Akatsuki members

This is a list of members of Akatsuki, a fictional organization plotting to dominate the Naruto world, in the anime and manga series Naruto.

Kisame Hoshigaki

 * Age: 29 in Part I, 31 in Part II
 * Membership status: Active
 * Ring: 南 ("south")
 * Ring position: Left ring finger
 * Partner: Itachi Uchiha
 * First appearance: Chapter 139; Naruto Episode 80
 * Defining characteristics: Shark-like appearance, expert in water-based jutsu, exceptionally large chakra supply, high physical strength and speed, Samehada (sentient, chakra-absorbing sword).
 * Seiyu: Tomoyuki Dan
 * Voice actor: Kirk Thornton

Kisame Hoshigaki (干柿鬼鮫) is a missing-nin from Kirigakure and is partnered with Itachi Uchiha. Unlike most other two-man teams of Akatsuki, Kisame gets along well with his partner. While Itachi is assigned to Naruto Uzumaki, Kisame's target is the host of the four-tailed beast, an elderly man whom Kisame defeats with some effort. Kisame has a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale blue skin, small white eyes, gill-like facial structures, and sharp triangular teeth. Even his name, Kisame (鬼鮫), means "Demon Shark". Despite his rather brutish appearance and his apparent love for battle, Kisame speaks in a calm and polite manner compared to most of the other members of Akatsuki.

Kisame was also one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist (霧の忍刀七人衆) and is known as the Scourge (怪人) of the Hidden Mist. Zabuza Momochi and Raiga Kurosuki were also members. Like the other two members, he is somewhat overconfident in battle. He also clearly enjoys fighting and possibly mutilating his opponents; for example, he entertains the idea of removing Naruto's legs to keep him from running instead of the much simpler method of knocking Naruto unconscious. During his battle with Asuma Sarutobi, Kisame also took great pleasure in shredding his shoulder with Samehada. Kisame's main weapon is Samehada (鮫肌, "Shark skin"), a large unique sword of comparable size to Zabuza Momochi's zanbatō. Unlike a regular sword, Samehada is covered in large scales that shave instead of cut, much like a shark's skin (hence the name). It also has the ability to absorb any chakra around it, allowing Kisame to literally cut through his opponent's chakra. The amount that it can absorb is unclear, but it can even consume the demon fox's chakra with no ill effects. Samehada is also a sentient weapon and only allows Kisame to wield it. When Might Guy attempted to hold Samehada and use it against Kisame, it responded with a flurry of spikes from its handle and found its way back to Kisame.

The amount of chakra Kisame possesses is apparently very large, even by Akatsuki's standards. Their leader commented on this; a Kisame body-double at thirty-percent power – made with the leader's Shapeshifting Technique – had as much chakra as Naruto while drawing on demon fox's chakra when he fought Neji during the Chunin exams, an observation made by Neji Hyuga when he observed Kisame's body-double with his Byakugan.

Kisame has displayed astonishing speed and incredible physical strength. He uses water-based jutsu in combination with his powerful physical attacks. He has also demonstrated the ability to use Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave (水遁・爆水衝波), allowing him to create water from nothing and turn any potential battleground into a lake for his other water-based attacks. In addition to using the more generic of water-based jutsu, Kisame also uses a number of shark-themed jutsu, such as using Water Release: Water Shark Missile Technique (水遁・水鮫弾の術) to attack opponents with a burst of water in the form of a shark. When an opponent is knocked into a body of water, Kisame can use Water Release: Five Eating Sharks (水遁・五食鮫) to create five sharks to attack them with.

Pein

 * Membership status: Active
 * Ring: 零 ("nothing", "zero")
 * Ring position: Right thumb
 * Partner: Konan
 * First cameo: Chapter 238; Naruto Episode 135
 * First appearance: Chapter 363
 * Defining characteristics: Rinnegan, numerous piercings, Astral Projection.

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 his partner, who refers to him by his name. He has the respect of most of his subordinates (Hidan is an exception) and is the one directing their actions. Despite maintaining authority over the other members, he takes orders from Tobi, who is also revealed to be Madara Uchiha. During his initial appearances Pein appears 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 chin being shown before the rest of his face.

Although he has not been seen in battle, the unnamed member states that Pein has never lost a fight. The only jutsu he is seen using, the Shapeshifting Technique (象転の術), allows him to clone his subordinates using human sacrifices that they control and can use to engage enemies without risking their lives. The clones formed are perfect copies of the original, even possessing the kekkei genkai and unique weapons they may possess. Their abilities are proportionate to the amount of chakra given to the clone (in its debut, he requested thirty percent). Pein also initiates and supervises the jutsu that forcibly brings a tailed beast out of its host. When it becomes necessary to gather his subordinates, he can communicate with them over long distances through some form of telepathy. Moreover, Pein has displayed the ability detect the movements and chakra of people travelling within rain.

Pein has displayed at least a cursory knowledge of the various villages, as well as the underlying political and economic conditions in the country at large. When Hidan referred to the Konoha-nin as "godless heathens," he gave a short description of Konoha's "Will of Fire," then proceeded to note that all countries have some similar practice to justify their battles. He is also rumored to be the leader of one of the warring factions in the Land of Rain's current civil war, where he uses Amegakure as his base of operations.

Tobi

 * Membership status: Active
 * Ring: 玉 ("jewel", "ball"; "jade"; also the king in shogi)
 * Ring position: Left thumb
 * Partner: Formerly Deidara
 * First appearance: Chapter 280
 * Defining characteristics: Orange mask with single eye-hole covered in a swirl pattern concentrated towards the right eye, Sharingan

When first introduced, Tobi (トビ) was Zetsu's subordinate, who then became a full Akatsuki member after Sasori's death. He now wears the same ring as Sasori, having recovered it after Sasori's death, and took his place as Deidara's partner. After Deidara's death, Tobi is revealed giving Pein orders, and he refers to himself as Madara Uchiha. Unlike the majority of ninja thus far, Tobi has not been shown wearing a visible forehead protector; however, his Uchiha name would suggest that his home village is Konohagakure. He wears an odd mask that covers his entire face save for his right eye, which like other Uchiha has the Sharingan. Furthermore, Tobi has several bolts or pins present on the arms of his uniform, now obscured by his Akatsuki cloak.

Tobi's area of expertise remains unclear, as he has never been shown fighting or utilizing jutsu. He and Deidara are able to defeat the three-tailed beast, but Tobi is never shown doing anything but running from it. After the battle, which goes largely unwitnessed, Tobi claims to have knocked it out with a single attack. Deidara disagrees with the assessment, claiming that it was his "artistic contribution" (exploding clay) that allowed them to win. During his fight with Sasuke, Tobi shows the ability to recover from what are presumably debilitating or fatal blows. After being slashed across the midsection by Sasuke's sword, Tobi collapses, only to stand up again a few seconds later and complain about the speed of the attack. He is also able to escape the final explosion created by Deidara.

As Tobi, he has a very formal and correct manner of speech. While his physical appearance remains a mystery, Zetsu has implied that he is relatively young when one side of him referred to Tobi as a "good boy." He respects Deidara, referring to him as Deidara-senpai. Tobi's personality is rather odd in comparison with other Akatsuki members; while most of the members are dedicated and serious, Tobi is more carefree and goofy. His personality does not please Deidara, who believes that all Akatsuki members should be serious and calm. Tobi unintentionally irritates Deidara frequently, which usually results in Deidara attacking Tobi in a comedic fashion. Kisame, on the other hand, somewhat appreciates Tobi's ability to brighten up their gloomy organization. As Madara, his personality and speech are completely different, however, as he speaks much less formally and is more serious and arrogant.

Konan

 * Membership status: deceased
 * Ring: 白 ("white")
 * Ring position: Right middle finger
 * Partner: Pein
 * First cameo: Chapter 238, Naruto Episode 135
 * First appearance: Chapter 363
 * Defining characteristics: Flower-like accessory in hair, stud under lip,

Konan 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, and she uses paper origami as her jutsu. Everything else about this member is a mystery.

Zetsu

 * Membership status: Active
 * Ring: 亥 ("boar")
 * Ring position: Right little finger
 * Partner: None
 * First appearance: Chapter 234; Naruto Episode 134
 * Defining characteristics: Venus-flytrap like extensions around body, dual personality, body split into white and black halves, cannibal.
 * Seiyu: Nobuo Tobita

Zetsu (ゼツ) is a mysterious missing-nin. Not much is known about him, other than his allegiance to Akatsuki and his function as a spy. His head appears to be enveloped in a large venus flytrap, which can also envelop the rest of his body. The right side of his face and body is black in color while his left side is white in color. 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, such as whether to allow Tobi to fill Sasori's place in Akatsuki. His eyes are yellow and pupil-less.

Zetsu frequently uses Leech All Creation: Attack Prevention Technique (蛭万象・防火の術), allowing him to merge with the ground, trees, and other plants to travel long distances fairly quickly. He has also shown the ability to move his body during the sealing ritual, which no other Akatsuki member is capable of. As such, he serves as a lookout during the ritual. To help with this task, Zetsu has increased vision that allows him to see further than most other characters. In addition to his role as a spy, Zetsu appears to function as Akatsuki's hunter-nin. He is sent to dispose of the corpses of those used for Pein's Shapeshifting Technique, as well as recover the rings of Sasori and Deidara. He performs the former function by devouring the corpses, which fits with his "venus flytrap" theme.

Zetsu's only known subordinate is Tobi, who later took Sasori's position in Akatsuki after Sasori's death. Akatsuki members have so far generally seemed to report to Zetsu as if he was a superior, though perhaps only because he is often acting directly on the instructions of Pein.

Itachi Uchiha

 * Membership status: Deceased
 * Ring: 朱 ("scarlet", "bloody")
 * Ring position: Right ring finger
 * Partner: Kisame Hoshigaki
 * Defining characteristics: Mastery of the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan, mastery of Genjutsu, mastery of Uchiha fire-based jutsu.

Itachi Uchiha (うちは イタチ), a Missing-nin from Konohagakure, is the partner of Kisame Hoshigaki and the first Akatsuki member to be introduced. Itachi is one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha Clan, the others are his brother Sasuke Uchiha and Madara Uchiha (known as Akatsuki's Tobi). He is responsible for many events in the series, such as the Uchiha Clan massacre and Orochimaru's defection of Akatsuki. Itachi has complete mastery of the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan, and also an extremely proficient user of Ninjutsu and genjutsu. Itachi's targeted tailed beast is the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. During his battle with Sasuke, Itachi collapsed and is presumably dead.

Deidara

 * Membership status: active
 * Ring: 青 ("blue", "green")
 * Ring position: Right index finger
 * Partner: Formerly Tobi, Sasori before that
 * First cameo: Chapter 238; Naruto Episode 135
 * First appearance: Chapter 247; Shippūden Episode 2
 * Defining characteristics: Specialist in explosive-based jutsu using clay, clay manipulation with mouths in palms of hands and chest, scope on left eye, left eye trained to counter Sharingan genjutsu
 * Seiyu: Katsuhiko Kawamoto

Deidara (デイダラ) is a missing-nin from Iwagakure and the partner of Tobi. Deidara refers to his ninjutsu as art, believing each bomb he makes to be such works. He refers to style as superflat (the word itself used to refer to certain types of manga), and claims pop is dead. One of Deidara's catchphrases, "Art is a blast" (or variations therein), was originally coined by famous Japanese abstract artist Tarō Okamoto. Deidara is very proud of his art, to the point that he is simply unwilling to accept that anything could defeat it, leading to frequent overconfidence in battle. Deidara also has a habit of ending his sentences with a mumble/grunt, usually transcribed as un or mmm, in the same way Naruto ends most of his sentences with -ttebayo. Deidara has become the most popular member of Akatsuki among fans in Japan. In the most recent character popularity poll, Deidara ranked in third place, even higher than Naruto Uzumaki. In battle, Deidara uses special mouths in the palm of each hand to create Exploding Clay (起爆粘土). As the name suggests he can make the clay explode using the command "detonate" (喝). To give the clay its explosive properties, Deidara must infuse his chakra with it; the more chakra he adds the stronger the blast. Deidara can shape this clay into a number of forms for a variety of purposes, be it creatures that can be used for flight or sneak attacks, copies of himself to be used as a distraction, or weapon variants such as mines. Some clay forms even receive a ranking system from Deidara much like that of C-4. Many of the clay creations he makes he refers to as "C1", and their explosive power is roughly equivalent to that of a hand grenade. "C2" is his title for a large clay dragon that uses the clay from its tail to shoot smaller explosives at opponent. His "C3", while never actually seen formed, is an immobile clay statue that is used like a bomb, and upon making contact with the ground has the potential to decimate an entire village. His final and strongest, "C4", is created by eating clay with his mouth and then spitting out a large copy of itself. Once the clone detonates it release a number of microscopic bombs over a large area that enter an opponent's body through their nasal passages and, upon detonating, cause the target to dissolve into dust. As a last resort Deidara has an additional, unranked, mouth on his chest that, once being unsealed and provided with clay, turns himself into a living bomb that destroys everything in a 10 kilometer radius at the cost of his life. In addition to his explosive clay, Deidara wears a scope on his left eye for long-range observation, and he has trained the eye itself to dispel genjutsu.

Before joining Akatsuki, Deidara was a terrorist bomber for hire, seeing it as an opportunity to use his "art" on a regular basis. He was involuntarily recruited by Itachi under the orders of the leader. While he becomes accustomed to Akatsuki, he continually holds a grudge against Itachi and longs to defeat him to prove himself. After joining, Deidara is partnered with Sasori, who he refers to as Master Sasori (サソリの旦那). Deidara respects Sasori as a stronger fighter and great artist, thought he two disagree on what fine art is. Deidara holds that art is transient, departing quickly. Sasori believed that fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future. This reflects their individual natures (Deidara makes clay sculptures that explode, Sasori makes long-lasting puppets out of humans). After Sasori's death, Tobi is assigned as Deidara's new partner. Deidara gets impatient with Tobi fairly easily, since Tobi rarely pays attention to what he is saying. Tobi's inattentiveness often results in Deidara attacking him in some way, either with his exploding clay or an attempt to suffocate him. Despite this hostile relationship he has with Tobi, Deidara has formed a student-teacher connection with him; Tobi even refers to him as "senpai". Once in battle the two prove able to work well together, with Tobi doing Deidara's bidding and Deidara using caution when his exploding clay gets too close to Tobi. Prior to blowing himself up, he apologizes to Tobi for what he is about to do.

After hearing of Orochimaru's death at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha, Deidara, angry that someone other than himself killed Orochimaru, sets out with Tobi to seek revenge against Sasuke. Upon finding Sasuke, Deidara quickly starts to fight him, though Sasuke's abilities and Sharingan allow him to avoid the worst of Deidara's clay explosions. Enraged that Sasuke, like Itachi many years earlier, is using his Sharingan to defeat him, Deidara attempts to use his C4 explosives to kill him and prove that his art is better than that of the Sharingan's. Sasuke once again avoids the blasts, and Deidara is left out of chakra and thus unable to create more explosives. In a last ditch effort to kill Sasuke, Deidara uses the mouth in his chest to turn himself into a bomb in the hopes that he can take Sasuke with him. His effort proves unsuccessful, and Akatsuki mourns his loss.

Hidan

 * Membership status: sucking a hard one
 * Ring: 三 ("three")
 * Ring position: Left index finger
 * Partner: Formerly Kakuzu
 * First Cameo: Chapter 238, Naruto Episode 135
 * First Appearance: Chapter 312
 * Defining characteristics: Immortal, wields large three-bladed scythe

Hidan (飛段) is the foul-mouthed partner of Kakuzu and, at the time of his membership, was the second-newest member of Akatsuki. The first kanji in Hidan's name (飛) stands for hisha, the rook in shogi. Hidan belongs to the Jashin religion, a religion that worships a deity named Jashin and where anything less than utter destruction is considered a sin. As a part of his religion, Hidan owns a charm with an upside-down triangle inscribed inside a circle that he carries on a chain of beads. Before a battle starts he prays to this charm, asking for nothing short of a kill or, in the event that a target must be captured alive, for forgiveness. Once a battle has begun, Hidan dislikes being interrupted or being forced to stop the fight, and it takes a great deal of persuasion to get him to comply. After battles, should he have time, Hidan performs a thirty-minute ritual in accordance with his religion, which seems to culminate by stabbing himself in the chest and lying upon the ground. Hidan is apparently immortal, having been fatally wounded a number of times and even surviving decapitations while still retaining the ability to speak. Although he can survive dismemberment, Hidan needs to be connected to his body in order to control it. Kakuzu is able to help Hidan in these situations by using his threads to reattach his body parts, allowing the wounds to heal with time. Kakuzu can also take advantage of Hidan's immortality by attacking without worry of needing a new partner, allowing Hidan to act as a distraction while Kakuzu attacks their opponents from afar. Although neither is fond of their partnership, this coupling of abilities makes the two ideal teammates.

In battle, Hidan wields a three-bladed scythe that, in addition to causing fatal injuries, increases Hidan's chance of drawing some of an opponent's blood. Upon acquiring blood and consuming it, Hidan draws the same symbol that is on his charm on the ground. Once entering this symbol Hidan's skin turns black with white lines in roughly the same locations as his bones. He also becomes "linked" with the opponent, causing any damage done to him to also be done to the opponent (akin to a voodoo doll). So long as this link is active Hidan is able to cause damage to himself at his leisure, bringing him pleasure from the pain it causes to both himself and the opponent. After toying with his opponent by giving himself nonlethal injuries, Hidan stabs himself in the chest, fatally injuring the opponent and causing his transformation to reverse. While being a useful technique, Hidan needs to remain within the symbol for the voodoo-like effects to work. If he does leave, the link still exists and his transformation remains, leaving him to only need to return to the symbol to resume the technique.

As Hidan and Kakuzu travel through the Land of Fire, Hidan is forced into battle with Asuma Sarutobi. After forming a link with Asuma and preparing to kill him, Hidan is stopped by Shikamaru Nara. Although Shikamaru is able to break the link and allow Asuma to decapitate Hidan, Hidan is soon able to rejoin his body with Kakuzu's help, reform the link, and kill Asuma. Before Hidan can turn his attention to Shikamaru and the rest of his team, he and Kakuzu are called away by the Akatsuki leader. Once their business is finished, Hidan and Kakuzu set out for Konoha to finish their battle, though along the way they are captured by Shikamaru, who had been waiting for them. Although Kakuzu is able to escape, Shikamaru is able to use his shadow to force Hidan to attack him, although he eventually decides to lead Hidan away so the rest of his team can deal with Kakuzu. Upon reaching his destination, Shikamaru restrains Hidan, covers him in exploding tags, and causes a pit beneath Hidan to break away. Finally having a chance to avenge Asuma's death, Shikamaru lights a cigarette and tosses it at Hidan, causing the exploding tags to detonate. As his remains fall into the pit Hidan promises to kill Shikamaru in any way possible, to which Shikamaru responds by causing the pit to cave in, trapping Hidan beneath the rubble. While his actual status is currently unknown, Akatsuki no longer considers him a member.

Kakuzu

 * Membership status: Deceased, unreplaced
 * Ring: 北 ("north")
 * Ring position: Left middle finger
 * Partner: Formerly Hidan
 * First Cameo: Chapter 238, Naruto Episode 135
 * First Appearance: Chapter 312
 * Defining characteristics: Able to extend life indefinitely through extraction and incorporation of foreign human hearts, can possess five human hearts at once, able to use all five chakra elements, body contains many threads for attack and body manipulation, short temper

Kakuzu (角都) is a missing-nin from Takigakure and Hidan's partner, a partnership neither is very fond of. The first kanji in Kakuzu's name (角) stands for kakugyō, a bishop in shogi. Kakuzu 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. Kakuzu's favorite source of income is collecting bounties while carrying out other missions, even putting up with Hidan's religion since it allows him to collect bounties faster. His history as a bounty hunter seems to be extensive, as he is on friendly terms with a bounty collector and even seems to have memorized the information and worth of some of the more dangerous bounties. This view of money has caused Kakuzu to refer to himself as the "Treasurer of Akatsuki", 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 has a unique body structure that consists largely of thick black threads running throughout his body, which he can use to detach parts of his body for long range assaults. The threads themselves can also be used for attack, being able to pierce the bodies of others with relative ease. These threads are apparently limitless, as Kakuzu can use them to change his appearance and visually increase his size several times over as a result. Kakuzu's threads also allow him to integrate foreign organs into his system, allowing him to extend his life indefinitely by taking the healthier organs of others. He has used this ability to lengthen his lifespan by a great deal, as he claims to have fought the First Hokage at some point in his life. Kakuzu most prominently uses hearts in this way, keeping up to four extra hearts with him at any given time. He keeps his spare hearts stored within animal masks sewn to his back, and each of the masks can separate from his body and attack independently.

Once removed from his body, the masks can utilize powerful blasts of elemental chakra, with each blast being given its own name: Fire Release: Intense Pain (火遁・頭刻苦), Wind Release: Pressure Damage (風遁・圧害), and Lightning Release: False Darkness (雷遁・偽暗). These masks can also combine to increase the potency of their attacks, with one element gaining strength as a result of a second. If the heart in Kakuzu's body is destroyed, one of the masks can quickly remerge with him so that he can take use of its heart, causing the mask to crumble away. In the event that he loses one of his hearts, Kakuzu seems to prefer taking the heart of the opponent responsible, prolonging his life from the strength of his enemy. Kakuzu also has an earth-based defensive jutsu referred to as Iron Body (鉄ボディ), which increases his strength and makes him virtually immune to physical attacks. It is not clear if this ability is a result of his fifth heart, or if it is that of his fourth mask.

As Kakuzu and Hidan make their way to Konohagakure to finish an earlier battle, the two are met by a group of four Konoha ninja. Soon after the battle starts, Kakashi Hatake is able to pierce Kakuzu with his Lightning Blade, destroying one of his masks. His current heart being unscathed, Kakuzu brings out his other three masks with which to attack the Konoha ninja. While he is able to gain the upperhand, Shikamaru Nara is able to trick Hidan into using his voodoo-like ability on Kakuzu, causing him to lose one of his hearts. After taking the heart from one of his masks Kakuzu prepares to finish off the group, though the arrival of reinforcements stops his attack. Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, does battle with Kakuzu and is in time able to strike him with his Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken, striking Kakuzu at a cellular level and severing all of his nerves. Losing his two spare hearts and leaving his other heart on the verge of failure as a result of the attack, Kakuzu is left defeated and unable to move. With the last of his strength he attempts to figure out how he could be defeated by some "kids", which Kakashi attributes to the natural progression of things before finishing him off.

Orochimaru

 * Membership status: Defected, unreplaced
 * Ring: 空 ("sky")
 * Ring position: Left little finger
 * Partner: Formerly Sasori
 * Defining characteristics: Snake-like appearance, able to extend life via transferring soul into new bodies, mastery of snake-based jutsu, able to extend body parts to great lengths

Orochimaru (大蛇丸) was formerly a member of Akatsuki, where he worked as Sasori's partner. He eventually attempted to use his Living Corpse Reincarnation jutsu to steal the body of Itachi Uchiha, a fellow member, six years before the start of the series. Itachi responded, effortlessly paralyzing him and severing his left hand. After this incident, Orochimaru left Akatsuki. Upon leaving, he kept his Akatsuki ring, which is currently still on the hand of his original body. The apparent special nature of his ring, his knowledge of their plans, and bad blood have led to him being the target of a number of Akatsuki plots, one of which involved a member of his retinue being a (eventually double) sleeper agent. Orochimaru intended to eliminate Akatsuki, as well; however, he is currently presumed to be dead.

Whatever their remaining connections were, Orochimaru and Akatsuki also seemed to have been working off similar timetables, as the three years it takes Orochimaru to prepare to take over Sasuke's body seem to coincide with Akatsuki's plans for capturing more tailed beasts.

Sasori

 * Membership status: active and always will be. Leader
 * Ring: 玉 ("jewel", "ball", also the king in shogi)
 * Ring position: Left thumb
 * Partner: Formerly Deidara, Orochimaru before that
 * First Cameo: Chapter 238, Naruto Episode 135
 * First Appearance: Chapter 247, Shippuden Episode 2
 * Defining characteristics: Puppet master, puppet body, poison specialist
 * Seiyu: Takahiro Sakurai, Yutaka Aoyama (Hiruko), Akiko Yajima (as a child)

Sasori (サソリ), also known as Sasori of the Red Sand (赤砂のサソリ), is a missing-nin from Sunagakure. "Sasori" (蠍) also means scorpion. After the death of his parents, at the hands of the Konoha's White Fang, Sasori was left in the care of his grandmother, Chiyo, who taught him all she knew about puppetry. After proving adept with the ability, Sasori used his newfound knowledge to make puppets identical to his parents in an attempt to feel loved by them. Because they were only emotionless puppets, this effort failed, and he eventually abandoned Sunagakure twenty years prior to his introduction. Sometime after leaving the village, Sasori joined Akatsuki and was eventually paired with Orochimaru. After Orochimaru left Akatsuki, Sasori was teamed up with Deidara, though he always carried a grudge against his former partner. 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 himself never appreciated his ideals. In battle, Sasori almost exclusively uses puppets, his favorite being Hiruko (ヒルコ) which he controls from the inside to protect himself from damage. Because Sasori wears Hiruko so often, even adorning it with the Akatsuki outfit, many can only recognize him while he is wearing it. If Hiruko proves ineffective Sasori can use himself in battle, having long since converted his body into a puppet. In addition to giving him an unnaturally young appearance, Sasori's puppet body allows him to control hundreds of puppets at once through a mechanism on his chest that can spin numerous chakra strings. Because puppets cannot control chakra, Sasori has preserved his heart in a cylinder-shaped device which enables him to use puppets in combat. Since his heart is the only living part of himself, his puppet body is virtually indestructible as he can pull himself back together when smashed apart. Additionally, he can transfer his heart to other puppets, allowing him to abandon a body should it be damaged beyond repair or otherwise incapacitated.

The majority of Sasori's puppets are made from the bodies of humans. Once the entrails are removed, the blood has been drawn out, and the body is preserved so that it no longer decomposes, it can be used as a Human Puppet (人傀儡). Because these puppets were once human they are capable of using chakra and performing jutsu, giving them a drastic advantage over the average puppet. His favorite human puppet is that of the Third Kazekage, who he kidnapped and killed before leaving Sunagakure, and through which he can use the Third's unique Iron Sand ability. With the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets (赤秘技・百機の操演), Sasori can summon one hundred human puppets to be used as an army, each of which was once an opponent he has since defeated. To add some potency to his puppets' attack, Sasori adds a poison of his own creation to everything in his arsenal. The poison takes effect instantly and, should a highly talented medical ninja not be found to create an antidote, kills the target after three days of suffering.

Sasori has a number of spies spread throughout the Naruto world that he has brought into his service with a form of mind control. Once such spy is Yura, who Sasori uses to give Deidara an easier time in capturing Gaara. Once Deidara succeeds in his task and the One-Tailed Shukaku is extracted from Gaara by Akatsuki, a search party arrives to retrieve Gaara. As the group splits up to fight Deidara and Sasori, Sasori is forced into battle with Chiyo and Sakura Haruno. By controlling Sakura as a puppet Chiyo is able to help her destroy Hiruko and the Third Kazekage in turn. In an attempt to claim victory Sasori uses his puppet army to defeat the duo, though Chiyo's own puppets are able to defeat them. After his puppet body is immobilized, Sasori transfers to a new body to try a sneak attack on Chiyo, though Sakura blocks the attack. Using this opportunity to her advantage, Chiyo calls forth the puppets of Sasori's parents, which she had kept since his departure from Sunagakure, to stab him through the heart in the form of a hug. As a reward to Sakura for defeating him, Sasori informs her of the spy, Kabuto Yakushi, that he has within Orochimaru's ranks, and tells her of when and where she can meet him.

Kabuto Yakushi

 * Status: Defected

Kabuto Yakushi was a former spy for Sasori, forced into the position through a form of mind control. Kabuto was used by Sasori to infiltrate Orochimaru's group, but Orochimaru removed the mind control on Kabuto shortly after he joined. Kabuto then betrayed Sasori and Akatsuki in favor of Orochimaru.

Yura

 * Status: Deceased
 * Rank: Jonin
 * Debut: Chapter 247, Shippūden episode 2
 * Seiyu: Hideo Watanabe

Yura (由良), whose name means "beginning" in Japanese, served as a trusted member of the Kazekage advisory council of Sunagakure for four years. In reality, he was a sleeper agent for Akatsuki and a subordinate of Sasori. He was used in the Akatsuki leader's Shapeshifting Technique, which made him take on the shape of Itachi Uchiha and allowed Itachi to take control of his body. Naruto killed him with his Great Ball Rasengan while in this form.