Chapter 119: The Monster in the North

Karin's sharp eyes, magnified slightly by her glasses, remained fixed on Sasuke for a moment longer before reluctantly shifting to Ren. The air on the small island was thick with salt and unspoken tension.

"So," she said, her voice crisp and devoid of the warmth she had briefly shown Sasuke. "You're the other one. Uchiha Ren. What could you possibly want from me?"

"The same thing we wanted from him," Ren replied, gesturing with his thumb towards Suigetsu, who was leaning on the massive Kubikiribōchō with a smirk. "Your skills are an asset. We're forming a team, and you're invited. Leave this place and come with us."

Karin let out a short, dismissive laugh. "An invitation? And why would I do that? I have a position here. Responsibilities to Lord Orochimaru."

"Your responsibilities are over," Ren stated flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Orochimaru's orders have likely already been disseminated. Your replacement is probably on their way. This outpost no longer needs you."

Karin's confident posture faltered for a fraction of a second. She knew the snake Sannin's fickle nature all too well. To be discarded was a constant fear. Her gaze flickered back to Sasuke, who stood silent and impassive. Something in his presence, or perhaps the sheer audacity of the proposition, made her hesitate. After a long moment, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, a resigned sigh escaping her lips.

"Fine. But this had better be worth my while."

---

**Otogakure - Two Days Later**

The door to Orochimaru's primary laboratory slid open with a hiss, revealing the gaunt figure of the snake Sannin. He emerged into the dimly lit corridor, his pale skin looking almost translucent under the torchlight. Kabuto was waiting for him, a scroll in hand.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto began, bowing slightly. "I have an update. Two days ago, Ren left the village. He was accompanied by Sasuke."

Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed with interest. "Oh? Sasuke went with him voluntarily?"

"It appears so. Their first destination was the western stronghold. They liberated Suigetsu Hōzuki. Their current trajectory suggests they are headed for the sea prison—Karin's domain."

A slow, rasping chuckle escaped Orochimaru's lips. "Hehehe~ Is that so? Let them be. Do not interfere."

"But, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto ventured, a note of concern in his voice. "With Sasuke-kun at his side, Ren's influence could—"

"Sasuke will not betray me," Orochimaru interrupted, his voice a confident whisper. "Not yet. His thirst for power still binds him here. I am watching his every move. This... fraternal reconciliation is curious, but ultimately irrelevant. As long as their little recruitment drive does not disrupt my experiments, they are free to play at building their team." He waved a dismissive hand. "You are dismissed, Kabuto."

"Yes, my lord." Kabuto bowed again and retreated into the shadows, his own thoughts a whirlwind of calculation.

---

**On the Open Sea**

The group of four moved across the water's surface, a silent, mismatched procession. Karin walked a few paces behind Sasuke, her attention focused on him, while Suigetsu bounded ahead, testing the weight and balance of his new sword with childish glee.

"Alright, team's looking good!" Suigetsu announced to no one in particular. "So, that just leaves the big guy in the north, right? Jūgo!"

The name made Karin flinch. She stopped walking, causing the others to pause and look back. "Jūgo?" she asked, her voice tight with alarm. "You can't be serious. You're actually going to recruit *him*?"

Suigetsu turned, a wide grin on his face. "Why? Scared of him, Four-Eyes?"

"Don't be an idiot!" Karin snapped, her composure cracking. "I'm not scared! It's just... someone like you would be killed instantly the moment you set foot in that place!"

The grin faded from Suigetsu's face, replaced by a more serious expression. "Really? I've only seen the northern stronghold on a map. Is it that bad?"

Karin hugged her arms, a subconscious gesture of unease. "The northern stronghold isn't a prison; it's a containment facility. A human testing ground. The... things kept there were born from failed experiments. They're uncontrollable. Do you even know what Jūgo is? Why would you want him as a partner?"

"I know a little," Suigetsu admitted. "Fought him once. He's incredibly strong, uses some kind of nature transformation without hand seals. But there's something off about him. I could never get a read on him."

"According to the files, his normal state is one of constant suppression," Karin explained, her voice dropping. "He's fighting a violent impulse every second of every day. When he loses that fight, he becomes a mindless murderer. His entire physiology and personality undergo a monstrous transformation."

"So he's a loose cannon with a bad temper. Got it."

"It's more than that!" Karin insisted. "For Lord Orochimaru, Jūgo was the key. The enzymes extracted from his bodily fluids were the basis for inducing a similar state in other subjects." She paused, letting the implication hang in the salty air. "You know what that led to. The Cursed Seals. Jūgo is the original prototype."

"Enough talk," Ren's voice cut through the conversation, cold and final. "We're wasting daylight."

Suigetsu, who had been about to retort, immediately fell silent. The command in Ren's tone brooked no argument.

They reached the shore and soon were moving at a blistering pace across the landscape, which gradually morphed into a harsh, rocky badland. Strange, wind-sculpted stone formations rose around them like skeletal fingers.

Finally, they stopped at the edge of a vast, desolate canyon.

"Karin," Ren ordered. "Locate the stronghold."

"Fine, fine, I'm on it," she grumbled, closing her eyes. Her potent sensory abilities expanded outward, a radar pulse of chakra awareness sweeping across the canyon. After a moment, her eyes snapped open. "There. Deep within the canyon. The chakra signatures there are... chaotic. Wild."

"Lead the way," Sasuke said, speaking for the first time in hours.

Karin looked at each of them, her expression deadly serious. "I'll take you to the entrance. But I'm asking you one last time. Are you absolutely sure about this? Bringing him out is like unleashing a natural disaster."

"If you're scared, you can wait outside," Suigetsu taunted, though his usual bravado was noticeably thinner.

Without another word, Ren and Sasuke began descending into the canyon. Suigetsu and Karin exchanged a final, wary glance before following, the heavy silence broken only by the crunch of gravel underfoot and the distant, mournful cry of a wind sweeping through the stone labyrinth. The entrance to the northern stronghold—a dark, gaping maw in the cliff face—awaited them.

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