Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 43 43 : He Is The Strongest JōNin In Konoha

Riku sat calmly in the classroom.

But as more and more students were called away by their instructors, his expression gradually grew more serious.

His unease only deepened when he realized that only he, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura remained.

Even so, he still clung to a sliver of hope. "Maybe I'll be placed on a team by myself. There just weren't enough people..."

Riku didn't particularly want to be tead up with Sasuke and Naruto.

They always seed to attract trouble—being around them was bound to be a hassle.

Of course, that was just his own opinion. Sasuke and Naruto didn't share the sa thoughts.

Sasuke remained calm and expressionless.

Sakura stared at Sasuke with infatuated eyes, while Naruto glanced back and forth between Riku and Sasuke.

He suddenly felt like the odd one out.

"Am I not getting my own team? Don't I get an instructor? No matter how you look at it, there's no way I asure up to Sasuke. Even Riku—while kind of average—is still way ahead of in grades. And Sakura's grades are better than both of theirs."

Naruto's anxiety was growing.

Even Sasuke and Sakura had started to assu Riku would be their teammate.

Everyone knew Naruto was the worst student in their class—he had failed the graduation exam multiple tis. No one was quite sure how he passed this ti.

Still, despite that, they all hoped Riku would be their teammate.

Ti passed slowly, and the wait dragged on. Even Riku, normally patient, was beginning to feel irritated.

"Why aren't they here yet? Am I really going to be stuck on a team with them?" he thought, frowning.

Sothing about this whole situation didn't feel right.

After more than an hour, Naruto finally lost his patience and stood up, shouting, "I can't wait anymore! That teacher is late—I'm gonna teach him a lesson!"

Without hesitation, he went to the door and began setting up a string of traps.

Naruto was always good at pranks, and this sort of thing ca naturally to him.

Riku watched Naruto work and couldn't help but find it childish.

Still, no competent Genin—or even Chūnin—would fall for such an obvious setup.

"Naruto, don't do it!" Sakura scolded, though even she couldn't hide her irritation at how long they'd been made to wait.

Naruto grinned and waved her off. "It's fine, it's fine. He deserves it for making us wait this long!"

After finishing his setup, Naruto returned to his seat, smug.

Sasuke scoffed, "Hmph. Idiot. As if a Jōnin would fall for sothing that stupid."

But the mont Sasuke finished speaking, the classroom door slid open—only for a blackboard eraser to fall squarely onto the newcor's head.

It was Kakashi.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "This guy… is he really a Jōnin?"

To Sasuke, Jōnin were supposed to be strong, perceptive, and refined. Kakashi getting hit by sothing so simple was baffling.

Naruto, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

Kakashi looked over the group with a neutral expression and said, "Well, my first impression of you all… is that you're a bunch of idiots."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all fell silent, feeling awkward.

Riku, however, simply looked at Kakashi with a subtle smile.

Without elaborating further, Kakashi gave them a glance and said, "All of you—co with to the rooftop. You too."

His gaze landed directly on Riku.

Riku blinked. "?"

He furrowed his brows. "So this is the outco, after all."

Kakashi didn't bother answering, simply turning and walking off, leaving Riku with no room to question him further.

Naruto and Sakura didn't seem to care, but Sasuke frowned.

"Why does he treat Riku differently? Out of the four of us, he's the only one getting special attention. Is this a four-man squad? That's never been done before."

Still, Sasuke didn't dwell on it for long.

Riku shook his head and followed.

He barely knew Sasuke—despite being classmates for six years, they'd hardly exchanged words more than a handful of tis.

For the first ti, Sakura took a good look at Riku.

"So this is the guy Ino's been crushing on? He's… pretty good-looking. Maybe even more handso than Sasuke. But he's not as cool as Sasuke."

Naruto's gaze also lingered on Riku. For so reason, Riku felt like a threat.

Maybe it was his presence—or maybe, Naruto finally noticed that Riku was arguably more attractive than even Sasuke.

The four of them made their way to the rooftop, where Kakashi waited.

They sat down in a line in front of him.

Riku sighed internally. "So this is what it's co to. I thought I'd get my own squad. I don't mind working in a team, but… with Naruto and Sasuke, things are going to get complicated."

Kakashi looked at them and spoke in his usual detached tone. "Now, introduce yourselves."

Sakura raised her hand timidly. "Sensei, how exactly do we introduce ourselves?"

Kakashi paused to think, then said, "Tell your interests, what you like, what you dislike, your dreams, goals… things like that."

Naruto leaned forward, grinning. "How about you go first, Kakashi-sensei? We wanna know who you are!"

He was still skeptical after the blackboard eraser incident.

Kakashi thought for a mont before replying, "My na is Hatake Kakashi. I don't really feel like telling you what I like or dislike. I have a lot of hobbies and dreams... if you're interested, you'll figure them out eventually."

Naruto blinked. "What?! That's all we get? Just your na?!"

But before anyone else could speak, Riku spoke up from the back, voice calm and composed.

"Hatake Kakashi—Konoha's strongest Jōnin."

The others turned in surprise to look at him.

Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. "That's my reputation, I suppose."

His words were more directed at Riku than the others—a silent explanation.

He had once promised Riku a competent ntor, and now here he was, stepping into that role himself.

Riku considered this for a mont, then nodded. "It's fine. I can accept it."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura didn't fully understand the exchange, but they definitely caught one thing: Riku had said Kakashi was the strongest Jōnin in the village.

Naruto gawked. "Kakashi-sensei?! Strongest Jōnin?! Are you serious?! He couldn't even dodge my eraser trap!"

"I'm not even sure he is a Jōnin!"

Riku glanced at Naruto with a look of mild amusent—his smile faint, almost mocking.