Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-30172350-20170617091148/@comment-1746153-20170617104828

He was selfish, all those things he did "for the village" were actually to further his own goals. He threw away the lives of others despite claiming that "self-sacrifice is a shinobi's duty". Yes, he truly believed that his methods were right, and he could have been a more morally gray character if Kishi didn't make him ruin so many lives.

Thing is, I don't understand the hate, too - he's a fictional character that is meant to be a villain/antagonist, not a real person. As far as writing goes, he is pretty consistent.