When the group arrived at the village of sound, the place resembled a beehive of bees on alert, they were quickly stopped before their identities could be confirmed, only then were they allowed to enter.
Jugo wasn't in a hurry to find his target, it would still be a few months before Sasuke deserted. During that time, he might even be able to advance to Sequence 5.
As for the advancement ritual? He found out as soon as he advanced.
To become a Wraith, he needs to bury himself for an entire month, from one full moon to the next, but it's not that simple, the place needs to have great spiritual focus, as well as be filled with resentment.
He must drink the potion exactly one month after being buried, during the peak of the full moon.
It's not a complicated ritual, but it requires time and also a suitable location.
Luckily, the world of Naruto is a place of constant war, so there must be many of these places focused on spirituality.
But the problem is being buried alive, he won't die buried now that he's turned into a zombie. Oxygen and food aren't strictly necessary.
But what if some idiot like Kabuto or a bored White Zetsu happens to walk by and dig it up?
He would have to start from scratch.
So he needed to remain hidden when he went out.
Sure, first he needs to digest his potion.
Now, how does one digest the Zombie potion? He has the impression that devouring human flesh, creating more zombies and even spreading plagues could be a way of acting, but it's probably related to the "curse" side.
So how do you act like a Zombie on the "Chained" side?
He walked slowly through the earthen corridors with Kin and Dosu, still lost in thought, until he said goodbye to them and arrived at Kimimaro's infirmary, he was still lost in thought.
Jugo looked at the bedridden figure, Kimimaro's condition had worsened again.
But while his previous desire was to abandon any friendship they had, Jugo now had a different plan.
Whether it was giving him the powers of a werewolf or a zombie, it was a good solution, at most, both sides would be loyal to him.
If it were before, he would have wanted to turn him into a werewolf, but now? Kimimaro would do just fine as a zombie.
How strong would a completely healthy Kimimaro become, with the curse mark and the power of a zombie?
At least, a Kage.
Sure, for a moment, with Jugo's memories, he considered following the Werewolf path and keeping Kimimaro alive, but at the same time, precisely because of those memories, he wanted to let Kimimaro die for what he loved.
If he interferes now, he will become a werewolf and thus completely loyal to Jugo, but would that still be Kimimaro?
To live as a slave or to die for the one he loves? Kimimaro would choose the second option without hesitation.
Jugo had conflicting feelings now, like a zombie, Kimimaro's soul would be trapped in his body, in a cold and dormant state, he would no longer be himself.
The confusion made him sigh, in the end, he decided to leave the choice to Kimimaro. If he wished to live for himself, he would transform him into a werewolf, if he wished to die for Orochimaru, he would transform him into a zombie.
But that was still a long way off, he would leave that choice for when Kimimaro was on the verge of death.
At that moment, Jugo approached and sat down beside him. He saw Kimimaro's head move slightly in his direction, he wouldn't be able to speak with the tubes in his mouth right now.
Jugo only began to recount the events he needed to know about what happened in Konoha, making it clear that he protected Sasuke and kept an eye on him most of the time.
At some point, tears escaped Kimimaro's eyes. Jugo held his hand for a while until he felt Kimimaro had fallen asleep. He sighed and left the room.
Outside, a figure with white hair was waiting. -Jugo-kun, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but Orochimaru-sama asked you to prepare yourself, he'll need your help when he meets Lady Tsunade.
-What happened to Orochimaru-sama?- Jugo asked, frowning and looking a little confused.
Kabuto glanced at him through his glasses, clearly intrigued, a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he recounted the events.
Jugo simply listened in silence until Kabuto explained that they were going to Tsunade to heal Orochimaru's soul.
-Okay, when you find her, just let me know. Also, where is Karin?- Jugo finally asked.
Kabuto paused for a moment, lost in thought, before guiding him away.
In a room filled with scrolls, a little red-haired girl was reading the files with tired eyes.
As soon as the door opened, she looked up startled, especially when she saw Kabuto. She quickly wanted to focus on her reading, afraid of being caught dozing off, but when she saw the orange hair behind Kabuto, she smiled.
-Jugo-sama!- she shouted and jumped up excitedly.
Jugo smiled and caught the little girl in mid-air, ruffling her hair, he said. - I already told you to call me Aniki.
Karin lowered her head, a little embarrassed, but still spoke in such a low voice that it was almost inaudible, at least to human ears. - Aniki.
-Very well.- Jugo nodded and placed her on the ground, then turned to Kabuto. -How's her training going?
-She's still in the reading phase, she needs a lot of background knowledge before she can really start learning how to seal.- Kabuto shrugged.
-Yes?- Jugo turned to Karin, who lowered her head, afraid of Jugo's reaction. She was already trying her hardest, yet she still hadn't managed to learn any hand seals.
But she only felt Jugo's hand brushing her hair before he said. -Take it easy, I'm not in a hurry.
Karin looked up in surprise and gazed at Jugo's gentle smile, her cheeks flushing. She lowered her head, hiding her inner thoughts, and nodded weakly.
Jugo, seeing that Karin seemed alright, was relieved, then told her where her dormitory was, leaving soon after.
Kabuto merely observed the interaction with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Jugo's back. He smiled slightly at Karin, who took a hesitant step back. Kabuto pretended not to see and calmly walked away.
Jugo, on the other hand, went back to his room.
Lying in his bed, he became pensive, still thinking about how to act like a zombie.
What is a zombie? In a figurative context? Someone who appears tired. In a literal context? Someone who was dead and came back to life.
In terms of behavior, a zombie should be a cannibal that devours brains and, in some more widespread cases, just human flesh.
He basically craves meat while acting on primitive impulses...
Should he try eating raw meat? Of course, not human meat.
He shrugged and left the village, a few minutes later he wiped the rabbit blood from his mouth and spat out bits of fur and hide.
It didn't work.
Yes, he didn't want to try eating human flesh, so he ruled that out.
Jugo seemed thoughtful, then he started running away, heading towards a nearby village.
Hours later, as darkness had fallen, near a road a man and a child were sitting in a horse-drawn cart, transporting provisions back to the village.
The man was telling the child a story, a horror story, he loved seeing the fear in the child's eyes, it reminded him of when he himself was a child listening to horror stories.
-...and then, in the middle of the night, a howl rang out, the phantom wolf had returned, its lips still stained with the widow's blood and...- The man recounted as the boy clung to the side of the cart, clearly afraid but also curious about how the story would end.
But just as the man was about to continue, a jolt made them both hurriedly grab onto the cart, the man seemed shocked, pulling at the horse's reins, which brought it to a slow stop.
The man jumped out of the cart and looked down the road they had traveled, using the little light from the moon's reflection.
There, in the middle of the road, was a body. The man swallowed hard, his fear evident.
The child already had her head over the top of the cart, clearly having seen it, she let out a low cry and hid.
-Jiro! Stay in the cart! - The man shouted, while he, on the other hand, slowly approached the body.
The moment he approached the body, he saw that it was a young man, his body dry and smelling of carrion. The man covered his nose with his arm, somewhat relieved. He thought he had killed someone, but this body had clearly been dead for a long time.
-Could it be a ninja?- he wondered. It was unusual to see dead bodies lying around, but judging by the corpse's clothes, it clearly looked like a ninja.
This frightened the man, but curiosity got the better of him. As he approached, ready to see if there was anything good in the ninja's pockets, he felt a squeeze on his ankle.
When he turned over, he saw the corpse's hand holding him, its face completely bloodless, though it couldn't be easily seen at night. The man slowly turned and looked at the corpse's face, but this time the corpse's eyes were open, staring directly at him.
While the man froze in fear, the corpse slowly opened its mouth and said. -Braaaaain!
-AAAAAAAAAAH! - The scream of fear echoed through the silent night.