"Mm-hmm," Karin nodded. "He and Jugo were among Lord Orochimaru's most valuable test subjects. Since this base was built, they've been kept locked up here, subjected to countless experiments. Kimimaro is the only one I've seen who never resisted or turned violent during the procedures. He was incredibly strong—I heard he was the only one who could restrain Jugo with his bare hands without so much as a scratch."
"Yeah…" Suigetsu said, glancing at Sasuke. "But he's…"
"Jugo…" Sasuke called to the figure inside the prison cell. "Kimimaro is already dead. Three years ago, he died protecting me when we fought against a very powerful ninja."
"What did you just say…?" After a moment of silence, Jugo suddenly yanked open the iron door, eyes locked intensely on Sasuke. "You're Sasuke Uchiha?"
He hesitated for several seconds before slowly stepping out of his prison cell. Tall and broad-shouldered, with bright orange spiked hair and dressed in prison garb, he seemed completely out of place in this setting.
"You're saying Kimimaro died because of you? Who did he fight?"
******
Outside the base, the three individuals Sasuke had summoned stood in formation, awaiting his orders.
"Now that the three of you are here, the first phase of my plan is complete. Now it's time I told you why I brought you here. I'm going to kill Itachi Uchiha from the Akatsuki organization, and I want your help."
"We know that already," Suigetsu raised his hand impatiently, cutting him off.
Sasuke ignored him and turned toward Karin.
"Karin, you mentioned earlier that you had other things to deal with—what are you planning to do about that?"
"Well, now that you mention it, it's actually not that urgent anymore," Karin awkwardly twisted her fingers together, blushing slightly. "I can take care of it anytime."
"Oh come on, stop pretending. Just say it already," Suigetsu teased with a grin, looking at Karin. "Just say you want to stay by Sasuke's side forever and get it over with."
"That's not true! What nonsense are you talking!" Karin flushed red as she nervously pushed her glasses up while shouting back.
"That's literally what I just said," Suigetsu continued laughing, enjoying teasing her. "Look at your face—it's all red, probably wishing you could sew my mouth shut. I figured you out long ago. You've liked Sasuke ever since—"
Before Suigetsu could finish, Karin punched him so hard he flew through the air.
Sasuke shook his head helplessly.
"Suigetsu, stop teasing Karin. Didn't I tell you we need to work together?"
Laughing, Suigetsu picked himself up from the ground, his head now back to its normal shape after being smashed flat.
"Okay okay, my bad. Sorry, Karin. But I should make something clear first—I joined Sasuke because I want Samehada, the sword of Kisame Hoshigaki from the Akatsuki. It's one of the Seven Swordsmen Blades of the Mist—and I *have* to have it!"
"All you care about is collecting swords? That's pathetic," Karin scoffed.
Suigetsu shot her a glare, but restrained himself, finally shifting his focus to the biggest member of the group.
"Jugo, you're free now. What are you going to do next?"
Jugo remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Kimimaro once said that Sasuke's existence was like his rebirth. The person who defeated Kimimaro must be no ordinary opponent. I'd love to meet the man himself someday..."
"That settles it then." Sasuke had listened carefully to everyone's words and now spoke with firm determination. "From this day forward, we are teammates. We'll name our squad 'Snake' and our only goal is to find Itachi Uchiha—no matter what it takes!"
xxx
## Land of Waves, Zabuza's Grave ##
Naruto stood frozen, like a statue.
His teammates and Chojuro stood behind him, staring at the empty gravestone.
"I know where it is..." Naruto said coldly.
Only four people knew about this place. Two of them were in Konoha, and even if they could come here, there was no way they could get here quickly enough to retrieve the sword.
"Where is it?" Chojuro asked. He had followed Naruto all this way expecting an easy task—grab the sword and return to complete his mission—but things didn't go as planned.
Looking at Naruto's expression, it was obvious something was wrong—he looked clearly upset by the sudden turn of events.
Naruto rubbed the summoning tattoo on his arm. "I just got word from Tamako—Orochimaru is dead." This news shocked Maki, and Sai also looked surprised.
"Sasuke killed him and freed several prisoners from his hideout. Ero-Sennin got intel from his spies that Sasuke took the sword."
"So what do we do now, Senior?" Sai stepped forward, carefully examining the gravestone.
Naruto frowned deeply.
"I've already made a promise to the Mizukage—I can't break it now... What a pain. I should've known better than to get dragged into this mess. Politics are such a headache—treaties, alliances—the whole mess." He shook his head in frustration. "Looks like we'll have to change our plans. I know exactly what that bastard Sasuke is after. I'm going to find him myself, bring him back, and take the sword!"
"Sasuke actually defeated Orochimaru..." Maki murmured, still struggling to process the shocking news. "Senior, you're going after Sasuke? He managed to defeat someone as powerful as Orochimaru?"
Naruto gave Maki a knowing smile—not because he doubted his own strength, but because Orochimaru's reputation alone was terrifying enough. Even Master Jiraiya had once said that if he fought Orochimaru, the best they could hope for was mutual destruction.
"Maki, Sasuke didn't defeat the legendary Orochimaru who has dominated the ninja world for years. He defeated a dying, broken man—someone so weak that even I could easily beat him. The Nine-Tails would tear him apart if he even tried to take my body."
Realization dawned in Maki's eyes.
"So that means Sasuke isn't nearly as strong as we imagined... His victory was just good timing—or maybe he just knew how to seize the moment."
"Maybe both," Naruto said. "But don't underestimate him either—he wouldn't have gotten away unscathed if he weren't dangerous."
He turned to Chojuro. "I know this is a hassle, but can you go back and tell the Mizukage that we'll definitely bring back the forbidden blades, though we might need a bit more time."
"I will. I believe the Mizukage will understand—she's a very reasonable person. Those forbidden blades are precious treasures of Kiri. If you manage to recover even one, I'm sure she would be delighted to enter into an agreement with Konoha."
Naruto nodded and said,
"Tell her I'll have my partner inform the Hokage of all the details. I don't have to hide anymore. Actually, if Akatsuki comes after me first, that'd be even better. Saves me the trouble of tracking them down."
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