 Orochimaru acts as the primary antagonist for the first part of the series. After his parents were killed when he was young, Orochimaru's only source of affection was received from his teacher, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his two teammates. As they grew older Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade collectively became known as the "Legendary Sannin" (伝説の三忍, Densetsu no Sannin) due to their exemplary ninja abilities in the Second Great Ninja War against Hanzo. Much of Orochimaru's arsenal of abilities deals with snakes, using them in summoning to battle multiple opponents while simultaneously keep himself out of harm's way. Through his experimentations he has also been able to add some snake-like characteristics to his own body. Desiring immortality to learn every jutsu, Orochimaru developed a forbidden jutsu to steal his victim's body. Though essentially immortal, Orochimaru learns the process can not be done more than once every three years.
