Danzo

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Service under the Hokage

Danzo attended the Ninja Academy, served as a guard to the Second Hokage, and studied under the same teacher as Hiruzen Sarutobi. After becoming Hokage, Hiruzen appointed him to lead Root, an ANBU branch responsible for work the Hokage could not openly undertake. Danzo prioritized the village over his own clan and rarely returned to the Shimura estate 31 238.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Danzo and Konoha’s other senior leaders helped repel attacks from rival villages. Root earned substantial wartime accomplishments, and Danzo used political schemes to bring nearby small shinobi villages onto Konoha’s side 433 439 480.

Conflict with the Fourth Hokage

Danzo nominated Orochimaru for Fourth Hokage, expecting his victory to protect Root’s position. Minato Namikaze’s election instead brought demands for Root’s roster and cuts to its funding. Around the same period, Root lost almost half its ninja while helping Hanzō suppress opponents in the Land of Rain 61 76.

Despite Hiruzen’s prohibition, Danzo and Orochimaru continued experiments involving Hashirama cells, including tests on civilians and children. Their alliance broke into open combat when a child awakened Wood Release: Danzo wanted to train him as a Root weapon, while Orochimaru wanted to study him. Minato subsequently refused Danzo custody of the child, who was placed under Hiruzen’s care and named Yamato 61 77 81 83.

Campaign against the Uchiha

After the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, Danzo proposed relocating the Uchiha and Military Police Force to the village outskirts. He blamed the clan because the Nine-Tails had displayed Sharingan, but Fugaku challenged both the accusation and Danzo’s failure to act during the attack. Hiruzen ruled that the clan would retain its existing grounds 107.

Danzo continued surveilling the Uchiha, questioning Shisui’s loyalty after learning of his Mangekyō Sharingan, and warning that Oto’s influence could lead to an Uchiha Hokage. Hiruzen repeatedly restrained these efforts, including a proposal to send Oto and Shisui to Sunagakure while Danzo undermined their clan at home 146 189 244 290.

Wood Release and the Akatsuki Hunt

Danzo established a new Root base near the Valley of the End, where Cold Pond experiments led him to discover a connection to underground natural energy. This temporarily overcame the instability of his Hashirama cells and enabled him to supply chakra that suppressed the same problem in subordinate Wood Release users 433 434 435 436.

Seeking public achievements that would support a Fifth Hokage candidacy, he obtained permission to hunt Akatsuki members. His capture of Hidan became a publicity success after Root spread word of the victory. Kakuzu escaped, and Tsunade remained unimpressed by the capture of one of the organization’s weakest members 437 440 441.

At Takigakure, Danzo initially overwhelmed several Akatsuki members but lost to the Six Paths of Pain. Izanagi allowed him to survive Konan’s explosive tags, without restoring his injuries or chakra. He withdrew and tried to recruit the Seven-Tails’ jinchūriki, Fū, as a loyal fighter, but returned to Konoha gravely injured after Root lost more than half its elite forces 453 456 458 465 468.

Capture and Altered Behavior

With his body’s balance worsening, Danzo sought additional Sharingan and cultivated contact with Itachi. Zou, Oto, and Shisui prepared a counter-operation to prevent him from taking Itachi’s eyes. Danzo followed Itachi into an underground palace, where Zou forced him into the Box of Ultimate Bliss and Shisui used Kotoamatsukami. His attempt to activate Izanagi failed 470 472 475 479.

Danzo awoke at the Shimura estate with missing memories and a changed outlook. He tried to reconcile with Fugaku, stopped requiring cursed seals for new Root recruits, and became disturbed by his own experimental plans. His unusually benevolent behavior alarmed the village leadership; Oto later explicitly recognized him as Zou’s puppet 480 481 482 504.

Confession, Death, and Aftermath

Danzo publicly exposed his Sharingan-covered arm and confessed to actions connected with the Uchiha’s ostracism and the Akatsuki’s tailed-beast collection. His account implicated Hiruzen’s protection of him while revealing comparatively little about the other advisors. The confession damaged the Third Hokage’s prestige, and Danzo soon returned to Root unconscious and near death 547 548 609.

He eventually lost all signs of life and transformed completely into a tree. His death released Root’s tongue seals, prompting many members to leave or flee. Hiruzen recovered a sealed experiment log, while Zou and Oto had already taken Danzo’s wealth 585.

Hiruzen declared that Root no longer needed to exist separately from ANBU and later absorbed its forces. Danzo was included in the funeral for Konoha’s fallen defenders, with the Third suppressing negative reports and preserving his final public image as an elder who died for the village 586 589 609.

Appearance

• Bandages and concealed implants: Frequently wrapped in bandages, including those covering his Sharingan-bearing right arm 31 469 480.
• Right eye: Usually covered by an eyepatch; contains a transplanted three-tomoe Sharingan 469 480.
• Hair and gaze: Described as black-haired and one-eyed, with a hawklike gaze 399 439.
• Clothing and cane: Wears black robes and often leans on a cane 146 312 435.
• Rejuvenation: Hashirama cells and natural energy reduce his wrinkles and make his presence noticeably younger 345 381 447.

Personality

Danzo considers covert violence and manipulation necessary to protect Konoha. He regards subordinates as tools, although he avoids wasting them needlessly. His village-first outlook coexists with an intense desire to become Hokage, and his growing power eventually expands his ambition to becoming a second Sage of Six Paths 238 407 438.

He is deeply hostile toward the Uchiha, treating their growing power and political influence as threats to the village and his own ambitions. Even after Uchiha intervention gives him an opportunity to escape Pain, he feels resentment rather than gratitude. His foreign policy is similarly aggressive: he advocates crushing Kumogakure and proposes covert attacks on other villages’ jinchūriki to force cooperation against the Akatsuki 128 244 287 458.

After Kotoamatsukami and confinement in the Box of Ultimate Bliss, he becomes helpful and conciliatory, insisting to himself that he would never attack comrades. This change does not erase every earlier tendency: he still requests a soul-strengthening technique from Orochimaru and offers cooperation against the Uchiha 479 480 489.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

Danzo’s original combat specialty produces cutting gusts and concentrated wind projectiles 77.

• Vacuum Wave: A sickle-like blast from his mouth that severs vines, railings, and sections of the laboratory ceiling 77.
• Vacuum Sphere: Wind bullets used alongside explosive-tagged kunai 77.
• Combined attacks with Baku: Their coordinated Wind Release can blow away an entire forest 78.
• Early limitation: His aging body loses stamina during prolonged combat against Orochimaru 78.

Wood Release

Hashirama cell implants give Danzo access to Wood Release; natural-energy support later allows him to use it far more freely 433 435.

• Nativity of a World of Trees: Creates a forest whose branches and vines restrain and attack enemies 440 453.
• Wood Dragon Technique: Provides transport, pursues Kakuzu, and holds Hidan captive 440.
• Nutrient and chakra absorption: Drains Hidan’s nutrients and absorbs enemy chakra through wounds inflicted by his forest 446 453.
• Clones and close-range spikes: Uses a wood clone as cover and palm spikes to escape Pain’s attraction 456.
• Limitations: Advanced techniques remain chakra-intensive. Losing control of the implanted cells risks transformation into a tree 440 456.

Sharingan and Genjutsu

Danzo possesses a transplanted right-eye Sharingan and multiple eyes implanted in his arm 469 547.

• Natural-energy access strengthens his genjutsu enough to control a jōnin with little effort 436.
• At maximum output, his genjutsu briefly reaches Mangekyō-level potency 457.
• Genjutsu against Pain fails and causes backlash; his successful control of “Konan” affects only a Paper Clone 457.
• His right-eye power fluctuates, sometimes reaching two or three times ordinary three-tomoe strength and sometimes falling below it 472.
• The implanted eyes provide Yin Release that helps counterbalance the Hashirama cells’ overpowering Yang Release 434.

Izanagi

Danzo uses Izanagi to escape fatal damage from Konan’s explosive tags 458.

• Each activation permanently consumes an implanted Sharingan 458.
• Consuming eyes makes his Hashirama cells harder to suppress 458.
• It does not restore his injuries or chakra, nor resolve his body’s underlying imbalance 458 470.
• His attempt to activate it during his capture in the underground palace fails 479.

Natural-Energy Access

Through Cold Pond water, Danzo connects to the earth-vein network and draws on its natural energy 434 435.

• Supports rejuvenation, increased chakra access, and freer use of Wood Release 436 447.
• Chakra shared with subordinates temporarily suppresses their Hashirama cell backlash 436.
• Zou secretly restricts him to a small share of the network’s power 435.
• His initial belief that the side effects were eliminated proves mistaken; the three-way balance between natural energy, Sharingan, and Hashirama cells deteriorates after his fight with Pain 470 472.

Cursed Seals and Intelligence Operations

Danzo controls Root through indoctrination and the tongue seal, named in the text as the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal or Tongue Root Eradication Technique 77 481.

• Uses seals on spies to prevent disclosure of village intelligence 351.
• Oversees infiltration, assassination, foreign intelligence, and surveillance of Konoha’s clans 351 438 448.
• Extracts Akatsuki intelligence from Hidan and orders Aburame Ryoma to pass a copy to Hiruzen after a week 446.
• His death releases the seals, ending their hold over surviving Root members 585.

Research Projects

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sharingan-bearing right arm — Derived from Uchiha Shin and used to house multiple implanted eyes 590.
• Right-eye Sharingan — Identified by Fugaku as Kagami’s; Danzo describes it to Itachi as his friend’s final gift 469 547.
• Baku — Enormous summoning beast specializing in Wind Release and closely coordinated attacks with Danzo 77 78.
• Kunai and explosive tags — Used against Orochimaru alongside wind projectiles 77.
• Hero Water — Supports his chakra reserves during the battle at Takigakure 453.
• Sealed experiment log — Recovered by Hiruzen after Danzo’s death; its contents leave him gravely concerned 585.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Former classmate, longtime friend, and political partner. Hiruzen relies on Danzo for covert work while repeatedly restricting Root; Danzo’s final confession implicates him 31 113 433 547.
• Second Hokage Tobirama — Teacher and former superior. Danzo admires his ambition and resolve 238 434.
• Orochimaru — Research collaborator and Danzo’s preferred Fourth Hokage candidate. Their partnership survives betrayal, open combat, and Orochimaru’s defection through continued exchanges of intelligence and experimental resources 61 77 146 463.
• Minato Namikaze — Political opponent whose efforts to control Root, reduce its funding, and deny it custody of Yamato undermine Danzo’s authority 61 76 83.
• Zou Hyuga — Secretly limits Danzo’s access to the earth veins, organizes his capture, and makes him a puppet. Later takes his valuables and interrogates his soul about Root’s research 435 479 504 585 590.
• Oto Uchiha — Political and personal adversary. Danzo fears her strength and Hokage prospects; she rejects his authority and continues to loathe him after his behavioral change 146 399 400 504.
• Shisui Uchiha — Refuses Danzo’s attempts to recruit him into Root and ultimately uses Kotoamatsukami on him 189 479.
• Itachi Uchiha — Recruitment target whose village-first outlook appeals to Danzo. Itachi rejects his methods against comrades and leads him into the underground trap 468 473 475.
• Uchiha Fugaku — Opposes Danzo’s accusations and relocation proposal. Treats Danzo’s later attempts at reconciliation as a possible scheme 107 480.
• Aburame Ryoma — Senior subordinate who records intelligence, obtains black-market information, and manages Root during Danzo’s absence 438 446 448.
• Hanzō — Partner in Root’s intervention against Amegakure’s opponents. Konan identifies Danzo, alongside Hanzō, as responsible for Yahiko’s death 61 442.
• Fū — Seven-Tails’ jinchūriki whom Danzo tries to recruit by invoking revenge for Takigakure, intending to obtain a powerful fighter under his control 458.

Notable Quotes

“According to our agreement, this child belongs to me. I will bring him into Root and train him into a proper weapon of war.” 77

“To put it bluntly, I, Danzo, am a sinner of this village... Both the ostracism of the Uchiha and the Akatsuki's collection of tailed beasts are connected to me.” 547