Takeno Sota

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Takeno Sota (竹野宗太)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; formerly served in ANBU 5
Occupation/Role	Captain of an A-rank three-man infiltration squad; elite special jōnin 1 5
Status	Deceased; beheaded by Uchiha Lieyang. His body was sealed away, leaving Konoha to list him as missing. 3 4 5
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background

Takeno Sota led Uchiha Lieyang and Ayakawa Yukina on an A-rank mission to infiltrate a rogue-ninja site, confirm intelligence, and eliminate the targets if necessary. Before the squad reached its objective, he noticed that Lieyang had been distracted seven times and warned that such lapses could endanger the entire team. Although Yukina recommended aborting the operation, Sota chose to proceed because the intelligence had been difficult to obtain. 1 5

When Lieyang deliberately exposed the rear post and ruined the infiltration, Sota recognized that the incident was intentional. He changed the mission objective from infiltration to the capture of Lieyang, authorizing lethal force if necessary. 2

Sota and Yukina quickly defeated Lieyang's decoy Shadow Clone, then pursued the real Lieyang. During the chase, Sota demanded to know why Lieyang had defected and attempted to persuade him that leaving Konoha would only hasten his death. 2

He and Yukina trapped Lieyang with a coordinated combination of Parasitic Destruction Bugs, earthen walls, and five targeted stone spikes. The attack brought Lieyang to the brink of death, but instead triggered Lieyang's first-tier Gene Lock. Lieyang escaped the blockade through pure physical speed and immediately beheaded Sota. 2 3

Lieyang's Shadow Clone later sealed Sota's body and severed head to prevent Konoha from recovering information from the remains. The absence of a body led Konoha to treat Sota as missing during its investigation of the failed mission. 4 5

Appearance

Sota wore a Konoha forehead protector and carried ninja tools at his waist during the infiltration mission. 1

• Konoha forehead protector 1
• Ninja tool pouch at his waist 1

Personality

Sota was vigilant, disciplined, and strongly focused on squad safety. He immediately noticed Lieyang's abnormal concentration, directly warned him of the danger it posed, and remained uneasy even after Lieyang reassured him. 1

As captain, he weighed Yukina's proposal to abandon the mission against the value of their intelligence and chose to continue. Once Lieyang's apparent betrayal became clear, Sota decisively redirected the squad toward capturing him. 1 2

He showed no hesitation in combat when he judged Lieyang to be a threat, but he also sought an explanation for the defection before attempting to kill him. 2

Abilities & Skills

Elite Special Jōnin Combat Ability

Sota was identified by Konoha records as an elite special jōnin and former ANBU operative. He could pressure Lieyang in close combat and capitalize on the brief stiffness following Lieyang's Body Flicker Technique. 2 5

• Used coordinated attacks with Yukina to limit Lieyang's movement and chakra. 2
• Recognized and broke Lieyang's genjutsu by biting his tongue to restore clarity. 2
• Pursued Lieyang immediately after identifying that the apparent defector at the rear post was only a Shadow Clone. 2

Earth Style

Sota specialized in Earth Style and used it as the core of his battlefield control. 5

• Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu — seized Lieyang's Shadow Clone from underground. 2
• Earth Style: Split Earth Palm — split the ground beneath Lieyang. 2
• Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall — raised walls on both sides of Lieyang to block his retreat. 2
• Earth Style: Rock-Piercing Rod — launched five stone spikes at Lieyang's head, heart, throat, spine, and abdomen. 2

Fire Style

Sota could perform Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu with one-handed seals. 2

• Matched Lieyang's Fireball Jutsu, producing a collision that spread flames through the surrounding forest. 2

Equipment

• Kunai 2
• Blade 2
• Ninja tool pouch 1

Relationships

• Uchiha Lieyang — His subordinate on the A-rank infiltration mission. Sota became Lieyang's pursuer after determining that he had intentionally defected; Lieyang later killed him. 1 2 3
• Ayakawa Yukina — His squadmate and combat partner. They jointly pursued Lieyang, combining Sota's Earth Style with Yukina's Parasitic Destruction Bugs. 1 2
• Konohagakure — Served as a Konoha special jōnin and had previously worked in ANBU. 5