Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō (Danzo; 团藏) 21
Gender	Male 9
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Shimura Clan; Root; Konoha Elder Council 55 162 175
Occupation/Role	Konoha Elder, Root Leader, former Land of Rain battlefield commander, unsuccessful Fourth Hokage candidate 55 101 190 194
Status	Deceased; killed by Qifeng 205 206
First Appearance	Seated in the Hokage’s Office during Qifeng’s mission briefing 9

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Hashirama-cell implant documented	176 177	Secretly studies Senju Hashirama’s cells; Qifeng obtains a sample from his arm. The implantation date and its combat effects are not established.
Three Tomoe Sharingan revealed	203	Exposes a stolen Sharingan and uses its genjutsu against Qifeng. Its acquisition date is not established.

Appearance

• Elderly man with a cane — Frequently leans on a wooden cane while attending meetings, commanding Root, or approaching other leaders 9 43 69 71 189.
• One exposed eye — His visible eye is repeatedly emphasized during scrutiny and negotiations; he later openly reveals a Three Tomoe Sharingan 162 169 175 203.
• Hoarse voice — Addresses Qifeng from the shadows at the Sarutobi compound 175.
• Intimidating presence — Qifeng finds him sinister and chilling, while Shizune becomes too frightened to speak when he questions them 9 69.

Personality

Danzo treats covert coercion as a necessary part of protecting Konoha. He argues that someone must “walk in the darkness,” seeks to turn Kakashi into the village’s sharpest weapon, and controls Root through brainwashing or personal leverage. He also considers detaining Rasa to restrain Sunagakure before its suspicious activities become an overt attack 9 42 162.

His ambition centers on becoming Hokage and retaining exclusive control of Root. He uses military achievements, intelligence, and negotiations to promote his candidacy, but refuses to accept Hiruzen’s succession arrangements. When Qifeng begins taking over Root’s authority, Danzo escalates from concealment to an assassination attempt 190 194 198 203 204.

His contributions to Konoha are nonetheless substantial. He reinforces the Land of Rain battlefield, maintains intelligence networks, and signs the treaty ending the war with Iwagakure. Even Qifeng initially postpones killing him because losing Root’s commander during wartime would weaken Konoha 69 70 148 190.

Background / History

Hiruzen’s Covert Partner

Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi have worked together for decades. Root handles matters the Hokage cannot address openly, and Hiruzen’s delegation of authority eventually allows the organization to become too powerful for him to control directly 43 148 200.

Early in the story, Danzo repeatedly asks to train Kakashi, believing the young ninja’s disposition makes him suited to covert service. Hiruzen refuses and chooses Minato instead 9. Later, Hiruzen entrusts Danzo with locating the mysterious ninja who killed Iwagakure commander Tu He, implicitly considering whether Root could turn that person into another weapon for Konoha 55.

Third Great Ninja War

At the opening war council, Danzo resents Hiruzen’s caution but supports Konoha’s defense, threatening to eliminate any Mist ninja who land on its territory 43. He subsequently arrives in the Land of Rain with Root reinforcements, escorts Qifeng and Shizune back to camp under surveillance, and helps restore Konoha’s morale 69 70.

The unusually early arrival leads Qifeng to suspect that Danzo knew about the Sand–Rain alliance beforehand. Qifeng interprets the intervention as a possible scheme to place responsibility for Konoha’s losses on Tsunade, weaken the Hokage faction, and build Danzo’s public reputation. This interpretation is explicitly Qifeng’s speculation 69 70.

Danzo becomes Konoha’s commander on the Land of Rain front. His assignment of an excessively dangerous mission provokes a silent protest from Qifeng, Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi 84 101. Hiruzen later recalls him to Konoha; Danzo resents the decision and orders Miko to keep tracking Tsunade’s deployments and Sunagakure’s responses 160 162.

Ninja Swords and Hashirama’s Cells

After Qifeng captures six of Kirigakure’s ninja swords, Danzo proposes using them to establish a Konoha sword-wielding force. He is particularly wary of Raikiri, which enables Qifeng to use his Takemikazuchi technique without waiting for natural thunderclouds 169 173.

Danzo approaches Qifeng privately and offers information about a suspected surviving Uchiha Madara in exchange for five swords. His information includes the discovery that Madara’s coffin had been tampered with 175. Their negotiation instead produces an agreement to exchange Hashirama’s cells for the Twin Blades Butterfly Carp, which Danzo selects for Root. Qifeng subsequently obtains the cells from Danzo’s arm 176 177.

Failed Hokage Campaign

Danzo secretly meets Ōnoki near the Land of Iron and proposes an alliance to end their war. Ōnoki recognizes that the proposal also serves Danzo’s desire to remove Hiruzen from office. The two later publicly sign a peace and alliance treaty 189 190.

A publicity campaign promotes Danzo’s wartime leadership and intelligence work. He also informs Hiruzen that Orochimaru is conducting human experimentation, undermining a major rival for the Hokage position. Hiruzen counters by supporting Minato 190 191.

Danzo’s campaign fails partly because his covert career has left him almost unknown to the public: approximately eighty percent of Konoha’s population does not know he exists. Hiruzen also considers having Qifeng replace him as Root’s leader, though external threats delay the replacement 194.

Root Rivalry and Death

Danzo retreats into hiding with his operatives, preserving his formal leadership while Qifeng remains deputy. Qifeng recruits clan ninja into a separate Root force, and Hiruzen begins transferring Root and Anbu assignments to that organization 194 198. An operative sent to observe Minato’s succession provides Qifeng with a lead to Danzo’s whereabouts 202.

Danzo surrounds the Konoha Orphanage and traps Qifeng inside the Four Violet Flames Formation. He attempts to immobilize him with Sharingan genjutsu while two Root ninja prepare the Reaper Death Seal. He also accuses Qifeng of possessing Hashirama’s cells and conducting forbidden research 203.

Qifeng breaks the genjutsu and disrupts the barrier’s operators using iron sand buried around the orphanage beforehand. Danzo realizes that Qifeng deliberately lured him into the confrontation 204. Uchiha ninja intercept his Root forces while Qifeng blocks his escape routes and kills him, despite Hiruzen’s efforts to protect his old friend 205.

After his death, Danzo’s former operatives remain largely motionless without his orders. Qifeng becomes Root’s highest authority 206.

Abilities & Skills

Root Command and Intelligence

Danzo directs Root’s covert operations, reconnaissance, and wartime deployments 55 69 162.

• Brainwashing — Most Root operatives are controlled through conditioning and obey Danzo rather than the Hokage 162 205.
• Personal leverage — Uses a vulnerable point to secure Miko’s obedience because intelligence specialists require flexibility that rigid brainwashing would impair 162.
• Battlefield surveillance — Demands immediate reports on troop movements and enemy countermeasures 162.
• Command limitation — His conditioning leaves former subordinates barely functioning after his death 206.

Sharingan Genjutsu

Uses a stolen Three Tomoe Sharingan to try to control Qifeng 203.

• Intended to hold Qifeng still for the Reaper Death Seal 203.
• Initially appears successful, but Qifeng quickly breaks free 203 204.
• Its public exposure enrages the Uchiha, who see Danzo using the clan’s power while suppressing its members 203.

Coordinated Barrier and Sealing Operations

Employs Root personnel to execute techniques rather than performing the entire operation alone 203 204.

• Four Violet Flames Formation — Four operatives maintain the barrier around Qifeng 204.
• Reaper Death Seal — Commits two operatives’ lives and souls to sealing Qifeng’s soul 203.
• Caster limitation — No individual in Root can perform the seal alone because of its complexity and chakra-control demands 203.
• Operational weakness — Qifeng collapses the barrier by attacking its maintainers, not by overpowering the formation itself 204.

Political Negotiation

• Recognizes Hiruzen’s unspoken intentions after decades of partnership 43 55.
• Negotiates directly with Ōnoki and signs the Konoha–Iwagakure alliance 189 190.
• Uses intelligence about Orochimaru’s experiments to damage his Hokage candidacy 191.
• Attempts to convert information about Madara into possession of captured ninja swords 175.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wooden cane — Carried during meetings and field operations 42 69 71 189.
• Stolen Three Tomoe Sharingan — Used during the orphanage assassination attempt 203.
• Hashirama-cell implant — Source of the sample supplied to Qifeng 177.
• Twin Blades Butterfly Carp — Selected for Root in the negotiated exchange for Hashirama’s cells 176.
• Underground Root base — Contains concealed offices, an intelligence room, and shelves of reports; later serves as his hiding place 162 175 194.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Closest friend, longtime partner, protector, and political rival. Hiruzen values his past contributions but rejects his Hokage ambitions and attempts to reduce his control of Root 162 194 198 205.
• Qifeng — Wartime subordinate, negotiating partner, rival for Root’s authority, and eventual killer 84 176 198 205.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura — Elder Council allies who view him as a counterweight to the Hokage and oppose his killing 162 205.
• Ōnoki — Old acquaintance and former battlefield opponent; later negotiates an alliance with him 189 190.
• Orochimaru — Rival Hokage candidate whose human experimentation Danzo reports to Hiruzen 191.
• Namikaze Minato — Successful rival for the Fourth Hokage position; urges Danzo to stop the Reaper Death Seal operation 194 204.
• Miko — Trusted intelligence operative controlled through personal leverage 162.
• Hatake Kakashi — Desired recruit whom Danzo hopes to train into a weapon surpassing Sakumo; Hiruzen refuses the request 9.
• Uchiha Clan — Targets of his suppression. Fugaku’s forces support Qifeng against him after he exposes his stolen Sharingan 203 205 206.

Notable Quotes

“Eventually, someone has to walk in the darkness. He's the most suitable candidate.” 9

“I am the root of Konoha! Only I can truly be its root! The contributions I've made to this village over decades—no one can erase them, no one can match them. Not even you, Hiruzen Sarutobi!” 204