Kimimaro

was the fifth member of the Sound Four, thus temporarily changing their group name to the Sound Five. The original four were forced to accept him as their leader against their will, as Kimimaro's combat abilities far exceeded all of their skills combined.

Background
Kimimaro was the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan, who were battle-loving barbarians. Being a rare owner of the kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku, Kimimaro's father, fearing his son's abilities, locked him up in a cage for most of his life, releasing him only when he was needed to fight for the clan. The Kaguya clan was wiped out when they attacked Kirigakure, seemingly for no reason other than the desire to kill. Having underestimated their opponent's defences, they were slaughtered, with only Kimimaro surviving.

With nowhere to go, Kimimaro was eventually found by Orochimaru, and was recruited as one of his most loyal ninja. While belonging to a clan that loved killing, murder, and slaughter, and being the most powerful of this clan, Kimimaro was not truly violent, because he never really knew the outside world. Thus, the only reason he fought was because his clan needed him to do so, and being needed by someone was the one thing he truly desired. However, when he met Orochimaru, his desires changed to serve him, and to ensure the continuation of his master's dreams and ambitions. Kimimaro was selected to be one of Orochimaru's next bodies, primarily because of the rare kekkei genkai he possessed. However, Kimimaro was unfortunately afflicted by an unknown disease, and hence, was no longer useful to Orochimaru.

Kimimaro was a close friend of Jūgo, one of Orochimaru's test subjects, and was the only person capable of suppressing Jūgo's killing instincts. After hearing that Kimimaro had died in Part I to ensure Sasuke Uchiha reached Orochimaru, Jūgo believed that Kimimaro's spirit continued to live on in Sasuke, which was why he joined Taka in Part II.

Personality
Unlike the rest of his clan, the battle loving Kaguya clan, Kimimaro didn't have a particular interest in fighting or killing. He merely saw it as a means to be of use to others. He was a calm and quiet individual who would dedicate himself to whatever mission was at hand. As a child, he was more gentle despite his natural talent for combat and unique abilities which made him the strongest of his clan, as seen from him not wanting to hurt others he had no involvement with, and his interest in flowers.

After meeting Orochimaru, Kimimaro developed a strong devotion towards him, bordering on religious zealotry, or considering him a father figure (the manga suggesting the former, and the anime suggesting the latter), as Orochimaru was the only person to seemingly care for and inspire him. Kimimaro's relationship with Orochimaru was similar to Haku's relationship with Zabuza, both having similar backgrounds, and both found a purpose in living for their respective master. His dedication to Orochimaru was so great, that, despite his body's failing strength, he was able to will himself into battle, and still proved himself as an extremely dangerous opponent for the likes of Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee and Gaara. Kimimaro believed that his purpose was to serve and protect Orochimaru, and that the only reason for him to exist was to serve the one who rescued him from a life of despair and loneliness. Gaara compared the eyes of Kimimaro to those of Sasuke Uchiha's, the eyes of those who only sought to prove their own existence, nothing more.

Kimimaro demonstrated extreme distaste for "trash" ninja, as he put it. He generally attempted to "clean it up", by killing the people who were "trash", even if they were his allies (he plotted to kill Tayuya after she defeated Shikamaru, because she was unable to deliver Sasuke by sunset). Despite his verbal disrespect of his opponents, Kimimaro had been shown to have a sense of honor in battle, as demonstrated when he stopped the battle to allow Rock Lee to take his "medicine".

The most notable trait that separated him from his four colleagues was that he rarely showed emotions, other than surprise, until Gaara insulted his faith in Orochimaru, causing him to become enraged before his death. It was also shown that Kimimaro was crying silently when he discovered he was no longer useful to Orochimaru.

Appearance
Kimimaro was characterized by his pale skin, vivid green eyes, masculine facial features, and shoulder-length white hair, which he wore divided down the middle on his head (distinguished by an atypical 'zigzag' hair parting) with two separate partings on either side of his face. As a child, Kimimaro wore his hair longer, tied in a loose pony-tail near the middle of his back, though the initial style was very similar to his later one. He had two dots on his forehead symbolizing his clan.

Under the wing of Orochimaru, Kimimaro wore a specialized version of the traditional Sound-nin ensemble, consisting of a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt, black pants cut off around mid-calf, bandages wrapped around his ankles, traditional shinobi sandals, and a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist. He also wore two red, tube-like hair ornaments; one on either side of his head, securing two locks of his silvery-white hair. He did not wear a Sound headband, despite his extreme loyalty to Orochimaru. His Cursed Seal of Earth is applied at the base of his throat, where it is a circular pattern of three curved lines.

Apparently, as a user of the Shikotsumyaku abilities, Kimimaro was given a different bodily structure from others, as Kabuto Yakushi claimed that there had been too little information on his body to give any medical treatment for his terminal illness.

Abilities
Kimimaro was referred to by Orochimaru as the most powerful member of the Kaguya clan, having "abilities that even his war-loving clan feared". Because of this, he was locked away in a cage for most of his life, only released occasionally when needed to fight other clans. His fighting abilities far outclassed all the members of the Sound Four combined, and his mastery of the Cursed Seal even impressed Jūgo, the source of the Cursed Seal, he said he had not seen such control of the Cursed Seal since Kimimaro when commenting on Sasuke's control of the seal. In fact, Kimimaro is the only person before Sasuke who could control Jūgo without exerting any efforts. Kimimaro also has a very strong determination, as when his failing body would be impossible to move physically, he forced it through sheer will, and still proved to be a deadly opponent. The fact that he could fight Naruto, Lee, and Gaara while dying of disease, and never actually being defeated by them, indicates he was an extremely powerful combatant at his peak. Indeed, even near death, his mere presence was enough to frighten the normally-arrogant Tayuya, as well as retaining a high level of stamina, which he showed in his battles with Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee, and Gaara, battling all three one after the other without collapsing.

Shikotsumyaku
Kimimaro's abilities came from his kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku, which allowed the user to manipulate their own skeletal structure as a means of combat. Specifically, it allowed Kimimaro to manipulate his osteoblasts and osteoclasts, cells that are responsible for building or breaking down bone tissue. This ability gave him absolute control over the concentration of calcium within his bones, allowing him to control the density or malleability of them. Kimimaro also stated that his bones were stronger than tempered steel. Kimimaro used this ability to wield his bones as weapons in battle, and could use them in the form of taijutsu attacks (which he called dances) to give him a variety of abilities, as well as grant him a near-invincible defence. Orochimaru has stated that this was the ultimate taijutsu ability, which is held in high regard, and the main reason why Orochimaru desired Kimimaro to be his next vessel.

Taijutsu
Kimimaro's abilities made him well suited for close-range combat fighting, demonstrating tremendous taijutsu skills combined with equally impressive speed, agility, and dexterity. He was able to defeat several hundred of Naruto's Nine-Tails-enhanced shadow clones effortlessly, at the same time not allowing himself to be struck. Kimimaro combines his Shikotsumyaku and taijutsu capabilities to form many deadly "dances". Rock Lee, a taijutsu virtuoso, has claimed that Kimimaro does not make any unnecessary steps, and is a taijutsu master. Kimimaro also possesses immense strength, enough to pull himself out of Gaara's chakra-infused sand, which is normally difficult, if not impossible, due to its sturdiness.

Cursed Seal
Like many others of Orochimaru's closest followers, Kimimaro was given a Cursed Seal, which granted him tremendous power. He bore the Cursed Seal of Earth, which is said to be equal in power to the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and both said Seals are said to be the strongest amongst the ones used by Orochimaru. When in his Level 2 form, Kimimaro's appearance was similar to that of a dinosaur, with dark grey skin, six large bone spines protruding out of his back, and a long bone-spiked tail. Jūgo stated that Kimimaro had great enough skill with the Cursed Seal that he could do a partial transformation. Furthermore, Kimimaro's fighting style changed after entering his Level 2 state: he became much slower, but his strength increased to the point of smashing Gaara's Shield of Sand with ramming, and his skin became thicker and harder, making it impossible for even Gaara's sand to penetrate it.

Chūnin Exam Arc
In the anime, Kimimaro was revealed to have participated in many of Orochimaru's schemes. He was seen to be be responsible for killing Shiore and his companions (Orochimaru would later impersonate Shiore during the second part of the exam). At this point, he gave a bloody cough, but decided to ignore it. He is also indicated to have contributed to the assassination of the Fourth Kazekage and his bodyguards. At this point, he finally succumbed to his fatal illness, that in turn would have Kabuto placing him in intense medical care to keep him alive for as long as possible. He then began silently crying because he was no longer able to be Orochimaru's vessel, which he considered his purpose.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc
When the Sound Four took too long, Kabuto decided to wake Kimimaro to send him to aid them. Kimimaro, after being manipulated, forced his body up and decided to bring his replacement, Sasuke Uchiha back, deciding that was his new purpose, so as to prove his loyalty to Orochimaru. Prior to leaving, Kimimaro went to see Jūgo one more time. Despite Jūgo's protest of Kimimaro's ill body, Kimimaro assured him that Sasuke was his successor, and he thanked Jūgo for their friendship.

He found and took the barrel Sasuke was in, and threatened to kill Tayuya if she didn't kill some the Konoha ninja, saying he only let her live because she had a duty to complete. He then left with the barrel, but Naruto Uzumaki caught up with him to take Sasuke back. Kimimaro easily held off Naruto until Sasuke could get away on his own. Kimimaro then tried to kill Naruto while he was distracted by an ignoring Sasuke, but Rock Lee saved Naruto seconds before Kimimaro land a hit on him. Despite Kimimaro chasing after Naruto, Lee caught his bone, allowing Naruto to go after Sasuke. Kimimaro proved to be more than a match for Lee at first, but after Lee started using the Drunken Fist he gained the upper hand, Kimimaro being unable to react to his unusual movements even after he had figured out what Lee was using. After Lee managed to land an attack on him, Kimimaro admitted he couldn't read his movements and that Lee was using quite the taijutsu. He then activated the first stage of his cursed seal.

When Lee started to sober up, Kimimaro gained the upper hand again, almost killed Lee. Gaara arrived, saved Lee, and began fighting Kimimaro instead. Kimimaro acknowledged Gaara as a stronger opponent, his sand being a strong defence. He guessed Gaara wasn't a close combat fighter, recognizing the difficulty of bringing Gaara to close range. Gaara started to attack him. Kimimaro tried to use ranged attacks while dodging Gaara's attacks. Noting that all of Gaara's techniques involved sand, he pointed out it was foolish for Gaara to fight somewhere where there wasn't sand. Gaara brought Kimimaro's attention above so he could hold Kimimaro by his feet, and proceed to explain that as long as he has his sand, he can use it to make more. Kimimaro was crushed by Gaara's sand, but survived due to a layer of bone under his skin. He then activated the first stage of the Cursed Seal of Earth and broke out. Kimimaro admitted that he had underestimated Gaara, but that he would net be caught in his sand again. Gaara buried him completely, trying to crush him again. Kimimaro survived this assault, and activated the second level of his cursed seal. He tried to land hits on Gaara, but none of his attacks could breach Gaara's ultimate defence. After Gaara insulted Kimimaro's loyalty to Orochimaru, he turned the whole battlefield into a plain of sand and buried Kimimaro deep beneath it. Kimimaro, however, used the last one of his dances to turn the battlefield into a forest of bones, that Gaara and Lee barely escaped by hanging onto a small cloud of sand. Fueled by his hatred of being insulted, Kimimaro emerged from one of the bones, preparing to strike the two at point blank range. However, he finally succumbed to his illness just before he could kill Gaara, who was already out of chakra, and died. Gaara later came to the conclusion that no-one can defeat loneliness, even if it means to care for an evil person like Orochimaru.

Shinobi World War Arc
Kimimaro is resurrected by Kabuto, along with other famous shinobi through the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection, to prepare for war.

Along with Chiyo and Hanzō, Kimimaro provides Chūkichi back-up when he returns to the Surprise Attack Division's location, where Deidara is incarcerated.

Trivia

 * Though some fans believe that his full name was Kimimaro Kaguya, the second databook only said his name as Kimimaro.
 * Most of Kimimaro's actions in the series, prior to his appearance in the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, are exclusive to the anime.
 * is an ancient Japanese title of nobility. is Japanese slang for a person with thin or shaved eyebrows; this stems from a practice used by noblemen in ancient Japan where they shaved their eyebrows and painted two dots similar to Kimimaro.
 * Kimimaro appeared in the omake at the end of Naruto Shippūden episode 129, like many of the other minor characters.
 * According to the Naruto Official Databook:
 * His favorite word is.
 * Kimimaro has completed 22 official missions in total: 0 D-rank, 0 C-rank, 15 B-rank, 5 A-rank, 2 S-rank.

Quotes

 * "If I can't be of any use, then there's no reason for me to live."
 * "That's what Orochimaru-sama said to me that day, but... people are born for a reason... that's what I think... they have something they're meant to do with their lives... and I am no different... I was put on this earth to protect Orochimaru-sama and his ambitions."
 * (Talking about Sasuke to Tayuya) "This is the dream vessel... but you all were too late..."
 * "So much trash is spread everywhere. But trash is trash no matter what. You just have to clean it up."
 * (Last words) "I am not his pawn! He is the one, the only one who ever gave my life meaning! But how could the likes of you ever understand that!?"