You would think that ANBU is just a collection of strangers that part ways after a mission is completed. You would be wrong. You could think of ANBU teams as more dysfunctional genin teams. You would be wrong again.

The bond between comrades who go on missions that 90 percent of the time could end in death is something beyond these concepts. You bond over the pain and blood and sweat. They are more like a distant yet close family.

At least that 's how Ryoko saw her team. Or maybe that was endless hours of training and missions making them bond. Either way, after all that happened last year, she felt overly protective over her boys. She drilled them without mercy.

After the training, they would even eat together in the mass hall in ANBU HQ. Who would have thought that there would be warm food waiting for shadow ranks 24/7? When you think about it, it makes sense. After some missions ' you cannot just go back to the village. You need downtime in a safe space.