Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 90 90 : Recognizing The Gap With Riku

Anko froze for a mont, then smiled. "You can talk about it after you pass the Chūnin Exams first. The big snake in Ryūchi Cave isn't that simple."

"But for you, it should be fine. After all, I think you're already stronger than Orochimaru."

After saying that, Anko turned around to leave, tossing back one final line: "Riku, good luck."

Riku remained calm and simply nodded.

Her encouragent didn't an much to him.

With or without it, he was going to pass the test.

What he cared more about was whether Anko would keep quiet about what happened today. But knowing her personality, he doubted that was likely.

After leaving, Riku stayed in the Forest of Death for an entire day. By the fourth day, Sasuke and the others had almost reached the central tower. Riku knew they had successfully obtained the Earth Scroll.

A flash of lightning cracked through the sky as Riku used his speed to instantly appear just outside the central tower.

After waiting a few minutes at the entrance, Riku saw Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and even Kabuto Yakushi erging from the jungle.

The mont Kabuto saw Riku, a wave of pressure hit him. He had already heard about Orochimaru being defeated by Riku.

He hadn't expected to run into him here.

Now, he fully understood the difference in power between himself and Riku. So when he saw him again, he felt no desire to test Riku's strength.

As for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, they were all battered and bruised, looking like they'd been through hell.

Fortunately, they held the Earth Scroll in hand.

The mont she saw Riku, Sakura couldn't hold back. The pressure had been building for days—first Orochimaru appeared and cursed Sasuke, then they were attacked by ninja from the Hidden Sound. Surviving until now felt like a miracle.

For the first ti, Sakura truly realized how little they could do on their own. Without Riku by their side, their ability to handle danger was painfully low.

She rushed over and threw her arms around him, crying as she recounted everything that had happened.

Though Naruto shot Riku a resentful glare, he understood the gravity of what they'd endured.

Had Riku been with them, none of it would've happened. Even Naruto had to admit Riku might be strong enough to defeat soone like Orochimaru.

Without him, they finally realized—they were still just Genin.

Riku listened to Sakura's account quietly, then gently patted her shoulder and pushed her away.

He wasn't used to such overt displays of emotion.

With a soft smile, Riku said, "You've all worked hard. I already know what happened in the forest. But don't worry—this part of the exam was a special case. The finals won't be nearly as dangerous."

"After all, the Chūnin Exams are ant to showcase each nation's strength. The second exam specifically tests how ninjas respond to real mission-like scenarios, which is why it's the most dangerous part. But the third phase? That's just a tournant. No need to worry."

It was true—the second phase of the Chūnin Exams was by far the deadliest. The first and third phases weren't nearly as dangerous.

At the very least, the first and third phases weren't supposed to be life-threatening. Referees were present to prevent that.

Naruto and Sasuke nodded in understanding. This experience had made them more aware of their own limitations.

And it made them respect Riku's power even more.

There was a massive gap between them.

The sa Sound ninjas who dared not even make a move around Riku had nearly cost them their lives. If Sasuke's Curse Mark hadn't flared up unexpectedly, they might have died.

Now even Sasuke—usually the most arrogant of them all—felt no jealousy toward Riku.

He knew just how far apart their strengths were. Even his older brother, Itachi, hadn't been this strong at Riku's age.

Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at thirteen, but he still hadn't unlocked Amaterasu or any of the Tsukuyomi variants at that age. Back then, he was no more than a quasi-Kage at best.

Riku was different.

So now, Sasuke viewed Riku with quiet humility.

He no longer burned with the desire to surpass him—or to challenge him.

Naruto felt similarly, though for him, Riku remained soone to strive toward.

Sakura, anwhile, only found herself drawn even more to him.

Noticing the shift in their attitudes, Riku smiled calmly and said, "Go ahead—hand in your scrolls."

As for Kabuto, Riku didn't even spare him a glance.

Kabuto had long since abandoned any thoughts of testing Riku. Orochimaru had tried more than once—and paid dearly each ti. If not for his regeneration abilities, Orochimaru would've died from Riku's first strike.

At the place where the scrolls were submitted, Iruka appeared to explain the aning behind each scroll. After the team submitted theirs, they were directed to the training grounds.

More than twenty candidates had made it to the final stage.

Even Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, hadn't expected so many.

But the appearance of Orochimaru had weighed heavily on him.

Hiruzen knew he was old now, perhaps too old to suppress Orochimaru anymore. And knowing Orochimaru, he wouldn't have returned to Konoha without thorough preparation.

At the training grounds, Riku arrived alongside Ino and Hinata. The mont Ino spotted him, she threw herself onto his arm, grinning widely.

"Riku! I made it to the finals! Hahaha, I'm aweso, right?"

Riku looked at her cheerful face. Ino always seed so optimistic.

He didn't mind that kind of personality. In fact, he liked it. At least she wasn't cold or brooding like others he knew.

"I guess I made it to the finals by sheer luck. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura did all the hard work and took our scrolls."

Still, Ino knew Riku was in a league of his own. "Co on, if it were you, no one would've dared to get near you."

Only now did Ino understand that Riku's strength was already at Jōnin level.

To her, he was probably on par with Gaara.

That only made her happier. The stronger Riku was, the more it justified her feelings for him.

Standing shyly in front of Riku, Hinata asked, "Riku-kun… are you hurt?"

Riku smiled and patted her head. "No. I know dical ninjutsu, so you don't need to worry about getting hurt, Hinata."

Hinata blushed fiercely from the head pat, but she was clearly happy.

Ino, still clinging to Riku's arm, pouted. "Hmph! You're so biased, Riku! You only treat Hinata like that."

Riku looked at her, feeling a bit helpless.

To him, these two girls were just like friends.

Nothing more.

Maybe, when they were older, that could change—but for now, he felt nothing romantic toward them.

He was more drawn to won like Yugao and Anko—mature, beautiful, with strong figures and strong personalities.

Hinata and Ino… they were still just kids to him.

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