Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; “Monkey”; Grand-Mentor
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage of Konohagakure; battlefield commander
First Appearance	Chapter 14

Background / History

During the First Shinobi World War, Hiruzen assumed command during a crisis and became Konoha’s Third Hokage. Danzō, who had believed Hiruzen’s appointment was nearly equivalent to his own success, initially chose to support him from the shadows. 15

When intelligence confirmed an impending invasion of the Land of Fire, Hiruzen ordered Anbu, Root, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo into defensive positions. He framed Konoha’s position plainly: the village did not seek war, but would not fear it. 14

Hiruzen personally entered the Land of Rain front when Konoha’s forces were nearing collapse under Hanzō and the Rain Ninja. His arrival restored morale, scattered the enemy formation, and enabled Konoha’s counteroffensive. He later used the Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique against the retreating Rain forces. 17 19

After the war, Hiruzen investigated Hyuga Ao’s Divine Void Strike in Konoha’s Secret Archives and personally informed the Hyuga clan of what he had learned, placing the clan in his debt. 51 He later served as an examiner during Ao’s Jōnin assessment, fighting her directly alongside Monkey King Enma. 55 56

Hiruzen’s long tolerance of Danzō’s autonomy became a major liability. When Hyuga Ao attacked Root, he rushed to rescue his longtime friend, only to be confronted with the consequences of Root’s experiments and abuses. Danzō’s death, Tsunade’s departure, and the re-establishment of the Senju clan left Hiruzen facing a severe crisis of trust within Konoha. 131 132 135 137

During Konoha’s later wars, Hiruzen continued to defend the village personally, including confronting the A–B duo and coordinating strategies against enemy Jinchūriki. 176 178 After Namikaze Minato became Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen led Anbu and Hyuga personnel in the two-year construction of New Moon City on the Moon. 262 291

Appearance

Hiruzen is commonly depicted in formal Hokage attire or combat clothing, usually carrying and smoking a pipe. On the Rain battlefield, he arrived wearing the Hokage’s Divine Robe. 17 19 166

• Wears the Hokage’s Divine Robe during major battlefield interventions. 17
• Frequently carries a pipe, including during strategic meetings and private work. 14 19 244
• Switches to combat attire when responding to threats within Konoha. 166

Personality

Hiruzen is calm and deliberate under political pressure. When Danzō angrily demanded immediate action against the approaching Rain, Earth, and Sand forces, Hiruzen remained composed, smoking while weighing Konoha’s options before issuing a measured deployment order. 14

He is protective of those he considers comrades, students, or Konoha’s younger generation. He checks personally on Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo after the Rain battle, worries deeply for Danzō during the Root incident, and recognizes Kushina’s growth after witnessing her control the Nine-Tails’ chakra. 19 131 166

However, his reluctance to restrain Danzō allowed Root to operate with minimal oversight for years. This failure damages his standing with the Senju, Uchiha, Sannin, and several ninja clans after Danzō’s crimes are exposed. 15 132 135 137

By the later war period, Hiruzen is portrayed as increasingly weary and withdrawn following Danzō’s death. He favors cautious troop redeployment over Hyuga Ao’s proposal for an immediate assault on Kirigakure. 244

Abilities & Skills

Five-Element Ninjutsu

Hiruzen is renowned within Konoha for his broad mastery of ninjutsu and can combine multiple elemental transformations in combat. 19 98

• Uses Fire Style to break enemy formations and force mass retreats. 19
• Combines Fire and Wind Style techniques to pressure opponents protected by Lightning Armor. 176
• Uses Earth Substitution to evade captures at close range. 55
• Creates Shadow Clones capable of participating in large-scale elemental combinations. 19

Five Elements: Great Combo Bullet Technique

Hiruzen and four Shadow Clones each create a dragon of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, or Lightning Release. The five dragons merge into a single destructive giant dragon. 19

• Combines nature transformation and shape transformation across all five basic elements. 19
• Was used to devastate the Rain Ninja army after Hiruzen turned the battle’s momentum. 19

Monkey King Enma Summoning

Hiruzen can summon Monkey King Enma, who transforms into the Adamantine Nyoi-Bō for close combat. 56

• The staff can rapidly extend and contract during battle. 56
• Enma can withstand attacks that ordinary weapons could not. 176
• Hiruzen used Enma against Hyuga Ao during her Jōnin examination. 56

Leadership and Battlefield Strategy

As Hokage, Hiruzen directs Konoha’s military deployments and personally reinforces fronts when a Kage-level presence is needed. 14 17 19

• Organized defensive formations across the borders of the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Rain. 14
• Turned Konoha’s collapsing Rain campaign into a pursuit and counteroffensive. 19 20
• Coordinated Konoha’s response to the threat posed by multiple enemy Tailed Beasts. 178
• Led Konoha’s defense against Kumogakure during the later war of attrition. 262

Crystal Ball Surveillance

Hiruzen uses a crystal ball to observe distant locations and monitor potential threats. 101

• Could not observe Root during Hyuga Ao’s attack because Danzō had blocked the crystal ball’s view of the area. 131

Relationships

• Shimura Danzō — Longtime friend and political counterpart. Hiruzen’s permissiveness enabled Danzō’s unchecked expansion of Root; he nevertheless rushed to save him during Hyuga Ao’s assault. 15 131 132
• Orochimaru — Disciple. Hiruzen recognizes Orochimaru’s mastery of ninjutsu and innovation, later recalling him to reorganize Root after Danzō’s death. 19 137
• Jiraiya — Disciple and battlefield commander under Hiruzen’s orders during the Rain conflict. 14 17
• Tsunade — Disciple. Their relationship fractures after the Root scandal, contributing to Tsunade’s departure from Konoha. 132 135
• Namikaze Minato — Hiruzen admires Minato’s thinking and Flying Thunder God talent; Minato later succeeds him as Fourth Hokage. 166 262
• Uzumaki Kushina — Acts as one of her principal elders in Konoha. He acknowledges her progress in controlling the Nine-Tails but regrets that Konoha neglected her development as a combat Jinchūriki. 166 178
• Hyuga Ao — Calls her “Grand-Mentor” during her Jōnin assessment. Hiruzen investigates her unusual techniques and later becomes wary of her influence over Minato and Kushina. 51 55 166
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke — His eldest son and an Anbu squad leader known by the codename Green Shoot. 71
• Utatane Koharu — Fellow Konoha elder and trusted confidante who sees him off when he secretly departs for the Rain front. 19
• Monkey King Enma — Summoning partner and Adamantine Nyoi-Bō wielder. 56 176

Notable Quotes

“We don't want war, but we're not afraid of it either!” 14

Trivia

• Hiruzen’s nickname, “Monkey,” is used by Utatane Koharu. 19
• He was visibly unsettled when Hyuga Ao revealed that her Caged Bird seal had disappeared. 119
• Konohamaru Sarutobi is identified as a descendant of the Third Hokage. 320