Kakuzu

Biodata

Background / History

Takigakure and Bounty Hunting

Kakuzu was once an elite shinobi of Takigakure who risked his life for his village before being betrayed by it. He acquired Earth Grudge Fear through a brutal ordeal and spent subsequent decades hunting, fleeing, and stealing hearts to prolong his life. By Kagami Uchiha’s assessment, he had survived since the Warring States Period 25 52 125.

His reputation rested partly on an assignment to assassinate Hashirama Senju. Although Kakuzu privately embellished the encounter as a clash between mutually respectful warriors, he had actually thrown a shuriken from a safe distance and fled. The story nevertheless allowed him to charge higher fees than other bounty hunters 24.

Decades later, Kakuzu continued to resent Takigakure’s betrayal following this assignment. His eventual proposal to take the village’s Seven-Tails was motivated partly by a desire to make his former village repay that debt 189.

Failed Assassination and Recruitment

After collecting one million ryō for the head of the Iwagakure rogue ninja Tsuchiishi, Kakuzu received an offer to assassinate the newly appointed Third Hokage, Kagami Uchiha. Learning the target’s identity, he raised the proposed payment from fifty million to sixty million ryō and accepted the contract 24.

Kakuzu ambushed Kagami’s party at a forest campsite in the Land of Fire. He survived Hayama Shirakumo’s sword thrust through one heart and deployed his elemental masks, but Kagami’s Susanoo overwhelmed his combined attacks and destroyed his remaining deployed masks. Severely injured, Kakuzu briefly resigned himself to death 24 25.

Kagami instead offered him employment on two conditions: he must stop attacking Konoha ninja and work directly for the Hokage. The offer included twenty million ryō annually, reimbursement of outside expenses, six types of insurance, and two benefit funds. After receiving his first year’s salary in advance, Kakuzu immediately accepted and nearly offered to call Kagami his father. He later dated this encounter to Konoha Year 20 25 147.

Black Yu Company and Sakamoto

Kagami regularly wrote to Kakuzu, checking on his work and sharing economic ideas. With this guidance, Kakuzu established a trading company in the Land of Rain, earned money without constantly risking his life, and gathered intelligence on Hanzō. His annual salary eventually rose to thirty million ryō 51.

During this period, Kakuzu encountered a teenage Sakamoto begging for money to treat his gravely ill mother in the Land of Frost. The boy’s determination reminded him of his own service to Takigakure. Kakuzu paid for the treatment and took the resilient, quick-witted youth under his wing 52.

The Angel Plan

Kagami assigned Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo to undermine the Land of Wind’s ability to wage war without provoking an unnecessary full-scale conflict. Kakuzu proposed a Ponzi-style investment fraud funded and supported by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Its intended result was to drain the country’s wealth and force Kazekage Shamon to abandon his military ambitions 52 53.

Three months after arriving in the Land of Wind, Kakuzu opened Angel Fund Corporation in the capital. He trained trading-company employees to sell the Angel Plan through coordinated publicity, success stories, shell companies, and conspicuous displays of wealth. Sakumo posed as a successful investor, while existing customers were encouraged to recruit friends and relatives for commissions. More than ten thousand ordinary people joined within one week of the public-speaking campaign 54 55.

The operation’s major commitments and reported proceeds were:

Kakuzu intended to keep Sunagakure reassured until it invested more, following Kagami’s instruction to maintain the scheme until the middle of the following year. Upon leaving, he and Sakumo agreed to deny responsibility for the Angel Fund’s actions, and Kakuzu warned Sakamoto to disguise himself in the Land of Rain 59 65.

Refuge and the Search for Nagato

After returning to the Land of Rain and reopening the Black Yu Trading Company, Kakuzu received orders to find Nagato Uzumaki and take him as a pupil. The search consumed three years and substantial resources 112.

Kakuzu located Nagato’s family before two White Zetsu attacked them. He initially considered allowing an attack by ninja disguised as another village’s forces, reasoning that an orphan would be easier to control. When the attackers impersonated Konoha ninja, however, he intervened to prevent Nagato from developing hatred toward Konoha. He killed both attackers and brought Nagato, Ise, and Fusō to safety 112.

Their destination was a concealed mountain village Kakuzu had spent years building under Kagami’s instructions. It sheltered war orphans and displaced civilians, providing education, training, and protection. Establishing it consumed nearly all the wealth Kakuzu had accumulated over half his life; Kagami had motivated the expenditure by asking whether he wanted to control all the money in the shinobi world 113.

Kakuzu placed Nagato with Yahiko and Konan and assigned his parents work within the settlement. When funding and administrative demands became overwhelming, he requested help. Kagami decided to provide money, send teaching-capable Elite Jonin to share instruction and management, and permit occasional bounty missions 113 114.

Founding and Leading Akatsuki

As war devastated the Land of Rain, refugees, orphans, and disillusioned Amegakure shinobi increasingly gathered around Kakuzu. Acting on Kagami’s earlier instructions, he founded Akatsuki, declaring that it would protect the country, expel foreign shinobi, oppose those perpetuating its suffering, and eventually aid other small nations. Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, Kyusuke, and Dabutsu were among those present 123.

Kakuzu reported the organization’s establishment to Kagami. Its core members had been trained by him and Konoha’s instructors, while years of shared hardship had earned him Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan’s deep loyalty 125.

Following Hanzō’s surrender to Konoha, increasing numbers of dissatisfied Amegakure ninja joined Akatsuki. Kakuzu ordered his followers not to interfere with Hanzō unless he threatened them, despite Amegakure scouts gathering intelligence around their territory 146.

At a subsequent private meeting, Kakuzu interpreted Kagami’s formal address of “Leader Kakuzu” as a sign of distrust and tearfully pleaded his loyalty. Kagami reassured him, then explained that his alliance with Madara had complicated their plans for Nagato’s Rinnegan. Although Madara intended to reclaim the eyes, Kagami insisted that he could not receive them yet 147.

Five Kage Summit and the Dispute over the Land of Rain

When Konoha invited Akatsuki to the Five Kage Summit, Kakuzu interpreted the invitation as recognition of the organization as an independent power. He declared that Akatsuki, not Hanzō’s Amegakure, was the rightful authority in the Land of Rain and intended to settle the question at the summit 159.

Before departing, Kakuzu privately discussed the Rinnegan with Nagato. Nagato accepted that the eyes had been implanted in him and decided to return them to the person behind the scheme after Akatsuki returned from Konoha. Kakuzu warned that retaining the eyes endangered both Nagato and the organization, but encouraged him to trust his own talent rather than depend on borrowed power. Nagato resolved to train and protect his companions 159.

At the summit, Kakuzu rebuked Hanzō’s subordinate Shinoda for insulting Akatsuki. After Caomang also challenged Hanzō’s legitimacy, Kakuzu openly asserted Akatsuki’s claim to the country and challenged the Demigod to fight. Both men released Kage-level auras, bringing the confrontation close to violence before the Third Raikage and Danzō intervened. Kakuzu and Hanzō then withdrew their auras 162.

During the proceedings, Kakuzu condemned Bunpuku and Rōshi for unleashing the One-Tail and Four-Tails in the Land of Rain, citing civilian deaths, ruined farmland, and destroyed homes. He appealed to Kagami to judge their responsibility. When the discussion turned to Hanzō’s role in starting the war, Kagami declared him the culprit, and Hanzō confessed and begged to live so that he could atone. Kakuzu rejected this plea, demanded Hanzō’s death, and declared that Akatsuki would protect the Land of Rain while supporting Konoha’s peace order 165.

After the summit, Kagami ordered Hanzō to disband Amegakure, and Konoha imprisoned both Hanzō and Ibuse. With their former organization leaderless, large numbers of Amegakure shinobi joined Kakuzu. Akatsuki’s membership multiplied and its influence spread throughout the Land of Rain, making it the rightful representative of Amegakure in place of the old village 189.

Proposal to Seize the Seven-Tails

In a later meeting with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, Kakuzu explained that Nagato could retain the Rinnegan until the time came to return them. He then proposed obtaining Takigakure’s Seven-Tails to strengthen the Land of Rain 189.

Yahiko worried that seizing a tailed beast would violate the Shinobi Federation’s peace rules. Kakuzu countered that strength was necessary to secure peace and argued that the Seven-Tails should belong to the Land of Rain rather than Takigakure 189.

Privately, Kakuzu’s motives extended beyond national defense. He wanted revenge on Takigakure for its past betrayal and intended eventually to offer the Seven-Tails to Kagami, whose gathering of tailed beasts he had noticed. Having exhausted his savings supporting Akatsuki and stabilizing the country, Kakuzu hoped this contribution would earn sufficient favor for him to administer the entire shinobi world’s finances after Kagami unified it. The seizure remained a proposal at this stage 189.

Appearance

Kakuzu is tall, with dark green eyes and a raspy voice 24 113.

• Bounty-hunting attire: A black mask covering most of his face and a slashed Takigakure forehead protector 24.
• Business attire: An immaculate black suit, sunglasses, a thick gold chain, and gold rings, presenting the image of a wealthy financier 52 54.
• Akatsuki attire: Loose, solemn robes that replace his former businessman’s appearance. By this period, his bearing conveys established authority rather than conspicuous new wealth 146.
• Covert clothing: Plain, dark casual clothes worn when secretly leaving Akatsuki’s base to meet Kagami 146.

Personality

Money initially provides Kakuzu with his greatest sense of security. He counts bounty payments bill by bill because he enjoys doing so, negotiates aggressively, and resents discovering that he could have charged more. His self-image as the world’s greatest assassin also leads him to exaggerate his accomplishments 24 25.

His relationship with Kagami develops beyond paid employment into profound personal devotion. Kakuzu regards the Hokage as an irreplaceable spiritual mentor; the possibility of losing his trust leaves him distraught. Although he frequently complains about difficult assignments, Kagami considers him reliable and prompt in carrying them out 125 147.

His compassion grows through his work with refugees. Initially reluctant to shelter others, he becomes increasingly receptive to their gratitude and begins seeking more people to rescue. Sakamoto’s determination similarly reaches him by recalling his own betrayed loyalty to Takigakure 52 113.

This change does not erase his ruthlessness. He exploits ordinary investors alongside political targets, takes satisfaction in Sunagakure’s impending financial losses, and initially considers allowing Nagato’s parents to die for strategic convenience. He also justifies the Angel Plan as a means of preserving peace 55 56 59 112.

Kakuzu values the willingness to confront a superior enemy, contrasting his own resistance to Kagami with Hanzō’s surrender without fighting. His contempt for Hanzō becomes public at the Five Kage Summit, where he refuses to be intimidated by the Demigod’s killing intent and demands accountability for the Land of Rain’s suffering 146 162 165.

His ambitions continue to combine loyalty, financial aspiration, and personal grudges. Even after spending his savings on Akatsuki and the Land of Rain, he regards these sacrifices as an investment in eventually managing the world’s finances under Kagami. His Seven-Tails proposal also demonstrates that he has not forgiven Takigakure, despite the decades since its betrayal 189.

Abilities & Skills

Earth Grudge Fear

Earth Grudge Fear gives Kakuzu a body threaded with black tendrils and supports his use of multiple hearts 24 25.

• Survival after heart destruction: Another heart takes over after Hayama pierces one of his hearts 24.
• Life extension: Kakuzu steals hearts to prolong his lifespan 25.
• Thread manipulation: He forms a shield from tendrils and wraps threads around a sword embedded in his body 24.
• Mask deployment: He releases four elemental masks from his back; the water-marked mask crumbles after Hayama’s attack 24.
• Limits: Susanoo’s slashes destroy his deployed masks, sever large quantities of threads, and leave him critically injured 25.

Elemental Ninjutsu

• Combined wind and fire: Merging Pressure Damage with Searing Migraine multiplies the fire attack’s power several times over 25.
• Layered defense: Kakuzu combines an earth wall, elemental attacks, masks, and threads, but cannot withstand Kagami’s Susanoo 25.

Finance and Intelligence

Kakuzu turns commercial activity into both an income source and an intelligence network 51 53.

• Plants informants in the Land of Wind’s capital and uses dealings with nobles and officials to monitor Sunagakure 53.
• Organizes a Ponzi-style fund that pays investors with other investors’ money or their own principal 53 59.
• Trains employees in coordinated sales pitches, success narratives, publicity, and commission-based recruitment 54 55.

Leadership and Instruction

Kakuzu builds a protected community and develops it into Akatsuki’s personnel base 113 123.

• Educates and trains war orphans, including Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan 113 125.
• Integrates instruction from Konoha’s elite ninja into his followers’ training 125.
• Attracts refugees and dissatisfied Amegakure shinobi while maintaining covert communication with Kagami 123 125 146.
• Delegates administrative duties to Sakamoto when leaving the organization’s base 146.
• Represents Akatsuki at the Five Kage Summit and publicly advances its claim to govern the Land of Rain 159 162 165.
• Absorbs former Amegakure personnel after its dissolution, expanding Akatsuki’s presence across the country 189.
• Encourages Nagato to develop his own talent rather than rely entirely on the Rinnegan 159.

Power Progression

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Shuriken — Used in his attacks on both Hashirama Senju and Kagami’s traveling party 24.
• Slashed Takigakure forehead protector — Worn during his bounty-hunting period 24.
• Elemental masks — Deployed through Earth Grudge Fear for independent elemental attacks 24 25.
• Gold chain, rings, and sunglasses — Accessories associated with his financial-company persona 52 54.
• Covert messenger Ninja Hawk — Used to send confidential correspondence to Kagami, including his request for additional support for the hidden village 114.

Relationships

• Kagami Uchiha — Former assassination target, employer, benefactor, and spiritual mentor. Kakuzu reports directly to him and leads Akatsuki within his wider plans for the Land of Rain 25 114 147. At the Five Kage Summit, he supports Kagami’s peace order; he later plans to offer him the Seven-Tails in hopes of earning the responsibility of managing the unified world’s finances 165 189.
• Sakamoto — Protégé and trusted assistant. Kakuzu funded his mother’s treatment, brought him into his company, and later entrusted him with Akatsuki’s administration 52 146.
• Hatake Sakumo — Partner in the Angel Plan and frequent source of friction. Their mutual suspicion persists long after the operation; Kakuzu later wrongly suspects him of undermining Kagami’s trust 53 59 147.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan — Rescued children and pupils who become Akatsuki’s core. Years under Kakuzu’s care inspire deep trust and loyalty toward him 113 125. He privately advises Nagato about the danger of the borrowed Rinnegan and urges him to cultivate his own abilities. All three participate in the later discussion of obtaining the Seven-Tails, during which Yahiko questions the plan’s compatibility with the Federation’s peace rules 159 189.
• Ise and Fusō — Nagato’s parents, rescued from White Zetsu and given peaceful work in Kakuzu’s hidden village 112 113.
• Hanzō — Rival authority in the Land of Rain and an intended target of Kagami’s original Akatsuki plan. Kakuzu initially avoids confrontation unless Hanzō threatens the organization 146 147. He later challenges Hanzō at the Five Kage Summit, demands his execution, and asserts that Akatsuki can protect the country without him. Hanzō’s eventual imprisonment and Amegakure’s dissolution allow Kakuzu’s organization to absorb many of his former followers 162 165 189.
• Hashirama Senju — Former assassination target whose overwhelming strength prompted Kakuzu to flee. Kakuzu later used the encounter to enhance his professional reputation 24.
• Takigakure — Former village and the object of a lasting grudge. Kakuzu sees taking its Seven-Tails as an opportunity to retaliate for its betrayal decades earlier 189.
• Madara Uchiha — Original owner of Nagato’s Rinnegan and Kagami’s ally. Kagami informs Kakuzu that Madara intends to reclaim the eyes, requiring a change to the original plans for Nagato and Akatsuki 147.

Notable Quotes

“No. I’m saying it’ll cost extra!” 24

“Hmph! How many times have I told you? Don’t call me lord. Call me master!” 113

“We will not provoke conflict or cause needless slaughter. But anyone who dares obstruct the coming dawn will face our retaliation.” 123

“And you still have the nerve to shamelessly call your Amegakure the legitimate authority in the Land of Rain? Let me tell you, the legitimate authority in the Land of Rain is the Akatsuki!” 162

“We in the Akatsuki will definitely guard the future of the Land of Rain and actively respond to Konoha’s peace order for the Shinobi World.” 165

“The Seven-Tails isn’t suited to staying in Takigakure. It should belong to our Land of Rain!” 189

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