Kabuto Yakushi is a recurring villain inNaruto, making rounds since the very first major arc of the series. His era of villainy lasted till the very end, as Kabuto cemented himself as one of the end-game villains with hisnear-perfect reanimated army. While most fans have always perceived Kabuto as one of Orochimaru’s henchmen, his actual roots of villainy lie entirely elsewhere.
Kabuto’s backstory during the Great War arc may have shed light on his past inthe Hidden Leaf’s Anbu, yet it failed to acquaint fans with his ties with the Akatsuki in the early days. The Tenchi bridge arc briefly depicted his role as a spy for the Akatsuki, with little to no detail about his actual role as Sasori’s agent. However, the actual details of his ties with the Akatsuki are quite complex, involving brainwashing, mind control, and betrayal.
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Kabuto’s Ties With the Akatsuki
In the entirety of part 1 ofNaruto, Kabuto’s secret ties with the Akatsuki were never mentioned, making the entire ordeal seem like a retcon inShippuden. Moreover, his fervent devotion to Orochimaru’s goals and ideals further made his ties with the Akatsuki quite preposterous. However, the series presents a somewhat plausible explanation for how Kabuto served as a spy for the Akatsuki while being Orochimaru’s henchmen.
Sometime between Kabuto being abandonedby Danzo and Orochimarufinding him, Sasori stumbled upon the lost shinobi and recruited him as his own henchmen. Kabuto’s expertise in espionage further made him an impressive candidate for the Akatsuki’s infiltration missions. Sasori noticed this unique talent of his and sent him on an espionage mission to spy on Orochimaru, a defected Akatsuki member at that time.
While Kabuto’s own skills were more than enough for the mission,Sasori added another layerof security to guarantee the mission’s success. With a special jutsu known as the Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique, Sasori turned Kabuto into a sleeper agent, concealing his memories and forcing him to truly believe that he has pledged his loyalties with Orochimaru.
Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique
Known by many names, the Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique or the Brainwash Jutsu is a special ability native tothe Hidden Sand Village. The technique essentially turns the target into a sleeper agent as past memories are concealed, making the brain susceptible to false memories. However, the jutsu can be reversed by the caster, releasing the concealed memories to activate the sleeper agent.
The target’s memories are sealed away with a tiny needle injected into the brain’s memory center. The primary purpose of this technique is to aid sleeper agents into truly believing that they are loyal to the enemy, in-turn aiding their espionage mission and reducing any risk of spilling vital information in case the agent is caught. Once the sleeper agent has gathered enough intel, the technique can be reversed,allowing the spy to rememberthe original espionage mission.
How Did Kabuto Break Free From the Jutsu?
While Kabuto wasinitially sent to Orochimaruas a sleeper agent, Sasori’s plan stupendously backfired as Orochimaru had discovered the use of the Brainwash Jutsu quite early on. He was further able to reverse the technique without the caster being aware of the reversal, in-turn using Kabuto as a double agent to spy on the Akatsuki. Orochimaru was able to convince Kabuto to join him with little persuasion, turning the sleeper agent into a henchman of his own.
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During the entirety of part 1, Sasori believed that Kabuto was under his control, yet the truth was far from it as he was already under Orochimaru’s clutches. Duringthe Tenchi Bridge arc, Kabuto finally betrayed Sasori and the Akatsuki, revealing the true belligerents secretly at play. Kabuto revealed his betrayal by slashing Sasori’s puppet, permanently cementing his allegiances with the rogue Leaf shinobi.
The Akatsuki’s Motives With Kabuto
As adefected member of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru had always been on the organization’s hit list. However, his ability to slither away from every fatal situation proved to be rather problematic. Espionage seemed to be the only reasonable option for the Akatsuki, as weakening Orochimaru from within and stealing crucial information would have surely been enough to take him down. Using Kabuto as a Sleeper agent to spy on Orochimaru was the perfect plan on taking down the rogue ninja, on paper at least.
The Akatsuki, however, severely underestimated bothOrochimaru’s persuasive tacticsand Kabuto’s tenacious personality. The rogue ninja offered Kabuto exactly what he was looking for, a tempting offer that Kabuto could’ve never denied. Being aware of the fact that he was brainwashed by Sasori could have been another reason for him to side with Orochimaru. This marked the end of Kabuto’s short-lived time with the Akatsuki, though it wasn’t nearly enough to be treated as a major detail of Kabuto’s past.
