Formation!

Synopsis
Sasuke reminds Jūgo that he is not here to fight, but to simply talk to him and recruit him to join his team. Jūgo claims that he cannot leave the Northern Hideout without Kimimaro and continues to attack Sasuke. It turns out that in the past, it was Kimimaro who had recruited Jūgo to join Orochimaru and had promised to restrain Jūgo's murderous impulses with his Shikotsumyaku acting as a cage. Suigetsu arrives, and is told by Karin that Jūgo is bipolar and relied on Kimimaro to help him, and thus had joined Orochimaru willingly in order to find a way to repress his urges. As Sasuke attempts to avoid Jūgo's attacks, Suigetsu interferes, blocking the strike with his Kubikiribōchō. Jūgo retaliates with his Destroying Axe Fist but the pair are stopped by Sasuke's Binding Snake Glare Spell, asking them if they both wish to die.

The restraint causes Jūgo to revert back to normal and he rushes into his cell, asking Sasuke to lock the door and leave, as he does not want to kill people anymore. Sasuke tells Jūgo that he would not kill people as he would protect Jūgo and act as his cage, mirroring Kimimaro's words. When Jūgo reminds Sasuke that he cannot leave without Kimimaro, Sasuke tells him that Kimimaro had died for him. Jūgo then recalls the last time he had seen Kimimaro, when the latter told him that he was heading to retrieve Sasuke, who was to be Orochimaru's vessel. As only he and Sasuke were considered to be Orochimaru's prime host bodies, Kimimaro told Jūgo that he considered Sasuke as his "reincarnation". Jūgo then opens his cell door and exits. Outside, Sasuke tells them that his goal is to murder Itachi Uchiha of the Akatsuki and that they are to help him reach his goal. However, he offers them all the choice to join him. Karin tells Sasuke that she has nothing else to do, while Suigetsu chides her for hiding her true feelings about wanting to be around Sasuke; however, he too agrees to join as he wishes to fight Kisame Hoshigaki and claim his Samehada. Jūgo joins the team as well, wanting to see what kind of shinobi Sasuke is, as his best friend Kimimaro considered Sasuke his "reincarnation". Sasuke then dubs their team as "Hebi".

In Konoha, Jiraiya tells Naruto that Sasuke would not be returning to the village as his goal is still to exact vengeance upon Itachi. Wanting to find Sasuke and knowing that Konoha is conducting a search for the Akatsuki, Naruto proposes that the best way to reach Sasuke is for them to find Itachi first.

Trivia

 * In this episode, a poster for the Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire is posted on a wall.

Credits
¡Formación!