Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 38 38 : Graduation Assessment

Riku smiled. "I'll just give it a try. Maybe it'll work. And I won't put all my effort into it right away."

Yugao pinched Riku's cheek again and said with a smile, "Even though I don't think you'll succeed, I still hope you do. If you can awaken a Kekkei Genkai, it ans Konoha will have one more powerful ninja."

Riku smiled and gently patted Yugao's hand away from his cheek.

Neither Kakashi nor Yugao wanted Riku to attempt to awaken a Kekkei Genkai—not because they doubted him, but because they were worried about his safety.

But they both knew Riku wouldn't give up without trying.

So when they found the scroll related to it, they sent it to him.

Riku then began the long and arduous process of attempting to fuse chakra natures to awaken a Kekkei Genkai.

But the process wasn't just about combining chakra attributes. The requirents were extrely strict—one needed a strong body, excellent chakra control, and resilience to handle the strain.

Just like that, four years passed. During this ti, Riku trained every day. Whenever Kakashi wasn't on a mission, he would accompany Riku to spar or supervise his training.

By now, Riku no longer focused on learning new jutsu. Instead, his ti was spent honing his combat skills and mastering real-world battle experience.

Kakashi, Might Guy, Yugao, and even Yamato had all taken turns as Riku's sparring partners.

Yamato, once known as Tenzo, had officially been renad by the Third Hokage and was now operating fully under the codena "Yamato."

In the ANBU, Yamato's status was second only to Kakashi. He was a powerful Elite Jonin in his own right. His Wood Style was nowhere near the level of Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha, of course—but to ordinary shinobi, it was a fearso and rare power.

Over the past four years, Riku's strength had grown imnsely. He had gone from Jonin-level to Kage-level—but even Kakashi didn't realize it.

To them, Riku appeared to have reached the level of an Elite Jonin, which was already astonishing for soone his age.

Kakashi was proud. At twelve, Riku had surpassed where Kakashi himself had been at that age.

Everything about Riku had been kept under strict secrecy. Even the Third Hokage and Danzo were unaware of his existence.

At the academy, Riku was still just an average student with poor grades.

But now, at age twelve, he was finally set to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

To mark the occasion, the Third Hokage summoned a number of Jonin to his office to observe the graduation assessnt.

It was a chance for them to evaluate the new generation—and possibly get a preview of their future Genin teams.

In the classroom, Riku sat calmly between Hinata and Ino.

At twelve, their bodies had begun to mature, and the difference between boys and girls was becoming more noticeable. Still, Hinata and Ino sat next to him as always, unchanged from their childhood habits.

Ino watched the students being called one by one into the next room for the exam and looked a bit nervous. "I wonder how strict Iruka-sensei will be this ti."

Riku remained calm. "Don't worry. Judging by our class's level, no one should have trouble passing."

Then he glanced at Naruto, who was fidgeting anxiously across the room, and added helplessly, "Well… except maybe Naruto."

The graduation exam was simple: it focused on one of the Three Basic Techniques. Given Riku's abilities, even just what he showed publicly, he would have no issue passing.

Hinata nodded gently. "Mm. Riku-kun is right. The test isn't very hard."

She glanced at Naruto, worried.

"But seeing Naruto-kun so anxious… it might be tough for him."

She genuinely worried about Naruto—though only as a friend now.

After all, Naruto had saved her when they were children. That was a kindness she could never forget.

Though she no longer had romantic feelings for him, she still felt gratitude.

That was just basic human decency.

Ino smiled. "I'm not really worried about the test. I'm more curious about team placents. I hope I get on the sa team as Riku."

Riku didn't respond emotionally. Kakashi had already told him yesterday that he planned to recomnd a special Jonin to take him as a student.

Ino and Hinata, on the other hand, had already been assigned their instructors by the Third Hokage.

There was no chance they'd be on the sa team.

Hinata looked up and asked, slightly concerned, "Riku-kun, do you think we'll be on the sa team?"

Riku gave her a small smile. "Impossible."

"Why? I think it's possible."

He didn't want to be too blunt, so he made up a plausible excuse. "Think about it. You're third in the class, Hinata's second, and I'm ranked fifteenth. Do you really think they'll put with the two of you? More likely, you and Hinata will be on the sa team."

Ino frowned. "That's ridiculous. They can't just form teams based on grades. If that were the case, then—"

She trailed off suddenly, catching herself before saying too much.

Hinata also knew that the odds weren't good.

Her family—the Hyuga clan—was likely to intervene in her team assignnt.

Back in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage and the gathered Jonin were observing the graduation assessnt via a crystal orb or other surveillance thod.

None of them paid any attention to Riku.

Their focus was mostly on Sasuke.

Only the Third Hokage kept an eye on Naruto.

Kakashi looked at the image of Riku and smiled faintly. "This kid… after all these years, he's finally graduating."

He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Once the results of the exam were out, team assignnts would begin.

Naruto was eventually called by Iruka, nervous and panicking.

After a while, he didn't return—because he had failed the exam.

Iruka had chosen the Clone Jutsu for the final test—Naruto's worst technique.

In fact, aside from the Transformation Jutsu, Naruto hadn't mastered any of the Three Basic Techniques.

So it was no surprise that he failed.

Watching Naruto's performance, Kakashi sighed. "I wonder if Sensei would be disappointed if he saw this. But… with his personality, probably not."

Knowing Minato Namikaze—the Fourth Hokage—he would likely smile and encourage Naruto instead of criticizing him.

The room full of Jonin murmured and exchanged thoughts. Most simply sighed.

Only Kakashi knew Naruto's true lineage.

He was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

And at this level… it was a bit disheartening.

Even from the standpoint of being a Jinchūriki, Naruto couldn't compare to his mother, Kushina Uzumaki.

Naruto's chakra lineage wasn't pure. What he carried was the soul of Asura, not a bloodline, but spiritual power. And that required awakening—sothing that hadn't happened yet.