Danzo Shimura: The Dark Side of The Leaf

Danzo Shimura is one of the most controversial and mysterious characters in the anime Naruto Shippuden. He is the leader of the secret organization Root, which operates under the hidden leaf village, Konoha.

He is also a former candidate for the position of Hokage, the supreme leader of Konoha. He is known for his ruthless and pragmatic methods, often sacrificing his own subordinates and allies for the sake of his goals. He is also a master of various ninjutsu techniques, such as the Izanagi, which allows him to alter reality and escape death.

In this article, we will explore the background, personality, motives, and actions of Danzo Shimura, and how he influenced the events of Naruto Shippuden.

All about Danzo Shimura

• Birthdate: January 6
• Sex: Male
• Age: Part II: 72–73
• Status: Deceased
• Height: Part II: 170 cm
• Weight: Part II: 52.7 kg
• Blood type: AB
• Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan/Mangekyō Sharingan/Wood Release
• Occupation: Leader of Root/Candidate Sixth Hokage
• Affiliation: Konohagakure/Root
• Team: Konoha Council/Escort Unit
• Clan: Shimura Clan

Danzo Shimura’s Background

Born into the Shimura Clan to his shinobi father, Danzō went onto joining the Academy, where he was amongst the first few hundred of students to graduate.

From his genin days, he was acquainted with Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom he became rivals with in everything.[6] Danzō once saw the First Hokage in battle, where he witnessed Hashirama’s formidable Wood Release.

During the First Shinobi World War, Danzo, as part of the Escort Unit alongside Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi and Team Tobirama, became surrounded by Kumogakure’s Kinkaku Squad.

Having concluded that a member of their team had to sacrifice themselves as a decoy in order for the rest of them to escape, Danzō struggled to bring himself to volunteer.

As Hiruzen proclaimed to take the role, Danzō called himself weak while a part of him was relieved. Lashing out at Hiruzen for volunteering before he could, the Second Hokage decided to be the decoy instead, while appointing Hiruzen as his successor to Danzō’s shock. The team then managed to escape at the cost of Tobirama’s life.

With Hiruzen having beaten him to the title of Hokage, Danzo began planning to someday attain the title himself. Taking up the village’s more clandestine operations – something that Hiruzen noted because of his own indulgence, he allowed Danzo to do – he created the Anbu subsidiary named Root, with the organisation under Danzō’s direct command. Within this group, Danzō himself hand-picked various young shinobi with noticeable potential to join.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Danzō agreed to provide aid to Hanzō of Amegakure in order to receive help in claiming the title of Hokage, sending some of his forces to deal with Akatsuki, but they were all wiped out by Nagato.

In the anime, it is revealed Danzō manipulated Hanzō into joining forces with him against Akatsuki, having brought him corpses of Ame shinobi claiming they were killed by Akatsuki.

In truth, they were Root members disguised as Iwa shinobi that were killed during Nagato’s rampage, originally being used to disrupt a peace treaty between Konohagakure and Iwagakure in his pursuit to strengthen Konohagakure.

Once the two shinobi joined forces, Danzō approached Akatsuki as an Ame shinobi named Kanzō (カンゾウ, Kanzō), informing them that Hanzō is allowing the group to make peace negotiations, which of course was a ruse concocted by the allied shinobi.

At some point in time, Danzō also had dealings with Orochimaru, who accompanied him, along with Tatsuma Aburame, to Konoha Orphanage where he strong-armed a former Anbu agent, Nonō, to infiltrate Iwagakure and confirm the intel on what the village was planning. Soon after, Danzō notices Kabuto Yakushi spying from the window and decides to recruit the boy as well.

However, in time, both Kabuto and Nonō become assets too dangerous to be left alive and Danzō tricks a brainwashed Nonō into killing Kabuto. Danzō sent Orochimaru to ensure no survivors, however, he instead took Kabuto under his wing without Danzō’s knowledge.

At some point, Orochimaru also surgically replaced Danzō’s right arm with Shin Uchiha’s, infusing the limb with Hashirama Senju’s DNA to modify his physical energy.

Later in the anime, when Hiruzen sought to end the bloodshed from the Third Shinobi World War through a truce with the other villages, Danzō voiced his disdain, feeling that a such an act was spitting on the memory of all the Konoha shinobi who died so far.

Understanding Danzō’s intent, Hiruzen decided to take responsibility for the loss by stepping down as Hokage. At a meeting with the Land of Fire Council, Danzō strongly suggested that Orochimaru be made Fourth Hokage.

Hiruzen, however, pointed out that Orochimaru had grown power-hungry and showed signs of sinister intent. Ultimately, Minato Namikaze was elected as Fourth Hokage unanimously, excluding Danzo who detested the idea, feeling that following Hiruzen’s ideology will ultimately destroy Konoha.

In the anime — during Kurama’s attack on Konoha — Danzō insisted that the Uchiha Clan not be allowed to join in the defence of the village, fearing that someone like Madara Uchiha would take advantage of the situation and use the Nine-Tails against Konoha.

Ultimately, he convinced Hiruzen to have the Uchiha purely protect the citizens and avoid the Nine-Tails. After Kurama was stopped, Danzō was one of the elders to suspect the Uchiha clan was behind the attack, and began a spying operation on them, relocating the Uchiha to the outskirts of the village.

With the Fourth Hokage sacrificing himself to seal away the Nine-Tails inside his son, Hiruzen humbly resumed his role as Third Hokage, much to Danzō’s disdain.

Afterwards, Danzō approached a grieving young Kakashi Hatake, noting that it was Hiruzen’s orders for the children, even high-ranking ninja like Kakashi, to not help battle the Nine-Tails, ultimately preventing Kakashi from possibly saving his sensei and his wife.

Convincing an emotional Kakashi that Hiruzen was not best for the future of the village, Kakashi agreed to join Danzō’s Root division and spy on Hiruzen for him.

Later, as the Third Hokage resumed his role, Danzō, no longer able to tolerate Hiruzen’s overly passive methods, sought to dispose of him. He sent several Root members to assassinate Hiruzen.

However, a smug Danzō was soon approached by Hiruzen, who revealed that Kakashi informed him of the assassination attempt. As Danzō feared for his life knowing he could be executed for his treasonous actions, Hiruzen calmly chose to spare Danzō, keeping this event a secret on the condition Danzō agreed to dedicate his life to protecting the village.

Quickly recomposing himself, Danzō plainly stated that Hiruzen’s naive faith and mercy would be his end one day, to which the Third solemnly admitted may be so.

Later, Danzo met with Orochimaru, telling him about the recent events and insisted they not meet for a while in fear Hiruzen might realise that Danzo and Orochimaru were behind the abduction of several Konoha citizens, to which the Sannin voiced that Hiruzen probably already has his suspicions.

However, Orochimaru did another implant onto Danzō taking Shin’s Sharingan-embedded arm and placing that, alongside some of Hashirama’s cells, onto that of Danzō’s.

Later, Orochimaru’s sinister actions were discovered by the Third Hokage, forcing the Sannin to abandon Konoha. When Danzō learned of this, he knew Orochimaru would most likely go to their hideout with the Iburi clan.

He sent Kinoe to inform the clan of Orochimaru’s arrival. Danzō’s true goal was to have Kinoe capture Orochimaru, agreeing with Hiruzen that Orochimaru was too dangerous to let go rogue.

Over the years, Danzō continued to recruit new members of Root, including Torune Aburame of the Aburame clan. Three years after Orochimaru’s defection from the village, fearing that his stolen Sharingan eye would soon go blind from its overuse, Danzō sent Kinoe in an attempt to steal Kakashi’s Sharingan as a replacement.

Kinoe soon returned, having chosen to abandon his mission, much to Danzō’s fury. Reminding the young shinobi of his duties as a Root member, Kinoe insisted that they should not attack allies to Konoha, which Danzō proclaimed that Root’s only true allies is its own and exists only to protect Konoha itself.

Unable to accept Danzō’s cold views, Kinoe spoke out, making his feelings known. Horrified to see how much Kinoe had changed, Danzō used his Sharingan to incapacitate Kinoe, having one of his men take Kinoe to have his cursed seal activated.

As Danzō arrived at the operating room, he discovered Kakashi freeing Kinoe and retreating with him. Danzō and his men soon surrounded the duo. As Kinoe was still under Danzō’s command and Kakashi had trespassed on Root territory, Danzō had full authority to execute them.

Before Danzō could act, the Third Hokage arrived, revealing that Kakashi was sent on his orders with a summoning request to be delivered to Danzō. No longer able to attack, Danzō faked ignorance of Hiruzen’s letter and called off his men.

Hiruzen then spoke to Danzō about Kinoe and his abilities. Insisting that Konoha needed the Wood Release, Danzō agreed to hand over Kinoe to Hiruzen’s command but chose to not remove Kinoe’s cursed seal.

Three years later, a potential alliance between Konoha and the Land of Woods was made. While a team was sent to exchange secret scrolls with the Wood-nin as a sign of trust, a small team of Anbu, under Danzō’s command, was sent to observe under the suspicion that the Wood-nin would betray Konoha, in which case, the Anbu were ordered to kill them.

Danzō chose Kakashi, still having high respect for his abilities, and the new recruit Danzō recommended into Anbu, Itachi Uchiha, as a two-man team for the mission.

Two years later, when word reached Konoha’s leadership of a planned coup d’état by the Uchiha clan, Danzō took advantage of Itachi’s pacifist tendencies and convinced him to provide him and the other elders with information of the clan’s actions.

When Shisui Uchiha, acknowledged for his unquestionable loyalty to Konohagakure, presented his plan of ceasing the Uchiha’s coup by casting Kotoamatsukami on his clansmen to the Council, Hiruzen agreed.

Danzō, however, determined to protect the village in his own way and, believing that Shisui may try to manipulate him as well, stole the latter’s right eye, implanting it into his socket, with Shisui committing suicide sometime later.

When Hiruzen decided to end the coup diplomatically, Danzō secretly met with Itachi and inveigled him into choosing to slaughter his clan by presenting him with the option of killing them and sparing his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha or letting them go through with the coup and having them all killed as a result. Itachi regretfully chose to kill the Uchiha clan.

Soon after the deed was done, Danzō told everyone that Itachi had done this out of his own will, having grown to despise his clan and even sought greater power by stealing Shisui’s eyes.

While everyone else believed this fabricated story, Hiruzen saw through Danzō’s lie, voicing his disgust at Danzō’s actions. While trying to justify his actions by claiming it was for the village, Hiruzen retorted that the Uchiha were part of the village and never actually performed any treachery before their demise.

No longer able to trust Danzō and his underhanded ways, Hiruzen immediately removed him from the Council and ordered for his Root division to be disbanded.

Afterwards, Itachi’s clone, disguised as a Root member, approached Danzō and threatened to expose Konoha’s secrets to the other countries if Danzō ever harmed Sasuke.

He met with Tobi around this time for reasons unknown. Over the years, despite his Root division being officially disbanded, Danzō continued to keep it secretly active.

During the Konoha Crush, the Fourth Raikage insinuated that the invasion was a secret plot of Danzō with Akatsuki to dispose of both the Hiruzen and the Fourth Kazekage; however, it is unknown whether this actually happened.

After seeing Hiruzen sacrifice himself using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to defeat Orochimaru, Danzō decided to teach Sai how to use a powerful fūinjutsu, in order to prevent the same from happening to himself.

During the training, Danzō noted that Sai could use “emotional energy” to bolster the power of the attack but warned the young man not to fall prey to his negative emotions.

The Early Years of Danzo Shimura

Danzo Shimura was born in Konoha during the era of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He was a childhood friend and rival of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who would later become the Third Hokage. Danzo and Hiruzen were both students of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, and they competed for his recognition and approval.

Danzo was always insecure about his abilities and feared that he was inferior to Hiruzen. He also harbored a deep resentment towards Hashirama and Tobirama for their pacifist ideals, which he believed were naive and unrealistic.

He felt that peace could only be achieved through strength and sacrifice, and that Konoha needed a leader who was willing to make tough decisions and eliminate any threats.

Danzo’s worldview was further shaped by his experiences in the Second Shinobi World War, where he witnessed the horrors of war and lost many comrades.

He also encountered Hanzo, the leader of the hidden rain village, Amegakure, who gave him a scar on his right eye and dubbed him “Shimura of the Darkness”. Danzo realized that he had to become stronger and more ruthless to protect Konoha from its enemies.

Danzo Shimura’s Personality

When he was younger, Danzō was a hotheaded and eager ninja with a strong desire to prove himself. He, after a long internal struggle, decided to volunteer himself to buy time for his teammates, though Hiruzen beat him to it.

He often displayed jealousy towards Hiruzen, believing he was always one step ahead of him and feeling inferior to him. Danzō never used soft words like “friend”, as he never wanted to lean on someone or be leaned on.

As an adult, Danzō was a completely calm, cold and collected individual who did not allow his emotions to surface. Having fought many wars, and having looked up to his father’s and grandfather’s example of dying in battle, he came to disagree with other Hokage, believing that the interests of the village should be placed above all else, even ethics and morals.

Danzō seemed to hate the previous Hokage’s beliefs stating those beliefs have destroyed the village after Pain’s assault on it, despite using the attack as an attempt to overthrow Tsunade and leaving its citizens in peril as well as being responsible for Nagato’s negative perceptions of Konoha, which lead to its destruction.

According to Koharu Utatane, Danzō was very ambitious, but she also stated that all he ever did was for the sake of the village. In the anime, his desire to be a greater and stronger Hokage than Hiruzen made him even attempt to have Hiruzen assassinated in the belief that the Third Hokage had lost the capacity to effectively lead the village.

An extremist, Danzō preferred to directly eliminate threats through assassination and execution rather than diplomacy and negotiation. However, he secretly worked closely with the international criminal Orochimaru in illegal experiments in order to increase his physical capabilities.

Danzō possessed a fanatical and arbitrary adherence to the ideals of a shinobi, believing they must sacrifice absolutely everything for the village.

However, Danzō hypocritically feared death, hiding this fear behind a belief that his survival was necessary for the sake of the shinobi world itself. He would only conquer this fear in the last moments of his life, boldly attempting to kill Sasuke and Tobi for the sake of his village and the entire shinobi world with his suicide, and destroying Shisui’s eye with his dying breath.

Despite his reputation as a militarist, Danzō ultimately sought peace for the ninja world, one he would achieve by uniting all shinobi forces under his control. As such, he sought the title of Hokage, waiting patiently for decades before an opportunity arose.

Danzō’s pursuit of peace followed an ends justifies the means. As such, he had no remorse taking any immoral actions as long as he believed it would benefit Konoha.

To that end, he worked in the shadows to ensure that this future came to fruition. He used Root to eliminate potential threats to Konohagakure with or without the consent of the Hokage and to further him along the path to achieving the position, as he believed he was best prepared for the “necessary” transition.

Because of the nature of his actions, Danzō could not allow the details of what he had done to become public knowledge, and thus he branded members of Root with cursed seals to prevent them from revealing his secrets.

Danzō also believed Konoha was strongest and most stable when the village had a target to focus its anger and hatred on. To this end, Danzō was key in stigmatising the Uchiha clan to the rest of the village and was the one to secretly leak out the knowledge that Naruto Uzumaki was the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, ensuring the villagers would loathe him as a result.

Danzō also views the members of Root as expendable pawns and shows no remorse in having them perform duties that could result in permanent injury as shown in his ordering Fū to gouge out Ao’s Byakugan, despite the fact it would result in Fū losing his eye as well.

Danzō is also treacherous by nature. Likewise, should an “ally” prove too capable for his comfort, Danzō will see to their elimination, as he attempted to do with both Nonō and Kabuto. Itachi also believed Danzo had no intention of honouring his promise of sparing Sasuke when he accepted the mission to kill his own clan and had to threaten to leak Konoha’s secrets to enemy villages and risk his own safety by returning to Konoha after Hiruzen’s death to protect Sasuke’s life.

He was willing to do anything to further his physical and political powers, as shown in allowing himself to be experimented on with Hashirama’s cells by Orochimaru in order to gain the power to control a tailed beast and extend his use of Izanagi.

He also broke international law by manipulating Mifune into making him supreme commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. In his later years, Danzo had become somewhat delusional, believing that he would be able to change the Shinobi World, even though his actions at the Kage Summit lost him his credibility.

Danzō also had no hesitation in stealing Shisui’s right eye in order to gain access to Kotoamatsukami despite his unquestionable loyalty to Konoha over his own clan and the fact he was a descendant of someone who had once been Danzō’s own comrade. Tobi deduced Danzō’s intent was to seize control of the Nine-Tails from Naruto by using his multiple Sharingan.

Danzō is also shown to be extremely arrogant, as seen in his gloating during his final clash with Sasuke, believing he had won, and only he is capable of changing the entire world.

Despite his self-righteous, amoral, and draconian methods, Danzo had a sense of nobility and dignity. He reprimanded Sasuke for his hatred and violence against Konoha, saying that it had wasted both the sacrifice of the Uchiha and Itachi’s own personal sacrifices.

Like Hiruzen, he used the final moments of his life to help Konoha by trying to take Sasuke and Tobi with him. Despite his envy against the Third and their growing rivalry, he seemed to still care for his boyhood friendship with Hiruzen, reminiscing of his childhood memories with him and asking what he was to Hiruzen in his final moments.

His fellow elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, held Danzō in high regard, and often took his advice when dealing with the politics of the village. It is unknown how much they knew about the full extent of his actions.

The Formation of Root

After the Second Shinobi World War, Danzo founded Root, a covert organization that operated under his command. Root’s members were trained to be emotionless and loyal to Danzo’s will.

They carried out various missions that involved assassination, espionage, sabotage, and manipulation. Danzo’s goal was to create a shadow government that would control Konoha from behind the scenes.

Danzo also sought to acquire more power and influence by collecting various weapons and secrets. He obtained several Sharingan eyes from the Uchiha clan, which he implanted into his right arm and his right eye socket.

He also acquired a part of Hashirama’s cells, which enhanced his chakra and allowed him to use Wood Release techniques. He also learned the secrets of the Izanagi, a forbidden jutsu that enabled him to alter reality at the cost of losing one eye per use.

Danzo’s actions often conflicted with those of Hiruzen, who became the Third Hokage after Tobirama’s death. Hiruzen was aware of Danzo’s existence and activities, but he tolerated him as a necessary evil.

He believed that Danzo’s methods were harsh but effective, and that he balanced out Hiruzen’s own leniency and compassion. However, Danzo secretly despised Hiruzen for being weak and indecisive, and he plotted to overthrow him and become the Hokage himself.

The Uchiha Massacre

One of the most notorious deeds that Danzo committed was his involvement in the Uchiha Massacre. The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful and prestigious clans in Konoha, known for their unique ocular abilities called the Sharingan. However, they also had a history of conflict and betrayal with Konoha, especially with the Senju clan.

After the Nine-Tailed Fox attack on Konoha, which was orchestrated by Madara Uchiha, a rogue member of the Uchiha clan, Danzo suspected that the entire Uchiha clan was plotting a coup d’etat against Konoha.

He convinced Hiruzen and the other elders to isolate and monitor the Uchiha clan in a separate district within Konoha. He also manipulated Itachi Uchiha, a prodigy from the Uchiha clan who was loyal to Konoha, into becoming a double agent for Root.

Danzo eventually ordered Itachi to wipe out his entire clan in exchange for sparing his younger brother Sasuke Uchiha. Itachi reluctantly agreed to this mission, hoping to prevent a civil war between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

He massacred his clan with the help of another Root member named Tobi (who was actually Madara Uchiha in disguise). However, Danzo betrayed Itachi and tried to kill Sasuke as well, but Itachi stopped him and threatened to expose his secrets to the other villages if he ever harmed Sasuke. Danzo backed off, but he still coveted Sasuke’s Sharingan eyes.

The Fourth Shinobi World War

Danzo’s ambition to become the Hokage finally came true after the invasion of Pain, a member of the Akatsuki organization, who attacked and destroyed Konoha.

Hiruzen had died earlier in a battle with Orochimaru, another former student of Tobirama and a rogue ninja. Danzo used his influence and connections to be appointed as the Sixth Hokage by the Fire Daimyo, the feudal lord of the Land of Fire.

However, Danzo’s reign was short-lived and controversial. He refused to cooperate with the other villages in forming an alliance against the Akatsuki, who were planning to capture and use the tailed beasts, powerful creatures that were sealed inside certain individuals, such as Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

He also tried to assassinate Sasuke Uchiha, who had joined the Akatsuki and sought revenge against Konoha for killing his clan. He also attempted to manipulate Naruto Uzumaki into giving up his free will and becoming a weapon for Konoha.

Danzo’s schemes were exposed and foiled by various people, such as Kakashi Hatake, a former student of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Naruto’s father Sai, a former member of Root who befriended Naruto and Sakura Haruno and Tobi, who revealed himself as Madara Uchiha and declared war on the entire shinobi world. Danzo was eventually confronted and killed by Sasuke Uchiha, who took his eyes as a trophy.

Danzo Shimura’s Appearance

Danzō appeared as a frail, old man, who would normally walk with a cane. He had black, shaggy hair, and his right eye was bandaged — concealing a Sharingan underneath.

Danzō has had an x-shaped scar on his chin ever since his youth. He wore a white shirt, with a black or dark grey robe over the top of it covering from his feet, to just over his right shoulder.

The robe conceals his right arm which was bandaged, and covered with three large golden braces. The bandages hid an arm implanted with ten more Sharingan, originally belonging to Shin Uchiha, and the image of the First Hokage’s face protruding from his right shoulder where Hashirama’s cells were injected into his body.

In his youth Danzō was quite handsome. He had the same shaggy hairstyle, except it was much longer, reaching eye level. He also wore the standard armour of that era, which covered his back, chest areas and lower abdomen while leaving his shoulders armourless.

With this he wore a black outfit with matching wrist guards, a shuriken holster on his right upper leg, a pouch tied to his waist with bandages, and a forehead protector.

At that time, he still has both of his normal brown eyes. He hid the right eye with bandages by the time he united with Hanzō in their attack against Akatsuki led by Yahiko, and wore a flak jacket.

It was also shown that at least around the time of the Third Shinobi World War, he wore a black, hooded trench coat and high-length sandals. As a child, Danzō’s attire consisted of a short dark-green kimono tied with a sash.

The Legacy of Danzo Shimura

Danzo Shimura was a complex and controversial figure in the history of Konoha. He was a man who dedicated his life to protecting his village, but he also caused a lot of pain and suffering to many people.

He was a man who sought peace through strength, but he also created more enemies and conflicts for Konoha. He was a man who wanted to be a hero, but he also became a villain.

Danzo Shimura left behind a mixed legacy for Konoha and the shinobi world. Some people respected him for his courage and determination, while others hated him for his cruelty and deception.

Some people admired him for his vision and leadership, while others feared him for his power and manipulation. Some people considered him a friend and ally, while others regarded him as an enemy and rival.

Danzo Shimura was a man who lived in the shadows, but he also cast a long shadow over the fate of Konoha and the shinobi world. He was Danzo Shimura: The Dark Side of the Leaf.

Danzo Shimura’s Abilities

As the leader of the Root and the Sixth Hokage Candidate, Danzō was an exceptionally powerful shinobi. Danzō’s skills were held in high regard by the elders Homura and Koharu as they considered him one of Konoha’s strongest ninja.

Kakashi expressed intense shock learning Danzo had been defeated single-handedly by Sasuke Uchiha. However, this defeat was partly attributed to his old age, his holding back for most of the fight to fight Tobi, and being unable to use Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan.

Despite all this, even with Sasuke’s excessive usage of his own Mangekyo Sharingan, Danzō still fought evenly with Sasuke throughout their battle, and dealt him a potentially fatal wound.

Danzō was adept in both using and dispelling high-level genjutsu, even from powerful Sharingan-users like Sasuke. He also had some skill in taijutsu and a decent amount of physical strength, able to repel Karin with one kick.

Danzō was also quite fast and agile as he was able to catch Sasuke off-guard and, in the anime, evade a large amount of debris falling on him. Additionally, Danzō was highly skilled in kenjutsu, as seen against the Prajñā Group.

Ninjutsu

Danzō was well-versed in fūinjutsu and cursed seals. To prevent his secrets from being exposed, Danzō placed binding seals on the tongues of each Root member. Should a Root member speak openly of Root and Danzō’s activities, the seal would instantly paralyse the member’s body.

Danzō could also implement binding seals in battle, temporarily paralysing the foe. Danzō most powerful seal was the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

It caused four seal symbols to exit from his chest and form a large sphere around him. Everything inside the sphere was then drawn in and imprisoned within his corpse.

Danzō could summon a giant tapir-like creature known as a Baku, described as the “Nightmare-Eater”. A creature of massive size, it had the ability to suck in objects and targets within the area in front of it.

The Baku’s suction could also be used to increase the power of Danzō’s Wind Release techniques. However, using the suction left the creature vulnerable against fire techniques.

Nature Transformation

Danzō could utilise Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire Release in nature transformation, as well as Yin and Yang Release. He was particularly proficient in Wind Release, exhaling powerful vacuum-based attacks able to slash like blades or pierce like bullets.

He could also use larger or localised variations, strong enough to destroy an extremely durable wooden dome or damage a humanoid Susanoo’s defences. Danzō’s Wind Release could also help him manoeuvre in mid-air, as well as enhance the offensive power of his weapons.

Possessing the First Hokage’s cells in his right arm granted Danzo the Wood Release, albeit with a significant toll on his chakra. This combined with his overall rudimentary control and skill with it prompted him to only use it when necessary.

It also appeared that he could only use the Wood Release from his modified right arm although he could do so without using hand seals. After suffering a fatal wound from Sasuke, Danz lost control of Hashirama’s cells, prompting him to sever his arm as it began to rapidly grow into a large tree that threatened to engulf him completely.

Body Modifications

Danzō’s right arm originally belonged to Shin Uchiha. It was implanted with ten Sharingan and enhanced with Hashirama Senju’s cells. Ao also noted that the colour of the chakra in his right arm was also that of Shisui’s.

He normally kept the arm hidden under bandages and a gauntlet-like seal, presumably to conserve chakra and keep the eyes and DNA in check.

Due to integration of Hashirama’s cells, Danzō also gained the shinobi’s ability to heal nearly any wound without the use of hand seals. According to Tobi, Danzō’s possession of both Uchiha and Senju DNA also mean he possessed the potential capability to control Kurama.

Dōjutsu

Sharingan

Danzō’s right eye was that of Shisui Uchiha’s Sharingan, though, in the anime, Shisui’s was not the first one Danzō possessed. He was very skilled at using it, able to detect multiple assassins hidden among his surroundings and subdue individuals with genjutsu. Danzō could use Izanagi, a technique forbidden even amongst the Uchiha clan.

While activated, Danzō’s own body became a physical illusion, nullifying any injury he received from an opponent. This allowed him to survive otherwise fatal attacks while retaining the ability to inflict physical harm to his opponent. Izanagi gave him another benefit; after being “killed”, Danzō would appear elsewhere away from danger to catch his foes off guard.

Thanks to Hashirama’s cells, Izanagi usage was extended for up to 60 seconds in a single Sharingan. While he could not see through or use the passive abilities of the Sharingan embedded in his arm, each eye extended his use of Izanagi, giving him up to 10 minutes of usage.

As each had a set amount of time to maintain the technique, he would break its usage in between as he chooses to conserve time for later use. Obito explained that this length of time is due to the former’s lack of mastery over Hashirama’s cells. Also, even with Danzō’s physical energy augmented by Hashirama’s cells, it still took a substantial amount of chakra to sustain the technique.

Mangekyo Sharingan

Through Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan, Danzō could use Kotoamatsukami, able to manipulate other people’s thoughts without them being aware of it and make them act as if it was their natural choice.

Because Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan circumvents the need to make eye-contact to activate its techniques, Danzo could make use of it without exposing it. Normally, Kotoamatsukami is not a technique that can be used more than once a day.

However, augmented by Hashirama’s cells, Danzō could use it again after a few hours. He had expressed hope in increasing his ability to use this technique more frequently from Orochimaru’s data. Upon his death, Danzō destroyed the eye in fear that it could one day be used against Konoha.