Also known as the Leaf Village, Konoha is one of the primary locations in the Naruto universe. It is where both the main protagonist and a majority of the primary antagonists originate, giving it the potential for greatness and atrocities alike.
Given Konoha's polarizing nature, it comes as no surprise that they have suffered brutal humiliations time and again. Whether enduring betrayal from within or embarrassing themselves on the global stage, the Leaf's reputation has been so maligned that it's a miracle they ever recovered. From identifying its greatest blunders, it becomes easier to understand the darkest chapters of its history.
10 Naruto Tried To Talk The Raikage Out Of Hunting Sasuke
When the Five Kage Summit was set to commence in the Land of Iron, Naruto confronted the Raikage. With the understanding that he was Sasuke's greatest detractor, he begged the man for clemency to such extents that he even kneeled to him.
This was highly inappropriate for a number of reasons. Not only was it not the Raikage's decision entirely to make, he also suffered the most under Sasuke's villainy. Were it not for a convenient stroke of luck, his brother, Killer Bee, could have easily been sacrificed to the Akatsuki.
9 Itachi & Kisame Attacked Konoha
In order to fulfill the Akatsuki's grand mission, Kisame and Itachi attacked the Leaf. Given the latter's background as a member of the Anbu, avoiding the sensory wards surrounding the border was a trifling issue. This resulted in a brutal reckoning between the two Akatsuki members and some of Konoha's finest jonin.
However, they were unable to contain them, and the Akatsuki slipped further into the village. They next struck at Naruto directly, narrowly being thwarted in a high profile city district. The Akatsuki's presence demonstrated that the Leaf's own shinobi could not fully protect it.
8 Danzo Failed To Assassinate Hiruzen
Always vying for power, Danzo had his Foundation underlings ambush Hiruzen during a trip through the Leaf and attempted to assassinate him. He was so confident that his men succeeded that he even began settling into the Hokage's office by the time Hiruzen returned home.
Considering that the Foundation was supposed to serve the Leaf, this was a flagrant example of Konoha's growing corruption. It's especially serious since Danzo is a member of the three elders, a committee that appoints the next Hokage.
7 Orochimaru's Betrayal Was A Public Disgrace
A former member of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was fairly prestigious in the Leaf. However, this changed when his lust for forbidden jutsu was revealed, along with the extents he'd take to procure it.
Considering that Orochimaru was a former war veteran and hero, his betrayal boded poorly for public perception of the Sannin. It was especially painful that he created his own village afterward. Nonetheless, in a gesture of good faith, the Sound was invited to the Chunin Exams so that they could display what their most promising young shinobi were capable of.
6 Madara's Resurrection Became Everyone's Problem
Although Madara was always powerful, he previously did not have ambitions beyond the Leaf Village. After being resurrected in the Forth Shinobi War, his priorities shifted to include the other four nations as well.
Now stronger than ever, Madara's humiliation of the Allied Shinobi Forces and their leaders was horrendous for Konoha. Since both he and Kabuto originated from the village, they must shoulder a lion's share of the blame for the entire war. Although not frequently mentioned, Madara's origins have dark connotations for how badly the Leaf mismanaged its own.
5 Kurama Nearly Destroyed The Village
Although Kurama is now the Leaf's greatest asset, he wasn't always so tame. At one point, Obito released him on the village at Madara's request. This resulted in widespread chaos and devastation, with skilled Jonin struggling to handle the creature.
Desperate to minimize the damage, Minato and Kushina gave their lives so that the Nine-Tailed fox would be sealed away. However, there were two problems. Not only did they seal Kurama in their own son and made him a pariah, the village was now without a leader. Hiruzen had to become Hokage to restore order in spite of his old age.
4 Sasuke Humiliated The Leaf At The Summit
Given that Sasuke had already attempted to capture Bee and Naruto's previous pleadings, the Leaf's reputation was not doing well at the Five Kage summit. It didn't help that Danzo manipulated his way into representing them on the global stage.
To make matters worse, Sasuke stormed the summit, attacking its leaders in an attempt to reach Danzo. This was a particularly horrendous outburst since the Leaf's irresponsibility with its own rogue shinobi put the other villages in serious danger.
3 The Sand Devastated The Leaf At The Chunin Exams
One of the fastest ways to humiliate a country is by exposing its weakness, and the Chunin Exams did just that. By joining forces and taking advantage of the trials, the Sound and Sand villages teamed up to cause widespread chaos. Their plan went chillingly well.
While the Manda broke down the walls, Orochimaru assassinated Hiruzen as the entire village could only watch. Meanwhile, the people of Konoha had to fight for their lives simply to fend off the new invaders, as many of Konoha's defenders were put to sleep by Kabuto's genjutsu.
2 The Uchiha Genocide Caused Many Of The Leaf's Current Problems
The Uchiha genocide was a completely unorganized and unmitigated disaster on both sides. Not only did the Uchiha clan make no demands to the Senju before suddenly deciding to rise up, any attempts to dissuade them were deliberately sabotaged by Danzo.
Since Shisui was murdered before he could disarm the situation, Itachi's slaughter was the only option left to avoid a world war. Still, Danzo profiteered from the mayhem by taking Sharingans from his victims' corpses and fashioning them into an Izanagi arm.
1 Pain Destroyed The Leaf By Himself
Despite everything else Konoha endured, Pain humiliated them worst of all. In addition to murdering Sannin Jiraiya, he and Konan single-handedly defeated the village and its clans. Frustrated by Naruto's elusiveness and demanding to know his location, Pain unleashed the Almighty Push to draw him out.
In a single devastating move, he wiped out most of Konoha, reducing it to rubble and killing an untold number of people. Though Pain eventually restored the lives he took, Konoha would remain in ruins for a long time afterward. His attack was the ultimate humiliation given that he almost came alone.