Much of the Naruto series' premise revolves around Naruto Uzumaki’s tragic childhood and the resulting will to become Hokage, the village’s most respectable position. The hate and disdain aimed towards the young boy was made quite apparent from the beginning of the series, further reiterated by multiple filler episodes presenting different perspectives of his unfortunate childhood.
As a Jinchuriki and an orphan, Naruto’s childhood was bound to be tragic, yet fans couldn’t help but wonder why the village elders never intervened or offered any help. Being the child of the Fourth Hokage, a hero of the Leaf, would have certainly warranted better treatment, and while Hiruzen himself was kind to Naruto, the same could not be said for the rest of the village. His maltreatment has also left many plot holes in the series, since concealing his identity was paramount in hiding the Nine-Tails’ host, yet the entire village was already aware of the Jinchuriki. Since the Third Hokage was responsible for taking care of Naruto, many wonder whether his entire tragic childhood could be attributed to Hiruzen’s poor decisions.
Why Raising Naruto Was Hiruzen’s Responsibility
Under the circumstances that Minato and Kushina died, giving their newborn son’s care to someone else would have been highly risky. Minato was already quite famous among the Five Great Nations, feared as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, and if word had gotten out about his son, the Leaf’s enemies would have surely attempted to assassinate him. Naruto was given Kushina’s clan name for this very reason, as a descendent of the Namikaze clan would be a giveaway to his identity.
Another reason for raising Naruto by himself was the Nine-Tailed Fox inside him, since that power could have easily been misused. With the Akatsuki already having their eyes set on the tailed-beasts, handing off Naruto to someone else could have ended in disaster. This was also why Mikoto Uchiha, one of Kushina’s closest friends, was barred from taking in Naruto as one of her own as the Uchiha were already suspected as the culprits behind the Nine-Tails’ rampage. Under such dire circumstances, Hiruzen had no choice but to take responsibility for raising the newborn himself, and while his actions may have been questionable, he certainly did all he could to keep Kushina’s promise of taking care of her child.
Hiruzen’s Questionable Decisions
Although Hiruzen was sincerely committed to doing what’s best for the young Jinchuriki, some of his decisions are highly questionable, jeopardizing not just the Leaf’s safety but also Naruto’s childhood. The simple fact that Naruto was given an apartment and a monthly allowance to live by himself shows that Hiruzen left the child to fend for himself, and while he may have kept watch on him from afar, his presence was certainly missing from Naruto’s life. What makes matters worse is that the allowance was barely enough for him to survive, as a flashback offering a glimpse into Naruto’s childhood revealed that he would sometimes even starve.
Hiruzen was also aware of the Hidden Leaf’s opinion of the young boy, yet he failed to steer away their disdain and hatred for Naruto. The other parents would keep their children away from Naruto, fearful of the beast that lay inside him. As the Leaf's Hokage, Hiruzen could have easily swayed the public opinion in Naruto’s favor. His decision of keeping Naruto’s real identity also did more harm than good, as he questioned his own identity for the most part of his childhood, even hating himself over the contempt of others. If he had known the truth about his parents, his self-image could have been saved, yet Hiruzen let him believe he was a nobody – a burden to the village.
Is Hiruzen Truly Responsible for Naruto’s Tragic Childhood?
While Hiruzen may have taken a few questionable decisions pertaining to Naruto’s care, looking into the dire circumstances could redeem him of his ill-decisions. Hiruzen had already retired when Naruto was born, and between taking up the position of Hokage and dealing with the aftermath of the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Hokage clearly had his hands full.
Moreover, the dynamics of the ninja world are immensely different from that of the real-world, with children being sent to war at a very young age. The case of the Hidden Rain’s war orphans clearly depicts the ninja world's horrid atrocities. Under such circumstances, providing Naruto with his own apartment and a monthly allowance could be seen as a luxury of sorts. While it's obvious that Hiruzen may have taken a few ill-decisions, attributing Naruto’s entire tragic childhood to these actions would be a grave injustice as he took care of Naruto the best he could, despite his first priority being Naruto’s safety, something that he was surely successful at.