Shiranui Riku had now settled into Orochimaru's underground base.Unbeknownst to him, however, the days ahead would be nothing short of a nightmare.
Orochimaru had already devised a comprehensive training regimen, but Riku had no idea just how brutal it would be.
The Nightmare Begins
Before dawn, Riku was startled awake by a snake slithering onto his bed.It wasn't just any snake—it spoke in human language, clearly a summoned beast of Orochimaru.
"Lord Riku, Master Orochimaru is waiting for you."
It was the first time a snake—or anyone, for that matter—had ever called him "Lord." It felt more eerie than flattering.
Riku hurried to Orochimaru's office, where the Sannin was already poring over a ninjutsu scroll.
"You're awake. Good. Let's begin. Follow me."
Orochimaru led him to a training ground deep within the underground facility. At its center, Orochimaru summoned a large swarm of snakes.
"This morning, we'll focus on taijutsu. You're not allowed to use lightning chakra to stimulate your body. Rely purely on your raw physical strength.Hit as many snakes as you can within one minute.You don't stop until I say so. Understood?"
Riku, still groggy and unfed, was caught off guard by the sudden intensity.But he took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'm ready, Orochimaru-sensei."
"Then let's begin. Countdown starts now."
Riku lunged forward, striking the snakes one by one.Each one vanished into smoke with a hit.
Orochimaru, now seated comfortably at the side, returned to reading his scroll as if this was a mundane affair.
One minute passed. Riku felt fine—it was just one minute, after all.
"Continue," Orochimaru said without even looking up.
Another minute.Then another.And another.
The words "continue" echoed endlessly.
Riku lost count of how many waves of snakes he'd fought.Eventually, he stopped waiting for Orochimaru's signal and just kept going minute by minute.
It started out easy—but hour by hour, fatigue set in.His limbs grew heavier. His strikes slower. His footwork sloppy.
He'd been at it since 5 a.m.It was now close to 10 a.m.—five full hours.
And still, it continued.
Bites began to land—fortunately, the snakes were non-venomous. If they hadn't been, he would've died several times by now.
After the first bite, Orochimaru finally gave permission to activate the Sharingan.
With the Sharingan's enhanced vision, it got a bit easier—briefly. But it didn't fix his stamina.And the snakes were still fast.
Orochimaru didn't say a word—he simply read his scroll as if Riku didn't even exist.
It was demoralizing.
At one point, distracted by exhaustion, Riku took another bite to the arm.
Just as he shook off the snake and was bracing for another round, Orochimaru's voice called out:
"We'll stop the taijutsu training here."
For once, Orochimaru's raspy tone sounded beautiful to Riku.
He collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.The drill seemed simple on the surface, but it tested every aspect: accuracy, concentration, stamina, speed—especially vision.
His eyes burned from the constant strain. His vision doubled. His body ached.
Orochimaru approached.
"Your issue is serious," he began."Your speed and stamina are entirely reliant on lightning chakra. Without it, you averaged 120 snakes per minute—roughly two per second.Not bad for your age group.But for someone who's set on mastering speed, that's far from enough.
"As for stamina—after one hour, your performance plummeted. In a real battle, your combat ability would sharply decline after that point.
"Your concentration was passable. You endured for two hours before losing focus and taking multiple bites.But your Sharingan usage was poor.
"The Sharingan enhances dynamic vision. Once activated, you shouldn't be focusing on just a few snakes—you should be reacting to all movements within your field of view.
"Your over-reliance on lightning chakra is holding you back.First, build a solid foundation in physical strength.Once your base is strong, lightning chakra will amplify your abilities even more.
"So starting tomorrow, we'll be adding strength training to your morning sessions."
Riku listened carefully, accepting every word without protest.Still, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself.
He'd thought he was doing well.But in Orochimaru's eyes, he was still far from where he needed to be.
I need to work harder… Much harder.
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sensei. I'll give it my all."
Orochimaru nodded.
"Come. Let's eat. We'll start ninjutsu training in the afternoon."
To Riku's surprise, Orochimaru prepared lunch himself—omelette rice, no less.
It looked delicious.And after a bite, it was delicious.
Riku felt confused. And impressed.
Even while eating, Orochimaru didn't stop studying his scrolls. He truly was a ninjutsu maniac.
Afternoon Training
The afternoon was no easier.
In fact, ninjutsu training was arguably harder.
Since Riku only knew Thunder Breathing at the time, Orochimaru began by teaching him four basic C-rank jutsu—one each for lightning, fire, water, and earth.
Riku practiced relentlessly, burning through chakra over and over.
Once depleted, he'd sit down, meditate, and refine more chakra—only to resume training immediately after.
These short chakra refinement breaks were his only rest periods.
The intense session finally wrapped up around 6 p.m.
After a few tired bites of dinner, Riku collapsed onto his bed like a corpse.
He had nothing left in him to give.
His body was wrecked from physical training.His chakra was drained from ninjutsu.Even his spirit felt wrung out.
And the worst part?
This was only Day One.
Thinking about the days ahead made Riku shudder.