Anbu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Anbu (暗部)
Other Designation	Hokage’s Anbu 69 127
Type	Shinobi organization responsible for classified operations, investigation, and security 127 246 407
Affiliation	Konohagakure (Konoha) 8 407
Command Authority	Answers directly to the Hokage 407
Headquarters	Anbu headquarters, including restricted corridors accessible by authorization passes 468
Roles	Intelligence gathering, witness protection, record verification, external-threat assessment, and specialized training 8 20 90 127
First Documented Appearance	Post–Nine-Tails emergency meeting 8

Background / History

Nine-Tails Attack and Reconstruction

Anbu field reports contribute to Konoha’s first emergency meeting after the Fourth Hokage’s death. Some operatives witnessed tomoe patterns in the Nine-Tails’ eyes, but other reports complicate Danzō’s attempt to blame the Uchiha collectively. Anbu deliver Takuya Yamashiro’s testimony about a masked space-time user, Inoue Shin’s findings, and records confirming Uchiha civilian rescues. Hiruzen orders them to protect Yamashiro, verify the South Street traces, and cross-check rescuers against survivors 8.

During reconstruction, Anbu become independent reviewers of the Uchiha Military Police Force’s work. Hiruzen postpones relocation and approves a one-month observation period, requiring verification without disrupting relief operations. Anbu inspect records, witness Gen’s ninjutsu-assisted recovery of medicine crates, and check report copies. When the Uchiha submit evidence of suspicious disturbances and altered documents, Hiruzen assigns his own Anbu to investigate without involving Root 16 20 21 29.

Itachi’s Observation and Training

An Anbu initially approaches Itachi about assisting with logistics records. His subsequent assignment involves reviewing post-disaster death lists. Gen accompanies him and establishes three-party verification with logistics personnel, the Military Police, and Anbu; uncertain cases remain pending rather than being prematurely declared deaths 27 28.

Itachi later discovers his name on an Anbu suitability list containing incorrect age and affiliation details. The document’s unclear provenance prompts safeguards around his education and assessment. Danzō proposes exclusive preliminary observation by Root, but Hiruzen instead authorizes bounded observation by the Hokage’s Anbu and forbids Root from approaching Itachi independently 67 68 69.

An unnumbered instruction subsequently appears in Itachi’s locker, asking him to verify a list of Uchiha radicals privately. Anbu deny officially issuing it, yet recommend continued monitoring “if necessary.” Itachi rejects such solo-channel assignments while remaining willing to prevent immediate harm. A later, formally numbered invitation to intensive training is accepted only with oversight for politically sensitive missions 82 83 90.

Joint Investigations and Compromised Records

Anbu and the Military Police jointly investigate the source of a list targeting village personnel. Further inquiries expose a supply shop connected to the Anbu’s peripheral network and a simulation ground where attacks against Shisui and teenage shinobi had been rehearsed. An Anbu Sealing Squad confirms recent use of an enclosed training barrier there 86 92 94.

Crow leads Anbu participation in the border inquiry involving the Masked Man. Cooperation with the Uchiha remains wary: Sharingan assessments and separate informant contacts must be disclosed. Crow initially considers detailed movement records an impediment to efficiency and secrecy, while the Uchiha argue that unexplained gaps could be exploited against either side 127 129.

The investigation reaches Anbu’s own historical files. Crow proposes checking the patrol handover roster against an old code used before the Nine-Tails attack. His examination finds ink differences suggesting a later addition in the relevant time window, linking the classified copy to the same old identification number under investigation 174 175.

Exposure of Root’s Assessment Methods

Review of Itachi’s aptitude assessment reveals questions drawn partly from Root’s old question bank. These test his responses to clan–village conflict, not merely his technical ability. Records also identify an Anbu liaison who repeatedly handled minor-observation materials, old assessment questions, and younger-generation rosters through peripheral cooperation with Root 211 212.

The Nara and Hyuga broaden the dispute into protections for minors across Konoha. Anbu’s submitted guidelines reveal a gradual early-recruitment route and criteria involving extreme choices and severing family ties. Crow confirms Root’s contribution to the assessment bank. Hiruzen ultimately suspends assessments using the old Root questions pending review and provisionally approves records identifying their sources, approvers, circumstances, and witnesses 215 216 218.

Cross-Clan Verification and Later Service

Anbu join Uchiha, Nara, and Hyuga personnel in verifying spatial anomalies and documenting the Masked Man without pursuing him. The combined records help secure Konoha’s internal acknowledgment of an unknown spatial intruder. Anbu also review Inabi’s movements and Sharingan use, finding no evidence connecting him to that individual 221 230 235.

Two Anbu observers become members of the eight-person Cross-Verification Squad. Its first investigation exposes an attack staged to resemble Uchiha Fire Release, and the Anbu commander acknowledges the effectiveness of joint witnessing. Anbu later contribute to captive protection, physical-evidence recovery, and perimeter operations against White Zetsu 258 259 273 356 368.

After Black Zetsu’s sealing, Itachi negotiates a limited Anbu trial to investigate residue in the old command network. He eventually completes his short-term appointment, returns his permissions and records, and refuses an indefinite position. Instead, he accepts a terminable sixty-day trial in evidence verification and safety training for young ninja 407 468.

Organization and Personnel

Person or Group	Documented Position
Hiruzen Sarutobi	Directs Anbu investigations, witness protection, record checks, and assessment restrictions 8 29 174 218.
Crow	Anbu captain accompanying the border investigation; examines historical handover records and identifies Root-derived assessment material 127 175 216.
Anbu commander	Acknowledges the Cross-Verification Squad’s effectiveness after its first field investigation 259.
Anbu personnel officer	Handles Itachi’s departure, returned access items, continuing confidentiality obligations, and revised appointment terms 468.
Uchiha Itachi	Observation and training candidate who later undertakes short-term Anbu service. He is explicitly not a formal Anbu member when admitted to an anomaly review as an observer 69 90 253 407 468.

Relationship with Root

• Separate investigative authority: Hiruzen explicitly assigns his own Anbu to examine suspicious activity without Root involvement 29.
• Restricted access to Itachi: Root is barred from independent contact under the approved observation arrangement 69.
• Procedural influence: Root inserts old screening questions and authorization practices into Anbu’s assessment system; this does not establish complete Root control over Anbu 214 217 218.
• Contested secrecy: Danzō argues that clan access to sensitive mission records weakens Anbu operations, while Hiruzen requires authorization for Uchiha-related lists and accepts limited safeguards 83 90.

Operations and Skills

Investigation and Record Verification

• Cross-check rescue rosters, relief reports, and witness accounts rather than accepting accusations without review 8 20 29.
• Verify police suspect lists before the Military Police may proceed; during the Gray-Robed Ninja inquiry, Anbu also check the shelter for traps before allowing documentation from its doorway 57.
• Examine classified patrol records internally without exposing complete routes or mission details to the Uchiha 174 175.
• Trace hiring channels in the border investigation while the Nara compile routes and Kakashi handles on-site assessment 246.
• Preserve physical evidence with attention to provenance, including a black ring found inside an attacker’s glove lining 273.

Scene Security and Witness Handling

• Secure investigation sites and record everyone who entered them 259.
• Determine whether witnesses could actually have accessed the central scene 258.
• Keep people of different identities separated during scene work, complementing the Uchiha’s chakra observations, Hyuga reconnaissance, and Nara analysis 258.
• Protect witnesses and captives through coordinated teams rather than relying on a single shinobi 8 273.

Field Techniques and Specialized Support

• An operative uses the Body Flicker Technique to enter the emergency council meeting 8.
• Anbu sealing personnel identify an enclosed training barrier at the supposed abandoned training ground 94.
• Ordinary Anbu can participate in tactics restricting the Masked Man’s movement by following transition timing and blocking destinations; pursuit into his dimension is excluded 287.
• Perimeter units check for White Zetsu infiltration and cut off underground attackers during later containment operations 356 368.

Cross-Verification Squad

Feature	Details
Composition	Four Uchiha police shinobi, two Anbu observers, one Nara analyst, and one Hyuga Branch Family jōnin 258.
Anbu Contribution	Scene security, entry logs, identity separation, and checking witnesses’ access to events 258 259.
Evidence Procedure	Two differently affiliated observers enter together; evidence cannot be removed alone; interpretations are recorded separately from observations 258.
Authority	Preserve scenes, register sources, and flag inconsistencies. No arrest, interrogation, or final determination of guilt 258.
First Assignment	Investigates Eastern Trade Route scorch marks and discovers ignition powder and resin used to imitate a Great Fireball 258 259.

Recruitment, Training, and Safeguards

Assessment and Training Content

Area	Documented Content
Basic Assessment	Ninjutsu understanding, observation, field judgment, teamwork, and tolerance for pressure 212.
Early Preparation	Observation sessions, temporary assistance, assessments, and simulated missions before formal entry or immediate high-risk deployment 216.
Intensive Training	Infiltration, isolated communications, extreme-mission decisions, and elimination of “special targets” 90.
Contested Screening	Loyalty under pressure, extreme choices, and willingness to sever family ties; some material originates in Root’s question bank 216 218.

Protections for Minors and Sensitive Assignments

Safeguard	Scope
Defined Observation	Itachi’s learning, mission judgment, document comprehension, and teamwork may be observed; clan secrets, unauthorized missions, and Root involvement are excluded 69.
Periodic Review	Observation findings are formally recorded and reviewed every three months, with later access available to Itachi 69.
Authorized Mission Channels	Sensitive clan monitoring requires a mission number, identifiable authority, witnesses, and shared records. Immediate harm may still be prevented, followed by documentation 83.
Sensitive Training Records	Missions involving Uchiha targets, village political disputes, or special eliminations require records, Hokage Office reference numbers, and access logs 90.
Witnessed Assessment	Itachi’s questions are filed; private questioning is prohibited; clan–village conflict questions are recorded under Hokage authority 212.
Separation of Training and Conditioning	Ability development may continue, while loyalty conditioning requires review and minors facing severe pressure need witnesses 216.
Question Provenance	Sensitive loyalty and family-tie questions must identify their source, approver, circumstances, and witnesses under provisional rules 218.

Itachi’s Negotiated Short-Term Service

• Limited trial: The proposed fifteen-day assignment becomes a three-day verification trial, excluding clan surveillance, arrests, and interrogations 407.
• Renewable consent: Continuing requires a fresh agreement; silence or loss of contact cannot extend the appointment 407.
• Independent objections: Objections can reach an external records point and cannot be deleted by the mission commander 407.
• External oversight: A non-Anbu recorder receives randomly delayed updates about scope changes, obstructed withdrawal, or removal of originals 407.
• Evidence standards: Identifying black residue requires support from at least two categories among physical evidence, chakra, and command links 407.
• Mutual confidentiality: Clan privacy is protected, but Itachi cannot disclose unrelated Anbu identities without authorization 407.
• Departure rights: Existing confidentiality terms continue without automatically extending employment. Leaving Anbu does not remove his ordinary ninja status 468.
• Limits on secrecy: His final declaration confirms that he retained no hidden files, but does not require silence about wrongful orders; confidentiality cannot conceal unlawful conduct or harm 468.