Jugo

**Jūgo** (重吾) is a shinobi from an unnamed clan, who was being held at Orochimaru's Northern Hideout. He was said to have gone to Orochimaru of his own free will, hoping that Orochimaru would cure him of his rages. He was later recruited as a member of Sasuke Uchiha's group Taka, which was initially called "Hebi" at the time of its creation.

## Background

An outcast, Jūgo's rage made him a danger to anyone around him, as they stood little chance of survival should he lose his temper. At one point, he became so angry that he destroyed a village and killed all of its inhabitants. This has caused others to label him as the "Scales", where anything could tip the balance. Cursing his existence, he took to secluding himself in caves, hoping to bring no one any harm. This lasted until he met Kimimaro, who was himself the last remnant of the Kaguya clan. Following Kimimaro, Jūgo allowed himself to be one of Orochimaru's test subjects in the hopes that he could be cured of his fits of rage.

However, amazed by Jūgo's ability to absorb natural energy to undergo various drastic physical alterations at the cost of mental state, Orochimaru's attempts to discover the origin of his clan's ability to use such power led him to the Ryūchi Cave, where he learned to use Senjutsu. Unable to enter Sage Mode, Orochimaru instead devised the cursed seals by combining his Senjutsu chakra and the mutative enzymes he isolated from Jūgo's blood.

As Orochimaru was nearing time to swap vessels, Kimimaro took it upon himself to recover Sasuke Uchiha. Prior to leaving, Jūgo was visited by Kimimaro who explained the situation to him. Despite Jūgo's concerns for Kimimaro's health, he assured him that Sasuke is his legacy while thanking Jūgo for their friendship.

## Personality

While Jūgo initially appeared quite bloodthirsty, Karin noted that this was only common behaviour when he was enraged; Jūgo himself didn't want to kill anyone and in reality, he is a very gentle person. His compassionate nature extends to various animals, able to instantly gain their trust. Even more, he dislikes anyone who would hurt animals. His fits of rage are random and uncontrollable, and thus are the reason why he willingly chooses to remain confined where he won't bring harm to anyone. However, he is willing to unleash his psychotic side in battle, as it enhances his fighting capabilities. The only reason he agreed to go with Sasuke is because he views Sasuke as the only person capable of preventing him from killing people while enraged, by the means of killer intent or the Sharingan. He thinks of Sasuke as his "cage". Before Sasuke, it was Kimimaro who kept Jūgo in check, and as Kimimaro was the only person Jūgo came into any contact with, the two grew close. After hearing that Kimimaro sacrificed his life to deliver Sasuke to Orochimaru, Jūgo believes that Kimimaro's spirit continues to live on in Sasuke, and thus is completely loyal to him, even after Taka had been disbanded, and Sasuke left them in the Land of Iron, Jūgo made his way back to Sasuke and matter-of-factly noted when asked, that his place was beside Sasuke as his shield.

Suigetsu couldn't stand Jūgo at first, and commented that one of the reasons he had to retrieve the Kubikiribōchō was because of him. Karin noted that Jūgo is mentally unstable, a view confirmed when Jūgo was muttering to himself over whom he would kill next, which he would determine by gender. While discussing Sasuke Uchiha's team with the other members of Akatsuki, Pain referred to Jūgo as "Jūgo of the Scales" (天秤の重吾, *Tenbin no Jūgo*, *Viz:* Bipolar Jūgo), referencing his dual personality. According to the third databook, he is cowardly in his normal state and violent when natural energy overtakes him. He has also been described as one who "does things at his own pace".