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Ever since the show first aired, Naruto fans have complained about the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, for his questionable actions. The man may have been called the God of Shinobi for his strength and a vast arsenal of Jutsus, but he was still lacking when it came to leading his village.
One of his most significant examples of neglect concerns the protagonist of the series, Naruto himself. Hiruzen was tasked with taking care of Naruto during his childhood, a request that Hiruzen dishonored more than once. Fans recently discovered yet another instance where Hiruzen's deeds endangered Uzumaki's life. Continue reading to find out what fans are saying and how it relates to Hiruzen.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion. Sportskeeda does not claim ownership of any media used in the article unless otherwise specified.
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Hiruzen Sarutobi continued messing with Naruto’s life even after death, as pointed out by fans
Why do fans say Hiruzen neglected Naruto?
Fans of the show know about the tragedy that occurred during our protagonist’s birth. Obito, disguised as Madara at the time, took advantage of Kushina’s weakened state after giving birth to her son to release the Kyuubi inside of her.
Minato, who was the ruling Hokage, fought against Obito to keep the man from destroying the village. He would later seal Kurama inside Naruto with the help of Kushina, which sadly caused both of them to die. Still, before passing away, Kushina entrusted her newborn son to Hiruzen, begging him to take care of the boy and give him a good life.
Hiruzen promised the couple he would honor their memories by giving the young Uzumaki a proper life as the Hero of the Village. Despite promising this, Hiruzen would end up abandoning the blonde boy in a small apartment when he was still a toddler. He would visit him from time to time, only to give him enough money to survive for a month.
Naruto grew up alone, hungry, and isolated from the rest of the village. The promise the Third Hokage made to the boy's parents seems to have been forgotten by the elder man long before the start of the franchise.
What did the fans discover?
During the first half of the show, our hero was always seen wearing an orange tracksuit that appeared to be too big for him. The sleeves and legs were always folded, and the shoulders sagged quite a bit. After thinking about it for a bit, fans figured out that it was because the tracksuit was not Naruto’s size but was given to him without taking his measurements into account.
Some may believe that this is all because the people of the village only gave the Uzumaki boy oversized clothes. However, even his clothes as a child were too big for his body, meaning someone was picking them up for him with his growth spurts in mind.
It is possible that the person doing this was the blonde Uzumaki himself, as the money Hiruzen gave him each month barely covered his rent and expenses. With the money he had, he couldn't afford to buy new clothes every time he grew.
If Naruto was not doing this, then the person in charge of giving the boy clothes was most likely Hiruzen, who apparently wanted to spend as little money as possible on clothes for the child. This continued for most of Naruto’s life, at least until Shippuden, where he got a new outfit.
Yet, looking closer at his post-time skip outfit, fans realized that the only change made to his appearance was the tracksuit jacket, a present Jiraiya got him. His pants seemed to be the same he used as a child, as proven by how they fit him. The blonde ninja has grown so much that his old pants are now unable to cover his ankles, unlike before when he needed to fold them.
It is possible that the boy had so few clothes of his own that he preferred to keep using his old tracksuit pants instead of getting a new pair. While not directly Hiruzen’s fault, as he was already dead at the time, it is a direct reflection of Naruto’s past, probably a habit he acquired due to his lack of resources.
Final thoughts
Hiruzen was not as bad a Hokage as many people believe. Even though he was extremely passive and lacked the conviction to make serious decisions on the spot, he was able to keep Konoha safe and relatively war-free for many decades. What is sadly true is his disregard for Naruto's wellbeing, even after promising his parents he would take care of their child.
Hiruzen allowed the boy to starve and be mistreated by the villagers. He also gave the boy just enough money to keep a roof over his head for most of his life. Whether the boy wears the same pants because he is short on clothes or because it is a learned habit, it is clear that Hiruzen's neglect had a significant impact on the boy, even after his death.
