Sarutobi Hiruzen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sarutobi Hiruzen (猿飞日斩)
Alias(es)	Third Hokage
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Konohagakure; Sarutobi Clan 41 43
Occupation/Role	Instructor Jonin; Third Hokage of Konohagakure 11 41
Status	Deceased; poisoned and stabbed during Uchiha Aokiji's plot against Konoha's higher-ups 414
First Appearance	Chapter 11

Background

At twenty-four, Hiruzen was Tobirama Senju's disciple and was assigned as the Instructor Jonin for Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. Tsunade's placement on his team, together with Tobirama's trust, led Hiruzen to recognize that his teacher was preparing him as a successor. 11

Tobirama was later killed in an ambush during negotiations with Kumogakure. With Tobirama's dying wish and backing from Konoha's major factions, Hiruzen was elected the Third Hokage to stabilize the village's leadership. 41

As Hokage, Hiruzen had to secure funding after Konoha's strength and mission income declined following Tobirama's death. He negotiated with the Fire Country's nobility, using political maneuvering and underhanded methods to obtain a major budget increase for the village. 43 47

Hiruzen believed the Hokage needed an unblemished public image while the village's darker work was handled elsewhere. He considered creating a force buried deeper than the Anbu and implicitly viewed Danzo as a suitable person to bear that burden; Danzo subsequently established Root despite Hiruzen's objections. 47 65

Appearance

Hiruzen is depicted as an older man with a beard and wrinkled features. He commonly presents himself with a calm, kind smile, especially in public or political settings. 11 64 205

• Wears formal Hokage attire while carrying out village duties. 64
• Often smokes a pipe while deliberating over political or military decisions. 109
• Later wields Enma in the form of an adamantine staff in battle. 300

Personality

Hiruzen is politically perceptive and highly conscious of public perception. He deliberately cultivates an image of kindness and reliability, believing that goodwill built through small favors can create loyal supporters and protect a leader's reputation when mistakes occur. 21

His leadership balances pragmatism with restraint. He will use questionable methods to obtain resources or preserve Konoha's position, but he refuses some of Danzo's harsher proposals, such as killing Lan Ren's retainers to eliminate future complications. 47 64

Hiruzen is deeply wary of the Uchiha Clan's power and sees their role in the Konoha Military Police Force as a means of limiting their training opportunities and political influence. He nonetheless avoids open confrontation when the village needs Uchiha military strength. 21 240

His habitual reliance on measured rhetoric becomes especially apparent in council meetings: he first acknowledges opposing opinions, then redirects the discussion toward what he calls the larger practical situation. 109 240

Abilities & Skills

Five Basic Nature Transformations

Hiruzen is stated to have mastered all five basic Chakra natures despite lacking a Kekkei Genkai. 227

• Uses combined Earth and Fire Release against Kakuzu. 298
• Uses Lightning Release to pierce Kakuzu's heart after deceiving him with a clone. 298
• Performs Wind Release: Cyclone, overpowering Kakuzu's Lightning Release attack. 298
• Uses Earth Release techniques with enough versatility to create clones and reshape the battlefield. 201

Earth Release

Hiruzen uses Earth Release for both deception and area control.

• Earth Release: Shadow Clone — Creates a mud-based clone capable of misleading an opponent. 201
• Earth Release: Earth Flow River — Turns the ground into a destructive mudslide that traps and carries away targets. 201
• Uses a Shadow Clone as a diversion while his true body moves underground to attack from an unexpected position. 298

Summoning: Enma

Hiruzen can summon Enma, who transforms into a durable black adamantine staff.

• The staff significantly increases Hiruzen's combat power against Kakuzu. 300
• Hiruzen uses it as a close-range weapon after analyzing Kakuzu's abilities. 300

Ninja Art: Kinto'un

A high-speed Body Flicker Technique that transforms Hiruzen into a white cloud for rapid movement. 300

• Allows him to evade Kakuzu's combined-nature attack and reposition behind him. 300
• Consumes considerable Chakra. 300
• Is described as slower only than the Flying Thunder God Technique among the techniques known in the narrative. 300

Relationships

• Tobirama Senju — Teacher and predecessor as Hokage; Tobirama entrusted Hiruzen with Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, and his death paved the way for Hiruzen's election. 11 41
• Shimura Danzo — Lifelong friend, political rival, and subordinate. Hiruzen sought to use Danzo as Konoha's hidden “black hand,” but their disagreement over Root, the Uchiha, and Aokiji became increasingly hostile. 21 47 65 332
• Orochimaru — Disciple and favored student. Hiruzen supported Orochimaru's provisional Jonin promotion despite concern from the other elders. 20 109
• Jiraiya — Disciple with whom Hiruzen shares an unusually informal, teasing rapport. 20
• Tsunade — Disciple and granddaughter of Hashirama Senju; her status was part of why Hiruzen understood Tobirama's assignment as a succession test. 11
• Uchiha Aokiji — Initially a valuable but closely watched Uchiha Jinchuriki. Their relationship deteriorated into open political hostility, culminating in Aokiji's role in Hiruzen's murder. 212 380 414
• Sarutobi Asuma — Son. Aokiji manipulated Asuma into participating in Hiruzen's assassination; Asuma was later publicly identified as the killer and declared an S-rank rogue ninja. 414 419
• Konohamaru — Grandson and the last known Sarutobi child spared by Aokiji's arrangement with Asuma. 420
• Biwako — Fellow Jonin and implied romantic partner; Hiruzen becomes visibly embarrassed when Jiraiya teases him about their relationship. 20

Story Role / Major Arcs

Instructor and Successor

Hiruzen accepts Tobirama's assignment to train Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, treating it as both a responsibility to Konoha and evidence that he is being prepared for the Hokage position. 11

Third Hokage and Political Consolidation

After Tobirama's death, Hiruzen becomes the Third Hokage and focuses on securing Konoha's finances, maintaining the village's public standing, and strengthening its political position. 41 43 47

Managing Aokiji and the Uchiha Question

Hiruzen considers steering Aokiji toward medical ninjutsu, partly because it would reduce an Uchiha's combat role while providing Konoha with a needed medical ninja. 21

After Aokiji becomes the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiruzen places him under surveillance. Learning of Aokiji's relationship with Tsunade complicates the issue, leading Hiruzen to temporarily tolerate the relationship while seeking a way to keep Aokiji under Konoha's control. 212 220

During wartime, Hiruzen rejects Danzo's call to act decisively against Aokiji and the Uchiha, arguing that Konoha cannot afford to lose the clan's power or its Jinchuriki. 240

Alliance Crisis and Injury

The Third Mizukage offers the Six-Tails in exchange for Aokiji's corpse and threatens Konoha with pressure from Kirigakure and Iwagakure. Hiruzen refuses to agree immediately and returns to Konoha to consult the elders. 297

While traveling from the negotiations, Hiruzen is intercepted by Kakuzu. He survives the initial encounter through tactical use of elemental ninjutsu, clones, underground movement, Kinto'un, and Enma, but is severely injured. 298 300 312

Danzo becomes Acting Hokage during Hiruzen's incapacitation. After confronting Danzo over Aokiji's presumed death, Hiruzen retakes the Hokage position. 312 332

Conflict with Aokiji

When Aokiji returns years later, he directly challenges Hiruzen's past policies, including Konoha's treatment of Naruto and the Uchiha Clan. Hiruzen attempts to defend the decision to conceal Naruto's identity as protection and character-building, but his authority is increasingly undermined. 380 381

Hiruzen fails to stop Aokiji from escalating the Uchiha conflict and disbanding the Konoha Military Police Force. 382

Death

Aokiji orchestrates a plot against Konoha's leadership and uses Asuma against his father. Hiruzen is poisoned, stabbed in the throat, and left to die after realizing his son had betrayed him. 414

In the aftermath, the village accepts Asuma as the primary culprit, while Aokiji's involvement is concealed through intimidation and political manipulation. 419