The Sound Four Attack, Part Two

"Don't gossip about Lord Orochimaru behind his back anymore. If that person hears you, you're dead." Kidomaru glanced at Tayuya as he spoke, and she shuddered involuntarily. Naturally, they were talking about Kimimaro. That guy was about to die, and Sasuke was most worried about him as well. He wondered whether Kimimaro would still come here to provide support. Their current route should have deviated by now, right?

Trapped inside, Sasuke pondered the situation, but he had no intention of wasting time. Though he did his best to control the leakage of his Chakra, quite a bit was still being absorbed. Keeping away from Jirobo's hands, Sasuke removed all his weights. This was no time to hold back. Taking down Jirobo first, then dealing with Tayuya, was the priority.

The position of Jirobo's hands also revealed the location of his heart. For a ninja, that was easy enough to deduce. That was why Sasuke smiled. Though he was trapped inside, the enemy could not fully grasp his movements. Besides, he was not Shikamaru's squad. They were all brutes, but none of them had a thrusting-type ninjutsu. He was different. Lightning Cutter happened to counter this technique. Although Lightning Cutter required a bit of speed, that did not matter. Jirobo was not Gaara, after all. His defenses were nowhere near that monstrous. There was no need to accelerate; Sasuke's strength alone was enough.

After removing all his weights, Sasuke stored them in the Sealing Scroll. Once he had made a few more preparations, he began his plan. "Lightning Release! Lightning Cutter!" There was no piercing chirp of birds, only the crackle of electricity. Sasuke kicked off the earthen wall behind him, gaining a little speed, then thrust directly toward a point slightly above the center in front of him.

"Pfft." The earthen wall was pierced clean through, and Lightning Cutter extended outward. Before Jirobo could react, his heart was pierced. He stared wide-eyed at the glowing Lightning Cutter, then closed his eyes unwillingly. Hearing the sound, the other three circled around the earthen prison and looked over. "How is that possible?" all three cried out at once.

Kidomaru reacted the fastest. "Get into position. He's coming out. Everyone, be careful." After speaking, he returned to his place and activated his Cursed Mark, though only to the first stage.

After withdrawing his arm, Sasuke did not rush out immediately. He listened to the sounds outside and judged their positions. "Water Release! Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" He used Water Release within the earthen prison. Though there was no water inside, the B-rank technique still formed and burst directly through the hole he had opened. Without Jirobo's Chakra to sustain it, the earthen prison turned into a pile of loose dirt and was blasted open with a huge gap. A majestic water dragon surged around the prison, forcing the three back. Only then did Sasuke leap out.

The instant he emerged, he spun once in midair and fired three Shuriken straight at their faces before charging toward Tayuya.

"Trying to defeat us one by one? You're too naive." Kidomaru saw through Sasuke's plan, but it was useless. With a bang, the Shuriken suddenly turned into Sasuke, each one without sunglasses and possessing Three-Tomoe Sharingan. This was Sasuke's preparation, but it was not over yet. The Sasuke flying toward Tayuya had Four-Tomoe Sharingan. He was the real body, while the one who had rushed out and thrown the Shuriken was a Shadow Clone.

"Tsukuyomi." Sasuke used Tsukuyomi in real combat for the first time. Tayuya had already been vigilantly focused on the incoming Shuriken, and when they transformed into Sasuke, her attention became even more concentrated. Yet that was precisely why she was more easily caught in Tsukuyomi. The Shadow Clone following behind drove a Kunai straight into Tayuya's heart. With that, the Sound Four became two.

"Damn it, he took out Jirobo and Tayuya in one go." Kidomaru was frightened now. At last, he understood why Lord Orochimaru valued this opponent so highly and had warned them to be careful. He had already been cautious enough, yet he had still been careless.

Sasuke and his clone immediately charged toward the remaining two. The clone went after Sakon and Ukon, while Sasuke directly confronted Kidomaru. At the same time, the clone fighting Kidomaru left and went to the other side as well. This was Sasuke's final plan: use Shadow Clones and Taijutsu to tie down Sakon and Ukon. Their abilities were too bizarre, so it was better to send clones. Since they were not real bodies, their ninjutsu might not work. As for Kidomaru, he was a long-range sniper. Sasuke absolutely could not let him get away. With arrows that fast, Sasuke would be in danger even without his weights. So he would kill him at close range.

Sakon and Ukon specialized in sneak attacks. The Shadow Clones only needed to keep him entangled with Taijutsu. Even if they could not kill him, they could exhaust him to death.

"Damn it, Kidomaru, think of something! They're all Shadow Clones over here. I can't do anything!" Sakon and Ukon were extremely anxious. That was all the skill he had, and he had no way to deal with Sasuke's superior Taijutsu. Especially against Shadow Clones, he could not make contact with the real body. He had strength but nowhere to use it. He was already in his second form.

"Stop shouting! I can't free up my hands over here. I can't free up any of them!" Kidomaru shouted helplessly. Sasuke was completely relying on his speed to circle around him. If he did not have so many arms, he would probably have been hit already.

"Oh? You still have time to chat? Looks like I haven't put enough pressure on you!" Sasuke smiled faintly, and his speed instantly increased again. He had not used his full strength just now; he had been testing Kidomaru's reactions and speed.

For a moment, Kidomaru could no longer see Sasuke's shadow. He could only defend by identifying his position through sound. Though he had many hands, they were no longer enough.

Sasuke suddenly lowered his body and slipped beneath Kidomaru. His left leg stepped half a pace forward, and his left elbow slammed directly into Kidomaru's abdomen. The heavy blow bent Kidomaru's upper body forward. Then Sasuke clenched his right fist and drove it upward into his chin, sending Kidomaru flying into the air. Sasuke leaped up as well, his body flipping sideways several times before he whipped a leg down into Kidomaru's chest. Kidomaru crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater.

Sasuke did not stop there. He knew Kidomaru had Spider Sticky Gold that could cover his body, so before he even landed, he formed hand seals. "Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball shot straight toward Kidomaru in the crater. After flipping to the ground, Sasuke still did not end his assault. Instead, a Rasengan appeared in his right hand, and Fire-nature Chakra merged into it. Once the flames passed, he charged in again.

Kidomaru had indeed covered his body with Sticky Gold at first, so Sasuke's strikes had not done much. But he could not withstand the Fire Release that followed. Spider secretions feared fire, especially since the Sticky Gold on his body had already been shattered. Now the Fire Release came again. With no other choice, he could only use several arms to shield his face and endure it head-on.