Danzo

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shimura Danzō (Danzo; 团藏) 9 210
Alias(es)	Poison Scorpion — mission codename assigned by Dave 143
Gender	Male 197 198
Affiliation	Shimura Clan; Konohagakure; ANBU; later infiltrates the Ōtsutsuki Clan and establishes Root within it 8 165 475 476
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage; later an undercover political secretary and Root leader among the Ōtsutsuki 198 475 476
Status	Alive; retired as Hokage and continuing his Ōtsutsuki infiltration 422 514 570
First Appearance	Ninja Academy classroom 6

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mangekyō Sharingan transplant	196	Milu replaces his left eye with her remaining Mangekyō Sharingan and revives him through Izanagi. The eye possesses enough ocular power to support repeated uses without immediately losing its sight.
Repeated Izanagi combat mastery	242 243 254	Demonstrates the transplanted eye’s capabilities by surviving successive Dust Release attacks and winning against Ōnoki. Its rapid recovery also lets him repeatedly absorb attacks as his team’s frontline defender.
Reaper Death Seal–Izanagi combination	289	Tests a new combination against the Second Raikage: the Reaper Death Seal takes the opponent’s soul, while Izanagi allows Danzo to escape the technique’s cost.

Background / History

Danzo is the son of the Shimura Clan’s leader and an early candidate to succeed him. His father keeps him informed about major village affairs, including Dave’s engagement and Wood Release. Although his father later wants to hand over the clan leadership, Danzo refuses to accept it until he has made a name for himself in the Shinobi World 8 121.

He studies under Tobirama alongside Dave, Hiruzen, and Kagami. Unlike Dave, he initially treats lessons and future service to Konoha with considerable seriousness. His admiration for Tobirama is especially evident when Dave receives the Sword of the Thunder God: Danzo reacts with excitement despite having shown little interest in Madara’s gift of the Gunbai 6 12.

Appearance

• Left Mangekyō Sharingan: Transplanted from Milu after his apparent death; he later removes a seal covering the eye before using it in combat 196 254.
• Ordinary right eye: Explicitly contrasted with his Sharingan during an angry confrontation 374.
• Chin scar: Milu notices a new scar while touching his face at his home 197.
• Not the television design: The right-eye and right-arm bandages shown in Naruto belong to the program’s fictional portrayal, not the documented placement of his actual Sharingan 196 388.

Personality

Danzo repeatedly frames his conduct around protecting Konoha. As a student, he criticizes Dave’s romantic distractions as obstacles to future service. As Hokage, he becomes more concerned with paperwork, reconstruction costs, and the consequences of provoking other villages; he urges Hiruzen not to kill Ōnoki and trigger another major conflict 6 8 221 336.

His sternness coexists with competitiveness and susceptibility to flattery. He disrupts class after losing to Hiruzen at Konoha Blocks, eagerly challenges Madara at card games, and later plays Shinobi World Alliance with Dave and Kagami during the chunin exams. Dave wins his approval for a television program and an acting role by emphasizing the recognition they will bring him 29 60 129 336 350.

Danzo is blunt and often romantically oblivious. His silence frustrates Milu during their first outing, and he fails to understand her hints even after she sacrifices her sight for him. Their marriage retains this pattern: Milu must explicitly guide him toward intimacy, while he remains gruff about shared outings such as the concert 163 196 198 200.

During his Ōtsutsuki infiltration, he combines genuine loyalty to Konoha with manipulation, bribery, and self-aggrandizement. He claims to have endured torture to earn the clan’s trust, accepts money to advance an official’s son, and plans a book about his undercover achievements. He knowingly presents a destructive institution as a protective reform 475 476.

Abilities & Skills

Mangekyō Sharingan

• Milu’s transplanted eye has immense ocular power and exceptionally fast recovery, including recovery during combat 196 243.
• Unlike Madara’s and Kagami’s eyes, it has no special ocular technique of its own; its exceptional reserves make it particularly compatible with Izanagi 196 243.
• Milu explains that it can support dozens of consecutive Izanagi uses without losing its sight 196.
• The eye does not establish that Danzo can withstand every possible attack: watching Dave’s enormous combat construct leaves him uncertain whether Izanagi would save him 249.

Izanagi

• Records the caster’s condition when activated and reverses subsequent injury—even death—to restore that recorded state 196.
• Normally costs the casting eye its sight. Milu’s unusually powerful eye allows Danzo to repeat the technique rather than immediately suffering that ordinary limitation 196 243.
• Milu estimates that the eye can hold the recorded point in time for up to half an hour; this is her assessment, not a separately measured limit 196.
• Danzo survives repeated Dust Release attacks from Ōnoki and Lightning Release attacks from the Second Raikage 242 289.
• In four-on-four combat, he uses it as a defensive “tank,” taking the Four Kage’s attacks while Hiruzen and Kagami attack from behind him 254.

Reaper Death Seal

• Uses the technique to take the Second Raikage’s soul 289.
• Combines it with Izanagi to escape its cost while leaving the opponent dead, confusing the Death God 289.

Espionage and Political Manipulation

• Receives an intelligence-gathering assignment in Sunagakure under the codename Poison Scorpion 143.
• Infiltrates the Ōtsutsuki Clan, gains a political secretary position, and secretly reports to Dave 475.
• Uses anti-Kagami propaganda, flattery, ideological speeches, and the clan’s existing corruption to expand his influence 475 476.
• Recruits children into Root and announces plans to place Cursed Seals on them and continue their indoctrination 476.
• Uses guilt, family loyalty, and revenge to push clan members through his grotesque “anti-feces” training 493.

Administration and Organization

• Handles diplomatic assignments, village finances, security institutions, and wartime planning as Third Hokage 203 221 376.
• Develops an ANBU Special Forces program built around five-person specialist squads, annual recruitment, and improved benefits 376.
• Establishes Root among the Ōtsutsuki as an ostensibly protective secret force, while intending it to undermine the clan’s future 475 476.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Kunai: Uses one to deliver a forged love letter during a prank on Dave and Tsukimi; later uses a kunai’s reflection to inspect his transplanted Sharingan 75 196.
• Sharingan covering seal: Removes it before entering the frontline during the team event 254.
• Mission clothing and weapons: Supplied by Dave when he receives the Poison Scorpion codename; the passage does not specify their individual contents 143.
• Phone: Maintains covert contact with Dave during his Ōtsutsuki assignment and is asked to transmit his coordinates 475.

Relationships

• Uchiha Milu — Wife and donor of his Mangekyō Sharingan. She saves his life at the cost of her remaining sight; their affection is frequently expressed through teasing and arguments 196 197 198.
• Senju Dave — Classmate, close friend, and supporter of his appointment as Hokage. Dave treats an attack on Danzo as an attack on his brother and leads the retaliation against the Third Kazekage 6 196 198.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Longtime friend, gaming rival, and ANBU director during Danzo’s tenure. Hiruzen accepts Danzo’s promotion and resolves to support him from the shadows, though the two repeatedly clash over policy and paperwork 29 198 336 388.
• Uchiha Kagami — Classmate, teammate, and fellow retired official. Their friendship is strained by Danzo’s use of Kagami as the villain in Ōtsutsuki propaganda 254 422 475 476.
• Tobirama Senju — Academy teacher and predecessor as Hokage. Danzo admires him from childhood, and Tobirama later praises his undercover dedication while doubting his torture story 12 196 475.
• Hashirama Senju — Earlier Hokage whom Danzo publicly honors. Although Hashirama initially recommends Hiruzen for the succession, he later appreciates Danzo’s televised tribute and supports his undercover work 196 341 475.
• Orochimaru — Successor as Fourth Hokage. Danzo considers him a suitable future leader and eventually passes him the Hokage hat 371 422.
• His daughter — Danzo is fiercely protective of her and demands that Dave keep Daiyue away from her 264.
• Ōtsutsuki Light — Clan leader and target of his infiltration. She trusts his reforms, accepts Root as the hidden counterpart to her public leadership, and eventually wants all Ōtsutsuki children trained by it 475 476 514.
• Ōtsutsuki Gan, Wen, and Cui — Root trainees whom Danzo presents as proof that his organization can turn troublesome clan members into disciplined operatives 514.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Academy Rivalry and Friendship

Dave drags Danzo and Hiruzen into punishment by falsely claiming they encouraged him to sleep during class. The two retaliate by beating him outside. Their rivalry also develops into loyalty: Danzo joins Hiruzen and Kagami in reacting angrily when a Hyuga student insults Dave 9 24.

Danzo defeats Hiruzen through a dirty trick during an Academy assessment. Later, he joins Hiruzen and Kagami in planting a forged love letter to disrupt Dave and Tsukimi’s relationship, only for the prank to fail and expose all three conspirators 24 75.

Intelligence Work and ANBU

Dave assigns Danzo to investigate Sunagakure’s intentions toward Konoha under the codename Poison Scorpion. When Tobirama establishes ANBU, Danzo signs up with Hiruzen and Kagami; admission requires killing an A+-rank or higher black-market target and returning with proof and the bounty 143 165.

During this period, Danzo becomes suspicious of Milu’s changing behavior and mismatched Sharingan patterns. Tsukimi identifies her as the younger sister of Uchiha Chiri, the creator of Izanami. Danzo briefly considers obtaining a Sharingan himself, then rejects the thought out of concern over Madara’s and Kagami’s reactions 165.

After one or two years in ANBU, he accepts his first S-rank mission 195.

Milu’s Sacrifice and Hokage Succession

Danzo and Milu apparently die following an encounter with the Third Kazekage. Milu revives through Izanagi, then transplants her final eye into Danzo and restores him as well. Her right eye has already been destroyed by poison, so saving him leaves her completely blind 196.

Dave, Hiruzen, Kagami, and Torifu travel to Sunagakure to avenge their injuries. A month later, Tobirama raises the succession question. Dave withdraws and recommends Danzo; despite Hashirama’s recommendation of Hiruzen, the group chooses Danzo 196.

Danzo initially questions the decision, believing Dave and Kagami stronger contenders. Dave explains that he does not want the office and Kagami is preparing to lead the Uchiha Clan. Danzo marries Milu and formally becomes the Third Hokage at the handover ceremony 197 198.

Tenure as Third Hokage

Area	Documented actions
Diplomatic representation	Sends Dave to Uzumaki Ashina’s sixtieth-birthday celebration as Konoha’s representative and delegates the ceremonial gift to him 203.
Public speeches	Delivers a three-hour Will of Fire speech at Dave Kindergarten’s opening. Later broadcasts praise for Konoha’s workers and earlier Hokage 210 341.
Village finances	Struggles with repair costs caused by powerful residents’ frequent fights and experiments, while Kakuzu repeatedly requests tax reductions 221.
Commemoration	Orders statues of Dave, Hashirama, and Madara after their tournament battle, naming the site the Valley of the End 250.
Honoring the dead	Arranges village-wide mourning for the Uchiha ANBU members killed at the Land of Earth border, following Madara’s instruction 334.
Workload and publicity	Accepts Dave’s suggestion to delegate more paperwork and establish the “Hokage Channel” 336.
ANBU reform	Announces five-person specialist squads, annual selection of 100 recruits, improved benefits, and initial training under Sakumo 376.
Regional cooperation	Negotiates a friendship framework with Amegakure and Kirigakure covering transportation, education, and other assistance 383.
Foreign leadership changes	Supports removing the Third Kazekage and putting Rasa in power as part of the effort to align the villages 386.

Shinobi World Olympics and Later Combat

Danzo represents Konoha at the Shinobi World Olympics. Against Ōnoki, he repeatedly uses Izanagi to survive Dust Release and wins the match, causing the other Kage to reassess his strength. In the team event, he fights alongside Dave, Hiruzen, and Kagami as their frontline defender 223 242 243 254.

During a later attack on Kumogakure, he tests his Reaper Death Seal combination against the Second Raikage. He survives the Raikage’s attacks through Izanagi, takes his soul with the seal, and escapes the corresponding cost 289.

Television Portrayal

Dave promises Danzo a memorable role in the television production Naruto, persuading him that it will increase his fame. Danzo is particularly annoyed that Hiruzen has been cast as the Third Hokage instead of him 350.

When his character finally appears, the show labels him the ruthless “Shinobi of Darkness” and depicts him advocating the Uchiha Clan’s extermination. Danzo angrily calls the portrayal slander, while Hiruzen enjoys the flattering reversal of their real positions. Their disagreement spills into another argument over an ANBU restructuring plan, which Danzo eventually approves 388.

Retirement

Danzo hands the Hokage position to Orochimaru. Hiruzen and Kagami also step down from their offices, and the three join Dave in planning a journey around the Shinobi World. Danzo initially feels lost without his responsibilities 422.

Ōtsutsuki Infiltration and Root

Danzo infiltrates the Ōtsutsuki Clan to earn its trust, gather intelligence, and sabotage it from within. As political secretary, he distributes an image of Kagami and intensifies the clan’s hatred of him. Light approves his proposal for an Ōtsutsuki Clan Elite Training Department—Root without reading the report 475.

Root is a plan Danzo conceived before becoming Hokage but deliberately did not implement in Konoha. Among the Ōtsutsuki, he recruits children, invokes the destruction of their homeworld to secure obedience, and presents himself as the clan’s hidden “darkness” supporting Light. His actual intent is to sever the clan’s future foundations 476.

He later subjects clan members to “anti-feces” conditioning and presents Gan, Wen, and Cui as successful Root operatives ready for a dangerous mission to Konoha Star. Impressed by their transformation, Light declares that every Ōtsutsuki child should undergo Root training 493 514.

Dave subsequently describes Danzo’s Ōtsutsuki alliance as occupying the eastern universe. Danzo continues concealing his identity even when Light asks about the Third Hokage, answering only that he is “a great man”; he also tells her to bring the clan’s valuables alongside its people 505 570.

Notable Quotes

“You will be Konoha’s new leaves, and I will watch over your growth. Thank you.” 210

“If I say it isn’t thorough enough, then it isn’t. I’m the Hokage!” 388

“Let the downfall of the Ōtsutsuki Clan begin with Root, under my leadership!” 476