Why Sasuke never joined the Anbu in Naruto, explained

Sasuke is one of the main characters in the Naruto series whose actions influenced the plot on numerous occasions. Not only was he one of the main antagonists early on in the series, but he also played a crucial role in saving the world from Kaguya’s horrid plans of placing everyone under Infinite Tsukuyomi.

One question that most Naruto fans have been asking is concerning Sasuke’s skills and why he wasn’t put into the Anbu Black Ops division. They were considered to be one of the top shinobis who were deployed on sensitive missions, where failure is not an option. Given Sasuke’s skills, he could have been a perfect candidate. Yet, he didn’t join, and the fans want to understand why.

Since the series didn’t explain it, let’s look at some possible reasons why this is the case and understand the circumstances that play a role in Sasuke’s chances of joining the Anbu Black Ops.

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Naruto: Was Itachi the reason why Sasuke was not in the Anbu Black Ops?

Before we dive in, let’s understand what the Anbu Black Ops in the Naruto series is. This is a covert special ops division that specializes in sensitive missions requiring important people from different villages to be assassinated in a manner that the actions cannot be traced back to Konohagakure. Anbu is short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, which means Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.

The members are selected by the Hokage and are trained specifically for important missions. The chosen candidates must have impeccable skills and the right attitude as a shinobi. If the candidate is incapable of executing orders without asking questions, they will not be selected.

Naruto fans knew that Itachi joined the Anbu at a very young age and expected Sasuke to do the same. However, Itachi was far better than Sasuke and climbed the ranks early, which gained him a seat in the Anbu Black Ops. Sasuke wasn’t as good in the beginning, but he improved his skills later in the Naruto series. However, there seem to be two more reasons which could explain why Sasuke was not in the covert division.

The higher-ups ordered Itachi to kill the entire Uchiha clan, and he agreed to do so on the condition that Sasuke was taken care of. Hiruzen probably wanted to keep his word to Itachi and hence didn’t allow Sasuke to become a mindless assassin that is at the beck and call of Konohagakure. Either that or Itachi instilled a great deal of fear into Hiruzen and Danzo. If there’s one thing we know, Danzo is one of the most sneaky characters capable of taking advantage of any shinobi he can get his hands on. However, having single-handedly assassinated the entire Uchiha clan, there is no doubt that both Hiruzen and Danzo feared Itachi.

These are the possible reasons why Sasuke wasn’t put in the Anbu Black Ops. Naturally, Sasuke didn’t express his interest either because he was finding ways to become stronger to kill his elder brother.