Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 10 10 : Changes In Hinata

Seeing Riku's calm expression, Kakashi already had a sense of what he was thinking.

"You've got a lot of chakra. The Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu is a technique that burns through chakra quickly. Judging by the strength you showed, your chakra reserves are definitely above average for a Genin."

Riku smiled. "Yeah, I do have a bit more chakra than most people."

Kakashi looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark. Let's head down the mountain and get sothing to eat."

Riku hesitated for a mont. "But I—"

He was about to decline. He wasn't really one for eating out.

Before he could finish, Kakashi patted his shoulder with a grin. "Don't worry, my treat."

With that, how could Riku refuse?

"Well, if you're paying. I don't have the money to eat out right now anyway."

Kakashi chuckled, and as if rembering sothing, added, "Oh, and I owe you a reward for learning the Fireball Jutsu."

Riku paused as he watched Kakashi pull out his wallet and take out three 10,000-ryō notes.

"Here. This is your reward for today."

Riku hadn't expected Kakashi to actually give him money. He thought it was just a passing comnt.

Kakashi noticed Riku's stunned expression, placed the bills into Riku's pocket, and smiled. "You earned it."

Riku furrowed his brow. "Honestly, I thought you were just kidding."

Kakashi shook his head and replied seriously, "Of course not. The first thing a ninja learns is deception, but I'm not going to deceive you about this."

"You picked up the Fireball Jutsu incredibly fast. Your talent is far beyond what I expected."

After hearing that, Riku put away the 30,000 ryō without any false modesty.

He smiled. "Then tonight's on , Kakashi-sensei. Let's go get so barbecue."

Kakashi laughed. "You're going to regret that. I haven't had barbecue in a long ti—I'm starving."

Riku smiled in return.

His impression of Kakashi had improved significantly—not because of the money, but because he could genuinely feel that Kakashi was invested in helping him grow.

If he wanted to get stronger, having Kakashi as his ntor was a solid foundation.

The future Sixth Hokage, the man who would guide Konoha for years to co—there was no downside to being under his wing.

Riku and Kakashi descended from the mountain quickly, and they didn't leave the barbecue shop until very late.

The next day, Riku went to the academy as usual.

But as he walked through the village, he noticed sothing unusual—his chakra felt significantly denser.

He frowned and thought to himself, It must be from learning the Fireball Jutsu yesterday. That surge in spiritual energy must've increased my overall chakra pool. I'd say my reserves are nearing the upper Chūnin level now.

After figuring it out, he continued on to the academy.

As usual, he took his seat and listened attentively to the lecture.

In class, Riku was like a ghost—never speaking to others unless necessary, but never hostile either. He kept to himself.

The mont class ended, he would rest his head on the desk and fall asleep, never joining in with the other kids during breaks.

After one such class, Riku had just laid down when he felt soone approach.

He opened his eyes instantly, then relaxed when he saw who it was.

Hinata stood beside him with her head lowered, holding out a small glass bottle. She spoke in a soft voice.

"Riku… um, Riku-san, are you okay? I… I brought so ointnt. I'm really sorry about yesterday."

Riku looked up at her, then down at the delicate bottle in her hand.

He paused, then took the ointnt and offered a faint smile. "Thanks, Hinata."

Hinata didn't lift her head. Her face turned a deep red.

"I… I thought about it a lot last night. That last hit I landed… it didn't make sense. You could've dodged. I'm sure you let win."

It was the first ti anyone had ever gone easy on her like that, and it left a lasting impression. Her opinion of Riku had improved dramatically.

Riku remained calm. "What are you talking about? You're strong. You're from the Hyuga clan—a genius. Losing to you is perfectly normal."

He wasn't going to admit he'd held back.

Hinata's face remained lowered, tinged with a warm blush and a hint of baby fat that made her look even more delicate and endearing.

"But… when I fought you, I activated my Byakugan. I could see your chakra. It's clearly stronger than mine. And at the end—you deliberately shifted your chakra away. Otherwise, there's no way my palm would have landed."

Riku was montarily stunned, looking at her with renewed interest.

This girl isn't as simple as she looks. That was sharp. Who says Hinata's weak? Even Sasuke might not have that kind of situational awareness.

He was honestly impressed by her keen observation.

But of course, there was no way he was going to admit anything.

So he smiled lightly. "You think too much, Hinata. Let's keep this between us, alright?"

"It'll be our little secret."

Hinata trembled slightly, her face burning even redder. "Y-Yes! I-I won't tell anyone."

"Riku-san must have his reasons… I won't say a word."

At this age, Hinata was only six—far too young to read into things beyond the surface.

Hearing her soft promise, Riku smiled. "Thanks, Hinata. You're stronger than you think. There's no reason to be so shy all the ti. You're from the Hyuga clan—you're ahead of a lot of people already."

Hinata turned even redder. Getting her to stop being shy was a hopeless cause.

Seeing that, Riku gave a helpless smile. "Forget it. Guess it's just how you are."

"Just please… don't ntion anything about to others."

Hinata nodded quickly.

Right after that, class began again.

Hinata hurried back to her seat and sat down, but as usual, her eyes would occasionally drift toward Naruto.

It was a habit of hers.

But now… she also found herself glancing at Riku.

Whenever she noticed how seriously he paid attention in class, a wave of guilt would rise within her.

Riku-san is always so focused… No wonder he's so good. I need to work harder, or I'll keep falling further and further behind him.

With that realization, she forced herself to stop looking at Naruto and began listening to the lesson in earnest.

After a while, she realized that Iruka was teaching content she had already learned at ho within the Hyuga clan.

Still, she didn't let herself get distracted again.