Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-18016240-20160208110013/@comment-9782468-20160302195513

My opinion is kind of a middle ground between @TheKillman and @MlGShinobi.

On one hand, he reigned for a very, very long time. So yeah, he had much more opportunity than any other Hokage to make mistakes.

But on the other hand, a leader is supposed to make decisions logically and practically. He let his emotions get in the way too much. Even Kakashi had a more hardened heart (Kakashi was willing to kill Sasuke and even Obito, whereas Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru even when it was obvious that Orochimaru had to be put down).

That's basically why Tobirama was probably the best Hokage: He made the most practical decisions that we've seen, and he developed most of the village's infrastructure. He didn't let emotions cloud him: if he did, he wouldn't have given the Uchiha a position of power. Even so, he understood how volatile they were, so he made sure to keep them in a place he could watch over them.