Naruto: Lost to Hinata on Purpose, and Now Everything's a Mess Chapter 91 91 : Choose RyūChi Cave

Standing in the central tower, all the other shinobi looked at Riku. During the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, most participants had deliberately avoided him—including Gaara. Not because they didn't want to fight, but because they didn't dare risk making a mistake in the second test.

Though Gaara had always wanted to defeat Riku, he had forcibly restrained himself.

He sensed that Riku's strength was equal to his own. If the two of them were to clash, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion. That kind of battle would likely provoke Shukaku's power to awaken prematurely, alerting Konoha before the invasion even began.

Letting a Jinchūriki go berserk in the enemy's village would basically be an open declaration of war.

Allied or not, it wouldn't matter between Konoha and Sunagakure.

The others looked at Riku simply because, during the second exam, he had separated from Sasuke.

They could guess the reason—likely a strategy to ensure safety by splitting up.

After waiting a while, the Third Hokage finally arrived with a group of Konoha Jōnin.

Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi, Might Guy, Anko Mitarashi, and Ibiki Morino—virtually all the active Jōnin and Special Jōnin of Konoha—had gathered.

Anko spotted Riku standing among the crowd and gave him a small smile.

Ever since their previous conversation, she'd beco much more familiar with him.

The Third Hokage's gaze also lingered on Riku. To have escaped from Orochimaru… that alone spoke volus. Riku's strength must be close to Kakashi's level.

Still, the old Hokage wasn't sure whether Orochimaru had let Riku go on purpose—or whether he had truly been bested.

But the second possibility seed far less likely. Orochimaru was, after all, his own student. He knew the extent of Orochimaru's power better than anyone. If Orochimaru had wanted to kill Kakashi back then, Kakashi would've been dead.

Soone like Orochimaru wouldn't have had much trouble killing Kakashi.

And the Third Hokage didn't believe that Riku had surpassed Kakashi—at least, not yet.

Standing before the assembled genin, the Third Hokage explained the rules and purpose of the final phase of the exam, then began the lottery draw.

When Riku drew his number, it turned out not to correspond to anyone.

As expected, he had a bye for this round.

No opponent.

Holding the numbered tag, Riku looked up at the Third Hokage standing above.

The Hokage t his gaze and smiled knowingly.

It was obvious—this was intentional. The Third Hokage clearly wanted Riku to advance straight to the finals.

Riku wasn't particularly pleased. While he had no desire to bully weaker opponents, getting a bye did leave a sour taste.

Still, he walked up to the observation deck on the second floor and leaned against the railing, watching the matches below with a bored expression.

Beside him, Kakashi said with a smile, "Lord Hokage probably arranged it this way on purpose. You're too strong—it puts too much pressure on the other candidates."

Riku nodded and replied calmly, "It doesn't really matter to . I wasn't interested in these fights anyway. Honestly, it just saves the trouble."

Kakashi chuckled. "I heard you ran into Orochimaru in the Forest of Death?"

The Third Hokage had already briefed Konoha's Jōnin about the situation.

When Kakashi had heard the news, he'd gone straight to Anko to ask about Riku's condition.

Anko wasn't sure how much Kakashi knew about Riku's strength, so she'd simply brushed it off and said Riku was fine—without ntioning that he'd actually defeated Orochimaru.

Riku smirked. "So Anko-sensei told you, huh?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah."

Riku's eyes shifted to Orochimaru's newly possessed body among the crowd.

He laughed quietly. "Yeah, I fought him. I defeated him, but I only managed to destroy the body he was possessing. He must've reincarnated since then. His jutsu is absolutely revolting."

Kakashi's eye widened. "You… killed him?"

Riku remained calm. "I wouldn't say I killed Orochimaru himself. I killed the host he was using at the ti. But yeah, I can feel his soul still lingering through the curse mark. He's not truly dead. As long as he chooses to, he can reincarnate using any of the curse marks he's placed on people."

"The curse seal on Anko has part of his soul in it."

"But I did kill the host he was possessing."

Kakashi was stunned. "He's one of the Legendary Sannin..."

Riku looked at him and smiled faintly. "Yeah. Legendary Sannin. But his strength isn't as terrifying as everyone imagines."

Kakashi gave a bitter smile. "Easy for you to say. For most people, the Sannin are in a league of their own. Still, judging by your strength… you might've already surpassed Lord Third. If you really did kill Orochimaru's host, then I'm not surprised."

Though surprised at first, Kakashi couldn't deny it. After seeing how calm Riku was, it all made sense.

Then Riku seed to rember sothing. "Anko-sensei said if I pass the Chūnin Exams, she'll give the Summoning Scroll for Ryūchi Cave. What do you think, Kakashi-sensei? Should I form a Summoning Contract with Ryūchi Cave?"

In truth, many shinobi attempted to sign contracts with the Summoning Beasts of the Three Great Holy Lands each year. But few ever succeeded.

Most ended up like Anko—able to summon basic snakes, like Lion Majesty. But summoning soone like Manda? That was reserved for a Sannin-level shinobi.

Riku didn't consider that a problem. He was more concerned about which Summoning Beast would be compatible with him.

He considered the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, the slugs of the Shikkotsu Forest, and the toads of Mount Myōboku—but dismissed the last option quickly.

He didn't like toads.

In fact, he didn't particularly like any of the beasts from the Three Great Holy Lands.

But outside of those, there weren't many Summoning Beasts powerful enough to help him deal with truly dangerous enemies.

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Ryūchi Cave? She said she'd give you that?"

Riku nodded. "She said once I pass the Chūnin Exams, she'll give the Ryūchi Cave scroll."

Kakashi fell into thought. There was no doubt that Riku would pass—no one in this year's exam could challenge him. Plus, the Third Hokage had already decided to promote him regardless.

So the real question was whether a Ryūchi Cave contract was suitable for Riku.

"But isn't Orochimaru also contracted with Ryūchi Cave?"

Riku nodded again. "He is."

Kakashi continued, "They say Ryūchi Cave is even more dangerous than Mount Myōboku."

Riku smiled. "Doesn't bother . Danger ans nothing. I was just thinking—aside from the Three Great Holy Lands, there doesn't seem to be any other place with Summoning Beasts powerful enough to match them."

"I don't really like the beasts from any of the Three Great Lands... but I do want a Summoning Beast that can fly."

Kakashi chuckled. "Even if you're not a fan of them, you've got to admit—the Three Great Holy Lands have the strongest Summoning Beasts in the shinobi world. It's hard to find anything else that compares."

"So if you're really considering Ryūchi Cave, go ahead. But I've heard it's extrely dangerous. Just… be careful."

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