Kabuto Yakushi

Yakushi Kabuto is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto.

Background

Kabuto was raised by a Jōnin member of the Konoha Medical Unit Squad, who found him at the battle of Kikyō Pass when he was still a little boy. He was the only survivor of the battle and was found weak lying with the bodies of enemy all around him. At some point, he was recruited by the Akatsuki member Sasori (now deceased) and sent to spy on Orochimaru. Orochimaru freed him from Sasori's hypnosis, and has since made Kabuto his right hand man. This is mainly because of Kabuto's unique ability to reactivate dead cells and grow new ones.

Orochimaru had Kabuto play an untalented ninja within Konohagakure, with Kabuto continuously failing the Chūnin exams in order to gain information on ninja from every hidden village that participated. Uchiha Sasuke was of particular interest because of Orochimaru's ambitions in regards to him. He was partnered with Akadō Yoroi and Tsurugi Misumi, who were also spies for Orochimaru.

Although officially a Genin-level ninja (now a missing-nin), Kabuto is capable of matching even Hatake Kakashi in battle. During his fight with Tsunade, she commented that his sense of jutsu and sharpness surpassed her own, even in her prime. She also comments that there's more to him than meets the eye.

Chūnin Exam arc

File:Kabuto's red eyes.jpg

Kabuto's red eyes.

During the Chūnin exams in which Team 7 participated, Kabuto befriended and assisted them, though he only did so to collect information. During their battle with a group of Rain Genin, Kabuto showed a mysterious ability. After being attacked by Oboro and having his glasses knocked off, his eyes became blood shot and red. Bloodlust was also evident in his expression. Naruto's attack on the Rain Genin stopped Kabuto from revealing the purpose of his altered eyes. After purposefully quitting, Kabuto implies that his red eye state could be dangerous.

"Bad blood may start boiling again." - Translated Japanese version

"The old me might come out again." - English version

After the preliminaries ended and Sasuke was hospitalized, Orochimaru orders Kabuto to kidnap Sasuke. Before Kabuto leaves, Orochimaru reminded Kabuto that the only way he could stop him was to kill Sasuke.

Loyalty

Supposedly, Kabuto is an Akatsuki spy, though he shows much more loyalty to Orochimaru than he does to Akatsuki. In general, Kabuto supervises Orochimaru's various projects, as well as acting as an all-around medic. Despite this loyalty, he often tends to act independently from Orochimaru, such as when he gave information about Orochimaru's lair. His complex nature and tendency to do good things, such as healing Hinata at the Chūnin exam, though he was in disguise at the time, and his offer to heal Sakura after she was injured by a four-tailed Kyūbi Naruto, has possibly made him the most mysterious character in the series. The series has hinted at him having an ulterior motive, which Orochimaru seems to recognize but doesn't seem to mind. At the end of the "Sai arc", Kabuto questioned the mastership of Orochimaru.

Trivia

• His family name, Yakushi, is the Japanese name of the Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru.
• Kabuto is the last part of the Japanese name for aconite (Torikabuto, 鳥兜), a plant which can either alleviate pain or kill, an apt description for his character.
• A kabuto means a samurai's helmet or headplate.
• Together with Akado Yoroi ("armor") and Tsurugi Misumi ("sword"), they form an armor-helmet-sword trio.
• Kabuto's team is notable for being the only three-man team to all wear glasses or sunglasses.
• Kabuto is one of the most morally ambiguous characters in Naruto. While he does carry out Orochimaru's desire, he does, from time to time, assist people from the good side; for example, he healed Hinata after she began coughing up blood during the Chūnin exam, and as mentioned before, he also provided much information for Naruto during the second arc. His true nature is still shrouded in mystery.
• The subtitle of the chapter 291 describes Kabuto as a waiting servant who always smiles under his obedient-line mask (face) so that one doesn't know about his innermost darkness.