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Mar 11, 2024 · Asuma Sarutobi was a jounin who belonged to the Hidden Leaf Village. He was introduced in episode 3 of Naruto as the teacher/trainer of Team 10. This team comprised the legendary trio of Ino-Shika ...
- Overview
- Background
- Personality
- Appearance
- Abilities
- Part I
- Part II
- Legacy
- In Other Media
- Trivia
editHiruzen Sarutobi
猿飛ヒルゼン
•Third Hokage (三代目火影, Sandaime Hokage)
•Monkey (サル, Saru)
•The Professor (プロフェッサー, Purofessā)
•God of Shinobi (忍の神, Shinobi no Kami, English TV: The Supreme Shinobi)
Hiruzen was born the son of Sasuke Sarutobi. The Sarutobi clan was one of the first clans to settle in the newly-created Konohagakure, where Hiruzen struck up a friendship with the Shimura clan's Danzō Shimura. Hiruzen was part of the first generation of ninja produced by Konoha and he, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were placed under the tutelage of Tobirama Senju. Hiruzen early on displayed prodigious talent in the ninja arts, earning him additional training from Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage; at the same time, Danzō became jealous of Hiruzen's skills and started a one-sided rivalry in an effort to surpass him. At one point Hashirama and Tobirama talked to Hiruzen of the importance of believing in and protecting those in the village, telling him he would one day be Hokage.
During the First Shinobi World War, Tobirama, by that time the Second Hokage, led a team consisting of Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, Danzō, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi. During a mission they started to be pursued by Kumogakure's Kinkaku Force, an enemy that somebody would need to distract and inevitably die at the hands of in order for the rest of the team to escape. Hiruzen volunteered to be the decoy, boasting that, as the strongest of their group, he stood the best chance of surviving the encounter; nevertheless, he asked Danzō to look after the others. Tobirama volunteered himself instead, and before going to his death he appointed Hiruzen as Third Hokage.
In the anime, Hiruzen permitted Danzō to create Root - a more ruthless subdivision of the Anbu under Danzō's exclusive control - shortly after he became Hokage in order to balance the shortcomings of his empathetic rule. For years he had ignored Root's questionable foreign ops, its abduction of children, and the actions it took against Konoha personnel, Hiruzen included.
At some point, Hiruzen married Biwako and they had a son, Asuma, and at least one other child who became an Anbu. Hiruzen also started leading his own team of new Academy graduates consisting of Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade. Although he was close with all of his students, Hiruzen had the highest hopes for Orochimaru, a genius like himself who, after the deaths of his parents, was only further motivated to have a deep impact on the world. Hiruzen led Konoha's forces through the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars; in the anime, his choosing to end the Third Shinobi World War by signing a peace treaty with Iwagakure despite the losses Konoha suffered incensed Danzō, prompting Hiruzen to step down as Hokage against the village's protests.
Hiruzen had long hoped that Orochimaru would succeed him as Hokage but, despite his best efforts, he could never convince him of the Will of Fire: that Konoha was a family that the Hokage had to risk everything to keep safe. Unable to choose Orochimaru, Hiruzen considered Jiraiya as his successor, but Jiraiya did not believe he was responsible enough. Hiruzen ultimately settled on Jiraiya's former student, Minato Namikaze, who had proven himself time and again during the Third Shinobi World War. Hiruzen assisted Minato with the transition of power by advising him on how to handle individuals and other village matters. He even retained some of his own Anbu, several of which he assigned as security while Kushina Uzumaki, the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, gave birth.
Despite their precautions, the Nine-Tails escaped and attacked the village. Hiruzen led the village's defence until Minato arrived to remove the Nine-Tails to a safe distance. Hiruzen followed and, cut off by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, could only watch as Minato and Kushina gave their lives to seal the Nine-Tails into their newborn son, Naruto. Minato did not have time to tell Hiruzen how the Nine-Tails had escaped, instead using the final moments of his life to ask Konoha, via Hiruzen, to think of Naruto as a hero who saved the village and not the container of the monster that killed so many. Hiruzen did so, but the villagers proved unable to follow Minato's wishes, prompting Hiruzen, now the village's Hokage once more, to outlaw any mention of the Nine-Tails, an effort to protect Naruto from their misguided hate. He also gave Naruto his mother's surname in order to hide his relation to Minato from Minato's enemies.
Hiruzen is a firm believer in the Will of Fire, which holds that all the people of Konoha are a family and that the Hokage is chiefly responsible for that family's well-being. Throughout his tenure, Hiruzen lives up to the Will of Fire by being available for Konoha's villagers and shinobi during their time of need, making decisions to the betterment of as many people as possible, and providing his wisdom and guidance whenever he can. His delicate, thoughtful approach to not only issues within the village but also his interactions with foreign powers has given Hiruzen the reputation of being soft, something the Konoha Council spends much of its time trying to rectify. Nevertheless, Hiruzen's kind and pacifist ways are widely valued by Konoha's residents and even his rival Kage, and for those reasons his eventual death is regretted by many. However, Hiruzen was not entirely for his softness as he allowed Danzō to form an Anbu faction of his own, to handle the dark side of Konoha's actions.
Although he loved all of Konoha, Hiruzen held his students especially dear, believing they were the village's future and, as such, must be cultivated and protected. He favoured Orochimaru, seeing in him a prodigy similar to himself whose contributions to the village could someday be greater than his own. Even when Orochimaru increasingly went astray and then finally defected from Konoha, Hiruzen could never abandon his attachments to Orochimaru, instead blaming himself for not being a better teacher. When he is reincarnated, he reflects on his life and finds it similarly flawed: he feels responsible for Danzō's taking on of the village's darkness, believing Danzō would not have turned out so badly had he been more willing to make the difficult decisions; he believes that some of the village's - and even the world's - problems could have been avoided had he led with a firmer hand. Hiruzen's own son, Asuma, was defiant towards Hiruzen's philosophies during his youth, but eventually sees the merits in valuing future generations after Hiruzen's death.
The only consistent physical feature Hiruzen has displayed has been his below-average stature, all his other attributes having changed over the years: during his youth he was tan-skinned and had dark brown, spiked hair, adding a small goatee to his look after becoming Hokage; towards the end of his life his skin is lighter, his hair is grey, his face is gaunter, and he has the wrinkles and liver spots of old age. He initially had a single line running vertically under the outer corners of each eye, which stretched down into his face as he aged until they reached his cheeks.
During the First Shinobi World War, he wore grey shinobi battle armour common to the time period, with heavy protection all over his body. He starts wearing much lighter combat attire at some point, consisting of a black jumpsuit, mesh segments over the lower portions of his limbs, and a green gauntlet that covered much of his right arm. He also wore an armoured hood with a bandanna-like forehead protector over this, tied with two long straps. Across the back is written "Third Hokage" which is replaced with the kanji for "fire" (火, hi) during his brief retirement. When not in combat, he usually wears the official uniform — the customary hat and haori with a red, full-length kimono that is tied using a white sash. He often smokes during his spare time.
Hiruzen was a natural prodigy, hailed as a "God of Shinobi" and was the strongest shinobi produced from his clan. His talents made him Hokage at a young age, directly selected by the Second Hokage, having surpassed his teacher in childhood. He became the most powerful of Kage during his lifetime, and once well-considered the strongest Hokage in his...
Prologue — Land of Waves
Main article: Prologue — Land of Waves When Naruto fails the Academy's graduation exam yet again, Hiruzen takes Naruto's instructor, Iruka Umino, aside and advises him to be compassionate towards Naruto because of his lack of parents, something Iruka has had similar experiences with. When Naruto shortly afterwards breaks into the Hokage Residence and steals the Scroll of Seals (and also defeats Hiruzen with the Sexy Technique), Hiruzen has no choice but to mobilise a search party to apprehend Naruto. From observing events, Hiruzen learns of Naruto's manipulation by Mizuki and watches as Iruka finally shows kindness towards Naruto by protecting him from Mizuki. He calls off the search party when it becomes clear Naruto will return, but Hiruzen worries that Naruto's learning of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Scroll will risk the Nine-Tails' escape from his body. From his concern over the Nine-Tails as well as his disappointment that one of Naruto's first accomplishments as a genin is to invent the Harem Technique, Hiruzen assigns Kakashi Hatake as Naruto's team leader so that Kakashi can guide him appropriately, as well as look over one of Naruto's teammates, Sasuke Uchiha. Despite Kakashi's efforts, Naruto remains obstinate, complaining to Hiruzen about how easy their first D-rank mission was. When Naruto is unwilling to listen to explanations of how missions are assigned according to rank and skill level - both of which Naruto has little of at the moment - Hiruzen agrees to give the team a C-rank mission: escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves.
Chūnin Exams
Main article: Chūnin Exams Hiruzen calls together the village's jōnin team leaders and informs them that Konoha will be hosting the next Chūnin Exams, an opportunity for their genin-charges to be promoted to chūnin. He asks that those jōnin assembled who believe their students are ready for the challenge of the exam submit their students' names. He begins with the team leaders of the Academy's most recent graduates and is surprised that all of the Rookie Nine are deemed suitable by their instructors; he agrees to allow them to enter despite Iruka's protests. Hiruzen is called to the Forest of Death during the Exams' second stage by its proctor, Anko Mitarashi. She reports Orochimaru's infiltration of the Exams and his warnings to not call off the Exams due to his appearance. Suspecting that Orochimaru is after Sasuke Uchiha, Hiruzen has no choice but to allow things to proceed as planned. He watches the preliminary matches, noting the growth of not only Naruto and Sasuke but all of Konoha's genin. Once the preliminaries conclude, he presides over the assignment of first round match-ups in the finals before they adjourn. In the month prior to the finals, Hiruzen grows increasingly worried. Not only is he unsure of what Orochimaru and his underlings are planning, but it's also apparent that one of the rival hidden villages is conspiring against Konoha as well, possibly in tandem with Orochimaru. What's more, Hiruzen does not believe that he, nor anyone else in Konoha for that matter, has the skills necessary to meet Orochimaru in battle. To clear his head, he visits his grandson's, Konohamaru's, class and is reminded of how important protecting the village and its citizens is to him. When the finals begin, Hiruzen sits and watches with the Fourth Kazekage, the only other Kage whose village has representatives competing. Hiruzen, as host, remains pleasant towards the Kazekage and tries to assure him that there are no issues when the schedule for the finals increasingly does not go as planned.
Konoha Crush
Main article: Konoha Crush The last match of the first round of the finals is interrupted by an invasion of Konoha. Hiruzen is taken hostage and separated from his bodyguards by the Kazekage. Hiruzen tries to negotiate with the Kazekage until he realises it is actually Orochimaru in disguise. Orochimaru wants to fight and kill Hiruzen, his former teacher, and has his followers erect a barrier so that the Anbu cannot come to Hiruzen's defence. Hiruzen is glad that nobody will interrupt them and removes his robes, revealing his combat attire underneath. Orochimaru decides he wants Hiruzen to share in the experience of fighting one's predecessor's and as such reincarnates the First and Second Hokage. The Hokage greet Hiruzen in the brief moments before Orochimaru suppresses their personalities. Hiruzen attacks, but he has difficulty overcoming their defences and he must summon Enma to help block the First's Wood Release. He and Enma try to strike Orochimaru directly, but the Hokage block him. Despite failing to reach Orochimaru, Hiruzen is able to plant exploding tags on the Hokage's leg, but their reincarnated bodies cause them to quickly regenerate. Realising he has few options left, Hiruzen prepares to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Orochimaru takes him by surprise before he can do anything by removing his own face, revealing a new body, the completion of his research and the same fate he has planned for Sasuke. Hiruzen is disgusted by the levels Orochimaru has sunk to and his own responsibility in allowing Orochimaru to escape years earlier. In order to rectify the mistakes he's made at long last, Hiruzen makes two shadow clones that first catch the two Hokage and then use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to remove their souls. The Hokage's personalities return to them briefly and they apologise for the hassle they've caused, just as Hiruzen apologises to them for the prison he's sentenced them to: their souls are consumed by the Shinigami. Orochimaru is amused by their defeat, unaware of what's happening, and bids Hiruzen to try the same on him. Hiruzen and Enma disarm him of his Kusanagi and Hiuruzen starts performing the seal on him. When Orochimaru senses his soul's removal, he summons the Kusanagi back to him, causing it to lodge in Hiruzen despite Enma's attempts to intercept it. Although stabbing Hiruzen has stopped the removal of his soul, Orochimaru cannot move in order to finish Hiruzen off. Orochimaru encourages him to die, but Hiruzen, doomed to die anyway for invoking the Shinigami, ignores him, instead trying to muster up the strength to finish sealing Orochimaru. After an hour passes with no progress, Hiruzen accepts the fact that he won't be able to complete the seal. He decides to do what little he can to put an end to Orochimaru's plans and protect the village: he has the Shinigami seal Orochimaru's arms, preventing their use. As Orochimaru curses him, Hiruzen dies smiling, hoping that he will see Orochimaru again in the next life.
Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Orochimaru releases the souls of the first four Hokage from the stomach of the Shinigami, an act that also restores his arms. At Sasuke Uchiha's request he then reincarnates the Hokage. Hiruzen worries that Orochimaru now plans to use him to destroy Konoha, but is instead questioned by Sasuke about the Uchiha Clan Downfall. Hiruzen confirms the truth of what Itachi Uchiha did and explains that he only did so on the condition that Hiruzen would keep Sasuke safe in the aftermath. From hearing about what has transpired since his death - Sasuke killing Danzō Shimura and Madara Uchiha emerging to start the Fourth Shinobi World War - Hiruzen feels guilty that maybe things could have been avoided had he taken different actions while he was alive. Hearing from the Hokage and reflecting on his own experiences, Sasuke decides he doesn't want Konoha to be destroyed, as is Madara's current intention. Orochimaru releases the Hokage from his control so that they can help in this goal, and they set out for the site of the Allied Shinobi Forces' battle with the Ten-Tails. When they arrive, the Hokage erect a barrier around the Ten-Tails to confine it. Hiruzen must remain with the barrier to maintain it, so he can only watch as Obito Uchiha seals the Ten-Tails into his body, becoming its jinchūriki.
Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
Main article: Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki With his new power, Obito rips down the barrier, finally allowing Hiruzen to participate in the fight. From Obito's display it is obvious to Hiruzen that he is stronger than even the First Hokage. He therefore personally engages Obito so that nobody needs to put their lives at risk, taking advantage of the fact that he's already dead to analyse Obito's abilities. By observing Obito's Truth-Seeking Balls he theorises that they are similar to the Third Tsuchikage's kekkei tōta in that they are a combination of multiple nature transformations. He also postulates that the Truth-Seeking Balls have limits to the duration of their malleability, but his upper body is destroyed immediately after that. It takes Hiruzen a great deal of time for his body to regenerate. When he finally does, he summons Enma, has him transform, and then quickly saves Naruto Uzumaki from the Ten-Tails' tree form's chakra-absorbing roots. When Orochimaru later arrives on the battlefield, they join together to help the Allies in the counter-offensive against Obito, first by blocking and cutting back more and more of the tree's roots and branches, then by assisting in pulling the tailed beasts from Obito's body. Their combined efforts succeed and Obito is defeated. The Allied Shinobi Forces are shortly afterwards attacked by Tobi. With everyone too tired from the prolonged fighting to defend themselves, Hiruzen and four of his shadow clones arrive to help, counterbalancing Tobi's elemental attacks with their own. Tobi withdraws once the Infinite Tsukuyomi is about to be cast, having completed its job of distracting the Allies.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes
Main article: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes As the world is wrapped up by God: Nativity of a World of Trees, Hiruzen, unaffected because he is dead, tries to free Tsunade but fails. He and the other Hokage converge at the location of a powerful chakra signature, but find only Madara Uchiha's lower half, from which emerges the Sage of the Six Paths. Combining efforts with the spirits of the other dead Kage, they summon Team 7, Madara, and the tailed beasts back from Kaguya's dimension. With the world saved, the Sage returns all the Kage to the Pure Land. As his soul ascends, Hiruzen entrusts the future to Team 7.
Hiruzen is only one of many Konoha ninja to die in the village's defence during the Konoha Crush. However, a special ceremony to mourn Hiruzen is held, which many of Konoha's ninja attend; Jiraiya does not, opting to reminisce about Hiruzen privately. Asuma, while not always agreeing with his father's ideals, has managed to see him in a better ligh...
Novels Video Games
Hiruzen Sarutobi is a playable character in the following video games:
•Hiruzen's clan name "Sarutobi", inspired by Sarutobi Sasuke, means "monkey jump" (猿飛), further supported by his Summoning Technique which summons Enma. Tobirama also nicknamed him "Monkey" (サル, Saru). Hiruzen's first name could come from mountain with same name located on the border of Okayama and Tottori prefectures on the main island of Honshu in Japan.
•Many aspects of his character were borrowed from the Chinese literature classic Journey to the West. Hiruzen's summon, Enma, bears a very strong resemblance to Sun Wukong (孫悟空, Son Gokū), the protagonist of the novel, and Hiruzen's chosen weapon was identical to the Monkey King's magical staff.
•In the Live Spectacle Naruto, the role of Hiruzen was played by Kazuhiro Imagawa.
•Hiruzen's ghost is briefly seen in Naruto: Shippūden episode 129.
•During his battle with Orochimaru, Hiruzen's likeness on the Hokage Rock cracks across the face. While the crack is fairly prominent due to its size, it doesn't always show up in the anime, due either to a bad angle or a mistake by the animators.
•Masashi Kishimoto originally planned for Hiruzen to be a dog, but dumped the idea for being "too weird".
Mar 11, 2024 · In his final moments, Asuma imparted parting words to Ino and Choji and whispered a significant revelation to Shikamaru—the identity of the “Black King” in their shogi games. In the aftermath of Asuma’s death, Shikamaru’s determination to avenge his mentor drove him to devise a cunning strategy against Hidan.
Asuma Sarutobi (猿飛アスマ, Sarutobi Asuma) was a jōnin of Konohagakure's Sarutobi clan and a former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. He was also the leader of Team 10 which consists of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chōji Akimichi. Asuma was born to Biwako and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. During his Academy entrance ceremony, Asuma became friends with Kurenai Yūhi. In ...
Jun 17, 2019 · It has been quite some time since Naruto visited the wise words of Asuma Sarutobi. The genin teacher helped bring the Ino-Shika-Cho combo to the next level years ago, but Team 9 was there to ...
Oct 4, 2024 · A Hidden Bloodline – The Shocking Revelation. One popular theory suggests that Asuma’s whispered words unveiled Shikamaru’s true heritage. It is believed that Shikamaru, descendent of the Nara clan, possesses a hidden bloodline linked to the powerful Uchiha clan. If this theory holds true, it would have sent shockwaves through the Naruto ...
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Dec 30, 2022 · Sarutobi Asuma's story is one of the most tragic in the Naruto franchise. Leader of Team 10, the mentor died during the Akatsuki war , losing his life to Hidan to protect Shikamaru. It was a cruel blow; not only was Asuma the son of the Third Hokage in Hiruzen, he also had a warm spot for young shinobi, ensuring -- with the likes of Kakashi -- the cold practices of old were scrubbed away when ...
