| “ | The Will of Fire will be passed down from generation to generation. | „ |
| ~ The Third Hokage. |
| “ | 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 to Orochimaru. |
| “ | When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew. | „ |
| ~ Hiruzen's last words. |
| “ | We're leaving the rest to you... Kakashi, Sakura... Sasuke and Naruto. | „ |
| ~ Hiruzen's Last words before ascending to Pure Land. |
Hiruzen Sarutobi is a major character in the Naruto anime and manga series.
He was the Third Hokage originally from Konohagakure's Sarutobi clan. He was part of Team Tobirama alongside Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane under the leadership of the Second Hokage. He was also trained by the First Hokage and would later become the teacher of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
During his childhood, he was a close friend to Danzo. During the Second Hokage and Raikage attempted peace treaty, Tobirama act as a decoy to allow Hiruzen and the others to escape from the vicious Hidden Cloud criminals Ginkaku and Kinkaku as well Tobirama appoint Hiruzen to become the Third Hokage. He trained the Legendary Sannin. During his retirement, he appointed Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage until he died and sealed away with the Death God as well sealed both halves of the Nine-Tails within him and his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki. Hiruzen was forced out of retirement instead of selecting a replacement and took care of Naruto by using his mother's surname and kept it as a secret to regard him as a hero not a monster fox. As the Uchiha will have civil war, he allowed Itachi Uchiha to kill his clansmen (except for Sasuke) to prevent it even affiliated the Akatsuki as his spy to protect Sasuke and officially disbanded Danzo's ROOT. He assigned Iruka Umino as Naruto's homeroom teacher.
When Mizuki revealed Naruto the truth of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox's incident, Hiruzen was worried of Naruto's feelings become even worse than he was mistreated by the Villagers and that he would use the Scroll of Seals to turn into the Nine-Tails. After Naruto beaten up Mizuki, Hiruzen is relieved and told the shinobi force to not worry as Naruto and Iruka return home safely as well arresting Mizuki and declared him as a wanted missing-nin. As he assigned Kakashi Hatake as a teacher for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura as he let them pass when he found their teamwork, he assigned Team Kakashi to send to the Hidden Mist to deal with a corrupted official.
During the war against both the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound shinobis, he died and sealed away with both of Hashirama and Tobirama's souls and Orochimaru's arms from his soul inside the Death God's stomach for eternity. Until Orochimaru used the Death God's mask to undo the Reaper Death Seal to regain his arms and revived Hiruzen and his fellow Hokage by the Reanimation Jutsu to stop the Fourth Great Shinobi War. After Kaguya's revived and later sealed away, Hiruzen and his fellow five Kages and the Sage of Six Paths used the summoning jutsu to return the former Team 7, the Tailed Beasts and the dying Madara Uchiha. As Hagoromo undone the Reanimation Jutsu, Hiruzen entrusted the future shinobi to Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi before going to Pure Land.
He was voiced by Steve Kramer in the English version and by Hidekatsu Shibata in the Japanese version.
Background[]
Born into the Sarutobi clan to Sasuke, Hiruzen was a prodigy who truly stood out in talent. He and his former team-mates, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, were students of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. He was also trained by Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. While once a close friend of Danzō Shimura during their early childhood, Danzō developed a one-sided rivalry with Hiruzen who always managed to be a step ahead of him. During the First Shinobi World War, Team Tobirama along with Danzō, Kagami Uchiha and Torifu Akimichi were pursued by enemy Kumogakure ninja. Knowing that one of them would need to be a sacrificial decoy so the others can escape, Hiruzen volunteered. However, Tobirama chose to be the decoy instead, naming Hiruzen his successor while driving a further wedge between his student and Danzō.
Later in his life, he married Biwako and became the father of at least two children, Asuma Sarutobi and at least one other, who has yet to be seen in the series. This unnamed child would later give Hiruzen a grandson: Konohamaru Sarutobi and Asuma later, another grandchild. Prior to the Second Shinobi World War, Hiruzen became the teacher of Jiraiya, Orochimaru,and Tsunade. Coming to appreciate Orochimaru's natural talent, Hiruzen saw him as a once in a lifetime genius.However, while explaining to Orochimaru the symbolic significance of a white snake the boy found near his parents' grave, Hiruzen unknowing caused his pupil to go down a dark road while attempting to steer him away from it.
After serving as Hokage for many years, Hiruzen started looking for a successor to the title. While he hoped to be able to give the position to Orochimaru, he saw that he only was interested in the power it offered. Though he turned to Jiraiya, Hiruzen instead named Jiraiya's student Minato Namikaze as his successor.In the anime, another one of his students was Kosuke Maruboshi, whom he passed on the Will of Fire to. He also taught him ninjutsu, one of which is the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Personality[]
Due to the long life, he had lived, Hiruzen served as a source of wisdom for much of the series, passing on the things he had learned to the next generation. As Hokage, he had also acquired a habit of attempting to end things peacefully and did what he could to avoid bloodshed amongst his allies and his enemies. At the series' start, Hiruzen was one of the few people who saw Naruto as more than the container of Kurama, and, as such, became someone that Naruto truly admired, even thinking of Hiruzen as a grandfather-figure. According to Kakashi Hatake, Hiruzen loved his students deeply, including Orochimaru, no matter how far he had fallen. This ideal stems from his belief that Konoha's next generation is a precious resource that must be protected.
However, it was the same belief that forced Hiruzen to allow Orochimaru to escape after uncovering his experiments in replicating Hashirama's DNA at the cost of many lives, thus unknowingly allowing his former student to commit even more tragedies. By his own admission, Hiruzen noted that he was too compassionate and indulging of a person, leaving things such as the more underhanded, but necessary, tasks to Danzō. To this end he admitted that he believed that he had failed to carry on the Second Hokage's mission of bringing stability to the village.
Hiruzen was also bit lecherous as well, as he enjoyed spending much of his free time talking to young girls, which was his favourite pastime, and when Jiraiya was still his student, he offered to help Jiraiya test the technique that would allow the user to spy on naked women unnoticed. Even Jiraiya, in this instance, noted his sensei's perverted qualities. He also fell victim to Naruto's Sexy Technique on more than one occasion, fainting after he saw it.
Quotes[]
| “ | This isn't good. Mizuki told him the secret. Naruto is more unstable than ever. He might release the power that has been sealed. He also has the Scroll of Sealing. The possibility that he will unseal himself and turned into a nine tailed fox is possible. If that happens... | „ |
| ~ Hiruzen reaction that Naruto learned the truth from Mizuki |
| “ | After forcing him to kill his fellow.... We accused him to be a traitor.....and eventually even had him watch over Akatsuki alone. Even since he was little, Itachi realized the teachings and seals of his ancestors, when other people didn't even care for them. He was sensitive, he could perceive many things shinobi and the origins of the village... That probably why he was never bound by his clan... and was able to think about the future of shinobi and of the village... he was very anxious about that. At the age of 7, his reasoning was just like a Hokage's... We entrusted everything to him alone and carried it out, considering it his mission. He murdered his fellows, stopping the insurrection and thus averting the war that would have followed all alone. He went as far as to enter Akatsuki as a spy to protect the village. This, At the condition that I would protect you. | „ |
| ~ Hiruzen reveal to Sasuke the truth about Itachi |
Abilities[]
Hiruzen was prodigiously talented in the shinobi arts to the point that he earned the attention of Hashirama and Tobirama and became their student. As an adult, under the tutelage of the two first hokages and having experienced many battles, Hiruzen became an extremely powerful and skilled shinobi, having managed to hone his abilities fully to match his talents, enough that Tobirama chose him over the rest of his team to be Hokage. As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen was one of the most powerful shinobi in history, so much so that he was admired as the God of Shinobi (忍の神, Shinobi no Kami) in his prime, and was said to be the strongest Hokage that Konoha has ever had. Even in his old age, he retained an immense amount of skill, as he was said to be the strongest of all the five Kage at the time of his death, with him having still been able to chase out Kurama from Konoha and years after that, could still defeat and seal away the reincarnated Tobirama and Hashirama and overwhelm Orochimaru and take away his ability to do Ninjutsu before dying. Had he been at his prime, Orochimaru stated he would have doubtlessly been killed by his former mentor. His reincarnation has seemingly restored him to his prime. Both Naruto and Sasuke would go on to praise his sheer prowess soon after seeing him in action. He was capable of single-handedly standing up to Guruguru, defending the Allied Shinobi Force from his assault.
Hiruzen was known for having consummate mastery over all forms of ninjutsu, to the point that it earned him the title of Professor.
Physical and Chakra Prowess[]
Despite years of not battling, his old age and weakened body having deteriorated his physical prowess, Hiruzen still proved to be highly capable in Taijutsu and had excellent reflexes, able to outmaneuver the reincarnated Hashirama and Tobirama in hand-to-hand combat, even planting explosive tags on them without them noticing. He also had surprisingly great strength, able to throw Tobirama away. His senses were considerably sharp, to the point that he was able to defend himself from Hashirama and Tobirama's assault even when blinded by a powerful Genjutsu. Hiruzen was also extremely skilled in wielding Enma's staff form, able to quickly disarm Orochimaru of his Sword of Kusanagi and even cut Jubi's roots.
Hiruzen was said to have immense chakra reserves in his youth, although it has deteriorated from old age, enough has remained for him to use remarkably powerful techniques at rapid succession in battle against the likes of Orochimaru, Tobirama and Hashirama. His chakra also remains very strong, able to crack stone. He also had very precise chakra control, effectively off setting his reduced chakra reserves, only needing a few hand seals to perform powerful jutsus to their maximum power.
Ninjutsu[]
Hiruzen was known for having tremendous knowledge and ability in Ninjutsu, to the point that it is considered to be on an entirely different level than most ninja in battle and even Danzo considered him to be unrivaled in this field. He had fully mastered every technique in Konoha's history and while not able to use them, was also knowledgeable on the hiden techniques. His knowledge was even great enough to instantly deduce the technique about to be used based on the hand seals. His mastery could simultaneously use multiple techniques to enhance their effects and make them more versatile.
Hiruzen was considerably knowledgeable and adept in Fuinjutsu, as he was able to seal up Anko's Cursed Seal and was deemed capable of removing the Five Elements Seal. He is even skilled and knowledgeable enough to perform the extremely advanced Dead Demon Consuming Seal, which allows for one to seal a target away at the cost of their life, and he is even familiar enough to bypass this repercussion by sacrificing shadow clones instead.
Hiruzen has been seen to be highly capable in Barrier Ninjutsu, as alongside Hashirama, Tobirama and Minato, he was able to erect the legendary Kage level Four Red Yang Formation Barrier. He is also an excellent sensor, able to sense chakra from vast distances.
Hiruzen was known for having shown outstanding talent in elemental ninjutsu, even greater so than Tobirama, and managed to fully refine his potential in said field of techniques, becoming highly proficient in the use of all five Nature Transformations. Hiruzen particularly excelled in the use of Earth and Fire Release, as he is able to easily expel a large blast of flame, create a mud wall, and is even able to combine them, by creating a river of mud and then summoning a dragon head composed of mud and having it shoot balls of earth, which he can ignite into flames. He also had enough skill and knowledge in the other elements to be able to quickly decide which element to use to produce a counterbalance nature, able to summon powerful streams strong enough to repel Tobi's elemental attack.
Personal Summon[]
Hiruzen's personal summon was the Monkey King: Enma, a most powerful elderly monkey summon. Enma has immense strength easily incapacitate a reincarnated Hashirama and Tobirama Senju in brief hand-to-hand combat when they tried to keep him from transforming under the command of Orochimaru.
He can transform himself into adamant staff that can break woods into pieces such as Hashirama's wood element and the Ten Tails' God Tree form branches. Despite his durability as an adamant, the sword of Kusanagi Orochimaru wield can still hurt him.
Gallery[]
Images[]
External Links[]
- Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Naruto Wiki
- Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Near Pure Good Wiki
