ANBU

## **What is Anbu?**

ANBU (or **Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai which stands for:** *Special Assassination and Tactics Squad*) is the confidential and personal division that answers exclusively to the Hokage of Konohagakure. This elite force is tasked with high-risk assassinations, espionage and to personally deal with “rogue” shinobi of their respective villages. They also act as personal bodyguards to the Hokage.

This division has a worldwide notorious reputation due to their “black ops” and “unforgiving” antics, which means that they will complete their mission, literally, by any means necessary which can include collateral damages or the elimination of witnesses if this can compromise their mission. This division, in particular, is deployed to deal with missions from their Kage or to deal with contracts that can be described as politically compromising and therefore need to be completed discreetly with little to no implication to their village or country.

ANBU are not welcomed, even by allied factions, in most countries because they are renowned for operating outside of local law and carrying out missions that Kage do not want known publicly, and so the presence of anbu is seen as a potential for betrayal and backstabbing. Many law enforcement and guards around the world are told to not hold back against these agents, even if they’re from a faction they consider “friendly”.

Criminals have special hatred against these assassins, who they consider “cowards” and “honorless” as they hide their identities to commit assassinations. It further angers many that anbu receive significantly higher wages than Jounin of their village. Whilst some will argue that Anbu have a higher risk of death in the work they do, others believe that Jounin and regular shinobi carry more risk with them as they do not conceal their identities making themselves - and their loved ones - more likely to be attacked due to increased chances of ambushes. Anbu missions are often the target of intervention from powerful groups that dedicate themselves to specifically hunt agents of this division because some of the most dangerous cartels offer high rewards for anbu members who are captured, killed or have their identities exposed.

**ANBU Rules and Responsibilities:**

ANBU has to serve the Hokage and carry-out his will. Lord Yashida ordered reform of the Anbu Division and has placed some minimum requirements on how the division be handled, which the Hokage has agreed too but the Daimyo acknowledges that for Anbu to be successful in it’s duty it must be completely loyal to the Hokage and only answer to him, for that reason the Daimyo will not attempt to bypass the Hokage and control or instruct Anbu directly.

Responsibilities:

1. Protect the life of the Hokage at all costs.
2. Carry-out the orders of the Hokage without question
3. Complete missions discreetly and with no witnesses

Rules:

1. Anbu cannot enter any political race
2. Anbu are expected to keep a low-profile in their normal life
3. Anbu must not reveal their identity, or the identity of their comrades, even in death.
4. Anbu must never be taken captive.
5. Anbu must not reveal any sensitive or classified information to anyone other than the Hokage or their Anbu captain.
6. Anbu must report all acts of disloyalty, corruption or treachery within the Anbu division that they become aware or suspicious of directly to the Hokage only.
7. Only authorised personnel and prisoners may be brought to the Anbu Base. Anyone who is not anbu that is brought to the base should be blindfolded and searched before the journey begins. Only the Hokage can authorise personnel and hand out keys to the anbu base.

Rules set by Lord Sixth:

1. All operations must be reported and the orders have to come directly from the Hokage for any mission to be started. While the ANBU leader can suggest missions to the Hokage only the Hokage themselves can validate and give the green light to anything. Failure to comply will merit extreme punishment.

All punishments are at the absolute discretion of the Hokage, there is no appeal procedure and any attempt to circumvent the Lord’s authority will lead to further and harsher punishment.

**How do you become Anbu?**

Anbu operatives are selected exclusively by the Hokage but prospective candidates must be at least 16 years old and at least of genin rank as decreed by Daimyo Yashida during his reforms of Konoha’s leadership.

Prospective candidates must:

1. Be 16 years old or older
2. Be at least genin rank
3. Have no criminal record (either with the KPD, international authorities or with the Konoha Military)
4. Pass a psychological assessment conducted by the Medical Corps
5. Not be, or plan to obtain any political position.

Lord Sixth has expressed interest in these qualities for prospective candidates:

1. Unquestionable obedience to the Hokage and their captains. A willingness to do what is needed/asked of you. Someone who doesn’t let their personal beliefs or opinions get in the way of their duty. As ANBU is an extension of the will of the Hokage and the village. Failure to comply will merit extreme punishment.
2. Radical transparency to the Hokage.
3. The ability to use one’s head. Someone who can properly analyse a situation and not jump to quick conclusions.

Lord Sixth has stated that all prospective candidates must excel in at least one of the following areas:

1. **Tracking**: “This would involve an ability to hunt and find a target. Be it through innate abilities like bloodlines, or actual learnt skills through the career of the Shinobi (following footprints, taking in clues from the environment, etc.)”
2. **Recon**: “Referent to the abilities related with scouting and finding about the enemy buildings/hideouts/locations. If tracking is to people, recon is to the terrain, although a little more complex. Not only would one need the abilities to stay undetected and collect information, but also the ability to retain it and then relay it, be it through the use of diagrams, maps, encrypted messages or the spoken word. This information could entail enemy positions, hideout locations and trap locations. While not explicitly needed, sabotage and demolition skills are a boon”
3. **Assassination**: “Self-explanatory. Ability to kill an enemy while being undetected, and, preferably leaving no leads as to who did it. The methods are what the operative chooses and sometimes, incrimination might be a useful tool.”
4. **Information extraction:** “While seemingly easy, this one is more nuanced than it seems. While usually through violent means (and as such this should be the main criteria), the ability to extract information through trickery, deception or just reading between the lines would be considered a boon, as sometimes torturing someone until they confess is not an option.”
5. **Combat**: “Despite being something that is usually not part of the plan, ANBU may sometimes be deployed in open combat under extreme situations. This would usually mean an extremely dangerous situation, in which ANBU will be acting as an individual cell, using the elements of surprise and superior tactics to do a damaging first strike, coupled with holding their own in the combat that may ensue after. While every single operative must be able to hold their own in combat, this is a highly specific scenario. As such to be considered based on this criteria the operative would have to have an extremely high skill in combat and be, at least, considered knowledgeable in one of the other areas.”

If you are interested in joining Anbu you should only share your interest with the Hokage directly. You must not speak about it with any other person, even relatives or spouses.

If you are rejected or from Anbu at any stage, you must keep this a secret, revealing you took part at any stage of the selection process may lead to arrest and imprisonment.

Compromising your identity, the identities of your fellow anbu comrades or sharing of classified or sensitive information/intel will be punished with execution.

**Anbu codenames:**

The Hokage will either give you a codename, or give you permission to choose your own, they are nearly always named after an animal such as “Crow” or “Wolf” and this is the only name you will go by whilst in anbu gear/on duty/or in/near the base. You will not share your real name whilst on duty. You will not share your code name with anyone outside of anbu.

**Anbu Spells/Special Abilities**

“Anbu” Title removes your name from above your character’s head.

The ANBU uniform muffles the scent and chakra signature of the person wearing it. This is possible due to a special secret jutsu utilized on these uniforms during their construction. The ANBU tattoos are symbols on the actual uniform, rather than tattoos placed on the body of the person. The voice is also muffled by the mask sufficiently to where the person cannot be recognized when they don't wear the mask.

**The Anbu Base:**

For a short time the two Lords have agreed that Uchiha Moshi - Captain of the Crimson Guard - can have access to the Anbu base to ensure that the Daimyo’s reform has been implemented and maintained. Uchiha Moshi was agreed upon due to her life-term of service to Konoha and her past within the division. Uchiha Moshi is also trusted to be able to handle her own protection that is required as a result of being a high-risk target. Moshi’s access to the Anbu base should only be known to the Hokage, The Daimyo and Anbu itself.

All captives/prisoners/visitors should be blindfolded and searched before they are taken to the anbu base. Currently the staff impose a limitation whereby the anbu base cannot be found by outsiders. You cannot be followed there and the anbu base is guarded by NPC anbu (of lesser authority than the anbu captain) anyone who isn't anbu who is found in the base by staff or anbu will be immediately imprisoned. The option to void the incident may be given at the RP team's discretion.

**Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal**:

This cursed seal is given to all members of the ANBU to ensure no information about classified intel about the ANBU, the Hokage or the Village fell into the wrong hands. When the wearer of this cursed seal speaks or performs any action about anything classified to persons without proper authorization (ie. ANBU or the Hokage), their entire body will be paralyzed, taking away their ability to speak and move. The way the seal works is that it detects the person's intention directly, if it is of ill intent towards the ANBU, Hokage or village secrets then it automatically gets triggered. It is applied to the tongue and takes the shape of three solid lines and two broken lines from the back of the tongue to the tip. The seal is only visible when the person attempts to reveal classified information, otherwise it is invisible.

The seal is not removed even after the person is removed from the ANBU, in order to ensure that classified information about the ANBU or a former Hokage can never fall into unwanted hands even after their duty has ended. As such, this is a seal that these people will have on them for life. The ANBU Leader is capable of removing the seal from a person, yet there is very seldom any scenario in which this would be done. The ANBU Leader is also capable of manually triggering the seal through a secret jutsu only known to them in order to cause the above effects at will.