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The Land of Sound (音の国, Oto no Kuni) is a geographical feature in the Naruto anime and manga series. It was likely named after the Otogakure, which Orochimaru founded, and both refer to what could be considered as one political entity.

The Land of Sound, along with Otogakure, is a relatively new country in the political scene, though the country itself existed long before Orochimaru took it over and renamed it. It conspired with the Land of Wind to launch a surprise attack and hopefully destroy the Land of Fire. Instead of using elemental jutsu, the Sound ninja use sonic-based jutsu, often augmented by various devices.

In the anime, the country in which Orochimaru established his village is named the "Land of Rice Fields" or "Rice Field Country" (田の国, Ta no Kuni). Orochimaru seems to have renamed it after his takeover.

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Otogakure

File:Oto no Kuni Symbol.gif

Otogakure (音隠れの里, Otogakure no Sato, literally "Village Hidden in Sound") was founded by Orochimaru as a part of the Land of Sound, and is run by him. Not much is known about it: what is certain is that it actually consists of a series of lairs, located both within the Sound country and away from it, which Orochimaru switches between every week. Other than that, and the fact that its ninja specialize in techniques involving manipulation of sound waves, as well as using a cursed seal to increase their power, little else is known about it. Although he is the leading ninja of Otogakure, Orochimaru isn't a Kage, despite his equivalent power level. The reason for this is because the five Kages of the five great Hidden Villages don't acknowledge Otogakure, and certainly would not acknowledge a criminal like Orochimaru.

With Orochimaru's defeat at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha, the various bases formerly under Orochimaru's control have begun to rebel and its inhabitants are trying to escape to freedom.

Villagers

Orochimaru

Main article: Orochimaru

Orochimaru is the leader of the village and country. Though he is not a Kage, he has been nicknamed the Otokage ("Sound Shadow") by fans due to his Kage-level power and knowledge. Orochimaru is also one of the Legendary Three from Konoha. Though he is essentially the military dictator of the Sound village, he does not live in it. For most of the series, he is seen using a secret underground base as his headquarters. After Sasuke joins him, Kabuto mentions that they move into a new base every week.

Sasuke Uchiha

Main article: Sasuke Uchiha

Though originally a member of Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha has since joined Orochimaru in his quest to become more powerful in order to kill his older brother, Itachi. He has recently severed his ties with the Sound village.

Kabuto Yakushi

Main article: Kabuto Yakushi

Kabuto Yakushi is Orochimaru's right-hand man and most-trusted agent, though Kabuto does not always seem to be completely loyal to Orochimaru. Orochimaru also seems to recognize this, but keeps Kabuto around regardless.

Sound Four

The Sound Four (音隠れの忍四人衆, Otogakure no Shinobi Yonin Shū, literally Hidden Sound Shinobi Four People) were Orochimaru's elite bodyguards (Sakon and Ukon are counted as one entity due to their kekkei genkai). They are specialists in barrier jutsu and each has a cursed seal. Each one also has a cardinal direction associated with them; this is probably a reference to their positions when performing jutsu as a group. They were all defeated and killed by Naruto's friends in the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Kimimaro Kaguya was a part of the group for a short time, since he was stronger than all four combined, and was intended to be Orochimaru's next host, but an unexpected illness prevented him from participating normally. All five repeatedly make analogies between their opponents and "trash".

Jirobo

File:Jiroubou.jpg
Jirobo
  • Age: 142 (deceased)
  • Rank: Unknown
  • Height: 181.3 cm2
  • Weight: 97.3 kg2
  • Birthday: June 262
  • Blood Type: B2
  • Gate: Nanmon, 南門, "Southern Gate"
  • Seiyu: Kenta Miyake
  • Voice actor Michael Sorich
  • Unique traits: Immense physical strength, skilled in earth-based jutsu, chakra absorption abilities

Jirobo (次郎坊, Jirōbō) is the physically strongest member of the Sound Four, albeit the least powerful, according to the other members of the Sound Four. His fighting style consists mostly of basic physical strikes supplemented with the ability to use his chakra to hold the earth solid. His physical strength is unbelievable, which is demonstrated when he holds up a mountain-sized Choji Akimichi when in Level 2 cursed seal form. He tears boulder-sized chunks of dirt out of the ground to throw, creates barriers by tearing up massive sheets of rock, and can drain chakra with his Chakra Absorption Technique. He dislikes it when Tayuya uses foul language or when she calls him "fat", and he always criticizes her when she does. Despite this, he proceeded to call Choji fat near-constantly during their battle. When in Level 2 cursed seal form, his skin becomes red, his mohawk becomes a mane down his back, his eyes turn black, and he gains ten times his normal strength. It is mentioned various time in the anime that he is almost always enormously hungry, and he can get the same energy from absorbing opponents' chakra that one would get from food, as well as vice versa. He was killed by Choji Akimichi during the Sasuke Retrieval arc with a fatal punch to the chest.

Kidomaru

File:Kidomaru.jpg
Kidomaru
  • Age: 142 (deceased)
  • Rank: Unknown
  • Height: 159.2 cm2
  • Weight: 56.2 kg2
  • Birthday: December 162
  • Blood Type: A2
  • Gate: Tōmon, 東門, "Eastern Gate"
  • Seiyu: Susumu Chiba
  • Voice Actor: Peter Lurie
  • Unique traits: Six arms, able to make webs out of a special liquid and chakra, able to excrete a chakra-blocking liquid from his pores that solidifies into a metal

Kidomaru (鬼童丸, Kidōmaru) is the spider-like member of the Sound Four; he possesses four extra arms for a total of eight limbs, and has the ability to make webs. He makes his webs through a special type of liquid that is created by infusing body liquid with chakra. He can also create a thicker gold liquid that hardens into a chakra-blocking metal. This hardened material can be fabricated into body armor, kunai, or his especially deadly bow and arrow. When in his Level 2 cursed seal form, he becomes even more spider-like; his skin becomes darker, and he grows long, white hair. He opens the third eye on his forehead to improve his accuracy (which he normally keeps covered with his Sound forehead protector). He also gains the ability to control the path of his arrows with chakra and thread. His abilities are not kekkei genkai, but clan-related.

Kidomaru is an excellent tactical analyst, capable of determining his enemy's weak point quickly and efficiently, and also enjoys playing with his enemies before he kills them. He seems to prefer fighting from a distance, lending him a considerable advantage and allowing him to avoid close-combat.

Kidomaru generally sees a battle as a game, and often plays around with the opponent too much because he prefers to have fun seeing the opponent struggle. His speech also reflects this - when battling Neji Hyuga, he, instead of calling Neji "trash", called him a trash character. He also analyzes his predicament using the same language as the typical gamer.

During the Destruction of Konoha arc, Kidomaru used his webs to protect the Sound Four and Orochimaru as they escaped. He was defeated and killed by Neji Hyuga during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, to whom he spoke before dying about it being impossible to save Sasuke, as Sasuke went into the darkness by his own choice. Although Neji denies this, this turns out to be the exact truth.

Sakon

File:Sakon (Naruto).jpg
Sakon

Sakon (左近) is very twisted and enjoys bad-mouthing the opposition. He possesses amazing power and speed (Orochimaru refers to Sakon as being the best of the Sound Four), but these are not the only things he has at his disposal. From behind, one can see what appears to be another head hanging from his back. This is his older brother, Ukon. Due to their unique kekkei genkai, Ukon is able to merge his body with Sakon's. Ukon generally stays asleep in Sakon's body unless needed in combat, effectively doubling the strength of Sakon's physical attacks. Each brother can independently activate a cursed seal. In his Level 2 cursed seal form, he takes on the appearance of an ogre, with the exception of only having one horn on his left side. This gives him increased healing abilities and armor.

Orochimaru mentions once that Sakon (as well as Ukon) likes to show off the fact that he is the strongest of the Sound Four by killing the foe using unnecessarily powerful techniques early on or even beating them up when they're already dying, even if such is not necessary. This would become even further exaggerated if Sakon loses his temper (when Akamaru urinated on Sakon's face, for example). Orochimaru says this flaw could slow the group down much more severely than the flaws that Jirobo or Kidomaru possess. He (along with Ukon) fights Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, and nearly defeats them. However, Kiba and Akamaru are rescued by Kankuro, who kills both Sakon and Ukon.

Sakon means "right," which is also the side of his face that his bangs fall on. His only other distinguisher from his twin brother, Ukon, are the beads around his neck. Both Sakon and Ukon's names are also the names of the two connected sticks of a nunchaku.

Ukon

File:Ukon (Naruto).jpg
Ukon wearing Kiba's coat and Sakon's head sticking out the back.

Ukon (右近) generally stays within Sakon's body unless needed in combat. It is suggested that he cannot remain outside of Sakon for very long, since he cites the need to rest after a short battle apart from his brother. He seems to be more impatient than his brother, as seen when he tells Sakon to finish Kiba quickly and activate his Level 2 cursed seal when Sakon wanted to play around more. When he comes out, he effectively doubles the strength of Sakon's physical attacks. Similarly to how he lives inside Sakon's body, Ukon can use his kekkei genkai ability to enter and slowly destroy an opponent's body. Kiba took advantage of this by attempting to commit suicide while Ukon was inside his body - if Ukon's cells were mixed in with Kiba's, both entities would be equally injured if harmed. Ukon also has a noticeably deeper voice than Sakon. Each brother can independently activate a cursed seal. In his Level 2 cursed seal form, he takes on the appearance of an ogre, with the exception of only having one horn on his right side. This gives him increased healing abilities and armor, and also allows him to remain apart from Sakon for a longer period of time. He (along with Sakon) fights Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, and nearly defeats them. However, Kiba and Akamaru are rescued by Kankuro, who kills both him and Sakon.

Ukon's name means "left," the side of his face that his bangs fall on. Both Sakon and Ukon's names are also the names of the two connected sticks of a nunchaku

Tayuya

File:Tayuya.jpg
Tayuya using her flute

Tayuya (多由也) is the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. She is foul-mouthed (a fact for which Jirobo berates her) and ill tempered, but very powerful. Her main (and only) weapon is her flute, and she is the only member of the Sound Four to actually use sound as a weapon. With the flute, she can summon three powerful demons and control them to fight for her. Tayuya is very intelligent and can think of excellent strategies and battle tactics. This was prominent enough for Shikamaru to recognize her as the closest thing yet of all his past opponents to his equal in making strategies. According to Shikamaru, she would probably also "be very good in shogi". She can also perform genjutsu with her flute. Her preference for sound-based, long-range combat with her flute makes her vulnerable at close-range combat. When in Level 2 cursed seal form, her hair grows longer, her skin turns dark brown, and she grows five bone-like horns on her head. She also gains immense strength, which allows her to overcome even Shikamaru's various shadow jutsu.

Tayuya is the only member of the Sound Four without a trait that could slow the group down. She is also the only member to ever demonstrate a sense of morality. Right before her battle with Shikamaru, she asks him if he is thinking rationally. "Each time you catch up with us, you must sacrifice one of your teammates in order to keep up with us. Why sacrifice four men to retrieve one, who might not want to come back?". She almost defeats Shikamaru Nara during the Sasuke retrieval arc, but Temari comes to his aid. Temari kills Tayuya with Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance, uprooting most of the forest and crushing her under a tree.

Kimimaro Kaguya

File:Kimimaro.jpg
Kimimaro Kaguya

Kimimaro Kaguya (かぐや君麻呂, Kaguya Kimimaro) is the fifth member of the Sound Four, thus temporarily changing their group name to the Sound Five. The original four were forced to accept him against their will, as Kimimaro's combat abilities exceeded all of their skills combined. He was the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan (かぐや一族, Kaguya Ichizoku), who could manipulate their bodies' skeletal frame. The Kaguya clan was wiped out when they attacked Kirigakure, seemingly for no reason other than the desire to kill. Having underestimated their opponent's defenses, they were slaughtered to the last man, with only Kimimaro surviving.

Kimimaro was referred to by Orochimaru as the most powerful member of the clan, having "abilities that even that war loving clan feared". Because of this, he was locked away in a cage for most of his life, only released occasionally when needed to fight other clans. He retreated from the fight with Kirigakure, which is probably why he survived. Afterwards he was found by Orochimaru, and developed a strong devotion towards him, bordering on religious zealotry or considering him a father figure, as Orochimaru was the only person to care for and inspire him.

While belonging to a clan that loves killing and being the strongest of the clan, Kimimaro was not truly violent because he never really knew the outside world. Thus, the only reason he fought was because his clan needed him to do so, and being needed by someone was the one thing he truly desired. These views change upon meeting Orochimaru, where his desires change to serving him and ensuring the continuation of his master's dreams and ambitions.

Kimimaro's kekkei genkai and other abilities make him well suited for close combat fighting, and he can hold his own at a distance by firing the bones in his fingertips as bullets. Since he can regenerate and make new bones, he has an endless supply of bones he can use against his opponent. Kimimaro's only weakness is a sickness that he constantly suffers from (possibly tuberculosis or lung cancer, because of his bloody coughing). The sickness seems to have been recently developed, as he was once a prime candidate for Orochimaru's next host body.

Like many of Orochimaru's closest followers, Kimimaro was branded with a cursed seal, which gives him greater power at the expense of his free will. When in his level 2 form, his appearance is similar to that of a dinosaur, with dark gray skin, six large bone spines on the back of his chest, and a long bone spiked tail. He also possesses a great deal of control over his cursed seal, as he is able to control its spread throughout his body without fully activating it. Kimimaro was apparently forced to fight Jugo at one point, and his control over his cursed seal impressed the latter.

Kimimaro demonstrates extreme distaste for "trash" ninja, as he puts it. He generally attempts to "clean it up", by killing the person who is "trash", even if they are an ally; he planned to kill Tayuya after she defeated Shikamaru because she was unable to deliver Sasuke by sunset.

Kimimaro died in the middle of his fight with Rock Lee and Gaara. Though he was able to hold off all of Gaara's attacks, and even gained the upper hand near the end, he succumbed to his illness just before he could kill Gaara with a surprise attack. Gaara came to the conclusion after the fight that no one can defeat loneliness, even if it means to care for an evil person like Orochimaru.

Other villagers

Numerous other residents of Otogakure, as well as the Land of Sound in general, have been seen, but either do not play a large role in events, or are otherwise still undeveloped characters.

Amachi

Amachi is a medical ninja/scientist who is an accomplice of Orochimaru. He and Orochimaru terrorized the peoples of the Sea Country and kidnapped the citizens for their deadly experiments. He also seems to know Anko as well, since she was with Orochimaru at the time. Much later, in the Kaima filler arc, Yoroi and Misumi join him as bodyguards and assistants. He also summons the indestructible Umibozu in this arc.

Gen'yumaru

File:Genyumaru.jpg
Gen'yumaru

Gen'yumaru (幻幽丸, Gen'yūmaru) was Orochimaru's previous body. He was told to have a fight to the death with the others that Orochimaru had kept captive, and the winner would be able to go free. Gen'yumaru defeated and massacred them all, only to find out that he was the next vessel for Orochimaru. As his last wish, he asked for his clan to be released, which was being held captive for Orochimaru's experiments. It is unknown if this request was ever granted. Orochimaru notes that part of Gen'yumaru's consciousness would remain within him after the transfer — making Gen'yumaru still alive, in a sense. After Orochimaru abandons Gen'yumaru's body, Gen'yumaru still remains within his subconscious.

Jugo

File:Juugo naruto.png
Jugo
  • Age: ?
  • Rank: ?
  • Height: ?
  • Weight: ?
  • Birthday: ?
  • Blood Type: ?
  • Unique Traits: Body produces enzymes that transform him into a monstrous creature

Jugo (重吾, Jūgo) is one of three individuals that Sasuke Uchiha is seeking to recruit after breaking free of Orochimaru. Jugo is being held at Orochimaru's North Base, which is also indicated to be where most of Orochimaru's secret research is conducted. Jugo is confined to a cell with a ball chained to his ankle. Suigetsu indicates that he can't stand Jugo and also comments that one of the reasons he had to retrieve Zabuza Momochi's sword was because of Jugo. Karin notes that Jugo is mentally unstable, a view confirmed by images of Jugo muttering to himself over who he will kill next, which he determines by gender. When the correct gender shows up, he manically sprints towards his intended victim. After Sasuke threatens Suigetsu and Jugo, Jugo rushes to his cell, demanding they lock the door. Karin notes that while the enraged Jugo loves killing, Jugo himself doesn't want to kill anyone.

Karin also explains that Jugo is the means behind Orochimaru's development of the cursed seals. Some time in the past, Jugo purposely sought out Orochimaru to cure him of his "impulses". Jugo has trouble controlling his rage, which unexpectedly causes him to transform into a berserk demon (much like a cursed seal does to its user). Upon examination, Orochimaru was able to isolate enzymes in Jugo's blood as the cause of this change. By extracting these enzymes, Orochimaru was able to use them to produce similar, but more controlled, effects in normal shinobi.

Jugo also appears to have a bracket-shaped symbol on his left palm. Whether or not this is also present on his right palm or if it has any significance has yet to be seen. His brief fight with Sasuke and Suigetsu revealed that Jugo can control his transformation, unlike the static effects of a standard cursed seal. When battling Sasuke he changes his left arm into a piston-like ram to increase his punching power (à la the Big O) and then alters it into a massive blade from his forearm to fight Suigetsu. He is also capable of doing only a partial transformation, invoking a level two form over one portion of his body without completely changing.

Karin

File:Karin naruto.png
Karin
  • Age: ?
  • Rank: ?
  • Height: ?
  • Weight: ?
  • Birthday: ?
  • Blood Type: ?
  • Unique Traits: Ability to locate specific individuals

Karin (香燐) is a former subordinate of Orochimaru who assisted him in his experimentations and was left in charge of one of his bases while he was away. She has an odd hairstyle; it is unkempt and short on one side, but long and neatly combed on the other.

Sasuke Uchiha picks her as one of the recruits for his team. While Sasuke admits she may be troublesome, he also notes that her special abilities make her useful. This ability seems to allow her to track the chakra of specific individuals, though how it works is unclear. She also seems to have a liking for Sasuke, implying to Sasuke that a team consisting of the two of them would be much better than one with Suigetsu or Jugo.

Karin's name means 'incense phosphorus' and is also a homonym for the fruit 'quince'.

Suigetsu

File:Suigetsu.jpg
Suigetsu
  • Age: ?
  • Rank: ?
  • Height: ?
  • Weight: ?
  • Birthday: ?
  • Blood Type: ?
  • Unique traits: Able to reduce himself to a liquid form, can change the size of his limbs

Suigetsu (水月) is a former experiment subject of Orochimaru who was being held on one of his laboratories inside a tank. He is released by Sasuke shortly after he defeats Orochimaru. Suigetsu's teeth are shark-like, much like Kisame Hoshigaki's and Zabuza Momochi's. Suigetsu's name means "water moon", a reference to something that can be seen but not grasped, as the moon reflected in water is.

Suigetsu is able to reduce himself to liquid form and to return to bodily form at will, though it is unknown if this is the result of Orochimaru's experiments or an ability he already had. This ability also allows him to change his body shape, giving him the ability to increase the size of his limbs if necessary. He is arguably quite powerful or at least very confident in his abilities, since he has threatened Sasuke on more than one occasion. He is also the first ninja seen carrying water bottles on his outfit. Given his somewhat frequent desire to consume water, Suigetsu may require regular hydration to sustain his watery form.

Suigetsu has Sasuke take him to Zabuza Momochi's grave in the Land of Waves after being released, wanting to take possession of the latter's zanbatō. Having trained with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, which Zabuza once belonged to, Suigetsu can wield the weapon with relative ease, but traveling longer distances with the sword strapped onto his back tires him out rather quickly.

He seems to have some enmity for Jugo and Karin, though it isn't clear why. During the trip meant for recruiting Karin, Sasuke asks him to free all the prisoners previously kept under Karin's guard. As a condition of their release, he has them tell those they meet that Sasuke has killed Orochimaru and intends to bring peace to the world. As Sasuke is never seen mentioning this to Suigetsu, it remains unclear if this is Sasuke's actual goal or merely manipulation on Suigetsu's part. When Karin later asks of his intentions of joining Sasuke, Suigetsu replies that he has motives of his own and needs Sasuke in order to succeed.

Fuma clan

The Fuma clan (ふうま一族, Fūma Ichizoku) is a shinobi clan from the Land of the Rice Fields. Some of their most powerful members were tricked by Orochimaru, who promised to restore their clan status, and were used in his kinjutsu development experiments. This clan appears only in the anime storyline, not in the manga.

Arashi

File:Naruto137 Arashi.jpg
Arashi

Arashi (アラシ) is the leader of the Fuma shinobi who were under Orochimaru's command and Sasame's cousin. He lost his mind after mastering and constantly using the Casualty Puppet to absorb his comrades of the Fuma clan in order to become more powerful. That same jutsu proved to be his ultimate doom, though he was able to return to his old self at the very end. It is unknown whether he died, but it is implied that he is crushed when Orochimaru's lair caves in, as his feet are stuck to the ground by the remnants of his Casualty Puppet. He also notes that leaving the lair would result in his death. Sasame mentions that before he joined Orochimaru, he was the hope of the Fuma clan.

Hanzaki

File:Naruto137 Hanzaki.jpg
Hanzaki

Hanzaki (ハンザキ) is the leader of the Fuma clan's members who were not seduced by Orochimaru's power, and is a strong melee-based shinobi who fights with a zanbatō. After the incident in Orochimaru's lair, Sasame was placed under his care by Jiraiya.

Jigumo

File:Naruto138 Jigumo.jpg
Jigumo
  • Age: ? (deceased?)
  • Unique Traits: Spider control
  • Seiyu: Kozo Shioya

Jigumo (ジグモ) was one of the members of the Fuma clan who were betrayed by Orochimaru. He was one of a three-member group who guarded Orochimaru's base in the Land of the Rice Fields. Later, he was absorbed by Arashi's secret kinjutsu along with one of his comrades.

Like Kidomaru, Jigumo used spiders and spider webs in combat and for scouting, though his skills were not on the same level.

Kagero

File:Naruto138 Kagero.jpg
Kagero newly emerged in her female form.

Kagero (カゲロウ, Kagerō) was one of the members of the Fuma clan who were betrayed by Orochimaru. She was one of a three-member group who guarded Orochimaru's base in the Land of the Rice Fields. Though she was actually a young girl, she constantly disguised herself as a member of the opposite gender. She shows extensive loyalty and dedication to her fellow clan members, using her Ephemeral Vengeance even though it would endanger her life. This same respect is also shown towards Orochimaru, who Kagero views as the person who will bring the Fuma clan back into its glory. Kagero died during a fight with Naruto while disguised as Kabuto Yakushi. She constantly made references to the life of a mayfly while in her first male disguise. While disguised as Kabuto, Kagero uses an unnamed suicide/murder technique that uses chakra strings to connect the heart of the user and the foe. When one heart stops, so does the other. This was thwarted however, by Sasame, who gave Sakura Haruno a special kunai to sever the string.

Kamikiri

File:Naruto138 Kamikiri.jpg
Kamikiri
  • Age: ? (deceased?)
  • Unique traits: Giant pincers
  • Seiyu: Bin Shimada

Kamikiri (カミキリ) was one of the members of the Fuma clan who were betrayed by Orochimaru. He was one of a three-member group who guarded Orochimaru's base in the Land of the Rice Fields. Later, he was absorbed by Arashi's Casualty Puppet along with Jigumo.

Sasame

File:Naruto137 Sasame.jpg
Sasame

Sasame (ササメ) is a young kunoichi of the Fuma clan. In search for her older cousin, Arashi, she helped Naruto, Jiraiya, and Sakura find Orochimaru's lair in the Land of the Rice Fields. She almost betrayed them for Kamikiri, Kagero and Jigumo, but after the trio's defeat, Jiraiya convinced her to become neutral. Later, she saves Naruto from Kagero's (who was disguised as Kabuto) heart connecting technique. When she met Arashi, she saw what had become of her cousin she decided to help Naruto and Sakura in defeating him. After the incident, she decided to join forces with the remaining members of the Fuma clan to rebuild the clan's former glory.

Kabuto's team

Misumi Tsurugi

File:Misumi.jpg
Misumi Tsurugi

Misumi Tsurugi (剣ミスミ, Tsurugi Misumi) poses as a Genin-level ninja from the Konohagakure during the Chunin exam, along with Kabuto Yakushi and Yoroi Akado. To be more efficient in the gathering of information, his body has been surgically altered to be able to fit into any space, with contortional abilities akin to Orochimaru's. This ability also has its benefits in battle, allowing Misumi to envelop his opponent in an inescapable hold, and then killing them utilizing constriction like a python. He was defeated by Kankuro in the preliminary fights of the Chunin exam. The audible snapping sound by Kankuro's puppet snapping his neck (as Misumi had done on the puppet) lead many fans to believe that he died in this battle. However, due to the intervention usually seen when a competitor is close to dying as well as his aforementioned contortion skills, he wasn't killed.

Misumi Tsurugi makes a second appearance with Yoroi Akado in the anime's Sea Country filler arc, where he is depicted as a research assistant and bodyguard to Orochimaru's scientist, Amachi. He, like Yoroi, has taken off the cloth covering his lower face. During the events of this arc, he is restrained in the lab by Ino Yamanaka's Mind Body Disturbance Technique when it caves in. He is never seen dead, but presumed so due to being buried alive, which would eventually lead to his suffocating even with his contortional abilities.

Tsurugi means ("sword"). Together with Yoroi Akado ("armor") and Kabuto Yakushi ("helmet"), they form an armor-helmet-sword trio.

Yoroi Akado

File:Akadou Yoroi.jpg
Yoroi Akado

Yoroi Akado (赤胴ヨロイ, Akadō Yoroi) is a part of the three-man team of ninja from Otogakure posing as ninja from the Konohagakure, along with Kabuto Yakushi and Misumi Tsurugi. He possesses the ability to absorb his opponents' chakra through close physical contact. He used this ability against Sasuke Uchiha during the preliminary matches of the third stage of the Chunin exam, making it very difficult for Sasuke to keep his cursed seal under control. Despite this, Sasuke still defeated Yoroi, debuting his Lion Combo.

Yoroi makes a second appearance with Misumi Tsurugi in the Sea Country filler arc, where he is depicted as a research assistant to Orochimaru's scientist, Amachi. He has taken off the cloth covering his lower face, appearing much older with a very defined facial structure. During the events of this arc, he is defeated twice by Shino Aburame. Upon his second defeat, he sinks beneath the water and does not visibly resurface. As he is not pursued, his death remains unclear. He may have died from complete chakra drainage by Shino's Kikai bugs, or from drowning by being unable to resurface. Conversely, he could have been fished out of the water and taken by the local authorities afterwards. He was seen in the OVA animation 3 alive for a reason unexplained.

The name "Akado" means "a red armor" and "Yoroi" means "an armor" as well. This may be taken from a group of elite soldiers of Tokugawa Ieyasu who dressed in the red armor to instill fear to the enemy's heart.

Sound Genin

Dosu Kinuta

File:Dosu Sound Amplifier.jpg
Dosu with his Melody Arm.

Dosu Kinuta (ドス・キヌタ) is one of the three Genin from Otogakure who entered the Chunin exam. Out of all of them, he is the strongest being the only one to get through the third part of the Chunin exam. They did not do this to become Chunin, but rather as part of a mission from Orochimaru to assassinate Sasuke Uchiha (which was actually meant only to test Sasuke's power after having obtained Orochimaru's cursed seal). Dosu was equipped with a special speaker implanted into his wrist which served to amplify sound waves and dramatically strengthen his sound-based attacks.

Dosu wounded both Rock Lee and Kabuto Yakushi (presumably Kabuto healed himself with his medical abilities) during the first and second exams by directing his sound into their inner ears. Both later recovered for their fights. In the preliminary examination, Dosu easily defeated Choji Akimichi. Dosu was largely a jealous person, attempting to kill Sasuke after realizing that Orochimaru's intentions were not as he had told them. Similarly, his attacking of Kabuto was a result of not being notified of Kabuto's affiliation. He seems to be loyal to Zaku and vice versa. After Zaku is maimed in the battle with Shino Aburame, Dosu says he will avenge him (or rather, his severed arm). Dosu and Zaku really didn't bother to help or sympathize with Kin after her possession by Ino and her defeat by Shikamaru. They even attacked her once (though they said that they would kill any of their teammates if they absolutely had to). However, Kin expressed concern for Zaku when he lost to Shino.

Orochimaru treated him as largely a pawn, even though he was quite a powerful ninja. Dosu begins to realize this and thus loses some respect for Orochimaru, claiming that he was going to prove that he was not merely a guinea pig. Dosu's undoing, however, was his own attempt to kill Gaara so that he could fight Sasuke earlier in the third stage of the Chunin exam. Not realizing the monstrosity he was actually going up against, his death was quick and unceremonious, only taking Gaara one strike to kill him.

"Dosu" is onomatopoeia for the sound of a sword piercing flesh. A kinuta is a wooden stick used to air out clothing. It's also the Japanese name for one of the three ear bones, anvil.

Kin Tsuchi

File:KinTsuchi.jpg
Kin Tsuchi

Kin Tsuchi (キン・ツチ) is a Genin-level ninja from Otogakure. She takes part in the Chunin exam under orders from Orochimaru to kill Sasuke Uchiha. In the process her body gets taken over by Ino Yamanaka's mind-swapping technique, and she has to be knocked out by her own teammates. She uses a combination of bells, strings, and needles to confuse her enemies. In the anime, the bells caused genjutsu through sound waves, further confusing and disorientating her opponent.

In the third stage preliminaries she is matched against Shikamaru Nara, who defeats her through his Shadow Imitation Technique by contracting his shadow and minimizing it under the string attached to a needle she threw; she didn't notice that a string at that height wouldn't be able to cast a shadow. Shikamaru used his jutsu to bring her head into the wall while he was a different distance away. In the process, Kin received a concussion.

Kin is later betrayed and murdered by Orochimaru in order to be one of the sacrifices needed to summon the First and Second Hokages from their graves with his Summoning: Impure World Resurrection.

Kin is named for the sound of metal clashing, specifically samurai swords in battle. In addition, Kin is Japanese for 'golden'. Tsuchi means Earth. It's also the Japanese name for one of the three ear bones, hammer.

In the English dub, when the computer selects Kin and Shikamaru as opponents, Kin is written as her last name, instead of her first, even though Dosu and Zaku were calling her Kin. This may be due to the fact that in the Japanese anime, the name is written as "Kin Tsuchi", with her surname "Tsuchi" last rather than first.

Zaku Abumi

File:Zaku.jpg
Zaku and his Decapitating Air Wave release vents.

Zaku Abumi (ザク・アブミ) was a Genin-level ninja from Otogakure. He was part of the team that took the Chunin exam at the Hidden Leaf Village in order to assassinate Sasuke Uchiha. Like many Sound ninja, he has been physically altered with unnatural enhancements that augment his abilities; in his case, he was fitted with hollow air tubes that extend through his arms and open through his palms, allowing him to propel a combination of air pressure and sound in various ratios, controlled by his chakra. Unlike his partners, a glance into his past and how Orochimaru recruited him was given, making him a far more dramatic character. The anime shows that he was an orphan living on the streets who hustled by stealing for a living, and was almost always beaten for it. Orochimaru had told him he had potential and liked the strength in his eyes. This is the only time that the past of a Sound ninja without previous affiliation to another village was explored. He refuses to give up, even at the cost of his own life.

After saving his partner Dosu from Rock Lee's lotus attack, he brutally fought off Sakura who attempted to prevent him from killing Sasuke. After the helpless Sakura lay beaten on the ground, he and his team had to fight Team 10. During the fight, Sasuke finally regained consciousness, and asked Sakura who had injured her. Zaku took the credit, and Sasuke proceeded to dislocate and greatly injure Zaku's shoulders. He was the only Sound ninja to fight Sasuke, as the others retreated. During his fight with Shino Aburame in the preliminary exams, he overcame the injuries to his shoulders and was able to use his arms to defend himself against Shino. His arms were even more brutally crippled in a counterattack that prevented him from doing any damage in the future (In the manga, his right arm is blown off due to the kikai bugs Shino used to fill up Zaku's air tubes, and the left was kept intact but halfway sliced. In the anime both of his arms are left intact, but have numerous holes in them, achieving the same, albeit less gruesome, result). Dosu says he will avenge him (or rather, his severed arms), but failed to do so.

Zaku is later murdered as a sacrifice for Orochimaru's Summoning: Impure World Resurrection for the First and Second Hokages against the Third Hokage.

Zaku's name is derived from "to cut," which relates to his "air cutter" attack. It is also the sound of a person walking on snow or sand. With the former name meaning, he and his two teammates have names relating to swords, fitting based on their aggressive behavior and deadly intentions. However, based on the latter meaning, he and his two teammates all have names that come from onomatopoeias, fitting since they come from Otogakure. Their naming pattern (Slash, Clang, and Crunch) is similar to that of Snap, Crackle and Pop. Abumi means stirrup. It's also the Japanese name for one of the three ear bones, stirrup.

Sources

  1. First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book)
  2. Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book)
  3. Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini)
  4. Naruto manga chapters
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