After Orochimaru praised Riku for a while, he began to point out some of the problems he noticed.
"First of all, your hand seal speed needs improvement. In a battle between evenly matched shinobi, the difference often comes down to who can perform hand seals faster. If you're too slow, you'll lose the initiative and be forced into a defensive position. So, starting tomorrow, we're adding dedicated hand seal training to your regimen."
He paused, then continued, "That's the main issue. The rest are minor weaknesses that showed up during regular training. Keep working on those when you get back. Overall, though, you're doing well. Because there were so many problems before, we've had to postpone summoning practice. But once you've cleaned up these smaller flaws, you'll be ready to sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave. Then, you can begin learning summoning techniques and some of my personal secret arts."
Riku's eyes lit up with interest at the mention of Orochimaru's secret techniques. He had been waiting for this moment. "Yes, Master Orochimaru!" he answered with excitement.
Orochimaru placed a hand on Riku's shoulder, his voice suddenly lowering into something more personal and cryptic. "Riku, I know what's on your mind. Konoha is a prison to you. You're chasing power so desperately because you want to break free. Sooner or later, you'll leave Konoha…"
"Master Orochimaru…" Riku frowned, about to speak up in protest, but Orochimaru continued as if he hadn't heard him.
"I've said it before—we're the same kind of people. I want to master all the jutsu in existence, but this body… it's a limitation, a cage, just like Konoha is to you. I will do anything to be free of it. That's why I understand you."
A gust of wind blew through, lifting their hair. Orochimaru turned his gaze to the brilliant full moon in the sky, his voice hoarse yet strangely entrancing.
"I expect great things from you. As my disciple, I want to see just how far this wind will carry you."
Riku looked at Orochimaru in confusion, not sure what he meant. Regardless, he felt the need to respond, to declare his loyalty. "Master Orochimaru, I will always be a shinobi of Konoha."
Orochimaru turned and looked at him, smiling faintly, but something behind his eyes felt… unreadable.
At that time, Orochimaru himself was in a state of inner turmoil.
He had watched his friend Kato Dan and his student Nawaki die during the Second Shinobi World War. Especially Nawaki—although his personality was more like Jiraiya's, full of passion and idealism—he had been Orochimaru's favorite pupil. Nawaki rushed to the battlefield with youthful ambition, only to be killed by an explosive trap laid in advance.
By the time Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived, it was too late. Nawaki's internal organs were torn apart. Even Tsunade, the most skilled in medical ninjutsu, couldn't save him.
Faced with the brutal loss of someone he genuinely cared for, Orochimaru began questioning the meaning of life itself. The war had laid bare the fragility of human existence.
But Orochimaru also believed that the human body contained untapped potential. Only by learning every ninjutsu in existence could one uncover the true secrets of the world. Yet even with a lifetime, mastering all of them was impossible. And so, he came to see his body not as a gift—but a burden.
He had already begun to take action. Orochimaru killed the guards and infiltrated Konoha's forbidden jutsu archives, stealing countless scrolls. Among them was one technique that particularly fascinated him—Impure World Reincarnation, a forbidden jutsu that could summon the souls of the dead back into the living world.
Though he hadn't yet mastered it, it gave him a new insight: the soul.
If the soul was the true essence of a person and the body merely a vessel, then perhaps… if he could transfer his soul into a new body, he could attain immortality.
Right now, these were still theories. But putting them into practice would require something taboo: human experimentation.
That, however, was absolutely forbidden in Konoha—and indeed, throughout the shinobi world. It was a violation of both ethics and humanity, and even more so for someone like Orochimaru, a direct disciple of the Third Hokage.
He realized now that he wasn't just imprisoned by his physical form—he was shackled by laws, traditions, and expectations.
If he weren't a Hokage's pupil… if he weren't a leaf shinobi… he could have already conducted those experiments freely.
But for now, Orochimaru hesitated.
Then came Riku.
At first, Orochimaru had only taken him in to honor Hiruzen Sarutobi's request—to see if Riku was worthy of apprenticeship.
Riku had turned out to be incredibly gifted. A true genius. But what made Orochimaru fully accept him wasn't just talent—it was something else he saw in Riku's eyes.
That same look Orochimaru once had during the war.
A look that said: I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goal.
Orochimaru recalled a time during the Second Shinobi War, when he, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were trapped in a cave, surrounded by Iwagakure shinobi. Jiraiya was badly wounded—so badly that Orochimaru believed he wouldn't survive and would only hold them back.
He was fully prepared to kill Jiraiya himself.
Tsunade had called him a monster for even suggesting it. But she was right—he was a man who would sacrifice anything and anyone to win.
That's who Orochimaru had always been.
If he were still that person, nothing would stop him from carrying out human experiments now.
Looking at Riku was like looking into a mirror—his past self, reborn in someone else.
And that fascinated Orochimaru.
He wanted to see how far this version of himself would go. Would Riku follow the wind all the way to greatness—or stop halfway?
Riku could feel the pressure in Orochimaru's gaze. He had no idea what his master was thinking.
Orochimaru turned away from him and spoke in a softer voice.
"Don't concern yourself with my thoughts. Just follow your own path. I won't stand in your way. In fact, I'll help you. Because you're my student. I will train you to become a wind that can cut through the sky."
Riku stared at Orochimaru's back, his heart tangled with confusion.
Something about Orochimaru had changed. There was a different tone to the way he addressed him now.
Because you're my disciple.
The words struck a strange chord in Riku. Did Orochimaru truly mean them?
Could someone as cold and calculating as him really view a student as anything more than a tool?
He didn't know. And for now, he didn't ask.
One thing was certain—Orochimaru knew Riku's true thoughts. He knew that, one day, Riku would leave Konoha.
But since he had said, "Go with your own plan," that meant—for the time being—Riku didn't have to fear anyone uncovering his true intentions.