Orochimaru blasted Shiranui Riku away, remarking critically on his lack of situational reflexes and his failure to capitalize on multiple openings.
To better track Orochimaru's movements, Riku activated his Sharingan, focusing intently on his opponent.
Orochimaru, wielding a kunai, charged directly at Riku.
"Thunder Breathing: Third Form - Mosquitoes Gather as Thunder!"
Riku launched his attack, spinning around Orochimaru at high speed, trailing blue lightning in his wake. But he quickly sensed something was off.
When Orochimaru's body made contact with the lightning, it began crumbling, turning brown, and eventually collapsed into a pile of mud.
"A substitution jutsu?!" Riku was stunned. "When did he form the seal?"
He had been watching Orochimaru closely. But then it clicked—he remembered Orochimaru speaking, and realized his attention had briefly wavered.
Suddenly, hands shot up from the ground, grabbing Riku's ankles.
Looking down, a chill ran through him. Orochimaru was underground, yanking him downward.
Riku reacted instantly.
"Thunder Breathing: Second Form - Rice Soul!"
Five lightning-fast slashes erupted, carving into the earth around him. Riku escaped, but Orochimaru had already vanished beneath the surface.
Now on high alert, Riku didn't pursue. Chasing blindly would only expose him to traps. Defense and observation were the smarter play.
Even though Orochimaru wasn't going all out, the pressure was immense. The fight felt less like a test and more like survival. Riku focused on gaining insight from every moment, using the opportunity to find and fix his flaws.
Orochimaru's voice suddenly echoed from all directions.
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
A horde of snakes slithered from the surroundings, encircling Riku.
He gripped his sword tightly.
"Thunder Breathing: Third Form - Mosquitoes Gather as Thunder!"
Once again, he unleashed his high-speed spinning technique, lightning trailing behind, electrocuting the snakes in his path.
Simultaneously, his Sharingan scanned the area. Then, he spotted Orochimaru at the edge of the formation, arms folded, observing.
Riku halted suddenly.
He took a deep breath, summoning his chakra. The lightning on his blade intensified, crackling louder, glowing brighter.
"Thunder Breathing: Fifth Form - Heat Realm Thunder!"
He swung his sword with all his might, releasing a searing lightning slash aimed directly at Orochimaru.
Startled, Orochimaru activated his body flicker technique, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The Heat Thunder hit a massive tree behind him. The tree exploded into flames, the blast gouging a crater into the earth.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
This technique surpassed all of Riku's previous moves in power and speed.
But it clearly drained him. Riku was now hunched over, hand on his thigh, breathing heavily.
Despite his chakra having reached roughly three-fifths of Kakashi's in his Sharingan state, the energy cost of the Fifth Form was immense. At most, he could unleash it three or four times in his current condition.
And the more chakra he poured into it, the more powerful it became.
Riku had increased the output specifically because he saw an opening when Orochimaru emerged from the snake formation. It was a gamble to catch him off guard.
Even so, Orochimaru had evaded it.
Now walking calmly toward Riku, Orochimaru asked, "You've come this far already?"
Riku couldn't read his tone. Was it approval? Disappointment? He straightened up.
"I still have chakra left for one final technique."
"Is that so? Go ahead," Orochimaru replied, standing still.
Riku sheathed his blade and assumed a low stance.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Is this the stance for Thunder Breathing: First Form? You should know it has a glaring weakness. It won't work on me."
Electricity crackled along Riku's arms and legs. "No, this is different."
"Oh? Then show me."
Orochimaru was intrigued. He had already studied the full Thunder Breathing sword forms that Riku had submitted to Konoha. It was an excellent system of techniques. However, among the seven forms, only the First Form began with that stance.
Some Lightning Release users had also adopted it since then, but none displayed Riku's fluidity or power.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen had originally classified the first five Thunder Breathing forms as B-rank. But now, witnessing them firsthand, Orochimaru realized that Riku's execution elevated them to A-rank, especially the Heat Realm Thunder.
He stared intently at Riku, curious to see how he had altered the First Form.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderbolt Flash..."
Riku exploded forward like a bolt of lightning, closing in on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru frowned. It looked identical to the original form.
But when he attempted to dodge with the body flicker technique, Riku's Sharingan locked onto him.
"Sixth Combination!"
Riku pivoted mid-charge by planting his feet against a tree trunk, redirecting his momentum to slash at Orochimaru again.