Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Sarutobi Hiruzen 4
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; Lord Hokage 4 33
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure
Occupation/Role	Hokage of Konoha; former overseer of ANBU and Root operations 4 40
Status	Active 135
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Chapter	Development	Details
61	Amaterasu containment	Participated with Jiraiya in efforts to contain Itachi's Amaterasu; the Barrier Team ultimately sealed the black flames using a scroll. 61
103	Five Elements Seal	Applied a Five Elements Seal to reinforce Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal after chakra leakage, though Orochimaru later removed it with Five Elements Unsealing. 103

Background / History

After Minato's death disrupted his succession plans, Hiruzen returned to the Hokage position to prevent Orochimaru from gaining the office. He believed both Danzō and Fugaku remained within his control, while privately allowing Root to handle Konoha's unsavory work. 4

He cultivated Itachi's loyalty while the boy served in ANBU, repeatedly praising him as uniquely capable of thinking like a Hokage and placing responsibility for Uchiha–Konoha peace on him. Zhengye characterizes this treatment as flattery and indoctrination aimed at turning Itachi into a weapon against his own clan. 2

A future timeline witnessed by Zhengye's group identifies Hiruzen as having tacitly approved the Uchiha Clan's extermination, with Danzō issuing the order and Itachi and Obito carrying it out. During that massacre, Hiruzen reportedly stood aside and watched. 4 5

Appearance

An elderly man who commonly wears the Hokage hat and keeps a pipe at hand. He appears in combat gear when personally responding to the Uchiha assault on Root. 4 10

• Carries and frequently smokes a pipe. 4 23
• Wears the formal Hokage hat while working from the Hokage Office. 4
• Retains a composed outward demeanor even after public political setbacks. 17

Personality

Hiruzen is politically calculating and careful about preserving deniability. Rather than directly command Danzō, he guides him through hints, allowing him to distance himself from Root's actions and potentially gain credit afterward. 4

He is deeply concerned with Konoha's stability, particularly the danger that open conflict with the Uchiha could exhaust the village and invite attacks by other hidden villages. This caution repeatedly forces him into concessions when he lacks the military strength to confront the Uchiha directly. 10 23

His concern for Naruto is genuine in presentation: he visits the boy, gives him money, and speaks affectionately to him. However, he also regards Naruto as someone whose values can be shaped through the Will of Fire and has used events around him for political ends. 23 33 80 84

Hiruzen carefully maintains a public image as a leader who respects human rights, even though his political pragmatism leads him to work with morally compromised subordinates and to seek Orochimaru's return when the Uchiha's growth threatens his position. 50 98

Though alarmed by Zhengye's political and military influence, he believes time remains on his side, reasoning that the Uchiha's small population limits the long-term reach of their Mangekyō Sharingan power. 130

Abilities & Skills

Political Leadership

Hiruzen commands Konoha's administrative and military institutions, including ANBU deployments and village-wide emergency responses.

• Ordered ANBU to locate Itachi and Shisui before Root could reach them. 4
• Mobilized ANBU and allied clan forces after the Uchiha attacked Root. 9 10
• Used the threat of outside intervention and internal instability to argue against armed conflict with the Uchiha. 10 98
• Sacrificed his reputation by publicly accepting responsibility for blocking the Police Force from protecting Naruto, preserving ANBU loyalty in the process. 40
• Ordered ANBU to capture or kill Itachi and Shisui after their attack on Danzō's recovery ward. 60
• Directed Konoha's response to Itachi's Amaterasu and led forces toward the Uchiha compound after the two Mangekyō users escaped. 61
• Chose to receive Hidden Cloud's supply escort diplomatically rather than escalate Konoha's internal conflict with the Uchiha. 67

Sealing Techniques

Hiruzen is capable of applying sealing techniques to Naruto's jinchūriki seal.

• Added a Five Elements Seal after Naruto's chakra leaked, intending to reinforce the existing Eight Trigrams Seal. 103
• Orochimaru later judged the additional seal unnecessary, explaining that Minato had deliberately left gaps in the original seal for Naruto's gradual adaptation to the Nine-Tails' chakra. 103
• Orochimaru removed Hiruzen's Five Elements Seal with Five Elements Unsealing while examining Naruto. 103
• Assisted Jiraiya and the Barrier Team in containing Itachi's Amaterasu after the flames spread across ANBU, Konoha's walls, and Hiruzen's Adamantine Staff. 61

Relationships

• Shimura Danzō — Longtime adviser and covert instrument whose Root activities Hiruzen initially tolerated. Their partnership fractures after Hiruzen realizes Danzō may have intended to use Shisui's eye to control him; Hiruzen disbands Root and orders Danzō's retirement. Despite this, he continues to negotiate over Danzō's care and usefulness against the Uchiha, before eventually refusing to keep searching for replacement limbs for Danzō's failed transplant experiments. 4 26 135
• Uchiha Zhengye — Political opponent whose leadership transforms the Uchiha into a direct challenge to Hiruzen's authority. Zhengye repeatedly exposes Hiruzen's mistakes and forces concessions from him. 18 40 49
• Uchiha Clan — Hiruzen and his fellow disciples of Tobirama maintain longstanding suspicion toward the clan. The emergence of five Mangekyō Sharingan users leaves him unable to suppress them by force. 23 67
• Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui — Former ANBU-linked Uchiha whom Hiruzen initially sought to locate before Root could seize them. After they attack Danzō's ward and defect from Konoha, Hiruzen designates them as enemies and orders their capture or execution. 4 60 63
• Naruto Uzumaki — Acts as a grandfatherly guardian, visiting Naruto and providing money, while also attempting to influence his development and monitor possible Uchiha involvement with him. He later brings Naruto home with Orochimaru for an examination and reinforces the boy's jinchūriki seal. 23 33 84 102 103
• Jiraiya — His former student and trusted ally. Hiruzen recalls him to help handle Konoha's escalating Uchiha crisis, though he is frequently frustrated by Jiraiya's behavior. 30 55
• Orochimaru — Former student whom Hiruzen had driven from Konoha. Under pressure from the Uchiha, Hiruzen invites him back and agrees to fund a forbidden-technique research base in exchange for his support. He later relies on Orochimaru's biomedical research despite its failure to restore Danzō's limb. 43 98 133
• Nara Luhe — Hokage Advisor elected after Hiruzen's admission of fault over the Naruto incident; Luhe monitors and challenges Hiruzen's decrees on behalf of allied clans. 40 45 48

Story Role / Major Arcs

Uchiha Crisis

When Shisui disappears after clashing with Danzō, Hiruzen dispatches ANBU to find Shisui and Itachi first. He also identifies Zhengye as a rising Uchiha radical worth monitoring. 4

The Uchiha's attack on Root shocks Hiruzen into personally mobilizing ANBU and major clan forces. Though furious, he hesitates to begin a full-scale war because of the losses Konoha would suffer and the opportunity it would create for rival villages. 9 10

After Danzō's implanted Sharingan are exposed, Hiruzen publicly denies prior knowledge and promises an investigation. The evidence devastates trust in his administration, forcing him to negotiate over Uchiha compensation, the Police Force's expansion, and internal-defense coordination authority. 11 12 18 19

Hiruzen attempts to intervene when the Uchiha reclaim Danzō's stolen Sharingan, but Zhengye's Susanoo sends him back and leaves him unable to risk a direct confrontation with the clan. 11

Declining Authority

Hiruzen becomes increasingly constrained after the Police Force gains access to most of Konoha's patrol routes and the Uchiha reveal five Mangekyō Sharingan wielders. Unable to move against them militarily, he considers Orochimaru's return as a potential counterweight. 23 26

When Zhengye exposes Hiruzen's order preventing the Police Force from intervening during Naruto's crisis, Hiruzen accepts public blame to retain ANBU support. The incident leads to the selection of a Hokage Advisor, further limiting his unchecked authority. 40

Zhengye's public punishment of Jiraiya places Hiruzen in another political bind. To end the standoff and protect Konoha's image, he agrees to fund a power plant for the Uchiha and other residents of Konoha's outskirts. 48 49

Before Danzō's public trial, Hiruzen attempts to limit the political damage by arranging for Danzō to admit to attacking Shisui while denying that he murdered other Uchiha for their Sharingan. 52

Even after Orochimaru's return stabilizes the immediate situation, Hiruzen remains wary of Zhengye's reshaping of the Uchiha from a purely military force into a politically organized rival. 130

Defections and External Threats

After Itachi and Shisui attack Konoha Hospital and defect, Hiruzen orders ANBU to capture or kill them. Their escape and Amaterasu's destruction leave Konoha's leadership fearful of the Uchiha's actual military potential. 60 61 63

When Hiruzen leads a force to confront the Uchiha following the defections, Zhengye denies any clan involvement while the Uchiha compound outwardly continues its ordinary activities, denying Hiruzen evidence for direct retaliation. 62

He later chooses a diplomatic response to Hidden Cloud's supply escort, hoping to demonstrate Konoha's tolerance and prevent further internal conflict with the Uchiha. 67

Orochimaru's Return

Seeking time and military leverage against the Uchiha, Hiruzen recalls Orochimaru to Konoha. He offers extensive support—including funds, equipment, personnel, and research materials—for a forbidden-technique research base, even stating that he would relinquish the Hokage position if Orochimaru demanded it. 97 98

Hiruzen permits Orochimaru to focus on live-tissue cultivation and limb-regeneration research for Danzō. After Danzō's impatience causes a transplant to fail, Hiruzen agrees to stop seeking limbs for him while allowing Orochimaru's long-term research to continue. 133 135

Naruto Seal Incident

Concerned that the Uchiha may have interfered with Naruto, Hiruzen allows Orochimaru to examine the jinchūriki after bringing Naruto home from the Ninja Academy under ANBU escort. 102

During the examination, Orochimaru identifies Hiruzen's Five Elements Seal as an unnecessary addition to Minato's Eight Trigrams Seal and removes it, leaving Hiruzen unable to object despite his initial caution. 103

Trivia

• Hiruzen personally advanced money from the Sarutobi Clan's reserve funds to support village needs, rather than draw excessively from public accounts. 96
• He initially believed Danzō had planned to use Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan against Fugaku, but recognized from Danzō's evasive reaction that Hiruzen himself had likely been the intended target. 26