Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 47 47 : The Third Hokage Appears

The two hit it off, but because Riku's acting was so perfect, the Third Hokage hadn't noticed anything unusual.

After all, Riku had been in disguise for six years. His ability to conceal his true self had reached an expert level.

Not even the Third Hokage—and certainly not Kakashi—knew the full truth about Riku.

For example, his true strength.

As they walked out of the forest together, Kakashi beside him, Sasuke—still half-buried in the ground—sighed. "So you passed too, huh?"

Riku glanced at Sasuke stuck in the dirt and chuckled. "Of course. I'm a Jōnin, one of the strongest in Konoha. Wouldn't it be strange if I didn't pass?"

He spoke calmly, without the slightest trace of arrogance or disappointnt. He knew the Third Hokage was no longer watching them.

Kakashi helped pull Sasuke from the ground and dusted him off, then helped Sakura up as well.

Riku looked up at Naruto, who was hanging upside down from a tree, and smirked. "Naruto, is this supposed to be performance art?"

Kakashi shook his head and gently brought Naruto down from the tree.

Even so, Naruto was tied to a tree stump.

Because of his poor performance, he wasn't allowed to eat lunch.

While Riku, Sasuke, and Sakura sat down to eat, Naruto's stomach growled loudly in protest.

It was kind of embarrassing.

Sasuke, wordless as usual, pushed his lunchbox toward Naruto.

Sakura, seeing this, hesitated briefly, then offered hers as well.

Riku didn't move. He sat with a pleasant smile, watching the scene unfold.

He didn't feel the need to interfere.

From a distance, Kakashi observed the four of them. His gaze lingered on Riku's serene expression, and he sighed quietly. "Tch. I wanted to test this kid… but he's too composed. And when it cos to strength, who knows what he's really capable of?"

Kakashi was well aware that Riku hadn't used his full power during the bell test. His strength definitely exceeded that of a typical Jōnin.

But since Riku always held back, Kakashi could only guess that he might be at Elite Jōnin level—not that he could be certain.

Even that assumption seed outrageous.

At Riku's age, to possess Elite Jōnin-level strength was far beyond what Kakashi himself had achieved at that ti.

After all, Riku had already mastered nurous powerful ninjutsu, including several variations of Chidori.

Kakashi only knew about a handful of them.

He didn't even know how many Lightning Style techniques Riku truly possessed.

Just as Naruto took a few bites of food, Kakashi suddenly appeared with a stern face. "You disobeyed my instructions."

Sasuke and Sakura froze, startled by his sudden presence.

Then they began to panic a little.

But Naruto, wide-eyed and brave, quickly spoke up. "Kakashi-sensei, don't bla them—it was . I asked them to feed ."

His words softened Kakashi's expression.

The Jonin looked over the three of them… then shifted his gaze to Riku, who was still calmly finishing his lunch.

The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched. This brat… Couldn't he at least pretend to take this seriously?

After coughing a few tis to compose himself, Kakashi finally walked up.

Riku, finally sensing Kakashi's eyes on him, set down his bento and stood up. Though the oil stain at the corner of his mouth made Kakashi sigh.

Still, his focus was on Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

He looked at them all seriously.

"…Congratulations. You passed."

Kakashi's serious deanor disappeared into a sudden smile.

The three Genin blinked in confusion. They hadn't expected that result at all.

"You all passed. While the rules of being a ninja are important, those who don't value their comrades are worse than trash. Right, Riku?"

Kakashi turned to Riku with a pointed look.

All three Genin turned their eyes toward him.

And all of them noticed the oil stain on his mouth.

Riku scratched his cheek in mild embarrassnt. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei. Anyone who doesn't value their comrades isn't worthy of being a ninja."

He added quickly, "Ninjas can only show their true strength through teamwork."

That seed to satisfy Kakashi.

He nodded. "Exactly. Like Riku said—those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

His words hit sothing deep in each of them.

They didn't fully understand the weight behind them… but the ssage stuck.

Even soone like Sasuke, who rarely showed any emotion, agreed silently. Years later, even during his ti with Orochimaru, Sasuke never crossed certain lines. A part of him still rembered Kakashi's words.

Riku, on the other hand, remained unfazed.

Kakashi continued with a grin, "Congratulations. You four are now officially Genin."

Naruto and Sakura jumped with joy.

Even Sasuke cracked a small, rare smile.

Riku just smiled faintly, quietly enjoying the mont.

Kakashi clapped his hands. "All right! I'm wiped out after today. I say we go grab sothing to eat. How about so ran?"

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura had any objections.

Naruto, naturally, was thrilled. "Yeah! Let's go to Ichiraku Ran!"

Riku nodded along. He didn't particularly like ran, but he wasn't about to complain either.

After they officially beca Genin, Sasuke found himself glancing at Riku again.

He still didn't understand how strong Riku really was.

After all, he hadn't seen the fight between Riku and Kakashi.

And that made Riku even more mysterious in Sasuke's eyes.

There was sothing about the way Kakashi treated Riku, too—different from how he treated the rest of them.

It was like Riku was Kakashi's apprentice… and they were just his students.

That feeling wasn't wrong.

To Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were subordinates under his command. But Riku? Riku was sothing else—his personal disciple.

That distinction made all the difference.

After their al at Ichiraku, everyone went ho to rest. Their real missions would begin the next day.

And on his way back, Riku encountered soone unexpected.

The Third Hokage stood in the courtyard of his house, wearing the Hokage's ceremonial robes.

Riku opened the gate and paused. "Lord Hokage?"

When he'd approached earlier, he'd sensed the Third Hokage's chakra inside.

But he hadn't expected to find him waiting here alone.

Hiruzen stood calmly in the center of the courtyard.

He smiled kindly. "You must be Riku. Kakashi's spoken to about you. He says your talent may be equal to his own."

Riku stepped inside, brows furrowed slightly. "Kakashi-sensei? Did he really say that?"