Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 4 4 : Do You Know Who I Am?

Sasuke frowned. "That guy's never shown his full strength before."

"But Riku actually lost to a girl. That's just weak."

Sasuke hadn't noticed that Riku had deliberately let Hinata win.

In fact, no one else had either—not Iruka, not the rest of the class.

Everyone crowded around Hinata, showering her with praise.

But Hinata only looked at Riku with worry in her eyes.

The assessnt continued. The students were only montarily curious about Hinata's strength. As the next round began, they quickly turned their attention back to the fights on the field.

Hinata slowly walked over to Riku.

She lowered her head, hands clasped nervously in front of her, hesitating.

After a long pause, she finally spoke in a soft, timid voice. "I'm sorry, Riku-kun… it's my fault you got hurt."

Riku was clutching his stomach, but he had already recovered.

His body healed quickly, his resilience abnormally high for soone his age.

He looked up at Hinata and gave her a gentle smile. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. It's not your fault—I just wasn't good enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hinata lifted her head to look at him. "No… Riku-kun is really strong. I could feel it. You're not how you usually act in class… I think you were holding back. Riku-kun is definitely stronger than ."

"I have this feeling that you let land that last hit on purpose."

Although she wasn't completely sure, Hinata couldn't shake the sense that Riku had let her win.

Riku smiled calmly. "You're overthinking it. Your Gentle Fist is so fast that most people wouldn't even be able to react. But you really should work on your confidence—when it's ti to fight, you need to strike."

He gave her a reassuring look.

Of course, he didn't have any feelings for Hinata, but he didn't want her dwelling on the match.

Hinata nodded, cheeks flushed. "Thank you, Riku-kun…"

After that, Riku didn't say anything else.

They sat in silence for a long ti.

Not until the entire assessnt ended did Riku speak to her again.

The final results ca in. Riku's score was average—right in the middle of the class.

After school, he headed to a nearby training field, just like he did every day.

He dropped his schoolbag on the side of the field and sat down, resting his face in his hands as he watched the older shinobi training in the distance.

Not long after, soone approached.

It was Kakashi, who had been observing Riku from the shadows.

"School's over. Why aren't you heading ho?" he asked.

Riku had sensed him long before he arrived. He didn't even turn around, eyes still fixed on the sparring ninjas.

"I ca to see if there's anything I can learn."

Kakashi paused. "Learn?"

Riku responded with a quiet "Mm."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What could you possibly learn just by watching? Planning to train in taijutsu?"

"I saw your performance during today's assessnt—your physical ability's already better than most of your classmates."

Kakashi knew Riku had noticed him following, so he didn't bother hiding it anymore.

Still staring at the training field, Riku replied evenly, "No. I want to see if anyone uses ninjutsu. Even just a basic one. I want to learn how to use them myself."

Kakashi was taken aback. The boy's focus was intense, far too mature for soone his age.

He had looked into Riku's background. There were no irregularities on the surface.

But Kakashi couldn't shake his growing curiosity—or suspicion—about the kid.

"Have you learned any ninjutsu yet?" he asked.

Riku gave a faint chuckle. "Yeah. I learned the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and the Great Fireball Jutsu. Pretty amazing, huh?"

For once, his tone actually sounded like that of a normal child.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "The Great Fireball Jutsu? That's a C-rank technique. It's basic in theory, but most Genin can't even use it properly. Are you serious?"

If a six-year-old had really mastered that without a teacher, then he was a true prodigy.

Riku gave a calm "Mm."

Kakashi studied the boy's serious expression as they both watched the sparring matches.

He didn't ask any further questions, just stood beside Riku in silence, watching the training session with him until nightfall.

Eventually, the field cleared out.

Riku sighed. "Tch. Not a single one used ninjutsu today."

He picked up his schoolbag, looking a little disappointed.

Kakashi noticed the frustration in his eyes, and for a mont, felt a pang of sympathy.

He had discovered that Riku was an orphan—his parents had died during the Nine-Tails' attack on the village.

Now he lived alone, a civilian with no clan backing.

No wonder he had no one to teach him.

Just as Riku was about to leave, Kakashi called out.

"Riku. Wait a second."

Riku turned around, puzzled. "What is it?"

Kakashi hesitated for a mont before speaking. "You just said you learned the Great Fireball Jutsu. Is that true?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

There was no need to lie. He actually knew a few other low-level jutsu as well, though nothing stronger than C-rank.

The Great Fireball Jutsu remained the most powerful in his arsenal.

Kakashi looked at him seriously. "Do you know who I am?"

Riku blinked. Of course he knew Kakashi. But he answered calmly, "No. But judging by your gear, you must be at least a Chūnin."

Kakashi smiled and stepped closer. "And how did you figure that out?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "You're wearing a flak vest. Only Chūnin and above wear those."

Kakashi chuckled, glancing down at his vest. "Smart kid."

"That's not really smart. They taught us that at the Academy."

Kakashi patted Riku on the shoulder. "The na's Kakashi. I think you should—"

Before he could finish, Riku cut him off. "Never heard of you."

Kakashi's mouth twitched. That was a little embarrassing.

But he let it go.

Looking the boy over, he said, "Doesn't matter. All you need to know is—I know a lot of ninjutsu."

Riku's eyes lit up, just a little. "Really? A lot?"

Kakashi nodded, pleased. "Yup. Tons of them."

Riku tilted his head. "Then… could you teach ?"