Chapter 94 94 : Destroy Orochimaru's Soul
After the Third Hokage left, Riku was called over by Kakashi.
Kakashi had just returned from fighting Kabuto Yakushi in the upper district.
Now, he was bringing Sasuke to apply a seal—to suppress the curse mark.
The two brought Sasuke to ANBU's sealing chamber, where a specialized barrier could be activated.
Applying a seal within this barrier would greatly enhance its power.
Riku stood calmly behind Sasuke, staring at the three-tomoe mark on the back of his neck.
He glanced at Kakashi. "Are you really going to seal it?"
Kakashi nodded. "If we don't, even a small use of chakra will trigger intense pain. Sasuke won't be able to train at all in the future."
Riku nodded. "Alright. I'll use the Evil Sealing Method."
"Just need to purge Orochimaru's spiritual imprint from the curse mark."
Kakashi gave a silent nod.
Sasuke was still unconscious.
The damage the curse mark had done to his body was severe, and he had only just returned from the hospital.
Riku stood behind Sasuke, frowning slightly before rapidly forming hand signs. "Evil Sealing Method: Activate."
He pressed two fingers against the curse mark on Sasuke's neck.
Immediately, the intricate seal on the floor lit up and began to flow toward the curse mark like a stream of ink.
As the sealing chakra surged forward, Sasuke awoke with a pained cry.
"Ah—!"
But within the confines of the barrier, he was restrained by the jutsu and unable to move.
Once the three concentric seals had completely encircled the curse mark, Sasuke's pain began to subside.
But Riku didn't stop there.
With his other hand, he formed a one-handed sign.
"Spirit Extraction Seal."
His free hand curved into a claw shape, crackling with electricity. The lightning danced like living beasts, one final bolt linking directly to the curse mark.
Slowly, a small white snake emerged from the seal on Sasuke's neck, dragged out by the electrical current.
It writhed and struggled violently, trying to resist the pull of the lightning.
But it couldn't escape.
Riku withdrew the hand touching Sasuke and began a rapid new sequence of hand seals with both hands. "Soul Destruction Technique."
The white snake was suspended mid-air, caught within a cage of lightning.
Again and again, it tried to break free—only to be repelled by the electrified barrier.
Crackling—!
It let out a shrill, unnatural scream as it glared at Riku.
Even Kakashi, standing to the side, was shaken. "Is this a piece of Orochimaru's soul? Why does it… feel like it's pulling me into a genjutsu?"
Just one glance at the little white snake made it feel like he was being drawn into an illusion.
It wasn't a mistake.
This was indeed a fragment of Orochimaru's soul—one that had been fused with Ryūchi Cave's natural energy.
Ryūchi Cave was infamous for its mastery of illusions, which explained Kakashi's reaction.
But Riku's expression remained calm and focused.
The Soul Destruction Technique was an extremely brutal jutsu—its power terrifying. While the Reaper Death Seal devoured a soul, this technique annihilated it completely.
Naturally, it required a great number of complex hand seals.
About ten seconds into the jutsu, bolts of lightning surged across Riku's entire body.
The lightning cage floating in mid-air connected with the electric current surrounding him.
Then Riku uttered a single word:
"Destroy."
With that, the once-quiet lightning erupted in a violent burst. Thunder exploded from the cage, and in a flash of raw power, the little white snake was obliterated—reduced to nothing.
Kakashi was speechless.
"T-That… was that another forbidden jutsu you developed?"
He couldn't believe what he had just seen.
A jutsu that could destroy a soul completely—such techniques were practically unheard of in the ninja world.
Riku let out a slow breath as the jutsu ended. "No. It's a soul-annihilation technique I developed myself. It's specifically designed to deal with those who use soul-based abilities for evil."
"But it consumes a ridiculous amount of chakra, and the complexity of the jutsu makes it impossible for most to learn."
Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, and Kakashi could see how taxing the technique had been.
"You haven't looked this drained since you first started learning ninjutsu," Kakashi said softly.
Riku hadn't originally intended to use something this extreme—more draining than even the Reaper Death Seal.
The difference was, this technique didn't require the user to sacrifice their own soul.
However, the chakra cost was staggering—ten times greater than the Reaper Death Seal.
After all, destroying a soul outright required far more power than simply sealing it away.
Riku had created this jutsu specifically to combat enemies like Orochimaru.
But because of its massive chakra requirement, it could only be cast by someone with the reserves of a Kage-level shinobi.
Fortunately, Riku's chakra pool was enormous—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to use the technique at all.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, Orochimaru was speaking with Kabuto when he suddenly frowned.
"Tch… That brat actually destroyed the soul imprint I left on Sasuke. He's more dangerous than I expected."
"He's become a major obstacle to my plans. Looks like I'll need to change course for the Chūnin Exams next month…"
There was a flicker of unease in his voice.
For the first time, Orochimaru felt a twinge of fear toward Riku.
To annihilate even a soul fragment… that was no ordinary threat.
Back in the sealing chamber, Sasuke had fully regained consciousness. He slowly stood up, sensing something had changed.
The pain from the curse mark was gone.
He gathered chakra carefully—and confirmed that the curse mark wasn't reacting.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He turned and looked at Riku.
"…Thank you."
Though still aloof, he offered a genuine word of gratitude. He understood clearly: it had been Riku who helped him.
Riku gave a small smile in return. "Actually, this curse mark isn't entirely a bad thing. I've removed Orochimaru's spiritual influence from it."
"The mark's primary function is to absorb natural energy—and natural energy is a high-level power source. If you can learn to control it, it could give you a major strength boost."
"At first, it'll hurt like hell. Your whole body will feel like it's burning. But if you can endure it, you'll gain incredible power."
"It's normal you didn't want to use it before. With Orochimaru's soul embedded in it, it was extremely dangerous."
"But now, the curse mark only has one purpose: to draw in natural energy from the environment."
"When you do use that energy, your body might change—animalistic features, transformations… that's normal."
"If you want to use it, use it. If not, that's fine too. Just be warned—if you push your chakra usage too far, the curse mark will activate automatically. It'll start absorbing natural energy on its own, and if your body can't handle it… the consequences could be deadly."
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early chapters before anyone else! 🔥
/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated
--------