The post contains spoilers for Naruto.
Summary
Naruto and Sasuke are the two main leads of theNarutomanga. Both of them were introduced early on in the manga, and since then, they have been an integral part of the story. Naruto and Sasuke grew up admiring and competing with each other. Naruto was treated with disdain by the villagers as they held him accountable forthe death of Minato, the Fourth Hokageof the Hidden Leaf. Sasuke, on the other hand, was super popular and loved by everyone.
The two had different childhoods, but at the same time, they felt each other’s pain. Unfortunately, Sasuke decided to go down the path of evil, resulting in him leaving the villageand seeking out Orochimaru. One of the main reasons Sasuke decided to leave the village was because of his rival’s strength. When the two fought on the roof, Sasuke was shocked to see the power of Naruto’s Rasengan. However, many fans want to know whether Sasuke was ahead of Naruto in terms of strength.
The short answer is yes. Sasuke was ahead of Naruto when they met in Part 2. The Uchiha had created a sizable gap between himself and his rival. This wasevident from the way Sasuke handled Narutothree years after the conclusion of Part 1. At that time, the Uchiha had more or less mastered the Curse Seal given to him by Orochimaru. He also obtained the sword of Kusanagi, which was said to be capable of cutting anything. It is also possible that Sasuke had learned to use Kirin, an extremely powerful jutsu that could have bypassed Naruto’s defense easily.
Sasuke’s time with Orochimaru was fruitful, but the same cannot be said about Naruto’s journey with Jiraiya. He had already mastered the use of Rasengan before the timeskip. So, Jiraiya didn’t help him with it. Naruto learned Sage Mode after Jiraiya’s death with Fukasaku’s help. He created the Rasenshuriken with Kakashi’s and Yamato’s help. So, it won’t be anexaggeration to call Jiraiya a bad teacher. Had he taught Naruto about the sage mode or helped him add a nature to the Rasengan, things would have been a lot different.
Keeping in mind the abilities of the two ninjas at the time, it is safe to say that Sasuke was easily the stronger one. Given his trajectory, fans expected him to stay ahead of Naruto, but Kishimoto had other plans.
Naruto Tipped The Scale Back In His Favor
Things quickly changed when Naruto learned the sage mode and then unlocked the power of the Nine-Tails. Both of these required immense physical and mental strength, and without them, Naruto would never have reached the top. With the help of the Nine-Tails chakra mode, Naruto was able to move faster and recover the damage taken. Moreover, Naruto’s attacks were significantly stronger, and getting hit even once could prove fatal.
If this wasn’t enough, Naruto also received another power-up from Hagoromo Otsutsuki,namely the Six Paths Sage Mode. This was a major power-up for Naruto, and it made him even more dangerous.
Naruto was able to touch Truth-Seeking Balls, something that a normal person couldn’t even dream of as they would be instantly turned into dust. The Six Paths Sage Mode also enhanced his sensory abilities. With the upgrade, he was able to sense beings that existed in a different dimension, like Madara’s Limbo Clones. Above all, Naruto became more proficient at using natural energy, which in turn improved the power of his attacks.
Who Was Stronger In The End?
Some people question who was stronger between Naruto and Sasuke at theend of the Fourth Great Ninja War, especially when the fight between them ended in a draw. Naruto was considerably stronger than Sasuke even then.
The latter was actively trying to kill Naruto, meaning he was not holding back. Meanwhile, Naruto was holding back because he didn’t want to kill Sasuke. He intended to stop Sasuke and take him back to the Hidden Leaf. If Naruto wanted to exterminate Sasuke, then the Uchiha would not have seen another day.
