Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzo (志村团藏; also rendered Shimura Danzō) 22 163
Gender	Male 22
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Root; Shimura clan 22 75
Occupation/Role	Former Hokage Assistant and Root leader; later the Fifth Hokage 22 178 179 244
Status	Alive at his last documented appearance, mentally deranged and living in a filthy, destitute state 259
First Appearance	Mentioned in Dan’s proposed attack on Konoha’s leadership; first directly depicted in the supplied passages at Root’s underground base 14 22

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Hashirama-cell arm and transplanted Sharingan	127	Possesses an arm crafted by Orochimaru, with Hashirama’s face on the shoulder and four grafted Sharingan. The arm has room for ten eyes and supports repeated use of Izanagi. Dan tears it off during their duel.
Replacement Hashirama-cell arm	153	Reveals a newly transplanted right arm after losing the previous one to Dan. Hashirama’s face is again visible on its shoulder.
Shisui’s right Mangekyō Sharingan	153 154	Obtains Shisui’s eye and gains Kotoamatsukami. Successfully tests it on Hiruzen, securing access to Naruto. Dan later retrieves the eye 163.

History

Root and Covert Operations

Danzo operated as Konoha’s Hokage Assistant and the leader of Root, recruiting talented ninja from the village’s clans under the cover of an Anbu training department. Recruits were forcibly taken and brainwashed; their disappearance into Root created long-standing resentment among the clan heads 22 29 78.

His covert operations extended beyond Konoha. To prevent Hanzo and the young Akatsuki from strengthening Amegakure through cooperation, Danzo sent trusted agents to sow distrust. He subsequently conspired with Hanzo to lure Akatsuki members into supposed peace talks and ambush them 118. Pain later regarded Danzo as a target of revenge for Yahiko’s death 136.

Danzo also coerced Yakushi Nonō, prompting Kabuto to enter Root to protect her and their orphanage. He later arranged for Kabuto and Nonō to kill each other; after Kabuto accidentally killed Nonō, Danzo sent Orochimaru to silence him 218 259.

Conflict with Uchiha Dan

Danzo claimed credit for recommending Itachi to the Anbu despite opposition from Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura. His attempt to bring Itachi into Root brought him into conflict with Itachi’s uncle, Uchiha Dan 25 78.

He sent an elite assassination squad drawn from the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, and Hyuga clans against Dan. Dan killed the entire squad. Although enraged by the failure, Danzo spared Aburame Ryoma punishment and postponed further attempts while gathering intelligence 28 29 31.

Danzo then tried to turn Kakashi’s surveillance mission into a pretext for attacking the Uchiha compound. He supplied Kakashi with a signal scroll and deployed Root nearby, intending to drag the Anbu—and ultimately Hiruzen—into the confrontation. Kakashi’s capture before he could signal, followed by Root’s retreat, defeated the plan 40 54 56.

At the subsequent dispute over the Police Force, Dan publicly exposed Root’s forced recruitment. Danzo demanded his arrest, but the confrontation ended with further Root casualties and Danzo being thrown out of the Hokage Building. Hiruzen refused his demand for immediate retaliation 78 80 123.

Duel and First Imprisonment

Danzo mobilized Root, Police Force personnel, and villagers against the Uchiha. After Dan’s aura incapacitated much of the crowd, Danzo abandoned immediate extermination in favor of a wager: if he won their duel, the Uchiha would leave Konoha permanently. He expected an isolated Uchiha clan to meet the same fate as the Uzumaki 123 126.

During the duel, Dan reflected Danzo’s Vacuum Great Sphere with the Uchiha Crest. Danzo survived repeated deaths through Izanagi, then attempted to trap Dan with a Self-Curse Seal and kill him with Wood Style: Root Explosion. Dan countered with time stop and tore off his right arm 127.

The exposed arm revealed Hashirama cells and grafted Sharingan. Dan displayed it as evidence of secret human experimentation and the leadership’s pursuit of Uchiha eyes, then carried the defeated Danzo toward the Hokage Building 127.

Hiruzen publicly assigned responsibility to Danzo, stripped him of all positions, and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the Anbu dungeon. Root was also ordered disbanded and its members arrested. Danzo silently instructed Ryoma to surrender rather than sacrifice the organization in a hopeless rescue 128.

Dan subsequently used Root’s loyalty against him, promising his release if its members assassinated Pain. Ryoma and the remaining operatives accepted; Dan told the imprisoned Danzo that he had sent them on a suicide mission intended to provoke Nagato 134.

Shisui’s Eye and the Civil War

After returning to activity, Danzo presented suspicions about Samui’s Kumogakure identity as proof that the Uchiha were colluding with an enemy village. The passage explicitly states that he had no actual evidence at that point 149.

When Shisui approached Hiruzen, Danzo sought his eyes as a means of controlling Dan. Armed with a replacement Hashirama-cell limb, he obtained Shisui’s right Mangekyō Sharingan and used Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen, inducing him to reveal Naruto’s location 153 154.

Danzo deliberately sent a Wood Clone to provoke fighting between the Uchiha and Konoha’s forces. He also released the Nine-Tails from Naruto through Sharingan genjutsu, causing a rampage that killed Uchiha and Konoha ninja alike 158 164 169.

Dan intervened when Danzo threatened Itachi. Kotoamatsukami failed against him, and Dan recovered Shisui’s eye. Danzo’s attempted Reverse Four-Symbols sealing did not achieve its intended mutual destruction. Instead of killing him, Dan implanted a dream through Amanojaku: Danzo would become Hokage, restore Konoha, and unify the ninja world 163.

Fifth Hokage

While in hiding, Danzo discovered Genno’s explosive-tag plot inside Hokage Rock. His subordinate Shadow killed Genno before he could detonate the tags, leaving Danzo able to exploit the sabotage himself 175 178.

During a wartime mobilization rally, Danzo demanded the Hokage position and threatened to destroy Konoha if refused. He demonstrated his control by blowing up Sarutobi residences and the Konoha News building. Following a jōnin confidence vote, the Daimyo appointed him Fifth Hokage 178.

Upon receiving the Hokage hat, Danzo denounced Hiruzen’s leadership and had him imprisoned. His conviction that he was destined to save Konoha was reinforced by Dan’s implanted vision 178 179.

After Konoha’s defeat, Danzo negotiated with the four occupying villages. His initial demands for withdrawal and jinchūriki hostages failed to intimidate the Fourth Raikage; the resulting peace treaty left Konoha subordinated to the four villages and provoked widespread resentment 195 197 203.

Danzo suppressed Asuma’s attempt to restore Hiruzen through a prepared ambush involving the Police Force and foreign ninja. The ensuing purge killed over three thousand Sarutobi clan members, including elderly people and young children 197 199. He also ordered Anbu to attack Tsunade on charges of colluding with the Uchiha 197.

At a Five Kage meeting, he proposed exterminating the Uchiha by portraying their Sharingan and ability to control Tailed Beasts as threats to every village. His underlying goal included collecting enough Sharingan to use Izanagi almost without restraint 203 215.

Defeat and Downfall

Danzo mobilized twenty thousand Konoha ninja for the Allied Forces’ campaign against the Uchiha. He joined Ōnoki, Chiyo, and the Fourth Raikage in attacking Dan, but all four were defeated. Dan deliberately spared him, regarding him as a pet rather than a serious opponent 236 239.

To raise three hundred million in war reparations, Danzo seized clan property and villagers’ businesses. Resentment intensified because the occupation treaties remained in force. The Hyuga were particularly hostile after hundreds of their members had their Byakugan removed under his orders 243.

Kakashi, Tenzo, and Konoha’s clan heads organized a coup supported by mass protests. Danzo attempted to detonate his explosive tags, but they had already been dismantled. He was captured, removed from office, and imprisoned under guard 244.

Brought before the villagers, Danzo continued blaming the Uchiha for Konoha’s ruin and insisting that he had saved the village. Dan then released Amanojaku, ending the dream he had implanted 248.

By the time of Dan and Samui’s wedding, Danzo was sleeping in an alley, dressed in rags and mentally deranged. Kabuto abandoned his plan to kill him, considering this prolonged degradation a more fitting punishment 259.

Appearance

• Elderly man: First directly depicted emerging from darkness with a sinister expression 22.
• Bandaged face and arm: Half his face is wrapped in bandages; his right arm is also covered, concealing its modifications 22 127.
• Cane: Regularly walks with a cane and later uses it while threatening to trigger explosions 22 178 195.
• Modified right arm: Bears Hashirama Senju’s face on the shoulder and transplanted Sharingan along the limb 127 153.
• Later condition: Filthy, ragged, and sleeping on the ground in a deserted alley 259.

Personality

Danzo consistently presents his actions as sacrifices for Konoha. He calls Root the village’s final backbone and regards himself as its indispensable savior. Even after his overthrow, he interprets the villagers’ hatred as ignorance and ingratitude rather than a judgment on his rule 119 178 248.

His methods are coercive and opportunistic: forced recruitment, fabricated certainty, political provocation, assassination, and collective punishment. His hostility toward the Uchiha coexists with a desire to possess their eyes, particularly for Izanagi and Kotoamatsukami 78 149 158 199 215.

He can nevertheless value useful subordinates and preserve his forces. He declines to punish Ryoma for the failed assassination and later orders Root to surrender rather than die trying to rescue him 31 128. Dan’s Amanojaku turns his existing ambition into an obsession with becoming Hokage and conquering the ninja world 163 178.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

• Uses Vacuum Great Sphere as a major attack during his duel with Dan 127.
• The attack is reflected by Uchiha Reflection, killing him before Izanagi reverses the outcome 127.

Izanagi

• Converts unfavorable events, including injury and death, into illusion while preserving favorable actions as reality 127.
• Requires Danzo to form the Rabbit, Boar, and Ram hand seals 127.
• Each Sharingan sustains his version for approximately one minute, then permanently loses its sight 127.
• Repeated use depends on his supply of transplanted eyes; it is not unlimited immortality 127 215.

Wood Release

• Wood Clone: Produces a highly convincing duplicate that even the Sharingan cannot identify as false. Danzo uses one to provoke the Uchiha without exposing his real body 158.
• Wood Style: Root Explosion: A suicidal attack in which a giant tree grows from his right arm, consuming him and threatening to swallow his opponent 127.

Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami

• Uses transplanted Sharingan for Izanagi and genjutsu 127 164.
• With Shisui’s right eye, casts Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen without the latter recognizing the manipulation 154.
• Attempts to use Kotoamatsukami on Dan, but fails; Dan then retrieves the eye 163.
• Uses Sharingan genjutsu on Naruto to release the Nine-Tails, causing an uncontrolled rampage 164.

Curse and Sealing Techniques

• Self-Curse Seal: Restrains Dan as preparation for Root Explosion; Dan escapes through time stop 127.
• Possesses numerous sealing techniques acquired from the Uzumaki clan, which helped him build Root 126.
• Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing Jutsu: Turns his blood into expanding black ink to seal nearby targets into his body. His attempt to take Dan, Itachi, and Shisui’s eye with him fails 163.

Intelligence and Political Manipulation

• Exploits personal grievances, including Kakashi’s losses, to sow distrust toward Hiruzen 40.
• Organizes assassination squads, surveillance operations, provocations, and counter-coup ambushes 28 40 158 197.
• Identifies Genno’s infiltration and takes control of his explosive-tag network 175 178.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Cane — Walking aid and a visible instrument of his explosive threats 22 178 195.
• Orochimaru-crafted right arm — Hashirama-cell implant designed to carry up to ten Sharingan; its first exposed version contains four 127.
• Replacement right arm — Installed after Dan tears off the original 153.
• Shisui’s right Mangekyō Sharingan — Temporarily grants Kotoamatsukami before Dan recovers it 154 163.
• Signal scroll — Given to Kakashi to summon Root during the Uchiha surveillance operation 40 54.
• Genno’s explosive-tag network — Used to blackmail Konoha’s leadership and deter opposition; dismantled before the successful coup 178 197 244.

Relationships

• Uchiha Dan — Principal enemy who repeatedly defeats his schemes, exposes his grafted arm, and manipulates him through Amanojaku 127 163 248.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Lifelong friend and political rival. Hiruzen abandons him after his defeat; Danzo later seizes his office and imprisons him 128 178 179.
• Aburame Ryoma — Trusted Root subordinate whose loyalty Danzo values; follows his silent order to surrender 31 128.
• Shadow — Root confidant who kills Genno and later serves as Anbu Captain under Danzo 175 197.
• Orochimaru — Former Root member and bodyguard; crafts Danzo’s Hashirama-cell arm and is sent to silence Kabuto 127 259.
• Uchiha Itachi — Anbu recruit whom Danzo claims to have sponsored and seeks to draw into Root; Dan intervenes to protect him 25 78 163.
• Uchiha Shisui — Targeted for his Mangekyō Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami; his killing and eye theft help trigger the Uchiha’s confrontation with Konoha 153 154 157.
• Hanzo — Co-conspirator in the ambush of the original Akatsuki 118.
• Pain / Nagato — Holds Danzo responsible alongside Hanzo for Yahiko’s death and seeks revenge 136.
• Hyuga Hiashi — Initially supports his rule, but later becomes a leading opponent after the Hyuga suffer under it 199 215 243.
• Kabuto Yakushi — Coerced former Root spy who hates Danzo for Nonō’s death, but ultimately prefers to leave him alive in degradation 218 259.
• Kakashi and Tenzo — Organize the successful movement to remove him from office 244.

Notable Quotes

“The Root is the final backbone of Konoha. When Konoha reaches the brink of life and death, only we can save the village.” 119

“Only I, Shimura Danzō, am the savior of Konoha. Only I can save this village!” 178

“If that is the case, then there is no need for Konoha to exist. Let it be destroyed!” 178