Zōri

is a samurai from Land of Waves. He and his partner, Waraji, were mercenaries hired by Gatō to be his personal bodyguards.

Personality
Zōri, contrary to his partner, seems to be the calmer of the two though he seems to be just as cruel. He has been described as a loyal individual that enjoys gambling.

Appearance
Zōri is a light-skinned man with bluish-white hair and black eyes. Lined markings are tattooed under his eyes. He commonly wears a dark purple hat on this head, the top of which extends far beyond the top of his head. Zōri also wears a blue jacket with multiple pockets and tied to his waist is his blue handled katana. He appears virtually unchanged in Part II.

Abilities
Zōri is capable of using his sword to perform the technique Iaidō, a swift attack that should kill the enemy with one move. In the anime, he was also able to knock Tsunami out with one punch and his swordsmanship was good enough to defeat several of Naruto's shadow clones.

Land of Waves Arc
Gatō ordered Zōri and Waraji to kidnap Tsunami to force Tazuna, Tsunami's father and the bridge builder, to stop building his bridge. When Waraji threatened to kill Tsunami's son Inari, Tsunami also threatened to kill herself unless they let him go. Since Zōri was told by Gatō that they only needed one hostage, they leave Inari alone and proceed to take Tsunami to the bridge. However, Inari (remembering what Kaiza told him) ran to save his mother. Ultimately, Naruto came and got Tsunami away from Gatō's men. Both Zōri and Waraji were then defeated by Naruto's Shadow Clone Technique and were tied up and left there.

Itachi Pursuit Arc
In the anime, Zōri makes a brief appearance when Suigetsu and Sasuke are wandering around the Land of Waves, searching for the Kubikiribōchō. Suigetsu and Zōri bump into each other, and Zōri tries to provoke a fight. But as soon as he sees Sasuke, he becomes instantly unnerved and retreats. Later on, Suigetsu and Zōri bump into each other again. He attempts to flee again, but is quickly captured by the two and taken to a back alley in an attempt to interrogate him. He is initially reluctant to tell them of the whereabouts of the sword, but eventually tells them once Suigetsu threatens him.

Konoha History Arc
In the anime, it is revealed in a flashback that after Team Kakashi had left the Land of Waves, Zōri and Waraji did not leave the Land of Waves, but instead bided their time in an attempt to get revenge. They kidnap Inari, Akane and some of the other children but once again their efforts are foiled by Team Kakashi and the villagers who rise up against them.

Trivia

 * Both Zōri and Waraji are named after types of Japanese sandals. are a type typically worn with formal kimono.
 * Zōri and Waraji make an appearance in Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival!, when Naruto has to go to the bathroom.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * His favourite food is mizuame, chicken and egg donburi, and his least favourite is shellfish.
 * In episode 56 of the Naruto season 3 series, when the Third Hokage talks to the children, a child who has a resemblance to Zori can be spotted.