Root

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Root (根部)
Alias(es)	Anbu Training Department 7 96
Affiliation	Konohagakure; nominally subordinate to Anbu, though it operates with considerable independence 7 59
Occupation/Role	Covert intelligence, assassination, infiltration, special operations, and forbidden-technique research 96 205 210
Leader	Shimura Danzō 7
Status	Active 209 210
First Appearance	Chapter 7: “Root Extra”

History

Shimura Danzō established Root after becoming the Hokage’s Assistant. During the Ninja World Wars, he obtained latitude from the Third Hokage to expand the organization as a remedy for intelligence-system shortcomings; Root’s overt and covert personnel eventually outnumbered the Hokage’s direct Anbu forces. Its rapid growth, however, left it with comparatively few elite operatives capable of independent action. 7

Danzō attempted to recruit gifted children from Konoha’s clans, but the clans largely refused to hand their heirs to Root. At this stage, Root needed high-quality specialists rather than more expendable operatives or low-level spies. 7

Hyuga Yu’s approach to Root became an early example of its selective recruitment. Danzō initially admitted him only as an auxiliary member, ordering that Yu receive no Root intelligence, operational access, or institutional training while Root exploited the strategic value of his Byakugan. 7 Following Yu’s assessment, Root instead designated him an outlier and assigned him to assist with an S-rank mission at the Konoha Medical Corps camp near Grass Wave Coast. 16

During the Kirigakure campaign, Root sent Yu, Terai, Kinoe, and Shin to assassinate Council Elder Kaguya Washiro and frame Elder Genji. The operation was intended to ignite internal conflict and create the conditions for the Kirigakure Collapse Plan. 95 After the assassination, Aburame Ryūma ordered Yu to lead the wider collapse operation while Root operatives disguised themselves as Kirigakure shinobi to attack the Hōzuki Clan compound. 99

Danzō’s confidence in Yu grew after the Kirigakure operation. He accepted Yu as his disciple, nominated him as a Fourth Hokage candidate, and began grooming him as Root’s successor. 124 Later, Danzō instructed Yu to learn official administration and inherit his connections in preparation for taking over Root. 198

Organization

Leadership and the Thirteen Seats

Root is formally described as a fourteen-member Anbu establishment: Danzō holds one seat, while thirteen masked members hold the remaining positions. Each of the thirteen seats possesses an exclusive codename and influence within the organization. 58 59

In practice, Root expanded far beyond this nominal structure during wartime. Competition for the thirteen seats is intense, with advancement depending either on exceptional merit and strength or on access to valuable secrets. 59

Position / Division	Known responsibility	Known personnel
Supreme commander	Directs Root policy, personnel, and political strategy	Shimura Danzō 7 198
Assassination and Tactical Execution	Field operations and special missions	Aburame Ryūma 95 205
Intelligence Gathering and Analysis	Intelligence collection and analysis	Yakushi Nonō 205
Special Ability Research and Development	Research into special abilities, bloodlines, and forbidden techniques	Orochimaru 205 210
Logistics and Resource Allocation Management	Supplies and resource deployment	Unnamed division 205

Recruitment and Succession

Root trains operatives to suppress their identities and attachments. Its members are expected to have no names, emotions, pasts, or futures beyond their mission. 16

The organization also uses personal bonds as leverage. Shin’s son, for example, is raised through an orphanage linked to Root’s system, allowing Root to cultivate a successor with the aptitude for Super Beast Imitating Drawing while binding the current operative through family. 114

Under Yu’s planned succession, Root’s Thirteen Seats are intended to be filled by talented individuals from across the shinobi world regardless of nationality or race. Sasori of the Red Sand was personally identified as one such candidate. 179

Doctrine and Methods

The Six Absences

Field operatives are trained around six fundamental requirements:

• Colorless
• Formless
• Traceless
• Soundless
• Scentless
• Odorless 96

These principles are intended to become instinctive reactions, enabling operatives to maximize mission success during solo and team infiltrations. 96

Secrecy and Information Control

Root treats information as essential to survival. Danzō considered the Caged Bird seal on Hyuga Yu a major recruitment risk because it could expose Root intelligence to the Hyuga Main Family. 7

• Operatives may carry the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, preventing them from revealing protected information. 94
• Orders may be delivered verbally without mission scrolls, tokens, or written records, leaving no traceable evidence of Root involvement. 16
• Intelligence of exceptional value is immediately classified and relayed through Root’s chain of command. 57

Facilities

Root’s main headquarters is an underground complex beneath the training grounds behind Konoha’s mountains. A spiraling descent leads into a vast circular pit containing a steel tower and suspended iron passageways used by Root personnel. 197

The deeper levels contain increasingly secret research facilities, including studies of enemy bodies, Kekkei Genkai, clan secret techniques, Hashirama Cells, Zero-Tails, Uchiha research, and the Second Hokage’s forbidden techniques. Orochimaru’s personal laboratory occupies the lowest and most restricted level. 210

• Konoha Headquarters — Main underground command and research base. 197 210
• Land of Bears base — A secret Root installation used as a recovery and intelligence center after the Kirigakure operation. 125

Major Operations

• Hyuga Yu recruitment — Root monitored Yu, assessed his value, and admitted him as an auxiliary outlier before assigning him to an S-rank operation. 7 16
• Kaguya Washiro assassination — Yu’s team infiltrated Kirigakure to assassinate Elder Kaguya Washiro and implicate Elder Genji. 95 96
• Kirigakure Collapse Plan — Root escalated Kirigakure’s factional conflict through assassinations, false-flag attacks, and support for Yu’s command. 99 117
• Political support for the Heavenly Ninja — Danzō used Root’s influence, resources, and personnel to build momentum for Yu’s Hokage candidacy. 121 176
• Special ability research — Root maintains programs involving Hashirama Cells, Zero-Tails, Yang Release, bloodlines, and forbidden techniques. 65 197 210

Key Personnel

• Shimura Danzō — Founder and supreme commander; later mentors Hyuga Yu and prepares him to inherit Root. 7 124 198
• Hyuga Yu / Heavenly Ninja — Began as a Root outlier, became Danzō’s disciple, and is positioned as Root’s prospective successor. 16 124 198
• Aburame Ryūma — Senior Root operative responsible for special operations; arranged Yu’s early missions and supported the Kirigakure Collapse Plan. 16 95 99
• Yakushi Nonō — Oversees Root’s intelligence-gathering and analysis division. 205
• Orochimaru — Nominally Root’s second-in-command and head of Special Ability Research and Development. 205
• Shigaraki Tanuki — A masked holder of one of the Thirteen Seats; conducted Zero-Tails and Hashirama Cell research. 58 65
• Terai — Root operative who leads squads and serves under Yu during special operations. 95 130
• Kinoe — Young Wood Release user assigned to Yu’s Kirigakure team. 95
• Shin — Root operative and user of Super Beast Imitating Drawing; communicates through writing due to his tongue seal. 94 95