Naruto: How one Hokage's mistakes shaped the darkest events in konoha

Time of India

24-05-2025

Third hokage Credit- Fandom
As anyone familiar with the Naruto anime or manga will tell you, these stories are chock full of heartbreak, betrayal, tragedy. What if a majority of these most catastrophic occurrences in the Hidden Leaf Village, or Konoha, could be linked back to the same individual.
That last guy, well, that's Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Third Hokage. Hiruzen was representative of that golden age—a time when the ninja world's leaders were wise, noble, self-sacrificing.
Eventually, for one too many times, it became evident that his inaction was creating opportunities for powerful villains to emerge and for innocent people to perish. From Naruto's lonely orphan upbringing to the slaughter of the Uchiha family, Hiruzen's inaction had cascading repercussions that defined many of the series' most harrowing chapters.
Here's a rundown of the biggest effects from Hiruzen Sarutobi's failure — and how it irrevocably altered Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's leadership style: Peace over power
As Hokage, Hiruzen was a revered figure, respected for his wisdom. Nicknamed 'The Professor,' he pursued diplomacy when others would choose violence. That tranquil disposition sometimes led him to overlook imminent dangers developing within the hamlet.
Instead of addressing it, Hiruzen ignored emerging threats such as Danzo Shimura, an uncaring elder who was in secret, forming his own army, and Orochimaru, a hardened ninja executing sinister human experiments.
His inability, or refusal, to put a stop them from the start only made the eventual destruction far more catastrophic.
The
Uchiha clan massacre
: A preventable disaster
one of the most gut-wrenching events in Naruto (apart from Naruto losing his sensei) was the Uchiha clan's massacre. This heartbreaking event changes the story forever and pushes Sasuke onto the path of revenge.
It didn't have to be this way.
Hiruzen certainly knew that the Uchiha were being mistreated and watched closely.
Rather than addressing the issue diplomatically, he let Danzo play him and the situation was resolved with an innocent Itachi Uchiha being given orders to murder his entire clan — the innocents included.
Hiruzen, from the very beginning, could've prevented this. It was his vacillation and lack of response that once helped one of Naruto's greatest travesties come to pass.
Naruto's painful childhood: Abandoned by the third hokage
When Naruto's parents died in their attempts to protect the village from the nine tail, Hiruzen (the Third Hokage) took a promise on his death bed to care for the young boy as he was the son the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Rather than allowing him to develop in an environment full of safety and love, Hiruzen made sure that Naruto had no guardianship, no monetary support, and no independence on the fact that he was a member of the founding family.
The village viewed Naruto as a monster due to the Nine-Tails locked away within him. Hiruzen never once came to Naruto's defense in a public forum. He never stood up for his surrogate grandson when it counted and instead allowed the boy to grow up a pariah, hated by all, isolated and friendless.
It's honestly a miracle that Naruto didn't become a vengeful supervillain in the village and Hiruzen is to blame.
Orochimaru's rise: Hiruzen let a villain escape
Orochimaru, originally Hiruzen's disciple, became a serious villain, performing bad things with his lab and in his experiments. Hiruzen discovered his clandestine lab — and let him go.
Why, you might ask. Since Orochimaru was something like a son to him.
This misguided emotional decision ended up costing him dearly.
Orochimaru, who later attacked Konoha during the Chunin Exams, wipe out much of Konoha's ANBU black ops forces, the Konoha 12 and their Jounin sensei, as well as Hiruzen himself. He was instrumental in carving Sasuke's path to evil.
All of this could've been prevented if Hiruzen had just done something when he had the opportunity.
Danzo Shimura: The hidden enemy Hiruzen never stopped
Danzo was arguably the most insidious and lethal figure on Konoha's warmongering leadership's council.
As Hiruzen's advisor, he clandestinely founded the Root organization, raised child assassins and all while undermining Hiruzen at every turn.
Danzo even conspired to assassinate Hiruzen and was not punished in turn. Rather than remove him from power, Hiruzen allowed him to fester, causing even further destruction — including:
The ensuing Uchiha Massacre
The original Akatsuki's downfall
Obito's ascendance
Sadly, Danzo's unchecked power might be Hiruzen's greatest failure of them all.
Final thoughts: Was Hiruzen Sarutobi a failed hokage?
Last thoughts: Was Hiruzen Sarutobi a failed hokage? Chaos from the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was once referred to as the 'God of Shinobi.'
History is filled with examples of when he failed to defend his people, even when he had the legal power to do that.
From turning a blind eye to Naruto's suffering to letting villains such as Danzo and Orochimaru fester, Hiruzen's failure to act created some of the darkest chapters in Naruto's narrative.
Despite his intent, his jolly and well-meaning leadership often resulted in far worse effects.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and other platforms. New fans can catch up on the entire story and see for themselves how one man's choices changed everything in the Hidden Leaf Village.
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