Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25436862-20150610034332/@comment-24384232-20150610050524

You also forget that in his battle against Orochimaru (who was gunning to kill him) he also had to fight against the combined (albeit weakened forms) might of the Shodaime and Nidaime as well. It was a three on one battle, and Hiruzen still came out on top. This while his village burned around him during an attempted coup. No preparation, nothing. Just pure skill and ability. Given that, Hiruzen remains the undisputed God of Shinobi.