Chapter 92 : Orochimaru’s Purpose
Kakashi’s words clearly meant that he agreed Riku should accept Anko’s suggestion.
Riku glanced at Anko, who stood beside the Third Hokage, and said calmly, "Well, this exam has nothing to do with me. It’s honestly kind of boring."
Kakashi chuckled. "If you participated, everyone would immediately realize that no one stands a chance against you. I’m guessing the Third Hokage wants these candidates to face opponents who are more on their level."
"A lot of people think Gaara might be your match, but unfortunately, that’s not happening."
Kakashi believed Gaara was the strongest among the current candidates—his strength was already close to that of a Jonin.
But that said, Riku’s chakra wasn’t particularly large.
Still, even without relying on many forbidden jutsu or fully mastering Wood Style, Riku was already capable of defeating high-level Kage-tier opponents.
So someone like Gaara—who was merely at the threshold of Jonin level—stood no chance.
What Kakashi didn’t know was that Gaara was a Jinchuriki. Even if he had known, he still wouldn’t have believed Gaara could beat Riku, especially since Riku wielded Wood Style—Wood Style of the same caliber as the First Hokage’s.
That alone made him a natural counter to tailed beasts.
Riku didn’t respond—he didn’t need to. It was the truth.
Even if Gaara unleashed Shukaku right now—even if he released Shukaku completely—he still wouldn’t be Riku’s match.
The fights in the preliminary rounds didn’t interest Riku at all. They felt tedious.
But Sasuke, Naruto, and the others watched with growing tension.
Then came the match between Gaara and Rock Lee—a battle actually worth watching.
When Lee opened the Fifth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Riku found it intriguing. But even at that level, it was still far from his current physical abilities. In terms of raw power, speed, and reaction time, Riku was already far beyond what Lee could manage with the Fifth Gate open.
That was also why Riku had never bothered learning the Eight Inner Gates.
His body could continue growing stronger indefinitely without resorting to such damaging techniques. At this point, his physical strength already surpassed Fifth Gate Lee by a wide margin.
There was simply no need to learn something so self-destructive.
Not to mention, mastering the Eight Inner Gates took years. No matter how strong your body was, it still had to be honed and trained meticulously.
Riku watched the match with genuine interest and smiled. "Lee really is a kind of genius. Most people couldn’t even dream of opening the Fifth Gate."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. This isn’t something just any genius can do. As far as taijutsu goes, he’s truly exceptional."
"It’s just... Guy pushes him way too hard. The strain he puts on Lee is brutal."
Riku only smiled in response, choosing not to comment further.
Lee’s explosive display had caught everyone by surprise.
Even Neji, watching from the sidelines, was stunned.
"Lee’s gotten that far?"
What Neji didn’t know was that Lee had originally prepared the Fifth Gate specifically to face him.
Of course, Neji had no idea.
In terms of overall capability, Neji was undoubtedly the most skilled of the Konoha genin—Riku excluded.
Unfortunately, he was from the Hyuga branch house. Had he been born into the main house, his power might have already reached Tokubetsu Jonin level by now.
After all, Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Palms, and other advanced techniques—he’d learned and mastered all of them on his own.
Even Kakashi believed that, apart from Riku, Neji was the most talented of this generation.
But being a genius didn’t always guarantee greatness.
Naruto, Sasuke, and even Lee each had their own paths to strength.
Neji, on the other hand, had nothing—no special heritage, no tailed beast, no secret power to fall back on.
He was a genius shackled by fate, with a hard limit on how far he could go.
Riku didn’t pity him though. Some things couldn’t be changed, not even by him.
The battle between Rock Lee and Gaara shattered the entire arena floor.
You could tell how fierce and intense their clash had been.
Unfortunately, Gaara still came out on top.
Lee’s perseverance was admirable, but once the temporary boost from the Eight Gates ended, his body couldn’t withstand the pain and damage.
Watching from above, Riku smiled. "That was the first battle today that’s actually been interesting."
Then he turned to Kakashi and asked, "What’s going on with Sasuke’s curse mark?"
Kakashi sighed. "It’s Orochimaru. That mark has a serious effect on him."
Riku frowned. "I don’t think Orochimaru came to Konoha just to cause destruction. I think he’s also here to take Sasuke. He seems obsessed with the Sharingan."
Kakashi frowned as well. "Obsessed with the Sharingan?"
"He should already have several Sharingan in his possession."
Years ago, Orochimaru defected after being caught conducting human experiments.
Yamato had been one of his test subjects.
If Orochimaru had experimented with Wood Style, it was only natural he had done the same with the Sharingan.
So Kakashi didn’t doubt that Orochimaru already had Sharingan samples or bodies.
But Riku shook his head. "Kakashi-sensei, do you remember when I told you Orochimaru developed a jutsu to transfer his soul?"
Before Kakashi could answer, Riku continued. "That technique lets him take over another person’s body entirely. He becomes that person—down to their appearance, chakra nature, and even bloodline limits."
"So I think what Orochimaru truly wants is the bloodline of the Uchiha clan. If he can get Sasuke’s body, he can use the Sharingan to its fullest potential."
"That explains why Orochimaru targeted Sasuke and not Naruto. Objectively speaking, Naruto’s the Jinchuriki—he should’ve been the more valuable target."
"But clearly, Orochimaru’s goal is Sasuke—or more precisely, his Uchiha bloodline."
"And that curse mark Orochimaru placed on Sasuke? It’s probably the same type Anko has."
"There’s intense pain when it activates, but Sasuke’s curse mark likely has additional functions."
"For example—absorbing natural energy. I can feel it. That curse mark constantly draws in ambient natural energy. If Sasuke masters it, he could use senjutsu."
"Sasuke’s curse mark is a more advanced version of Anko’s. That’s why Anko only suffers from it, while Sasuke might actually be able to harness its power."
Kakashi looked stunned. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
He had just assumed Orochimaru had some dark motive for cursing Sasuke, but he hadn’t been able to figure out what exactly.
Now, after hearing Riku’s explanation, it all started to make sense.
"At this point, Sasuke probably doesn’t want to use the power of the curse mark. But even so, the moment he channels chakra, that seal will activate on its own."
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