Kage: Danzo Shimura The Sixth Hokage Candidate

Danzō Shimura was an elder of Konohagakure and the leader of Root, a secretive organization. He was known as The Darkness of the Shinobi due to his unauthorized actions and suspected manipulation of Konoha's personnel. Despite his questionable actions, Danzō believed he was acting in the village's best interests. He was chosen as the candidate for the position of the Sixth Hokage after the attack by Pain. However, before he could officially assume the role, Danzō fled the Five Kage Summit and ultimately died in a battle against Sasuke Uchiha at the Samurai Bridge.

Background

Danzō Shimura, a member of the Shimura Clan, grew up with a shinobi father and joined the Academy. He became rivals with Hiruzen Sarutobi and witnessed the powerful abilities of the First Hokage. During the First Shinobi World War, Danzō and his team were trapped by enemies, and he struggled to sacrifice himself for the others. Hiruzen volunteered instead, becoming the Third Hokage. Danzō formed the secretive organization Root, hand-picking young shinobi to join. He made deals with Hanzō and Orochimaru, manipulated events to disrupt peace treaties, and planned to become Hokage himself. He suspected the Uchiha Clan of attacking Konoha and began spying on them. Danzō convinced Kakashi to join Root and plotted to dispose of Hiruzen but was spared. He stole Shisui Uchiha's eye and convinced Itachi to kill the Uchiha clan, lying about Itachi's intentions. Hiruzen removed Danzō from the Council and disbanded Root officially, but Danzō secretly kept it active. He trained Sai in fūinjutsu and feared sacrificing himself like Hiruzen did.

Personality

Danzō was a young and eager ninja who wanted to prove himself. He felt inferior to Hiruzen and was jealous of him. As an adult, Danzō became calm and emotionless, believing that the village's interests should come before anything else, even ethics and morals. He disliked the previous Hokage's beliefs and worked secretly with Orochimaru to enhance his abilities. Danzō believed in sacrificing everything for the village and was willing to use assassination and execution to eliminate threats. He sought the title of Hokage and used his organization, Root, to eliminate potential threats without the Hokage's consent. He also manipulated events to create anger and hatred within the village. Danzō was treacherous and would eliminate allies who became too powerful. He had no remorse for his immoral actions and sought power and control. In his later years, he became delusional and arrogant, thinking he could change the Shinobi World. Despite his methods, Danzō had a sense of nobility and cared for his childhood friendship with Hiruzen. The extent of his actions was unknown to others, including his fellow elders.

Abilities

Danzō was a strong and respected shinobi who led the Root and was a candidate for the position of Sixth Hokage. His skills were highly praised by the elders of Konoha. Although he was defeated by Sasuke Uchiha, it was partly due to his age, holding back in the fight to focus on Tobi, and not being able to use Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan. Despite these challenges, Danzō fought evenly with Sasuke and managed to inflict a potentially fatal wound on him. Danzō was skilled in genjutsu, taijutsu, and had good physical strength. He was also fast and agile, able to surprise Sasuke and evade falling debris. Furthermore, Danzō demonstrated great proficiency in kenjutsu during his battle against the Prajñā Group.

Ninjutsu

Danzō had extensive knowledge and skill in fūinjutsu and cursed seals. To protect his secrets, he placed binding seals on the tongues of his Root members, which would paralyze them if they revealed information about Root or his activities. In battle, he could use binding seals to temporarily immobilize his enemies. One of his most powerful seals was the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, where four seal symbols emerged from his chest and formed a large sphere that trapped and imprisoned everything inside, including himself. Danzō also had the ability to summon a giant creature called a Baku, which resembled a tapir and was known as the "Nightmare-Eater." This creature had the power to suck in objects and targets in its vicinity. Danzō could use the Baku's suction to enhance his Wind Release techniques, but it was vulnerable to fire-based attacks.

Nature Transformation

Danzō had the power to control different elements like Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire. He was really good at using Wind attacks, which could be as sharp as blades or fast as bullets. He could even use stronger versions of these attacks to break tough things or weaken strong defenses. His Wind abilities also helped him move in the air and make his weapons more powerful. Danzō also had the special ability called Wood Release because he had the cells of the First Hokage in his right arm. However, using this power drained a lot of his energy, so he only used it when necessary. He could only use Wood Release from his modified right arm, and he didn't need to use hand signs for it. After getting seriously injured by Sasuke, Danzō couldn't control the implanted cells anymore, so he had to cut off his arm before it turned into a big tree that could have killed him.

Body Modifications

Danzō's right arm originally belonged to Shin Uchiha and was modified with powerful enhancements. It had ten Sharingan eyes and was infused with Hashirama Senju's cells. The chakra in his arm also had the same color as Shisui's. Danzō kept his arm hidden under bandages and a seal to save chakra and control the eyes and DNA. Because of the integration of Hashirama's cells, Danzō gained the ability to heal almost any injury without needing hand signs. Tobi mentioned that Danzō's possession of both Uchiha and Senju DNA gave him the potential to control Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Dōjutsu

Sharingan

Danzō possessed Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan in his right eye, which allowed him to detect hidden assassins and use genjutsu to control others. He could also use a forbidden technique called Izanagi, where his body became an illusion, protecting him from harm. Even when attacked, he could harm his opponents while remaining unharmed. When "killed," Danzō would appear in a different location to surprise his enemies. With Hashirama's cells, he could extend Izanagi's duration up to 60 seconds per Sharingan, and using multiple Sharingan in his arm, he could have up to 10 minutes of usage. However, he had to conserve the technique's time and chakra due to his limited mastery over Hashirama's cells.

Mangekyō Sharingan

Using Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, Danzō possessed the power of Kotoamatsukami, allowing him to manipulate people's thoughts and actions without their awareness. Unlike other Sharingan abilities that require eye contact, this technique could be used discreetly. Normally, Kotoamatsukami could only be used once a day, but with the help of Hashirama's cells, Danzō could use it again after a few hours. He hoped to improve his ability to use the technique more frequently with Orochimaru's data. When Danzō died, he destroyed the eye to prevent it from being used against Konoha in the future.