Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi 158
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; Third Lord; “Monkey,” used by Tobirama; Professor of Ninjutsu 102 164
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Sarutobi Clan; Hokage faction 21 158
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage, serving as Acting Hokage following the Fourth Hokage’s death 23 103
Family	Deceased wife; a son and grandson, unnamed in the provided passages 1 21
Status	Alive and still serving as Hokage at the Five Kage Summit; his effective authority is described by Tobirama as undermined by the Uchiha 169 204
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 1; appears in Chapter 4 1 4

Background / History

Tobirama’s student and Konoha’s leader

Hiruzen trained under the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, alongside Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. Tobirama chose him as his successor. His arguments with Danzo began during their student days and continued for decades 21 132.

After governing Konoha for decades, Hiruzen again occupies the Hokage’s office following Minato Namikaze’s death. His prolonged service as Acting Hokage reflects the village’s failure to select a qualified successor. He offers the position to Jiraiya, who refuses it 23 102 103 110.

Hiruzen previously led Wood Style experiments involving twenty volunteers; none survived. The program was halted because of its mortality rate. This experience makes him skeptical when Youhu later presents Wood Style surgery as straightforward and suitable for wider use 110 164.

Youhu’s rumors and recruitment

Youhu initially proposes that Uchiha Fugaku marry the Third Hokage as a bloodless route to political influence. The proposal develops into rumors about Hiruzen’s interest in Fugaku and an alleged intimate relationship with Danzo. These are fabrications, not established relationships 1 3 9.

Hiruzen summons Youhu and subsequently admits him to the Anbu. Despite Youhu’s slander and disruptive behavior, he sees the young Uchiha as someone whose village loyalty could help resolve the clan’s conflict with Konoha 10 18 21 22.

The rumors continue circulating long afterward. Hiruzen does not remarry to counter them, and his office door is rarely closed when he is alone with young subordinates 94.

The Masked Man crisis

After Youhu reports the Masked Man’s return, Hiruzen convenes a leadership meeting and uses his crystal ball to replay footage of the intruder crossing Konoha’s barrier. He rejects Danzo’s request to hand Youhu over to Root, citing Youhu’s immediate reporting of the threat and desire to eliminate it 21.

Once the attacker is identified as Uchiha Obito, Hiruzen resists treating the entire Uchiha Clan as responsible. He credits Youhu and Itachi with protecting Konoha and entrusts Kakashi’s team with pursuing Obito 41.

When the team returns from the Land of Grass, Hiruzen accepts its report about Youhu’s inheritance and takes responsibility for Karin’s care and enrollment in the Ninja School 64.

Shisui’s disappearance and Danzo’s defection

Shisui’s disappearance brings armed Uchiha demands for an explanation and damages Hiruzen’s trust in Danzo. Hiruzen temporarily removes Danzo from his position while the suspected ambush is investigated 92 93 97.

During the subsequent confrontation, Hiruzen intervenes when Danzo attempts to kill Youhu. Danzo escapes using Izanagi, and the investigation of Root exposes Wood Style experimentation and transplanted Sharingan. Hiruzen nevertheless initially hopes his old friend will return and explain himself, believing Konoha still needs his methods against rival villages 102.

Tiehuo then reports that Danzo has killed another Uchiha and demands a new Hokage election. After Youhu publicly exposes Root’s misconduct, Hiruzen abandons his hope of quietly protecting Danzo and places him on the rogue ninja list 103.

Elevating Youhu

Faced with research that could greatly strengthen the Uchiha, Hiruzen chooses Youhu as a trusted recipient of Hashirama-cell surgery. His aim is to keep that power aligned with the village rather than allow it to deepen the factional divide 102.

After Youhu’s successful surgery, Hiruzen declares that he carries Senju blood. This explanation helps reconcile Youhu’s Uchiha identity with his Wood Style and makes him more acceptable within the Hokage faction. Hiruzen promotes him and assigns him to manage Danzo’s former Root subordinates 110.

Hiruzen increasingly considers Youhu a future Hokage, although Youhu privately intends to exploit that trust and gradually replace him. By the time Tobirama investigates modern Konoha, the revived Second Hokage concludes that Hiruzen remains in office but has lost much of his real authority to the Uchiha 68 110 169.

Reanimated Hokage and the Akatsuki threat

Tobirama secretly observes Hiruzen and confirms that he is not under genjutsu, disproving Danzo’s claim that Youhu controls his mind. He also finds Konoha flourishing despite Danzo’s account of its condition 164 166.

After the attack on Naka Shrine, Hiruzen arrives with Anbu and learns that the attacker was probably the reanimated Tobirama. The suspected desecration of his teacher’s corpse and soul provokes intense anger toward Danzo and Orochimaru, pushing him beyond his previous tolerance of them 167.

As Akatsuki’s tailed-beast hunt escalates, Hiruzen summons Konoha’s key ninja, expresses frustration with the limited intelligence from Itachi’s infiltration, and orders Youhu, Jiraiya, and Kakashi to bring Tsunade back 195 196.

At the Five Kage Summit, he introduces Youhu as Jiraiya’s newest disciple and explains that he brought him to gain experience. He shares intelligence identifying Nagato as Akatsuki’s Rinnegan-bearing leader and Konan as his deputy before Konan’s explosive paper clone infiltrates the meeting 204.

Appearance

• Elderly, approachable bearing: Hikari compares him to a kindly neighborhood grandfather rather than an imposing ruler 158.
• Robed attire: He wears a robe during his meeting with Hikari 158.
• Pipe: Frequently smokes while thinking or handling official work 22 166.
• Deceptively unassuming presence: Hikari’s instincts still identify him as at least comparable to an Uchiha clan head in strength 158.

Personality

Hiruzen values the Will of Fire and hopes younger ninja will surpass their predecessors. He views Youhu, Shisui, and Itachi as potential bridges between the Uchiha and the village, and imagines resolving a conflict that even Tobirama left unsettled 22 41.

His conciliatory instincts coexist with political calculation. He wants loyal Uchiha to influence their clan, weighs the military consequences of Wood Style research, and deliberately seeks to bind Youhu to the Hokage faction. Homura criticizes his recurring debates with Danzo for postponing the Uchiha problem rather than solving it 21 22 102 110.

Personal attachment repeatedly complicates his judgment. Even after Danzo and Orochimaru defect, he hopes they can reform. His willingness to protect them diminishes sharply when their actions threaten village unity or involve the desecration of Tobirama 103 158 167.

He also insists on the authority of his office. After the unauthorized Root investigation, he reprimands Kakashi and Jiraiya for bypassing procedure—even though their actions expose genuine wrongdoing 102.

Abilities & Skills

Ninjutsu expertise

• Bears the title Professor of Ninjutsu 102.
• Uses Wind Style and Water Style on a scale and at a hand-seal speed that Kakashi compares to Kakuzu’s battlefield-changing techniques 50.
• His knowledge is not comprehensive: Youhu’s Flying Thunder God proficiency and Danzo’s Izanagi leave him questioning his understanding of the ninja around him 102.

Sealing techniques

• Is associated with the Reaper Death Seal, which Danzo raises as a possible response to another Nine-Tails rampage 10 21.
• Kakashi recommends him as a source of advanced sealing-jutsu instruction for Karin 70.
• No use of the Reaper Death Seal by Hiruzen is documented in the supplied events 10 21.

Telescope Technique and surveillance

• Uses the Telescope Technique through a crystal ball to observe people within Konoha, including Naruto 166 195.
• Can replay recorded footage for the village leadership, as demonstrated with the Masked Man’s infiltration 21.
• Tobirama criticizes his habit of watching other ninja’s private lives 166.

Combat standing and limitations

• Early narration identifies him as Konoha’s strongest ninja under normal conditions 10.
• His inactivity and age create uncertainty about how much of his former strength he can still use; he relies on Jiraiya’s presence during an Uchiha confrontation 92.
• Later, Jiraiya considers that Youhu may have surpassed him after learning that Youhu’s Wood Clone defeated the reanimated Tobirama 169.

Equipment / Items

• Crystal ball — Medium for the Telescope Technique and playback of surveillance footage 21 166.
• Smoking pipe — Used during meetings and official work 22 166.
• Root experiment report — Research recovered after Danzo’s flight that informs his decision to authorize Youhu’s Hashirama-cell transplant 102.

Relationships

• Tobirama Senju — Teacher and predecessor. Hiruzen aspires to surpass his achievements; the desecration of Tobirama’s remains becomes a personal breaking point 22 167.
• Shimura Danzo — Former classmate, longtime friend, and political rival. Hiruzen relies on his covert methods but ultimately declares him a rogue ninja after his crimes become public 21 102 103 106.
• Uchiha Youhu — Anbu recruit, favored subordinate, and prospective successor. Youhu’s apparent devotion conceals a plan to displace him; Hiruzen later becomes increasingly suspicious of his intentions 21 68 110 196 204.
• Jiraiya — Student, trusted military support, and reluctant candidate for Hokage. Hiruzen turns to him during internal crises and sends him to retrieve Tsunade 92 102 196.
• Orochimaru — Defected student. Hiruzen retains hope for his reform until further wrongdoing, particularly Tobirama’s reanimation, intensifies his hostility 158 167.
• Tsunade — Former student whom he orders brought back as the Akatsuki crisis grows 196 206.
• Uchiha Shisui — Trusted Uchiha ally whom he hopes can help resolve the clan conflict. Shisui’s disappearance precipitates the rupture with Danzo 21 22 97.
• Uchiha Itachi — Praised for his village-first outlook; later a source of disappointing intelligence from within Akatsuki 21 41 195.
• Kakashi Hatake — Trusted Anbu captain whose team receives the Obito pursuit mission. Hiruzen nevertheless reprimands him for unauthorized action against Root 41 102.
• Uchiha Tiehuo — Political challenger who demands accountability for attacks on Uchiha ninja and calls for a new Hokage election 93 103.
• Karin — Uzumaki orphan placed under his care and slated for enrollment in the Ninja School 64.

Notable Quotes

“Youhu and Itachi are both good children who hold the Will of Fire in their hearts. If it weren't for them, the village would likely already be in the midst of the Nine-Tails' Rampage.” 41

“Forget it. We're the ones in the wrong first when it comes to This Matter.” 103

“You want to use the Hokage's authority so badly, but when I offer you the Hokage Position, you refuse.” 102