"Retreat!"
The shadowed man immediately gave the order once Karin broke free of the encirclement. The Ōtsutsuki puppets seized Orochimaru's body and dragged him into the ground. The man himself vanished into the earth as well.
That Yin–Yang Release poison, potent enough to incapacitate even Orochimaru, was incredibly difficult to create. Only a tiny amount existed—now all of it had been spent on him.
The puppet that had wounded Orochimaru earlier had already been shattered by Karin's punch. If not for that—and for Karin's overwhelming ferocity—those intruders surely would have buried the entire base with them.
The Stone ninja, followed close behind, leaving only several Ōtsutsuki puppets behind as a rear guard.
The instant the others disappeared underground, the remaining puppets launched themselves at Karin and Orochimaru's subordinates.
"Karin?!"
From the Sound Four, Sakon pushed through the chaos. Even as he directed the base's ninja to attack the puppets, he ran up to her.
"Where is Orochimaru-sama?!" Not seeing Orochimaru anywhere, he bellowed at her.
Karin winced and picked at her ear at his shouting. Then, with an exaggerated shrug, she answered under his furious glare:
"Didn't I already say? He got captured."
"What?!" Sakon's face twisted with shock. He roared:
"You—this is how you protect Orochimaru-sama?!"
[Sakon uses Skill: Loud Shouting. Effect: negligible.]
The truth was, Sakon had never liked Karin. He had tolerated her only because she remained locked away in the laboratory, leaving them little interaction. Otherwise, he would have picked a fight long ago.
And it wasn't just him. The other three members of the Sound Four disliked her as well.
Their favorite pastime was competing for Orochimaru's favor. It was one of the negative side-effects of Orochimaru's personal charisma—his followers constantly sought to outshine each other.
If not for Orochimaru's control, they would have already caused Karin plenty of trouble.
Why should an outsider—arriving out of nowhere—suddenly outrank the Sound Four, Orochimaru's most trusted lieutenants?
Orochimaru himself had told them they were his right-hand men.
In Otogakure, strength was everything. It always had been. It still was.
And now, finally, the chance to teach this woman a lesson had arrived.
The second to step forward was the group's only female, Tayuya.
Pointing at Karin, she snapped:
"You useless tramp—you didn't even protect Orochimaru-sama properly. I'm gonna beat some sense into you."
The third was Jirōbō, the gluttonous powerhouse. He didn't address Karin, but rebuked Tayuya instead:
"Tayuya, a girl should be more refined. Don't use such foul language."
"Shut it, you fat pig."
Clearly, Tayuya wasn't interested in his chivalry.
Of the four, only Kidōmaru remained calm. Yet even he gave Karin a hostile look.
Under their combined glares, Karin let out a sigh.
"It seems Orochimaru only cultivated your raw strength."
"Your organization and discipline, on the other hand, are worthless."
"The moment he's gone, you act like stray dogs without a master—turning on each other right in front of the enemy."
It was no surprise. Orochimaru's training method always began the same way: lock a group of test subjects together, force them to fight, and let only one—or a few—survive to receive his attention.
The Sound Four had been forged in exactly this manner.
"Bitch! You'll pay for that!"
The hot-headed Sakon charged forward, throwing a punch straight at Karin's face.
She calmly raised a single finger and stopped his sluggish, weak strike. Then, without hesitation, she threw her own punch.
[Karin uses Normal Right Punch. Effectiveness: Overwhelming.]
Sakon was knocked flying. He hit the ground hard, eyes rolled back, foam bubbling at his lips. His vision went black.
It felt like he was about to die.
"Ughh… why does my body hurt so much…?"
From the "tumor" bulging on Sakon's back, a face suddenly emerged. It spoke, then seized control of his limp body, forcing him back onto his feet.
It was Ukon—Sakon's older twin brother. Their kekkei genkai allowed him to merge with his sibling's body, appearing as a grotesque growth when dormant.
In truth, they weren't the Sound Four. Properly speaking, they were the Sound Five.
But since every "Four Heavenly Kings" group in history somehow had five members, the contradiction seemed almost fitting.
"Ukon! That bitch attacked Sakon—she's alone, let's all go at her together!" Kidōmaru seized the moment, shouting.
As one, dark markings flared to life at the base of their necks, spreading across their bodies like tadpole-shaped brands.
Cursed Seal, Level Two.
This was the Sound Four's ultimate state—so powerful that even Konoha jōnin had once been forced to avoid direct confrontation.
And now, after more than a year of training, their strength was greater still.
Just then, the last of the Ōtsutsuki puppets broke free of the surrounding Sound-nin and lunged at Karin. Blades sprouted all over its body, intent on skewering her into a pincushion.
"You're annoying."
Without another word, Karin threw her fist.
Boom!
Her punch connected with the puppet's face, driving it down into the ground without pause. The blow's momentum carried through, slamming the construct deep into the earth.
The entire base shook violently. The ground split like a spiderweb, then collapsed into a massive crater.
When the dust cleared, the Ōtsutsuki puppet had been reduced to nothing but shards and fragments.
One stray screw rolled across the floor, finally clinking to a stop at Kidōmaru's foot.
Karin dusted off her hands and looked at the Sound Four.
"What was it you were saying just now?"
The four froze.
"…Nothing. We didn't say a thing." Kidōmaru spoke first, his spine rigidly straight.
A wise man adapts to the times. He wasn't about to test whether his body was tougher than Karin's fists.
"Didn't you just say 'all of us together, against me alone'?"
Kidōmaru swallowed.
"No—you misheard. What I said was, 'You can just rest here by yourself, Big Sis Karin—we'll take care of these small fry.'"
"And what's with those forms you're all in? Why do you look so grotesque?"
"This is… our new style. We designed it especially to show you. Do you like it?"
Karin shook her head. "Too ugly."
"Look at how he's groveling…" Tayuya muttered under her breath to Jirōbō.
"Tayuya!" Karin barked.
"Yes, ma'am!" Tayuya snapped to attention, standing straighter than Kidōmaru himself.
Karin's eyes narrowed. "From now on, watch your mouth. A girl should be more refined."
"Yes, ma'am!" Tayuya echoed.
Karin scanned the group, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Since Orochimaru-sama has been taken, I'll be in charge of this base from now on. Any objections?"
"…No objections, Karin-Onii-sama!" x5
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