Shiranui Riku followed Orochimaru to the Land of Hot Springs.
After several days of travel, they finally arrived at the Konoha ninja base situated near the border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Fire. The base was a scattered cluster of tents, with shinobi patrolling alertly.
Every ninja who saw Orochimaru bowed respectfully and greeted him, "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru didn't stop. He led Riku directly to the innermost tent.
Inside, Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze were already waiting.
Jiraiya's face lit up with surprise as Orochimaru entered. "Orochimaru, you finally made it. The old man said you'd be coming to reinforce us here in the Hot Springs territory. I feel relieved just seeing you."
Orochimaru skipped any small talk and got right to the point. "What's the current situation?"
Jiraiya's tone turned grim. "It's bad. Our forward positions have been steadily pushed back. We're nearly at the point where retreat is no longer an option."
Orochimaru walked to the sand table positioned in the center of the tent, and Jiraiya began briefing him on the battlefield conditions.
As Riku entered, his eyes immediately landed on Minato Namikaze.
It had been a few years since they last saw each other. Minato had changed a lot—taller, more composed, and carrying a sharper, more resolute presence. He now exuded a quiet but unmistakable intensity.
Minato was also studying Riku with equal curiosity. The changes in him were unmistakable as well.
Without a word, Riku moved closer to Orochimaru to get a look at the sand table.
Jiraiya continued his explanation: "It seems the Hidden Cloud Village has struck a deal with the Hot Springs Daimyō. Many of their shinobi are now stationed here.
The border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Fire is long. Our forces are spread thin, too thin. Right now, we're barely keeping the Cloud Ninja from crossing into Fire Nation territory.
And to make matters worse, they've stationed reinforcements in the Land of the Moon. If our strength falters here, those units will immediately move in to replace their losses.
If this trend continues, we'll be forced to fully retreat from the Land of Hot Springs and regroup inside Fire Nation borders."
Orochimaru frowned deeply as he stared at the battlefield layout.
He had expected the situation to be grim, but not this dire.
For days, Jiraiya had been weighed down by the constant stress of balancing frontline combat with logistics and command duties. He wasn't the kind of ninja to complain about battle—but strategic planning wasn't his strength.
With Orochimaru now on the scene, Jiraiya was more than happy to hand over the operational side of things to someone much more suited for it.
Orochimaru remained quiet, analyzing the table.
Jiraiya turned to Riku. "Hey, kid. Long time no see. Didn't expect you to end up as Orochimaru's disciple. He's notoriously picky, so you must be something special."
Riku bowed slightly. "It's been a while, Master Jiraiya."
That was all. After the brief greeting, he returned his attention to the battlefield map.
Seeing Riku's cold demeanor, Jiraiya chuckled under his breath. "Like master, like student. Both of you are icy as hell."
Riku's eyes were fixed on the Konoha flag on the sand table. His expression darkened.
The front line was right at the Fire Nation border. Any further retreat, and they'd be ceding territory directly inside the Land of Fire.
Orochimaru turned slightly toward Riku and asked, "Riku, what do you think we should do to turn this around?"
Everyone in the tent, including Jiraiya and Minato, was taken aback.
They hadn't expected Orochimaru to pose such a critical question to his young student.
But Orochimaru's intent was clear—this battlefield was a chance for Riku to shine. If he wanted to rise within the core of Konoha's hierarchy, now was the time to prove himself. Orochimaru was offering him the opportunity.
Riku furrowed his brows in thought.
Jiraiya leaned over and whispered to Orochimaru, "Isn't this a bit much for a kid?"
Orochimaru gave a small smirk. "Don't underestimate my student, Jiraiya. He's smarter than I am."
Jiraiya looked at Riku with skepticism. "Is that so...?"
Several minutes passed before Riku finally spoke.
Orochimaru asked again, "Well, Riku?"
"I have an idea. It might not be perfect, but..."
"Say it," Orochimaru encouraged. "I'll decide whether it's viable."
Riku nodded and turned to Jiraiya. "Before I share it, I want to ask a question, Master Jiraiya. Would it be fair to say the main reason our forces haven't completely fallen back into Fire Nation territory... is you?"
Jiraiya scratched his chin. "Well... not to brag, but yes, I'd say that's a factor. Being one of the Legendary Sannin does carry some weight."
Riku began analyzing calmly: "From my perspective, the Hidden Cloud Village isn't fully prepared to go to war with us. Otherwise, with the disparity in numbers, they'd have already broken through and forced us back.
Your presence here, Master Jiraiya, is a declaration. You represent Konoha's will to defend this territory. If they take you down, they know Konoha will respond with overwhelming force.
Now, we also know that the Hidden Cloud Village has partnered with Iwagakure. If we were to send reinforcements here, it would leave us vulnerable to Iwa's forces. That puts the Cloud Village in an awkward position—they'd have to shoulder most of the burden while Iwa sits back comfortably.
So, I believe the Hidden Cloud Village is maintaining the illusion of pressure without committing to actual escalation. They're trying to exhaust us slowly.
Then, once full-scale war breaks out, they'll exploit our weakened defenses and launch a direct assault on the Land of Fire."
Jiraiya's expression turned solemn as Riku laid out his theory.
What he said made sense.
There was a significant imbalance in numbers. The Hidden Cloud could have easily crushed their positions. But they didn't.
And now, since pulling back to the border, Cloud's attacks had oddly slowed.
Riku's assessment seemed eerily accurate: the Hidden Cloud was deliberately holding the situation at a simmer—not boiling over—until the moment was right.