Root's base.
It was dark and dry here, with countless secret passages. Root ninja usually moved in and out through them, guarding and sealing them.
But today, half of Root's members had died outright. Including those dispatched elsewhere and those stationed in the Anbu, the entire Root base was now deserted, with many places left unguarded.
"What happened?" The young Kabuto Yakushi emerged from a hidden passage, dressed in a long, loose black hooded coat. The hood covered his face, revealing only a sharp chin. He did not find a single Root member.
Root being this empty was not normal.
Kabuto's gaze beneath his hood gleamed with coldness.
Kabuto had lost his memories after being injured as a child. He had been taken in by the orphanage director, Yakushi Nonō, whom he regarded as his mother. Later, when Danzo Shimura threatened Nonō, Kabuto willingly joined Danzo for her sake and for the orphanage, becoming a Root ninja used by Danzo.
Danzo had sent Kabuto traveling through various countries as a spy since childhood. In the end, to get rid of both Kabuto and Yakushi Nonō, he arranged for them to kill each other. After accidentally killing the woman he saw as his mother, Kabuto believed he had lost all reason to live.
At the same time, Orochimaru found Kabuto, told him the truth, and invited him to join his Hidden Sound Village.
After becoming Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto was sent by Orochimaru to serve as a spy under Sasori of the Akatsuki. By coincidence, Sasori also took an interest in Kabuto's talent for espionage. After placing a curse mark on Kabuto's head, Sasori sent him back to follow Orochimaru.
After Orochimaru removed Sasori's curse mark, he had Kabuto continue stringing Sasori along while sending him back to Konoha as a spy.