Time flies.
More than eight months had passed since Jiang Mo began the new training regimen assigned by Orochimaru.
Shiranui Riku was now thirteen years old—and currently standing along the coastline of the Land of Fire.
Orochimaru had accepted a C-rank mission for Riku: eliminate pirates who had landed along the coast and were infiltrating the Land of Fire.
Littered beside Riku were numerous headless bodies—pirates, all of them.
What caught Riku by surprise was that some of these pirates were actually ninjas. That was never part of the mission briefing. A C-rank mission shouldn't have involved enemy shinobi at all.
Yet now, a short distance ahead, stood three individuals—clearly not pirates. They were ninjas. All of them capable of using ninjutsu.
During combat, Riku had realized it immediately: these three weren't ordinary criminals. Their movements, their chakra control, their tactics—it was all the work of trained shinobi. They weren't rogue pirates; they were enemy ninjas masquerading among them, likely attempting to infiltrate the Fire Nation.
Now, the three enemy ninjas looked tense, wary of the young boy who had just slaughtered a whole group of pirates single-handedly. Had they not stayed at the far edge of the group, disrupting Riku from a distance, they might have already met the same fate.
They realized it too: this boy was no ordinary Genin. They stood no chance.
The leader muttered under his breath, "Retreat."
They were going to run.
But Riku grinned—a cruel, bloodthirsty grin."I can't let you get away. You'll make excellent merit for me."
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
A crack of thunder, as if the air itself was being ripped apart. Riku became a streak of lightning—vanishing, then appearing in an instant beside the nearest ninja.
With a single swing, even the back of the blade sank deep into the man's flesh.
A scream tore from the enemy ninja as he crumpled like a ragdoll. His spine had been shattered.
Before the second enemy could react, Riku's fingers blurred through hand seals. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding with power.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Singing Technique!"
Four dragons of flame erupted from his mouth, hurtling toward the second ninja from all directions—top, bottom, left, and right.
The enemy moved quickly, forming his own seals:"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A great wall of water surged upward, successfully blocking the top and bottom flames. But the two dragons from the sides crashed through and detonated.
The explosion hurled the scorched ninja through the air like a burnt leaf.
Two down.
Only one remained—and he was running.
The final ninja had taken off at full speed, desperate to escape. He was already quite a distance away.
Riku calmly pointed his katana at the retreating man. The blade crackled with thunder, arcs of lightning writhing and roaring.
"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
A searing arc of lightning exploded from the blade like a thunderbolt, crossing the distance in an instant. It struck the fleeing enemy square in the back.
The man convulsed violently, smoke pouring from his twitching body. His hair stood on end, and he dropped to the ground—defeated.
Riku calmly ended the sword form, preventing the residual lightning from shocking him as well.
Three enemy ninjas. None of them stood a chance.
Riku dragged the three unconscious ninjas together. Then, forming another hand seal, he slammed his palm into the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, a large white snake materialized before him.
Its voice was cold and respectful:"Lord Riku."
Riku gestured to the unconscious enemies. "White Snake, swallow them into your stomach."
At the mention of food, the white snake's voice changed immediately—it became gleeful, even affectionate."Oh~ Lord Riku, you're so thoughtful! You knew I was hungry and brought me a gift. I really do love you~"
Riku rolled his eyes.
Typical.
The snake had no personality until it heard the word food.
The snake slithered forward and opened its massive maw, ready to devour the three defeated shinobi.
But Riku raised a hand."Hold on. These three aren't snacks. I still have use for them. You're just storing them temporarily. Eat the other corpses instead."
The white snake stopped abruptly, clearly displeased."What? Lord Riku, are you playing with my emotions? What's the point if I can't eat them?!"
Riku picked the snake up and gave it a flat look."Are you really that picky? If not you, I can summon someone else from Ryūchi Cave."
The snake groaned in protest."Fine, fine! I'll do it, okay? What kind of summon gets treated like a delivery bag..."
Grumbling, it began devouring the pirate corpses. The bodies disappeared rapidly—but strangely, the snake's body didn't swell at all.
Riku watched with mild curiosity."You're eating all those bodies... and your belly's still flat?"
The snake replied nonchalantly, "My digestive juices dissolve flesh almost instantly. As for the three you want to keep, I'll store them in a part of my body without acid."
Riku nodded in understanding.
"Good. Don't forget—I'll be summoning you again for them later."
Once all the bodies were cleared, the white snake opened its maw again and swallowed the three unconscious ninjas. This time, its abdomen swelled visibly.
With a puff of smoke, the summon vanished—returning to Ryūchi Cave with its cargo.
Riku turned toward Konoha and began the journey back.
Over the past eight months, Orochimaru had assigned Riku a C-rank mission almost every month. If it weren't for his official Genin status, Orochimaru would have long upgraded him to B-rank missions.
And over those months, Riku's power had evolved rapidly.
His command of chakra—especially lightning—had sharpened. But he also mastered fire-style techniques with startling efficiency, a testament to both Uchiha blood and his own focus.
He'd refined the Summoning Jutsu, dabbled in several of Orochimaru's forbidden techniques, and endured relentless training.
His Sharingan had evolved too. It now had two tomoe in each eye.
But that wasn't the most important change.
The most dramatic leap was in his chakra reserves.
Now, Riku's chakra volume was comparable to Kakashi's—with the Sharingan activated.
He was certain of the reason: the legacy of the Senju clan in his bloodline. That kind of chakra volume was rare, and Riku knew how to weaponize it.
He was no longer a promising Genin.
He was becoming a monster.