
Suigetsu and Karin are still reluctant to admit that they're following Sasuke of their own will. They both insist that they have other plans and that following along with Sasuke somehow will help them to reach their goals. It seems pretty obvious that they will stick with him til the end though.
They reach the North hideout to find that all of the guards have been slain and Orochimaru's test subjects have escaped. Despite their escape, the test subjects seem to be lingering around, taking over the hideout. However, Jugo is still locked up inside. Apparently, all of Orochimaru's other test subjects are afraid of him.