Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 67 67

Judging from the murderous aura Riku had released, his strength definitely wasn't any weaker than Zabuza's.

Zabuza couldn't believe it—how could a re Genin emit a killing intent so intense it overwheld even him?

Kakashi felt it too. Had that murderous intent been aid at him instead of Zabuza, it would've felt no different from the ti he confronted Orochimaru.

Riku looked up at Zabuza and asked calmly, "You were hired by Gato, weren't you?"

Although shaken by Riku's overwhelming killing intent, Zabuza refused to believe soone so young could truly possess such power. He quickly regained his composure. Just because the boy's bloodlust was terrifying didn't an he actually had the strength to back it up.

"Tch... You're good, brat. But you're not qualified to know that."

Riku chuckled and turned to Kakashi. "See? He misunderstood , Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiled wryly. "At your age, most people would."

Riku shook his head. "I think if I made a move, he'd be dead. But I don't want to waste my ti on him. Kakashi-sensei, I've heard that the Seven Ninja Swordsn are all Elite Jōnin, right?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. The Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist are all considered Elite Jōnin."

During the Third Great Ninja War, the confrontation between Konoha and the Seven Ninja Swordsn had resulted in four of them being killed and the remaining three wounded. That was their record against Konoha.

Riku was well aware of that bit of history.

He smiled. "Then he's your opponent, Kakashi-sensei. I'm just a Genin, after all."

Riku had no intention of fighting Zabuza. After killing three Kage-level enemies before, he had no interest in wasting ti on an Elite Jōnin.

Besides, he wasn't looking to draw too much attention.

Kakashi gave him a blank stare. "If you made a move, he'd be dead?"

Riku smiled. "It's not important. And this mission… the ones being tested shouldn't be . It should be the three of them."

Kakashi paused for a mont, then nodded. "Fair enough."

He drew a kunai. "Then I'll handle him."

Riku nodded and instantly reappeared next to Tazuna using the Body Flicker Technique.

Naruto looked at him in surprise. "You're not going to fight with Kakashi-sensei?"

Riku answered calmly, "I'm just a Genin. You're giving too much credit."

"My job is to protect the client."

Sakura chid in, "But with your strength, shouldn't you help Kakashi-sensei? That guy looks really strong."

Riku smiled. "You're seriously underestimating Kakashi-sensei. He's an Elite Jōnin. Whether it's Zabuza or anyone else, I'd say he's stronger by at least ten points."

Sasuke frowned but said nothing. He wanted to see Riku's power for himself, but now wasn't the ti.

anwhile, the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza had begun.

The clash between the two Jōnin was intense—almost thrilling to watch.

Even Riku found it enjoyable to observe from the sidelines.

After a few minutes of fighting, Zabuza vanished from Kakashi's sight.

Kakashi's expression darkened. "Not good."

As expected, Zabuza reappeared beside Tazuna, swinging his massive blade—the Executioner's Blade—straight toward him.

Riku stood beside Tazuna, but made no move. Sasuke and Naruto hadn't reacted at all.

Sakura, however, instinctively stepped in front of Tazuna. If that blade ca down, she'd definitely be caught in it.

The sword was coming down fast. Too fast for Sasuke or Naruto to react.

The howling wind from the blade's swing made all three of them shiver.

"Bang!"

Just as the blade was about to slice through Sakura's face, Riku reached out and grabbed it with his bare hand.

The massive Executioner's Blade, swung at full strength, suddenly stopped mid-air. The montum created a gust of force that lifted Sakura's pink hair.

The blade had actually touched her cheek, slicing off a few strands of her hair—but miraculously, it hadn't drawn blood.

Riku looked at Zabuza calmly and smiled. "Tazuna is our client. No accidents are allowed."

Despite his harmless tone, everyone present was stunned.

Sasuke stared in disbelief at Riku holding the blade with one hand. "This guy is terrifying… To catch that blade at full speed—how strong and fast must he be?"

Naruto broke out in goosebumps. "He caught it… just like that?"

Sakura was trembling.

She saw the pink strands of her hair clinging to the blade.

Riku had saved her.

"Th-Thank you, Riku," she whispered.

Riku didn't respond. He looked at Zabuza and said coolly, "Your opponent is Kakashi-sensei, not us Genin."

With that, he channeled chakra into a single finger—and flicked the Executioner's Blade.

Boom!

With a casual flick, the massive blade was blown away, sending Zabuza flying along with it.

Zabuza tumbled backward more than ten ters. Though he kept a firm grip on the sword, his hand was trembling.

It was hard to believe that such a light flick could carry that much force.

Zabuza now looked at Riku with deep wariness. "This kid is no ordinary Genin… Why would soone like that be on a Genin team? Is he from the Hidden Leaf's ANBU?"

He was getting frustrated.

As long as Riku stood beside Tazuna, he couldn't make another move.

Even if he defeated Kakashi, he'd still have to get through Riku to kill Tazuna.

As for the other three—Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura—they weren't even worth considering.

They were just Genin. Nothing more.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he shifted his focus entirely to Riku.

Riku sighed. So much for avoiding a fight.

He hadn't wanted to waste ti dealing with Zabuza, but the swordsman was now clearly intent on killing him.

Riku spoke calmly. "I'm warning you. Don't test . You'll regret it."

Zabuza's face twisted into a snarl. Riku's arrogance only made him more determined.

If he didn't take out Riku first, killing Tazuna would be impossible—even if Kakashi fell.

"You little brat… You think a Genin can threaten a Jōnin? You really think you can stop ?"

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