- Yuta Okkotsu Guide - September 7, 2022
- Chrollo hxh Guide - June 23, 2022
- Does Naruto Die? - June 22, 2022
The story of Naruto has always revolved around the lives of two characters, Naruto and Sasuke. Their friendship and dynamic have shaped the story, characters, and world around them. It’s not a simple story where they clash because they want to be the Hokage and be recognized as the strongest. It’s a clash of ideals.
Naruto and Sasuke both begin their story in the Hidden Leaf Village. Both lost their parents to cruel circumstances. Both have been betrayed by those around them. Naruto finds solace in his ramen and friendship with Iruka-sensei.
Sasuke finds solace in his training and seeks vengeance. They end up on the same Team, and this builds the foundation of what is the story of Naruto.
A story where Naruto wishes to protect everyone, including Sasuke. A story where Sasuke will go to any lengths necessary to wash away his sadness by obtaining vengeance for his clan and family. In this Naruto vs Sasuke guide, I will explore the dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke.
About the Naruto Storyline
The story of Naruto begins in the Hidden Leaf Village, where he resides. The Hidden Leaf Village is a town full of shinobi. One where being strong enough to protect those you love is as important as learning how to write. In the beginning, Naruto is alone.
The village pushed him away due to his standing as a Jinchurki. A Jinchurki is someone that holds the power of a tailed beast inside them. Naruto is the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the most deadly of all the tailed beasts. Despite always trying his best, he tends to lash out in rebellious attempts to get noticed.
Sasuke’s story begins in the same classroom where Naruto learns to be a shinobi. He is top of his class and is one of the most capable ninjas of his age, but his whole clan was murdered by his own brother, Itachi Uchiha, and now Sasuke’s only goal is to become strong enough to defeat him and avenge his parents.
Naruto and Sasuke’s story gets intertwined in that classroom. They become classmates, teammates, and then rivals. At first, their rivalry is healthy and pushes both of them to be better. But somewhere along the way, Sasuke becomes consumed with his thirst for strength and begins to see Naruto as a threat.
They both go on separate journies. Sasuke tries to sever the bonds that he’s made to fuel his hatred and Naruto strengthens those bonds to help him find the good in people. Naruto constantly chases Sasuke while Sasuke constantly craves more power. In the end it’s revealed that Naruto and Sasuke are tied together by destiny and their bond is something that can’t be so easily broken.
This sets off a series of events that plunges Sasuke deeper into this dark hole. But Naruto never lets up and plunges into that hole with him, with every intention to pull him out. This is the story of Naruto vs. Sasuke. A tale that shapes everything about Naruto as a series.
The Evolution of Naruto and Sasuke’s Friendship
Naruto and Sasuke’s friendship is one of the most complex relationships that I have ever come across while reading manga. You can’t even really call it a friendship for most of it. They meet in the Academy, where Naruto approaches Sasuke in hopes of gaining a friend. He realizes they are both alone and thinks that they can understand each other.
Unfortunately, Naruto soon realized that Sasuke was everything he wanted to be. Sasuke was highly regarded among his classmates as a great ninja and powerful. So instead of friendship, what ended up forming was a rivalry between the two. This rivalry only seemed to grow when they were chosen to be a part of Team 7 together with Sakura Haruno and their mentor, Kakashi Hatake.
Their time in Team 7 is where we really begin to see Sasuke and Naruto begin to understand each other and work together.
Team 7 and Kakashi Hatake
Team 7 is formed of Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno, with Kakashi Hatake as the leader. The team was formed following their graduation from the Academy. It allowed them to go on missions to learn what it was to be a shinobi firsthand.
Everyone in the group was pushed to grow stronger together. Sasuke was forced to work alongside a team to accomplish goals, Sakura learned to improve her fighting skills, and Naruto would be able to learn from both of them.
The formation of Team 7 is the first time that we see Naruto and Sasuke put asides their differences to work together. It’s the beginning of their bond. During the formation of Team 7, Kakashi has Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura complete the bell test to challenge their teamwork. To do this, they go without food, and only the two that secure a bell will get to eat. At first, they clash, and it seems that they’ll be like Kakashi’s past teams and fail the test.
No one is able to obtain a bell, but Kakashi allows Sakura and Sasuke to eat while Naruto remains tied. Once Kakashi leaves, they try to sneak food to Naruto, saying that they will need all their strength to defeat Kakashi. Kakashi appears and lets them know that this was the real test. And anyone who doesn’t value their teammates is worse than garbage.
This is the first instance we see Sasuke try and help Naruto as a teammate. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the few moments we see this. They go on one mission to the Land of Waves, where Sasuke and Naruto work together to bring down Haku. Then they work to protect Sakura in the Chunin Exams, but it is here where Sasuke begins to slip into darkness.
Orochimaru’s Influence and Broken Bonds
The relationship between Naruto and Sasuke really started to take a turn during the chunin exams. During the Chunin Exams, all the students are tasked with entering a forest and returning with two different kinds of scrolls. Each team will get one scroll and will need to obtain the other from another team, whether by force, stealth, or trade.
During this event, Sasuke and Naruto face off against Orochimaru for the first time. Orochimaru is considered one of the Hidden Leaf Village’s Sannin, but he defected after he was caught performing unethical experiments on his fellow villagers. His goal is to achieve immortality so that he may learn all the secrets the ninja world has.
Unfortunately, this goal of his leads him to Sasuke. During the Chunin Exams, they engage in a battle where Sasuke seems to be holding his own, but ultimately Orochimaru uses a technique that plants a curse mark on Sasuke. He tells Sasuke that this curse mark can unlock more power than he could ever imagine.
He makes a quick exit, and Sasuke is left in agony. Both he and Naruto sleep for a long time while Sakura defends them. A team from the Hidden Sound Village ambushes her, but thankfully Sasuke wakes up in time. This is the first time we see his curse mark activate and influence him. He lets the power overtake him for a bit, and he snaps the hands of one of the ninjas.
Fortunately, Sakura is there, and she is able to bring him back before it fully envelops him. But eventually, Naruto would grow stronger, and Sasuke would feel threatened by this. While recovering from the Chunin Exams, Sasuke is confronted by his brother Itachi.
He realizes that massive difference in strength which causes him to defect from the Hidden Leaf Village and seak out Orochimaru. This is where Naruto and Sasuke’s paths begin to completely divert. Naruto is seeking to grow strong to protect those he cares about. Sasuke is seeking to grow strong to destroy those who did him wrong.
Naruto’s Journey
From this point on, Naruto’s journey takes him through a path where he forms a lot of bonds and joins his master, Jiraya. Jiraya is one of the three Sannin and is known as one of the Hidden Leaf Village’s most powerful shinobi. He takes Naruto under his wing to train him because he believes that Naruto has something special in him.
Jiraya is compassionate and shows a lot of love to his students. You can see how these only strengthen Naruto’s feelings about bonds and saving Sasuke. Under Jiraya, Naruto learned how to use the Rasengan and Sage Mode. When the Akatsuki began to attack, Naruto began to lose many people that are close to him. Including Jiraya at the hands of one of his former students, Pain.
Naruto masters Sage Mode and defeats Pain. In a moment where most would end the life of their enemy, Naruto showed compassion. He forgave Pain for what he did. This caused Pain to completely change his outlook on life.
Pain would go on to use the last of his chakra to revive everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Jiraya. This truly showed how Naruto’s journey had shaped him to be a compassionate shinobi that would even give his biggest enemies a second chance. Throughout this whole time, Naruto never stopped believing in Sasuke. He always had him in his heart and thought constantly about saving his friend.
Sasuke’s Journey
In contrast, Sasuke’s journey is one that is only filled with more confusion, hate, and destruction. He sets out to find Orochimaru, who shows him how to master the curse mark. Sasuke uses this curse mark to grow stronger, but this strength also makes him more hateful. He defects from his village and even tries to harm them multiple times.
At one point, Sasuke turns on Orochimaru and absorbs him for his power. Showing that Sasuke will stop at nothing to grow stronger and that bonds mean nothing to him. Orochimaru was planning to do the same, so it probably showed Sasuke how cruel the world can be and that power is what will keep you alive.
Sasuke creates a new team, but on multiple occasions, he places them in danger without a second thought. This carries on until Sasuke defeats Itachi. His whole run for power has been because Sasuke wanted revenge on Itachi for what he had done to his village.
Soon after killing his brother, Sasuke learns the truth — that the Hidden Leaf Village had assigned Itachi to kill all of the Uchiha and that Itachi had chosen to follow the orders of the village over his own family.
Sasuke becomes confused and hurt. This whole time he had hated his brother, but after he kills him, he realizes that Itachi wanted nothing but the best for Sasuke. This throws Sasuke further into his hole of anger and resentment; so much so that there is an event, a moment where he almost kills Sakura. Showing that Sasuke has completely thrown away any bonds that he may have had in the past.
Sasuke vs Naruto – Every Time They Exchanged Blows
Throughout the series, Naruto and Sasuke clash multiple times. Usually, these battles are also a clash of ideals and end up with one of them being the lone victor.
In Naruto, the series, it is a common theme that to truly understand an opponent, you need to exchange blows with them. This is one of the reasons that Naruto and Sasuke have come to understand each other so well towards the end of the series.
They have exchanged blows so many times that they know what the other’s ideals are, but they still choose to rebel against them. Here is every time they exchanged blows and how it affected their friendship.
Ninja Academy Spar
The first time that Naruto and Sasuke have any sort of confrontation is during their Academy Sparring session. They are both called up by Iruka-Sensei and told to have a fair fight against each other. As Iruka counts down, they both rush at each other, but Sasuke pins Naruto with ease. This simple exchange showcased a lot about how the characters would grow in the future.
Naruto is yelling at Sasuke and chasing after him. Sasuke is filled with rage that he can’t direct at Itachi, so he directs it at Naruto. Naruto even notices the look in his eyes and can tell that the anger isn’t directed at him. This actually upsets Naruto because he feels that he isn’t important enough for Sasuke to notice.
During this battle, Iruka mentions they need to end with a sign that signifies union. To show respect to each other. Instead of doing this, both Naruto and Sasuke grab at each other’s throats. With Sasuke asking Naruto if he wants to fight him.
Victor: Sasuke
Hospital Rooftop Battle
This is the first major battle between Naruto and Sasuke. The Rooftop Battle is where Sasuke begins to grow hatred towards Naruto and begins to recognize his power. It starts when Naruto enters his hospital room and sees a tense moment between Sasuke and Sakura.
Naruto calls out to them, and Sasuke looks at him and immediately asks him to fight. Naruto tries to tell him that he is still recovering, but Sasuke tells him once again to shut up and fight.
This prompts Naruto to accept, and they both head to the rooftop to battle. Naruto exclaims before the battle starts that he thinks he can beat Sasuke. Sasuke simply remembers that his brother Itachi came to the village to take away Naruto. This makes him angrier because he realizes that Itachi came to the village looking for Naruto and not him.
Before the fight, Naruto tells Sasuke to put his headband on so that they can fight as equals and because it represents that they are two shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. They begin fighting, and right before their ultimate attack, Kakashi steps in and stops them.
They both fly and their ultimate attacks, Chidori and Rasengan, go flying, hitting two of the water towers. Sasuke notices he did more damage and smirks because he feels that he has more power than Naruto.
As he begins to walk away, he notices the back of the water towers and sees that Naruto did an incredible amount of damage to the back side of it. This means Naruto’s training has finally put him past Sasuke, which enrages him even more. This goes to show that Naruto simply wants Sasuke to consider him an equal, while Sasuke simply wants overwhelming power against those around him.
Victor: Naruto
Valley of the End Battle
The Battle at the Valley of the End is one of the most decisive battles in the manga. It is where Sasuke and Naruto’s storylines truly deviate. The fight begins towards the end of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Naruto and his friends have brutally fought to retrieve Sasuke and bring him back to the village. But now that Naruto is face to face with him, he realizes that Sasuke won’t be coming back with him by peaceful means.
Naruto promised Sakura that he would bring back Sasuke no matter what. This is something that Naruto will always remember and always bring up. He holds his promises to his friends in great esteem. But Sasuke tells him that he has his own path and that he isn’t obligated to follow anyone else. He tells Naruto that he is done with the Hidden Leaf Village moving forward.
This is the biggest clash of ideals between Naruto and Sasuke to date. Sasuke has completely thrown away all the bonds that he made at the Hidden Leaf Village, and Naruto wants to make him regret it. So the fight begins, and they both bring their best abilities and even activate new forms.
In the end, though, Sasuke is victorious. He leaves his Hidden Leaf Village with Naruto, which signifies that he is completely down with his old life. His new quest is simply one for power. Naruto wasn’t able to bring his friend back or fulfill his promise to Sakura which leaves him devasted.
Victor: Sasuke
Orochimaru’s Hideout Battle
The next time Naruto and Sasuke fight is in Orochimaru’s secret hideout. But this time, Naruto isn’t alone. He brings along the newly formed Team 7, which consists of Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and himself. Together they infiltrate the hideout and reunite with Sasuke.
But Sasuke isn’t having any of it. During this encounter, Sasuke explains that he had to cut off all his old bonds to focus on his new bond. This bond is made of hatred that he shares with his older brother.
During the fight, Sasuke shows overwhelming strength, and Naruto warns him that Orochimaru is simply trying to steal his body. Sasuke tells him that he doesn’t care what happens to him as long as he can get his revenge. He says that he would give his life many times to get the power to defeat his brother.
Before they can truly fight, Kabuto and Orochimaru show up. Kabuto warns Sasuke that if he fights, he will jeopardize his quest for vengeance. With that, they all disappear. Leaving Naruto’s spirit broken. But it shows Team 7 that if they hope to stop Sasuke, they will need to focus on getting stronger as well.
Victor: Sasuke
Kage Summit Battle
This fight shows just how deep Sasuke has fallen into his hatred. To ensure that he has nothing connecting him to his old bonds, Sasuke is even capable of killing Sakura. Thankfully, Naruto steps in at the right time and saves her. This is also the first time that Team 7 sees Sasuke after he finds out the truth behind Itachi’s betrayal. He exclaims to them his new mission, which is to kill everyone from the Hidden Leaf Village and destroy it completely.
By doing this, he will do the severing all bonds and achieve ultimate purification. In this battle, Naruto and Sasuke lunge at each other similar to how they did during their very first encounter in the Academy. But this time, they exchange blows and share a moment with each other.
During this moment, Naruto tells Sasuke that he saved him from becoming vengeful. He and Iruka-Sensei were Naruto’s first bond. They both get sent back by the blow, and White Zetsu shows up to take Sasuke away.
But Naruto tells Sasuke that they are both high-level shinobi which is why they were able to communicate with their fists. He tells Sasuke that they both saw the future of their battle. That the next time they fought, they would both die. He tells Sasuke that if he invades the village, he will fight him, and they will both end up dying.
Sasuke asks Naruto why he insists on getting in his way, and Naruto tells him it’s because they are friends. He also tells Sasuke that he has not given up on him.
Victor: Tie
Their Final Battle in a Return to Valley of the End
This is the final time that Naruto and Sasuke fight. It is the climax of the Naruto series. At this point, Sasuke has acknowledged that he can not destroy everyone and that to reach the future, he seeks. He needs to bear the hatred of everyone. He doesn’t want anyone to endure what happened to his clan, so he will take over the lands in a way that makes everyone hate him.
He says that since he has no family, he can bear this hatred alone. Naruto tells him that there are things you can’t do alone and that no one will agree with that. Sasuke continues on to say that in his future, there will be a revolution.
This means that he will need to kill all the current Gokage and establish a new order. Naruto says that a future like that will leave no one happens to which Sasuke replies that he will have to kill him too. But since Itachi was fond of Naruto, Sasuke won’t kill him until last.
Of course, Naruto doesn’t want to let this happen, which prompts the two to fight. Just before they begin, Sasuke acknowledges that Naruto is his closest friend. It shows that Sasuke has changed his way of thinking but is still intent on severing his bonds.
He doesn’t believe in changing from within. But Naruto hopes to knock some sense into him. This battle flashes through the different points in their life. Showing how they have both grown, but at the end of the day, they are still rivals.
This last battle ends like most of their battles. With one final lunge at each other with their ultimate abilities. The power from their clash is so strong that it completely destroys the Valley of the End and both statues. Once the dust clears, they both lay there with the hand that wielded the attack completely gone.
As they lay there, Sasuke can finally admit that he has lost and that Naruto will lead the village on a better path.
Final Victor: Naruto
The Importance of Naruto vs. Sasuke in Naruto
At the end of the day, Naruto vs. Sasuke is the most important aspect of the Naruto series. Both of their stories completely envelop everyone else, and their choices shape the people around them. They are two of the most iconic characters, and their battles are some of the most beautiful panels that there have ever been in a manga.
Without this dynamic, the story of Naruto doesn’t have as much meaning. Sasuke vs. Naruto shows how sometimes two ideals can be so similar despite having completely different outcomes. Both Naruto and Sasuke had similar beginnings.
But due to how Sasuke was influenced, his path was filled with hatred and darkness. At the same time, Naruto’s path was made clearer by the strength of his bonds and his ability to rely on his friends.
It’s a beautiful tale.
FAQs
Question: Why Does Naruto Chase After Sasuke?
Answer: Naruto sees Sasuke as one of his first bonds. When the whole village turned away from him, Sasuke treated him just like any other person. Despite this treatment being mostly negative, Naruto still appreciated it because it allowed him to feel normal. Once they were both in Team 7 together, Naruto and Sasuke shared various moments where they worked together. This bond was great in Naruto, and he knew that Sasuke still had it somewhere in him too.
Naruto had also made a promise to Sakura to bring back Sasuke and reunite Team 7. Since Naruto believes promises and bonds are the most important things in life, he puts his all into the pursuit of Sasuke.
Question: Why Was Itachi Not Honest With Sasuke?
Answer: If Itachi did not betray his clan, then a war would have broken out that would have claimed many lives. He decided to keep the truth from Sasuke because he wanted Sasuke to hate him and exact revenge on him. This way, Itachi could leave Sasuke with the Mangeyko Sharingan so that he would be strong enough to fight for whichever ideal he sought.
Question: Do Sasuke and Naruto Remain Friends?
Answer: Yes, Naruto and Sasuke still remain friends after the events of Naruto: Shippuden. Their bond is special, and they are actually more like brothers than anything.
Question: Does Sakura Love Naruto Or Sasuke?
Answer: Sakura truly loves Sasuke. Despite her trying to convince Naruto that she loved him so that they would stop chasing Sasuke. But in the end, Sakura realizes that it is Sasuke that she truly loves.
Question: Do Sasuke And Naruto Eat Ramen Together?
Answer: Unfortunately, Sasuke and Naruto are never shown sharing a meal together. In the Naruto series, Naruto always goes to ramen with his closest friends. It’s a custom that he started with Iruka-Sensei, who was the first person to ever invite Naruto out to eat.
Final Thoughts
The dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke is what truly makes the Naruto series so special. Seeing just how two shinobi that grew up in similar situations ended up in completely different fights; and how this friendship completely shaped the world around them and ended up being the thing that saved the shinobi world.
It’s a relationship that is worth dissecting and learning more about. I doubt there will ever be a friendship like Naruto and Sasuke’s anytime soon.