Danzo

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• Bandaged right eye: Concealed a transplanted Sharingan, later replaced with Shisui’s eye 95 104.
• Cane: Used while walking and frequently struck against the floor during arguments 53 89 137.
• Modified right arm: Contained multiple Sharingan and Hashirama Cells; a face on its surface swelled when the cells went out of control 186.
• Postmortem form: His corpse wore Akatsuki clothing and retained a recognizable face, allowing Konoha’s gatekeepers to identify him immediately 224.

Personality

Danzo treated shinobi as expendable tools and favored eliminating threats before they matured. After losing a supply outpost and an arms dealer in the Land of Rain, he dismissed the material losses but ordered the entire Aoki Tsuki Squad killed 12 39.

His ambition to become Hokage shaped his foreign policy. He wanted the war prolonged so that Konoha’s losses would undermine Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he supported Hanzō partly to secure military assistance for his own future administration 29. He later arranged an attempt on Hiruzen’s life and waited in the Hokage’s chair before learning that the assassination had failed 65 66.

He habitually justified coercion and violence as necessary for the village, including attacks on fellow Konoha shinobi. His desire for powerful dōjutsu was equally explicit: he regarded the Rinnegan as rightfully his and believed Shisui’s mind-altering technique would be safe only in his own possession 89 104 125.

Danzo’s ruthlessness extended to his subordinates and himself. He ordered the disposal of a captured Root spy after the man’s release, and, when cornered by Tsuki, attempted a sealing technique intended to kill them both 130 186.

History

Operations in the Land of Rain

Danzo’s early conflict with Aoki Tsuki began after Amegakure destroyed a Root supply outpost and removed a Root-backed arms dealer. He ordered his operatives to continue their plans and find an opportunity to kill Tsuki’s squad. Root subsequently established a working relationship with Tsuki, offering opportunities and ninjutsu unavailable to him under Hanzō 12 17.

To prevent Akatsuki from strengthening Amegakure, Danzo ordered Root members to impersonate its followers and murder several of Hanzō’s clansmen. He used the killings to negotiate an alliance: Root would help destroy Akatsuki, while Hanzō would provide assistance when required. Danzo identified Yahiko as the organization’s central figure and arranged a supposed peace meeting under the disguise of Kanzō. The resulting scheme led to Yahiko’s death 29 30 34.

Tsuki served as the liaison between Danzo and Hanzō. After Minato Namikaze became Fourth Hokage, Danzo reassured Hanzō that their agreement would remain intact and instructed Tsuki to monitor Akatsuki’s recovery 39.

Defying the Hokage

When Minato rejected an immediate assassination operation against the Hannya Corps leadership, Danzo secretly commissioned Amegakure instead. Tsuki’s team captured Oniki alive and recovered an alliance treaty with Iwagakure. Danzo presented the evidence to Hiruzen and claimed that Oniki had agreed to remain aligned with Konoha 53 55 57.

Danzo later requested Amegakure’s assistance in assassinating Hiruzen, whom he regarded as an obstacle to becoming Hokage. The operation failed after Hiruzen received advance warning. Hiruzen confronted him but allowed the matter to pass in exchange for renewed service to the village 65 66.

Renewed Conflict with Akatsuki

After intelligence exposed Tsuki as both an Akatsuki leader and a Jashin Cult grand deacon, Danzo ordered his secret elimination. Root’s efforts failed, and Aburame Ryoma disappeared while investigating Amegakure 77 84.

Shisui’s subsequent report that Hanzō apparently possessed the Rinnegan convinced Danzo that his ally had appropriated the eyes and secretly taken control of Akatsuki. Obito exploited this misunderstanding, approaching him as “Madara” and offering intelligence on Akatsuki alongside assistance against the Uchiha. Danzo accepted the partnership 89 95.

Using Obito’s intelligence, Danzo also organized an operation involving Shisui, Root, Orochimaru, and deliberately leaked information to Sunagakure. During the operation, he learned that Shisui possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and a powerful mind-controlling genjutsu 96 103.

Seizing Shisui’s Eye

Shisui disclosed the Uchiha’s coup plans and offered to stop them with Kotoamatsukami. Rather than support that solution, Danzo summoned him to a shrine and attempted to take his eyes. He used Izanagi to escape an apparent genjutsu defeat, ambushed Shisui, and stole his right eye. Shisui escaped, prompting Danzo to order Root’s pursuit 104.

After transplanting the eye, Danzo discovered that Shisui had exhausted its ocular power. Hashirama Cells allowed it to recover, making Kotoamatsukami his principal trump card 110 122.

Escalation Against the Uchiha

During the Jashin Cult crisis, Danzo ordered Root to collect more Sharingan and finance Orochimaru’s rebuilt facilities. Root operatives disguised as cultists ambushed Uchiha on missions, eventually attacking near Konoha itself. When challenged by Hiruzen, Danzo admitted that he intended to weaken the clan’s armed forces 122 125.

After Root replenished its ranks, he assigned Itachi to monitor the Uchiha with two Root assistants. When the coup became imminent, Danzo pressured Itachi into exterminating the clan while sparing Sasuke. He separately arranged a strike with Obito, promising him half the Sharingan 130 135.

Following the massacre, Danzo publicly blamed Itachi for killing Shisui and stealing his eyes. Hiruzen removed Danzo from his advisory position, ordered Root disbanded, and confined him. Danzo nevertheless retained covert operatives; an immediate dispute over the spoils also ended with Obito forcing him to surrender a scroll 137 138 178.

Death During the Konoha Invasion

During Orochimaru and Sunagakure’s invasion, Tsuki infiltrated Root’s headquarters. Danzo hoped to benefit from Hiruzen’s death and make another bid for Hokage, but Tsuki killed his guards and repeatedly overcame his Izanagi-assisted counterattacks 186.

Tsuki concealed himself with mist and poison, then tricked Danzo into using Kotoamatsukami on the summoned salamander Iu. With his arm’s Sharingan exhausted, Danzo lost control of his Hashirama Cells and tore off the transforming arm. Tsuki interrupted his attempted Reverse Four Symbols Seal with the Cursed Blood Heart-Locking Technique, leaving him immobilized as the poison killed him 186.

Corpse and Postmortem Use

Tsuki sealed Danzo’s corpse in a scroll and brought it to Konan, giving her the opportunity to confront one of those responsible for Yahiko’s death. His plans to study the body encountered a major obstacle: Danzo’s death-triggered formulas had almost entirely destroyed his brain. Shisui’s eye and the Reverse Four Symbols Seal formula survived 187 195.

The corpse later appeared among Nagato’s Paths of Pain. It entered Konoha wearing Akatsuki clothing, killed Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, and identified itself as Pain rather than Danzo. Tsunade subsequently recognized it as the Preta Path 224 229.

After Nagato absorbed the Ten-Tails, Tsuki returned the discarded corpse to the reanimated Hiruzen. Hiruzen reflected that the man who called ninja tools had himself become another person’s tool 236.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Release

• Vacuum Sphere: Fires rapid barrages of compressed air mixed with chakra 95 186.
• Vacuum Wave: Produces a crescent-shaped cutting blade of air 186.
• Vacuum Serial Waves: Launches intersecting air blades; their combined force breached Tsuki’s unenhanced Thousand-Armed Kannon 186.
• Wind Release: Shuriken: Adds wind blades to thrown shuriken, increasing their cutting power 95 186.
• Weapon enhancement: Coats a kunai in Wind Release for close combat 186.

Izanagi

• Makes unfavorable events within a limited period as though they never occurred, at the cost of a Sharingan’s sight 186.
• Enabled his ambush of Shisui after apparently falling under genjutsu 104.
• Allowed repeated recoveries from fatal attacks during his battle with Tsuki, but could not protect him once his arm’s eyes were exhausted 186.

Kotoamatsukami

• Acquired through Shisui’s stolen right Mangekyō Sharingan; alters a target’s will without requiring eye contact 104 110 186.
• Served as a contingency against Obito and a planned advantage in Danzo’s next bid for Hokage 122 186.
• Required him to locate his target. Tsuki exploited mist, poison, a Water Clone, and a concealed summon to redirect the technique onto Iu 186.

Hashirama Cells

• Helped restore the depleted ocular power of Shisui’s transplanted eye 110.
• Became uncontrollable after heavy chakra consumption and the exhaustion of his arm’s Sharingan 186.
• Began consuming his chakra and bodily tissue to form a tree, forcing him to remove the arm 186.

Sealing Techniques

• Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal: Applied through physical contact. Danzo used it to restrain Obito after identifying the moment he became tangible 138.
• Reverse Four Symbols Seal: An S-rank sacrificial technique that draws objects within a hundred meters into the user’s body. Its activation is slow, and Tsuki interrupted it before completion 186 195.
• Death-triggered formulas: Protected the secrets within his body by causing destruction after death, leaving his brain almost entirely ruined 195.

Intelligence and Covert Operations

• Directed Root’s espionage, recruitment, assassinations, and foreign operations 12 29 109.
• Used impersonation and false-flag attacks against both Akatsuki and the Uchiha 29 122.
• Outsourced politically sensitive killings to Amegakure rather than deploy Konoha forces openly 53 65.

Equipment

• Cane — Habitual walking aid 137.
• Kunai and shuriken — Used for close combat and Wind Release-enhanced attacks 95 186.
• Implanted Sharingan — Concealed beneath his right-eye bandages and within his modified right arm 104 186.
• Body-inscribed sealing formulas — Included the Reverse Four Symbols Seal and safeguards intended to destroy secrets after death 195.

Relationships

• Hiruzen Sarutobi — Longstanding political partner and rival. Danzo described them as Konoha’s darkness and light, despite attempting to assassinate him 53 65 66.
• Hanzō — Political ally against the original Akatsuki; Danzo later believed Hanzō had betrayed him by taking the Rinnegan 29 89.
• Aoki Tsuki — Former contractor, liaison, and informant who became an assassination target and ultimately killed him 17 39 77 186.
• Aburame Ryoma — Trusted Root subordinate who reported on the Land of Rain and later disappeared while gathering intelligence 29 39 84.
• Orochimaru — Research collaborator supplied with funds and test subjects. Danzo suspected him of revealing his combat secrets to Tsuki 89 122 186.
• Obito Uchiha — Opportunistic ally known to Danzo as “Madara.” Their cooperation ended in a violent dispute over the Uchiha massacre’s spoils 95 135 138.
• Shisui Uchiha — Operative whose loyalty Danzo exploited before stealing his right eye 96 104.
• Itachi Uchiha — Assigned to surveil his clan, then pressured into its extermination; Danzo later blamed him for Shisui’s death 130 135 137.

Notable Quotes

“It’s always been this way. You are the light, and I am the darkness.” 66

“This is also for the village’s lasting peace. I’ll be taking your Sharingan.” 104

“Ugh... Hiruzen, in the end, I never did catch up to you.” 186