With no other choice, they finally agree to follow Zoro. Kimimaro knows he doesn't have much time left, so he can just refuse and doesn't care if Zoro will kill him. But if he refuses, Jugo will need to be the sacrifice.
Although Zoro says that he won't kill anyone under 18, Kimimaro and Jugo won't just believe it because it's a very unusual principle in this world. Especially when it comes from the infamous Ninja Hunter who lives by killing missing nins.
Right when Zoro finishes talking with Kimimaro and Jugo, Torao and Hiyori finally appear. Torao is in his cat-size form and sits on Hiyori's head. They come out of the shadow out of nowhere, surprising both Jugo and Kimimaro.
"Are you done?" Zoro asks Torao.
"Yeah, all prisoners released and bad guys defeated. But this place really stinks." Hiyori says it happily at first, but she looks displeased in her last sentence.
Both Kimimaro and Jugo are surprised once more. They are thinking how a little girl like Hiyori managed to release the prisoners and defeat the ninjas. Torao is in his cat-size form, after all, so they don't think he can do anything either.
"Hmm, alright, let's go then. You two, follow me closely and don't try to do anything funny."
They finally leave the Northern base and go to the next base with 2 new members. Their next destination is the Eastern base where Suigetsu is held. The Sound Four isn't in this Northern base anyway, so Zoro can't take them into the team now.
Before leaving the base, Zoro destroys it. He only makes some swings using a sword, but the whole base is being chopped into many small parts. Now Jugo can understand why Kimimaro is so afraid of Zoro and Kimimaro gets even more afraid of Zoro too now.
Kimimaro and Jugo finally know how Hiyori could defeat the ninjas in the Northern base after they leave. Torao has transformed into his tiger-sized form to carry Hiyori and Zoro on his back. Though it makes them wonder why Zoro also needs to ride on Torao's back.
"Don't worry about this, it's faster this way because we won't need to worry about someone being lost on the way." Torao doesn't even need to look at Kimimaro and Jugo who run behind them to know what they feel.
"Hihihi, uncle has a very bad sense of direction. It's so bad that he will get lost in a straight path. So we never let him walk by himself when we travel or we'll need to look for him every minute because he'll get lost." Hiyori explains while smiling at them.
She is happy to have more companions and her naive mind thinks that they are good people. Well, good and bad in this world is very questionable. Everyone has their own judgment about what's good and bad, so Zoro can't say that Hiyori is wrong, although he also can't say that she is right.
Anyway, Kimimaro and Jugo didn't expect that kind of answer. They would never have thought that someone as powerful as Zoro would have such an unusual weakness.
It doesn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. This base is another underground base, similar to their HQ. But the entrance is a snake head which looks cool actually.
The group just barges into the base without any worry. There are some traps, but Zoro destroys them all easily. He also uses his Observation Haki to sense the whole base and doesn't find many people here too.
Shortly, they find where Orochimaru experimented on Suigetsu. He is placed in a tube full of liquid because of his Kekkei Genkai. After they arrive there, Hiyori and Torao leave to explore the base just like what they did in the Northern base.
"Kimimaro, I've seen you with Orochimaru a few times. What do you want? And who are they? I feel like I've seen the green-haired man somewhere."
Suigetsu can talk even though he is drowned in liquid, which amazes Zoro actually. He has seen strange things, but he never saw this before. Although he knows that Suigetsu's body can turn into water, it still amazes him how Suigetsu can just live underwater.
"Do you have Fishmen in Kiri? That guy Kisame looks like a shark while this guy can just live underwater like a fish." Zoro raises an eyebrow.
After looking at Zoro for a while, Suigetsu suddenly has a realization. His eyes widen when he finally realizes who Zoro is.
"Three swords and green hair. You are, Ninja Hunter Zoro!"
"Oh, you know me?"
"There's no way I won't. You were very famous in Kirigakure. The man who singlehandedly killed the previous generation of 7 Swordsmen of Mist when you were just a teenager. My brother and I really wanted to fight you, but we never had the chance to. So you join Orochimaru now?"
Kimimaro and Juga are surprised to hear Zoro's old feat. They know he is strong, but they don't know that he has been so strong since he was young.
"Joining that snake? You sure have a good imagination. I have killed that snake. Well, maybe not too. Anyway, I've defeated him, but there's a problem now. I'm recruiting his prisoners to help me find a way to solve this problem and by recruiting, I don't mean I'm asking you to join."
Suigetsu gulps his saliva even though he is underwater. "It's an order, is it?"
"You guys know more about Orochimaru than me and you can use ninjutsu while I can't. So I take you to solve this problem. Once it's solved, you are free to do whatever you want."
Suigetsu knows that it's his best chance to be freed now, so he agrees. At least he will have a chance to be free if he joins Zoro. He can think of what to do later after he's freed.
Zoro coats his right middle finger with haki, then he flicks the glass tube lightly. The glass tube shatters completely into very small pieces with that flick, making the water spill everywhere.
"Such a brittle glass. I don't understand how you couldn't free yourself all this time. You can't even break a glass but you and your brother were dreaming of defeating me? Boy, it's okay to dream high, but you also need to be realistic."
Zoro finds a way to insult Suigetsu while the guy is coming out of the water on the floor.
"Find some clothes quickly. I don't want my niece to see you naked."
"You're not restraining me? What if I run away or maybe ever try to stab you from behind?"
"You can try." Zoro ignores Suigetsu's threat and just leaves the room.
Soon, the 3 also get out of the room with Suigetsu already wearing some clothes, right on time before Torao and Hiyori return. Hiyori happily reports that her work has been finished, so now they can leave this place.
Before leaving, just like before, Zoro destroys the base with some swings of his sword that cuts the whole base into pieces. As it is located underground, a very wide area of the forest collapses as the result.
Suigetsu smiles wryly while gulping his saliva when he sees it. Now he can fully understand why Zoro could defeat the previous generation of the 7 Swordsmen of Mist. Though it also makes him interested in Zoro's swords.
"Are those the same swords you use to kill our 7 Swordsmen?"
"I think yeah, I can't really remember if I already used them or not at that time. Why?"
"N-no, they just look very special."
"Well, they are. You can say that they are somehow mystical too, like Kiri's 7 Legendary Swords. I won't let you try them though."
"I never say I want to try them."
"Your eyes say otherwise."
Zoro knows that Suigetsu wants to collect Kiri's 7 Great Swords and he has a liking for swords. But Zoro will never hand over his swords to anyone, not before he retires or dies. His swords are his souls and he won't give his souls to others.
Anyway, now they are heading to the next destination where Karin works. Unlike Suigetsu and Jugo who were imprisoned by Orochimaru, Karin is working for him, similar to Kabuto, and funnily enough, she is working in the base located near the Land of Waves.
"Do you want to visit your village after we finish, Hiyori?" Zoro asks on their way there.
"No, it's okay. I've promised everyone that I'll return after I become strong, so I can't return yet."
Zoro doesn't know that Hiyori made such a promise, but it's not bad that she has a clear goal from the beginning. He's sure she will achieve it in a few years because she has a strong mentality and it's already a great asset.
Anyway, they arrive in the Southern Hideout where Karin works. It's located on a small rocky island in the middle of the sea. Zoro senses a lot more people inside this base, which makes him interested.
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Chapter: 185. Power, More Power
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