Conquering Orochimaru!

In the southern forest of the Land of Fire, outside one of Orochimaru's hideouts.

"Orochimaru-sama, all the test subjects have been dealt with..." Kabuto Yakushi, a young man, reported respectfully.

The man standing before him wore the ninja attire of the Hidden Leaf Village, with a Konoha forehead protector. His long black hair draped over his shoulders, his golden pupils were vertical slits, and purple eyeshadow extended to the sides of his nose. His skin was pale, and blue-green magatama-shaped earrings hung from his ears. He possessed an evil yet bewitching aura. It was none other than Orochimaru in his prime.

It was currently the end of Konoha's forty-seventh year. The Fourth Hokage had taken office, and Orochimaru had lost to Minato Namikaze in the contest for the position of Hokage. He had since secretly devoted himself to human experimentation, though he had yet to defect.

"Danzo leaked word that ANBU has noticed the disappearances of ninjas in the village. It is about time we abandoned this hideout..." Orochimaru said hoarsely as he looked back toward the entrance.

"Hm?" Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his golden eyes toward the darkness beneath the distant trees.

"Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto looked puzzled.

"It seems we have a visitor..." Orochimaru licked his long tongue. "Subduing Shadow Snake Hands!!"

Hiss! Several venomous snake hands shot from beneath his sleeves toward the shadows beneath the trees!

Boom! Trees snapped in half, birds scattered, and dust billowed into the air.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at the dust cloud ahead.

"As expected of one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru..." Riu emerged from the dust completely unscathed.

Whoosh! The snake hands retracted into Orochimaru's sleeves. With one hand on his hip, he looked at Riu and said, "It seems you are not Konoha ANBU. State your identity."

Riu raised his head and revealed the Sharingan in his left eye to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's pupils abruptly lit up. "Hm? Uchiha eyes!"

Whoosh! At almost the same moment, Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique. His hand reached for Riu's left eye as he smiled. "What luck. A Sharingan delivered right to my door—I'll gladly take it!!"

Whoosh! Yet his body passed right through Riu, as if he had penetrated him. The smile froze on his face. "What!? What was that just now...?"

"Orochimaru-sama, behind you!!" Kabuto cried out in alarm.

Riu's hand had already landed on Orochimaru's shoulder.

Buzz! The Three-Tomoe Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan. Three pinwheels symbolized the power of Kamui!

Whoosh! A Kamui Vortex appeared, twisting Orochimaru's body and dragging him into the Space-Time Dimension...

"This is a Space-Time Dimension ocular technique!!" Orochimaru was horrified. He made a snap decision, opened his mouth wide, and an arm crawled out, followed by his body. Covered in slime, he landed on the ground, his feet transforming into a snake tail as he darted away.

After pulling away, he stared at Riu as if facing a powerful enemy. All trace of frivolity had vanished from his expression, replaced by utter gravity.

Riu looked at the shriveled skin in his hand and sighed. "As expected, he is quite troublesome. He will not be so easy to catch..."

This technique for escaping Kamui's pull was Orochimaru's Substitution Technique, his signature skill. He used his outer body as a substitute and transferred his true self out through his mouth. It required no hand seals and was the most perfect Substitution Technique. Sasuke Uchiha had once used it to evade Amaterasu, while anyone other than Orochimaru would consume an enormous amount of Chakra to use it.

"Your eye does not seem to be an ordinary Sharingan! You have actually awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and it possesses a Space-Time Dimension ability. Since when did the Uchiha Clan produce someone like you? What is your name?" Orochimaru asked, wary yet respectful.

After pondering for a moment, Riu said, "My name is Uchiha Yu!"

"Then, Yu-kun, how much do you know about me?" Orochimaru asked meaningfully.

"I know you have been conducting human experiments and developing a power called the 'Cursed Seal,'" Riu said.

"You know so much about me. It seems I truly cannot allow you to live!" As Orochimaru spoke, he shot Kabuto, standing before the hideout, a look.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Kabuto launched a sneak attack. Blue Chakra formed a blade in his hand as he stabbed toward Riu's back.

"Trash should step aside first!" Riu kept his eyes forward as he reached behind himself, accurately seized Kabuto's arm, and kicked him in the abdomen.

"Argh!" Kabuto crashed through a cluster of trees and landed on the ground in a sorry state.

Orochimaru's expression grew solemn. "Kabuto may be a Medical Ninja, but his combat ability rivals that of a Jōnin. Yet he was defeated with taijutsu alone..."

"It seems you do not intend to have a proper conversation with me," Riu said.

"I have no desire to hand the fruits of my research over to someone as dangerous as you!" Orochimaru threw a shuriken, rapidly formed hand seals, and used the Shuriken Shadow Clone technique he had learned from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Bang, bang, bang! One became hundreds, then thousands, blotting out the sky as they flew toward Riu...

Of course, Orochimaru had not expected this move to defeat Riu. He merely wanted to probe Riu's abilities through a wide-ranging attack!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Without exception, the shuriken passed through Riu's body and struck the ground.

"Just as I thought, his body can be passed through. But to strike an opponent, he seemingly has to become tangible. Only by targeting the instant when both sides attack and kill each other can I succeed. Kabuto has been taken down. If I want to lure him into attacking, I can only summon that one..."

Worthy of the title of Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru had essentially figured out Riu's abilities after such a brief test. He bit his finger, formed the hand seals of boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram, then pressed both hands against the ground.

Summoning Technique: Manda!

Boom!!

Amid a massive cloud of smoke, Manda appeared. Its colossal body coiled upward, towering dozens of meters high.

Manda's terrifying vertical pupils looked down at Riu below. Facing Orochimaru atop its head, it roared, "Damn it, Orochimaru! You dared summon me to deal with a mere human!? Believe it or not, I'll swallow you whole!"

Orochimaru said, "He is no ordinary human. He possesses the power of the Sharingan and can use an exceptionally troublesome ocular technique. Even I cannot help but feel somewhat uneasy fighting him alone..."

"Hm?" Upon hearing that, Manda scrutinized Riu again. "Looking closely, his eyes really are unusual. They give me a deeply unpleasant feeling..."

"Send me a hundred living sacrifices afterward, or I'll swallow you whole!" Manda snarled as its enormous body shot forward with astonishing agility.

Boom! Boom!

Manda's head smashed the spot where Riu had been standing into a massive crater.

He leaped into the air, formed hand seals, and puffed out his chest.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!

Roar! A massive fireball erupted, engulfing Manda...

After half a year of training, the Great Fireball Technique Riu unleashed was no weaker than his previous Storm Chaos Dance!

As the flames dispersed, they revealed a charred empty shell that was still peeling away and breaking apart. It had shed its skin.

Riu looked at the hole beneath the collapsing snakeskin. "Did its true body burrow underground?"

Rumble!!

The ground shook. Manda's enormous tail burst from the earth, while its head emerged some distance away. Baring its fangs, it lunged at Riu, only to pass straight through his body!

"What!! Who the hell is this brat!?" Manda cried in bafflement.

Riu flashed to Manda's side, formed hand seals, and slammed his hands against the earth.

Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More than a dozen huge, sharp rocks erupted beneath Manda's coiled body, piercing it and leaving it covered in wounds!!

"Now!!" At that moment, Orochimaru atop Manda's head formed hand seals.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless snake heads burst out of the ground. Every snake spat a Kusanagi Sword from its mouth and stabbed toward Riu.

"He targeted the moment I become tangible to use a technique. No choice..." Riu muttered. Wooden buds sprouted from his left arm, growing into towering trees. Their trunks intertwined and became covered in chaotic spikes, shredding every descending snake body.

Orochimaru was completely stunned. "Wood... Wood Release? You possess the powers of both Uchiha and the Senju Clan!!"

"Damn you, Orochimaru! If you are still alive next time, I'll settle this score with you then!" The injured Manda cursed before vanishing in a puff of white smoke.

Crack! Riu twisted his body, separating his left arm from the trees. Smack! The vortex mask woven from Tobi opened, revealing Riu's face—and the other Mangekyo Sharingan hidden beneath the mask!

Both Mangekyo Sharingan housed the power of Kamui. The right eye's Kamui specialized in defense. When actively used, it could draw himself and external objects into another dimension. It also possessed an absurdly powerful passive ability: without any conscious control, the moment his body was attacked, it would automatically transfer into the other dimension, rendering him immune to all damage!

The left eye's Kamui specialized in offense. It could launch long-range attacks and distort the space where his gaze focused. Nothing could resist this power of Kamui—not even the Ten-Tails!

Buzz! The Mangekyo pattern in Riu's left eye spun, focusing on Orochimaru's right arm!

Kamui!!

Crack!!

Space twisted, and one of Orochimaru's arms was violently torn off and sucked into the other dimension!!

"Urgh!!" Orochimaru clutched the bleeding stump of his arm and looked at Riu in disarray, about to use the Substitution Technique to restore it.

"You can spit out a brand-new version of yourself, but next time, this ocular technique will twist off your neck!" As Riu's cold warning rang out, Orochimaru stopped resisting.

Because Orochimaru knew that before those eyes, all resistance was futile. If Riu had wanted to, he would already be dead!

"What is your purpose?" Orochimaru asked.

"The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju—not an inferior imitation, but his true power!" Riu said gravely.

Orochimaru's pupils trembled. After a long while, he lowered his head. From the shadows across his face came an enlightened laugh. "Heh heh heh, hahahahaha! So that is it!"

He raised his head, licked his long tongue, and stared at Riu with blazing golden vertical pupils. In a low, hoarse voice, he said, "It seems I am not the only one attempting to approach that realm. Without a doubt, you have already walked ahead of me. Since our goals are the same, very well, Yu-kun... allow me to lend you a hand!"