| “ | To me, Konoha isn't just an organisation. Every year there are a lot of ninja born and raised in Konoha… They live, fight to protect this village and what is precious they would go to their death. Even if we are not related by blood, those of the village like these are, to me, my most precious, most important… family! | „ |
| ~ Hiruzen while fighting Orochimaru |
Hiruzen Sarutobi is a supporting character in the Naruto anime and manga series. He was the Third Hokage, trained by the First Hokage and teacher to the three Legendary Sannin: Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru. During the Konaha Crush, Hiruzen sacrificed himself in order to stop Orochimaru, though his legacy and his teachings would live on through his students and the rest of the village.
His Good Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Good?[]
- During the First Great Ninja War, when Tobirama stated one of the ninja needed to act as a decoy to buy time for the others to escape, Hiruzen volunteered to act as the decoy, ready to sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of his comrades. This nobility earned Tobirama's respect, who chose to sacrifice himself instead and made Hiruzen the Third Hokage.
- Personally trained the three Legendary Sannin: Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, all three of whom would leave a deep impact in the ninja world and each assisted in protecting it in their own way thanks to the tutelage of Hiruzen.
- As Third Hokage, embodied the Will of Fire, treating everyone in the village as though they were his own family, causing many villagers to deeply admire and respect his leadership.
- Deeply cared about Orochimaru, attempting to console him after the deaths of his parents and did his best to teach him about the Will of Fire, hoping he would become the next Hokage due to seeing Orochimaru's genius in ninjutsu.
- In the anime, during the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen chose to end the war by signing a peace treaty with the Hidden Stone Village in spite of the many lives lost during the conflict, demonstrating his adherence to peace.
- After Minato's death, Hiruzen attempted to honor Minato's final wishes of having Naruto be seen by the village as a hero in spite of having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within him, and when this failed, Hiruzen outlawed the mention of the Nine-Tailed Fox to protect Naruto from their misguided hatred.
- Was extremely patient and level-headed with his grandson Konohamaru, who was at the time a true rival to pre-Shippuden Naruto's level of mischievousness (such as their similarly common use of the Sexy Jutsu).
- In the anime, when Danzo attempted to have Hiruzen assassinated after the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Hiruzen caught wind of this plot but ultimately chose to spare Danzo instead of having him executed. Though this decision would have more terrible consequences in the future, it is still another demonstration of Hiruzen's remarkably kind and forgiving heart.
- Even after having discovered Orochimaru's illegal experiments, Hiruzen still cared about him and was unable to apprehend him, and while it may have been a costly mistake, it still demonstrates his kind heart.
- In the anime, after learning of Yamato being the only survivor of Orochimaru's experiments to replicate the First Hokage's Wood-style jutsu, Hiruzen arranged for Yamato to be released into his care.
- Upon learning of the Uchiha's plan to overthrow the village, Hiruzen repeatedly attempted to negotiate peacefully with the Uchiha instead of opting for a more violent approach.
- Did not approve of Danzo's secret plan to have the Uchiha Clan massacred, expressing disgust at Danzo's actions and promptly dissolving his Root division while placing Danzo under house arrest.
- Empathized with Itachi due to the extremely difficult position he was put in, and when Itachi requested to Hiruzen that Sasuke be protected, Hiruzen agreed and continued to honor his request. In the anime, he even promised not to change the village's barrier formula to allow Itachi to enter from time to time and watch Sasuke from afar.
- Looked after Naruto during his childhood, being one of the few people who was there for him when growing up. Naruto would also adopt his teachings of the Will of Fire when he became Hokage.
- Taught his son, Asuma, about the importance of teaching the next generation of shinobi and the Will of Fire.
- During the Konoha Crush, singlehandedly fought against Orochimaru and the reanimated Hokages, and sacrificed his life in order to seal away the other Hokages and Orochimaru's arms in an attempt to stop Orochimaru from using his ninjutsu ever again.
- When he was reanimated during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Hiruzen expressed sincere regret for forcing Danzo to bear all the village's darkness by himself, admitting that his lenient ideologies were too naïve at times and believing that some of the world's problems could have been avoided if he led with a firmer hand.
- Aids during the Fourth Great Ninja War, assisting the other Hokage in creating a barrier around the Ten-Tails, then fights against Obito to ensure no one else puts their lives at risk.
- Hiruzen saves Naruto's life from the Ten Tails' tree form's chakra-absorbing roots.
- Assists the other Kage in summoning Team 7, Madara and the other Tailed Beasts back from Kaguya's dimension, saving them from being trapped there.
What Prevents Him From Being Pure Good?[]
- Fails the high admirable standard of Naruto in comparison to other Hokages such as Hashirama Senju, Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki.
- Has a slightly perverted side, bonding with Jiraiya over their shared desire to spy on naked women. However, this is played for mischief, making this a minor prevention.
- Although his sense of mercy is part of the noble qualities of his character, this has caused some problems later on with notable examples listed under:
- His decision to spare Orochimaru when first learning of his illegal experiments and fall into darkness had very serious repercussions, since Orochimaru would continue conducting heinous experiments, ruin many other lives, and would eventually attack the Hidden Leaf Village again, costing many lives which could have been avoided had Hiruzen taken out Orochimaru from the beginning.
- Similarly, in the anime, Hiruzen chose not to punish Danzo when he attempted to assassinate him, instead choosing to let it slide and simply ordering Danzo to do what was best for the Hidden Leaf Village. His leniency would eventually cost him, as under Danzo's orders, Itachi massacred the entire Uchiha Clan to stop their plan to overthrow the Hidden Leaf Village. This event almost entirely eradicated the Uchiha Clan, forced Itachi to become a criminal, and led Sasuke down the path to vengeance, and had Hiruzen acted beforehand and been more forceful, this could have possibly been avoided.
External Links[]
- Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Heroes Wiki
- Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Naruto Wiki
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 Near Pure Goods
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