Naruto: 7 Biggest Controversies During the Third Hokage’s Reign

Highlights

Sarutobi’s reign marked by peace, but controversies lingered due to secrecy and missed opportunities in leadership decisions.
Failure to prevent betrayal by Orochimaru and Danzo’s questionable black ops activities shed negative light on Hokage Sarutobi.
Tragic events like Rin Nohara’s death and Uchiha massacre tarnished Sarutobi’s legacy, despite his overall popularity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the third and longest-serving Hokage in the history of Konoha. His reign began with the death of the 2nd Hokage during the 1st Ninja World War all the way until his death during Orochimaru’s attempted invasion of Konoha.

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Sarutobi’s reign was mostly filled with peace and prosperity. However, like any other leader who ruled their territory for decades, there would always be controversies. The following are some of the biggest controversies during the Third Hokage’s reign. Some are public knowledge, some are only known years after it happened, and some controversies are only known by certain groups of people.

7 Naruto’s True Identity

Hiruzen Could’ve Done More for Naruto

After the 4th Hokage passed away, the 3rd promised to protect and take care of Naruto. He decided to do so by concealing the true identity of Naruto’s parents, even from the boy himself. He did so because he wanted to protect Naruto from his father’s enemies. However, while he successfully suppressed the information regarding Naruto’s parents, the fact that he is a jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Beast somehow became common knowledge in the village. Thanks to this, Naruto was often despised and ostracized by society.

Had people known about the sacrifice and heroic deeds of Naruto’s parents, the boy might’ve led a much more peaceful childhood. Besides, being a jinchuriki is a significantly greater risk than being a descendant of a Hokage. After all, both Kushina Uzumaki and Rin Nohara were kidnapped because of their potential as a jinchuriki, while nobody seems interested in hurting Konohamaru, the 3rd Hokage’s bratty grandson.

6 Orochimaru’s Betrayal

Hiruzen Should’ve Stop Orochimaru Years Ago

One of the most famous groups of ninjas from Konoha is Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, otherwise known as the Three Legendary Ninjas. They were not only famous for their power but also because they were pioneers in their own fields. But what made them even more special was the fact that they were Hiruzen Sarutobi’s students.

But then everything changed when they found out that Orochimaru had gone rogue and began conducting human experiments in search of the key to immortality. What’s worse, when the higher-ups managed to sniff out Orochimaru’s secret hideout, the Third Hokage decided to let him go. He couldn’t bring himself to apprehend his former star pupil. Years later, Orochimaru came back to invade Konoha and killed his former teacher, along with countless others, along the way.

5 Danzo’s Illegal Activity

Danzo was Behind Countless Questionable Black Ops

Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura wanted nothing but the best for the village. But while Hiruzen strived to bring peace and prosperity to the village through wisdom and understanding and only resorted to violence as a last resort, Danzo was the complete opposite. In his mind, the only way for Konoha to prosper was by being one step ahead of the other ninja villages. This means taking active steps like conducting espionage, sabotage, and even assassination if necessary.

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While Hiruzen disagreed with Danzo’s way of doing things, he still saw the value in what his old friends tried to achieve. So when he came into power, Hiruzen allowed the creation of a secret organization called The Roots, under the complete control of Danzo.

4 The Hyuga’s Affair

Hiruzen Failed to Prevent the Death of Neji’s Father

On the eve of Hinata’s 3rd birthday, a peace talk between Kumogakure and Konohagakure was held at Konoha. Unfortunately, one of the people from Kumogakure tried to kidnap Hinata in order to get their hands on her Byakugan. Thankfully, Hinata’s father, Hiashi Hyuga, managed to kill the kidnapper before he could escape with Hinata. Kumogakure quickly denied the kidnapping allegation. On the contrary, since one of their high-ranking members was killed, Kumogakure demanded Hiashi’s head. Refusal meant a declaration of war.

Amidst this chaotic situation, Neji’s father and Hiashi’s twin, Hizashi Hyuga, volunteered to replace his brother. Hizashi knew that his cursed seal would permanently destroy his byakugan so there was no danger in giving his body to the enemy. This devastating event was not entirely the Third Hokage’s fault. But as someone who invited a treacherous enemy into his village, Hiruzen should’ve prepared to handle any kind of unforeseen situation. So in the eyes of many, the Hyuga Affair could be considered one of his major failures.

3 Rin Nohara’s Death

Another Major Kidnapping Incident During Hiruzen’s Reign

At the height of the 3rd Great Ninja War, a handful of elite ninjas from Kirigakure kidnapped a girl named Rin Nohara and forcefully turned her into the Jinchuriki for the Three-Tailed Beast. Rin was Kakashi and Obito’s close friend and one of Minato’s students. Obito was no longer with them, while Minato was fighting at the frontline, so Kakashi was the only one who could find and save Rin. With the help of several other elite ninjas from Konoha, they successfully tracked down Rin and her kidnappers.

Seeing that they might lose the fight, the Kirigakure’s ninja tried to forcefully awaken the tailed beast inside Rin. Kakashi immediately leaped to attack them with his raikiri, but rather than the bad guys his thunderous hand pierced his dear friend instead. Rin knew that there was no way she could control the tailed beast, so she’d rather die at the hands of a loved one than cause an untold amount of pain to the village. Rin’s death was such a pivotal moment in Kakashi, Minato, and Obito’s life. Blames were thrown around at the time, including to the Third Hokage who was seen as incapable of protecting his own citizens.

2 The Uchiha Massacre

The Biggest Act of Treason in Konoha’s History

A couple of years after the 3rd Hokage returned to his seat due to the passing of the 4th Hokage, there was a growing dissent within the most powerful clan in Konoha, the Uchiha. They felt discontent with the leadership of Konoha, and now they wanted to stage a coup. Hiruzen was adamant about opening a negotiation first, but Danzo had a different plan. Unbeknownst to Hiruzen, Danzo ordered Itachi, one of the finest members of the Uchiha, to massacre his own clan.

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Itachi quickly realized that horrifying though it might be, this was the only course of action that the village could take. So Itachi killed his fellow clan members, including his own parents, leaving only his younger brother, Sasuke, as the last surviving member of the Uchiha. The news given to the public at the time was that Itachi had gone rogue and betrayed the village. Only a handful of people knew about Danzo’s involvement in this tragedy, so most people simply blamed it on Itachi and the man in charge instead, which was none other than the 3rd Hokage.

1 Peace Treaty with Iwagakure

The Biggest Controversy in Hiruzen’s Career

In the 3rd Ninja World War, Konoha’s biggest enemy was Iwagakure. It’s unclear what was the reason behind the conflict, but one thing’s for sure, countless blood had been spilled from both camps. Tired of enduring and committing such mindless carnage, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to engage in a peace talk with Iwagakure. Both parties agreed to hold the peace treaty in Konoha.

While everybody wanted peace, some people felt insulted by Hiruzen’s decision to invite the enemy to their home soil. The one who vehemently opposed this plan, and was quite vocal about it, was Danzo. While the peace treaty went rather smoothly, the divide in the public’s opinion about this controversial decision couldn’t be more palpable. There were protests on the street, both supporting and condemning the Hokage’s decision. It got so bad to the point that Hiruzen decided to step down from his position as the Third Hokage.

Most of these controversies, dreadful as they might be, were not directly caused by Hiruzen’s action or decision. But as the one in charge, the buck stopped with him, so he received the bulk of the blame. All things considered though, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still one of the most beloved Hokage in Konoha.