Orochimaru personally demonstrated the summoning technique by summoning a large blue snake.
The blue snake spoke in human language and bowed its head to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru instructed it, "Bring out the contract scroll."
The snake opened its mouth, its belly squirming as it regurgitated the summoning contract scroll of Ryuchi Cave.
Orochimaru looked at Shiranui Riku and said, "Open the scroll, write your name in blood, and then press your bloodied handprint with your dominant hand. That will complete your contract with Ryuchi Cave."
Riku opened the sticky, aged scroll. The last name on it was Orochimaru. No one else had signed.
Biting his finger, Riku wrote his name and pressed a bloodied handprint beside it. With the contract signed, he handed the scroll back to the blue snake.
The snake swallowed the scroll again and respectfully said, "Lord Orochimaru, Lord Riku, I will now return to Ryuchi Cave."
With a puff of smoke, the snake vanished.
Orochimaru tossed another scroll to Riku. "My secret techniques are recorded here. Study them on your own. If you run into anything confusing, write it down. I'll return every half-month to answer your questions."
He continued, outlining Riku's training schedule. "Continue your physical fitness and reflex training in the mornings. You don't need to waste time on low-level ninjutsu anymore."
"Now that you've acquired the Uchiha clan's Fire Style techniques, focus on mastering those. I glanced over the scrolls—techniques like the Great Fire Dragon and Great Fire Annihilation require mastery over the form and nature transformations of fire chakra.
"You've already practiced transforming lightning chakra, so I won't teach that again. Work it out yourself.
"In the afternoon, add summoning practice. Once you've mastered summoning, start learning my secret techniques. Manage your time wisely."
Orochimaru had full confidence in Riku. Riku's dedication and discipline required no encouragement. Though the training load had increased, he was fully motivated. With this new plan, Riku knew his progress would accelerate.
"Alright," Orochimaru said, turning. "Begin training on your own from here. I've got matters to attend to. If you urgently need me, come to the Hokage Building. Once you master summoning, the snakes can find me."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sensei."
After Orochimaru left, Riku immediately began following his new training regimen.
...
Uchiha Clan Compound.
After returning, Uchiha Fugaku immediately sought out his father, Uchiha Masaki.
Seeing him, Masaki eagerly asked, "Fugaku, how did it go? Riku must have accepted the scrolls and our gesture of goodwill, right?"
Before Fugaku could respond, Masaki spoke on, excitedly, "He must've been stunned. Those scrolls contain our Fire Style heritage! Not even Orochimaru could ignore that! And the Sharingan training guide is even more valuable. He must be thankful."
Fugaku's face darkened. "No, Father. Riku didn't accept our offering. He... he burned the scrolls."
Masaki froze, his expression shifting rapidly.
"You said he burned them?"
Fugaku nodded. "And he explicitly rejected our apology."
Masaki's fist slammed onto the table, shattering it.
"He's an abandoned child of our clan! Who does he think he is? He's not even aligned with the Hokage!"
Fury flushed Masaki's face, veins bulging on his neck. Fugaku, though equally angry, remained composed. Despite the Uchiha's stature, Riku had humiliated them.
Silence thickened the room, broken only by Masaki's heavy breathing. Eventually, he regained his composure.
Though furious, Masaki was still a patriarch. He needed clarity.
"If Riku is that shameless, we won't bother with him any longer. Fugaku, there's something else I need you to do."
Fugaku straightened. "Yes, Father."
Masaki spoke firmly. "Tomorrow, I'll call a clan meeting to discipline our people. From now on, I want you to monitor everyone—especially the troublemakers. Keep a close eye on them. If anyone steps out of line, report to me immediately. I'll handle them.
"We must begin reforming the Uchiha clan. If we delay, things could spiral out of control.
"Fugaku, I'm certain that within a year, war will break out in the ninja world. When it does, Konoha will need us. This war is our chance to reshape how others view our clan.
"But we must curb our arrogance. You know how our clansmen behave—if they win in war, their pride will become unbearable. We have to start changing that now.
"Otherwise, once the war ends, the Hokage might come after us.
"We cannot let the Uchiha legacy fall apart in our generation."
Fugaku bowed slightly. "Understood, Father. I will carry it out."
After Fugaku left, Masaki remained brooding over Riku.
But Masaki couldn't touch him.
Riku was protected by more than just Orochimaru—Sarutobi Hiruzen and even Uzumaki Mito backed him.
When Riku first returned to Konoha, Uzumaki Mito had proposed adopting him, only for Hiruzen to decline. Still, Riku was a Senju by blood, and Mito would surely stand behind him.
Now, Riku didn't care about the Uchiha at all. As he grew and deepened his ties with the Hokage faction, he could become a future adversary to the Uchiha.