Naruto and Sasuke are two of the most iconic ninjas to exist in the Naruto franchise and also among the very strongest. These two characters have always been neck and neck, and while there have been instances when one was stronger than the other, they have eventually always caught up with one another. At the end of the Naruto series, specifically in Chapter 698, the last duel between Naruto and Sasuke concluded, which saw Sasuke admit defeat to the future Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.
However, now in the Boruto era, this dynamic has completely been flipped around. It has now been officially confirmed that Masashi Kishimoto has made Sasuke Uchiha stronger than Naruto Uzumaki. While the Seventh Hokage remains sealed in the dimension of Daikokuten, Sasuke Uchiha has strengthened himself even further as well as received new scientific upgrades, making him stronger than ever before.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Confirms Sasuke Is Now Stronger Than Naruto
At the beginning of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations series, both the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, and the Other Hokage, Sasuke Uchiha, had progressed tremendously in terms of strength following the conclusion of the Fourth Great Ninja War. These two characters were stated to be even by Masashi Kishimoto and, as always, they maintained their Yin and Yang equilibrium. Sasuke was just as impressive in battle against the elite Otsutsuki as Naruto Uzumaki, that is, until the threat of Isshiki Otsutsuki came. During this fight, Naruto Uzumaki played his last card by utilizing Baryon Mode, and through it, he surpassed Sasuke for good. It was due to Naruto’s significant upgrade in power that Isshiki Otsutsuki was eventually defeated. However, this also came with a significant nerf for Naruto Uzumaki, as he permanently lost the power of Kurama.
“Normally, when a Jinchuriki’s Biju is extracted, they die. But that doesn’t apply to you. The Biju chakra simply vanishes. It might look to others like you’re dead, but you’re just in a temporary state of shock. Don’t worry, you’ll wake up soon. The price to pay for Baryon Mode is my life, not yours. I’ve got to go, but be real careful. You aren’t gonna have superhuman strength anymore. So if you overdo it, you’ll end up joining me soon. But, until that day comes, you be well, Naruto.” — Naruto loses Kurama, Boruto Chapter #55
Shortly after, Sasuke also lost his Rinnegan, making him weaker than ever before. At this point in the story, both Naruto and Sasuke lost their Six Paths Powers, but it was quite clear for us to see that the latter still retained his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which was equivalent to Naruto’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Meanwhile, Naruto did not have anything other than Sage Mode, and this in itself suggested that Sasuke was significantly stronger than Naruto following the events of the Isshiki arc. Kishimoto and Ikemoto took things one step further during the Boruto time skip. While Naruto Uzumaki was officially sealed away in the dimension of Daikokuten in Boruto Chapter 77, which was officially released on January 19, 2023, Sasuke Uchiha was free to train. As he saved Boruto Uzumaki from Konoha ninjas following Omnipotence, a new training arc began. It is this training arc that eventually confirmed that Sasuke Uchiha surpassed Naruto for good.
“During their training together to get stronger, Boruto and Sasuke’s main food sources were fish and wild birds, which they hunted using Raiton and Shuriken, along with wild plants and mushrooms.” — Mikio Ikemoto confirms Sasuke surpassed Naruto, Boruto Volume #8
How Sasuke Uchiha Finally Surpassed Naruto Uzumaki
At the end of Boruto Part 1, Sasuke and Boruto Uzumaki set out on a journey to train and get stronger so that they could face the upcoming threats to the ninja world. A common misconception is that this time was only utilized by Boruto Uzumaki to train. However, Mikio Ikemoto officially makes it clear in Boruto Vol.8 that both Sasuke and Boruto Uzumaki trained their skills during this time period. The results of this training were clear to see in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 5, which was officially released on December 20, 2023. In this chapter, Sasuke Uchiha was seen fighting against Code. For reference, Code at this point was significantly stronger than Jigen and around the level of Isshiki Otsutsuki. Despite not having his Rinnegan, Sasuke was able to wound Code heavily in battle and do this all the while protecting Boruto Uzumaki from him.
Code: Uchiha, you!!! How dare you take my eye?
Sasuke: Listen closely, Boruto! There’s no way we can win against him right now. So escape. Survive at all costs and build on the skills that I’ve hammered into you. Then nobody will be able to stop you.
— Sasuke shows his new power level, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #5
Sasuke eventually sacrificed himself in this battle. Although he lost, he did significantly better against Code than he did against Jigen or Isshiki, despite not having Six Paths Powers. This suggests Sasuke gained a significant strength boost during the timeskip, both because of his training and perhaps through some other jutsu that he invented. As things stand, Naruto has stagnated due to being sealed away in the Daikokuten dimension, while Sasuke gained tremendous strength in the one year that followed.
Why Naruto Is Set To Catch Up With Sasuke Upon Return
While it is clear that Sasuke Uchiha is stronger than Naruto as things stand, this is not always going to be the case. Naruto and Sasuke always progress side by side, which means that once the Seventh Hokage returns, he is going to grow in strength tremendously to match Sasuke Uchiha. This is good news for Naruto fans because it only means that he won’t be limited after losing Kurama in battle. Naruto Uzumaki is set to gain significant upgrades after his comeback, but for now, the focus remains on Sasuke Uchiha.
In the ongoing post-Mamushi arc of Boruto, which is set to continue with the release of Chapter 37 on September 17, 2026, more steps will be taken by Mikio Ikemoto and Masashi Kishimoto towards facilitating a return of Sasuke by paving the pathway for Hidari’s downfall. It is only after Sasuke returns that Naruto Uzumaki will make his official comeback. When he does, he is sure to surpass his limits once again and match Sasuke Uchiha in power. This is something that we are eagerly waiting to see because the Seventh Hokage is known to beat all odds and rise above all adversities. This is the quality that we have come to love him for, and it’s something that we are eagerly waiting to see once again in the story.
As for how Naruto Uzumaki could grow in power following his return, there are several pathways that Mikio Ikemoto has lined up for him. Naruto could potentially gain access to the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai. This ability was directly passed to him after he received a prosthetic arm made from Hashirama’s cells. Similar to how Madara and Obito gained access to Wood Release, Naruto Uzumaki should have access to this power as well, and it could serve as a significant upgrade. Naruto could also receive Scientific Ninja Tools through a prosthetic arm, such as the Momoshiki hand he received in Boruto Chapter 16. This hand gave him access to half of Momoshiki’s Rinnegan powers, and now, with Amado in the village, this power could be significantly upgraded for the Seventh Hokage.
There is also the case of Jura to consider, who is the human incarnation of the Ten-Tails and thus likely cannot be killed. Given that Jura might need a permanent home, Naruto Uzumaki could become just that, and this would give a proper conclusion to both Jura and Naruto’s story arcs. We are eagerly waiting to see how the story progresses from here onwards, and, hopefully, Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto live up to our expectations.
All the latest chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
