Chapter 266 : Finding The Dragon Vein

Baki’s strength was undeniably that of an elite Jōnin, but in truth, Sunagakure now only had one Kage-level shinobi—Gaara.

And even Gaara, in Riku’s opinion, barely reached the standard of a true Kage-level ninja.

At best, Gaara was on the cusp of it—a quasi-Kage-level shinobi.

Still, while their top-tier combat strength was lacking, Sunagakure maintained its standing as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages due to its overall military capability.

After all, a village’s strength wasn’t solely determined by how many Kage-level powerhouses it had, but by the depth of its middle-tier forces.

Although Sunagakure didn’t have as many shinobi as Konoha, it still boasted thousands of them: dozens of Jōnin, hundreds of Chūnin, and thousands of Genin.

That was the typical standard for any of the Five Great Nations.

Their only weakness was at the top.

Konoha, on the other hand, had Riku, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and even Danzo—who, though controversial, could be considered a quasi-Kage-level shinobi. In the right conditions, Danzo could fight on par with a true Kage.

Even the struggling Kirigakure had Terumi Mei, an undisputed Kage-level ninja—and a formidable one at that.

In fact, if Kirigakure hadn’t suffered under the era of the "Bloody Mist," its upper-tier forces would likely have rivaled Konoha’s.

The village possessed numerous powerful kekkei genkai clans, no less significant than those of Konoha.

Were it not for the damage inflicted by the Bloody Mist era, Kirigakure might have stood among the strongest.

As Tsunade skimmed through a document, her brow furrowed. "This is troublesome," she muttered. "It’s a support request from Sunagakure. Take a look."

Riku accepted the scroll and scanned its contents. His expression darkened.

"How could Sunagakure allow someone like this to defect?" he said. "Is he trying to go back in time?"

The defector in question was a Sunagakure shinobi known as Mukade—a highly skilled puppeteer second only to the legendary Chiyo. His mastery even surpassed Kankuro’s.

He had defected, and Sunagakure’s intelligence division had uncovered his objective: the dragon vein in the ruins of the former Kingdom of Roran.

Riku knew all too well what that meant—the dragon vein possessed space-time properties capable of sending someone into the past.

If this rogue puppeteer succeeded and altered history, Riku himself might cease to exist.

What if his parents were killed before he was born? Just thinking about it made his blood run cold.

Riku clenched the scroll. "I’m taking this mission."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "You? This could be handled by any Jōnin. Why go yourself?"

Still, she didn’t press the issue and asked instead, "Shall I assign someone to assist you?"

Riku shook his head. "No need. I can handle this alone."

Shizune looked stunned. Riku himself taking on a mission like this?

Sure, the defector was strong—an elite Jōnin with advanced puppet techniques—but surely Sunagakure would be mounting a pursuit of their own.

"There’s more to this," Riku explained. "The dragon vein is not just powerful chakra—it can manipulate time and space. If that guy succeeds in altering the past, everything could change."

Now Tsunade understood. Her expression hardened.

"I’m authorizing the mission. You’re in charge."

Riku nodded. "I won’t let him succeed."

He officially registered the mission and disappeared from the Hokage’s office in an instant.

Originally, Tsunade had classified it as an A-rank mission and intended to delegate it to any capable Jōnin. But after learning about the potential time-space threat, she immediately elevated it to S-rank.

Riku used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear just outside Sunagakure and entered with his mission scroll.

He made his way to the Kazekage Building and met Gaara.

When Gaara saw Riku, he was stunned. "We just sent the message. You’re already here?"

"This is urgent," Riku replied. "I had no choice but to use the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Gaara nodded. "I forgot—you’ve mastered that technique. We detailed everything in our message. The defector is a powerful puppeteer from our village, elite Jōnin level. Our investigation revealed he plans to access the dragon vein and alter history."

"I already know," Riku replied. "I’ll handle this mission alone."

Gaara frowned. "That’s not acceptable. This is a Sunagakure matter. We already feel ashamed to be asking Konoha for help. We must send someone with you."

Riku thought for a moment and then nodded. "Alright."

Gaara turned to the door. "Temari, come in."

Temari entered the office, having been waiting outside.

Riku glanced between her and Gaara.

"All our other Jōnin are tied up in missions," Gaara explained with a smile. "I’m assigning Temari to go with you."

Temari smirked. "What, you don’t think I can handle it?"

Riku shook his head. "No. Let’s go. You should know where the dragon vein is."

Temari nodded.

Riku’s tone turned serious. "Then let’s hurry. If he succeeds, the damage to history could be catastrophic."

In truth, Riku was concerned most of all that this rogue——would somehow interfere with the events that led to his own birth.

Temari followed him without hesitation. As Gaara watched the two of them leave, he shook his head with a faint smile.

"That guy’s personality really hasn’t changed."

After leaving Sunagakure, Riku and Temari traveled toward the location of the dragon vein.

After a full day’s journey, they arrived at a barren desert—the former site of the Kingdom of Roran.

Now, it was little more than ruins.

Riku sighed as he looked at the crumbled remnants.

"It’s only been a little over a decade... I didn’t expect this place to be reduced to rubble so quickly."

Temari glanced around. "The dragon vein is somewhere nearby."

Riku activated his sensory abilities and quickly pinpointed the location.

"I’ve found it—over there. Let’s go."

He placed a hand on Temari’s shoulder.

The next moment, both of them vanished, reappearing deep beneath the ruins of Roran.

They stood at an ancient altar.

Temari looked stunned.

In just an instant, Riku had teleported them hundreds of meters—and taken her with him.

"His Body Flicker is insane," she murmured. "He can even teleport with someone else..."

Within a hundred kilometers, as long as Riku could sense the chakra signature, he didn’t even need direct line of sight to teleport—an advanced mastery of Flying Thunder God.

And at this point, Riku’s control over the Rinnegan was only growing stronger...

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