Also known as the Leaf Village, Konoha was the main setting of the Naruto universe. Not only did the series' titular protagonist grow up there, but its importance also stood out to the other four nations of the world. In more than one instance, the other countries were also beholden to Leaf shinobi (such as in the final battle between Naruto and Sasuke).
Although Konoha's reputation and actions attracted powerful allies, their ascension to glory earned an equal number of enemies. Whether having forgiven the Leaf for their trespasses or not, these characters' grudges resulted in widespread catastrophe, fear, and, in extreme cases, death.
10 Gaara Once Took Joy In Butchering Leaf Shinobi
As the Kazekage, Gaara has made the ninja of the Sand Village into Konoha's greatest allies. However, he was not always so benevolent. When introduced, he wanted nothing more than to kill as many Konoha ninja as possible.
Gaara's bloodlust climaxed when unleashing the horrible power of Shukaku. Were Naruto and Gamabunta not there to stop him, Orochimaru's invasion of the village might have been much more costly.
9 Kurama Threatened Konoha On Two Separate Occasions
Before being won over by Naruto, Kurama was a Tailed Beast of terrifying potential. He threatened the village twice, once under the order of Madara and the second under Obito. The creature proved so powerful that Hashirama struggled to contain him.
Kurama's presence was extremely consequential to the story. Not only was his destructive wrath too much for the Leaf to handle, but it also got both of Naruto's parents killed. Had Kurama not been domesticated midway through Shippuden, the sheer amount of destruction he could have unleashed would have been unimaginable.
8 Danzo Was Responsible For Developing The Leaf's Worst Enemies
As the leader of the Foundation, Danzo was supposed to be on Konoha's side. Though his actions were intended with the Leaf's best interest in mind, they created many more enemies and problems. Not only had Danzo inadvertently turned Sasuke, Nagato, and Kabuto against Konoha, he was also extremely power-hungry.
In addition to extorting clans for promising young ninja, he attempted to depose both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade in an illegitimate bid for power. Should he have succeeded, he intended to treat Naruto as little more than a living weapon.
7 Sasuke Hurt Konoha's Reputation & Nearly Took Over The World
Driven beyond reason in his quest for vengeance, Sasuke hated the Leaf the moment he realized their role in the Uchiha genocide. After killing Itachi, he had a new priority - total world domination.
By sabotaging the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke put Konoha in a difficult situation. They were forced to either hunt him down or seem as if they condoned his attack. To make matters worse, he enslaved the Tailed Beasts in hopes of murdering Naruto and uniting the entire planet in their fear of him.
6 Orochimaru Murdered A Hokage & Nearly Destroyed The Village
Having debuted as the series' first "real" villain, Orochimaru's crimes are numerous. He turned the Sand and Leaf villages against each other, raised two Hokage with the forbidden edo tensei, and even dishonorably murdered Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To make matters worse, he exploited Sasuke's lust for power and groomed him into becoming an apprentice. Fortunately, Orochimaru only assisted in the battle against Madara by raising the Leaf's fallen leaders. Though there are efforts to rehabilitate the Sannin, he is being kept under close watch.
5 Obito Plotted Against The Village For Years, Corrupted Sasuke, & Aligned With Madara
Obito Uchiha's means were not justified by his noble intentions. Left for dead by Kakashi, Madara transformed him into a weapon to use well after his death. Obito's sins were numerous. Not only did he nearly destroy the village with Kurama, but he also corrupted Sasuke by telling him the true fate of the Uchiha clan in his darkest moment.
Worse yet, Obito fought alongside Madara at the crucial conclusion of the Fourth War and nearly killed Naruto himself on multiple occasions.
4 Nagato Destroyed The Village & Killed Jiraiya
Nagato (or Pain) was the leader of the Akatsuki. Although his organization did not explicitly target Konoha, it did drastically more damage in their pursuit of the Nine-Tails than to the other villages.
Not only was Nagato directly responsible for the death of Master Jiraiya, but he also eradicated Konoha with a devastating Almighty Push. His jutsu resulted in the death of thousands of civilians and nearly heralded the end of the village. Fortunately, Naruto convinced him to repent from his wicked ways and to restore those he had wrongly slain.
3 Kabuto Was A Malevolent Medical Ninja Who Defiled Konoha's Dead
Kabuto's willingness to defile was profane. When introduced, he manipulated the trust of Team Seven and betrayed them to Orochimaru. His information proved essential for his master when locating and marking Sasuke. Additionally, Kabuto attempted to assassinate Tsunade so that Konoha would remain disorganized and leaderless.
His worst atrocity was dredging countless graveyards across the world, starting the Fourth War, and being directly responsible for raising Madara. Unlike many of the series' other villains, Kabuto hasn't done anything to warrant the mercy Konoha showed him at the conflict's conclusion.
2 Madara Uchiha Swore To Destroy Konoha At Any Cost
Forced into a truce, the Uchiha and Senju clans united to create Konoha. Though living in peace for a time, Madara quickly became dissatisfied with this arrangement and attempted to rouse his countrymen to attack. When he failed to convince them, he enslaved Kurama and attempted to mount an invasion himself.
Hashirama defeated and pushed him underground, where he vowed revenge. After being resurrected by the edo tensei, Madara dominated the Five Kage and Team Seven, proving completely unbeatable until the time of his unlikely demise.
1 Zetsu Has Meticulously Manipulated Enemies Against Konoha Since The Beginning
Ultimately, Madara's discontent with the Leaf was mostly on account of the Uchiha tablets. He failed to realize that they were rewritten by Zetsu, who had hoped to use him and Hashirama as instruments of freeing Kaguya.
Having served as a member of the Akatsuki and one of the main threats in the Fourth Ninja War, Zetsu's careful scheming created some of the greatest disasters Konoha had ever faced. Without his interference, it's unlikely that the Uchiha and Senju clans would have warred after their initial truce.