Jump to content

Akatsuki (Naruto)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Notshortbutchibi (talk | contribs) at 12:31, 31 August 2007 (→Tobi). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Animanga-in-universe

File:Akatsukispread.jpg
The Akatsuki roster as of Naruto manga chapter 317.
From left to right: Zetsu, Deidara, Kakuzu, Tobi, Hidan, Konan, Itachi, Pein, Kisame

Akatsuki (暁, meaning "Dawn" or "Daybreak") is a fictional organization of criminal ninja in the anime and manga series Naruto. All members of Akatsuki have betrayed their village of origin and banded together for the ultimate purposes of world domination. The organization is initially introduced midway into the first part of the series, though it does not begin acting as a major antagonist until the start of second part.

Overview

Akatsuki, at any given point in time, is composed of no more than ten primary members. The exact criterion for joining the organization is currently unknown, though all known members are S-class criminals, the most wanted and dangerous individuals in the Naruto universe.[1] In order to achieve this status, potential members must possess extraordinary fighting ability and sever all ties with the village they grew up in. Two members, Itachi Uchiha and Sasori are known to have undertaken a challenging task around the time of their joining the organization: Itachi killed almost all the members of his family in a single night,[2] though it is unclear what his true reasons for doing this were. Sasori, during the course of the battle in which he eventually meets his demise, comments that "[he] hadn't had this much difficulty since joining Akatsuki".[3] In Deidara's case, however, he was forcibly recruited by other Akatsuki members as a result of his effective work as a terrorist.[4]

Members of Akatsuki usually work in teams of two. Teams are built to complement each other's abilities and talents to create a formidable duo. For example, Kakuzu uses Hidan's immortality to their advantage by using large-scale attacks on those Hidan has pinned down; being immortal, Hidan survives what is normally fatal to his opponent.[5] Zetsu is a an exception to this, as he operates by himself at all times. Members whose partners have died also operate by themselves until a replacement can be found. At the very least, members maintain a functioning working relationship with their partner, with some form of loyalty to one another being present in most cases. In other instances a member will only work with their teammate so long as it furthers Akatsuki's goals, with all other matters being a source of dispute between the two. In general, Akatsuki members are unconcerned with the fate of their other comrades, their only point of interest concerning someone's death being who was strong enough to kill them.[6]

Akatsuki is a widespread organization, with its members constantly traveling between countries[7] and its agents operating out of various villages across the Naruto world. These agents work for specific members for varying purposes; Sasori has a number of agents under a form of mind control that he uses as spies,[8] while Kakuzu has a group of people that take care of his finances.[9] Because the various members are often so far apart, making meeting in person impractical, they can communicate through a form of telepathy.[10] If there is a need for the group to have more of an interaction with each other, members can use a form astral projection to meet at one of Akatsuki's many secret lairs.[11] When their entire group meets like this at the end of the first part of the series, one member notes that it had been seven years since they had all been together in such a fashion.[12] Their meetings are much more frequent in the second part of the series due to their increased activity.

Wardrobe

Akatsuki members dress in similar clothing: a long, dark cloak bearing red clouds and a red interior with a chin-high collar. All members also wear nail polish of varying colors on their fingernails and toenails. When starting a mission they wear large conical straw hats with small spike-like bells hanging from them to block their faces, but the hats are discarded once they have been discovered.[13] In addition to this more standard wardrobe, members continue to wear forehead protectors from their former home villages, but scratch a line across the their village's symbol. This is done to indicate that their ties to the village have been severed and they no longer give allegiance to their former homes. Not all members have their headband visible, and Hidan's headband does not correspond to any known village.

Each Akatsuki member wears a single, unique ring, and no two members wear a ring on the same finger. In total, there are ten rings, and each seems to have some special significance; Tobi believes that he can become a member after finding Sasori's ring,[14] and although Zetsu claims it's not as easy as that, Tobi does indeed become a member. Deidara reinforces the significance of the rings after losing both his arms by expressing more concern for finding the arm with his ring, rather than finding the arm itself.[15] Likewise, when Orochimaru leaves the organization he takes his ring with him,[16] and in the ten years since then[17] he has yet to be replaced. Each ring bears a unique symbol, the first kanji of its name.

The various rings are:[18]

Goal

Although some members joined Akatsuki to further their own goals (Kakuzu, for example, joined because it makes it easier for him to collect bounties[19]), all are united in Akatsuki's ultimate goal of gaining domination over the Naruto world.[20] The leader, Pein, has created a three-step process to work their way towards this goal.[21] First, they plan to obtain a large amount of money to support their organization.[21] Second, they plan to set up a mercenary group loyal only to Akatsuki.[22] To build their reputation, they plan to accept any mission below the usual cost and operate off of the excess funds earned in the first part of their plan.[22] Because there haven't been any wars in some time, the established shinobi villages can't afford to charge such low prices, leading the smaller countries to hire Akatsuki over the more expensive shinobi villages.[22] By using the tailed beasts, Akatsuki can start wars and then immediately quell them, solidifying their reputation and convincing every country to depend on them, thus cornering the market in shinobi labor.[23] Without any business, the other shinobi villages will collapse due to a lack of funds.[23] Finally, after Akatsuki is the only major force of shinobi in existence, they can easily conquer the other countries.[23] Despite the severity of this plan, members do not automatically learn of it upon joining; Hidan did not find out about it until he had a been a member for quite some time.[21]

The tailed beasts, nine gigantic demons of immense power, are the focus of much of Akatsuki's effort and screentime within the series. Each Akatsuki member is assigned to capture (and not kill) one of the nine beasts or, in most cases, the person that beast has been sealed into. Akatsuki has so far obtained seven of the nine:[24] the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, the three-tailed beast, the four-tailed beast, and three others.

File:Akatsukihand.jpg
The Akatsuki members in their respective positions on the sealing statue

Once one of the demons has been captured it is taken to the nearest Akatsuki lair where the remaining members then assemble through astral projection.[25] Pein summons a giant statue of a humanoid monster while the beast or its host is placed before it.[26] The members then take their place on the finger of the statue that corresponds to their respective ring, and the group prepares to seal the beast into the statue.[27] For the sealing, nine dragon-like effigies pour from the statue's mouth to surround the captured host and forcefully remove the tailed beast from them and seal it into the statue.[28] In the case of an unsealed tailed beast, the same thing happens to the beast itself.[29] The sealing process takes three days to complete.[30] Kisame Hoshigaki notes that the demons must be sealed in an unknown order, as he states that sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox before the other eight beasts would destroy the statue.[31] Tobi, the character shown giving Pein orders, hints that the tailed beasts have a purpose beyond global conquest, implying that acquiring all nine would allow his Sharingan to return to full power.[32]

Current members

Itachi Uchiha

Itachi Uchiha (うちは イタチ, Uchiha Itachi) is a missing-nin from Konohagakure and is partnered with Kisame Hoshigaki. During his time in Konoha, Itachi's prodigious talents and rapid development into a skilled ninja earned great attention from his family, the Uchiha clan. His skills were such that his family focused all of its attention on him and the prospect that he would be the clan's future, ignoring Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, in the process. Over time Itachi began to distance himself from the village and his family, eventually becoming a prime suspect in his best friend, Shisui Uchiha's, death. Before the death could be properly investigated, Itachi killed all the members of the Uchiha clan in a single night so that he could "test [his] ability". Itachi decided to spare Sasuke, however, feeling he was not worth killing; instead, prior to leaving, Itachi told Sasuke to live hating him and get strong enough to avenge the clan. At some point in time Itachi joined Akatsuki. While it stands to reason that he joined after massacring the Uchiha clan, the timeline that has been given throughout the series coupled with his age suggests that he joined the organization prior to killing his clan.

Although he is a member of Akatsuki, Itachi does not find great interest in fighting. He instead prefers to avoid battle or, if that is not possible, end it as quickly as possible while exerting as little effort as he can. When he does fight Itachi remains stationary, attacking only in defense and to otherwise avoid damage. He also studies an opponent's movements with his Sharingan eyes, using them to properly assess an opponent's actions and respond accordingly. His Sharingan is further enhanced when he activates his Mangekyo Sharingan, the strongest ability a member of the Uchiha clan can gain, which he acquired after he killed Shisui Uchiha. With the Mangekyo Sharingan Itachi is able to utilize attacks that can defeat even the strongest opponent, though it has been suggested that he is losing his eyesight as a result of repeated use. In addition to his Sharingan-based abilities, Itachi is fairly skilled with genjutsu, illusionary techniques meant to confuse and disorient opponents. Itachi is so skilled with genjutsu that he can trap others with illusion by merely pointing or looking at them, as well as turning their own genjutsu against them without their notice.

Kisame Hoshigaki

Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿鬼鮫, Hoshigaki Kisame) is a missing-nin from Kirigakure and is partnered with Itachi Uchiha. He gets along considerably better with Itachi than most Akatsuki members do with their own partners, immediately doing as Itachi asks of him and always looking out for Itachi's well-being. Kisame left Kirigakure after killing the Land of Water's leader and starting numerous conflicts across the country.[1] When he was still loyal to the village, he was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist (霧の忍刀七人衆, Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū), an ever-changing group of Kirigakure ninja that wield particularly large weapons in battle. Kisame's weapon is called Samehada (鮫肌, "shark skin"), a scale-covered sword that shaves off skin instead of cutting. Samehada is also capable of absorbing untold amounts of chakra, a form of energy that, once depleted, leaves a person unable to move. Only Kisame is allowed to wield Samehada; if anyone besides him tries to pick it up spikes protrude from its handle and it returns to Kisame's side. Like other characters who have trained to be one of the Seven Swordsmen, Kisame enjoys mutilating his opponents, as seen when he suggests cutting off Naruto Uzumaki's legs to make him easier to carry.

Kisame has a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale blue skin, small white eyes, a gill-like facial structures, and sharp triangular teeth. Even his name, Kisame (鬼鮫), means "Demon Shark". His shark-like qualities carry over to the type of techniques he uses in battle, as he often shapes bodies of water into the forms of sharks that proceed to attack opponents. If there is no water source where he happens to be fighting, Kisame can use Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave (水遁・爆水衝波, Suiton: Bakusui Shōha) to create a lake's worth of water to be used for attacks. Kisame is also noted to have a particularly large amounts of chakra in his reserves; even when he fights at 30% power in one instance his chakra supply is compared to that of a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox enhanced Naruto Uzumaki.

Konan

  • Membership status: Active
  • Ring: 白 ("white")
  • Ring position: Right middle finger
  • Partner: Pein

Konan (小南) is the only female member of Akatsuki and the only person to call Pein by his name. She has blue hair with a flower accessory in it, but beyond that she remains a mystery. She seems to have the ability to separate herself into numerous butterflies, much in the style of origami.

Pein

  • Membership status: Active leader
  • Ring: 零 ("nothing", "zero")
  • Ring position: Right thumb
  • Partner: Konan

Pein (ペイン) is the leader of Akatsuki and a missing-nin from Amegakure. He is referred to as "leader" by all Akatsuki members except for Konan, who refers to him by his name. Although he directs the actions of the other members and maintains authority over them, Pein takes orders from Tobi, who is also revealed to be Madara Uchiha. In addition to acting as Akatsuki's leader, Pein is the leader of one of the warring factions in the Land of Rain's current civil war; he has his base of operations for Akatsuki and his faction situated within Amegakure. During his initial appearances Pein is shown as nothing more than a shadowy figure with unusual eyes, having several increasingly lighter gray circles around the pupil and a pink outline on the corners of his eyes. As the series progresses, however, elements of his appearance are slowly revealed, with both his auburn hair and the piercings on his lower face being shown before his actual debut.

Although he has not been seen in battle, Konan states that he has never lost a fight.[36] The only named ability he is seen using, the Shapeshifting Technique (象転の術, Shōten no Jutsu), allows him to clone his subordinates using human sacrifices that they control and can use to engage enemies without risking their own lives. The clones formed are perfect copies of the original, possessing any unique genetic traits or weapons they may possess. The clone's abilities are proportionate to the amount of chakra, a form of energy required for combat in Naruto, given to the clone. When it becomes necessary to gather his subordinates Pein can communicate with them over long distances through some form of telepathy. Moreover, Pein has displayed the ability to detect the movements and chakra levels of people traveling within rain.

Tobi

  • Membership status: Active
  • Ring: 玉 ("jewel", "ball"; "jade"; also the king in shogi)
  • Ring position: Left thumb
  • Partner: Formerly Deidara

Tobi (トビ) is a former subordinate of Zetsu. After Sasori's death, Tobi takes his ring, position, and partner (Deidara) in Akatsuki, thereby becoming a full member. After Deidara's death, Tobi is shown giving Pein, the leader of Akatsuki, orders.[32] Tobi's personality is at odds with the standard amongst Akatsuki members; while most are dedicated and serious, Tobi is more carefree and goofy. These personality traits tend to irritate Deidara, who often attacks Tobi in some way when Tobi unintentionally annoys him. Kisame Hoshigaki, on the other hand, appreciates Tobi's ability to brighten up their gloomy organization.[37] Prior to revealing himself as Madara Uchiha, Tobi uses a very formal and correct manner of speech. As Madara, his personality and speech are completely different, as he speaks much less formally and is more serious and arrogant.

Tobi's actual appearance remains a complete mystery. He wears an odd mask that covers his entire face save for his right eye, which like other Uchiha has the Sharingan. He also has several bolts or pins present on the arms of his uniform, now obscured by his Akatsuki cloak. Furthermore, Tobi does not wear a visible headband, though his Uchiha name would suggest that he originates from Konohagakure. His fighting style is equally shrouded in mystery, as his only notable trait is the ability to recover from what are presumably debilitating or fatal blows without injury and in a matter of seconds. Despite this lack of definitive details, Zetsu refers to Tobi as a "good boy", implying that he is relatively young.

Zetsu

  • Membership status: Active
  • Ring: 亥 ("boar")
  • Ring position: Right little finger
  • Partner: None
  • Seiyu: Nobuo Tobita

Zetsu (ゼツ) functions as a spy for Akatsuki. To serve this purpose he uses his Leech All Creation: Attack Prevention Technique (蛭万象・防火の術, Hiru Banshō: Bōka no Jutsu) to merge with anything and instantly travel to a new location.[38] He has been shown able to move his body and take part in the tailed beast sealing ritual simultaneously which, in addition to being unique to him, allows him to act as a lookout while the sealing takes place.[30] Because of the role he plays, Zetsu is the only member of Akatsuki to act without a partner on a regular basis. Despite this, Zetsu serves as a sort of superior to other members, as they often report directly to him instead of the actual leader, Pein

Zetsu's head appears to be enveloped in a large venus flytrap, which can also envelop the rest of his body. To further enhance his venus flytrap characteristics, Zetsu is cannibalistic, and as such he is sent to dispose of bodies Akatsuki does not want found by devouring them. This, in addition to his other roles, gives him the function as Akatsuki's hunter-nin, something that is further exercised when he is sent to retrieve the rings of dead Akatsuki members. The right side of Zetsu's body and face is black in color while his left side is white. To go with this, Zetsu seems to have a split personality, as the black half of his face speaks only in Katakana while the white side uses Kanji and Kana. The two halves also seem to converse with each other, and occasionally differ in opinion.

Former members

Deidara

Deidara (デイダラ) is a missing-nin from Iwagakure. Before joining Akatsuki, Deidara acted as a terrorist bomber for hire, where his work attracted the attention of Pein. Pein sent other Akatsuki members to recruit Deidara though he refused.[4] After being defeated by Itachi Uchiha, however, Deidara was forced to join the organization.[39] Deidara maintains a deep loathing for Itachi from that point further and becomes determined to defeat him, even training one of his eyes to overcome Itachi's signature ability: genjutsu.[40] Deidara was partnered with Sasori upon joining the organization, whose artistic ability and insight Deidara admired. After Sasori's death Deidara is paired with Tobi whom he treats as a disciple. Despite Tobi's habit of accidentally angering Deidara, Deidara takes great care to keep Tobi out of harm's way and even dedicates his final moments to apologizing to him.

In battle, Deidara uses special mouths in the palm of each hand to create Exploding Clay (起爆粘土, Kibaku Nendo). As the name suggests he can make the clay explode by first infusing it with his chakra and then using the command "detonate" (喝, Katsu); the blast strength of his creations is determined by how much chakra he adds to them. His clay can take on any size or form, ranging from microscopic in size to birds big enough for him to fly upon to copies of himself the size of buildings. Deidara refers to his creations as art, believing the most beautiful thing about them to be their detonation. His admiration for his art is such that he believes it can't be defeated, leading to overconfidence in battle. He refers to this style as superflat (a reference to certain types of manga), while his catchphrase, "art is a blast," is also that of famous Japanese abstract artist Tarō Okamoto. Depending on the complexity or potency of one of his works, Deidara applies it a designation from anywhere between "C1" to "C4", the former being the most basic and the latter being his strongest attack. For his final act, Deidara also has a mouth on his chest that, once unsealed and provided with clay, turns him into a living bomb that destroys everything in a 10 kilometer radius. Deidara uses this as a last resort during his battle with Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's younger brother, in an effort to prove his art is supreme, though Sasuke is able to survive.

Hidan

  • Membership status: Neutralized, unreplaced
  • Ring: 三 ("three")
  • Ring position: Left index finger
  • Partner: Formerly Kakuzu

Hidan (飛段) is the foul-mouthed partner of Kakuzu and is the second newest member of Akatsuki at the time of his expulsion.[21] Hidan belongs to the Jashin religion, a religion that worships a deity named of the same name and where anything less than utter destruction is considered a sin.[41] Before battles start Hidan prays to Jashin and asks for nothing short of a kill or, when he is not allowed to kill his opponents, for forgiveness. After battles, should he have time, Hidan performs a thirty-minute ritual in accordance with his religion that culminates by stabbing himself in the chest and lying upon the ground.[42] In addition to his religion Hidan has been gifted with immortality, and as such he is able to survive fatal wounds and even retains the ability to speak after being decapitated.[43][44] Despite this, Hidan needs to be connected to his body in order to control it.[45] Kakuzu assists him in these instances by reattaching his limbs, allowing the wounds to heal with time. Hidan's inability to die is also used to Kakuzu's advantage, as he can attack Hidan all he wants without worrying about finding a new partner afterwards. Although the two dislike working together, this advantage makes them the ideal team.

During battle Hidan makes every attempt to acquire an opponent's blood where, upon consuming it, he draws a symbol on the ground that "links" him with his opponent. Once this link is created Hidan takes on a grim reaper-like appearance and becomes what is essentially a voodoo doll for his opponent; any damage that is done to Hidan is also done to them. Hidan first uses this ability to give himself nonfatal injuries that bring him pleasure due to the pain it causes to him and the opponent. Once he is done toying with opponents in this way he stabs himself in the heart, killing them. Links can be broken prematurely if Hidan is removed from the safety of his symbol, though it can easily be reestablished by simply reentering its borders. After Hidan uses this ability to kill Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara faces him in an attempt to gain revenge. Hidan is unable to form a link with Shikamaru and eventually falls into one of Shikamaru's traps. With Hidan captured, Shikamaru blows him up and buries the, still speaking, remains under a pile of rubble. While his actual status is currently unknown, Akatsuki no longer considers him a member.[46]

Kakuzu

  • Membership status: Deceased, unreplaced
  • Ring: 北 ("north")
  • Ring position: Left middle finger
  • Partner: Formerly Hidan

Kakuzu (角都) is a missing-nin from Takigakure and Hidan's partner. He is a greedy individual, prioritizing things in terms of how much they are worth and finding money to be the only thing that he can depend on.[19] Kakuzu's favorite source of income is collecting bounties, and he has even memorized the worth and information on some of the more dangerous targets. Due to this view of money Kakuzu refers to himself as the "Treasurer of Akatsuki",[19] though it is unknown if this is an actual position. Despite finding Akatsuki to be a good source of income Kakuzu greatly dislikes the fact that he needs a teammate, due in part to his habit of killing anyone near him (partners included) when enraged. Having killed all of his previous partners as a result of this, Kakuzu was partnered with Hidan. Although neither enjoys being paired together Hidan's inability to die makes him the ideal teammate for Kakuzu.

Kakuzu's body is composed of a great deal of thick black threads that he can use to detach his limbs for long-range assaults. The treads themselves are also capable of piercing flesh, which Kakuzu uses to remove the still-living organs from his enemies. Once he has done so Kakuzu can integrate these younger, healthier organs into his body that, in theory, allow him to extend his life indefinitely. Kakuzu most prominently uses hearts in this way, keeping up to four extra hearts with him at any given time.[47] He keeps these spare hearts stored within animal masks sewn to his back, and each of the masks can separate from his body and attack independently.[48] Once removed from his body the masks can shoot powerful elemental blasts at opponents, three of which being fire, wind, and lightning. If the heart in Kakuzu's body is destroyed one of the masks can remerge with him so that he can take use of its heart, causing the mask to crumble away. Kakuzu also has an earth-based defensive technique that increases his strength and makes him virtually immune to physical attacks, though it is unclear which of his hearts this ability is attributed to. Kakuzu's masks are slowly destroyed at the hands of a group of Konohagakure ninja; Naruto Uzumaki is even able to destroy two of his hearts simultaneously and bring a third to the brink of failure. Although Kakuzu survives Naruto's attack he is left unable to move, allowing him to easily be finished off by Kakashi Hatake.

Orochimaru

Main article: Orochimaru
  • Membership status: Defected, unreplaced
  • Ring: 空 ("sky")
  • Ring position: Left little finger
  • Partner: Formerly Sasori

Orochimaru is a missing-nin from Konohagakure. After he defects from Konoha he joins Akatsuki and is paired with Sasori.[49] Once Itachi Uchiha does the same, Orochimaru attempts to use one of his abilities to forcefully take control of Itachi's body. Itachi repels his effort and severs his hand as punishment, forcing Orochimaru to flee the organization in defeat. Upon leaving he takes his severed hand and the ring he wore on it with him. Because of this, as well as the fact that he had intimate knowledge of Akatsuki's secrets and plans, the members of Akatsuki began making every effort possible to find and eliminate him.

Sasori

Sasori (サソリ) is a missing-nin from Sunagakure. After the death of his parents Sasori was left in the care of his grandmother, Chiyo, who taught him all she knew about using puppets in battle.[50] With his newfound knowledge he created puppets in his parents' likeness so that he could feel their love.[51][52] Since they were only emotionless puppets his attempt failed,[53] and he left them behind upon leaving the village. Once joining Akatsuki he was paired with Orochimaru,[49] and after Orochimaru's betrayal Sasori took it upon himself to track his movements and plot his destruction. Sasori would come to form a better working relationship with Deidara, as seen by Deidara's idolizing of Sasori's abilities. Although the two have differing views of art (Deidara preferring works that depart quickly and Sasori favoring long-lasting pieces), Deidara considers Sasori to be his master until the very end, even though Sasori never appreciated his ideals.

Sasori specializes in creating puppets out of the dead bodies of humans, which is done by removing its entrails and preserving it to prevent decomposition. Sasori is commonly seen with Hiruko, a puppet he wears like a suit so often that many characters can only recognize him while he is wearing it. For battle purposes he favors the puppet of the Third Kazekage, the leader of Sunagakure whom he killed prior to his defection. Because the Third was once a living person, the Third's unique abilities remain intact and Sasori can utilize them at his leisure. His most versatile human puppet, however, is himself, as he has long since converted his body into one. In addition to giving him an unnaturally young appearance, Sasori's puppet body allows him to control hundreds of puppets at once. Since he needs part of his original body to control puppets Sasori has preserved his heart in a cylinder-shaped device that he wears upon his chest. Sasori is able to survive any kind of attack so long as his heart remains undamaged, and he can even use it to switch to new bodies by simply placing the cylinder onto a new puppet. Every weapon that his human puppets wield is also laced with a poison of Sasori's own design; the poison takes effect instantly and kills the target after three days of immense pain if a talented medical-nin cannot be found to create an antidote. Despite his large arsenal of weapons, Sasori is defeated after a prolonged battle with his grandmother and Sakura Haruno. In his final moments he saw through Chiyo's final attck but however, he is able to feel the love of his parents, their puppet counterparts having been used by Chiyo to stab him through the heart in the form of a hug. As a reward for beating him he tells Sakura Haruno the whereabouts of Orochimaru.

Former agents

Kabuto Yakushi

Main article: Kabuto Yakushi
  • Status: Defected

Kabuto Yakushi is a former spy for Sasori, forced into the position through a form of mind control. Kabuto was sent to gain Orochimaru's confidence and relay information back to Sasori, though Orochimaru was able to remove Sasori's mind control soon after they met. Kabuto is left with the option to swear allegiance to whomever he likes, and Kabuto picks Orochimaru over Akatsuki.

Yura

Yura (由良, Yūra) is a spy for Sasori who acts as a sleeper agent within Sunagakure. Yura is able to work his way into the Kazekage's advisory council, where he serves as a trusted member for many years. Once Sasori finds need of him his role as a subordinate of Akatsuki returns to him; he kills the Sunagakure ninja guarding the village's borders so that Sasori's partner, Deidara, can have safe passage into the village. He is later used as a sacrifice by the Akatsuki leader and becomes a copy of Itachi Uchiha, which is ultimately killed by Naruto Uzumaki.

References

  1. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 141, page 4
  2. ^ Naruto manga chapter 146, pages 3-4
  3. ^ Naruto manga chapter 271, page 8
  4. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 359, page 6
  5. ^ Naruto manga chapter 334, pages 10-12
  6. ^ Naruto manga chapter 353, page 11
  7. ^ Naruto manga chapter 313, page 16
  8. ^ Naruto manga chapter 289, page 13
  9. ^ Naruto manga chapter 355, page 11
  10. ^ Naruto manga chapter 327, pages 15-17
  11. ^ Naruto manga chapter 353, pages 7-8
  12. ^ Naruto manga chapter 238, page 17
  13. ^ Naruto manga chapter 141, page 3
  14. ^ Naruto manga chapter 280, page 19
  15. ^ Naruto manga chapter 280, page 16
  16. ^ Naruto manga chapter 140, page 5
  17. ^ Naruto manga chapter 353, page 14
  18. ^ Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book, pages 180-181
  19. ^ a b c Naruto manga chapter 314, page 3
  20. ^ Naruto manga chapter 329, page 16-17
  21. ^ a b c d Naruto manga chapter 329, page 11
  22. ^ a b c Naruto manga chapter 329, page 12
  23. ^ a b c Naruto manga chapter 329, page 14
  24. ^ Naruto manga chapter 354, page 11
  25. ^ Naruto manga chapter 254, page 17
  26. ^ Naruto manga chapter 254, page 15
  27. ^ Naruto manga chapter 254, page 18-19
  28. ^ Naruto manga chapter 255, page 6
  29. ^ Naruto manga chapter 329, page 8-9
  30. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 255, page 3
  31. ^ Naruto manga chapter 353, page 5
  32. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 364, page 18
  33. ^ Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book, page 37
  34. ^ Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book, page 37
  35. ^ Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book, page 150
  36. ^ Naruto manga chapter 364, page 15
  37. ^ Naruto manga chapter 363, page 8
  38. ^ Naruto manga chapter 255, page 10
  39. ^ Naruto manga chapter 359, page 13
  40. ^ Naruto manga chapter 360, page 17
  41. ^ Naruto manga chapter 314, page 7
  42. ^ Naruto manga chapter 313, page 15-16
  43. ^ Naruto manga chapter 323, page 1
  44. ^ Naruto manga chapter 325, page 16
  45. ^ Naruto manga chapter 326, page 3
  46. ^ Naruto manga chapter 353, page 9
  47. ^ Naruto manga chapter 335, page 6
  48. ^ Naruto manga chapter 334, page 6-7
  49. ^ a b Naruto manga chapter 267, page 4
  50. ^ Naruto manga chapter 266, page 5
  51. ^ Naruto manga chapter 267, page 18
  52. ^ Naruto manga chapter 268, page 14
  53. ^ Naruto manga chapter 269, pages 7-8
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Akatsuki_(Naruto)&oldid=154796236"