CLAN IN KONOHAGAKURE

Senju Clan

SENJU HASHIRAMA

Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Jutsu Classification: Hidden Technique
Member Appearances: Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Senju Touka
Signature Abilities: Mokuton (Shodai only)
See also: Tsunade

Senju (Thousand Arms) of the Forest were one of the founding clans of Konoha. Under Senju Hashirama, they allied with other clans including the Uchiha, to found the Fire Country's ninja village. It is unknown if Senju retains a clan structure in the current Konoha. Tsunade is the only known living descendant of founding clan of Konoha.

SENJU TOBIRAMA

SENJU TOUKA

DANZOU/SIXTH HOKAGE
After Tsunade exhausted herself saving the village when Akatsuki leader Pain attacked, she fell into an unconscious state. Danzou then made his move to convince the Fire Country Daimyou that he was the best choice to be the next Hokage. The Daimyou approved of Danzou through hypnosis, though Danzou did not have the full approval of the Leaf Jounin. When Danzou was killed and Tsunade returned from her coma, she returned to power as Godaime Hokage.

TSUNADE/FIFTH HOKAGE

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 149
First Anime Appearance: Naruto Episode 85
Name Meaning: A mooring rope, Wife of Jiraiya in mythical tale
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Rank: Hokage
Age: 54
Notable Features: Legendary Sannin, Summons slugs, Bad gambler
Notable Quotes: "From now on, I too shall bet my life!"
See also: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Third Hokage, Shizune

HISTORY:

One of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade left Leaf Village to devote her time to her gambling addiction. She has a blood contract with slugs and calls upon them as needed.

The granddaughter of the First Hokage, Tsunade was taught by the Third Hokage when she was a Genin. Later in life she would lose her younger brother Nawaki and her boyfriend Dan in battles. These two events made Tsunade distraught. Both men had stated before they died that they dreamed of becoming Hokage. This made her feel such a desire was foolish, driving people to take actions they shouldn't. As she aged Tsunade began to use jutsu to alter her appearance and always appear in her twenties.

She and her apprentice Shizune left Konoha behind and traveled the Fire country to satisfy Tsunade's gambling addiction. It was during this period she was approached by Orochimaru for help. Orochimaru told her that in exchange for her healing his damaged body, he would bring her boyfriend and little brother back from the dead. Tsunade was given a week to determine what she wished to do, during this period she was tracked down by Jiraiya and Naruto to ask her to be the new Fifth Hokage.

She felt the position was not worth the trouble and that it is only a fools desire to take the job. Tsunade was tempted at first to help Orochimaru, but the honesty and determination Naruto exhibited in facing Orochimaru and his strong desire to become Hokage reaffirmed her loyalty to Leaf. It quickly became a three-way Sannin brawl with Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya fighting. Orochimaru was defeated and he retreated. Tsunade then accepted the offer and became the Fifth Hokage. She thanked Naruto and challenged him to never give up his dream to replace her some day.

When Tsunade formally became Hokage she and Naruto shared a tenuous relationship. Naruto often became frustrated with the respect she gave him when assigning missions; however she never really lost faith in the boy. When Naruto came back to Konoha after training with Jiraiya, her advisors recommended Naruto be kept within the village to protect him from Akatsuki. Tsunade believed Naruto could handle himself and his history as a Jinchuuriki meant he was best suited to help others like him in the world. Only time will tell whether this important decision as village leader will be the best for Konoha...

NAMIKAZE MINATO/FOURTH HOKAGE

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 1
First Anime Appearance: Naruto Episode 1
Name meaning: Fourth Fire Shadow
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Real Name: Namikaze=Wind and waves, discord; Minato=Harbor, a name
Rank: Kage
Current Status: Deceased
Notable Features: Nicknamed "Konoha's Yellow Flash"
See also: Third Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Rin

HISTORY:

The Fourth Hokage, born Namikaze Minato, sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi demon inside Naruto.At the age of ten Minato graduated from the Academy. Shortly afterwards he became the student of Jiraiya alongside two fellow team members. Under the Ero-Sennin he would greatly increase his skills and impress Jiraiya with his tenacity. Jiraiya would select Minato to carry on the heritage of toad summoning. His skills would further grow with the development of Rasengan and Hiraishin. The latter technique would grant him the nickname "Konoha's Yellow Flash" because of the way he and his bright yellow hair would flicker out of existence to appear elsewhere.

As the years passed Minato became Chuunin and later Jounin. As a Jounin he became sensei of the team of Hatake Kakashi, Rin and Uchiha Obito. As a gift for Kakashi's advancement to Jounin, Minato gave him a unique kunai marked with one of the Hiraishin transportation markers. Later in one particular battle, this technique allowed four Leaf ninjas to throw teleportation kunai at 50 Rock-Nin. Using the transportation technique, he was able to move from kunai to kunai while they were in the air, to wipe out all 50 with little trouble. After this battle, his student Rin used Kakashi's kunai to bring Minato to her location to protect her and an unconscious Kakashi from Rock ninja. Unfortunately by the time he arrived Uchiha Obito was already dead, he managed to save Kakashi and Rin though. They would later go on to fulfill their mission and help repel the Rock invasion.

In the months to come Minato would be selected by Sandaime Hokage to follow him as village leader. His first choice Orochimaru failed to live up to his expectations. The village was in very good hands however. Minato's love of his friends and the village would inspire all those around him. It was around this time he apparently fathered Naruto with Uzumaki Kushina, a kunoichi from the former Whirlpool Country. Minato then made the ultimate sacrifice when the Kyuubi came calling. Using one final technique he had developed, the sacrificial Shiki Fuujin, he managed to stop the beast and seal its spirit in the body of his newborn son Naruto. Though this resulted in Minato's death, he managed to save the village.

Years later during the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru attempted to use the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the bodies of the previous Hokage's back to fight for him. Minato's coffin was apparently close to emerging when the Third Hokage managed to stop its arrival. And with that Minato's heritage could continue to protect the village in the people he inspired and his son Naruto.

SARUTOBI HIRUZEN/THIRD HOKAGE

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 1
First Anime Appearance: Naruto Episode 1
Name meaning: Third Fire Shadow
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Real Name: Sarutobi=Flying Monkey [Also a legendary ninja], Hiruzen=A name
Rank: Kage
Age: 69
Notable Features: Nick-named "The Professor" for knowing thousands of jutsu
Notable Quotes: When they are protecting something important, that's when a shinobi's true strength appears...
See also: First Hokage, Second Hokage, Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade

HISTORY:

The Third Hokage, born Sarutobi Hiruzen, became Hokage again after the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to imprison the Kyuubi demon.

Leading Konoha long past his prime, Sandaime Hokage was the beloved leader of Konoha. At a young age he trained under the tutelage of Shodai and Nidaime Hokages, the founders of Konoha. They instilled in the young Sarutobi the ideal of protecting Konoha to the fullest extent with ones very life. As Sarutobi grew he was up for the position of Sandaime Hokage against a man named Danzou, who led the ANBU Root group, who wanted a more militaristic future for the village. Sarutobi eventually was selected and he became Sandaime Hokage.

In this position he would take on three young students, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru. These three gifted ninja would become renowned for their skill and abilities. They would be called the "Sannin" or legendary three ninja. Two of the three would be instilled with Sandaime's hopefulness and ideals. While the other, Orochimaru, would grow to despise the compassion and connections Sandaime hoped everyone to make. It was around this time he may have fathered Sarutobi Asuma.

Eventually Sandaime saw that with his age, someone of the younger generation would be better set to lead the village. His first choice was his pupil Orochimaru, but when he learned Orochimaru was conducting brutal experiments he was heart broken. He then selected a young Jounin sensei who lead the team of Hatake Kakashi, Rin and Uchiha Obito to follow him. This man would become Yondaime Hokage and carry on Sandaime's legacy. His tenure would not last long however, as the Kyuubi attacked and Yondaime had to give up his life to stop the beast.

Sandaime thus took up the position of Hokage once again, ruling over Konoha and continuing to influence the young minds who would lead the village in the future. When his student Orochimaru returned to Konoha hell-bent on its destruction, Sandaime faced him and gave it his all to stop him. Age and rust did little to stop him, but the battle eventually began to wear him down when Orochimaru summoned the corpses of Shodai and Nidaime Hokages to battle for him. Sandaime saw their usage as an insult to their legacy. Thinking of Yondaime and the way he had given up his life to protect the village, Sandaime knew what he had to do. Using the same technique Yondaime used to stop the Kyuubi, Sandaime removed the souls of Shodai and Nidaime, and then attempted to remove Orochimaru's soul and stop him once and for all.

Unfortunately he did not possess the needed strength to stop Orochimaru for good. Seeing his life near its end he chose to do what he could and remove Orochimaru's spiritual arms, which removed his ability to use jutsu. A shocked and furious Orochimaru could only scream at his mentor. Sandaime could do little to hear his former student though, for he collapsed dead. Orochimaru fled and the ninja of Konoha gathered to pay their last respects for their fallen leader. Though Orochimaru had let him down, Sandaime's legacy and ideals were carried on when his pupil Tsunade was selected as Godaime Hokage.

SENJU TOBIRAMA/SECOND HOKAGE

irst Manga Appearance: Chapter 118
First Anime Appearance: Naruto Episode 69
Name meaning: Second Fire Shadow
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Real Name: Senju Tobirama (Senju=A name, sen=thousand ju=hands; Tobirama=The space between two doors)
Rank: Kage
Notable Features: Younger brother of Shodai Hokage, Uses Suiton techniques (though they may just be one facet of his jutsu arsenal)
Current Status: Deceased
See also: First Hokage, Third Hokage

HISTORY:

The Second Hokage, born Senju Tobirama, helped found the village of Leaf with the help of his older brother the First Hokage. After the death of his brother he inherited the Hokage title and developed the infrastructure of the village.

During his tenure as Hokage, Nidaime used a sword in battle called the "Raijin" sword. The sword emitted a short blade made of a hard lightning-like material. After his death the sword would remain in the village until Leaf ninja Aoi betrayed the village and had it stolen and delivered to Hidden Rain as a gift. Aoi would use the Raijin in battle, and the blade eventually broke after the combined effects of a Chidori and Rasengan. It is unknown what happened to his sword after Aoi's defeat.

During the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru used the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the Second Hokage back from the dead to fight for him. The Third Hokage had to utilize the Fourth Hokage's Shiki Fuujin technique to remove the Second's soul and send him back to the beyond.

HOKAGE

SENJU HASHIRAMA/FIRST HOKAGE

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 118
First Anime Appearance: Naruto Episode 69
Name meaning: First Fire Shadow
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Real Name: Senju Hashirama (Senju=A name, sen=thousand ju=hands; Hashirama=The space between two pillars)
Rank: Kage
Notable Features: Older brother of Nidaime Hokage, Has calm and collected mind
Current Status: Deceased
See also: Second Hokage, Third Hokage

HISTORY:

The First Hokage, born Senju Hashirama, helped found the village of Leaf with the help of his younger brother the Second Hokage.

Shodai was the leader of the Senju Clan of the Forest, a family of ninja who were hired by countries to fight in their wars. Along with the Uchiha, the Senju was one of the top shinobi clans. For a time the two clans battled but they later aligned with the Uchiha under Uchiha Madara. Together they founded Konoha. Unfortunately, a dispute arose between the two men and they did battle at an area later known as the Valley of the End. A statuary monument was later erected on that spot in their honor.

The First Hokage was the grandfather of the Sannin Tsunade. He was unique in his ability to use Mokuton (Tree Element) techniques. Shodai was also said to be able to control the Bijuu (tailed beasts) to his will. This power was coveted by Orochimaru, and he sought out Shodai's tissue and infused his genes into the bodies of 60 children. All but one of the children died. The survivor would go on to become a skilled ANBU code-named "Yamato." He would inherit Shodai's ability to control Mokuton and the Bijuu.

Later during the invasion of Leaf by Sand and Sound, Orochimaru used the forbidden jutsu Edo Tensei to bring the First Hokage back from the dead to fight for him. The Third Hokage had to utilize the Fourth Hokage's Shiki Fuujin technique to remove the First's soul and send him back to the beyond.