In Naruto, there have been eight Hokage, but one stands out as the worst Hokage in the series: Hiruzen Sarutobi.
During his tenure, a major incident occurred in the village, but it was his treatment of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki that earned him the disdain of fans. Furthermore, a Naruto fan provided a compelling explanation for why Hiruzen is the reason our hero turned out to be so foolish.
Masashi Kishimoto placed a significant disadvantage on the main character by using Sarutobi Hiruzen
In Masashi Kishimoto’s Shonen series, fans often question the capabilities of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of the Leaf Village, mainly due to his intentions and abilities as a leader.
However, the intense disdain for this character stems from his treatment of young Uzumaki Naruto. The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, entrusted his newborn son to Hiruzen when he died saving the village from the wrath of the Nine-Tails. Though Naruto’s father died a hero, his son had to grow up in isolation, facing the villagers’ hatred simply because he was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
As Naruto grew up, he primarily ate instant noodles due to poor living conditions, further fueling fans’ anger. Consequently, fans often criticize Hiruzen for neglecting his duties, allowing Naruto to suffer while merely observing from a distance.
To support this theory, a fan shared their perspective, stating they believe Hiruzen’s neglect of his responsibilities as a guardian and mentor made Naruto appear more foolish compared to other children in the village.
On Reddit, a post was shared with the question: “Which fan theory is reasonable enough that you would consider it canon?” A fan confidently claimed that they believe our main character was never “formally taught how to read,” which made him almost “illiterate.” This perspective explains the significant gap between Naruto and other children his age.
They further explained that Kanji is quite difficult to learn, and despite having enough books to read, Naruto still couldn’t comprehend many phrases mentioned in them. As a result, after a period of neglect, there weren’t many significant power increases for Naruto, unlike what we see in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.
Fans argue that Jiraiya discovered this flaw in his pupil and spent much of his time teaching him basic reading and math. This could be a sufficient explanation for why Naruto did not receive significant boosts from training during the transitional period, while Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura experienced substantial growth.
Fans React to the Fan Theory
Although in Masashi Kishimoto’s great work, Hiruzen Sarutobi is depicted as a kind leader, even dubbed the “God of Shinobi,” fans still cannot forgive him for being passive and allowing the villagers to mistreat Naruto.
As a result, when users presented their own theories about the hero’s shortcomings, this theory received enthusiastic support from other Reddit users.
Whether canonical or non-canonical, fans cannot forgive the Third Hokage for being so inconsiderate towards Uzumaki Naruto and for his indecisive speech, which led to several unforgivable mistakes in judgment and decision-making.
