| Taka | |
|---|---|
| Hebi (蛇, Snake) | |
| Debut | |
| Novel | Naruto: A Shinobi Story |
| Appears in | Novel |
| Team Info | |
| Leader(s) |    Sasuke Uchiha
|
| Member(s) |  Suigetsu Hōzuki Jūgo Karin Uzumaki
|
| Affiliation(s) |  Akatsuki (Briefly) Ryūchi Cave Konohagakure  Allied Shinobi Forces/Shinobi Union
|
|
|
Taka (鷹, Hawk), originally Hebi (蛇, Snake), is a team created by Sasuke Uchiha. Their original goal is to help Sasuke find Itachi and prevent anyone from interfering with their battle against the older Uchiha.
History[]
After betraying and eliminating Orochimaru at his weakest point, Sasuke traveled around several bases throughout Otogakure, looking to recruit his intended teammates: Suigetsu Hōzuki, Karin Uzumaki, and Jūgo. Sasuke went and successfully recruited Suigetsu by obtaining Kubikiribōchō from the Land of Waves and deciding to help him find the other legendary blades so that Suigetsu could restore the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Next, Sasuke and Suigetsu recruited Karin. Then the team met up at the base holding Jūgo where he went on a rampage, only to be stopped by Sasuke calming him down with his Sharingan.
Once the team was formed under the name “Hebi” they set out to find Itachi Uchiha. In Makiri, Sasuke searched and found the mob boss Gaizō, questioning him on Itachi’s whereabouts and learned about Katō from Shimogakure who was sent to investigate the destruction of Takigakure. He then encountered and battled Jiraiya who attempted to bring him back to Konoha. Sasuke and the team searched and found Katō on the outskirts of what was left of Takigakure and interrogated him for information about Akatsuki. Later, Sasuke came across and battled Deidara and Tobi of the Akatsuki. Afterward, Hebi rested for a while before continuing their search and getting a lead on Itachi. They encountered the Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi’s Akatsuki partner. Sasuke and Shindō were allowed through while the rest of Hebi remained behind.
After the battle was over with Sasuke witnessing Itachi’s death, Tobi, who successfully stalled Konoha’s Eight-Man Squad, retrieved the exhausted boy and revealed the truth about Konoha’s role in the Uchiha Massacre.
Despite the fact that the team was formed out of necessity, everyone came to respect and care for one another as teammates under Sasuke’s leadership. Everyone risked their lives to protect one another as time went on, reminding Sasuke of Team Kakashi. Upon learning how Konoha was involved in the Uchiha Massacre, there was one man who orchestrated it all from the beginning and Shindō decided to go for the root of the problem, Danzō, and Tobi recruits Hebi, now renamed “Taka”, assigning them the task of capturing the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki for extraction. In return, as he promised, he helped Sasuke get their revenge against Danzō and all of Konoha. Taka arrived at the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Frost disguised as members of the Akatsuki. Upon executing Danzō and his personal bodyguards Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, the team was Sasuke became more corrupt with his revenge against Konoha which resulted in Karin getting mortally wounded and captured by Konoha as a prisoner-of-war. Jūgo and Suigetsu, who knew nothing about what Sasuke had done to Karin, reunited with Sasuke to determine what his intentions for Konoha are. Upon reuniting with Karin who escaped from prison,
Motives[]
Sasuke was initially driven by revenge but needed a team to help him find Itachi and destroy him in his quest to avenge the Uchiha clan; however, after discovering the truth about Itachi and Konoha’s role, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to avenge his brother’s death. Suigetsu, Karin, and Jūgo were not fond nor friendly to one another after Sasuke formed the team, and it took time for all three to at least tolerate each other’s company. Each member had their own motives for joining the team during their formation:
- Suigetsu Hōzuki: Initially joined Taka to encounter Kisame Hoshigaki and take the legendary sword Samehada. His ultimate goal was to collect all the swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and reform the organization. After Sasuke retrieved the Kubikiribōchō, Suigetsu decided to join the team and found a newfound respect for the Uchiha while also annoying Karin to no end, incurring her wrath and admonishments from Shindō.
- Karin Uzumaki: Sasuke used Karin’s sensory abilities to his advantage, making her admit that his chakra was the warmest, fuzziest, and most potent chakra in her life. She claimed that her reasons for joining the team are only her concern and no one else’s. As time went on, she developed a friendship with Sasuke, only for it to end with his betrayal. When she was captured as a prisoner-of-war, she fell in love with Shindō Shunsoku because he loved her hair and his chakra being limitless, large, and powerful. To her surprise, her feelings were returned by the boy. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, they would have a family together.
- Jūgo: Considers Sasuke as a worthy successor to Kimimaro as he calmed down his murderous impulses. This earned Jūgo’s absolute loyalty to him. Like Suigetsu, he showed a vested interest in him which made them friends and developed mutual respect. Even after Taka was disbanded after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Jūgo remained by Sasuke’s side and became a Konoha shinobi who worked exclusively with Sasuke who kept his murderous tendencies in check.
Missions[]
Pursue Itachi Uchiha[]
- Status: Success
Itachi Uchiha was responsible for slaughtering his clan, leaving only his little brother Sasuke and his friend Shindō, whose parents he also murdered. The boys vowed to avenge their families by killing him, and was the main goal of Hebi before becoming Taka after Itachi’s death. In Part II, Itachi and Kisame found Naruto at an inn where the Uzumaki and Jiraiya were staying; however, Sasuke and Shindō arrived to exact their revenge but failed. Shortly after, they left Konoha to become stronger under the tutelage of Orochimaru so they could achieve their goal. Later, they formed Hebi and searched for Itachi’s whereabouts, at last finding him and battling him to a stalemate. Itachi, however, died from an unknown illness and rather than at the hands of his enemies, but not before giving Shindō his father’s eyes and bidding his brother and young friend goodbye. Tobi then retrieved the boys, told them the true story about Itachi, and how he was forced to eliminate his own clan. After some time contemplating and with Shindō using Senshiryoku to show Sasuke all the pain and suffering, Sasuke decided to turn his increasing hatred against the one person responsible for making their lives miserable, agreeing to an elaborate plan with Shindō to avenge Itachi, their respective families/clans, and their miserable lives. They refused to play Tobi’s manipulative game, instead had Tobi and the Akatsuki play theirs.
Capture the Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki[]
- Status: Failure
After devising a foolproof plan, Taka joins forces with the Akatsuki and are given the task of capturing the Eight-Tails’ Jinchūriki from Kumogakure. Once they arrived in the Land of Lightning, they fought and seemingly defeated Killer B, with Sasuke still learning to use his newly acquired Mangekyō Sharingan. They took Killer B and gave him to Tobi; however, during the sealing it was revealed that Killer B faked his capture.
Assassinate Danzō[]
- Status: Success
Tobi informed Sasuke and Shindō about Danzō’s involvement in the Five Kage Summit, learning that he was one of the orchestrators in the Uchiha clan’s downfall and the murder of the Shindō’s parents. Shindō saw an opportunity and once he saved Sasuke earlier from absolute hatred and darkness, they come up with a plan that would implicate the Akatsuki while avenging their and Itachi’s lives and clan. The masked Taka headed out towards the Shimogakure, led by White Zetsu. Once there, Shindō and Sasuke used genjutsu before entering and finding Danzō who fled the scene with his bodyguards. Tobi and White Zetsu arrived and confronted all the samurai and all five Kage alongside their bodyguards, letting Taka pursue Danzō. He declared war on all five great nations for refusing to give up the remaining jinchūriki of both the Hachibi and the Kyūbi to the Akatsuki. Elsewhere, Taka caught up to Danzō and his Root bodyguards on Kenjutsu Bridge, thanks to Tobi and White Zetsu stalling for Taka to catch up to their targets. Suigetsu fought against Torune Aburame, Jūgo against Fū Yamanaka, and Sasuke and Shindō versus Danzō with Karin’s sensory abilities as Taka’s main backup. Sasuke and Shindō successfully killed Danzō, along with Suigetsu and Jūgo eliminating Fū and Torune. For their plan to work, Taka needed to put the blame on the Akatsuki before returning to Konohagakure. Later, thanks to Tobi and White Zetsu, the masked members of Taka managed to locate the headquarters of Root and completely destroy it before betraying Tobi and the Akatsuki by leaving departing from the organization and returning to Konoha. After a thorough investigation into Danzō’s treachery, his ties with Orochimaru, and the underground organization that was supposed to be disbanded, the Fifth Hokage cleared Itachi’s name and Taka was given a pardon for their past misdeeds in exchange for information on the Akatsuki and providing assistance in the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War.
-->Aiding the Allied Shinobi Forces in the Fourth Shinobi World War[]
- Status: Success
With his brother’s soul released by Orochimaru,
Trivia[]
- When resting atop Madara’s statue in the Valley of the End, Tobi wondered whether Sasuke, the next time the young Uchiha “shedded his skin”, would stay a “snake” (蛇, Hebi) or turn into a “hawk” (鷹, Taka).[1] Madara, who Tobi was impersonating at the time, was stated to have the hobby of falconry. The team's name is connected to Tobi also through a Japanese proverb: “a hawk born from a kite” (鳶が鷹を生む, tobi ga taka o umu), meaning that an extraordinarily gifted child can be born from ordinary parents.
- Three of the group members’ eye color matches with their hair color: Sasuke Uchiha (black), Karin (red) and Jūgo (orange).
- And the fourth member, Suigetsu Hōzuki, while not having eyes that match his hair, has an eye color that matches the shirt he commonly wears (purple).
- All of the members of Taka, when recruited by Sasuke, had an additional side story that only appeared in the anime. Through these, their abilities were shown earlier than in the manga.
- Suigetsu had to retrieve his sword from Tenzen Daikoku. His Hydrification Technique was shown.
- Karin had a flashback of her helping Sasuke retrieve a group of escaped prisoners. Her Mind’s Eye of the Kagura technique was shown.
- Jūgo had a flashback of being recruited by Kimimaro to join Orochimaru. His Sage Transformation ability was briefly shown.
- ↑ Naruto chapter 371, page 2