Uzumaki Kushina visited Riku in his hospital room.Though Shiranui Riku was still in a coma, he was fully conscious.He heard every word Uzumaki Kushina said with crystal clarity.
She said she was ready to ignore others' opinions and be friends with him—someone everyone else seemed to hate.Riku's young heart raced in his chest.It was that fluttering, exhilarating feeling he'd never experienced before.
Aside from the four happy years he'd spent with his parents, Uzumaki Kushina was the first person to ever show him genuine kindness.Since she had made up her mind like that… what reason did Riku have to push her away?
As he lay in his hospital bed, he began to consider his next steps.According to what he'd understood so far, in order to earn Witness Points from the system, he needed to witness significant people and events in the ninja world—only then could he gain the points he needed to grow stronger.
And Kushina… she was definitely important.After all, the future of the ninja world would one day revolve around her son: Uzumaki Naruto.
In other words, if he stayed by Kushina's side in the early stages, he could rack up an enormous number of Witness Points.But if his assumptions were correct, then Kushina had already walked straight into a trap Konoha had laid for her the moment she arrived.
If he truly wanted to be friends with her, Riku would have to help change her fate.
That meant Kushina couldn't die.And if she didn't die… Naruto wouldn't be born.Which meant Riku would lose one of the biggest sources of Witness Points he'd been planning for.
And yet those Witness Points were crucial.Without them, he couldn't survive or thrive in the brutal world of shinobi.
His original plan had been to remain in Konoha temporarily—stay quiet until the Nine-Tails Rebellion, then leave.After that, he would wait until Naruto became a Genin and start collecting points by witnessing all the major events around him.
But that plan was no longer viable.Riku would now have to adjust, leave Konoha sooner, and seek out other historic events to witness.
And there was another complication: the Nine-Tails itself.
If Kushina agreed to become the Jinchūriki, then things might proceed as expected.But if she refused—which Riku suspected might happen—then he needed to plan now for what that would mean.
It had taken him this long to find a true friend… someone who would stand by him even if the whole world turned its back on her.He had to be worthy of that loyalty.
At that moment, the familiar mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind.
[Notice: Witness Points are not earned simply by watching events unfold.]
Riku blinked mentally."What do you mean?"
[Any event that significantly affects the ninja world can yield Witness Points. It doesn't necessarily have to be one of the 'key events' the host remembers.For example, if you were to declare war on Konoha right now, you wouldn't earn any points. You're not strong enough yet. Konoha wouldn't even take you seriously. But—][—if the host became a true threat, and Konoha recognized that threat, then it would become a qualifying event. Once the event is over, the host would receive a large amount of Witness Points.]
Riku's heart leapt.
"So… I can generate my own Witness Points? On my own?"
[That is correct. However—some major events are inevitable.]
Riku's excitement froze."So… Uzumaki Naruto is going to be born no matter what?"
[Yes. But… it doesn't necessarily mean it will be the Uzumaki Naruto the host remembers.]
Riku paused, processing that information.
"You mean… someone will take on Naruto's role. But it might not be Kushina's child? It might be someone else entirely who ends up fulfilling Naruto's destiny?"
[Precisely.]
Riku fell into deep thought.That actually worked in his favor.
If the major events were guaranteed to happen one way or another, then he wouldn't have to force anything. He just had to make sure he was there when they did.
Now, he could take his time—train, grow stronger, help Kushina change her fate—and still collect Witness Points in the long run.
That thought eased his tension and gave him hope.
Uzumaki Kushina was still sitting at his bedside, chatting softly about everything that had happened in the last few days.Somehow, every word she spoke tugged at Riku's heart more than he expected.
When she told him how a gang of brats had ganged up on her, he felt a rush of rage.But when she recounted how she beat the stuffing out of them until they were begging for mercy, he grinned inwardly.
"Okay, Riku, it's getting late," she said with a smile. "I should go, or Grandma Mito will worry. I hope next time we meet, it'll be at the Ninja Academy, not here in the hospital. See you tomorrow."
After Kushina left, Riku silently whispered:"Yeah… see you tomorrow, Kushina."
As soon as she was gone, Riku wished more than anything that he could just open his eyes and meet her at the academy the next day.Maybe it was that powerful desire that finally broke through the haze.
His fingers twitched.
He felt it—and joy exploded in his chest.Bit by bit, he focused with all his strength and tried to regain control of his body.
First the fingers… then toes… then arms, legs, neck—
Finally, with a burst of determination, Shiranui Riku opened his eyes.
A blinding light from the overhead bulb flooded his vision, making him squint and instinctively shut them again.He took a slow breath, feeling the deep soreness in every muscle and joint.His body wasn't fully healed… but it was enough.
He opened his eyes again. This time, he noticed movement outside the window.The branches of the tree were swaying—but it wasn't just the wind.
"Anbu…" he murmured.
He knew.He knew they were watching him.
After all, the damage he'd caused during that training session in the woods—using Thunder Breathing's full sword form—was massive.It would've caught the attention of anyone, let alone Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Riku wasn't surprised that ANBU were monitoring him now.What he hadn't expected… was that half an hour later, the Third Hokage himself would walk into his hospital room.
When Shiranui Riku saw Sarutobi Hiruzen enter, his breath caught for a moment.
It was surprising.Sure, it was impressive that a mere academy student had caused such destruction…But Riku didn't think the Third Hokage would show up personally just to see someone he usually didn't even like.
And that… made things a lot more interesting.