"Who… who are you?"
Despite being heavily injured and her consciousness fading, Kurotsuchi still sensed the terrifying power of the person before her.
Such a strong opponent could never be just a chunin from Hidden Grass Village!
Orochimaru smirked. "For your age, your 'Lava Release' isn't bad. Shame you haven't learned your grandfather Onoki's 'Dust Release'!"
"You…?"
Kurotsuchi's expression hardened at Orochimaru's tone.
Orochimaru said no more. He didn't even bother searching Kurotsuchi for her mission scroll, simply tossing her aside before heading deeper into the forest.
His reason for attacking Kurotsuchi was pure whim—a hunter's instinct to test if Onoki's granddaughter had any impressive techniques.
Finding nothing surprising, he quickly lost interest.
After all, he wasn't idle at the moment.
This time, he had decided to either abduct Sasuke outright or, at the very least, take his Mangekyo Sharingan. He needed to track Sasuke down quickly to avoid any complications.
Watching Orochimaru leave, Kurotsuchi struggled to get up. "This person is too dangerous. I have to warn Grandpa as soon as possible…"
But before she could rise, she realized her body was limp, completely drained of strength.
"What's happening to me?"
Collapsing back to the ground, her gaze fell on her arm, where she noticed two faint bite marks that looked like those of a venomous snake.
"I'm poisoned?" Realizing the severity of her situation, she struggled to activate her distress flare but found herself unable to move. Finally, unwillingly, she passed out.
…
Thud.
With a muffled sound, a Hidden Grass shinobi slowly collapsed.
Sasuke gave the fallen opponent a cool glance before crouching to search their ninja tool pouch for the mission scroll.
When he first encountered this Hidden Grass team, Sasuke had been cautious.
But after engaging, he found them utterly weak. He hadn't even needed ninjutsu—just a few punches and kicks to take down the entire team.
"It seems in Hidden Grass, only that Koshi Shinji and Chino are worth anything. The rest are trash!" Sasuke thought, his confidence gradually returning.
Soon, he found a scroll in the opponent's pouch. Opening it, he saw it was an "Earth Scroll," just like the one his team carried.
Sakura sighed nearby. "What a pity. If it was a 'Heaven Scroll,' we could head straight to the central tower!"
Sasuke snorted. "Even if we got a 'Heaven Scroll,' I wouldn't go to the central tower right away! This is a perfect chance for revenge—how could I let it slip by?"
Sakura looked worried. "But…"
Naruto, carefree as ever, said, "Relax, you've got me, don't you?"
Sakura's face darkened. "It's exactly because of you that I'm worried!"
As Sakura and Naruto bickered as usual, Sasuke's expression suddenly shifted. He spoke toward a nearby tree. "Come out!"
"Didn't expect you to notice me!"
The Hidden Sound trio—Dosu, Zaku, and Kin—slowly emerged from behind the tree.
"Hidden Sound?!" Sasuke frowned.
Sakura, startled at first, then said, "I know them! They're the three Sound shinobi who provoked Shinji on the street and got taken out by him in an instant!"
Naruto scoffed. "Thought they were some big shots. Gave me a scare for nothing!"
Hearing Sakura and Naruto's words, the Sound trio's faces darkened in unison.
Sasuke spoke up. "Hey, what were you three hiding there for?"
Zaku sneered. "What do you think?"
"Tch!" Sasuke spat, activating his Sharingan as he approached them. "If Shinji could take you down, so can I!"
Kin said, "Why waste words with him? Attack!"
With that, the Sound trio lunged at Sasuke.
"Stay back!" Sasuke ordered Sakura and Naruto before facing them alone.
Zaku raised his arm, firing air blades from his sound wave device toward Sasuke.
Kin leaped high, hurling senbon to block Sasuke's movements. Dosu stayed back, waiting for an opening to strike.
Facing the approaching air blades and senbon, Sasuke smirked, his hands already forming seals. "Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Zzt! Zzt!
A flash of lightning streaked through, striking Kin mid-air and sending her crashing to the ground.
Having neutralized Kin's interference, Sasuke darted through the gap between two air blades, closing in on Zaku. Using Zaku's body as a shield, he blocked Dosu's attack angle.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With a series of muffled blows, Sasuke knocked Zaku down in an instant. Then, with a whoosh, before Dosu could react, Sasuke closed the distance, snapping Dosu's arm equipped with his special device. He said coolly, "Hand over your scroll, and I'll let you go!"
"So… so fast!" Naruto gaped.
Sakura was equally shocked. She hadn't expected Sasuke to defeat the Sound trio so easily.
In truth, in the original timeline, Sasuke during the Chunin Exams might not have been a match for the Sound trio without unleashing the Cursed Seal. But the current Sasuke, having awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and gained extensive combat experience, completely outclassed the Sound trio, whose strength hadn't changed much from the original timeline.
For some reason, though, Sakura felt Sasuke's fighting style just now resembled Shinji's, as if he were deliberately mimicking him.
Seeing Zaku and Kin defeated and his own arm broken, Dosu's face darkened. "The… the scroll's at my waist. I'll give it to you!"
Sasuke took the scroll Dosu handed over and waved dismissively. "Get lost!"
The Sound trio, supporting each other, left resentfully.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a long arrow, wrapped in a piercing whistle, shot through the air, piercing Dosu's throat. It pinned him to the ground with a spray of blood, causing a buzzing sound.
Then, a figure descended from above, grabbing Zaku and Kin by the necks. With a crack, their necks were snapped.
The sudden turn of events shocked even Sasuke, who had just claimed the scroll.
He never imagined that the Sound trio, alive and well moments ago, would turn into three lifeless corpses in the blink of an eye.
And they died with their eyes wide open because their killers were none other than their fellow Hidden Sound shinobi—the Sound Four!
At that moment, Sakon and Ukon stepped slowly out of the shadows. "The hunt begins!"