With Kurama’s death and Sasuke losing his Rinnegan, the ongoing Boruto series has drastically nerfed the two greatest shinobis of the hidden leaf village. I think Kishimoto sensei has taken Sakura’s words, “I finally caught up with you two” too seriously. Well, whatever the case may be, the story wasn’t always like this, and this Uchiha-Uzumaki duo achieved god-like powers during their teenage days that even the Kages can only dream of.
From then onwards, these two only grew stronger and wiser with time till their recent confrontation with Isshiki Otsutsuki that robbed them of most of their power. Well, we must not forget that the show isn’t about them anymore, and this can turn out to be a necessary step in drawing the limelight to Boruto and the next generation of shinobi. Despite how drastically things have changed ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War, an age-old question still lurks among every viewer, who is stronger? Naruto or Sasuke? Here’s we have tried bringing you a convincing solution to this never-ending debate once for all.
In Their Childhood Days
Both Naruto and Sasuke were born special; Naruto had Kurama sealed within him, and on the other hand, Sasuke had Uchiha blood flowing his veins, which later blended with the inextinguishable flame of vengeance. Both had their own personal reasons to grow stronger, which were completely opposite to each other.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke was well aware of his powers and didn’t waste much time unleashing his Sharingan. With Kakashi of the Sharingan training him, his visual powers grew exponentially. His power level graph spiked higher and higher as Orochimaru’s curse mark kept nurturing the hatred in his heart, ultimately turning him into a monster.
Just to remind you, both of them unlocked their powers in the same arc, and Naruto’s Kyuubi chakra was nothing less than Sasuke’s curse mark. Apart from having Rasengan as his anti-Chidori technique, he could pull off the toad summoning jutsu, something that Sasuke couldn’t reciprocate back then.
However, Naruto’s Kyuubi chakra came with its fair share of drawbacks that make him incompatible in long-going fights. Drawing chakra from Kurama also turned him into a mindless monster, which, if left unchecked, would end up unsealing the fox demon. Moreover, Kyuubi chakra mode kept hurting his body parts and disrupting his original chakra flow. Considering all these shortcomings, it’s safe to say that Sasuke was stronger than Naruto in their early days.
Also Read: Will Sasuke Die In Naruto? The Last Uchiha?
By the End of Naruto Shippuden
By the time Shippuden concluded, both Naruto and Sasuke had grown up into the strongest mortals of the shinobi world. Naruto not only mastered sage mode but also learned a way to blend it effectively with his Kurama chakra mode. Later, Hagomoro gave him the six paths sage mode along with his flying orbs.
Meanwhile, Sasuke wasn’t lagging behind either, from using body-enhancing drugs under Orochimaru to taking Itachi’s eyes, Sasuke took all the possible shortcuts. However, the event that gave him the massive power boost was receiving the Rinnegan from Hagomoro. He made using Rinnegan look like some walk in the park and almost defeated Naruto with his Indra Susano.
Sasuke surely has a huge array of jutsus up his sleeves, but Naruto’s raw chakra reserve and his will to never give up made him on par with Sasuke. Moreover, there’s a huge difference in their mindsets; the urge to protect someone by far surpasses that of craving vengeance, thereby giving Naruto an extra push even in the impossible fights. When it comes to brute strength, Naruto is miles ahead of Sasuke; come on, we are talking about someone having chakras of all the tailed beasts. Hence I would like to conclude that Naruto was stronger than Sasuke, even if by a slight hair difference.
Current Power Levels
As I said at the very beginning, their power levels have dropped drastically with their recent fight against Isshiki Otsutsuki. Naruto’s Baryon mode once again proved why I kept taking Naruto’s side throughout this article, and it’s his unwavering will that makes him so overpowered.
Even with Kumara gone, I don’t think Sasuke can defeat him in a fair fight without his Rinnegan. Then again, ‘strength’ isn’t everything in Naruto universe, you can tell that from the fight between Shikamaru and Hidan. Who knows, Sasuke may just turn the tables with his genius brain. All these are mere speculations, and deep down, we know both of them are just too awesome and won’t be clashing with each other any time soon.
Also Read: The Legend Of Naruto And Sasuke Is Over, Thanks To Boruto Manga