Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō, commonly rendered as Danzo 176
Original Name	团藏
Gender	Male 176
Affiliation	Konohagakure; ANBU; Root; Intelligence Faction 167 176 213
Occupation/Role	Military commander, ANBU commander, intelligence chief, and Fourth Hokage 304 423
Status	Mortally poisoned and politically sidelined; expected to die within seven days at his last documented appearance 483
First Appearance	Chapter 3, “We Can Only Negotiate After We Win” 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Acquisition of Kagami Uchiha’s Sharingan	12	Receives one of Kagami’s eyes from Keiko as a ceasefire-era gift intended to secure his personal goodwill. Kagami’s recovered eyes were three-tomoe Sharingan 7 12.
Transplanted Sharingan	176	His right eye is covered with thick white bandages. The later revelation identifies his concealed eye as Kagami’s transplant 176 474.
Mangekyō Sharingan	474	Reveals the evolved eye after approximately ten years of possessing it. Its connected, blade-shaped tomoe prompt Sasori to replace Zhong Kui with a specialized countermeasure. The exact awakening date is not given.

Background / History

Danzo graduated from the Ninja Academy alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. They later served together as guards for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, with roughly equal standing and comparable strength 176.

During Tobirama’s final mission, Danzo hesitated briefly before volunteering to sacrifice himself. Hiruzen volunteered first and received the Hokage succession. Danzo never accepted that outcome as fair, believing that one moment of hesitation had permanently subordinated his achievements to Hiruzen’s leadership 176.

Appearance

• Build and posture: Gaunt and wiry, with a consistently straight back 176.
• Eyes: Thick white bandages conceal his right eye; his exposed left eye is described as hawklike and venomous 176.
• Expression: Usually cold and controlled in public, contributing to his intimidating reputation among Konoha’s officials and civilians 176 423.
• Hokage attire: Receives the red conical Hokage hat during his public inauguration 423.
• Final injuries: Loses an arm during his battle with Sasori and becomes pale, severely weakened, and unable to stand because of blood loss, chakra depletion, and poison 476 477.

Personality

Danzo is suspicious, controlling, and ruthless. Even in his prime, he distrusts others and seeks reassurance through arrangements that follow his own intentions. He repeatedly advocates sacrifice while maneuvering other shinobi into the most dangerous roles, notably using Kagami to engage Shamon before attacking from behind 3 8.

His ambition centers on restoring Konoha’s dominance and proving that he should have been Hokage. He interprets Hiruzen’s diplomacy as indecision and presents his own pursuit of power as service to the village. Keiko repeatedly exploits this resentment, especially by reminding him that strong opinions do not grant him authority over Konoha’s policies 176 236.

His confidence is not absolute. When the Hokage position finally becomes available during an invasion, he privately acknowledges that Hiruzen surpasses him in ability, prestige, and political cunning. Nevertheless, the prospect of Orochimaru taking the office rekindles his competitiveness and drives him to eliminate the rival candidacy 421.

Danzo can recognize competent advice and formidable opponents: he admires Rasa’s command abilities, praises Shikaku’s intelligence analysis, and allows subordinates to refine his assassination plan. That pragmatism deteriorates when his status is challenged; as Hokage, he lashes out at Shikaku and continues treating village leadership as factional competition 233 304 306 437.

His attachment to his old comrades occasionally breaks through his political calculations. Torifu’s permanent injuries cause him genuine grief, while his final collapse is accompanied by an appeal to Tobirama as “Teacher” 23 478.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

• Vacuum Sphere: Uses a rear attack against Shamon while the Kazekage is occupied by other Leaf shinobi, contributing to Shamon’s fatal injuries 3 473.
• Offensive limitation: His Vacuum Spheres barely scrape the paint from Sasori’s Zhong Kui armor, despite their effectiveness against earlier opponents 473.

Mangekyō Sharingan: Mirror Flower, Water Moon

• Creates an illusionary battlefield in which Danzo appears as a gigantic figure and attacks through enormous hands, feet, and fists 475 476.
• Can turn attacks within the illusion into tangible physical damage while dissolving apparent forms into harmless illusions 476.
• Requires substantial chakra and sustained control; prolonged use causes severe eye pain and bleeding 475 476.
• Sasori counters it by closing his eyes and locating Danzo through Scorpion Tail’s chakra network and nonvisual senses. The scorpion’s effectively blind, touch-based perception undermines Danzo’s visual deception 476 477.
• The illusion collapses after Sasori poisons Danzo and forces him to amputate his arm 476.

Sealing Techniques

• Four Symbols Seal: Carries a large seal on his chest and activates it as a suicidal final attack against Sasori and Pain 477 478.
• Countermeasure: Tobirama suppresses the expanding seal with “Four Symbols Return to Two Principles,” forcing it back into Danzo’s body 478.
• Technique exchange: Supplies the Soul Binding Technique alongside Flying Thunder God during negotiations with Sunagakure. Rasa later uses that exchanged technique to defeat Danzo’s assassination operation 236 308.

Impure World Reincarnation

• Resurrects Hashirama and Tobirama Senju for Konoha’s defense through the Living Dead Plan 426.
• The summoned bodies regenerate ordinary physical damage, making sealing and Six Paths-related countermeasures central to the opposing strategy 426.
• The brothers retain independent judgment rather than functioning as mindless weapons; Tobirama immediately questions Danzo about Hiruzen’s absence 426 431.
• Implements the plan despite Shikaku’s warnings that its feasibility needed thorough verification 437.

Military Strategy and Intelligence

• Indirect warfare: Uses retreats, urban guerrilla fighting, and terrain familiarity to stall Iwagakure in the Land of Rain 17.
• Specialized countermeasures: Orders large magnet purchases after observing Iron Sand being removed from Jiraiya’s wounds, developing the unsuccessful “Beast Trap” against Keiko 7 12.
• Decapitation tactics: Coordinates reconnaissance, mass explosives, and Dan Katō’s Soul Transformation Technique to target Rasa rather than simply batter Moon Lake’s defenses 306.
• Covert authority: Controls much of Konoha’s ANBU, operates Root, and uses genjutsu specialists to uncover infiltrators 167 176.
• Documented weakness: Commits his army at Moon Lake after interpreting slower puppet activity as proof that Rasa has been assassinated, without confirming the mission’s success 308.

Combat Experience and Emergency Measures

• Recognized as a seasoned Kage-level combatant with extensive battlefield experience 474.
• Traditionally defeats puppeteers by severing their chakra threads or bypassing their puppets to attack the operator. Sasori’s internally controlled armor invalidates both approaches 474.
• Immediately amputates his poisoned arm, then strikes acupoints to stop its bleeding. These measures delay the venom’s effects but do not save him from the poisoning 476 477 483.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Kagami’s transplanted Sharingan — Keiko’s gift becomes Danzo’s concealed Mangekyō trump card 12 474.
• Kunai — Keeps one ready while uncovering his Sharingan during the fight with Sasori 474.
• Wakizashi — Hiruzen sends him the short sword with instructions to commit suicide if the North Route Army fails. Danzo later contemplates using it after his defeat 286 314.
• Chakra Amplification Potion — Uses it during his final battle, but its effects are too slow to restore him before he becomes incapacitated 477.
• Chakra-Weakening Drugs — Secures 500 doses for Konoha by exchanging technique scrolls. Unlike the batch supplied to the Third Raikage, his purchase includes no antidote 236.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Former classmate, fellow Tobirama guard, and lifelong political rival. Hiruzen initially strengthens Danzo to counter the advisors, later manipulates his succession, and ultimately assigns him responsibility for Konoha’s war crimes 176 422 483.
• Tobirama Senju — Teacher and former commander. Danzo resents his choice of Hiruzen as successor, but Tobirama later intervenes to stop Danzo’s suicide seal and attempts to obtain an antidote for him 176 478.
• Keiko — Battlefield enemy, intermittent political partner, supplier, and manipulator. Their personal goodwill begins with a Sharingan gift; Keiko later encourages Danzo’s faction-building and Hokage ambitions to destabilize Konoha 12 25 97 236.
• Kagami Uchiha — Old classmate and comrade used as the frontal distraction against Shamon. Kagami’s transplanted eye becomes Danzo’s strongest revealed ocular weapon 3 176 474.
• Orochimaru — Research partner and potential political ally. Danzo offers protection in exchange for findings, then raids Orochimaru’s laboratory to remove him from the Hokage succession 214 421.
• Uchiha Fugaku — Subordinate and conditional political ally. Offers Uchiha support for Danzo’s succession in exchange for political inclusion, although Danzo privately continues viewing the clan as a threat 314 323 423.
• Hatake Sakumo — Loyal Hiruzen supporter whom Danzo identifies as an obstacle to his ambitions. Hiruzen and Minato later discuss Danzo’s role in Sakumo’s death 236 285.
• Rasa — Former operational partner and later opposing commander. Danzo respects his tactical skill but attempts to assassinate him during the Moon Lake campaign 304 306.
• Shikaku Nara — Intelligence analyst and chief strategist whose competence Danzo recognizes, but whose refusal to accept misplaced blame causes open conflict 233 437.
• Yahiko — Rejects Danzo’s proposed Konoha base in Amegakure, confronting him over sovereignty and foreign control 259.
• Sasori — Final documented combat opponent. Defeats Danzo’s ocular technique through specialized puppetry and inflicts the poisoning that ends his political career 474 476 483.
• Torifu Akimichi — Old classmate and comrade. Danzo mourns his permanent crippling after the Land of Rain fighting 23 176.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Second Shinobi World War

Danzo exploits the fighting between Sunagakure and Amegakure to establish Konoha’s advantage. He sends the future Three Legendary Ninja against Hanzo, then uses superior numbers to force a humiliating treaty. Against Sunagakure, he breaks the defensive line and ambushes Shamon after the Kazekage remains behind to cover the retreat 3 8.

Keiko’s succession reverses the campaign. Danzo declines to attack Sunagakure’s withdrawal from Night-Cry Sand Sea, only to inherit a demolished stronghold with poisoned wells. His pursuit force then suffers heavily against Keiko’s Iron Sand 6 7.

After ten days of rest, Danzo attacks Moon Lake and continues costly offensives. His troops rapidly contain a Sand night raid, but repeated attacks and sleep-deprivation harassment fail to produce victory. The eventual failure of his Beast Trap leaves him receptive to Keiko’s peace offer 9 12.

He accepts an agreement preserving Konoha’s influence in the Land of Rain while establishing a diplomatic, military, and commercial alliance with Sunagakure. Before withdrawing, he accepts Kagami’s Sharingan and agrees to Keiko’s personal friendship 12.

Land of Rain Campaign and Political Expansion

When Iwagakure invades the Land of Rain, Danzo retreats and conducts urban guerrilla warfare with Amegakure’s cooperation. He slows the advance until Konoha sends three thousand elite reinforcements. Later, he credits Keiko’s strategy when the Stone army withdraws 17 23.

His relationship with Keiko extends into commerce and political consultation. He buys Sunagakure’s preserved food, privately opposes Hiruzen’s proposed international mediation, and supplies Keiko with the reasoning behind Konoha’s deployment during the Iwa–Suna War 25 44 97.

During the ensuing peaceful years, Hiruzen empowers him to counter the Advisor Faction. Danzo uses that latitude to expand ANBU influence, Root, covert smuggling, and his own political organization. He later continues an Amegakure operation despite Hiruzen’s veto, changing the approach to include contact with Akatsuki 167 176.

Drug Negotiations and Renewed Ambition

Konoha sends Danzo to Sunagakure with full authority to obtain the Chakra-Weakening Drug. Keiko deliberately delays the meeting and rejects Danzo’s suggestion that Sunagakure owes Konoha an explanation for its ties with Kumogakure 213 233 235.

Danzo ultimately exchanges Flying Thunder God and Soul Binding scrolls for 500 doses. At the subsequent dinner, Keiko exploits his exclusion from real policymaking and provokes an admission that he wants to become Hokage. Danzo begins considering Orochimaru as an ally and Sakumo as an obstacle 236.

Amegakure Intervention and Moon Lake Disaster

Danzo proposes controlling Amegakure as an offensive gateway to Sunagakure’s agricultural center. Yahiko rejects the initial offer of loans, exchanges, and a Konoha base containing more than three thousand shinobi, recognizing the proposal as an infringement on Amegakure’s independence 249 259.

Later, commanding the North Route Army from occupied Amegakure, Danzo advances with eight thousand troops despite recognizing Rasa’s favorable defensive position and the strain on his own supply lines 304.

His decisive plan combines explosive attacks on the Puppet Formation with Dan Katō’s assassination of Rasa. It fails because Rasa has learned the Soul Binding Technique that Danzo previously traded away. Mistaking a slowdown in puppet activity for success, Danzo orders his troops forward into Sunagakure’s flying-puppet bombardment 306 308.

Nearly four thousand soldiers are lost. Danzo contemplates suicide, but Fugaku revives his ambition by offering Uchiha support for a future Hokage bid 314.

Retreat and Struggle for Succession

Danzo orders Amegakure destroyed rather than held during the retreat. Back in Konoha, the resulting accusation costs him his command until five thousand North Route soldiers demonstrate on his behalf and pressure Hiruzen into a temporary pardon. Army reorganization subsequently weakens his faction 323 331 354.

Hiruzen later reveals that Danzo concealed the Moon Lake defeat for fifteen days. According to Hiruzen, withholding intelligence about Sunagakure’s tactics contributed to the subsequent loss of eight thousand Leaf soldiers at Lishi. He also identifies Danzo’s failed iron-ore speculation as the economic failure that prompted the war 422.

Fourth Hokage

Hiruzen’s reported illness opens the succession, but the leadership initially nominates Orochimaru. Danzo exposes the scientist’s human experiments, prompting Orochimaru’s flight and leaving himself as the sole candidate. Hiruzen later reveals that he and Orochimaru had arranged the circumstances to exploit Danzo’s competitiveness 420 421 422.

Danzo insists on a grand public inauguration rather than a sheltered ceremony. An enemy aerial delivery humiliates the gathering with falling filth. Seeking retaliation, he forces through the Living Dead Plan despite Shikaku’s warnings and resurrects the First and Second Hokage 423 424 426 437.

The plan fails to reverse the war. He accepts Takigakure’s aid at a cost of 2.5 billion ryō and control of three countries, then eventually agrees to a secret counteroffensive supported by Hiruzen 437 464.

Final Battle and Removal

Sasori’s Zhong Kui overwhelms Danzo’s conventional attacks, forcing him to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasori switches to Scorpion Tail, defeats Mirror Flower, Water Moon through nonvisual perception, and poisons Danzo with its stinger 474 475 476.

Danzo amputates his arm and attempts a suicidal Four Symbols Seal, only to discover that the nearby Sasori is a puppet decoy. Tobirama arrives before detonation, suppresses the seal, and seeks an antidote; Sasori refuses 477 478.

During the peace settlement, Hiruzen places responsibility for the war crimes on the barely breathing Danzo. Sasori states that the venom will kill him within seven days. His death is not directly shown in the supplied account, but his faction survives as former Root operatives later gathered under Fugaku through Sunagakure’s covert influence 483 511.

Notable Quotes

“My principle in life is this: the more favorable the situation, the more one must keep one's head down. The more adverse the situation, the more one must stand tall!” 423

“Ha ha! Little brat, this is my world now. Here, I am a god! Just wait obediently for death!” 476