Highlights
- The Hidden Leaf Village, despite its high-minded image, has a dark side that is revealed in Shippuden, with the village being responsible for several atrocities.
- The Hidden Leaf's pursuit of power and experimentation, as well as its willingness to send children to war, taints its moral standing and makes it a morally ambiguous faction.
- While the intentions behind the Hidden Leaf's actions can be understood and justified to some extent, it does not absolve the village from its past misdeeds, although it is the first to change its course towards peace.
The shinobi world has always been a system laden with chaos and war, resulting in bitter strife and suffering for those engulfed in these conflicts. Among these perpetually warring belligerents, the Hidden Leaf Village always seems to have the moral high ground. The majority of part 1 of Naruto heavily depicts this narrative, presenting the Hidden Leaf as the victim of countless crimes that threaten its existence.
The series tries to force this notion for the most part, yet the revelations in Shippuden depict the dark side of the Hidden Leaf, making it rather difficult for viewers to side with this once-beloved nation. Even though the show tries to supplement these jarring revelations with plausible justifications, the Hidden Leaf’s cruelty becomes far too apparent for fans to ignore. While the Leaf Village is far from being a villainous place, these depraved acts taint its high-minded image and deem it a morally ambiguous faction.
The Hidden Leaf’s Misdeeds
The Hidden Leaf has been at the center of several atrocities, yet these seem to often be brushed off without any accountability for the village. Ever since its inception, the Leaf and its leadership has been responsible for several questionable decisions, some of which led to a few groups becoming marginalized quite early on. A prime example would be the Second Hokage’s mistrust for the Uchiha that led to sentiments of hatred for the clan to fester within the village, and its results were seen during the Third Hokage’s reign.
While the Leaf Village furthered the notion of peace and virtue, its elders remained fully aware of the heinous acts that went on behind the scenes. Hashirama Senju’s untimely death gave way to widespread experimentation to reclaim the lost power. The Second Hokage was the pioneer of jutsu experimentation, as he invested years in developing new techniques, many of which were later deemed forbidden due to their absurd power. Later on, Orochimaru’s human experiments stemmed from the very same research, and the Third Hokage was completely aware of the atrocious nature of these experiments.
The Hidden Leaf’s pursuit of power didn’t stop there as the village went on to foster the Root division of the Anbu. The Leaf’s power-hungry nature became all too apparent after the village elders allowed shinobi to be forced to train under such strenuous and inhumane conditions. However, the Leaf’s biggest crime was its willingness to send children to war, resulting in heedless casualties that could have been avoided.
The Intentions Behind the Hidden Leaf’s Atrocities
Most of the Hidden Leaf’s actions clearly depict it as a heinous nation with little to no regard for its own populace. However, the village’s only saving grace is the intention behind its questionable decisions. The village elders and Hokage were responsible for several decisions that led to the demise of the Uchiha Clan, yet their actions were rooted in logic and concern. The Uchiha had never fully integrated into the Hidden Leaf and harbored dissent for the Senju-led government. The Second Hokage had rightful reasons to be wary of the Uchiha, even if it meant sidelining their existence.
Given the ever-volatile nature of the shinobi world, the Hidden Leaf was forced to keep up with its tenacious counterparts and accumulate power to maintain its standing. This, unfortunately, translated into widespread experimentation that was initially authorized by the Hokage. With the shinobi world’s history of constant conflict, conducting experiments to gain more power became a necessity to keep up with the other Great Nations.
The Root branch of the Anbu was also created for this very reason, as the Hidden Leaf desperately required a squad of elite shinobi who could counter any foreign threats. The need to send children also had its roots in the same predicament. With limited resources and even fewer shinobi, the Hidden Leaf had to utilize every ounce of manpower it could afford, resulting in children becoming embroiled in conflicts and lethal missions.
Are the Hidden Leaf’s Actions Justifiable?
The Hidden Leaf’s moral ambiguity becomes apparent from the list of atrocities the village has committed throughout its existence. However, singling out the Hidden Leaf would be unfair since every single one of the Five Great Nations has taken part in some sort of unethical activity over the years. The Hidden Cloud Village spent years stealing other nations’ Kekkei Genkai in a bid to accumulate the most power. The Hidden Stone had dealings with the Akatsuki for several years, despite being aware of the organization’s criminal dealings.
Similarly, the Hidden Mist was notorious as the ‘Bloody Mist,’ known for forcing academy students to kill their own peers. The Hidden Sand had its own fair share of issues, resulting in its collaboration with Orochimaru to invade the Hidden Leaf. It’s evident that these issues are not specific to a single nation as the problem lies in the dysfunctional shinobi system.
The Hidden Leaf seems to be the lesser evil in this case, though it still doesn’t absolve the village from its past misdeeds. Nevertheless, the Hidden Leaf was the first to change its course and work towards a peaceful coexistence. This eventual redemption paints the Hidden Leaf in a slightly positive light, yet the Leaf’s previous atrocities will forever taint it as a morally ambiguous nation.
Naruto is available to stream in Crunchyroll.