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 senior decision-maker during the pursuit of Uchiha Lieyang
Status	Active
First Appearance	6

Background / History

Hiruzen initially treats Uchiha Lieyang’s disappearance during an A-rank mission as an unresolved case rather than confirmed defection. Despite Danzō’s demands for an immediate conviction, Hiruzen stresses that neither the missing teammates’ deaths nor Lieyang’s guilt can be established without direct evidence. He authorizes Root to locate Lieyang, ordering that he be returned for interrogation if a live capture is possible. 6 7

Lieyang’s personnel file strengthens Hiruzen’s hesitation: it records a high mission-completion rate, no history of disobedience or abandoning comrades, extensive social ties within Konoha, local business investments, aid to injured retired ninja, and public support for reconciliation between the Uchiha clan and the village. Hiruzen recognizes that Konoha had already kept Lieyang under detailed surveillance because of his rapid growth and influence. 7

After Root casualties reveal Lieyang’s concealed Water, Earth, and Lightning Releases, one-handed seals, and independently combat-capable Shadow Clones, Hiruzen accepts that the evidence establishes Lieyang’s defection. He nevertheless continues to prioritize investigation and the containment of information. 14

When the losses escalate to six Root squads and three regular Konoha teams, Hiruzen publicly reclassifies Lieyang as a Kage-level powerhouse. Further reports that Shadow Clones alone annihilated jōnin squads lead him to endorse Root’s assessment that Lieyang is at least comparable to Konoha’s White Fang in combat threat. 15 16

Personality

Hiruzen is cautious, evidence-driven, and visibly reluctant to condemn a Konoha shinobi on suspicion alone. He repeatedly resists Danzō’s tendency to equate Lieyang’s Uchiha identity and circumstantial evidence with guilt, maintaining that the Uchiha remain members of Konoha. 6 7

The mounting casualties force him into increasingly severe decisions, but he remains troubled by the cost. He acknowledges Konoha’s mistakes in assessing Lieyang, worries whether Kakashi’s pursuit team can return alive, and states that the village cannot afford further losses. 15 20

Leadership Priorities

• Protects village stability by sealing information about Lieyang’s defection and power from the Uchiha clan, fearing it could intensify the clan’s conflict with Konoha’s leadership. 15 17
• Reassesses strategy when ordinary numbers prove ineffective against Lieyang’s speed and clones. 17
• Builds a specialized pursuit force around counters to Lieyang’s known abilities rather than relying on more conventional squads. 17 19 22
• Refuses to deploy Shisui Uchiha despite considering him better suited to confront Lieyang’s speed, due to the danger of involving another Mangekyō Sharingan user and exposing the classified operation. 20

Abilities & Skills

Five Chakra Natures

Hiruzen is identified as one of the very few Konoha shinobi who has truly developed all five chakra natures. 19

• His breadth of elemental mastery is used as a benchmark when Kakashi reviews Lieyang’s similarly exceptional five-nature capability. 19

Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique

The Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique is a difficult A-rank ninjutsu developed by Hiruzen through his own experience. 10

• Produces replicated ninja tools that retain matching trajectory, speed, and lethality. 10
• Its complexity is emphasized when Root recognizes Lieyang’s use of it as far beyond his official intelligence profile. 10

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lieyang’s Disappearance and Initial Investigation

Hiruzen reviews the evidence from Lieyang’s failed A-rank mission and opposes Danzō’s demand to declare him guilty without proof. He ultimately permits Root to pursue Lieyang, with a stated preference for capture and interrogation. 6 7

Recognition of Lieyang’s Threat

Reports from Root’s dead and surviving personnel expose Lieyang’s hidden abilities. Hiruzen receives the intelligence, accepts the seriousness of the defection, and later classifies Lieyang as Kage-level after the loss of multiple pursuit squads. 14 15

Information Suppression

Hiruzen joins Danzō and the elders in keeping Lieyang’s defection, casualties, and true strength secret from the Uchiha clan. He considers disclosure likely to embolden radical elements within the Konoha Police Force. 15 17

Formation of the Joint Pursuit Force

Hiruzen selects Kakashi Hatake to lead a force designed to counter Lieyang: Kakashi for Sharingan-based tracking and Lightning Release analysis; Hinata Yota to identify the original body and clones; Kurenai Yūhi for genjutsu support; and Might Guy for direct close-range pressure. He assigns Root reconnaissance support and raises the mission to the highest S-rank. 17 19

As the pursuit danger rises beyond the highest S-rank standard, Hiruzen reinforces the operation with the Ino–Shika–Chō team, whose mental communication, restraint, and battlefield control are intended to limit Lieyang’s movement. 22

Relationships

• Danzō — Fellow Konoha leader and Root commander. Danzō pushes for Lieyang’s immediate conviction and elimination, while Hiruzen insists on evidence and investigation; later, they cooperate to contain the crisis and suppress information. 6 7 14 15
• Uchiha Lieyang — Former Konoha special jōnin turned rogue-nin target. Hiruzen initially questions whether Lieyang truly defected, then directs escalating efforts to investigate, contain, and eliminate him. 7 14 19
• Kakashi Hatake — Appointed by Hiruzen as captain of the joint pursuit force because his Sharingan, Lightning Release, and swordsmanship are suited to analyzing Lieyang’s combat style. 17 19
• Might Guy — Chosen as the pursuit force’s close-combat specialist and final contingency through the Eight Gates. Hiruzen hopes the operation will not require Guy to push himself that far. 17 20
• Shisui Uchiha — Considered as a potentially stronger counter to Lieyang’s speed, but Hiruzen agrees that he cannot be sent outside the village due to the risks surrounding his Mangekyō Sharingan and Uchiha allegiance. 20
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura — Fellow senior leaders briefed by Hiruzen on Lieyang’s defection, Root’s losses, and the decision to classify him as a Kage-level threat. 15 16 17

Notable Quotes

“Without bodies, we cannot confirm that Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina are dead. Without direct evidence, we cannot confirm that Lie Yang defected.” 6

“Danzō, the Uchiha are also members of Konoha.” 6

“Konoha can no longer afford any more losses.” 20