Third Hokage

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hiruzen Sarutobi 4 14
Alias(es)	Third Hokage; Lord Third; Shinobi Hero 5 11
Gender	Male 12
Affiliation	Konohagakure 27
Occupation/Role	Third Hokage; former teacher of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade 18 27
Status	Alive and serving as Hokage during the Third Shinobi World War 49
First Appearance	Watches the academy students through his Crystal Ball 3

Background / History

Hiruzen was a student of Tobirama Senju and maintained long-standing ties with Danzo. Torifu Akimichi helped him secure the Hokage position before retiring from active village politics. Hiruzen also knew Kagami Uchiha, whom he remembers as someone eager to strengthen the Uchiha’s connection with Konoha 4 12 18 43.

As a teacher, Hiruzen trained Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Watching Yan train his companions reminds him of their younger days: Jiraiya causing trouble, Tsunade beating him up, and Orochimaru standing nearby. He remains concerned about Tsunade’s withdrawal from village life and interprets Orochimaru’s acceptance of Yan as a student as a sign that Orochimaru has moved beyond Nawaki’s death 15 18.

Personality

Hiruzen rejects Danzo’s treatment of the Uchiha as outsiders. He judges Yan by his contributions to Konoha and repeatedly identifies his efforts to strengthen his classmates as expressions of the Will of Fire. He also defends the secrecy of clan techniques, arguing that coercing one Uchiha into surrendering a technique would undermine every clan’s confidence in village leadership 11 14 31.

His support is tempered by political calculation. He places Orochimaru near Yan both as protection and as a means of testing Danzo’s obedience and the Uchiha’s secrecy. When Danzo’s misconduct becomes actionable, Hiruzen restricts his authority without removing him entirely, because Konoha still needs his strength 15 22.

Hiruzen cares about Asuma but struggles to communicate that care directly. His absences and interrupted lessons leave Asuma feeling unimportant, while his lecture-like approach provokes resentment. Biwako recognizes the problem and urges him to speak plainly; wartime responsibilities later reduce his opportunities to visit his son to only a few minutes 12 31.

Abilities & Skills

Crystal Ball Observation

• Watches academy matches and Yan’s training sessions remotely through a Crystal Ball 3 10.
• Feeds additional chakra into the ball to sharpen its image and increase the sound’s volume 10.
• Notices Yan’s hand-seal-free, apparently space-time substitutions and sudden increases in strength and speed after defending 14.
• The observation is not continuous: Orochimaru confirms that he is Hiruzen’s only observer during a private conversation with Yan after the ambush 15.

Political and Administrative Leadership

• Controls mission assignments, academy graduation approvals, village funding, and ANBU deployments 18 20 22 32.
• Uses oversight rather than outright prohibition to manage Yan’s training and Orochimaru’s proposed research 11 42 43.
• Negotiates with nobles and foreign villages, balancing financial costs against Konoha’s military position 19 20 32.
• Recognizes the danger of suppressing public discussion of Sakumo’s failed mission: intervention could make the village leadership appear to be concealing something 20.

Equipment / Items

• Crystal Ball — Chakra-powered viewing device used to monitor events elsewhere in Konoha 10.
• Smoking pipe — Frequently used in his office and at home. He refrains from smoking before discussing the Heavenly Eye Society because Yan is still a minor 4 12 18.

Relationships

• Asuma Sarutobi — Son. Asuma resents Hiruzen’s absence and inadequate attention to his training, contrasting it with Yan’s consistent instruction 12 31.
• Biwako — Wife and Asuma’s mother; advises Hiruzen to communicate more directly with their son 12.
• Danzo Shimura — Longtime friend and political rival. Their disputes concern Root’s authority, treatment of the Uchiha, and the use of covert methods against fellow villagers 4 11 14 22.
• Yan / Homura Uchiha — Young shinobi whose training, techniques, and newspaper earn Hiruzen’s support, though Yan remains subject to observation and political testing 11 15 18 42.
• Orochimaru — Former student. Hiruzen appoints him to supervise Yan and later authorizes oversight of his renewed Wood Release research 11 15 42 43.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade — Former students remembered with affection. Hiruzen discusses Tsunade’s isolation with Jiraiya 18.
• Sakumo Hatake — Trusted village shinobi. Hiruzen supports his decision to save a comrade, later apologizes for overlooking the pressure placed on him, and approves his retirement 19 22.
• Tobirama Senju — Teacher, recalled when Hiruzen watches the founding of Night 12.
• Torifu Akimichi — Former supporter entrusted with supervising Orochimaru’s experiment; his friendship with Kagami makes him acceptable to the Uchiha 43.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Academy Oversight and the Mountain Fire

• Hiruzen observes the academy students through his Crystal Ball and approves of their energy and ambitions 3.
• After Yan’s Fire Release ignites Konoha Back Mountain and triggers an invasion alarm, he accepts the Uchiha’s offer to pay for the damage. He labels the incident a “disaster drill” and tells Fugaku to train Yan properly 5.

Supporting Yan’s Training

• Allows Yan’s special training to continue if the children participate willingly, assigning Orochimaru and several ANBU to supervise 11.
• Refuses Danzo’s demand to seize Yan, explicitly affirming that the Uchiha belong to Konoha 11.
• Watches Night’s founding with nostalgia, then sprays tea over his Crystal Ball when Yan unveils elaborate ancestral tablets for Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama 12.
• Yan’s results lead him to consider teaching academy students chakra control earlier to improve their wartime survival chances 16.

Root Ambush and the Rasengan

• Rejects Danzo’s demand that Yan surrender his secret technique as proof of loyalty, citing the consequences for other clans’ inherited abilities 14.
• Keeps Danzo unaware of Orochimaru’s presence near Yan, creating both a safeguard and a test of Danzo’s willingness to defy Hokage authority 15.
• After the ambush, promises an investigation. He approves Yan’s offer to share the Rasengan, orders it recorded, awards an S-rank mission credit, and permits Orochimaru to take Yan as his student 15.

Heavenly Eye Society

Decision	Terms and significance
Funds the society	Grants premises and funding, treating Yan’s proposal as a goodwill gesture from the Uchiha 18.
Approves publication safeguards	Each issue of the Shinobi World Daily is to undergo village review to prevent intelligence leaks 18.
Sets profit sharing	Konoha receives 30 percent; Yan retains 70 percent 18.
Benefits from its success	Newspaper revenue strengthens Konoha’s finances, while the society creates jobs and improves public opinion of the Uchiha 19.

Sakumo’s Disgrace and Danzo’s Punishment

• Declines to blame Sakumo for abandoning a mission to save a comrade. He negotiates with the affected noble and spends village money to settle the dispute 19 20.
• Recognizes Danzo as the likely source of the public backlash. Impressed by Yan’s newspaper framing Sakumo’s decision as the Will of Fire, he asks Fugaku to give Yan experience in Police Force affairs 20.
• After Danzo’s attempt to manipulate the newspaper is exposed, Hiruzen apologizes to Sakumo and approves his retirement 22.
• Punishes Danzo for disclosing S-rank mission information by sending him to the Land of Rain border with only two guards. The ANBU Training Corps must remain in Konoha and act only under the Hokage’s written orders 22.

Third Shinobi World War

• Formally declares Konoha at war after Kumogakure and Iwagakure attack. The villagers’ unusually fervent response makes him think Yan should tone down the propaganda 27 28.
• Learns about Yan’s immersive training illusion from Genma and later accepts Yan’s explanation that it simulates combat against a powerful enemy. He regards its use for classmates rather than exclusively for the Uchiha as further evidence of Yan’s goodwill 29 31.
• Grants Yan’s early graduation immediately, without the test Yan expected. He explains that Kakashi, Asuma, and others have been waiting for Yan to apply, gives him their forehead protectors to deliver, and suggests Obito apply too 32.
• Negotiates an alliance with Pakura despite Koharu and Homura’s objections. Sunagakure agrees to pay eight million ryō for help establishing a newspaper; Hiruzen prioritizes avoiding another war front over preserving Konoha’s publishing advantage 32.
• Sunagakure later breaks the alliance and declares war. As Konoha again faces four enemies, Hiruzen returns some authority to Danzo, including control of Root, though many former Root members have already transferred to ANBU 49.

Renewed Wood Release Research

• Considers Orochimaru’s proposal cautiously because failure could damage the village leadership’s reputation and its relationship with the Uchiha 42.
• Accepts Yan’s endorsement and offers to convene the leadership if Yan secures Uchiha cooperation. The work will receive secret supervision and be publicly described as a “Physical Enhancement Drug” 42.
• Assigns Torifu Akimichi as overseer, drawing on his lack of political ambition and his ties to Kagami Uchiha 43.

Notable Quotes

“Konoha needs more than Root in the shadows. It needs light, too!” 4

“Enough, Danzo! The Uchiha are part of this village too! Yan Uchiha is a child who possesses the will of fire. Keep your hands to yourself!” 11

“Danzo, I know some things the village does can't be brought into the open. But those methods are for our enemies, not our comrades!” 22