Kirigakure ANBU

The ANBU (暗部, Dark Side), short for 'Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊, Special Assassination and Tactical Squad; English Version: ANBU Black Ops), take orders directly from the, performing special high-level missions, such as assassinations and torture. The ANBU usually work in teams formed to the requirements of the mission, ensuring maximum success. The shinobi in the ANBU are hand-picked by the Kage; chosen for their individual capabilities and special skills. Age, gender, background, or previous rank bear no weight in this decision. They wear their mask even in their own village, for their identity as an ANBU agent is to be known only by the Kage and village elders.

In, the ANBU hold different positions and are divided in more sub--divisions than in other villages, due the high number of crimes and missing-nin originating from the village. There are apparently no true ranks within the ANBU, unlike within the. Team leadership and hierarchy seem to be based on merit and experience. The leaders of the teams are called squad leaders (分隊長, Buntaichō), a position held in high regards.

Hunter-nin

 * Main Article: Hunter-nin

Hunter-nin (追い忍, Oinin; English TV "Tracker Ninja") are a special team within Kirigakure's ANBU, given the specific duty of hunting down missing-nin. They kill their target, taking the head as proof, and then completely dispose of the body by using various methods, such as cremation or the summoning of wild carrion crows to devour the corpse. This is done in order to make sure the village secrets which a ninja's body holds — such as chakra types, herbs eaten, ninjutsu, special medicine, and kekkei genkai — will not be revealed to outsiders.

Mūn

 * Main Article: Mūn

Mūn (ムーン, Moon) is a sub-division founded by the Saizō Terumī, the Mizukage's younger brother. They were originally created to control the various mob wars within Kirigakure, but became corrupted over time, controlling the criminal activity depending on how much money they received from the bands. In secret, however, Mūn is conspiring against the Mizukage to get Saizō on the throne in order to control the city's criminal activity more effectively.