Seeing Uzumaki Kushina being bullied and crying, Shiranui Riku's blood rushed to his head.
He had sworn an oath to protect Kushina's smile!
Riku's eyes turned bloodshot as he slightly hunched his body, concentrating his Lightning Chakra.
The Genin, who had initially looked down on Riku, suddenly changed his expression upon seeing the lightning flash around him. As a Genin, he had only mastered a single C-rank ninjutsu so far. The sight of lightning surging all over Riku's body showed that this was a high-level technique.
No longer daring to be careless, the Genin released Kushina's hair and quickly formed hand seals.
"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!"
A sharp spike pierced the ground, shooting upward, but it was too slow. There was only one, and Riku dodged it with a simple step back.
Riku used his left thumb to push open the sword guard, unsheathing his blade slightly.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderbolt Flash!"
As soon as the word "flash" left his mouth, Riku vanished in a bolt of lightning and rushed at the Genin.
First came the thunderclap. Then a flash of blue light. Then silence.
The Genin coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Big Brother!"
The brat who had started everything widened his eyes in shock. His brother was lying there, bleeding.
Then he heard the crackling of thunder behind him.
Turning his head, he saw Riku holding Kushina, his eyes glowing red with rage.
The brat trembled and sat down in fear.
The Genin, too, looked at Riku in disbelief. He had been struck with the back of the blade, yet his chest had caved in, and several ribs were broken. The Lightning Chakra had numbed his body.
This boy wasn't even a ninja yet—still in school—and he had mastered such a powerful technique?!
Kushina, held in Riku's arms, stared up at him in awe. Though terrifying to his enemies, to her, he looked heroic.
Her heart pounded. An unfamiliar warmth spread through her chest.
Riku said in a low voice, "Kushina, wait here for me."
He gently laid her on the ground, drew his katana again, and walked toward the trembling Genin and brat.
They scrambled backward.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
"It's against the village rules to attack your comrades!"
Riku's face twisted with fury. "Oh, now you care about the rules? What were you doing to Kushina just now? Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'm just going to break all your limbs."
Just as he was about to strike, a kunai whistled toward him.
Riku knocked it aside with his blade and looked toward the direction it came from.
Namikaze Minato stood on a tree branch. "That's enough, Riku. They've been punished."
Riku's voice was cold. "You've been watching this whole time?"
Minato didn't answer.
He had followed Kushina because he liked her and wanted to talk with her. But he hesitated when he saw her being attacked by a Genin.
Minato got along with everyone. He hadn't defended the brat before when Kushina beat him up. Now, he hesitated to help her again.
Riku scoffed. "You saw her being bullied, did nothing, and now you want to protect them when I retaliate? Namikaze Minato, you're a real piece of work."
Minato tried to explain. "No, it's not like that!"
Riku pointed at the kunai. "You threw a real kunai at me. What kind of explanation do you have for that?"
Minato's heart sank. "That kunai isn't mine! It's the one he used against Kushina earlier—it's still stuck in the tree!"
Riku's face darkened further. "He used a real kunai on Kushina?!"
He reversed his blade—no longer the back but the cutting edge.
"Then I'll cut off all your arms and legs."
With a burst of speed, he charged again.
Minato panicked. "Oh no! He's serious this time!"
He intercepted Riku mid-strike, blocking the katana with the recovered kunai.
The Genin sobbed in fear. If not for Minato, he would've lost a leg.
Minato shouted, "Riku! You'll be punished too if you hurt them!"
Riku, eyes bloodshot, growled, "So what? They tried to stab Kushina. You stood by. Now you want to act righteous? Move aside. If you help them again, I'll take you down too!"
Minato tried reasoning. "They're from our village! They're our comrades!"
Riku sneered. "Oh, so they're your comrades, but Kushina isn't, right? Fine. That makes you my enemy too!"
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Soul!"
In an instant, Riku unleashed five lightning-shaped slashes.
Minato's hair stood on end. Only his extraordinary reflexes saved him—he rolled away just in time.
Getting back up, Minato's thoughts raced. He had suspected Riku was fast. But now, after facing him directly, he realized—
Riku's speed was beyond anything he had ever imagined.