Anbu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Anbu
Original Name	暗部
Alias(es)	Assassination Tactical Special Force 180
Affiliation	Konohagakure; directly subordinate to the Hokage 22 42
Occupation / Role	Classified operations, special missions, high-risk response, pursuit of missing-nin, and protection of Konoha 22 180 238
Status	Active; reorganized under the Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Nara 238 298
First Appearance	Chapter 22

Appearance

During a Konoha assembly, Anbu operatives wore masks, iron-plated tactical vests, ninja swords on their backs, and Konoha emblems on their shoulders. Their public stronghold bears the character for “Dark” on its plaque 230.

• Animal or otherwise distinctive masks conceal operatives’ identities during missions 262.
• Members may possess public identities and only operate as Anbu when assigned classified work 238.
• Their demeanor is described as cold, disciplined, and terse 185 238.

Duties

The Anbu serve as the Hokage’s covert force, operating with authority beyond ordinary departmental procedures.

• Execute special and overseas missions assigned directly by the Hokage 22.
• Handle operations that cannot be conducted openly, including high-risk rapid-response assignments and hunts for missing-nin 180.
• Carry out extermination orders, arrests without formal procedure, and other missions personally delegated by the Hokage 238.
• Protect senior officials; the First and Second Divisions were assigned to guard Sarutobi Hiruzen 238.
• Investigate intelligence threats, such as refugees from the Land of Rain and the aftermath of Salamander Hanzō’s death 262.
• Recover strategic assets for Konoha, including Hanzō’s summoning scroll and ninjutsu manual 263.
• Perform ordinary security work—including patrols, inspections, summons, mail delivery, and arrests—despite these overlapping with Military Police responsibilities 83.

Organization

Original Structure

Unit	Composition	Notes
Anbu Squad	17 operatives	Four four-person teams plus one squad leader 234
Original Anbu	70 operatives	Four squads, plus an Anbu captain and vice-captain 234
Expanded Anbu	104 operatives	Six squads totaling 102 members, plus captain and vice-captain 234
Anbu Training Department	17 instructors	Trained Anbu teams and served as elite instructors 234

The Anbu originally reported directly to the Hokage and had no conventional department head; its squad captains were its principal field-level leadership 42.

Fourth Hokage Reforms

Following Orochimaru’s escape, Uchiha Nara restructured the Anbu and standardized its terminology across Konoha’s departments 234 238.

• Nara retained two divisions under Sarutobi Hiruzen’s management while taking the remaining four for reorganization 237.
• He ordered that a four-person cell be called a Squad and a seventeen-person unit a Company 238.
• The First Division under Ghost Fox and Second Division under Ghost Fire were reassigned to protect Hiruzen 238.
• Nara later appointed Hatake Sakumo as Anbu Captain, charging him with revitalizing training and purging Root operatives embedded within the organization 298.
• Yakushi Nonō succeeded Danzō as leader of the Anbu Training Department and was tasked with producing capable intelligence operatives 301.

History

Under the Third Hokage, the Anbu functioned as Konoha’s direct covert force. Although its formal mission was to protect the village and conduct special assignments, its authority extended into sensitive policing and security work 22 83.

Danzō used his influence over the Anbu Training Department and intelligence operations to build Root, a clandestine force that often acted in Anbu attire. Root’s activities—including the abduction of Konoha ninja, human experimentation, and covert assassinations—damaged trust in the Anbu’s authority and made it difficult for outsiders to distinguish genuine Anbu missions from Root operations 23 185 234 379.

The failure to capture Orochimaru, who escaped Konoha with extensive classified knowledge, became the catalyst for Nara’s intervention. As Fourth Hokage, he criticized the force’s failure, redistributed its divisions, and asserted direct command over its reform 234 238.

Nara’s gradual consolidation was necessary because many Root spies remained among the Anbu ranks, particularly through personnel trained under Danzō’s former system 230 259. He later entrusted Sakumo with screening out Root influence and restoring the Anbu as the Hokage’s reliable “blade” in the shadows 298.

Root Connection

Root was historically tied to the Anbu but operated as Danzō’s private force rather than a legitimate, accountable Hokage institution.

• Root was nominally an Anbu division and training institution, but Danzō used those positions to cultivate a private armed force 339.
• Root operatives frequently disguised themselves as Anbu to lure targets away, exploiting the authority associated with Anbu masks and classified orders 23 185 379.
• Danzō’s control of the Training Department and intelligence network enabled Root to expand into a self-sufficient organization with bases across the Shinobi World 29 234.
• Root training could involve forcing orphan recruits to kill one another, while other recruits were indoctrinated and bound by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal 333 382.
• After Danzō’s fall, Nara officially rebuilt Root as a supervised special Anbu detachment rather than abolishing it outright 382.

Rebuilt Root

The new Root was established as a special Anbu detachment with no personnel limit, intended to serve as a shield for Konoha rather than an unchecked instrument of political coercion 382.

Position	Holder	Responsibility
Root Captain / Leader	Uchiha Shisui	Rebuild Root, absorb Danzō’s former bases and personnel, oversee the Anbu Training Class, and serve as Deputy Chief of the Intelligence Division 382
Root Deputy Captain	Uchiha Itachi	Assist Shisui in leading the special Anbu detachment 382

Notable Operations

• Orochimaru Pursuit — The Anbu were mobilized to capture Orochimaru alive if possible and prevent his escape from the Land of Fire; the operation ultimately failed 230 234.
• Land of Rain Refugee Investigation — Uchiha Tekka’s squad, including the young Uchiha Shisui, investigated refugees at Konoha’s northwestern perimeter and learned of Hanzō’s death and the purge of his clan 262.
• Hanzō Relic Recovery — Anbu recovered Salamander Hanzō’s summoning scroll and ninjutsu training manual, delivering both to the Fourth Hokage 263.
• Danzō Incident Reinforcement — Tekka led Anbu reinforcements to support Shisui after Danzō’s ambush and rebellion 346.
• Root Extermination — Anbu personnel including Itachi, Shisui, and Ruofeng participated in the covert assault on Danzō’s Root bases 364 368 369.
• Shinnō Pursuit — Kakashi led four Anbu in pursuit of the forbidden medical-nin Shinnō, though Shinnō initially evaded them using Body Incarnation 385.

Known Personnel

• Sarutobi Hiruzen — Former direct commander; retained authority over two designated divisions and the Anbu Training Department during the initial reform period 237 238.
• Uchiha Nara / Naraku — Fourth Hokage who assumed control of the Anbu’s reorganization after Orochimaru’s escape 234 238.
• Hatake Sakumo — Appointed Anbu Captain; tasked with purging Root influence and rebuilding Anbu training 298.
• Yakushi Nonō — Leader of the Anbu Training Department after Danzō’s removal; a former Root intelligence operative known as the Wandering Miko 298 301.
• Hatake Kakashi — Anbu operative noted for a high mission-completion rate and regarded as the force’s strongest newcomer 230 241.
• Uchiha Tekka — Anbu captain codenamed Iron; led refugee investigations, covert surveillance, and reinforcements during the Danzō incident 262 315 346.
• Uchiha Shisui — Served in Tekka’s squad as a ten-year-old Special Jōnin before becoming captain of the rebuilt Root 262 382.
• Uchiha Itachi — Joined Kakashi’s Anbu squad directly after becoming a chūnin; later became Root’s deputy captain at age thirteen 304 382.
• Yamato / Tenzo — A former Root ninja absorbed into the Anbu; served as one of Nara’s guards 319 320.