Let us turn the gears of time back a little, restarting at the moment Black Zetsu encountered Shimura Danzō.
Racked with worry and mercilessly scourged by his conscience, Shimura Danzō hurried toward the spot where Root would ambush Longjian.
He was adept at handling negative emotions such as the hurt of being misunderstood. But he had no experience dealing with the guilt that came from betraying someone else's trust, from doing something wrong entirely through his own self-destructive choices.
The phrase "a clear conscience" was an interesting one.
With one, you could sit tall, walk straight, and act with integrity. When others questioned you, you would automatically fight back, confidently using every means at your disposal to confront them head-on-I did nothing wrong, so what gives you the right to point fingers at me?
But without one, a breach opened in your psychological defenses. Never mind the scrutiny of others; the relentless questioning of guilt from within alone could drive you mad.
That was precisely the stage Shimura Danzō was in. His personality kept him from being wholly good, yet he was not as thoroughly rotten as he had been in the original story, either. His conscience seared him on both sides like a frying pan. Whether he gritted his teeth and pressed on or stopped in time and turned over a new leaf, both choices hurt.
What troubled him most was that something painfully familiar had happened with Leaf Dragon before. He had made the wrong choice then, and now, years later, he had made the wrong choice again.
Time marched on, familiar events came full circle after so long, and he had not improved at all...
And he had even heard Leaf Dragon's voice on the way!
*Fine, just fine. Not only have I made no progress, now