After Riku completed the mission to eliminate the bandits, Orochimaru didn't immediately escort him back to Konoha. Instead, he took Riku along to seek out the Daimyo of the Land of Rice.
However, Orochimaru didn't bring Riku to the meeting itself. He instructed Riku to stay behind at the hotel and rest.
Lying on the bed, Riku found himself lost in thought about Orochimaru's visit to the Daimyo.
In the future, Orochimaru would go on to establish the Hidden Sound Village—Otogakure—in the Land of Rice after leaving Konoha. He bribed the Daimyo of the Land of Rice to host the village, though Otogakure wasn't officially part of the Land's military. In fact, the two entities remained independent of each other.
That led Riku to wonder: Had Orochimaru already begun to form ties with the Daimyo of the Land of Rice?
Otherwise, how else could Orochimaru have pulled it off?
Well... in the end, maybe he didn't entirely succeed.
Still, he did manage to establish his own hidden village in the Land of Rice and developed the forbidden Reanimation Jutsu, which gave him something akin to eternal life.
Looking back on Orochimaru's life, much of it could be considered a success—until his obsession with the Sharingan ultimately brought about his downfall. Even then, he somehow managed to survive.
Orochimaru didn't return to the hotel that night. He came back the next morning, just after Riku woke up.
"Let's go. We're heading back to Konoha," he said.
Riku and Orochimaru set off on their journey home.
Upon arriving at the village, Orochimaru first accompanied Riku to complete the post-mission reporting process, and then the two went to meet with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and greeted Riku with warmth in his voice.
"Riku, your first official mission as a genin was ranked C, and you executed it admirably."
Riku bowed and said respectfully, "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama, and to Orochimaru-sensei for trusting me with the opportunity."
Hiruzen nodded, clearly pleased. "It's thanks to your own hard work. Orochimaru has spoken very highly of you—he says you're immensely talented and that you train with dedication."
Riku replied honestly, "It's all thanks to Orochimaru-sensei's guidance. Without him, I wouldn't have grown so quickly."
That was no exaggeration.
If it weren't for Orochimaru's personal training, Riku might still have been stuck making inefficient progress—expending twice the effort for half the results. Having the right teacher really did make all the difference.
Orochimaru had, without question, been putting his full effort into Riku's development.
Despite the lingering wariness Riku held towards Orochimaru, he was genuinely grateful.
So long as Orochimaru's future obsession with the Sharingan didn't involve him personally, Riku saw no immediate conflict between them. Who knows? Maybe even in the future, they could maintain their current teacher-student dynamic.
Orochimaru spoke up and praised Riku to Hiruzen: "Riku performed exceptionally. Even though it was his first real mission, he handled both the planning and execution with a maturity beyond his years. There are Chunin-ranked ninjas who couldn't have done as well."
Hiruzen took another long drag on his pipe, smiling. "This is the first time I've ever heard you speak about a student like that, Orochimaru. You must be very pleased with your disciple."
Orochimaru glanced at Riku and nodded with a rare, satisfied smile. "I am."
Hiruzen's expression shifted, turning more serious as he looked between the two of them. Without asking Riku to leave, he addressed Orochimaru directly.
"Orochimaru, there are signs the ninja world is heading toward conflict again."
Orochimaru's expression darkened. "Are the other villages beginning to make moves?"
Hiruzen unfurled a map across his desk. "Yes. Based on our intelligence, Iwagakure shinobi have been spotted along the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Fire. Meanwhile, Kumogakure has been seen near the Hot Springs border. As for Sunagakure, they've never really stopped stirring up trouble along our southwestern border."
"And Kirigakure?" Orochimaru asked, frowning.
"Their situation is still unclear," Hiruzen replied. "I've sent multiple diplomatic letters to the Mizukage but received no response."
Orochimaru folded his arms, thinking. "So Iwagakure and Kumogakure are testing us. If they're both doing it at the same time, they may already be coordinating. And if Sunagakure joins them... that's three of the five major villages turning their focus to Konoha."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, smoke curling into the air. "Exactly. I had hoped to form an alliance with Kirigakure, but at this rate, we're lucky if they don't side with the others. It's a precarious time."
Orochimaru leaned in to study the map. "How severe are the current incursions from Iwa and Kumo?"
"Minimal—for now," Hiruzen replied. "They haven't crossed into our borders in force yet. They're likely gauging our response, seeing how far they can push us. But if this trend continues, a direct breach won't be far off."
"I've assigned Sakumo to oversee the border between the Land of Waterfalls and Fire," Hiruzen continued. "Jiraiya is stationed near the border with the Hot Springs. He brought Minato along with him—figured the boy could use real combat experience."
"With those two in place, we should be safe from a full-scale invasion in the short term. But minor skirmishes? Within two years, they're inevitable."
His tone turned grim. "It's only been a few years since the Second Great Ninja War ended... and now it looks like the flames of another are already being stoked. This time, the target might be Konoha itself."
The First Ninja War had erupted after Hashirama Senju's death, sparked by tensions between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village. Hashirama's legacy had kept the peace during his lifetime, but once he passed, Kumo struck first. The other villages quickly followed suit.
The Second Ninja War, on the other hand, was driven by economic imbalance. As wealth and resources grew scarce, smaller nations resorted to violence, claiming it was for "fairness" or "territorial balance."
But this time... things were different.
Unlike the previous wars, which were mostly fought outside the Land of Fire, the next one looked like it would take place inside it.
If the other major villages coordinated an assault, Konoha and the Land of Fire would become the central battlefield—and would likely suffer catastrophic losses.
Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on the map, his expression hard to read.
Standing beside him, Riku listened to the entire exchange with growing concern.
Were things really that bad already?
But thinking carefully, the signs were there. The event where Kumogakure attempts to kidnap Kushina Uzumaki couldn't be far off now.
And that meant... the Third Great Ninja War might already be on the horizon.