A shinobi is one who kills.
In that respect, Orochimaru was a shinobi among shinobi. A god among men.
He'd murdered more than he could count, destroying enemy after enemy, friend after friend, shinobi after shinobi. Nobody knew just how many bodies lie in his wake, only that the sheer numbers added up to horrific proportions. Some even went as far as to speculate he'd taken more lives than the last great ninja war.
He was a killing machine, a monster even among his fellow murderers. A terrifying beast of a man, capable of things that could make the devil shudder.
Some considered him the ultimate shinobi.
But, the serpentine shinobi possessed a flaw.
He left a trail of bodies and blood behind him. A massive mess of mutilated and broken bodies lying in his wake, and leading a trail right to him.
Orochimaru showcased his kills like a trophy, openly and brutally destroying anything that got in his way without a hint of thought. As soon as he left Konoha he laid everything out in the open, free for the world to see.
He took pride in his ability, and it lead to a hubris that would ultimately destroy him.
A shinobi is one who stalks their prey silently, luring them into the shadows. They strike, and make the kill before the victim is even aware that anyone was ever there, and they leave no traces.
In that aspect, Kabuto far surpassed his 'master'.
Kabuto was a master of stealth and secrecy, a puppet master leading from behind the scenes, the true director of the play.
Sure, Orochimaru was the one to attack Konoha, and kill both the Hokage and Kazekage, but who was it that devised the attacks, set the traps, formed the false allegiances, and set the idea running in the serpentine mans head in the first place?
Sure, it was Orochimaru who took the credit for all those dead shinobi, but who was responsible for the so many more missing peoples cases? Where had those hundreds of thousands of citizens and high-ranking shinobi alike gone to? Most blamed it on Orochimaru, never questioning why they never did find those bodies among the serpentine shinobis other victims.
Nobody but the silver haired shinobi ever knew. Not even Orochimaru. Kabuto was the only one to know that those men and women had died starring into deep black eyes as opposed to golden ones.
It never even crossed anybody's mind that Sasuke may have been delivered too late at the hands of one Orochimarus most loyal men. Nobody ever questioned why or how Kimimaro seemed to return from the dead, and successfully stave off two very capable shinobi for so long a time.
Nobody ever questioned why it was Orochimaru had been so weakened by the time Sasuke showed up. Nobody ever questioned why all the medication pumped into the mans body did absolutely nothing to help him. Nobody ever found out just how Sasuke had known how to conquer Orochimarus body transfer jutsu.
Nobody ever questioned why Kabuto had been there so soon after the golden eyed mans death, or how he knew exactly how to transfer the mans powers to himself with only his corpse. Nobody ever wondered why it was Kabuto had been so absolutely sure of the fact he would beat out Orochimarus mind and soul.
Nobody ever questioned why the great and powerful members of akatsuki seemed to die so suddenly at the hands of children, and far less powerful men. Nobody ever questioned just why it was that Madara had failed in his mission.
And nobody ever would know that it all had come to pass at the hands of a silver haired genin, the closest anybody would ever find to a perfect shinobi.
Authors Note : Just something I wrote after thinking about Kabuto for a while. I personally believe that he'll end up being the ultimate villain in Naruto, the final boss. After reading the newest chapters I'm sure of it. Also, this was written fairly quickly, and just because I felt like it. I promise that I'm not normally that bad at writing. :D -If anything here seems a bit incoherent, it's because I'm sick and half asleep. feel free to let me know if I massively messed up somewhere.-
Hope you guys are amused by my poorly written ramblings! :D
