In his youth, Hanzo was a man of rare faith and principles — he sincerely sought peace and dreamed of uniting the five great ninja countries. He respected strong-spirited opponents, spared them, and even bestowed titles on those who showed a will to live. It was thus that he gave life to three young shinobi of Konoha, naming them the 'Sannin'. He believed that faith does not die with a person and that it can be discerned only in battle. However, after World War II, Hanzo lost his conviction. He stopped training, allowed his skill to dull, and became a paranoid tyrant concerned only with preserving power. He ceased to trust anyone, surrounded himself with round-the-clock guard, even searched children. Yet he remained pragmatic: hating the great villages, he nonetheless entered into alliances with them to retain the throne. His betrayal of Akatsuki (the ambush on Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan) became the point of no return — he lured them into a trap without hesitation, but this act ultimately led to his own demise. Even at the end of his life, weakened and arrogant, he still could not comprehend how someone he had once defeated could become stronger than him. Nevertheless, on the verge of death, a spark of his former self awoke in him — he regretted his downfall and, perhaps deep down, still clung to the idea of peace, though he would not admit it to himself.
