Naruto: Why does Danzo hate the Uchiha? Explained

The Naruto series is filled with several major antagonists, with Danzo Shimura being one of the most hated villains among Naruto fans. Danzo, a member of the Hidden Leaf's Council, was notorious for engaging in unsanctioned actions, undermining select personnel within the Konoha.

Further, Danzo was jealous of his rival Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. In his pursuit of power, and to become a Hokage himself, Danzo engaged in several heinous acts, including orchestrating the destruction of the Uchiha Clan.

The Uchiha Clan is one of the strongest tribes in the entirety of the Naruto series. Being the direct descendants of Indra Otsutsuki, members of this clan are blessed with the power of the Sharingan. As a result, several powerful Uchiha have made an appearance in the Naruto anime, with some attaining godly powers. Naturally, this also meant that the clan made several enemies.

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Uchiha massacre in Naruto and Danzo's involvement

Danzo was envious of the Uchiha because of their visual prowess and considered them to be a danger to the Konoha. He was already suspicious of them after the Nine-Tails (controlled by Obito Uchiha) attacked the Konoha. When he received information about a coup being organized by them, he decided to take measures into his own hands.

However, it is important to note that the underlying reason behind the Uchiha betrayal stems from events in the past. In Naruto, The Uchiha and the Senju Clans were two of the strongest clans during the Warring States Period and had co-founded the Hidden Leaf Village.

Yet, Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan, was chosen to be the first Hokage over Madara Uchiha. This happened because the Daimyo of the Land of Fire considered Madara a threat and, therefore, unsuitable as leader of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Madara initially cut ties with the village but later returned to challenge Hashirama. An epic battle ensued, with Hashirama getting the better of Madara at the Final Valley. This led to mistrust and isolation between members of the Uchiha Clan, and people of the village. In due course, this feeling of ill will resulted in the Uchiha's planning a coup to overthrow the existing Senju-influenced government.

In preparation, the Uchiha began infiltrating the Konoha's command structure and selected members from their clan to act as spies. Itachi Uchiha was placed in the Anbu Black Ops, an important organization under direct control of the Hokage.

However, when Itachi informed him of the coup, he decided to do something concrete. Danzo was able to manipulate Itachi into believing that the only solution to the situation would be through bloodshed and ordered him to eradicate the Uchiha Clan.

After the Uchiha massacre, Danzo stole the Sharingans of deceased Uchiha members in an attempt to grow more powerful. In the Naruto series, Danzo was fundamentally afraid of power in anybody's hands except his own. As Sasuke's power grew and became a substantial threat to the Konoha, Danzo decided to get rid of him as well. He was also afraid of Sasuke learning of his involvement in the Uchiha massacre and what he might do in retaliation.

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Concluding thoughts

Danzo may have believed he was acting in the interest of the Hidden Leaf, but this was far from true. His archaic ideology and insatiable hunger for power clouded his judgement, causing him to sanction the death of an entire clan. He manipulated Itachi into killing every member of the Uchiha Clan, including his parents, inflicting on him unspeakable trauma, which eventually turned him into a criminal.

Not once did Danzo feel remorse for his actions or the need to take responsibility for them. He is the prime example of a person overly fixated with power, unable to distinguish between the good and bad. Almost as a result of cosmic karma, the hatred that Danzo lived with ultimately led to his pitiable demise at the hands of an Uchiha.