Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzo (团藏; also rendered Shimura Danzō) 137 205
Alias(es)	“Darkness of the Ninja World” 205
Gender	Male 3 185
Affiliation	Konoha; Root; later the Land of Fire’s Underground Exchange under Daimyo Yusuke 3 177
Occupation/Role	Root leader; former Hokage advisor; later Anbu commander and Underground Exchange administrator 77 85 177
Status	Ultimately deceased and transformed into a flame on the Uchiha clan’s fire-fan emblem in Soul Society 255 256
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 2; first shown receiving a Root intelligence report in Chapter 3 2 3

Background / History

Root and the ambition to become Hokage

Danzo is a disciple of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. He remembers witnessing Tobirama’s Flying Thunder God Technique in battle and inherits his teacher’s wariness toward the Uchiha clan 32 131. His suppression of the Uchiha also follows an established policy originating with Tobirama and the Land of Fire’s previous Daimyo, rather than arising solely from his personal hostility 177 185.

As Root’s leader, Danzo gathers intelligence, conducts clandestine operations, and coerces promising children from ninja clans into his organization. Many of these children disappear after entering Root, creating longstanding resentment among their families 43. Hiruzen tolerates much of his activity, although Suifeng interprets their relationship as one in which Root performs dirty work that would otherwise damage the Hokage’s reputation 64.

Danzo’s ambition to become Hokage drives his campaign against Sakumo Hatake. He spreads rumors following Sakumo’s failed mission and resolves to intensify the pressure until Sakumo loses the prestige needed to compete for the position 23. After Sakumo’s suicide, Danzo denies involvement and suggests that the Uchiha orchestrated the conspiracy. His private thoughts confirm that he sent the intermediary involved, while relying on the intermediary’s ignorance to prevent investigators from proving the connection 27.

Escalating conflict with Suifeng

Danzo initially considers Suifeng’s awakened Sharingan troublesome but gives him lower priority after Root reports poor taijutsu aptitude 3. His attitude changes as Suifeng develops unusual techniques. He objects to the Uchiha obtaining the Senju’s Strength Enhancement Technique and raises the possibility of another Madara emerging 23.

Following an attack attributed to Juzo Biwa, Suifeng becomes convinced that Danzo hired the assailant, despite lacking evidence 38. Danzo separately asks Hiruzen to surrender Suifeng to Root so he can turn the boy into “the most perfect tool,” expecting Hiruzen to absorb the resulting political pressure from the Uchiha 38.

Root’s attempted street abduction of Obito ends with Suifeng defeating its operatives. Uchiha Haruki publicizes the incident to the village’s clans, turning a confrontation with the Uchiha into a wider challenge to Root 43. Hiruzen sends Danzo and Root to the front lines to gather intelligence on Hanzo and Sunagakure, banning Root from Konoha until the war ends 44.

Danzo then attempts to have Orochimaru kill Suifeng. Orochimaru refuses to complete the arrangement, arguing that Danzo supplied inaccurate intelligence, and instead transfers Suifeng to the Sunagakure front 48 50.

Failed battlefield traps

Danzo’s forces cooperate with Pakura against Suifeng, using the Yaksha Vajra Formation to restrict his speed 57 58. Suifeng and Pakura break the barrier, and the ensuing fight destroys numerous Root jonin. Danzo appears through a Shadow Clone, accuses Suifeng of collaborating with an enemy to murder Konoha ninja, and has the clone kicked apart 60.

These losses leave Danzo without subordinates capable of confronting Suifeng. Root also loses the ability to monitor him undetected 63. Meanwhile, the Military Police Force enforces Hiruzen’s ban, attacks Root operatives acting inside Konoha, and exposes evidence of their dealings with other clans 63.

Danzo next collaborates with Chiyo on an assassination trap. Chiyo’s Shadow Clone serves as bait, while a reinforced Four Violet Flames Formation confines Suifeng within range of the Reverse Four-Seal 68. Suifeng cuts through the barrier with Red Ghost, escapes, and destroys another of Danzo’s Shadow Clones to demonstrate that the plan failed 69.

Suifeng deliberately allows Danzo to survive, intending to weaken Root while provoking him into increasingly reckless actions that also damage Konoha 51 69. After the failed sealing trap, Danzo forwards intelligence about Cloud Village mobilization but withholds reports of Kirigakure activity 69.

Loss of Root and return through Anbu

The kidnapping of the Gekko clan head’s son further undermines Danzo’s position. Root is disbanded, and Danzo is stripped of his Hokage advisory role 65 85. Hiruzen later recalls him to command Anbu as a counterweight to the increasingly powerful Military Police Force 77.

This appointment does not restore Danzo’s prospects of becoming Hokage. The clans’ opposition following the kidnapping scandals makes him politically uncompetitive, allowing Hiruzen to entrust him with Anbu without treating him as a viable successor 78.

Danzo continues to provoke Fugaku and encourage Uchiha dissatisfaction over restrictions on battlefield service 85 86. He also supplies Chiyo with intelligence about Orochimaru’s planned attack on Sunagakure’s provisions 100. Suifeng later concludes that Danzo helped Hanzo attack Akatsuki in exchange for Hanzo declaring war on Konoha; this connection is presented as Suifeng’s deduction 110.

Exposure and defection

During the struggle over the Fourth Hokage position, Orochimaru accuses Danzo of leaking battle plans to Sunagakure 133. Danzo opposes Orochimaru’s immediate succession, questioning his qualifications and warning that the Daimyo will not approve the appointment 135.

At the Jonin Conference, a scroll exposes Danzo’s forbidden-jutsu research, human experimentation, exhumation of the First Hokage, foreign intelligence collaboration, and use of Root to create discord among Konoha’s clans 137. Only his Shadow Clone attends the meeting, leaving his real body beyond immediate capture. Newly installed Fourth Hokage Orochimaru declares him an S-rank missing-nin and assigns Suifeng to apprehend him 137.

Daimyo Yusuke subsequently reveals that Danzo is administering the Land of Fire’s Underground Exchange under his protection 177. Danzo believes its resources and the Daimyo’s backing will eventually let him return to Konoha and seize the Hokage position 185.

The Uchiha’s growing prosperity, Akatsuki’s stable rule in the Land of Rain, and rapid technological development leave Danzo increasingly isolated. He recognizes that even removing Orochimaru would not clear his path, since Minato has become a widely supported successor 185.

Danzo nevertheless plans to exploit the Nine-Tails against Konoha and the Uchiha. In a meeting with White Zetsu, he offers information on the jinchuriki’s childbirth location and claims that Nohara Rin can be used to lure Suifeng away and cut off his information 186.

Parallel-world incarnation

Suifeng later operates in a parallel world whose history more closely follows the original storyline. In that world, Danzo remains Root’s leader and controls Konoha’s largest intelligence department 196 198.

This incarnation organizes the extraction of Sharingan from Uchiha members assigned to the Vanguard Unit 205. Yamanaka Fu is tasked with delivering forty pairs, all taken from genin and chunin and possessing no more than two tomoe 206.

Danzo intervenes through a Shadow Clone, but an unseen Suifeng uses Wood Release to seize the presented scroll and abduct Fu. Danzo suspects that Fu retained the genuine scroll and interprets the attack as possible interference by Hiruzen and Yamato 206 210.

Danzo also advocates taking Shisui’s dangerous Sharingan power out of Uchiha hands once the Cloud peace agreement is signed 210. After Suifeng kills Shisui, Danzo and Hiruzen suspect one another of the murder 212. Danzo subsequently urges a preemptive strike against the Uchiha, arguing that Konoha cannot afford a rebellion 217.

Fate in Soul Society

In the later narrative following the world’s “formatting,” Danzo appears among the dead in Soul Society and struggles to accept Uchiha rule over the afterlife 245 249 255.

Itako punishes him by transforming him into a flame on the Uchiha clan’s fire-fan emblem 255. Tsunade recognizes the reversal: the clan that had been exterminated now governs the dead, leaving Danzo subject to its authority 256.

Appearance

• Single visible eye: His lone eye is repeatedly emphasized during intelligence briefings, confrontations with Hiruzen, and exchanges with Fugaku 3 27 85.
• Expressions under stress: After his sealing trap fails, his exposed eye becomes blood-red and his voice turns low and hoarse as he receives further battlefield intelligence 69.

Personality

Danzo treats ninja as tools and regards independent prestige as a threat to his ambitions. His campaign against Sakumo is explicitly motivated by eliminating a rival for the Hokage position, while his proposed handling of Suifeng centers on total control 23 38.

He is skilled at denial and blame-shifting. When challenged over Sakumo’s death, he relies on the absence of traceable evidence and redirects suspicion toward the Uchiha 27. His distrust of that clan persists even after losing power; its improved relations with villagers disturb him because they undermine the hostile image he expects it to retain 131.

Danzo prepares carefully but overestimates the completeness of his intelligence. His reinforced sealing trap accounts for Suifeng’s speed, Lava Release, Strength Enhancement Technique, and even a hypothetical Susanoo, yet fails because he has not anticipated Red Ghost 68 69.

Repeated humiliation erodes his restraint. Cooperation with Chiyo, withheld intelligence, and his later Nine-Tails scheme show his willingness to endanger Konoha in pursuit of his objectives 69 100 186. Even after becoming a missing-nin, he remains unwilling to abandon his dream of returning as Hokage 185.

Abilities & Skills

Intelligence and covert operations

• Directs Root’s surveillance, infiltration, recruitment, and clandestine operations 3 43.
• Maintains foreign intelligence networks; Root’s wartime intelligence role makes Hiruzen reluctant to dismantle it during active fighting 65 69.
• Uses access to intelligence selectively, including withholding Kirigakure reports and passing Konoha operational information to Chiyo 69 100.
• Limitation: Root infiltrators cannot evade Suifeng’s sensory ninjutsu, preventing reliable surveillance of him 63.

Shadow Clone Technique

• Uses Shadow Clones to confront Suifeng, attend politically dangerous meetings, and oversee the parallel-world Sharingan transfer without exposing his real body 60 69 137 206.
• Clone memories return to him when dispelled, making Suifeng’s repeated attacks a source of direct psychological pressure 63.
• His use of a clone at the Jonin Conference prevents his immediate capture when his crimes are exposed 137.

Barrier and sealing tactics

• Employs the Yaksha Vajra Formation, whose internal lattice is designed to prevent Suifeng from using his full movement speed 58.
• Reinforces the Four Violet Flames Formation by shrinking its coverage area and increasing its defensive strength 68.
• Uses the Reverse Four-Seal as a lethal trap and regards it as a final means of taking an enemy with him when dying 68.
• Limitations: Reverse Four-Seal requires time to spray ink and form the seal, and has limited range. His barrier arrangement is intended to compensate for those weaknesses 68.

Wind Release

• His parallel-world Shadow Clone unleashes more than a dozen wind blades against the Wood Release branch carrying the Sharingan scroll 206.
• The attack fails to sever the branch or recover the scroll 206.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Longtime associate, political protector, and rival. Hiruzen restricts Root after its scandals but later gives Danzo command of Anbu; their parallel-world counterparts develop mutual suspicion over stolen Sharingan and Shisui’s death 44 77 210 212.
• Senju Tobirama — Teacher whose techniques Danzo witnessed and whose anti-Uchiha policy he inherited 32 131 185.
• Uchiha Suifeng — Principal enemy. Suifeng defeats his operatives and traps, undermines his influence, and helps expose the crimes that lead to his missing-nin designation 43 60 69 137.
• Orochimaru — Former collaborator in forbidden research who depends on Root’s assistance. Their relationship deteriorates as Orochimaru resists Danzo’s demands and eventually issues the warrant against him 50 60 70 137.
• Sakumo Hatake — Rival for the Hokage position targeted through a reputation-destroying campaign 23 27.
• Uchiha Fugaku — Political opponent who openly challenges Danzo’s authority after his removal as Hokage advisor 85.
• Chiyo — Enemy commander with whom Danzo cooperates against Suifeng and shares sensitive battlefield intelligence 68 100.
• Yusuke — Land of Fire Daimyo who protects Danzo after his defection and places him in charge of the Underground Exchange 177 185.
• Yamanaka Fu — Trusted parallel-world subordinate responsible for transporting stolen Sharingan. His abduction threatens both the operation and Root’s secrets 206 210.
• Yamato — Former parallel-world Root member whose move to Anbu feeds Danzo’s suspicion that he helped Hiruzen intercept the stolen eyes 210.
• White Zetsu — Co-conspirator in the proposed Nine-Tails operation 186.
• Itako — Uchiha authority in Soul Society who imposes his final punishment 255.

Notable Quotes

“Hiruzen, you cannot use your methods to deal with the Uchiha. Hand him over to me; I will train him into the most perfect tool!” 38

“Strike first to gain the advantage. That is the only way.” 217