Obito: This is going to be fun

At the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, only twenty kilometers away, the forest grew especially dense.

The crowns of towering ancient trees almost blotted out the sky, with only scattered rays of light slipping through the gaps and falling on the leaf-strewn ground.

The air was filled with the damp scent of earth.

Deep within this rarely visited forest lay a village that had long since been forgotten.

Broken earthen walls were half-buried beneath vines, rotting wooden houses had been reduced to tottering frames, and weeds grew wildly from the cracks between the flagstones.

But today, this deathly silent village suddenly "came alive."

Dozens of figures flitted through the woods like ghosts, converging soundlessly on the square at the center of the village.

They wore uniform gray combat gear and Otogakure forehead protectors, their movements neat and disciplined. They clearly were not ordinary ninja.

The four leading them met in the center of the square.

Sakon and Ukon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo.

The Sound Four from the original story now numbered only four.

Because the strongest among them, the genius Kaguya Kimimaro whom Orochimaru valued most, had been taken by Asura to the Land of Stars back during Kirigakure's turmoil. Though Orochimaru was deeply displeased, there was nothing he could do.

Without Kaguya Kimimaro, among the small fry under Orochimaru, Sakon and Ukon soon became the leaders of the four through their ruthless methods and strength surpassing others their age.

"Are all the people and supplies here?" Sakon licked his dark green lips and glanced at the other three.

Kidomaru replied, "The troops have all been settled in. Twenty squads, sixty people in total, all elite."

Jirobo let out a dull rumble. "The Explosive Tags and various supplies needed for this surprise attack are all ready. It's enough to