Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 28 28 : Stealing Swordsmanship And Killing Jōnin

At this mont, the Great Fireball roared toward the target ninja, the intense heat illuminating the trees as it surged forward. The enemy Jōnin scowled.

"Damn it... how does this brat still have so much chakra left?!"

Panic flickered in his eyes. He had to kill Riku—if not, his presence here would be exposed.

But Riku had no intention of fleeing. Not this ti.

"If you're so determined to kill ," Riku said coldly, "then I'll just have to kill you first. I'm not going to keep looking over my shoulder because of you."

The Jōnin's expression darkened. At this point, he no longer saw Riku as a re six-year-old child.

No... this kid's strength was far beyond what soone his age should have.

Without another word, the man pulled the short sword from the tree trunk and charged straight at Riku.

Riku didn't hesitate. He darted forward to et him head-on.

Boom—

Riku's body flashed, and in an instant, his foot connected with the man's stomach.

The Jōnin snarled, swinging his blade viciously at Riku in retaliation.

But Riku vanished again, reappearing beside the ANBU operative lying nearby.

Without a pause, Riku snatched up the long sword from the ground and turned to strike.

Clang, clang, clang—

Blades clashed furiously. Sparks flew as the two exchanged blows, their swordsmanship fierce and precise.

Though Riku had only just observed the technique monts ago, his body adapted quickly. Within minutes, he was wielding the sword with skilled precision.

The enemy ninja's eyes widened in shock.

"That's... ANBU sword technique?! How the hell does this kid know it?!"

He gritted his teeth, panic bubbling up in his chest.

"I have to kill him—if I don't, soone from the village will find out what I've done!"

Riku stood between the fallen ANBU ninja and the rogue, his expression unreadable.

From the ground, the wounded ANBU operative lifted his bloodied face and whispered, "Run..."

Despite witnessing Riku unleash two powerful jutsu earlier, the operative didn't want him involved any further. After all, Riku was just a child, and his opponent was a fully trained Jōnin.

They weren't even on the sa playing field.

Riku's eyes narrowed. "You're still alive, huh?"

He glanced down. The operative was covered in deep wounds—stabbed multiple tis—but had sohow survived.

A smile tugged at Riku's lips. "I copied your sword technique earlier. Hope you don't mind. Actually... doesn't matter if you do. I've already learned it."

Without waiting for a reply, Riku stepped forward and assud the stance he had just witnessed. He began performing the technique the ANBU had used—a powerful, sweeping strike designed for lethal efficiency.

"This sword style... it's solid. But your strength wasn't enough to bring out its full potential."

Riku's grip tightened around the katana as he prepared to demonstrate.

Whoosh—

In the moonlight, the sword's shadow twisted, forming a shimring crescent.

The ANBU's eyes widened in disbelief. "That... Technique...! When did this kid learn my technique?!"

The rogue Jōnin growled. "Bastard... he actually learned that woman's sword style?!"

"But he's just a kid! He couldn't possibly unleash its full power!"

Whoosh—

In an instant, Riku and the enemy ninja blurred, passing each other like phantoms.

Then... silence.

Riku stood crouched under a large tree, both hands gripping his katana, not moving a muscle.

Across the clearing, the enemy ninja mirrored his posture beside the fallen ANBU.

They held still for several long seconds.

Then the ANBU's eyes slowly widened.

"This... this can't be..."

Splurt—

The Jōnin's body suddenly jolted. A deep gash split across his abdon, blood gushing from the wound.

He gritted his teeth, his face twisting in pain as the blood soaked into his clothing and poured onto the earth.

Though the ANBU was also bleeding heavily, her injuries weren't nearly as severe.

With a faint smirk, she muttered, "Didn't expect to be killed by a kid, did you?"

The rogue's face went pale. His breathing grew shallow.

"Damn it... how did I lose to... a child...?"

He could feel the life draining from him, his strength slipping away second by second. The fatal strike had cut too deep.

His sword slipped from his hand as he collapsed into the bloodstained grass.

Riku stood slowly. The only damage he had taken was a tear in his clothing—his body remained unhard.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he shook the blood from the blade and walked toward the dying man.

Without hesitation, he delivered the finishing blow.

His face scrunched slightly in discomfort.

Killing felt... strange.

"Taking a life isn't fun," he muttered.

From the ground, the ANBU woman stirred slightly, her voice weak.

"Kid... when did you learn my Sword Technique...?"

Riku paused at the question.

Wait... that voice...

"You're a woman?"

Now that he thought about it, the sword technique had seed familiar. That, combined with the voice, made a na float to the front of his mind.

Uzuki... Yugao?

The ANBU let out a soft chuckle. "Surprised?"

Riku shook his head. "Not really. Just wondering how you still have the energy to talk, considering how badly you're bleeding."

The enemy was dead, but Yugao herself was in critical condition. Her wounds still bled freely beneath the moonlight.

She smiled faintly. "Don't worry... I won't die."

Riku frowned at the growing pool of blood beneath her.

"You're way too relaxed about this. Whatever... I'll bandage you up."

He knelt beside her and carefully turned her over.

She winced sharply from the pain, sweat beading on her brow.

Riku rummaged through his ninja pouch and pulled out a military ration pill and a roll of bandages.

"Eat this."

He pressed the pill to her lips, but the mask got in the way.

With a sigh, Riku pulled off her mask in one swift motion.

The moonlight revealed a pale, bloodstained face—young and striking.

Riku blinked. "Figures... it is Uzuki Yugao. Even beat to hell, still beautiful."

At sixteen, Yugao was only a Special Jōnin, not yet the elite swordswoman she would later beco.

She studied the boy curiously. There was sothing unnervingly mature about him.

Despite the pain, she asked, "When exactly did you learn that technique?"

"What were you even doing out here tonight?"

"Which clan are you from?"

"How did you manage to defeat a full Jōnin?"

"Who taught you—?"

"Enough," Riku snapped, frowning. "Eat the damn pill."

And with that, he stuffed the ration pill into her mouth.

The bitter chakra-infused dicine would help restore her physical energy—at least enough to stay alive until help arrived.

Yugao flushed slightly, embarrassed at being manhandled by a six-year-old boy. She was supposed to be the elite here, and yet...

She'd been completely upstaged.