Danzō

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō
Alias(es)	Lord Danzō; Elder Master of Kirigakure (disguise) 202
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Root Organization
Occupation/Role	Former Hokage Assistant; founder and supreme leader of Root; later an S-rank missing-nin 9 171
Status	Deceased; his body was used as a sacrifice to revive Hiruzen Sarutobi 517
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Background

Danzō served as Konoha's Hokage Assistant and the supreme leader of Root, overseeing intelligence gathered from across the ninja world and Konoha itself. He treated Root as the village's necessary shadow: an organization whose members existed to obey, abandon personal bonds, and perform work the Hokage could not openly claim. 9 108

He brought Akihara Kagura into Konoha and Root after recognizing the child's Wood Release potential. Danzō attempted to shape Kagura into a controllable weapon, taught him Wood Style techniques from Konoha's Scroll of Seals, and initially kept him at his side as a personal attendant. 6 10 11

Danzō viewed the Uchiha Clan as Konoha's most dangerous internal threat. During the Nine-Tails' Rampage aftermath, he assigned the Uchiha district to the village outskirts; later, he sought to use Kagura's Wood Release to pressure the clan and prevent its rise. 13 15

Appearance

Danzō is an elderly man who commonly walks with a cane and conceals injuries beneath bandages. After his confrontation with Obito Uchiha, he loses his eyes and suffers severe injuries. 114 154

• Carries a cane, which conceals a ninja sword. 203 498
• Often has an eye or eye socket covered with bandages. 154 494
• In the world without Akihara Kagura, possesses a white arm implanted with Hashirama Cells and more than a dozen Sharingan. 498

Personality

Danzō is intensely ambitious, calculating, and distrustful. He repeatedly frames his ruthless decisions as sacrifices made for Konoha, yet his desire to become Hokage—and to wield power without Hiruzen Sarutobi's restraint—drives many of his choices. 10 149 203

He considers bonds a source of weakness and tries to shape Root members into emotionless tools. This philosophy informs his coercion of Yakushi Nonō, his use of child operatives, and his desire to control powerful Uchiha rather than trust them. 60 108 498

After being trapped in Obito's limited Tsukuyomi, Danzō becomes notably more paranoid and unstable. He relives an altered lifetime in the illusion, repeatedly fails to claim the Hokage position, and returns with lingering psychological damage. 113 115

Abilities & Skills

Root Command and Intelligence Work

As Root's founder, Danzō maintains intelligence networks, commands covert operatives, and possesses extensive knowledge of Konoha's personnel and secrets.

• Reviews intelligence from foreign nations and Konoha's internal affairs as Hokage Assistant. 9
• Uses Root's cursed seals and indoctrination to secure obedience from subordinates. 154
• Knows the identities and information of Konoha intelligence personnel, Anbu members, clans, and shinobi. 171
• Coerced Yakushi Nonō into espionage by tying Konoha Orphanage funding to her service. 60

Wind Style

Danzō can use high-powered Wind Style techniques in combat.

• Wind Style: Vacuum Wave — fires a cutting wind attack strong enough to sever a wall and force nearby shinobi back. 203
• Combines Wind Style with close-range sword combat during his duel with Hiruzen. 203

Sharingan and Izanagi

Danzō covets the Sharingan and repeatedly seeks to acquire its power for control, survival, and political leverage.

• Used Izanagi to overturn Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu and steal one of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan. 112
• Izanagi sacrifices a Sharingan's sight to reverse an unfavorable outcome. 112
• Obito later defeats Danzō, takes the stolen Kotoamatsukami eye, and leaves him severely injured. 113 114
• In the world without Akihara Kagura, he uses implanted Sharingan as Izanagi sacrifices during his battle with Uchiha Itachi. 515

Kotoamatsukami

In the world without Akihara Kagura, Danzō retains Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan and attempts to use its dōjutsu to enslave Uchiha Sasuke.

• Kotoamatsukami silently rewrites a target's will. 498
• Danzō intends to make Sasuke his obedient weapon and install him within Root. 498
• The technique fails to control Sasuke, whose Rinne Sharingan grants immunity to genjutsu. 498
• Its cooldown lasts more than a decade after use. 498 515

Four Symbols Sealing Techniques

Danzō possesses self-sacrificial sealing techniques intended to destroy both himself and nearby enemies.

• Attempts to activate the Inner Four Symbols Seal Technique against Akihara Kagura and the surviving Uchiha. 207
• Kagura counters the technique with the Four Symbols Eight Trigrams Seal and prevents its activation. 207
• Uchiha Sasuke later seals Danzō's Reverse Four Symbols Seal Technique with the Double Four Symbols Seal. 516

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Cane sword — a concealed ninja sword stored within his cane. 203 498
• Root masks and operatives — used to conceal the identities and movements of his organization. 106 112
• Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan — briefly stolen in the main timeline; retained in the world without Akihara Kagura. 112 498
• Sharingan-implanted Hashirama Cell arm — used in the alternate-world events to support Wood Release and repeated Izanagi use. 498 515

Relationships

• Akihara Kagura — Danzō brought Kagura into Konoha and sought to cultivate him as Root's weapon; Kagura ultimately deceived, framed, and displaced him. 6 10 154 206
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — childhood comrade, political rival, and fellow Konoha elder. Their conflicting methods and Danzō's ambition culminate in a duel and temporary reconciliation. 149 203 205
• Uchiha Shisui — Danzō ambushed Shisui to steal Kotoamatsukami; Obito subsequently took the stolen eye from Danzō. 112 114
• Uchiha Itachi — Danzō recruits Itachi into Root, gives him operatives to monitor the Uchiha Clan, and seeks to use him against the clan. 106 108
• Obito Uchiha — adversary who defeats Danzō after the Shisui incident, traps him in limited Tsukuyomi, and steals Kotoamatsukami. 112 113 114
• Orochimaru — covert associate whose experiments and knowledge Danzō considers too useful to abandon. 10 106
• Yakushi Nonō — intelligence operative coerced into continued spying through the orphanage's funding. 60
• Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu — Danzō's personal guards who rescue him during his attempted apprehension; they later act as Kagura's infiltrators within his ranks. 169 172

Story Role / Major Arcs

Cultivating Kagura and Containing the Uchiha

Danzō brings Kagura to Root, tries to instill Root's will in him, and teaches him Wood Release. He intends to use Kagura's power to restrain the Uchiha Clan and, eventually, to suppress the Nine-Tails through Naruto Uzumaki. 6 10 11 15

His control over Kagura steadily erodes as Kagura gains access to Anbu and pursues his own agenda. Danzō nevertheless continues treating the child as a valuable tool, even after Kagura kills Aburame Ryoma. 45 60 106

Attempted Theft of Kotoamatsukami

During the Uchiha coup crisis, Danzō identifies Shisui's Kotoamatsukami as the key to controlling both the Uchiha and Kagura. He uses Izanagi to steal Shisui's eye, but Obito intercepts him, casts limited Tsukuyomi, and ultimately takes the Mangekyō Sharingan. 112 113 114

The experience leaves Danzō's forces depleted and worsens his paranoia. 115

Loss of Root

After the Uchiha Clan downfall, Hiruzen revokes Danzō's authority as Hokage Assistant and disbands his Root organization. Kagura becomes Root's new leader and begins dismantling the system Danzō built. 153 154 156

Danzō later regains most of his former personnel when Root members choose to follow him rather than remain with Kagura. 164

Framed as a Missing-nin

Kagura orchestrates a scheme using dual-bloodline Uchiha operatives to implicate Danzō in illegal Sharingan and Hashirama Cell experiments. The staged evidence, a conflict involving Kirigakure, and Danzō's attempted escape lead Konoha to issue an S-rank wanted order for him. 167 168 171 172

Danzō believes Hiruzen has made him a scapegoat and begins considering an alliance with Kagura to overthrow the Third Hokage. 169 173

Return to Konoha and Final Defeat

Danzō infiltrates the Chunin Exams disguised as an Elder Master of Kirigakure, publicly confronts Hiruzen, and challenges him to a duel. He surrenders by forming the Reconciliation Seal, although he privately views the surrender as temporary. 202 203 205

Kagura then reveals that he orchestrated Danzō's exile and has filled Root with surviving Uchiha. Danzō attempts to destroy Kagura, the Uchiha, and himself with the Inner Four Symbols Seal, but Kagura stops him and prepares to use him as a sacrifice. 205 206 207

World Without Akihara Kagura

In the world without Akihara Kagura, Danzō secretly maintains influence over former Root members after Root's disbandment. Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo convince him that he can regain political power by controlling another Uchiha prodigy. 494 496

He uses Kotoamatsukami to recruit Sasuke into the rebuilt Root, but Sasuke only pretends to submit while exposing Danzō's schemes. Danzō's bid for the Hokage position collapses when his collusion with Orochimaru is revealed, and he is ultimately killed; his body becomes the sacrifice used to revive Hiruzen. 503 511 517

Notable Quotes

“One day, you will know that everything I have done is for Konoha!”
149

“You are Konoha basking in the sunlight, and I am Root buried deep underground.”
203