Kabuto's Sensei

As an adult he is recognised by the glasses he wears and by his neat, sandy-brown hair kept short over dark eyes. His attire follows the regular Konoha pattern of a flak jacket, sandals, and a forehead protector, worn above an undershirt whose collar climbs all the way to his chin. Back when he was a genin his look was plainer, a blue outfit finished with ankle bandages, guards on his arms, and a waist sash knotted behind him.

The story reveals little of his character beyond how he behaves around comrades. He takes visible pride in his fellow Konoha ninja, applauding the celebrated coordination of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and he grieves openly among the villagers at the Third Hokage's funeral.

He first surfaces during the Chunin Exams, standing with the other jonin commanders as the Third Hokage briefs them on the final stage after his own team clears the second test. That squad, formally Team Kabuto, was once his to lead, though its members were in truth planted by Orochimaru as informants, and whether he shared in the deception or was simply blind to it is never settled. His own roots trace back to Orochimaru as well. As a young genin he trained under the Sannin alongside Anko Mitarashi and a third teammate, and the group crossed blades with Hayate Gekko, Ibiki Morino, and Tokara during their exams years earlier.

Later appearances place him mourning at the Third's funeral and, in the anime, joining the Niju Shotai to hunt Akatsuki operatives inside the Land of Fire, cheering Yamato's reconstruction work after Pain's assault, and standing among the crowd in Naruto's recollection during the Blood Prison film.