Sound Four

Takizawa Dan asked as he quietly lowered his stance, readying himself for battle!

He could imagine the Sound Four infiltrating Konoha, and he had known in advance that they would.

Even though the ninja world's story had changed somewhat because of his arrival, the major plot points surely wouldn't change. One of them was the Sound Four infiltrating Konoha!

But what puzzled Takizawa Dan was that the four seemed to have changed their target.

They weren't planning to take Sasuke away like they had in the original story. Everything they said made it sound like he was their target instead!

What was going on?

"You actually know we work for Orochimaru?"

Sakon and Ukon were astonished.

Their identities were a closely guarded secret. Apart from Orochimaru himself, even the current Hokage of Konoha knew nothing about them. After all, they rarely appeared in public, and even if someone saw their faces and learned who they were, they would make sure that person didn't live to tell anyone!

Why did this kid know their secret?

"Heh, it's not hard to guess. At the last Chunin Ninja Exams, Orochimaru tried to overthrow Konoha, didn't he? You said you wanted to take me away, and went to all the trouble of luring me here with Soul-Bewitching Incense. But I'd never met you before, and I can't remember offending anyone."

"So, after thinking it over, the only explanation is that you're Orochimaru's people, and you're planning to take me to him. Right?"

Takizawa Dan spoke with a serious expression. In truth, he only knew all this because he'd had the benefit of spoilers. But he was too shameless to admit it outright, and instead planned to put on the airs of an expert.

Sure enough, all four of them were momentarily stunned by Takizawa Dan's analysis.

"Hahaha! So this is the new vessel Lord Orochimaru has chosen! At first, I wondered why Lord Orochimaru suddenly told us to forget about Sasuke and choose Takizawa Dan of Konoha as his new vessel. Now I see you're completely worthy of it. Your intelligence alone is enough!"

Jirobo suddenly burst into loud laughter.

He was clearly trying to show off in front of Takizawa Dan, but his round body and chubby face made him look anything but intimidating. And since he laughed like an idiot, his attempt to look fierce only made him seem ridiculous.

"Jirobo! You idiot! You just revealed our secrets and the objective of this mission in a few words!"

Tayuya glared at Jirobo and scolded him furiously.

"I... I..."

Jirobo was clearly afraid of Tayuya. When she scolded him like that, he cowered and put his hands over his head, looking like a three-hundred-pound child...

"All right, stop arguing. What's done is done, Tayuya. There's no point getting angry at Jirobo now. Besides, this kid named Takizawa Dan only just earned his Genin status. The four of us can capture him with ease, can't we?"

Sakon and Ukon, the strongest of the four, spoke up.

At his words, the other three nodded in agreement and fell silent.

Partly because Sakon and Ukon were the strongest and had the most authority, and partly because sending all four of them after a notorious weakling like Takizawa Dan was absurdly excessive.

In the original story, the four of them had managed to retreat unscathed even when fighting two Special Jonin, Genma Shiranui and Namiashi Raidō.

So anyone with a clear eye could see that this battle would be completely one-sided. Takizawa Dan didn't stand a chance.

"Kid, since you already know everything, let's talk like reasonable people!" Kidomaru crouched in a tree, looking down at Takizawa Dan with a mocking smile. "Lord Orochimaru has his eye on your body and plans to use you as his new reincarnation vessel. Your best choice is to surrender now. We promise we won't make it too painful."

"But if you insist on fighting back, we'll make you suffer until you wish you were dead! And we'll still take you away. Think carefully about what's best for you."

Tayuya, standing beside him, continued coldly.

Sakon and Ukon and Jirobo watched without saying a word. Sakon and Ukon had no need to speak because of their status, while Jirobo was too embarrassed to say anything, since nobody listened to him anyway...

"I'm very sorry, but I refuse." Takizawa Dan shook his head without hesitation. "If you want to take me away, you'll have to bring back my corpse. I will never willingly become Orochimaru's vessel."

From his god's-eye perspective, Takizawa Dan could understand Orochimaru pretty well and even admired certain aspects of him.

In the world of Naruto, Orochimaru was the only one who had mastered cutting-edge techniques and achieved the greatest degree of immortality. He had also followed his own evil principles consistently from beginning to end. There was certainly a lot about him that was fascinating, and he'd always had plenty of fans.

But there was a saying: "The man who loves dragons fears the real thing."

It was perfectly normal to admire a lunatic in an anime. But if you faced a real lunatic in real life, most people probably wouldn't find him so admirable anymore.

Now Takizawa Dan was in that very situation.

Even if Orochimaru came to him one day seeking his allegiance, or offered to work with him, Takizawa Dan might be able to accept that.

But he would never agree to become Orochimaru's vessel and be erased from the world.

He was willing to fight to the death rather than let that happen!

"Tsk, tsk, this kid's got some guts. Not bad." Sakon and Ukon looked at Takizawa Dan, the corners of their mouths curling into a smile. "But reckless young punks like you only talk that way because you've never seen the real gap in strength or experienced true despair!"

"Jirobo, go teach this kid a lesson. Show him the situation he's in!"

After speaking, Sakon and Ukon moved toward an open space nearby.

Kidomaru and Tayuya moved in sync with him, heading in two other directions.

The three of them formed a triangle around Takizawa Dan, leaving him no way to escape!

"Understood, boss! I'll teach him a good lesson!"

At Sakon and Ukon's command, Jirobo perked up and replied excitedly.

Of the Sound Four, he was the weakest and therefore had the lowest status. He was always bullied and never taken seriously.

Whenever anything good came up, he was left out. He was rarely given important missions to handle alone, either, so he never had a chance to prove himself.

Now, at last, it was his turn!