Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Danzo Shimura (Shimura Danzō; 团藏) 180 321
Gender	Male 32
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Shimura Clan; Root 31 147
Occupation/Role	Konoha elder; leader of Root; later Acting Hokage 30 31 184
Age	56 upon becoming Acting Hokage 184
Status	Alive at his last documented appearance; concedes defeat to Hoshino Maki 322
First Appearance	Chapter 30, “The Tidal Wave” 30

Background / History

Service under Tobirama

Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi from childhood. Both later served under Tobirama as fellow disciples, and Danzo was sufficiently capable to serve as the Second Hokage’s guard. He continued training after taking command of Root 32 195.

As Root’s leader, Danzo described his organization as the hidden roots nourishing the great tree of Konoha. Its work placed him in the village’s shadows, sacrificing his public reputation while Hiruzen and younger shinobi accumulated recognition. His resentment at being forgotten became a vulnerability that Hoshino Maki exploited 32.

Danzo killed his comrade Uchiha Kagami to obtain his Sharingan and pursued research into Hashirama Senju’s cells. Both became secret sources of power whose exposure threatened his political ambitions 32 193 196.

Alliance with Hoshino Maki

Hoshino Maki approached Danzo seeking support for his ambition to become Kazekage. He offered war as a means for Danzo to establish himself as a hero and regain public prestige. Danzo initially rejected Maki’s attempts to divide him from Hiruzen, but eventually asked to hear his plan 32.

Maki warned that Kumogakure would soon attack Konoha, citing anger over Orochimaru’s attack on the previous Eight-Tails jinchuriki and profiteering by Fire Country merchants. Danzo’s intelligence network had not delivered timely updates, leaving him caught off guard 32.

Their first bargain gave Maki a copy of the Eight Inner Gates. Danzo refused access to the forbidden-scroll library, Flying Thunder God, and the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques 32.

Maki subsequently communicated with Danzo through a remotely controlled puppet kept inside samurai armor in Danzo’s reception room. Although Danzo valued his information about Sunagakure, he remained suspicious of Maki’s interest in Konoha’s defenses 47.

Third Shinobi World War

At the war’s outbreak, Danzo criticized Konoha’s reliance on the Grass Ninja, whose territory had become an invasion route for Iwagakure. His remarks aggravated Hiruzen during an already tense emergency meeting 38.

Danzo later negotiated with Maki and Rasa over Sunagakure’s demands. Recognizing that the two were performing coordinated roles, he threatened to expose Maki’s cooperation with Konoha. Nevertheless, Danzo became associated with a humiliating agreement while Minato and Orochimaru secured a major victory against the Stone Ninja 64 66.

He interpreted the sequence as Hiruzen manipulating him to improve Minato’s succession prospects. Even his alternative plan—supporting Orochimaru and exercising influence behind a new Hokage—had been undermined 66.

As the war continued, Danzo refused further blame-bearing assignments involving Sunagakure’s demands and Kakashi’s inherited White Fang sword. He also publicly adopted an aggressive stance to attract Konoha’s growing hawkish faction 84 108.

Forbidden research and bargaining

Danzo supported Orochimaru’s research and used that patronage to demand obedience. Their relationship deteriorated as Danzo became suspicious of Orochimaru’s secrecy and interest in Maki 32 119.

When Maki demanded Hashirama Cells as part of a prisoner-related bargain, Danzo could not safely refuse without risking exposure of his research. He ultimately proposed five times the Cloud Ninja bargaining amount, with a 70/30 split of the remainder. He also dispatched Kabuto to the Land of Wind 119. Maki later confirmed that Danzo had supplied him with Hashirama Cells 130.

The exposure of an Orochimaru research facility endangered Danzo again. Evidence connected him to the experiments, including earlier work using children to cultivate Hashirama Cells. Hiruzen authorized Shikaku to conceal that evidence because Root’s intact strength made a confrontation potentially disastrous for Konoha 147.

Hiruzen had knowingly tolerated the forbidden research, intending to benefit from successful results without taking responsibility. Danzo, meanwhile, sought enough power to become Hokage 148.

Failed succession bid

During Konoha’s financial crisis, Danzo opposed sacrificing the village’s autonomy to the Daimyo and suggested obtaining resources through Maki. Other leaders preferred dealing with the Daimyo rather than relying on an enemy who had repeatedly humiliated Konoha 158 163.

Danzo competed against Minato for the Hokage position. He argued that wisdom mattered as much as strength and attacked Minato’s impulsive conduct during the war. Minato’s record and supporters outweighed those criticisms, and Danzo lost the vote 163.

Back at Root’s base, Danzo’s restrained demeanor gave way to rage and open killing intent toward Hiruzen and Minato. A black-robed visitor wearing a one-eyed mask approached him immediately afterward 163.

Nine-Tails crisis and appointment

Danzo later arranged a backup plan centered on provoking the Uchiha into a prison break. Prison blueprints and guard information reached the clan, while guards were redeployed to protect Kushina. He intended the resulting confrontation to weaken rival factions and create an opening for him to take power 180 184.

After the Nine-Tails devastation, Danzo nominated himself as Acting Hokage at age 56. Root’s possession of compromising information on other clans helped discourage opposition. He initially avoided a direct confrontation with the badly injured Hiruzen, whose prestige remained substantial 184.

Danzo then ordered the Uchiha to relocate to Konoha’s outskirts and offered their former territory to clans credited with service during the attack. The arrangement rewarded his supporters while isolating the Uchiha 184.

Pursuit of the Uchiha

Danzo accepted a relocation payment while privately expecting to recover the money after destroying the Uchiha. When the clan instead departed, he led a pursuit force, though many great clans contributed fewer fighters than he wanted 188 191.

His forces used repeated long-range attacks to exhaust the Sharingan. He recruited Hyuga Hiashi with substantial incentives, then pressured Shikaku and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans into joining the battle 191 192.

Fugaku’s Susanoo strengthened Danzo’s determination to eliminate the clan. Danzo ordered continued attacks until Fugaku exhausted himself, narrowly surviving a final spear attack without activating Izanagi 193.

Shisui’s mind control turned Danzo’s deputy, Aburame Ryoma, against his own side. Danzo immobilized Ryoma with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, but Ryoma’s subsequent use of Insect Swamp killed him. Danzo then targeted Shisui with Wind Release: Vacuum Great Ball 194 195.

Pain Tendo’s arrival ended the pursuit. Danzo initially mistook the body for a man he had witnessed die, then fled under ANBU protection as Tendo overwhelmed Konoha’s forces. Maki advised Tendo not to pursue him, preferring to let Danzo’s leadership deepen Konoha’s internal divisions 196 197.

Strained rule and defeat

After the failed pursuit, Danzo admitted responsibility for leaving a dangerous loose end in his earlier Amegakure operation. That mission had sought to disrupt Maki’s arrangements and incite internal conflict in the Land of Rain 201.

His administration became burdened by factional disputes, external threats, and increasingly demanding clans. Hiruzen returned to decision-making as an adviser, backed by the Ino-Shika-Cho and other supporters. Danzo regretted the consequences of pursuing the Uchiha but believed he would repeat the decision with better preparation 245.

Following another failed operation against the Uchiha village, Danzo accepted primary responsibility while remaining hostile toward Hiruzen. Konoha’s leadership discussed isolating the new village through blockades and assassinations 268.

He later punished Kakashi for failing to capture Kabuto and clashed with the revived Minato during a meeting 284 307. Near the end of the documented events, Danzo attacked Homura in public, contributing to the collapse of the elders’ reputation 321.

In his final recorded confrontation with Maki, Danzo admitted, “You won.” He began preparing Izanagi, but Maki identified the attempt before he activated it, leaving Danzo visibly despairing 322.

Appearance

• Gaunt build and plain clothing: His thin body is concealed beneath a loose, unadorned robe when receiving Maki 47.
• One exposed eye: His right eye is covered with bandages, concealing his stolen Sharingan 32 193.
• Bandaged right arm: He touches it while considering his hidden trump cards against Pain Tendo 196.
• Hokage robe: After taking office, he privately savors being addressed as Hokage 188.
• Noticeably aged face: The pressures of leadership make him look considerably older shortly after his appointment 245.

Personality

Danzo combines genuine attachment to Konoha with an increasingly consuming desire to rule it. Hiruzen considers his love for the village beyond doubt despite his aggressive methods, but losing the succession vote pushes Danzo’s remaining concern for the village beneath overwhelming jealousy 55 163.

He normally maintains a cold, controlled exterior. Deliberate displays of anger can serve political purposes, as when he argues for aggression to attract hawkish supporters. Humiliation and unexpected setbacks can nevertheless break that composure, provoking outbursts against subordinates or allies 32 108 148.

His ruthlessness is tempered by self-preservation rather than mercy. He refuses battlefield command when the likely opponents exceed his safe capabilities, avoids exposing his stolen powers, and declines to gamble on whether Shisui can use his mind-controlling dōjutsu again 32 195 196.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

Danzo’s Wind Release remains formidable despite his age and administrative responsibilities 195.

• Vacuum Great Ball: Clears blood and insect eggs from the battlefield before continuing toward Shisui 195.
• Three Uchiha jointly intercept the attack with Fire Release, but their combined power remains slightly inferior 195.

Sharingan and Izanagi

Danzo possesses the Sharingan taken from Uchiha Kagami and prepares Izanagi as a concealed emergency measure 193.

• He nearly attempts Izanagi against Fugaku’s Susanoo spear but doubts whether he could activate it before being struck 193.
• Publicly revealing the Sharingan risks destabilizing his Hokage position, particularly among clans concerned about stolen dōjutsu 196.
• Maki recognizes his final preparation to use it; no successful activation is documented 322.

Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal

Danzo places this seal on Root members to protect secrets and enforce control 119.

• It can be activated deliberately, not merely triggered passively 194.
• He uses it to immobilize Ryoma after Shisui takes control of him 194.

Hashirama Cell Research

Danzo sponsors forbidden experimentation on Hashirama Cells and possesses them as part of his hidden arsenal 148 196.

• The research includes human experimentation and earlier attempts to cultivate cells using children 147 148.
• He supplies cells to Maki under political pressure 119 130.
• Possession of the cells is confirmed, but the cited events do not establish a specific Wood Release technique used by Danzo 196.

Intelligence and Political Coercion

Root provides Danzo with spies, sensitive information, and leverage over Konoha’s clans 55 184.

• Uses compromising information to discourage opposition to his Acting Hokage appointment 184.
• Employs threats, incentives, and exposure of secret alliances during negotiations 64.
• Withholds plans from large meetings because he regards most participants as possible spies 167.
• Studies Sharingan combat and uses sustained attacks to exploit its physical burden 191.

Close Combat

Danzo maintains his training throughout his leadership of Root 195.

• His combat ability is rarely the focus of his political opponents’ criticism 195.
• He decisively outmatches Homura when their confrontation turns physical 321.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Childhood companion, fellow disciple, and principal political rival. Their longstanding cooperation deteriorates over succession, wartime blame, and control of Konoha 32 66 84 245.
• Hoshino Maki — Secret negotiating partner who supplies intelligence, repeatedly reverses their bargaining positions, and ultimately defeats him 32 47 119 322.
• Orochimaru — Researcher supported by Danzo’s patronage. Their relationship grows distrustful as Orochimaru conceals information and pursues his own interests 32 119 148.
• Minato Namikaze — Rival for the Hokage position. Danzo loses the succession vote to him and remains antagonistic after Minato’s revival 163 307.
• Aburame Ryoma — Root deputy and trusted subordinate. Danzo immobilizes him after Shisui’s intervention, but cannot prevent his fatal self-destruction 32 194 195.
• Uchiha Fugaku — Clan leader targeted by Danzo’s relocation policy and pursuit. Danzo also covets Fugaku’s unusual eyes 184 191.
• Uchiha Shisui — Enemy whose mind-controlling dōjutsu makes Danzo particularly determined to kill him 194 195.
• Shikaku Nara — Hiruzen-aligned strategist whom Danzo repeatedly pressures into negotiations and military cooperation 184 192 245.
• Hyuga Hiashi — Clan leader recruited through incentives to restrain Fugaku during the pursuit 191.
• Kabuto — Young operative dispatched to the Land of Wind. Later defects to Sunagakure after discovering the orphanage’s neglect and its dean’s death 119 284.
• Kakashi Hatake — Konoha jonin punished by Danzo for allowing Kabuto to escape 284.
• Pain Tendo / Nagato — Enemy connected to Danzo’s earlier Amegakure operation. His intervention forces Danzo to abandon the Uchiha pursuit 196 197 201.

Notable Quotes

“Don't try to sow discord with me using such clumsy tactics.” 32

“I nominate myself to act as Hokage. What are your thoughts?” 184

“This dōjutsu won't last long. Continue the attack!” 193

“You won.” 322