The character Yamato in Naruto has also been referred to under the alias of ‘Tenzo.’ This has caused some confusion for fans of the series about Yamato’s true name and who Tenzo is. If you’re struggling to wrap your head around this information, don’t worry; we’ve explained who Tenzo is in Naruto, and the full backstory of this character, so follow along below for all the details you’ll need to know.
Naruto – Who Tenzo is & Full Character Backstory, Explained
In Naruto, Yamato is a recurring character who is introduced to temporarily fill Kakashi’s spot as the Sensei and leader of Team 7, while the latter is bedridden and later stays on to provide assistance to the team once Kakashi returns. However, as Yamato originates from the Hidden Leaf’s Anbu Black Ops forces, the name ‘Yamato’ is simply a code name given to him during his time on Team 7. During the exploration of his past and the development of Yamato’s character, it is revealed that the name ‘Tenzo’ is the closest thing Yamato has to a real name. We’ll explain this in further detail below.
As an infant child, Yamato was abducted by Orochimaru and became one of sixty children involved in his test experiments using Hashirami Senju’s DNA, with the objective of recreating the ability to use Wood Release Jutsu within these young individuals. However, before he had the chance to finalize the results, Orochimaru was caught by Hiruzen Sarutobi for his other experiments and therefore forced to flee the Hidden Leaf village.
Tragically, all children exposed to the DNA of Hashirami Senju had passed away after a certain amount of time, so Orochimaru presumed that the remaining test subjects would all suffer the same fate. Yamato, however, was the sole survivor of this experiment, now enhanced with the ability to use Wood Release and control Tailed Beasts, much like the First Hokage.
It was revealed in the Naruto anime that while in the experimental test tube, Yamato was fully conscious of his surroundings and suffered the traumatizing event of witnessing all of the other children’s test subjects die from the DNA. Scared to die alone, Yamato used his Wood Release to escape the test tube and was soon found by Danzo Shimura. Unfortunately, Yamato had since lost all memories of who he was, so he was therefore recruited into the Anbu Black Ops’ Root division under the new alias of ‘Kinoe.’
Danzo then proceeded to train Kinoe as a member of Root personally, having high hopes for the young Shinobi due to his abilities. Danzo also gifted Kinoe with a scroll containing the secrets and hidden techniques of the Wood Release Jutsu style, allowing Kinoe to further fine-tune his abilities.
After the tragic passing of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, Danzo sent a squad of Root operatives, including Kinoe, to assassinate the Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. However, Kakashi Hatake, who was a recent recruit to Root at the time, warned the Hokage in advance and took his place, quickly defeating Kinoe in battle but choosing to spare his life with hopes that Kinoe would one day become a valuable ally in the future.
After Kinoe notifies Danzo of Orochimaru’s desertion from the Hidden Leaf, Danzo instructs him to meet with Orochimaru at an underground cave secretly housing the Iburi Clan. Kinoe delivers a message to the Iburi Clan, who had promised to help Orochimaru escape the country, and convinces them he’s an ally. During this time, Kinoe stumbles across a young girl named Yukimi, who mistakes him for and insists he’s her long-lost brother, Tenzo.
After Kakashi Hatake infiltrates the Clan, Kinoe convinces them to let him interrogate the intruder, revealing to Kkashi that his true intentions are the same as his – to ensure Orochimaru doesn’t escape the country. Unfortunately, the Clan leader, Getto, overhears this and then orders for both Kakashi and Kinoe to be executed. However, Yukime refuses to let Kinoe die under the belief that he’s her missing brother, escaping with both Shinobi to save their lives.
After Kinoe and Yukimi travel to a nearby carnival and enjoy the festive activities together, Kakashi catches up and announces his plan to Kinoe, which involves using Yukimi as bait to capture Orochimaru. This angers Kinoe, who refuses to use her as bait, announcing to Kakashi that his name is Tenzo, before running off with Yukimi.
Kakashi soon catches up and explains that the blood of Yukimi could enable Orochimaru to temporarily utilize the Ibari Clan’s unique Jutsu to turn his body into smoke and slip across the border, meaning she’s of the utmost importance to the criminal. Yukimi overhears this information and uses her abilities to vanish, returning to her Clan. After a slight standoff, Kakashi concludes that Kinoe cares for Yukimi as he once did for Rin and establishes a plan to work with him, rather than against his wishes.
Though the Ibari Clan had tragically been slaughtered by Orochimaru in their absence, Kinoe and Kakashi return and chase down the villain, who had kidnapped Yukimi. Orochimaru flees the scene, leaving Yukimi’s body in a critical state. However, with the combined power of the spirits of the Ibari Clan and Kinoe’s Wood Release, they stabilize her body and save her life. Yukimi then parts ways with the Shinobi to set foot in travel and discover the world, while Kinoe finds satisfaction in his power to save people.
Three years later, Kinoe is tasked with a mission from Danzo to assist in stealing Kakashi Hatake’s Sharingan, as the Root leader is wary of his current Sharingan collection deteriorating from overuse. Kinoe finds Kakashi while on a mission investigating Orochimaru’s abandoned laboratories, and after initially working alongside him, strikes with an attack.
During the conflict, one of Orochimaru’s snake experiments breaks out of a test tube and attacks them, taking Kinoe captive. Kakashi, still viewing Kinoe as a friend and ally, fights and manages to slay the monster, but upon killing it, the creature releases a poisonous gas that affects Kakashi. Kinoe manages to get Kakashi to safety and gives him an antidote, abandoning his mission and returning to meet up with Danzo, who is furious over the young Shinobi’s mission failure.
After a heated discussion, Kinoe concludes that Danzo and Root’s philosophies are not for him, which infuriates Danzo further. Danzo knocks Kinoe out with his Sharingan and orders his men to activate the Cursed Seal on the youth’s tongue. Kakashi once again manages to interfere and free Kinoe, and the two escape to come face-to-face with Danzo. However, before things get worse, the Third Hokage arrives on the scene and convinces Danzo to give up Kinoe into his care.
Kinoe is later reassigned to another section of the Anbu Black Ops titled Team Ro, led by Kakashi. Upon joining, Kakashi suggests that Kinoe goes by his chosen name of ‘Tenzo,’ which he happily agrees to.
Tenzo then spent numerous years within the Anbu Black Ops, continuing his career to hold the best performance record of any Anbu who served the Third Hokage. It is in his adult life, when he’s later assigned to Team 7 to take Kakashi’s place, that Tenzo’s identity changes again. With Anbu being a top-secret Shinobi organization, the information of all members is protected at all costs for their safety. Therefore, when Tenzo joins Team Kakashi as their temporary replacement sensei, he adapts to the new alias of ‘Yamato,’ which is given to him by Tsunade as part of the mission.
Technically, Yamato’s true name is unknown, as Kinoe was the name Danzo gave him, and Tenzo and Yamato are codenames. While this is quite tragic for the individual, Tenzo is his chosen name and, therefore, the closest thing he has to an actual identity. This is because he had grown fond of Yukime referring to him as such, despite evidence that their similar appearances seemed nothing more than a coincidence.
That’s everything you need to know about who Tenzo is in Naruto. If you’re looking for more content regarding your favorite Shinobi, why not check out one of our fun Naruto quizzes to discover which Hidden Leaf Clan you belong to or test your knowledge of the series?
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