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

But no one here had ever witnessed the battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

So, to them, it seemed impossible that anyone in the shinobi world could withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Only Kakashi and Guy, watching Riku’s back, felt something different. They couldn’t explain it, but they firmly believed Riku could stop it.

As the Tailed Beast Bomb flew straight toward him, Riku raised the two Flying Thunder God kunai in his hands. His gaze sharpened, locking onto the Flying Thunder God: Guide Thunder formula in front of him.

With a massive output of chakra, dozens of glowing, intricate seals flared into existence in the air before Riku. These were space-time marks—mysterious, ancient runes etched in chakra.

The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb touched them, it vanished without a trace into another dimension.

Kakashi and Guy were stunned.

"This... This is the Flying Thunder God Technique!" Guy exclaimed, eyes wide. "Riku just used it to teleport the Tailed Beast Bomb! He’s mastered every part of the Fourth Hokage’s technique!"

Riku had sensed the direction instantly and chosen an uninhabited desert. That’s where he diverted the attack.

In the next moment, a violent explosion rocked the distant landscape. Though it was more than ten kilometers away, the explosion shook the earth—and everyone knew what had happened.

Temari, Gaara, and the other Sunagakure shinobi immediately realized: the Tailed Beast Bomb had been sent there by Riku.

"This... is this the legendary Flying Thunder God Technique?" Temari whispered. "I heard rumors that Riku had learned it, but I never imagined he had mastered it like this."

"Even a Tailed Beast Bomb can be deflected..." Gaara murmured, his voice filled with disbelief. "He’s become... unbelievably strong."

Gaara still remembered being wary of Riku during the first Chūnin Exams in Konoha. He never expected that, in just three years, Riku would become this powerful.

Seeing that Riku had diverted the Tailed Beast Bomb, Sakura nearly leapt into the air from joy.

"Yes! Riku did it! He actually transferred a Tailed Beast Bomb!" she cried. "Kakashi-sensei, Riku is amazing!"

Kakashi let out a deep breath, finally relaxing.

Guy burst into laughter. "That technique was his reward for completing his first S-rank mission. Back then, I thought no one but the Fourth Hokage could use it—"

"—but now he hasn’t just learned it... he’s mastered it completely."

Neji looked at Riku with admiration in his eyes. "He really is worthy of Hinata’s affection. He’s stronger than anyone."

Though Neji saw himself as a prodigy, he was still a year older than Riku—and yet Riku’s strength far surpassed his.

Lee clenched his fists, fire burning in his eyes. "Amazing! I finally get to see Riku’s true power. There’s still a huge gap between us, but I won’t give up! I’ll work even harder! I’ll catch up and surpass him!"

Tenten was also shaken by Riku’s strength. Although she was awed, her reaction wasn’t as explosive as Sakura’s.

She simply admired Riku.

But the one most shocked of all was Kurama.

The Nine Tails glared at Riku from across the battlefield and let out a roar.

"Kid! You actually used the same Flying Thunder God Technique that bastard Fourth Hokage used! I can’t believe it! And you redirected my Tailed Beast Bomb the exact same way!"

Riku calmly lowered his kunai and tucked them back into his ninja pouch.

"I used it because I didn’t want to waste chakra," he said flatly.

In truth, the Flying Thunder God Technique consumed almost no chakra for Riku. Even teleporting something as massive and destructive as a Tailed Beast Bomb barely cost him anything—it was about the same as using a single A-rank technique.

The reason why Minato Namikaze and Tobirama Senju could only redirect one Tailed Beast Bomb at a time wasn’t because of chakra. Back then, both of them were in Impure World Reincarnation states—chakra reserves weren’t the issue.

The limitation was the Flying Thunder God seal itself; it could only redirect one Tailed Beast Bomb at a time.

But with Riku, how many he could redirect was still unknown.

After putting away the Flying Thunder God kunai, Riku stood atop a tree, looking down at Kurama calmly.

"Alright. This little test is over. You’ve got impressive strength—no wonder you dared to call the other Tailed Beasts ’weaklings’. But now, it’s time for you to go back to Naruto."

Kurama’s eyes narrowed in anger. He began to gather chakra again.

"Don’t get cocky, brat! You think just because you deflected one of my Tailed Beast Bombs, that’s all I’ve got? My chakra is far beyond those pathetic weaklings. I can fire as many Tailed Beast Bombs as I want!"

As Kurama prepared to fire another, both Kakashi and Guy tensed again. They didn’t know whether Riku could deflect another.

But Riku remained perfectly calm, pressing his hands together in a seal.

"I said... return to Naruto. Sage Art: Shisekiyoujin!"

As he spoke, Riku entered Sage Mode.

The markings of the mode instantly appeared on his face, his presence surging like a tidal wave.

Kakashi’s jaw dropped. "This... this is Riku’s Sage Mode?"

He could feel it—an overwhelming force, as though all the natural energy in the area was flowing toward Riku’s body.

Activating his Sharingan, Kakashi focused on Riku’s expression. "This Sage Mode... it’s perfect."

Neji, too, activated his Byakugan, eager to understand the source of Riku’s power.

What he saw left him completely stunned.

"This chakra... is this even human?" Neji whispered. "His chakra is greater than the Nine Tails... and it’s only growing. It’s entering some kind of special state. It’s not like his normal chakra—this one’s more potent... more alive."

"And it’s coming from outside...? This means he’s absorbing it from the environment?"

Neji’s eyes widened in disbelief. Riku’s chakra wasn’t just enormous—it was seemingly endless.

What Neji had realized was correct: Riku’s Sage Chakra came from the fusion of his own chakra and the natural energy around him. Without balance, raw natural energy was useless—even dangerous.

But Riku’s control was flawless.

His Sage Chakra was nearly infinite.

He hadn’t experienced chakra exhaustion since he was a child.

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