Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō; commonly called Danzo (团藏) 52 65
Alias(es)	Advisor Danzo; the Root of the Leaf; Shimura Lanwu and Fifth Baby Shimura Danzō after his replacement 60 67 73 94
Species/Race	Human originally; subsequently replaced by a Water Baby–powered clone using his body 59 60 68
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Root. His replacement secretly coordinates with Ling Tian 43 59 87
Occupation/Role	Village advisor, Root leader, and aspiring Hokage; later acts as Konoha’s wartime authority 65 94
Status	Original Danzo killed during Ling Tian’s ambush. His replacement remains active and is considered essential to the Cloud battlefield 59 68 115
First Appearance	Mentioned in criticism of Konoha’s leadership 4; participates directly in the war council 26

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Original Danzo — Kage-level shinobi	59	His established strength, not a newly attained rank. Despite this standing, he is weaker than White Fang and cannot counter the coordinated ambush.
Water Baby–powered replacement	59 60	After Danzo’s death, Ling Tian selects his body for the Fifth Baby clone. The body lacks water affinity, reducing Water Baby’s strength. The replacement subsequently uses water abilities while maintaining Danzo’s identity.

Background / History

Danzo was a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama, alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu, Homura, Torifu Akimichi, and Kagami Uchiha. When arguing for his own Hokage candidacy, he also cites instruction received from the First Hokage. He took command of Root eight years before Ling Tian’s ambush, around the time Hiruzen became Third Hokage 4 59 65 70.

As an advisor, Danzo suppressed shinobi within Konoha and treated the Uchiha with particular hostility. His later claim that this hostility had secretly protected them is part of his replacement’s campaign to rehabilitate his reputation; the narration identifies the original Danzo as the one who had actually been suppressing the clan. Hiruzen’s reflections also identify him as the leader of the force sent to destroy the Uzumaki 4 60 68 72.

Kagami died saving Danzo during an ambush by Mist shinobi eight years earlier. The replacement invokes this history to explain Danzo’s supposed remorse and to build ties with Kagami’s surviving family 68 70 74.

Personality

The original Danzo is aggressive, ambitious, and preoccupied with becoming Hokage. He advocates preemptive war and regards eliminating enemies as a route to peace. His readiness to sacrifice others contrasts with his reluctance to lose the Root operatives needed to sustain his own political power 26 27 45.

After his replacement, Danzo becomes markedly more eloquent and adaptable. He combines Ling Tian’s memories with the original man’s gloom, forbearance, Hokage obsession, and willingness to sacrifice others for Konoha. Public admissions of guilt, apologies, and offers of self-sacrifice help him win supporters while undermining Hiruzen. These displays are often calculated: he uses Water Baby’s power to produce tears and privately describes his devotion to the Uchiha as a cultivated persona 68 70 75 76.

His apparent protection of children remains harshly instrumental. He argues that Kagami’s descendants should continue facing hardship because pressure may make them stronger, even when their family asks for peaceful lives instead 75.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

• The original Danzo devoted his life to mastering Wind Release and had not developed other chakra natures 52.
• Against Hongsi’s enormous fire dragon, his specialization becomes a liability: wind strengthens the flames, while cutting them apart does not prevent them from rejoining 52.
• He is forced to evade until Hiruzen and other shinobi intervene with coordinated Water Release 52.

Water Baby Abilities

• The replacement uses Water Baby’s power through Danzo’s body, despite its incompatible water affinity 59 60.
• A powerful torrent destroys evidence at the ambush site, helping conceal the original Danzo’s death 59.
• Fine control allows him to manufacture tears during his emotional council speech 70.
• An ice shield is associated with Water Baby’s battlefield role. Ling Tian is uncertain whether it would remain if he recalled the template’s power 115.

Root Command

• Root answers directly to Danzo rather than obeying the Hokage’s orders 43.
• Its operatives wait for his authorization to attack, withdraw, or permit others to separate him from his escort 44 45 58.
• Their obedience extends to accepting death at his command 76.
• The replacement does not inherit the original owner’s memories. He lacks knowledge of Root’s control techniques and deployment locations, so he relies on Aburame Ryoma to manage the organization 78.

Political Manipulation

• The original Danzo uses Konohamaru and village rumors to undermine White Fang’s prestige 16 37.
• His replacement turns confession into political leverage, admitting wrongdoing while directing the council’s anger toward Hiruzen and the other advisors 70 71.
• He combines true, disputed, and false accusations into a successful campaign against the existing leadership 72.
• He cultivates clan support through appointments, reconciliation promises, and plans to bring the Uchiha into Root 73 76.

Relationships

• Ling Tian — Initially an enemy who engineers his death. The replacement operates as Ling Tian’s Fifth Baby clone, exchanges covert messages with him, and obeys orders from the main body 58 59 87 91.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Fellow disciple and longtime political rival. Hiruzen repeatedly blocks the original Danzo’s military ambitions; the replacement dismantles his support and challenges his right to remain Hokage 28 67 72 73.
• Hatake Sakumo / White Fang — Target of Danzo’s smear campaign and Root assault. The replacement later admits responsibility for forcing his defection and offers his life as atonement 16 44 70.
• Orochimaru — Briefly appears to support the original Danzo’s war policy while actually maneuvering him into the coming power struggle. The replacement subsequently champions Orochimaru as Fourth Hokage 26 28 67.
• Aburame Ryoma — Root guard captain, trusted subordinate, and proposed successor to Root. His continued obedience allows the replacement to command an organization whose internal workings he does not remember 59 60 76 78.
• Fugaku Uchiha — Initially distrustful and fearful of Danzo’s rule. Apologies and promises of Uchiha advancement win his support, though he retains doubts about Danzo’s connection to Ling Tian 65 72 76.
• Kagami Uchiha — Fellow disciple who died saving him. The replacement uses Kagami’s sacrifice and exceptional Sharingan as the basis for reconciliation and plans involving his descendants 68 70 75.
• Uchiha Hua / Hana — Kagami’s widow. She initially attacks Danzo with a broom; he accepts the blows and apologizes for waiting eight years to explain himself 74 75.
• Uchiha Obito and the unborn Shisui — Prospective future powerhouses. Danzo hopes their inherited potential will eventually produce a Hokage and a Root leader capable of unifying the shinobi world 75 76.
• Koharu and Homura — Fellow disciples and advisors who oppose his Hokage bid. The replacement attacks their legitimacy and later announces their removal from office 65 67 94.
• Uzumaki Mito — Initially rejects him as Hokage. His accusations concerning the Senju change her assessment, and she later agrees to face Kumogakure’s strongest fighters 65 68 87 88.
• Torifu Akimichi — Fellow disciple who comes to support Danzo after his account of Torifu’s retirement and his denunciation of Hiruzen 70 71.
• Nara Kakuzu — Receives Danzo’s backing to command the new Special Jonin Squad and oversee reconstruction, then village supplies and defenses 73 88.

Story Role / Major Arcs

White Fang’s Disgrace

Danzo sends Konohamaru to confront Sakumo and undermine his reputation, using the incident to remove White Fang as a political threat. At the army’s departure gathering, a new wave of accusations blames Sakumo for the coming war; Danzo remains expressionless while Hiruzen privately recognizes his involvement 16 37.

When the confrontation escalates, Danzo brings Root against the Hatakes and seeks to implicate the Uchiha as well. He orders an assault on White Fang, only to see four Special Jonin killed by a single slash. After two more deaths, he withdraws his operatives rather than risk losing the power base required for his Hokage ambitions 41 43 44 45.

Root’s Defeat

Hongsi’s intervention shifts the fighting toward Danzo and devastates his escort. Of the twenty-nine operatives he brought, seventeen remain beside him before the giant fire-dragon attack; afterward, only eight remain standing, most injured. Danzo offers safe passage to Hongsi, White Fang, and the Hatake relatives if they promise not to oppose Konoha, but Hongsi refuses 48 49.

Once the God Organization’s fighters prepare to leave, Danzo urges pursuit. The council instead votes to avoid further casualties, leaving him bitter and isolated 57.

Death and Replacement

Ling Tian intercepts Danzo on the route toward Root headquarters and offers cooperation: protection for White Fang’s younger brother and son in exchange for powerful allies. Danzo follows him away from his escort, tempted by the potential political advantage 58.

The negotiation becomes a coordinated ambush. Danzo is struck across the neck, with his final regret being that he has not yet become Hokage. Although the immediate aftermath resembles recovery, subsequent passages establish that the original man is dead: Ling Tian uses his body for the Fifth Baby clone. The apparent “survivor” destroys evidence and resumes command without revealing the substitution 59 60 68.

Hokage Succession and the Council Takeover

The replacement tells the arriving leadership that he rejected the God Organization’s offer and that Ryoma’s arrival drove the enemies away. He refuses responsibility for investigating them, then unexpectedly advocates reconciliation with the Uchiha 60.

After initially nominating himself as Fourth Hokage, he supports Orochimaru and turns Hiruzen’s objections into evidence of favoritism and fear of being surpassed. He privately plans to let Orochimaru hold office while the Scroll of Seals draws his attention back toward ninjutsu research, creating an eventual opening for himself 65 66 67 73.

Danzo then confesses complicity in the treatment of the Senju, Uchiha, and White Fang, while portraying Hiruzen and the other advisors as the principal offenders. The performance wins clan support and leaves Hiruzen politically isolated. Danzo secures Orochimaru’s acceptance, assigns the Uchiha to investigate the God Organization, and obtains approval for Kakuzu’s new command position 68 69 70 71 72 73.

Uchiha Reconciliation

Danzo visits Kagami’s family and apologizes for his prolonged silence. He nevertheless opposes immediately clearing Kagami’s name, arguing that the stigma may strengthen Obito and the unborn Shisui through hardship 74 75.

He proposes moving the Uchiha into Root, transferring the Military Police Force to the Inuzuka with civilian participation, and eventually making Fugaku an advisor. His longer-term vision places one of Kagami’s gifted descendants in the Hokage’s seat and the other at Root’s head 76.

Multi-Front War and the Threatened Withdrawal

When Konoha faces all four other Great Shinobi Villages, Danzo helps allocate its remaining forces and coordinates secretly with Ling Tian. He assigns the Uchiha to the Sand front with Hongsi’s support and later joins Mito and the Aburame in the plan for the Cloud battlefield 87 92.

He seeks Hatake assistance against Hanzo and proposes a new advisory lineup including Torifu, Fugaku, and Ling Tian. He also enforces Ling Tian’s demand for punishment of Hiruzen’s son. Before the assembled village, Danzo announces Orochimaru’s succession, the removal of Koharu and Homura, and his own wartime authority 88 89 91 94.

When Hiruzen’s apology wins civilian sympathy and he asks for his son’s death sentence to be lifted, Danzo gives up on rescuing Konoha and begins leaving with Root and the Aburame. During the ensuing confrontation, he refuses to decide whether Hiruzen’s confession is sufficient. Later battlefield planning still treats Water Baby’s Danzo as indispensable: Ling Tian believes recalling his power would cause Konoha to lose against Kumogakure 96 97 115.

Notable Quotes

“I... haven't become Hokage yet!” 59

“So now, I nominate myself. I, Shimura Danzō, will serve as the Fourth Hokage. If anyone believes they're better suited than I am, they may step forward.” 65

“If I can obtain White Fang's forgiveness afterward, then once Orochimaru takes over as Hokage, I am willing to atone with my life and repay him with it.” 70

“Because of their wrongdoing, the other two advisors have also been stripped of their positions. Therefore, during this war, I will have the final say.” 94