ANBU

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	ANBU (暗部)
Full Name	Assassination Tactics Special Force 102
Organization Type	Covert shinobi special-operations force, independent of the regular shinobi structure 100
Affiliation	Konoha’s force answers directly and exclusively to the Hokage; other hidden villages also maintain ANBU units 102 198 407 409
Occupation/Role	Infiltration, assassination, protection, classified intelligence operations, reconnaissance, rogue-ninja pursuit, and sensitive internal missions 102
Headquarters	Concealed underground base in Konoha, containing registration facilities, assembly chambers, squad rooms, and training grounds 102 103
Status	Active; senior ANBU personnel attend Konoha’s confidential leadership meeting 489
First Appearance	Identified by Tianyi during a Root-linked investigation 8

Organization and Command

Konoha ANBU

Konoha’s ANBU operates outside the regular shinobi hierarchy. Direct service to the Hokage can provide members with institutional protection from clan pressure, although its assignments carry greater immediate danger 100.

Level	Structure
Central command	One commander and one deputy commander 102
Divisions	Four divisions, codenamed Elephant, Clear Skies, Qilin, and Steadfast, each led by a division captain 102
Regular squads	Each division usually contains five squads 102
Special operations teams	Additional teams report directly to their division captain 102
Elephant Division, Fourth Squad	Led by Blue Bird; Tianyi joins under the codename Fox 102 103

• Division terminology varies: Elephant introduces himself as captain of the Third Division, while the Land of Whirlpools deployment is described as the Fourth Division or Fourth Battalion. Blue Bird’s unit is consistently identified as Elephant’s Fourth Squad 102 103 117 118.
• Squad size is not uniform: Blue Bird operates with a four-person team after Fox joins; a five-person ANBU squad participates in the pursuit of the Hidden Cloud kidnappers 103 154.

Rules and Working Culture

• Anonymity: Members use animal masks and internal codenames rather than ordinary identities. Blue Bird explicitly states that clan background and personal history do not define ANBU service 102.
• Obedience and secrecy: Orders must be obeyed, information protected, and missions prioritized—even when completing them may require sacrificing oneself or comrades 102.
• Competence-based standing: A recruit’s first demonstration of strength strongly influences colleagues’ initial assessment. Fox earns immediate recognition after countering Blue Bird’s attack with Magnet Release 103.
• Mission-specific restraint: During the Land of Whirlpools operation, intelligence gathering takes priority over combat, and squads are instructed not to provoke unnecessary trouble 117.

Known Personnel

Member	Position or Function	Details
Elephant	Division captain and deployment commander	Assigns Fox to Blue Bird’s squad and leads the ANBU operation in the Land of Whirlpools 102 117 118
Blue Bird	Fourth Squad leader	Handles orientation, evaluations, briefings, and tactical command; becomes more cautious after recovering from severe injuries 102 103 112
Hyuga Tianyi / Fox	Fourth Squad operative; later addressed as captain	Initially specializes in sensory and medical support. Later directs patrol members, investigation teams, and multi-squad operations 103 150 260 362 369
Crow	Fourth Squad operative	Provides sealing and support capabilities 103 112
Cat	Fourth Squad operative	Specializes in poisons and traps; carries the rescued Kushina during the Uzumaki evacuation 112 124
Falcon / Eagle	Escort operative	Guides Tianyi into the underground headquarters; the supplied accounts render the codename as either Falcon or Eagle 102
Hatake Sakumo	Tianyi’s former ANBU superior	Recalls Tianyi serving under him and later arrives with four ANBU to take over border cleanup after the Uzumaki kidnapping rescue 157 212

Operations and Capabilities

Intelligence and Counterintelligence

ANBU handles the acquisition, protection, transport, and analysis of sensitive information 102.

• Conducts high-risk infiltration, intelligence theft, classified escort missions, and border reconnaissance 102 112.
• Mobilizes against an infiltrator after Tianyi and Yamanaka Haiyan expose a Sandlistener Lizard recording Konoha’s battlefield communications 65 66.
• Analyzes residual chakra and ninja equipment to identify apparent foreign casualties. White Zetsu impersonation makes those findings misleading during the border crisis 361.
• Maintains files on dangerous enemy techniques; Kakashi recalls ANBU information about the masked Uchiha’s intangibility during his confrontation with Obito 424.

Assassination and Rogue-Ninja Pursuit

ANBU missions include eliminating targets and pursuing defectors carrying village secrets 102 103.

• Blue Bird’s squad pursues two rogue ninja carrying Konoha intelligence during Fox’s first month of service 103.
• Its later assignments include targeted assassinations and the destruction of rogue-ninja hideouts 112.
• The Hiruko mission requires live capture, recovery of forbidden-technique research, and investigation of a possible Konoha accomplice; the target’s threat rating is provisionally S-rank 104.
• Standard high-threat encirclement formations combine offense, defense, sensing, and control. Tianyi recognizes that formation when Root deploys it against him 107.

Protection and Emergency Response

ANBU protects officials, reinforces village and border security, and participates in rescue operations 86 100 150.

• Escorts summoned shinobi to the Hokage and guards the office entrance 100.
• Supplies elite protection for Hiruzen while other personnel reinforce Konoha and its borders 86.
• Responds to emergency flares and relays requests for reinforcements to the Hokage 150 151.
• Contributes to civilian evacuation during the planned defense against Akatsuki 305.
• Deploys alongside the Medical Corps for the multinational Chunin Exams: twelve three-person rescue teams, with sensory and medical personnel, are positioned to reach any Forest of Death location within three minutes 382.

Specialist Support and Concealment

• Sensory support: Fox detects concealed rooms, explosive tags, hidden sentries, and abnormal chakra concentrations 103.
• Medical support: Fox treats squad injuries immediately; ANBU medical specialists also provide emergency care in devastated Uzushiogakure 103 118.
• Evidence handling: Teams verify casualties, recover material, and clean operational scenes while leaving no traces connecting them to Konoha 369 439.
• Decoy operations: A female operative impersonates Kushina with the Transformation Technique after the real jinchuriki is moved to Shikkotsu Forest 439.

Equipment and Facilities

• Animal masks — Conceal identities and accompany internal codenames. Fox selects a narrow-eyed fox mask; Blue Bird wears an azure bird mask 102.
• Standard uniform — Tianyi receives a dark, form-fitting combat uniform, green vest, and Konoha forehead protector 102.
• Ninja weapons — Operatives carry kunai, shuriken, and short swords; weapon use varies by assignment and individual 66 103 147.
• Emergency signal flares — Alert nearby units. One specially made ANBU distress signal summons members within three kilometers 150 424.
• Encrypted communications — Land of Whirlpools squads must report every twelve hours through encrypted channels 117.
• Flying Thunder God kunai — Tianyi equips four squad captains with marked kunai for emergency extraction or reinforcement during the border investigation 362.
• Underground headquarters — Includes uniform and mask registration, assembly areas, training grounds, and the Fourth Squad’s permanent gathering room, marked “Elephant-Four” 102 103.

Relationship with Root

Root is nominally an ANBU training department, but is publicly described as a secret organization operating beyond the Hokage’s control. Its operatives follow Danzo’s separate command structure 19 192.

• Surveillance of Tianyi: Root-linked observers place him on a Class A observation list and order reports on his contacts, movements, and abnormal chakra activity to be sent directly to Danzo 8.
• Hiruko controversy: Hiruzen, the advisers, and Tsunade suspect Root helped Hiruko evade ANBU surveillance; Danzo denies involvement 104.
• Attack on the Fourth Squad: Weapons, battle traces, and Fox’s report implicate Root-connected attackers. Danzo claims they were traitors caught in his own covert operation 110.
• Official investigation: Hiruzen orders ANBU and the advisory council to review the evidence jointly, suspends Root operations outside Konoha, and holds Danzo accountable as its commander 110.
• Danzo’s arrest: After Tianyi and the clan leaders expose Root’s experiments and exploitation of clan shinobi, Hiruzen orders ANBU to take Danzo into custody 262.
• Open conflict: During Danzo’s escape, ANBU fights his remaining Root forces while Hiruzen confronts him. Root’s accompanying operatives are killed, but Hiruzen allows Danzo to leave and declares him an S-rank rogue ninja 315.

Story Role and Major Operations

Operation	Chapters	ANBU Involvement
Land of Wind emergency	51	Delivers reports of Chiyo’s poison offensive and the Hokage’s orders redistributing the Sannin across three fronts.
Battlefield information leak	65 66	Moves to capture the infiltrator exposed through the Sandlistener Lizard. The suspect completes a hand seal before the approaching operatives can reach him.
Fox’s recruitment	100 102 103	Gives Tianyi direct Hokage-backed service and partial protection from Hyuga clan pressure; assigns him to Blue Bird’s Fourth Squad.
Fourth Squad’s rise	103 112	Fox’s sensing, battlefield control, and treatment help the squad achieve a reported 100% mission completion rate over the following months.
Hiruko pursuit and Root ambush	104 107 110	Pursues the forbidden-technique researcher, survives a targeted internal attack, and becomes central to the investigation of Root.
Land of Whirlpools crisis	117 118 124	Reconnoiters the four-nation invasion, enters Uzushiogakure, treats survivors, receives the clan’s essential sealing scroll, and evacuates children including Kushina.
Uzumaki kidnapping rescue	150 151 154 157	Relays Fox’s warning, mobilizes toward the northeastern border, encounters A’s breakout attack, and assists the subsequent cleanup.
Akatsuki assault and prison escape	305 309 315	Supports evacuation and defense; White Zetsu restrains guards around the wooden house, while other ANBU intercept Danzo and fight Root.
White Zetsu border investigation	361 362 369	Investigates false evidence, runs four transport missions as bait, and secures the scene after Tianyi identifies Akatsuki’s impersonators.
Multinational Chunin Exams	382 405	Provides rescue coverage and confidential communication between Tsunade and Tianyi.
Kushina decoy escort	439	Seals White Zetsu remains, erases chakra traces, and accompanies the disguised replacement toward Kirigakure.

ANBU in Other Villages

Village	Documented Activities
Sunagakure	Extracts intelligence from dead puppet masters’ memory fragments; escorts the Third Kazekage; investigates the disappearance of both the Kazekage and his accompanying ANBU squad 64 198 199.
Kumogakure	Relays the Raikage’s summons and delivers emergency intelligence during the Chunin Exams 373 409.
Iwagakure	Coordinates communications and pursuit during Pain’s attack. Kitsuchi orders three elite ANBU squads to prepare defenses around Roshi 407 408.
Kirigakure	Delivers an emergency report to the Mizukage during the multinational Chunin Exams 409.

Notable Quotes

“We answer directly and exclusively to the Hokage. We are the village's sharpest blade. And the shield hidden in the shadows. We do not distinguish clans, nor do we ask about the past. There are only codenames and missions.”
— Blue Bird, explaining ANBU service to Fox 102