Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 76 76 : Sakura, Your Clothes Are Men's Clothes

Gato n, who were about to charge into the village, froze in shock when they saw their boss lying dead.

In the distance, Riku stood calmly atop a tree, watching them. Fear rippled through the ranks of the rcenaries.

Birds scattered into the sky. Wild beasts fled into the forests.

Only a few samurai stayed behind, drawing their blades and stepping forward with stiff, forced courage.

"You brat! You dare kill our employer? Are you looking to die?!"

Riku looked down at them and chuckled. "Samurai… do you even have any dignity left as warriors?"

True samurai traditionally looked down on rcenary work, unlike shinobi who were raised to take on missions for pay. But many samurai had fallen on hard tis—exiled or outcast—and now accepted coin from whoever would hire them.

Riku's words clearly struck a nerve. The warriors' faces twisted in anger and sha.

"You insolent brat, you're dead!"

One samurai charged forward, gripping a chakra-enhanced katana.

Even samurai in this world depended on chakra in combat, though they didn't wield ninjutsu like shinobi.

Riku welcod the challenge.

Forming a quick hand seal, he withdrew the ANBU katana Kakashi had gifted him from a scroll.

A faint smile played at his lips. "Alright. I'll humor you."

In a blur of motion, Riku vanished—reappearing in a flash of lightning.

Before the charging samurai could even process what was happening, a streak of light cut past him.

Pain exploded in his body.

He looked down, stunned, to find a deep gash running from his chest to his abdon. Blood poured out as strength fled from his limbs.

He collapsed in a heap, lifeless, soaked in crimson.

He hadn't even had ti to fight back.

He died without understanding how.

Riku calmly sheathed his blade, turning his gaze to the remaining warriors—who were now visibly trembling.

"Even if it's just a matter of swordsmanship," Riku said coldly, "none of you are my equal. If you want to die, step forward. I don't mind sending you to join him."

None of them dared.

They exchanged glances and turned to flee, abandoning all pride.

Even with Riku insulting them to their faces, they knew they weren't on the sa level.

Not even close.

Kakashi suddenly appeared beside Riku and gave a light chuckle. "It's been a while since you practiced kenjutsu. I thought your swordsmanship might have gotten rusty."

Riku smiled faintly. "I've never slacked off with the sword."

Swordsmanship remained one of the disciplines Riku took very seriously.

In close combat, having a weapon was almost always better than going unard.

And in a world like this—even soone like Senju Hashirama could be killed if pierced fast enough, even with sothing as simple as a kunai.

No matter how powerful you were, a well-placed blade could still end you.

"I'll never let my swordsmanship decline," Riku added.

Kakashi nodded. "It's definitely an effective style in its own right."

"But for you, it's really just another killing thod."

He wasn't mocking Riku—just stating the truth. For soone of Riku's abilities, kenjutsu wasn't a core strength. It was simply one more tool in his already vast arsenal.

Riku understood and responded with calm clarity. "I once hoped that swordsmanship could beco my most formidable form of combat. But I've co to accept… that's not possible."

Riku's current level with the sword was already exceptional—surpassing even Mifune, the fad samurai leader from the Land of Iron.

But compared to his own capabilities in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, his swordsmanship simply wasn't dominant.

It was like the legends of the Third Raikage. He had mastered countless techniques—taijutsu, sealing, advanced Lightning Style like Black Lightning—but what people rembered him for was his "strongest spear" and "strongest shield."

The sa was true for the First Hokage. He was a master of a wide range of jutsu and combat forms, but in the end, he was rembered for one thing: Wood Style.

Because nothing else matched the overwhelming dominance of that particular ability.

After Kado was dealt with, the bridge in the Land of Waves was completed within a week.

Tazuna originally wanted to na it the "Riku Bridge" in gratitude.

But Riku refused.

He didn't want his na rembered like that. He had no interest in public recognition.

After spending a little over a week recovering in Tazuna's village, Kakashi, along with Sasuke and Naruto—both now healed—returned to Konoha.

Riku walked calmly beside Kakashi on the road back.

Sasuke and Naruto occasionally glanced at Riku with complex expressions.

They had witnessed his strength. He wasn't just stronger than them—he was stronger than an Elite Jonin. Possibly even stronger than Kakashi.

The gap in power stung.

They were on the sa team. The sa age. But the difference between them and Riku was massive.

That realization filled them with frustration and competitive fire.

Sakura, however, kept sneaking glances at Riku for a different reason.

Every ti she caught his indifferent expression, a strange feeling blood in her chest… and a trace of disappointnt followed.

Kakashi walked between them, silently sensing the tension in the air.

Then Naruto suddenly noticed sothing odd.

He tilted his head and looked at Sakura. "…Hey, Sakura, what's up with your outfit? That's not your usual one."

Sakura used to wear a red dress.

Now, she was dressed in a loose-fitting male outfit.

That's right—she was still wearing Riku's clothes.

During the battle, her original clothes had been damaged. Riku had given her sothing to wear, and for so reason… she hadn't given it back.

Riku hadn't asked for it either. He hadn't planned to. It was just a piece of clothing.

Caught off guard, Sakura flushed. "Ah… I—I forgot to change after the mission. These are Riku's clothes."

Her voice was quiet, embarrassed.

Naruto didn't think much of it. "But it doesn't really fit you—it's way too big."

Sakura's expression darkened instantly. "Are you saying I'm short?"

"N-No! I didn't an that!"

Naruto panicked, waving his hands frantically.

But Sakura wasn't in the mood to listen to excuses.

She clenched her fists.

Even without Tsunade's monster strength training, Sakura's punches were no joke. This was a girl who could rip a ship's mast from the deck and wield it like a club.

One punch.

Naruto went flying several ters, crashing into a tree.

"S-Sakura… I'm sorry! I didn't an it!"

Seeing her glaring over him with her fists still raised, Naruto quickly surrendered. If he didn't apologize, he had a feeling he wouldn't survive the next blow.