly: she was no match for him.
"This guy… he's the real deal. No wonder Samui spoke so highly of him. Maybe he really can suppress a tailed beast."
Inside her, Matatabi—the Two-Tails—spoke up.
"Yugito, this one is extremely powerful. His chakra reserves are several times greater than mine. Don't underestimate him, or it could cost you."
Yugito was taken aback. "What? His chakra is more than yours? You might not have the largest chakra pool among the tailed beasts, but you're still a bijū. A human shouldn't have more chakra than you. Are you sure you're not mistaken, Matatabi?"
Despite their good relationship, Yugito rarely heard such a serious tone from the Two-Tails.
But Matatabi replied solemnly, "I'm not mistaken. I can feel it clearly—he has more chakra than me. Much more. I don't know how deep his reserves go, but it's overwhelming."
"Don't forget, Samui said he suppressed the Three-Tails. That's no idle claim."
Yugito's eyes changed as she turned them back to Riku.
When she had first heard the rumors about Riku, she hadn't believed them. The idea that a human could suppress a tailed beast seemed absurd.
Even the Third Raikage had only managed to fight the Eight-Tails to a draw, and that was after exhausting both himself and Gyūki.
Other than the Nine-Tails, the power gap between the remaining tailed beasts wasn't that large. The Three-Tails wasn't that much weaker than the Eight-Tails—it just didn't have a Jinchūriki, so it seemed less threatening.
The Fourth Mizukage had once completely controlled the Three-Tails… until Obito manipulated him.
Even then, the Three-Tails had remained a formidable force.
If Riku had genuinely overwhelmed it, then his strength was easily at the level of suppressing the Eight-Tails—maybe even more.
Yugito let out a slow breath and said calmly, "Cooperation is fine. But I'll maintain command over my own squad."
Riku smiled. "No problem at all."
"In fact, our goal is the same: to escort the Miko and ensure Moryō is sealed again. As long as that gets done, I don't care how we accomplish it."
"And frankly, I believe this sprite wasn't released on its own. A shinobi had to be behind it. There's no way it could've broken the seal otherwise."
Yugito nodded. "We came to the same conclusion. That's why the Raikage sent us to guard her personally."
Riku folded his arms. "Then let's do this right. I'd like Samui and Karui to stay close to Lady Shion at all times. Make sure no one gets a chance to assassinate her."
Yugito exchanged a glance with Samui, then nodded in agreement.
They'd considered a similar plan from the start.
Samui didn't object. She was a capable Jōnin, one of the stronger ones in Kumogakure, but she had developed a deep trust in Riku after their last mission together in the Land of Water.
Once Samui and Karui took over guard duty for the shrine maiden, the rest of them moved into the palace's outer quarters for the night.
Tomorrow, they would escort Lady Shion to the Land of Marshes.
That was where the body of the demon Moryō remained sealed.
After Neji, Lee, and Omoi had fallen asleep, Riku stepped outside. He stood on the balcony, gazing up at the pale moonlight.
It was then that Yugito emerged quietly from her own room.
She seemed surprised to see him already there and hesitated, clearly considering turning back. But doing so might've made her look like she was afraid.
Instead, she approached.
Despite her pride, despite her usual gentle demeanor toward her own comrades, she had a streak of arrogance in her dealings with outsiders.
Riku leaned on the balcony railing, not looking at her as he spoke. "This is the second time I've worked with Cloud Shinobi."
Yugito leaned on the railing beside him, her voice cold. "The first was with Samui. When she came back, she wouldn't shut up about how powerful you were. She made it sound like you were the strongest shinobi alive."
"She even got Karui and Omoi singing your praises like idiots."
Riku blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "I didn't expect that."
Yugito continued staring at the moonlight. "Are you sure you can handle this mission? Moryō nearly destroyed the world once. The devastation it caused made the previous Great Ninja Wars look like nothing."
"Entire nations were wiped out."
"And you can't kill it with ninjutsu."
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