Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 3 3 : Hinata

The first kunai hit the bullseye.

Boom~

The second kunai also hit the bullseye.

Boom~

The third one struck dead center again.

Boom~

The fourth hit the mark as well.

The entire training field went silent in astonishnt.

Even Sasuke looked up at Riku, frowning slightly.

Riku casually tossed the last kunai from the handful.

Whoosh~

The fifth kunai missed the target.

The silence broke as everyone snapped out of their daze.

Iruka, in particular, looked at Riku with a hint of regret. "Eighty points. That's a sha, Riku. Keep working at it—you'll definitely land that fifth bullseye next ti."

"I'll keep trying," Riku nodded, offering no further words as he stepped back in line.

Sasuke, who had been frowning, now glanced at Riku with a hint of disdain. I thought he might be a prodigy, but I guess not. Nothing special after all.

While an eighty was respectable, it wasn't exceptional.

Yet Riku remained perfectly composed.

High above, Kakashi, perched on a tree branch, let a faint smirk curl at his lips. That last throw… he missed on purpose, didn't he? Interesting kid.

With the kunai throwing assessnt complete, Sasuke ended up ranking first in the class.

He maintained his usual aloof expression, calmly accepting the admiration of the surrounding students.

Iruka cleared his throat and held up the clipboard. "Ahem. Next is the actual combat assessnt—this will be your taijutsu evaluation."

"Rember, ninjutsu is not allowed."

The entire class nodded in understanding.

Satisfied, Iruka glanced down at the list. Riku was number twelve, so it would be a while before his turn.

He took a seat on the sidelines to observe the matches with a relaxed posture.

Kakashi, still lounging in the tree, chuckled to himself. I bet this kind of mock battle is child's play for him.

He wasn't wrong. For Riku, these tests were hardly more than a ga.

The combat evaluations progressed quickly. In just over half an hour, it was Riku's turn.

Iruka called out, "Next match—Riku versus Hyūga Hinata. Please enter the ring."

Riku, seated calmly off to the side, blinked in surprise. Didn't expect to face her…

"This could be tricky. How am I supposed to lose this one?"

He hadn't bothered to check who his opponent was after drawing lots earlier.

Hinata timidly stepped into the combat circle, her posture shy but determined.

Riku frowned slightly. Guess I'll figure it out as I go. It wouldn't be a problem normally, but with soone watching nearby, this makes things complicated.

He entered the circle, face unreadable.

Iruka stood between them and motioned for them to begin the confrontation.

Hinata flushed red and lowered her gaze, unable to look Riku in the eye.

"R-Riku - kun… p-please go easy on ."

Riku nodded. "I look forward to learning from you."

Hinata was shy with everyone, not just Riku.

After completing the starting seal, Riku noticed she'd already taken a combat stance.

He gave up on figuring out a graceful way to lose.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled softly. "Let's begin."

Without further hesitation, Riku narrowed his eyes and dashed toward Hinata.

Hinata responded imdiately, charging at him as well.

Bang!

Their arms collided with a sharp crack.

Hinata trembled slightly. He's really strong…

But Riku, on the other hand, was a bit surprised. So Hinata's strength is like this… no wonder she eats so much.

Bang!

Following the initial clash, Riku swept a kick at Hinata. Hinata instantly activated her Byakugan and slapped at his leg with precision.

The force of their clash sent dust flying from the ground.

They both took a step back after the exchange.

Hinata looked at Riku, her voice filled with awe. "You're amazing, Riku."

Riku remained silent, but his evaluation of Hinata rose.

The two quickly re-engaged, and the more they fought, the more Hinata loosened up.

She released her full strength.

After knocking Riku back with a palm strike, she dropped into her clan's signature stance. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!"

With her Byakugan active, she saw the imnse chakra circulating within Riku but chose not to comnt.

Focusing chakra into her palms, she struck toward him.

Riku frowned. If I let her hit with that, it's going to hurt.

Hinata's movents blurred.

In less than a heartbeat, she was right in front of Riku, palms flashing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

…

Shockwaves rippled from her palms.

Her speed had already surpassed what most students—or even so Chūnin—could follow with the naked eye.

The students watching from the sidelines were stunned.

Those who'd always thought of Hinata as weak were dumbfounded.

Even Naruto gaped. "Hinata's that strong? And that fast?!"

Sasuke scowled. This girl's dangerous.

Ino and Sakura were wide-eyed. "Hinata can fight like that?!"

Even Iruka was amazed. "So this is what she's been hiding… but can Riku withstand that?"

Riku observed the barrage of palm strikes coming toward him and narrowed his eyes.

No way. If I take that head-on, I'll be in trouble.

Just as Hinata's palms were inches from his body, Riku twisted and weaved in a strange rhythm.

Hinata's Byakugan allowed her to adjust quickly, but in the span of a second, Riku had already dodged over a dozen tis.

Then, for the final strike—he didn't dodge.

Hinata's palm struck his abdon.

Bang!

"Oof!"

The hit landed squarely, and Riku nearly coughed up blood.

Clutching his stomach, he staggered back several steps, his face contorted in pain.

"Stop. You win."

Hinata blinked, stunned. "Oh! Riku, I—I'm sorry!"

She hadn't realized how into the fight she'd beco. Now that it ended, she was genuinely worried she might have gone too far.

Riku gritted his teeth—it really did hurt.

Still, he forced a smile. "Don't worry. I'm fine. You're really strong—definitely worthy of the Hyūga na."

Damn… if I hadn't trained my body lately, I really would've coughed up blood from that. No wonder she eats so much—she's got the strength to match.

Clutching his stomach, Riku silently walked away, pain etched into his face.

Iruka hurried over. "Riku, do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Riku shook his head, waving him off. "I'm okay, Iruka-sensei. It just hurts a little. I'll be fine in a bit."

He said it was fine—

But it seriously hurt.

Still, part of it was acting.

Kakashi, watching from above, smirked. That last dodge—he let it hit on purpose. But even so, that blow had real weight to it.

His speed… it's already beyond many Chūnin. And he's only six. His reflexes alone are better than most full-grown shinobi.

This kid's true strength is still hidden. I wonder how much more he's holding back.

After the fight, the whole class viewed Hinata with newfound awe.

The quiet, sweet Hinata they'd underestimated had revealed an impressive and formidable strength.

Most of the students knew—if it had been them in Riku's place, they wouldn't have been able to dodge those attacks.

Let alone walk away afterward.