CHAPTER 226: 226. I DON’T LIKE THAT KIND OF JOKE

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Kabuto turned a corner and froze.

Blood streaked from under Orochimaru’s chamber door. His face darkened as he hurried forward, silent as a shadow. Kneeling, he pressed an ear to the wall.

The sounds inside were wrong.

He eased the door open and nearly stopped breathing.

The room was a ruin of blood and shattered scales. At its center, Sasuko stood unmarked, calm, a blade still gleaming faintly in her hand.

At her feet lay Orochimaru’s discarded head, blood pooling beneath it.

Sweat dampened Kabuto’s brow. He recognized the massive snake’s shed skin sprawled across the floor. He had seen this scene before, many times. Only this time... it meant the ritual was over.

"...What happened here?" His voice cracked faintly as he stepped inside, glasses reflecting the dim light.

Sasuko turned her head slightly, Sharingan glinting.

"...Kabuto?"

She said nothing more, simply walking past him without pause.

Kabuto’s throat tightened. Instinct told him the truth, but his mind rejected it. His voice wavered.

"Wait. You... who are you now?"

Sasuko stopped. Looked back over her shoulder. A faint smile touched her lips.

"What do you think?"

Her eyes swirled. [Sharingan].

Kabuto’s world cracked open. The walls melted into the ritual’s inner realm.

He saw it with his own eyes Orochimaru, writhing, clawing to devour Sasuko. And then, impossibly, crumbling into nothing. His anguished cries echoed:

"No... impossible! This is my dimension!"

Sasuko’s voice cut through, sharp as ice.

"Your techniques don’t work on me."

The vision shattered. Kabuto collapsed back into himself, sweat dripping. His lips moved soundlessly before the words escaped.

"Orochimaru-sama... is dead."

Then a harsher realization struck. His pupils shrank. "No... not dead. You... stole him."

Sasuko’s voice sealed it. "I took everything from him."

Her gaze slipped away, and she walked on. Kabuto stared after her, hollow. In that moment, his purpose crumbled.

---

Elsewhere — the Laboratory.

Rows of towering tanks stretched ceiling to floor, filled with stagnant water. Pipes dripped. The floor was slick and cold.

Footsteps splashed as Sasuko entered. She approached one empty chamber. From within the water, a voice stirred.

"...It really is you? Then that means Orochimaru is finished?"

"Yes," Sasuko answered flatly. "Now get out of there."

Her [Kusanagi] sliced. Glass exploded, water gushing over the floor. The liquid didn’t disperse it gathered, coiling, forming a man’s torso from the waist up.

"Finally free..." The figure grinned, rows of sharp teeth flashing. "Thanks, Sasuko."

Suigetsu had returned.

"You’re the first," she said coolly. "Come with me."

His form solidified, bare skin glistening. He smirked. "The first? Who else?"

"We’ll find Jūgo at the northern hideout. But before that—I have somewhere to go."

Suigetsu’s grin faltered. "Not Jūgo... tch. I don’t like that guy."

"You don’t have to like him," Sasuko replied. "Just follow orders."

"Because you freed me, I’ll listen," he conceded, shrugging. "But still, you’re sure about this choice? That guy’s unstable."

Her hand fell casually to the [Kusanagi]’s hilt. "Stop wasting words. And put some clothes on. Or..."

The faint ring of steel sliding free finished the sentence.

Suigetsu chuckled nervously. He dissolved into water, reappearing behind her with a hand shaped into a watery spear, pressing toward her temple.

"Touchy, aren’t we? Let’s test our teamwork—"

Slash.

Pain flared. His arm dropped away, dissolving into a puddle on the floor. He gawked at the stump as it regenerated, paling.

Sasuko didn’t blink. "I don’t like that kind of joke."

"...R-right," he laughed weakly. "Relax. Just kidding."

She didn’t respond.

He muttered, half to himself: "Heh, I heard you were strong. My senior’s senior Zabuza died fighting your squad, didn’t he?"

Her silence was confirmation enough.

Suigetsu raised his hands. "Fine, fine. I’ll follow. Where to?"

"Follow me. Don’t ask questions."

The killing intent in her tone chilled the air. Suigetsu stepped back instinctively.

"Got it, got it. Whatever you say."

"Good. Now get dressed—before I decide not to let you."

"...Yes, ma’am."

He vanished into a ripple of water, returning a moment later, clothed and subdued. Together, they left the base.

---

Far away, Neji lifted his head in his quiet room. A faint smile curved his lips. "So... it begins."

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