Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō (Danzo; 团藏) 22
Alias(es)	“Darkness of the Shinobi”; “Root of Konoha” 22 278 382
Gender	Male 22
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Root, which becomes an illegal organization after his removal from office 339 379
Occupation/Role	Former Hokage advisor; founder and leader of Root; formerly held authority over an Anbu special detachment, the Anbu Training Class, and the Intelligence Division’s deputy-chief position 230 339 382
Age	Over sixty during the assault on his hidden base 367
Status	Deceased; killed by Uchiha Nara after suffering Wood Release backlash 377
First Appearance	Chapter 3, “Returning After the Shift” 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Izanagi mastery confirmed	199	Already knows the forbidden Sharingan technique; recognizes the danger of Zensui’s dōjutsu through his own understanding of Izanagi. The date he learned it is not given.
Sharingan–Wood Release arm transplant	336	Accepts Orochimaru’s experimental right arm, obtained from Shin. The arm contains ten Sharingan and Wood Release vitality.
Wood Release and right-eye Sharingan confirmed	338 348	Uses a Wood Release clone at his estate. After the attack on Shisui, Nara detects Sharingan chakra beneath Danzō’s right-eye bandages and concludes that the transplants have greatly increased his strength.
Complete control of the transplanted arm	357	Achieves full control after one year of research and assistance from sealing formulas, overcoming chakra disorder, bodily pain, and frequent fainting.

Background / History

Service under the Second and Third Hokages

Danzō was a student of Senju Tobirama and an old classmate of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He remembered being a moment too slow during the mission to guard the Second Hokage, allowing Hiruzen to act first and receive the Third Hokage’s appointment. Decades later, he still regarded that moment as the opportunity that had cost him the position 282.

He led campaigns in the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War and dealt personally with Salamander Hanzo. He returned from the war with a crippled arm, presenting the outward image of a leader who had sacrificed his body for Konoha 22 33.

Disappearances and forbidden research

When fifteen Uchiha chunin and genin disappeared, Danzō dismissed clan leader Naraku’s concerns and used the Military Police Force’s lack of leads to argue for its dissolution. After Naraku left, Danzō admitted capturing the Uchiha and proposed teaching the clan a lesson. Hiruzen ordered him to release the captives, and Danzō relayed the order to Root 22 23.

Despite the official suspension of Wood Release experiments, he continued them secretly. His separate Sharingan research team studied eyes seized in the Land of Rain; after two years, his collection included only one three-tomoe Sharingan, with the remainder at the one- or two-tomoe stage 29 47.

Operations in the Land of Rain

Danzō offered to help Hanzo eliminate mercenary organizations in exchange for assistance obtaining Uchiha Sharingan. During the Third Shinobi World War, he ordered Root operatives disguised as Iwagakure ninja to attack Rain villages, intending to turn Amegakure against Iwagakure and strengthen Konoha’s negotiating position 35 155.

After witnessing Nagato’s Rinnegan, he became determined to obtain it as a means of becoming Hokage and dominating the shinobi world. He subsequently brought the bodies of Salamander clan members to Hanzo and portrayed Akatsuki as a threat to Hanzo’s rule. His private operations in the region caused disastrous Root losses, which he later blamed on fighting Iwagakure 155 156 176.

Fourth Hokage succession conflict

When Uchiha Nara placed first in the jōnin vote for Hokage, Danzō hurried to conclude peace negotiations with Iwagakure. He accepted two billion ryō in reparations, knowingly damaging Hiruzen’s reputation, then redirected the elders’ attention toward the prospect of an Uchiha Hokage 169 176.

He proposed ambushing Nara on the road to the Land of Fire’s capital. Root would pose as wandering ninja, while its two Wood Release users would counter the Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan. During the operation, Danzō observed Nara’s battle with Zensui, ordered intelligence collection, and became fixated on taking Zensui’s eyes 176 195 199 201.

After Nara survived the ambush, Danzō pursued the remaining Special Police Division members toward the capital and accused Nara of slaughtering Anbu without cause. He refused to accept Nara’s appointment even when Minato testified that the Daimyo had made it personally. Under the new administration, Danzō lost his advisory position and departmental authority, and his estate came under Police Force surveillance 211 215 219 230.

Underground opposition and the Shisui incident

Danzō remained politically patient after losing office. Hiruzen sought his help investigating the Nine-Tails incident and monitoring Nara, whom Hiruzen suspected of releasing the beast. Danzō initially rejected the request as an invitation to expose himself to retaliation. Their relationship later deteriorated when Hiruzen endorsed Nara’s peaceful administration while Danzō insisted that Uchiha rule violated Tobirama’s will 282 330 331.

Seeking protection and renewed power, Danzō accepted Orochimaru’s transplant technology. He then drew Shisui to the Jade Dragon River base and tried to recruit him into a plan against the Hokage. When Shisui rejected the proposed coup, Root hunted him; Danzō attempted to steal his eye and helped trap his Susanoo within a barrier 336 338 340 342 343.

With Anbu reinforcements approaching, Danzō ordered the destruction of Base A-1’s information and withdrew to Base A-2. Nara prepared to declare him an S-rank rogue ninja and used Shisui’s supposed death as an accusation against him. Shisui was actually alive on a secret mission, and Nara also planted more than a dozen Sharingan in the abandoned training base to strengthen the case. These fabrications accompanied genuine evidence of Danzō’s abductions and experiments 346 348 349 353.

Root’s destruction and death

After a year spent mastering his arm, Danzō encountered Itachi near his hidden base and deceived him about Shisui’s fate. He later regarded Itachi as a potential heir who could shoulder Konoha’s darkness, only to become enraged when Itachi infiltrated the stronghold and attacked Root instead of bringing Nara into a trap 357 367.

During the assault, Danzō repeatedly survived lethal attacks through Izanagi while attempting to seize his opponents’ Sharingan. Shisui, Itachi, and Ruofeng pursued him through the base, while Orochimaru alternately obstructed his escape and assisted him. Danzō eventually escaped underground using shadow clones, but Nara intercepted and defeated him outside Konoha 369 370 373 374 375.

Cornered with the Sharingan in his arm exhausted, Danzō activated the Reverse Four-Symbols Seal beside Orochimaru, trying to take his enemies with him. His Wood Release then ran out of control, transforming him into a tree approximately fifteen meters tall. Nara delivered the fatal sword strike and removed his remaining right-eye Sharingan 376 377.

Aftermath

Recovered records documented over a hundred cases of Root impersonating Anbu to lure Konoha ninja into captivity, alongside assassination logs, Wood Release experiments, and collusion with rogue ninja. These records were sufficient to destroy Danzō’s reputation independently of the fabricated evidence surrounding Shisui 379.

Nara later rebuilt Root under Shisui and Itachi, placing it under official registration and supervision. The new organization inherited Danzō’s former bases, received orders to recruit his surviving personnel, and offered amnesty to those who submitted 382.

Appearance

• Early appearance: A middle-aged ninja with one eye wrapped in bandages and a war-disabled arm carried in a sling across his chest 22.
• Later appearance: An elderly man with a wrinkled face; his left eye remains exposed while his right eye is bandaged 282 369.
• Transplanted arm: A pale right arm bearing ten Sharingan beneath eyelid-like protrusions on the forearm and palm 336.
• Usual expression: Impassive and difficult to read, even while grievously wounded or fleeing 371 373.

Personality

Danzō combines personal ambition with a conviction that he alone can protect Konoha. Becoming Hokage and safeguarding the village are described as his lifelong pursuit and ninja way. He casts himself as a solitary protector even when his actions force him to flee as a rogue ninja 282 331 346.

His hostility toward the Uchiha is explicit: he calls them a clan “born of evil” and treats their growing influence as a threat. He cites Zensui’s betrayal after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan as evidence that the clan cannot safely hold power, interpreting opposition to Uchiha rule as loyalty to Tobirama 23 330.

He is patient, secretive, and skilled at presenting ruthless acts as necessary sacrifice. He leaves supporters with accounts of Root’s noble service while concealing the deaths caused by its Sharingan-harvesting operations. His composure can break when he feels personally betrayed, as shown by his anger, confusion, and sorrow over Itachi’s attack on the organization 282 332 367.

Will of Root

• Danzō compiled the Will of Root as an extension of the Will of Fire, emphasizing service without fame, outward glory, or concern for status 278.
• His teachings helped win the admiration of Shisui and Itachi, who initially viewed Root as Konoha’s self-sacrificing, unsung protectors 331 333 354.
• Nara distinguishes the philosophy’s useful principles from Danzō’s selfish conduct and later repurposes Root as a protective institution rather than an uncontrolled threat 355 382.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

• Hiruzen considers Danzō’s Wind Release proficiency superior to his own 354.
• Vacuum Bullets: Fires numerous highly compressed wind projectiles 342 343.
• Vacuum Wave / Vacuum Serial Waves: Produces large cutting wind blades, including multiple blades within a howling gale 343 371.
• Great Vacuum Bullet: Concentrates airflow into a powerful cannon-like attack; it destroys part of Nara’s sword formation but is overwhelmed by the remaining weapons 375.
• Weapon enhancement: Coats kunai and shuriken in sharp wind-nature chakra, turning a kunai into a sword-like blade 370 371.
• Combat interruption: Uses wind attacks to prevent Shisui from completing the hand seals for his Wind Body Flicker 345.

Sharingan and Izanagi

• Izanagi converts unfavorable outcomes into illusion while preserving advantageous ones, allowing Danzō to survive otherwise fatal wounds 371 375.
• He activates it with three seals: Rabbit—Boar—Goat 374.
• Each activation lasts one minute; after it takes effect, he can reappear only at a location he previously occupied 371 374.
• He prepares Izanagi against Kotoamatsukami and survives a genjutsu-induced suicide during Root’s destruction 369 370.
• Its repeated use consumes the Sharingan in his arm. Those eyes are exhausted before his final stand 376 377.
• Avoiding eye contact is not sufficient protection against Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami, which can affect targets within its field of vision 369.

Wood Release

• Wood Release Clone: Creates a long-lasting double that can receive visitors and cannot be distinguished by sensory ninjutsu or Sharingan ocular techniques 338.
• Unlike a shadow clone, the wood clone does not dissipate from extreme exhaustion and transmit severe fatigue to the original; it remains active while supported by Danzō’s chakra 338.
• Violent Spear Tree: Transforms his arm into a large, mobile tree whose branches and vines block incoming weapons and attack opponents 374 375.
• Limit: His implanted powers require balance. Once the arm’s Sharingan are exhausted, Wood Release overwhelms his body and transforms him into a tree 330 377.

Sealing and Cursed Seals

• Skilled in Konoha-style forbidden techniques, secret arts, fūinjutsu, and cursed seals 354.
• Uses sealing formulas to help stabilize and fully control his transplanted arm 357.
• Reverse Four-Symbols Seal: Releases black blood and creates a dangerous sealing barrier; he uses it as a last-ditch attempt to take nearby enemies with him 373 376.

Summoning and Conventional Ninjutsu

• Baku: Summons a giant beast to hinder pursuit and coordinate attacks against Shisui 371 372.
• Shadow Clone Technique: Sends six doubles toward different caves to misdirect pursuers during his escape 375.
• Substitution Technique: Evades Shisui’s Susanoo projectiles alongside Root operatives 344.
• Body Flicker Technique: Uses chakra-enhanced movement to travel rapidly with his subordinates 209.

Intelligence and Covert Command

• Maintains secret bases across the Five Great Nations and a spy network capable of reporting disturbances almost immediately 29.
• Root obtains more precise information about Rain mercenary groups than Konoha’s standard intelligence service 33.
• Controls information leaving the Wind–Fire battlefield to delay other nations’ understanding of Konoha’s losses 96.
• Orders subordinates to observe enemy techniques during battle and record weaknesses for later operations 199.
• Recruits overlooked clan ninja and talented youths; his orphan-training system forces children to kill one another until only victors remain 382.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sharingan–Wood Release right arm — Orochimaru’s transplant containing ten eyes; the eyes support repeated Izanagi use and help balance the implanted Wood Release 330 336 376.
• Right-eye Sharingan — His final words identify it as Kagami Uchiha’s eye. He does not consume it through Izanagi before dying; Nara takes it afterward 377.
• Crystal ball — Linked to the Four Violet Flames Formation’s sensory barrier, allowing him to view the battlefield from multiple angles 209.
• Kunai and shuriken — Frequently enhanced with Wind Release chakra for cutting power 370 371.
• Root’s ninjutsu archive — Contains copies of Konoha techniques recorded before Year Fifty-One, but no newly obtained techniques from afterward 345.

Relationships

• Sarutobi Hiruzen — Old classmate, political partner, and rival for the Hokage position. Hiruzen protects and restrains Root during his reign, but eventually pledges to eradicate it after Danzō’s attack on Shisui 23 282 331 349 350.
• Senju Tobirama — Teacher whose will Danzō claims to uphold through opposition to Uchiha rule. Danzō’s resentment over losing the Hokage appointment remains tied to Tobirama’s choice of Hiruzen 282 330.
• Uchiha Nara / Naraku — Principal political enemy and eventual killer. Danzō attempts to prevent his succession and later plots against his administration 176 340 375 377.
• Orochimaru — Research collaborator and provider of his transplanted arm. Their alliance is opportunistic: Orochimaru obstructs and later aids his escape, while Danzō ultimately tries to take him down with the Reverse Four-Symbols Seal 330 336 370 374 376.
• Salamander Hanzo — Transactional ally whom Danzō manipulates to obtain Sharingan and act against Akatsuki 35 156 169.
• Uchiha Shisui — Admiring visitor and prospective subordinate turned opponent. Danzō attempts to recruit him against the Hokage, then repeatedly tries to steal his eyes 331 338 340 343 373.
• Uchiha Itachi — Initially respects Danzō’s dedication and accepts his ideology. Danzō briefly sees him as an heir to Konoha’s darkness before Itachi turns against Root 331 354 367.
• Uchiha Zensui — Seeks Danzō’s cooperation in assassinating Nara; Danzō subsequently covets his Mangekyō Sharingan 199 201 330.
• Aburame Tatsuma — Root subordinate entrusted with operational preparation and battlefield intelligence collection 195 199.
• Red Moon — Root’s prized Wood Release expert, whose loyalty and strength Danzō considers essential to his bid for Hokage 201 209.
• Utatane Koharu — Important covert supporter who facilitates Root’s funding during Hiruzen’s administration 349.
• Uchiha Toku — Danzō believes him loyal, but Toku shifts allegiance to Nara and maintains old connections to gather information 295.

Notable Quotes

“A ninja's mission should be his backbone, not any individual.” 338

“Konoha now needs someone to save it. Who else could it be but me...” 331

“Even if I become a rogue ninja, I will save Konoha! The day I adapt to my new arm will be the day I return!” 346

“My right... eye... is Kagami's...” 377