Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 68 68 : Water Dragon Bomb Vs Water Barrier

Hearing Zabuza's words, Riku shook his head. "Looks like you really do have a death wish."

Zabuza had decided he needed to kill Riku. The boy's arrogance had thoroughly provoked him.

Riku glanced at Kakashi and said flatly, "You might not even be able to beat Kakashi-sensei."

Zabuza grunted and charged forward, swinging his giant blade. He had already tasted Riku's strength once—it was overwhelming. In close combat, he had no advantage.

Realizing that, he quickly slung the Executioner's Blade onto his back and ford hand seals with practiced speed.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

In an instant, thick mist flooded the area, stretching out hundreds of ters in every direction. Visibility dropped to less than a ter.

Riku remained completely calm. "So this is the assassination technique of the Kirigakure ANBU… Not bad."

"As expected of the Hidden Mist."

He didn't move. Within the haze, Zabuza silently crept within a few ters of Riku, Executioner's Blade in hand. When he was just two ters away, he suddenly leapt high, slashing downward with the full weight of the blade, aiming to decapitate Riku in a single stroke.

Sasuke and the others panicked. In such an environnt, anyone would lose their nerve.

As they stumbled around, disoriented, Riku's calm voice rang out, "Stay close to Tazuna, don't move!"

No sooner had he spoken than he raised one hand—

Bang!

The Executioner's Blade ca crashing down—only to be caught in Riku's hand.

This ti, he didn't waste words. He lifted his leg and delivered a brutal kick to Zabuza's chest.

Boom!

The force was imnse. Zabuza was launched dozens of ters through the air, crashing through several large trees before hitting the ground hard.

His entire body throbbed with pain. An ordinary person would've died instantly from that kick.

But Zabuza was no ordinary man—he was an Elite Jonin. Riku hadn't even used his full strength, so while the blow left him badly injured, it hadn't taken him out of the fight.

Riku stood unmoved.

Zabuza climbed to his feet, coughing blood. He gritted his teeth. How the hell did that kid sense my position? Is the Hidden Mist Jutsu useless against him?

The Hidden Mist Jutsu was Kirigakure ANBU's signature assassination technique.

It was the cornerstone of many high-level missions and was responsible for countless successful kills.

Yet sohow, Riku could still find him.

Hiding in the forest dozens of ters away, shrouded in mist, Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"Fine," he muttered. "If you can block taijutsu, let's see how you handle ninjutsu."

He began weaving hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Dozens of seals later, he clapped his hands together.

The nearby river surged as a massive dragon of water rose up with a deafening roar, twisting violently toward Riku.

Sasuke, standing protectively near Tazuna with the others, couldn't see a thing—but he could hear the roar of rushing water nearby.

Kakashi was also hidden in the mist. Even with his Sharingan, the dense fog blurred his vision. He moved cautiously toward Tazuna's position by sound alone.

Despite being a veteran, Kakashi had limited experience against the Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist. Their assassination techniques were highly specialized—even he had little strategy to counter them in this environnt.

Riku, however, had already sensed Zabuza's actions.

He quickly ford just two seals before slapping his hands together.

"Water Style: Water Barrier Jutsu!"

The water dragon, drawn directly from the river, was enormous. It twisted toward him with imnse power.

As Riku completed the jutsu, water droplets around him suddenly lifted into the air and spun rapidly. In an instant, they fused into a swirling wall of water that surrounded Riku, Tazuna, and the others like a vortex.

The barrier rotated furiously, creating a rumbling roar as it spun with terrifying force.

The water dragon slamd into the barrier—

Boom!

Over and over, the dragon struck the Water Barrier.

But Riku's defense held firm. The intense rotation of the barrier drained the dragon's power with every hit.

After a few seconds, the dragon lost form and collapsed.

More accurately, Zabuza's chakra couldn't sustain it any longer.

Despite having pulled from the river to power his jutsu, Zabuza was still only an Elite Jonin—not soone with monstrous chakra reserves like Kisa.

Unable to maintain the jutsu, the water dragon dissipated.

Riku let the Water Barrier dissolve.

At his feet, the ground was cracked and torn—evidence of the imnse pressure from the earlier clash.

The spinning barrier had generated a vortex strong enough to clear the surrounding mist. Now, for the first ti, the area around them was visible again.

Sasuke stared at the aftermath in stunned silence.

What kind of terrifying jutsu was that...?

He'd only heard the clash of techniques earlier. Now, seeing the broken ground and the fading remnants of the water vortex, he felt genuine fear.

The power Riku had just unleashed created overwhelming pressure.

It made Sasuke question whether he could ever catch up.

Zabuza felt it too.

That kid just blocked my Water Dragon Jutsu... Is this a joke? He's really just a Genin?!

He could understand soone being physically gifted—stronger than average, faster. So people were born with superior bodies.

But ninjutsu of that level?

That was another matter entirely.

At that mont, Kakashi appeared beside Tazuna. He stared straight at Zabuza and spoke coldly.

"Zabuza, I suggest you leave now. Stay here, and you'll die."

Zabuza eyed Riku, who stood quietly beside Kakashi. His brow furrowed.

"Kid, what's your na?"

Riku smirked. "Riku. And just like Kakashi-sensei said—you should leave now if you don't want to die."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He still couldn't gauge Riku's full strength, but one thing was clear—this boy had Jonin-level power. Facing Riku and Kakashi together would be suicide.

He clenched his teeth, then exhaled slowly. "Riku, huh. I'll rember that na."

And with that, he vanished into the mist using the Body Flicker Technique.

Tazuna frowned. "Why did you let him go? Aren't you worried he'll co back?"

Riku turned to Kakashi, who explained calmly, "Our mission is to protect you and complete the bridge. Zabuza's an Elite Jonin. He's not easy to kill."

The truth was, with Riku's current strength, killing Zabuza wouldn't have been difficult. It wouldn't have been effortless—but if Riku went all out, he could have finished it within a minute.

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