Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-28869806-20150525191639/@comment-734582-20150526220129

A True Sage wrote: ... as for my most disappointing character: Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In the manga it's not really emphasized on, but Hiruzen makes 4 shadow clones and counters 5 elemental attacks, from that big Thousand Hands statue similar to what Hashirama used to defeat Madara+Kurama. If you think about it, it's quite a feat to perform and shows extreme skill of the elements. But yes, it would've been better if we got a more clear picture of his abilities.