Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; “Professor of Ninjutsu” 178 208
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Sarutobi Clan
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage of Konoha; later a member of Konoha’s Council of Elders 311 334
Status	Former Hokage; remained active in Konoha’s military affairs after stepping down 311 351
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Elite Kage-level shinobi	32	While still under fifty, he is described as being at his peak, with absolute control over the Hokage position and the strength to stand among Konoha’s foremost fighters.
Renewed combat training	143	After neglecting training due to administrative duties, he resumes improving himself; knowledge of Natural Energy control and a newly learned sealing technique restore his confidence against Danzō and Root.
Lava Release Kekkei Genkai	208	Accidentally fuses Fire Release and Earth Style Chakra after renewed training, awakening Lava Release and reversing his physical decline.
Lava Release Chakra Mode	362	Deploys Lava Release Chakra Mode on the battlefield, disrupting puppet formations through direct assaults.

Appearance

Hiruzen is a middle-aged-to-elderly man who wears the Hokage’s robes and is often seen smoking a pipe while working in the Hokage’s Office. His office is plainly furnished, centered around a document-covered desk and extensive recordshelves. 6 32

• Wears a Kage robe while serving as Hokage. 32
• Commonly carries and smokes a pipe. 6
• His body becomes covered in a red radiance when he releases the Chakra associated with his Lava Release. 208

Personality

Hiruzen is fundamentally devoted to Konoha and its future. He values the village’s young talent, takes pride in nurturing promising shinobi, and fears most of all that Konoha might be destroyed under his leadership. His concern extends to Kirito, Nawaki, Chizuru, Minato, and other members of the next generation. 6 95 279

He is also compassionate to a fault. His softness toward longtime comrades—especially Danzō—and his difficulty separating private ties from public duty repeatedly allow problems to grow beyond his control. This tendency contrasts with his willingness to become severe when Konoha’s stability is directly threatened, including placing a cursed seal on Danzō and threatening the elders who resisted his authority. 32 143 180 181

His later conflict with the Sarutobi Clan forces him to confront his own favoritism. He realizes that years of focusing on village administration allowed his clan, and eventually his own son, to accumulate influence beyond his control. 175 208 209

Abilities & Skills

Ninjutsu Mastery

Known as the “Professor of Ninjutsu,” Hiruzen has mastered more than one hundred Five Element Ninjutsu and can cast over a dozen without hand seals. He can also chain techniques together into rapid combination attacks. 178 208

• Performs hand seal-less ninjutsu in combat. 178
• Uses simultaneous or successive elemental attacks to pressure opponents. 178
• Developed Lava Release techniques after awakening his Kekkei Genkai. 208

Fire Release

Hiruzen’s Fire Release is among his most destructive techniques. His Great Fireball Jutsu can produce six enormous fireballs at once and nearly shatter a barrier maintained by four Elite Jonin. 178

• Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu — launches massive fireballs with meteor-like force. 178
• His Fire Release alone places him at least in the elite tier of Kage-level fighters. 178

Substitution Technique

Hiruzen has raised the Substitution Technique to an exceptional level, activating it instantly and without hand seals even under sudden attack. 178

• Can send Chakra to a nearby object and switch places with it at the instant of impact. 178
• Does not need to prepare the substitute with Chakra beforehand. 178

Lava Release

Hiruzen awakens Lava Release by combining Fire Release Chakra with Earth Style Chakra. The Kekkei Genkai revitalizes his body and raises his potential despite his age. 208

• Emits a powerful red Chakra radiance capable of cracking the ground and injuring an Elite Jonin through the pressure of its release. 208
• Later employs Lava Release Chakra Mode in war against puppet forces. 362

Sealing Jutsu

Hiruzen employs sealing techniques both for internal security and personal combat.

• Cursed Seal — placed on Danzō as insurance after allowing him limited control over Root affairs; it can be activated to inflict severe pain. 143 175
• Sealing Jutsu: Yin Seal – Remnant — an incomplete Yin Seal created from his own research into Uzumaki sealing methods. It stores a limited amount of Chakra and can absorb foreign Chakra from his body. 208
• Used the Yin Seal – Remnant to break free from Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu, though the brief delay still left him vulnerable. 208

Summoning Technique

Hiruzen can summon Enma, a white ape wearing a Konoha headband. 178

• Enma can transform into the Adamantine Staff. 178
• Enma provides battlefield warnings and supports Hiruzen against high-level opponents. 178

Relationships

• Shimura Danzō — childhood comrade, fellow student, elder advisor, and political rival. Hiruzen initially restrains Root’s expansion, later imprisons and curses Danzō, but remains troubled by their shared history. 6 143 180
• Tsunade — prized disciple. Hiruzen trusts her judgment, relies on her medical ability, and later yields the Hokage position to her. 32 179 311
• Jiraiya — prized disciple and trusted operative. Hiruzen personally handles criticism over Jiraiya’s protection of war orphans and assigns him sensitive diplomatic missions. 76 89
• Orochimaru — one of the Sannin he trained; Orochimaru’s military achievements and ambition make him a major figure in Konoha’s succession politics. 32 157
• Kirito Tonsaka — a gifted young shinobi Hiruzen seeks to protect from Danzō while cultivating for Konoha’s future. He records Kirito’s Magnet Release technique for the village, refuses to casually grant him the Spirit Transformation Technique, and later entrusts him with the Scroll of Sealing. 6 32 35 279
• Nawaki Senju — his teacher’s grandson. Hiruzen opposes Danzō’s attempts to target Nawaki and delays approval of Nawaki’s early graduation application. 151 175
• Sarutobi Ryu / Hiruzen Sarutobi — his son and an Anbu leader who turns against him in pursuit of Sarutobi Clan power. Their conflict reveals Hiruzen’s loss of control over both his family and Anbu. 207 208 209
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu — fellow advisors whose caution and self-interest increasingly clash with Hiruzen’s authority; he later orders them to rebuild Root under his terms. 76 179 181
• Enma — his summoned beast and combat partner. 178

Story Role / Major Arcs

Protecting Konoha’s Young Talent

Hiruzen recognizes Chizuru Uchiha’s extraordinary talent at six years old and worries about the Uchiha Clan’s growing strength. He later takes an interest in Kirito’s self-developed Magnet Release technique, asks that it be preserved for Konoha, and repeatedly considers how to cultivate the village’s next generation. 6 32 95

He resists Danzō’s attempts to expand Root by drawing more village personnel and orphans into the organization, believing Root’s growth already threatens Anbu and Konoha’s internal balance. 6

Nine-Tails Succession Operation

Hiruzen initially excludes the Uchiha Clan from the Nine-Tails Succession Operation because of the risk that a Mangekyō Sharingan user could seize control of the Nine-Tails. As external threats grow, he accepts Momoka’s proposal to deploy the Uchiha to the borders and battlefield instead. 107 113 115

After Kirito suppresses most of the Nine-Tails’ power, Hiruzen acknowledges him as the operation’s greatest contributor and orders the battlefield cleared and the wounded cared for. 128

Danzō and Root

Hiruzen orders Danzō to end all Root activity in the Land of Rain, then allows him limited operational control only after placing him under a cursed seal. 143

Following Danzō’s death, Root disappears rather than collapsing. Hiruzen regards this as evidence that an unseen leader remains and orders Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu to rebuild Root while placing his son and Hatake Sakumo within the new organization. 181

Battle with the Mysterious Sage

When a Sage Mode user attacks Konoha Prison and kills Danzō, Hiruzen confronts the intruder directly. He breaks a four-Elite-Jonin barrier with Fire Release, summons Enma, and uses hand seal-less substitution and elemental ninjutsu against the attacker. 178

Although injured, he identifies Sage Chakra in his wounds and investigates whether the attacker may be connected to one of the Three Great Sacred Lands. 179

Sarutobi Clan Crisis

Danzō’s accusations force Hiruzen to investigate the Sarutobi Clan’s unchecked expansion. He realizes that his position as Hokage has enabled the clan to accumulate personnel, wealth, and influence while he neglected its internal affairs. 175

His son later admits to spreading rumors against Kirito and commands an Edo Tensei puppet with Mangekyō Sharingan. Hiruzen rejects his son’s ambition, breaks the Mangekyō genjutsu with his incomplete Yin Seal, and vows to eliminate Old Root’s influence. 207 208 209

Madara Uchiha’s Return and Retirement

Upon learning that Madara Uchiha may still be alive, Hiruzen shifts his priority from Sarutobi Clan interests to Konoha’s survival. He supports nurturing Kirito as Konoha’s principal safeguard and proposes entrusting him with the Scroll of Sealing. 277 279

Madara eventually captures Hiruzen, prompting Tsunade to ask Kirito for help. Kirito rescues him, restoring Konoha’s morale; afterward, Hiruzen steps down at the height of his career and Tsunade becomes the Fourth Hokage. 301 308 311

Former Hokage

As a former Hokage and elder, Hiruzen continues to participate in Konoha’s strategic debates. He favors stability over Kirito’s resource-intensive Reinforcement Plan, but recognizes the value of its simplified Reinforcement Curse Mark. 334

He later volunteers for the front lines, leading Sarutobi and Ino-Shika-Cho shinobi. His Lava Release Chakra Mode proves especially effective against puppet armies. 351 362