Chapter 39: Jūgo

We were at the northern hideout standing in front of a bunch of human experiments with the curse mark standing in front of us.

As Sasuke asked Karin, "Is Jugo among them?"

Karin sighed as she exclaimed, "What a pain! Just wait a bit!" She put her hands together before saying, "He's not here."

Suigetsu smiled as he said, "Well then, I can fight without worrying who they are."

I interrupted as I said, "Why don't you let me handle this one's? While you go on ahead."

Suigetsu turned to me surprised as he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I mean we are a team so it's only fair I pull my own weight."

Karin grinned as she said, "If she wants to stay let her stay."

Suigetsu still didn't seem to like my plan before saying, "If you want, I can stay and help you."

I paused before saying, "No, I'll be fine."

Sasuke started walking forward as he said, "Just avoid killing anyone. Karin, Suigetsu we'll go on ahead, only take down dose in your path without killing and leave the rest for Kikyo."

Karin and Suigetsu nodded before they all left. After they made it past them, I jumped in front of the path as I said, "If you want to get to them, you'll have to kill me."

They charged towards me, as I started using Taijutsu to knock them out thinking, "For some reason all I can think about is Sasuke, why?"

I dogged a punch before kicking them knocking them out as I mumbled, "That's the last one…" before making my way towards Sasuke and the others.

As I was making my way towards them, I realised Suigetsu was in a different location. I decided to go meet up with him in case he was fighting and needed help.

I turned at a corner and just as I did, I saw Suigetsu about to kill a man on the floor.

Without thinking I ran up to them blocking Suigetsu's sword with a kunai.

He looked at me surprised before saying, "Kikyo your done already? And you blocked my sword with just a kunai. Just how strong are you?"

I ignored his question as I said, "What do you think you're doing? Sasuke said not to kill anyone."

"You care a lot about what Sasuke says don't you?"

I didn't reply as Suigetsu sighed saying, "Don't tell me you have a crush on Sasuke like Karin? And here I thought you'd date me."

There was suddenly a loud crash as both Suigetu and I turned to the direction it came from before looking at each other again.

I lowered my kunai as he sheathed his blade before we both ran in the direction it came from. As we got closer, I saw Karin, Sasuke who looked weird and another person with spiky orange hair chasing Sasuke about to punch him.

But just before he hit him I blocked the attack with a chakra infused kunai.

Both me and the person jumped back as he asked, "Who are you?"

I paused before saying, "I'm Kiyoko and you are?"

Before he could reply Suigetsu interrupted saying, "It's been a while, Jugo."

Jugo grinned as he said, "Yes, of course we fought before Suigetsu."

I paused as I thought, "So his Jugo…" when I heard Sasuke's voice as he said, "You three stop. We didn't come here to fight just let me talk to him."

I glanced at Sasuke before lowering my kunai as Suigetsu said, "Sasuke I seriously doubt that anything you say is going to get through to him, the only thing he understands is force!" Before charging at Jugo.

As both of them fought Sasuke tried to get them to stop but they ignored him, they both charged at each other again when in a flash Sasuke was between them white snakes holding the both of them as he said, "Stop or do you want me to kill the both of you."

I could see their fear on their faces as the snakes disappeared and Jugo's curse mark also disappeared as he screamed before running into a room closing the door behind him.

I looked a Sasuke as I thought, "His grown a lot stronger since I last saw him, I wonder if it's the same for Naruto, Hinata and Sakura… Could I beat Sasuke in a 1v1."

I snapped out of my thoughts as Jugo walked out.

We were far from the hideout as Sasuke said, "Good, now that everyone is here, I'll tell you, my goal. My ultimate goal is to kill Itachi Uchiha of the Akatsuki. But to succeed I'll need help from you. Of course it's your choice, Karin, you said you had something else to do decide."

Karin hesitated before saying, "Oh well on second thought that other thing isn't that important-"

Suigetsu interrupted as he said, "Karin just be honest and tell him how the truth would yeah. The only thing you're interested in is being around Sasuke, isn't that right."

Karin looked at Suigetsu angry as she started screaming at him, they both argued when Karin suddenly punched him.

I stopped paying attention as I noticed something. When I heard Sasuke's voice as he asked, "And you?"

I paused before saying, "Sure I'm in."

"Well, then it's all set. Now that we're a team, we all move together as one. And from this point on we'll be known as, 'the Hebi'. The Hebi has only one goal… Itachi Uchiha."

We had stopped for the night, and everyone was asleep, I glanced at each of them one more time before leaving. I was far away from everybody as I asked, "Are you there. Kagehime."

Kagehime seemingly appeared in front of me as she dropped a scroll in front of me before saying, "Hey Hinoka! I got what you wanted! I couldn't carry everything, so I only brought the one that seemed them most important on an original ocular dōjutsu. But the remaining on dōjutsu is in Yaseiyama."

Hinoka kneeled patting Kagehime as she said, "Thanks, that's all."

There was a puff of smoke as Kagehime disappeared. Hinoka reached out to grab the scroll when she felt a cold metal against her throat before hearing Sasuke's voice as he asked, "What are you doing out her so late, and what's that scroll, Kiyoko?"