Chapter 20 : Being Targeted By Many People
Hinata wasn’t too concerned about what Ino thought of Riku, but she was a little worried Ino might reveal what had happened the day before—something that would leave Riku in a very awkward position.
Riku had once told her not to expose his true strength.
Throughout the class, Hinata was restless, her mind completely preoccupied with Riku.
Riku, on the other hand, completely ignored Ino, who kept pestering him with questions the whole time.
When class finally ended, Hinata approached Riku, head lowered and cheeks flushed pink. "Riku-kun... I’m sorry. Ino saw what happened yesterday... It’s my fault."
Riku paused for a moment, then looked at her guilty expression and smiled. "It’s fine. I believe Ino won’t say anything. But I hope you’ll be braver in the future. Honestly, you’re not lacking in talent—so why are you always so timid?"
Hinata nodded. "Mm... Riku-kun, c-can you tell me... what do you do after school every day?"
"You’ve seemed really busy lately, always in a hurry to leave."
Before Riku could answer, Ino chimed in as well, watching him intently. "Yeah, what are you up to after school these days? You’re always rushing off like something’s urgent."
Seeing the two girls staring at him so intently, Riku chuckled. "It’s none of your business. I’m not doing anything shady, if that’s what you’re thinking."
Hinata obediently nodded. "Oh... okay."
Ino, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "So mysterious. You must be up to something suspicious."
"I’ll get to the bottom of this, just wait and see."
Riku remained calm. "I don’t think you’re capable of that."
And he was right. Ino really didn’t have the skills to track him.
With his current level of the Body Flicker Technique, Riku could shake off both Ino and Hinata the moment he left the school grounds.
Ino huffed. "Hmph! Don’t underestimate me. I’m pretty capable, you know!"
Riku turned to look at her, an expression of mild disbelief on his face.
Ino faltered a little under his stare, but forced herself to remain composed. "W-What? Am I wrong?"
Hinata didn’t dare raise her head to look at Ino, but even she didn’t believe Ino could keep up with Riku. She couldn’t even do it—how could Ino?
Ino met Riku’s cryptic gaze and couldn’t stand it anymore. "What’s with that look? I am amazing! I just don’t show off in class. Don’t think I give it my all during those boring exams."
"I-I’m just like you—I don’t want to reveal my real strength."
Riku gave a soft chuckle and turned back to his book.
Ino clenched her fists, seething with frustration as she stared at him.
She, Shikamaru, and Chōji were just slightly better than Naruto when it came to academic performance.
Though all three of them came from prominent families, unfortunately, one was too lazy to study, the other only cared about eating when he wasn’t learning the clan’s secret techniques, and Ino spent her time daydreaming about Sasuke.
She was proficient in her clan’s jutsu, but her overall combat skills were lacking.
Even Riku, who kept a low profile, ranked higher than them.
Naruto, despite being dead last in the class, thought the three of them were kind of hopeless—which really said something.
Riku’s indifference left Ino deeply frustrated.
At that moment, Hinata stood in front of Riku, glanced at the seat next to him, and asked shyly, "R-Riku-kun... c-can I sit next to you?"
Her face immediately turned scarlet.
Riku didn’t give it much thought. "Do whatever you want."
His mindset was far more mature than that of Hinata or Ino.
After receiving his permission, Hinata was overjoyed.
She gently sat beside him, her face growing redder and redder as she caught the faint scent of Riku’s presence. She nearly fainted on the spot.
Ino looked at Hinata and sighed. "Come on, Hinata. Have a little self-respect. Your face is as red as a tomato."
Hinata’s face was burning hot, practically steaming.
Riku glanced at Ino. "Do you still have something to say? If not, go back to your seat—you’re too loud."
Ino frowned. "Why can Hinata sit next to you, but I can’t?"
Hinata’s heart fluttered. At least this proved that in Riku’s eyes, she and Ino were not the same.
Riku casually plugged his ears with his fingers and looked at Ino. The gesture was unmistakably dismissive.
Ino felt embarrassed. "I—If I don’t want to go back, I’ll sit right here. The teacher never said we had to sit in assigned seats."
Riku shook his head. "Sit wherever you like, but can you please be quiet? You’re really loud."
Ino wanted to retort, but stopped herself at the last second. She didn’t want to be called noisy again.
Hinata was overjoyed. So Riku-kun doesn’t like girls who talk too much...
She felt reassured, thinking that she was naturally quiet.
Normally, no one ever sat next to Riku.
He was a bit of a loner in class, with very few friends. After school, he always went to the training grounds to watch the older shinobi practice.
He never joined the other kids in their after-school antics.
As a result, Riku didn’t really have any friends in class.
But now, not only had Ino taken a seat beside him, even Hinata was sitting close.
Though most of the class hadn’t noticed yet, a few had.
Shikamaru, for example, had been dozing at his desk. When he noticed Ino chatting beside Riku and even sitting next to him, he blinked in surprise. "What the heck is Ino doing?"
"Why is she sitting next to that guy?"
Shikamaru didn’t know Riku well and naturally referred to him as "that guy."
Chōji paused mid-chew, looked over, and chuckled. "Maybe Ino likes him? She’s always into good-looking guys. Maybe she’s moved on to a new target."
"Riku’s not bad-looking, honestly. It’s not strange if Ino likes him."
But Shikamaru wasn’t convinced.
Ino had always been into Sasuke—not just because he was handsome, but also because he ranked number one in class.
That second reason mattered even more.
Without it, good looks alone weren’t enough to hold her attention.
So there had to be something more to Riku.
Meanwhile, Kiba was equally curious.
"Hinata’s always been shy and quiet—why would she suddenly sit next to that guy? That’s seriously weird."
"What do you think, Akamaru?"
Akamaru, resting on Kiba’s head, barked softly in agreement.
Riku noticed Kiba’s inquisitive stare but didn’t care much.
Looks like I need to be more careful with showing my abilities. It’s only been a few days, and I’m already attracting attention from all sides...
He made a mental note to keep a lower profile from now on.
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