Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi 18 60
Alias(es)	Third Hokage (三代); Professor of Ninjutsu; Hero of the Ninja World 13
Species/Race	Originally human; later appears in the body of a white female dog 519
Gender	Male; his later canine body is female 519
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Sarutobi Clan. Eventually rejected by the village and disowned by his clan 503 505
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage; Sarutobi Clan head 495 505
Status	Removed from office and surrendered to the four major hidden villages; subsequently shown alive as a dog 505 519
First Appearance	First documented appearance in the supplied context: Chapter 12 12

Background / History

Hiruzen lived through the Warring States period and survived the First Shinobi World War. During that war, Tobirama Senju died covering his and his companions’ escape. Appointed Third Hokage during the crisis following Tobirama’s death, Hiruzen helped restore Konoha’s military standing and bring the war to an end 30 457 493.

The Sarutobi Clan committed almost its entire strength to consolidating his position during the war. His achievements earned him the titles Professor of Ninjutsu and Hero of the Ninja World, but the clan’s losses weakened his political foundation. He revised the teachings of the Will of Fire to attract civilian ninja and strengthen his support 13.

Hiruzen inherited Tobirama’s policies toward the Uchiha and believed their eventual elimination was inevitable. However, the Uchiha had retained much of their strength by remaining in Konoha during the war. Their surviving Warring States veterans—and the possibility that some possessed Mangekyō Sharingan—made him unwilling to confront the clan openly 12 13.

Appearance

• Aging face: His later appearance is explicitly described as old and deeply wrinkled 429.
• Pipe: Frequently smokes while conducting business in the Hokage’s office 16 17 224.
• Later canine body: Appears as a white female dog and returns to the familiar Sarutobi Clan entrance on four legs 519.

Personality

Hiruzen carefully separates his public image from his private objectives. He rebukes Danzo for speaking of “eradicating” the Uchiha, despite privately supporting their destruction. He treats such language as unacceptable in the Hokage’s presence rather than rejecting the underlying policy 16.

His political strength lies in patience, information control, and understanding other people’s loyalties. He turns Uchiha hostility into support from smaller clans, restricts Danzo’s authority, and exploits Sakumo’s commitment to protecting young comrades. Challenges to his status, however, can provoke sudden anger even toward longtime friends 17 29 30 210.

His attachment to the Hokage’s authority repeatedly obstructs decisive action. He refuses to leave Konoha for long because other clans might encroach on his power, even when Tenchu argues that Li Yao must be killed before growing stronger. Tenchu concludes that his father loves Konoha chiefly when it remains under his leadership 126.

His deepest priority is the Sarutobi Clan’s advancement. He accumulates ninjutsu knowledge, wealth, and surviving personnel to make it the strongest shinobi clan. Nevertheless, his concern for individual family members is genuine: he anxiously checks whether Tenchu and Ayase are alive and later begs Li Yao to spare his son 123 462 480.

He also shows concern for Konoha’s younger generation, refusing to send children under fifteen to war and placing limits on Minato’s search for Kushina. That protective stance coexists with his willingness to sacrifice civilians and prolong conflict to preserve his authority 63 195 464.

Abilities & Skills

Five Basic Elemental Releases

• Proficient in Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth Release, contributing to his reputation as the Professor of Ninjutsu 152.
• Years of refining elemental chakra give him a higher chakra-nature intensity than ordinary ninja 140.
• Uses Fire, Water, and Lightning Release against Li Yao; contact with those attacks allows Li Yao to copy their chakra nature transformations 54 63.
• Lightning Water Dragon Bullet is identified as his strongest offensive composite ninjutsu, but it cannot penetrate Li Yao’s black sealing-chakra defense 54.
• Water Release: Water Shockwave floods the battlefield as part of an attempt to exhaust Li Yao’s chakra 54.

Taijutsu and Super Strength

• Combines a full-force burst of Super Strength with Enma’s Adamantine Staff for powerful physical strikes 52.
• Coordinates closely with Enma in melee combat and uses the staff to deflect Li Yao’s Black Iron Chains 52 53.
• Rapidly evaluates an opponent’s defenses after an unsuccessful attack rather than continuing with the same approach 52 54.

Summoning Technique: Enma

• Summons Enma, a sturdy old monkey and trusted combat partner 51.
• Enma transforms into an Adamantine Staff that can extend and contract freely 52.
• The staff retains its transformed state under chakra suppression, although suppression can prevent Enma from manifesting additional limbs 52 53.
• Uses Enma outside combat to check whether Tenchu and Ayase’s names remain on the summon clan’s contract scroll, confirming their survival 123.
• Enma is central to his fighting strength: the narrative attributes at least half of his Kage-level power to the summon 502.

Sealing Knowledge

• Personally instructs Dan Katō in the Reaper Death Seal after Dan struggles to learn it 109.
• Considers the Reaper Death Seal as a last resort against Li Yao 138.
• Plans to trap Li Yao with the Four Red Yang Formation, relying on Mito Uzumaki to prepare a supporting sealing scroll 138 139.
• Fights inside a Four Violet Flames Formation erected by Anbu; the barrier is his subordinates’ technique, not an independently demonstrated ability of his own 52 53.

Shadow Clone Technique

• Uses a shadow clone during the Five Kage confrontation 152.
• The clone cannot react quickly enough to Li Yao’s accelerated attack in Lightning Release Chakra Mode and is destroyed by a kick 152.

Genjutsu Resistance and Combat Limits

• His refined elemental chakra renders ordinary genjutsu ineffective against him 140.
• He lacks confidence against Li Yao’s stronger genjutsu and seeks protection through possession by Dan Katō’s spirit body 138 139 140.
• Without Enma’s support, he is assessed as the weakest of the assembled Five Kage: his attacks trail Dust Release, his speed trails the Third Raikage, and his basic ninjutsu lacks the potency of the other Kage’s kekkei genkai 152.
• Recognizes that he cannot block Fugaku’s Amaterasu and would have to evade it 457.
• Li Yao eventually immobilizes him with genjutsu and later prevents his attempted summoning with Decay Lightning 458 502.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Adamantine Staff — Enma’s transformed body; Hiruzen’s principal documented melee weapon 52 53.
• Smoking pipe — Regularly used in his office 16 224.
• Tobirama’s archives — Consulted to identify Fugaku Uchiha’s black flames as Amaterasu 457.
• Four Red Yang Formation sealing scroll — Support item prepared by Mito Uzumaki for the planned operation against Li Yao 139.

Relationships

• Danzo Shimura — Childhood friend, allied clan head, and political rival. Hiruzen authorizes Root while restricting its independence and supervising Danzo through appointed deputies 18 29 30 36.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu — Hokage advisors whose influence depends on his office. He rejects their attempts to claim Root’s leadership and later assigns them to seek wartime funding 17 18 47.
• Biwako Sarutobi — Wife. Participates in the pursuit of Li Yao and exchanges intelligence with Hiruzen through monkey summons; Li Yao later uses her against him 130 138 461 480.
• Sarutobi Tenchu — Son and former Anbu commander. Their relationship deteriorates over Hiruzen’s hesitation against Li Yao, though Hiruzen later desperately pleads for his life 126 194 462.
• Ayase Sarutobi — Daughter-in-law and Tenchu’s mission partner. Helps pursue Li Yao and agrees to return to Konoha for Hiruzen’s revenge plan 68 123 130.
• Mina Sarutobi — Illegitimate daughter. Li Yao kills her and preserves her head for use against Hiruzen 68.
• Li Yao / Kimura Yao — Prisoner turned enemy. Hiruzen’s pursuit of an alleged immortality technique leads to Li Yao’s imprisonment; Li Yao later returns to exact revenge 53 60 78 458.
• Dan Katō — Specialist retained as a countermeasure against Li Yao. Hiruzen teaches him sealing and plans to use his Spirit Transformation Technique for genjutsu protection 78 109 138.
• Orochimaru — Disciple and initially favored successor. Their relationship fractures when Orochimaru refuses Hiruzen’s reckless offensive orders and exposes the Sakumo conspiracy to Tsunade 30 493 502.
• Tsunade — Former student who publicly turns against him, supports his removal, and temporarily assumes the Hokage’s duties 502 503.
• Hatake Sakumo — Popular ninja whom Hiruzen views as a succession threat. Hiruzen engineers a mission scandal to undermine him; Li Yao’s Lightning Style Clone later acts through Sakumo’s identity in Hiruzen’s downfall 194 195 502.
• Minato Namikaze — Young ninja whom Hiruzen eventually promotes as his preferred Hokage candidate, using his battlefield achievements to build prestige 18 63 457 470.
• Chiba Emi — Trusted secretary. Suggests an alliance with the Third Tsuchikage and Third Raikage when Konoha alone cannot supply the necessary forces against Li Yao 29 139.
• Mito Uzumaki — Senior figure whose influence could force his resignation. Hiruzen explains Li Yao’s imprisonment to her and later relies on her sealing support 60 139.
• Sarutobi Gekko — Secretly cultivated Eight Gates specialist, originally intended to counter Uchiha Mangekyō users. Hiruzen considers sacrificing him to kill Li Yao 138 140.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Consolidating Authority and Establishing Root

Hiruzen intervenes when the Uchiha Luffy brothers confront Anbu transporting a prisoner. His killing intent leaves the brothers unable to resist, but he avoids striking first because an attack would give the Uchiha political justification to oppose him 12.

He later authorizes Root as a special unit under Anbu jurisdiction, explicitly denying it autonomy. Its initial allocation is only two squads—eight ninja—and he appoints two deputies to monitor Danzo. Sarutobi Hibiki’s assignment is specifically intended to prevent reckless actions that could implicate the Hokage 29 30 36.

Li Yao’s Imprisonment and Escape

After Minato notices Kimura Yao’s abnormality, Hiruzen suspects possession through the Spirit Transformation Technique. He identifies the controlling soul as Li Yao and transfers the prisoner to Danzo. His interest in an alleged immortality technique delays decisive action against the captive 17 53 60.

When Li Yao escapes Root, Hiruzen pursues him with Enma and Anbu support. His attacks fail to overcome Li Yao’s sealing-chakra defenses, and a shadow-clone decoy allows the real body to escape unnoticed 51 52 53 54.

Hiruzen subsequently learns that Danzo violated their agreement to kill Li Yao after one year and implanted him with the First Hokage’s cells. He resolves to seal Li Yao before those cells fully fuse and retains Dan Katō as a specialized countermeasure 78.

Wartime Pursuit and the Five Kage Alliance

During the Second Shinobi World War, Hiruzen delegates negotiations with Amegakure to Danzo and requests additional funding through his advisors. Konoha fights on multiple fronts while retaining the Sarutobi Hokage Guard Ninja Corps at home 47.

Li Yao’s growing strength forces Hiruzen to consider increasingly elaborate measures: Dan’s spirit-body protection, Mito’s barrier support, and Gekko’s Eight Gates Formation. At Emi’s suggestion, he contacts rival Kage; the resulting Five Kage alliance removes the immediate need to sacrifice Gekko, though hostility among its members complicates cooperation 138 139 140 147.

The White Fang Conspiracy

Sakumo’s popularity becomes a threat to Hiruzen’s continued rule. Promoting him to Anbu commander backfires when villagers and clans interpret the appointment as preparation for a Hokage succession 194.

Hiruzen and Danzo then devise a mission designed to discredit Sakumo. Root is to attack border towns and threaten his teammates, forcing him to choose between mission completion and their survival. Hiruzen deliberately assigns young Anbu whom Sakumo would feel obligated to protect 195 200 210.

After the public backlash, Li Yao’s Lightning Style Clone, acting as Sakumo, resigns both the command and his ninja status. This defeats Hiruzen’s secondary plan to offer support and turn the disgraced White Fang into a dependent subordinate 224.

Li Yao’s Return and Covert Control

As another war continues, Hiruzen promotes Minato’s reputation while worrying about Fugaku and Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan. Li Yao infiltrates his office, immobilizes him, and takes him to the underground Anbu facility where Li Yao had been tortured. A transformed shadow clone impersonates Hiruzen in his absence 457 458 459.

Li Yao subjects Hiruzen and his family to revenge, then causes him to forget the previous night through genjutsu. Hiruzen resumes official duties while Tenchu remains trapped in an interstitial space, unable to reach him 461 462 464.

Hiruzen’s later power-seeking decisions occur under Li Yao’s influence, which amplifies an existing desire for control. He orders expanded offensives and sends Fugaku and Shisui toward the Sand battlefield, hoping to weaken the Uchiha through their deaths. Orochimaru refuses to execute the offensive orders 493 495 502.

Removal and Final Documented Fate

Tsunade publicly exposes Hiruzen’s role in the White Fang incident. He attempts to summon Enma, but Li Yao’s Lightning Style Clone seals him with Decay Lightning before he can resist 502.

Konoha gathers evidence, publicly denounces him, and removes him from office. Li Yao manipulates the crowd’s hostility as Hiruzen is escorted out and surrendered to the four major hidden villages in exchange for peace. Hiruzen takes some comfort in the Sarutobi Clan disowning him, believing it will protect them 503 504 505.

His last documented condition is not death: he appears as a white female dog. Returning to the Sarutobi compound, he remembers his family and believes Biwako will recognize him despite his new body 517 519.

Counterpart in the Other Naruto World

The novel also depicts a separate Hiruzen in the Naruto world reached through the Dragon Vein. This counterpart appears alongside the other Hokage and Itachi during the confrontation with Li Yao 345 411.

• Attacks Li Yao’s Obito Shadow Clone with a Rasengan 416.
• Is thrown roughly a thousand meters by a repulsive attack, damaging his Impure World Reincarnation body 416.
• Eventually kneels alongside the other Hokage after the Sarutobi Clan’s destruction, reluctantly yielding rather than sacrificing his carefully maintained reputation 429.

Notable Quotes

“Does your Uchiha Clan intend to attack me, the Hokage?” 12

“But Root must remain under the Anbu’s jurisdiction. It will only be a special unit under the Anbu, and you will have no autonomy.” 29

“This is rebellion. Do you understand that?!” 502