Hiruzen Sarutobi

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi (猿飞日斩)
Alias(es)	Third Hokage
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure
Occupation/Role	Hokage; Konoha’s wartime commander and political leader
Status	Deceased; later active in an Impure World Reincarnation body 182 235
First Appearance	Chapter 7

Background / History

Hiruzen firmly consolidated power after the Second Shinobi World War and, alongside his three companions, began suppressing the Uchiha Clan under the banner of the Will of Fire. The clan’s confinement to the Military Police Force also limited its battlefield exposure and, by extension, the emergence of high-level Sharingan users. 3 19

As Third Hokage, he faced a resurgent Uchiha Clan led by Uchiha Makoto. He sought the clan’s financial assistance for Konoha’s postwar recovery, but underestimated both Makoto’s political skill and the clan’s broader ambitions. 7 8

When the Third Shinobi World War began, Hiruzen directed Konoha’s large-scale mobilization, assigned commanders to each front, and entrusted Uchiha Fugaku with the Mist front while assigning Hyūga support. He defended the Uchiha from Danzō’s open prejudice, yet his deployment strategy also treated their elite forces as a means of reducing pressure elsewhere. 28 29

After additional Mangekyō Sharingan users emerged during the war, Hiruzen recalled the Uchiha from the front, judging Konoha safer with them in the village while remaining prepared to deploy their Mangekyō users in an emergency. 63

His authority deteriorated under political pressure, public backlash, and repeated manipulation by Makoto. During Konoha’s crisis on the Cloud front, he personally knelt before Makoto to request the Uchiha Clan’s aid. 70 86 141

Hiruzen later defended Konoha during Kirigakure’s infiltration, fighting Kisame Hoshigaki with Enma’s Adamantine Staff and directing the evacuation of civilians. He was critically struck while attempting to stop converging Tailed Beast Bombs, and his death was later mourned by Konoha’s leadership. 172 174 182

Appearance

Hiruzen is a short man beginning to show his age, typically depicted with a pipe and the Hokage’s hat. During the Kirigakure assault, he discards his Hokage robes to reveal armor beneath. 7 172

• Carries a long pipe. 7
• Wears the ceremonial Hokage hat while addressing Konoha’s forces. 71
• Uses armor beneath his Hokage robes in combat. 172
• Wields Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff. 172

Personality

Hiruzen presents himself as a genial, respected leader who emphasizes Konoha’s unity, sacrifice, and the Will of Fire. He publicly praises returning shinobi and offers rewards for the Uchiha Clan’s wartime service, demonstrating a strong grasp of morale and political presentation. 71

His leadership is marked by caution and compromise. He rejects Danzō’s proposal to use covert schemes against the Uchiha and insists that they are fellow villagers, but he also fears their growing power, seeks to restrict their battlefield role, and underestimates Makoto on several occasions. 19 63 72 115

Later events expose a more desperate and self-serving side. Faced with the weakened Momoshiki, Hiruzen considers killing him in secret to obtain power and potentially resurrect himself; his Lightning Style attack instead allows Momoshiki to recover and capture him. 236 238

Abilities & Skills

Hokage Leadership and Strategy

Hiruzen commands Konoha’s military, political, and logistical response during the Third Shinobi World War.

• Ordered the recall of jōnin from missions and organized an immediate force of at least ten thousand shinobi. 28 29
• Appointed Danzō, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Fugaku, and Hyūga forces to separate war fronts. 28 29
• Coordinated a plan to pressure Sunagakure through Rōran, assigning the Uchiha Clan to conduct diplomacy on Konoha’s behalf. 73
• Uses praise, rewards, and public ceremony to reinforce loyalty among Konoha’s shinobi. 71

Shadow Clone Technique

During Kirigakure’s attack on Konoha, Hiruzen creates shadow clones to pursue the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and confront a clone created by Yagura’s Water Mirror Technique. 173

• Allows him to engage multiple threats during the village invasion. 173
• His clones are targeted and destroyed by a Tailed Beast Bomb. 173

Lightning Style

Hiruzen uses a Lightning Style technique against the weakened Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki. Momoshiki absorbs the attack with his Rinnegan, restoring himself and turning the attempt against Hiruzen. 236

• The technique is ineffective against an opponent capable of chakra absorption. 236

Summoning Technique: Enma

Hiruzen fights with Enma in the form of the Adamantine Staff during Kisame Hoshigaki’s assault on the Hokage Building. 172

• Meets Kisame’s weapon in a direct clash of strength. 172
• Uses the staff to hold back multiple converging Tailed Beast Bombs, leaving himself exposed to the resulting detonation. 174

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Pipe — frequently used while deliberating or speaking with Konoha’s senior leadership. 7 19
• Hokage hat and robes — symbols of his office; he removes the robes before battle during the Kirigakure infiltration. 71 172
• Forbidden Scroll — unseals and presents it to Makoto for study of the Flying Thunder God technique. 73
• Adamantine Staff — Enma’s transformed form, used in close combat and village defense. 172 174

Relationships

• Uchiha Makoto — political rival and indispensable Konoha asset. Hiruzen initially attempts to manage Makoto through rewards and the dangerous Flying Thunder God training, but later must beg him for aid against Kumogakure. 71 72 141
• Shimura Danzō — longtime associate whose increasingly hostile methods create a severe rift. Hiruzen refuses Danzō’s proposed suppression of the Uchiha, while Danzō accuses him of indecision and challenges his fitness to lead. 115 116
• Uchiha Fugaku — wartime subordinate appointed chief strategist of the Mist front; Hiruzen approves Fugaku’s request for Hyūga support. 29
• Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado — senior advisers who participate in Konoha’s wartime decisions and discussions regarding the Uchiha. 7 28
• Minato Namikaze — Hiruzen recognizes Minato as the inheritor of the Flying Thunder God and considers his speed a key counter to Kumogakure’s taijutsu fighters. 71 73
• Enma — summoned companion who becomes Hiruzen’s Adamantine Staff in battle. 172

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Uchiha business negotiations — seeks Uchiha funding for Konoha’s reconstruction and is caught off guard by Makoto’s proposal to transfer the clan’s businesses. 7
• Third Shinobi World War — coordinates Konoha’s mobilization and distributes command of the Rock, Cloud, Sand, and Mist fronts. 28 29
• Uchiha withdrawal — recalls the Uchiha from the battlefield after multiple Mangekyō awakenings, prioritizing village security over frontline strength. 63
• Political decline — faces pressure from daimyō, public opinion, Uchiha maneuvering, and Danzō’s insubordination. 86 115 116
• Cloud front crisis — kneels before Makoto to request Uchiha intervention as Konoha’s position against Kumogakure worsens. 141
• Konoha Crush — leads the defense against Kirigakure’s assault, fights Kisame, and suffers a devastating Tailed Beast Bomb strike. 172 174
• Ōtsutsuki conflict — reappears through Impure World Reincarnation, becomes one of the few fighters still able to act after Makoto and Momoshiki’s clash, then inadvertently enables Momoshiki’s recovery. 235 236 238

Notable Quotes

“The Uchiha are ultimately Konoha’s Uchiha. We cannot hold such deep prejudice against them.” 28

“I am still the Hokage! Within the village, the Uchiha Clan does not yet have the power to defy everything!” 19