Sound Four Attack, Part Three

The flames vanished, and intense pain coursed through his body. Kidomaru had no time to inspect his injuries; he had to put some distance between them. But the moment he crawled out of the crater, Sasuke was already there. He had no way to dodge now and could only open his mouth and spit out a web, hoping to restrain Sasuke. Yet Sasuke raised a Fire Release Rasengan and charged straight at him, smashing through the web before slamming into his chest. Sticky Gold was useless now. Scorching flames and the spinning Rasengan ravaged his chest.

He had not even managed to get back on his feet, and Sasuke's downward attack drove him back into the ground. The overwhelming force ended his life. Still, just to be safe, Sasuke plunged a Kunai into his heart. Kidomaru had never gotten the chance to use his strengths. He had been suppressed from beginning to end until his death. Only then did Sasuke let out a breath and turn to the other side.

Sakon and Ukon were in a miserable state. They were not skilled at much besides their particular abilities, and three Shadow Clones had beaten them until they were covered in wounds. Sasuke paid them no attention and used the Shadow Clone Technique again. This time, he created four Shadow Clones and sent them charging over. Then he dispelled the first three clones, digested the combat experience on his own, and sat down to restore his Chakra.

The Chakra drained earlier, the massive consumption from Tsukuyomi, and the fight with Kidomaru had taken more than half his Chakra. Tsukuyomi had consumed the most. He was still not proficient in using it.

"Damn it! Get over here and see how I deal with you!" Sakon and Ukon had been driven mad. They had no options left. They could neither win nor escape. The other three were dead, leaving only them. Sasuke ignored them completely and let his Shadow Clones continue attacking. It was good practice for improving his Taijutsu in actual combat, but Sakon and Ukon could not wait any longer. Ukon, the main body, was already covered in injuries.

"Sakon, take over. I need to rest. If this keeps up, I'll bleed to death. Uchiha Sasuke seems to know our abilities. We were set up from the start."

"Fine. It's my turn now. I'll rush him in one go." The two switched positions, and the wounds vanished. Sasuke was not surprised, however, and Sakon immediately knew Sasuke understood their methods. That was why they had been so thoroughly countered. Their only chance now was close combat with Sasuke's real body. With that thought, Sakon charged forward despite taking injuries, breaking through the encirclement in one burst.

The four Shadow Clones formed hand seals at the same time. "Fire Release! Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" The technique unleashed by all four clones covered a huge area, and Sakon could not ignore it. "Summoning Technique! Rashomon!" Every flaming bird crashed into a massive gate. Sasuke knew this was Orochimaru's Summoning Technique. That man really did have quite a few useful things.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Sasuke immediately used the Shadow Clone Technique again. When Sakon turned back, ready to keep charging, despair overwhelmed him at once. "You didn't think I could only make four Shadow Clones, did you? Fool. Keep at it." After saying that, Sasuke began refining Chakra again.

"Damn it! How do you know our Ninjutsu? That's impossible!" Sakon refused to believe Sasuke had figured it out, because they had never used their abilities in front of him.

"Heh. What if I told you I can foresee the future? Would you believe me?" Sasuke said with a sly smile. Sakon died in despair beneath the attacks of eight Shadow Clones surrounding him from both sides. Still, Sasuke remained deeply wary of the two brothers' abilities, so he had the clones use Fire Release to incinerate their bodies. As for the other three, he cut off their heads and sealed them away to bring back for the village to study later. The ninja world truly was brutal. Sasuke did not linger and immediately ran toward the Land of Iron. This was not a place to stay for long. What if Kimimaro came looking for him? He would not be easy to deal with. It was better to flee first and rest once he was safe.

"Oh? The Sound Four have failed." At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly spoke in an underground chamber in Otogakure. Yakushi Kabuto, standing nearby, asked, "Were they all killed by Sasuke?"

"Yes, they are all dead. Heh, I was really looking forward to it, but there's no hope now. Start immediately. Change my body."

"We're not waiting for Kimimaro? Didn't he go too?"

"No. Kimimaro took the wrong route. The Sound Four were not killed on the road between Otogakure and Konoha, so Kimimaro will not encounter Sasuke. Besides, his body will not last until he returns. It is all over. We can only wait another three years."

"What a pity. Kimimaro was excellent research material." After lamenting, Yakushi Kabuto began preparing to change Orochimaru's body. Kimimaro truly did not encounter Sasuke. A formidable man of his generation died of illness by the roadside. It was undeniably ironic. He was discarded like trash. The ninja world was simply that cruel. As Sasuke ran, he thought about this as well. Kimimaro would not appear in the final battle. Perhaps no one would ever know how powerful he had been. And what about himself? Would he one day meet the same fate? No, absolutely not. How could I, with the Sharingan, be so fragile? He had to grow stronger, without stopping. Perhaps he truly could surpass humanity's limits, break through the barriers of space, and maybe even return home.

For the first time, Sasuke wanted to return home. For the first time, he hoped to surpass the limits of the human body. This world was different from his original one. Perhaps it really was possible! But how long would it take? Even if he returned, how old would he be by then? A sudden sorrow welled up within him.

"Hm? Someone?" While immersed in his sadness, Sasuke suddenly noticed people approaching from nearby. He stopped at once. If it was Kimimaro, he would turn around and run. Fortunately, it was a border patrol from Konoha.

"You are Uchiha Sasuke, correct? Why are you here?" the patrol captain asked. Sasuke did not answer. Instead, he took out his authorization papers and handed them over before saying, "With the Fifth Hokage's approval, I am currently traveling and training."

The captain examined the documents, handed them back, and asked, "It looks like you have been in a fight. What happened?" Sasuke was not in a sorry state and had not been injured, but the signs of battle were obvious.

"I just encountered four ninja from Orochimaru's Otogakure. They were the four who used the Four Violet Flames Formation during the final round of the Chunin Exams. I fought them and eliminated them. I have the heads of three of them here. I will not be returning anytime soon, so I'll leave them with you. Please deliver them to the village for me."

"What about the other one?" the other party asked. "The other one had an extremely strange ability, so I could only burn their corpse. Their abilities were..." Sasuke briefly explained the Sound Four's abilities and the power of the two stages of the Cursed Mark. The patrol was greatly astonished. Sasuke had managed to eliminate such enemies without even suffering any noticeable injuries? No wonder the Hokage had allowed him to travel alone.