Chapter 120: The Monster's Cage

The entrance to the northern stronghold was less a door and more a wound in the cliff face, dark and exuding a palpable chill. As the four figures approached, a squad of Oto-nin guards materialized from the shadows, their movements tense and weapons half-drawn. Recognition dawned on their leader's face almost immediately, and he signaled his men to stand down with a sharp, nervous gesture.

"Lord Ren! Lord Sasuke!" the guard captain stammered, bowing deeply. "We... we were not expecting you."

"Take us to Jūgo's cell. Now," Ren commanded, his voice cutting through the stagnant air. He offered no explanation, no pleasantries.

The guard captain flinched as if struck. "J-Jūgo? Now, my lord?" The man's face paled, and a visible tremor ran through his hands. The other guards exchanged fearful glances, taking an involuntary step back. "Is that... is that wise?"

Ren's eyes narrowed. "I did not ask for your opinion. I gave you an order. Lead the way."

The captain swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He turned to a young, skinny guard beside him who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. "Ida! You... you will escort our lords to the containment block."

A wave of palpable relief washed over the other guards, while the one named Ida looked like he was about to be sick. "M-Me? Captain, I... I have that inventory check..."

"Now, Ida!" the captain barked, his own fear making him harsh.

"It's fine," Ren interjected, his tone deceptively calm. "Your task is to lead. We will ensure nothing happens to you. Now, move."

The sheer authority in Ren's voice brooked no further argument. With trembling hands, Ida accepted a heavy ring of keys from the captain, the metal clinking loudly in the tense silence. "Y-Yes, my lord. Th-This way, please."

He led them into the depths of the stronghold. The corridor was a descent into hell, lined with reinforced cells. The air grew thick with the stench of unwashed bodies, rust, and something fouler—despair. Most prisoners were shackled to the walls with thick chains, or dragged heavy iron balls bolted to their ankles. They were not mere criminals; they were failed experiments, their bodies twisted, their eyes glowing with a feral, bloodshot madness.

As the group passed, the prisoners stirred.

"Hey! New faces!" one snarled, rattling his chains.

"Orochimaru's new pets?" another jeered, pressing against the bars. "Come closer! Let me get a better look at you!"

"Fresh meat!" a third howled, saliva dripping from his cracked lips.

Ren and Sasuke ignored them completely, their faces impassive masks. But Suigetsu's patience, never robust, wore thin. "Tch. Annoying flies. Boss, you want me to shut a few of them up? Permanently?"

"Do not waste the effort," Ren replied without looking back. "Their existence is already a death sentence. They simply haven't stopped breathing yet."

Suigetsu shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. Figured you'd say that."

Their procession continued until a sharp, observant voice cut through the general clamor. "Wait... the direction you're heading... is that... are you going to *his* cell?"

The word "his" acted like a spell. The chaotic noise from the cells died instantly. The jeers and snarls were replaced by a sudden, profound silence, broken only by the sound of ragged breathing and the drip of water. Fear, cold and sharp, replaced the previous aggression.

"You... you can't be going for Jūgo," the same prisoner whispered, his voice trembling. "What do you want with him?"

Suigetsu grinned, enjoying the sudden shift in atmosphere. "We're here to spring him! He's gonna be our new teammate."

A wave of panicked murmurs swept through the cell block.

"Have you lost your minds?"

"If you let that monster out, he'll slaughter us all!"

"You're signing our death warrants!"

"Eh, I think you're overreacting," Suigetsu said with a dismissive wave. "Besides, my boss here seems to think it's a good idea. And I doubt he could kill me even if he tried." Get full chapters from novel✶fire.net

One particularly brazen prisoner, a hulking man with scarred cheeks, let out a derisive snort. "You? A scrawny thing like you? He'd tear you limb from limb before you could blink!"

Suigetsu's grin vanished. His expression turned cold, his hand tightening on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō. He took a step towards the cell.

"Enough."

The single word from Ren was quiet, but it froze Suigetsu in his tracks. Ren didn't even turn. He simply activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, the complex pattern spinning to life as he fixed his gaze on the mocking prisoner.

There was no grand gesture. Just a flicker of intent.

*Fwoosh.*

Black flames, cold and silent, erupted from the man's torso. They consumed him in an instant, clinging to his flesh with an unholy hunger. The prisoner's arrogant sneer twisted into a mask of absolute agony. His screams were not loud; they were choked, guttural sounds of pure terror as he beat at the inextinguishable fire, rolling on the floor of his cell until his movements ceased and he was reduced to a smoldering husk.

The silence that followed was absolute. The other prisoners shrank back into the deepest shadows of their cells, their bravado utterly extinguished. Suigetsu felt a cold sweat break out on his own neck, a stark reminder of the power he was trifling with. He gave a shaky nod of gratitude to Ren's back.

"Let's go," Ren said, as if he had merely swatted a fly.

The rest of the journey was made in a dead quiet, broken only by the frantic jangling of the keys in Ida's trembling hands. They finally stopped before a cell that was different from the others. It had no bars to peer through, just a solid, reinforced steel door, crisscrossed with multiple chains and secured by a series of heavy padlocks. It looked less like a prison cell and more like a vault designed to contain a natural disaster.

"H-Here, my lord," Ida whispered, his voice cracking. "J-Jūgo is in there." He held out the key ring, his hand shaking so violently the keys chimed like bells.

Ren took the keys. "You are dismissed."

Ida didn't need to be told twice. He turned and fled down the corridor, his footsteps echoing in a frantic, fading rhythm.

"Really, what a coward," Suigetsu muttered, though his own posture was tense.

"Wait," Ren ordered as Suigetsu moved to take the keys. "Stand back. I will open it."

Suigetsu immediately retreated, falling into a defensive stance. Karin took several steps back, her sensory abilities undoubtedly screaming with warning. Even Sasuke's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword.

Ren selected the correct keys, the metallic clicks unnaturally loud in the tense silence. One by one, the padlocks fell away, and the heavy chains clattered to the stone floor. He gripped the handle of the massive door, took a breath, and pulled.

The door swung inward on protesting hinges, revealing only darkness within. A wave of stale, metallic air washed over them.

From the impenetrable blackness, a low, guttural growl rumbled forth, a sound that promised only violence.

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