Sarutobi Hiruzen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sarutobi Hiruzen (猿飞日斩)
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; “Professor of Ninjutsu”; “Shinobi Hero”
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure’s former higher-ups; Sarutobi Clan
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage; leader of the Sarutobi-aligned ruling faction
Status	Deceased; later summoned through Impure World Reincarnation 427 429
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Background / History

Senju Tobirama selected Hiruzen as a temporary Hokage intended to hold office until Senju Nawaki matured. Although Tobirama’s appointment and Uzumaki Mito’s support gave him the position, Hiruzen lacked broad acceptance from the Senju, Uchiha, and other major clans. He therefore sought to turn nominal authority into real control. 26 174 429

According to Hiruzen’s later confession, he and his allies weakened the Senju during the Second Shinobi War by repeatedly placing them on the front lines while Danzō leaked their intelligence. He also authorized Hashirama Cell experiments that drew in Senju volunteers and further depleted the clan. Nawaki’s death ended the intended succession plan and left Hiruzen entrenched as Hokage. 429

Hiruzen built influence through the Ninja Academy’s “Will of Fire” doctrine and later adopted a political strategy he summarized as winning over the majority while suppressing dangerous minorities. He used this approach against political rivals and powerful clans, prioritizing the Sarutobi faction’s hold on power even as Konoha lost major assets and elite shinobi. 26 430

Appearance

Hiruzen is an elderly man who typically wears the Hokage’s robe and hat and is frequently seen smoking a pipe. When preparing for battle, he discards his outer clothing to reveal combat gear beneath. 5 102 426

• Wears the Third Hokage’s ceremonial hat and robes while in office. 5 102
• Habitually smokes a pipe; he repeatedly destroys pipes during periods of anger and stress. 63
• Uses a combat uniform when expecting direct confrontation. 426

Personality

Hiruzen is politically calculating, patient, and highly protective of his own authority. He regularly presents his actions as necessary sacrifices for Konoha, but his later confession reveals that fear of losing power—and preserving the Sarutobi Clan’s position—guided many of his decisions. 105 430

He is pragmatic when confronted with overwhelming force. He withdraws Root and Anbu from the Uchiha Compound to prevent a disastrous clash with Uchiha Jin, formally surrenders when the Sarutobi faction is surrounded, and later retires rather than fight Minato’s overwhelmingly supported rebellion. 6 163 413

Despite this pragmatism, Hiruzen is prone to anger when his authority is undermined. Kakashi’s resignation and attempted assassination of Danzō shatter his composed façade, while the repeated failures of his plans against the Uchiha leave him increasingly isolated and desperate. 63 98

Abilities & Skills

Political Manipulation

Hiruzen’s greatest strength is his ability to build factions, control institutions, and exploit political fear.

• Used the “Will of Fire” and the Ninja Academy to cultivate ideological loyalty when he lacked support from Konoha’s major clans. 26
• Restricted Uchiha Jin’s promotion to jōnin in order to deny him formal voting rights and political authority. 18
• Attempted to divide the Uchiha by backing Fugaku against Jin, though Fugaku proved unable to counter Jin’s influence. 18
• Tried to secure Jiraiya’s succession through rushed procedures, temporary jōnin promotions, recalled border personnel, and controlled Jonin Council votes. 98 102 105
• Later admitted to governing through the principle of “win over the majority and crush the small minority.” 430

Ninjutsu and Combat

Hiruzen is regarded as the “Professor of Ninjutsu,” though his battlefield strength is repeatedly questioned in the narrative. 26

• Summons Enma, who can transform into the Adamantine Staff for combat. 108 426
• Prepared an Impure World Reincarnation ritual using Hashirama Cells and Tobirama’s tissue during his final confrontation with Minato’s faction. 424
• Was unable to complete the reanimation before Orochimaru summoned Hashirama and Tobirama first. 425
• Was instantly incapacitated by Itachi’s Tsukuyomi, then killed by Itachi’s Amaterasu and Minato’s Rasengan before a direct battle could begin. 426 427

Strategic Retreat

Hiruzen consistently assesses whether resistance would destroy his faction beyond recovery.

• Halted Uchiha Jin’s pursuit of Danzō by offering to withdraw Root and Anbu from the Uchiha Compound. 6
• Chose surrender when New Konohagakure’s forces surrounded the Sarutobi and allied clans, judging that resistance would lead to mass death and exile. 163
• Abandoned Danzō and retired from office after major clans, civilian ninja, and much of the Anbu refused to support a war against Minato. 413

Equipment / Summons

• Smoking pipe — Hiruzen’s habitual pipe; he replaces several after breaking them during fits of rage. 63
• Hokage robes and hat — Symbols of his office. 102
• Enma’s summoning contract — A core asset of the Sarutobi Clan. 184
• Adamantine Staff — Enma’s transformed combat form. 108 426

Relationships

• Senju Tobirama — Former teacher who appointed Hiruzen as a transitional Hokage. After being reanimated, Tobirama interrogates Hiruzen over the Senju Clan’s destruction and threatens the Sarutobi Clan to force a full confession. 174 429
• Shimura Danzō — Longtime ally, covert operative, and political rival. Hiruzen uses Danzō for clandestine work but abandons him when preserving the Sarutobi Clan becomes more important than avenging him. 40 413
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura — Fellow elders whose influence depends heavily on Hiruzen’s support. He often dismisses their demands as politically useless during crises. 6 82
• Uchiha Jin — Primary political and military opponent. Jin’s power, procedural maneuvering, and support among the clans repeatedly force Hiruzen into compromise. 6 18 110
• Uchiha Fugaku — Hiruzen’s preferred counterweight to Jin, though Hiruzen privately considers him too weak and ineffective to divide the Uchiha. 18
• Jiraiya — Former student whom Hiruzen attempts to install as Hokage. When Jiraiya refuses, Hiruzen threatens to label him an S-rank missing-nin. 98 99
• Tsunade — Former student and Senju descendant. Hiruzen recognizes that his treatment of the Senju destroyed any goodwill she might have had toward him. 163
• Orochimaru — Former student who viewed Hiruzen as a surrogate father after losing his parents. Orochimaru later opposes him, exposes his plans, and reanimates Hashirama and Tobirama before Hiruzen can use them. 163 425
• Namikaze Minato — Former Fourth Hokage and eventual opponent. Hiruzen attempts to force Minato’s counterpart out of power but is ultimately killed during Minato’s preemptive strike. 413 427
• Uchiha Itachi — Initially treated as a controllable weapon against the Uchiha. Itachi later turns against Hiruzen and defeats him with Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. 420 426 427
• Enma — Loyal summoning partner who remains beside Hiruzen despite acknowledging that they cannot defeat Minato, Orochimaru, Itachi, and their allies. 426

Story Role / Major Arcs

Conflict with Uchiha Jin

Hiruzen initially considers allowing Danzō to assassinate Uchiha Jin and frame the killing as a Radical Faction attack on the Hokage. When Jin proves capable of repeatedly killing Danzō through Izanagi, Hiruzen intervenes and agrees to remove Root and Anbu from around the Uchiha Compound. 5 6

He subsequently tries to contain Jin through official ranks, the Military Police Force, Fugaku’s nominal authority, and bureaucratic pressure. Jin’s refusal to accept formal office leaves Hiruzen unable to hold him responsible for the Uchiha’s actions. 18 19 36

Succession Crisis and New Konohagakure

As Konoha’s major clans drift toward the Uchiha, Hiruzen attempts to install Tsunade and then Jiraiya as Hokage. He coerces Jiraiya, manipulates the Jonin Council’s voter base, and frames his actions as burdens undertaken for Konoha’s future. 98 102 105

The plan collapses when the major clans boycott the council and Uchiha Jin gains authorization to establish New Konohagakure. Hiruzen is unable to find legal grounds to stop the split without provoking a war. 105 109 110

Defeat and Imprisonment

During the conflict between Old and New Konohagakure, Hiruzen surrenders to prevent the annihilation of the Sarutobi and allied clans. Tsunade seals the prisoners’ chakra, and Hiruzen is sent with the other defeated clans to New Konohagakure’s western wasteland. 163

As an Impure World Reincarnation laborer, Hiruzen witnesses the Sarutobi Clan’s collapse under the Point System. Abandoned and attacked by his own clansmen, he gives up on restoring the clan as a whole and focuses instead on securing a future for Asuma and Konohamaru. 179 184

Alternate-World Downfall

In the later alternate-world storyline, Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura plan to use Root and Itachi to massacre the Uchiha, seize their assets, and preserve their political control. Shisui’s intervention prevents the massacre and turns Itachi against the plan. 420

After Danzō’s death and the collapse of support for his faction, Hiruzen publicly retires to avoid a losing war against Minato. He nevertheless continues plotting with Koharu and Homura, prompting Minato to launch a preemptive assault on the Sarutobi faction. 413 420 423

Hiruzen attempts to fight with Enma and prepare Impure World Reincarnation, but Itachi traps him in Tsukuyomi. Immediately afterward, Amaterasu incapacitates him and Minato kills him with a full-powered Rasengan. 424 426 427

Tobirama later reanimates Hiruzen solely to force him to confess the full history of his rule. Hiruzen admits that his fear of losing power led him to weaken rival clans and suppress powerful figures, even while recognizing that these policies steadily weakened Konoha. 429 430

Notable Quotes

“I am the Hokage!” 59

“Everyone has the right to choose!” 413

Trivia

• Hiruzen’s repeated pipe-breaking becomes a visible measure of his declining composure during the Uchiha crisis. 63
• The Sarutobi Clan’s principal inherited assets are its Enma summoning contracts and accumulated ninjutsu rather than a kekkei genkai or unique clan secret technique. 184
• Tobirama later judges that Hiruzen’s political talent would have suited a daimyo, noble, or samurai household better than leadership of a shinobi village, where overwhelming strength remains decisive. 430