Boruto: Kishimoto Has Already Explained How Sasuke Uchiha Surpassed Naruto Uzumaki

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This article contains spoilers from the Naruto series.

The intense rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke was a highlight of the entire Naruto series. Throughout the story, they fought many memorable battles, with each of them winning some and losing others. By the end, most fans agreed that Naruto had ultimately become the stronger ninja. This makes sense, as they consistently surpassed each other at different points, but overall remained evenly matched.

However, the world of Boruto is quite different now, and Naruto and Sasuke aren’t on the same level anymore. The creator, Kishimoto, has confirmed that Sasuke eventually became stronger than Naruto in this new timeline.

Sasuke And Naruto Were Evenly Matched In Boruto Part 1

  • Naruto And Sasuke Were Equal In Boruto Part 1
  • Kishimoto Considered Them Evenly Matched

When the Boruto series started, Naruto and Sasuke were shown to be roughly equal in strength, a point emphasized by the series creator, Kishimoto, during the Momoshiki arc. Kishimoto previously confirmed they reached similar power levels as adults. While Naruto had the edge at the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke worked hard to improve his skills and eventually matched Naruto’s abilities.

Besides the Six Paths technique, the Rinnegan has another incredible ability called the Outer Path. The Rinnegan allows its user to control life and death. Konan tells Naruto that Nagato is sacrificing himself because he believes in him.

At the start of the Boruto series, Naruto and Sasuke were evenly matched, as demonstrated in their fights against Momoshiki and Jigen. However, during the battle with Isshiki, Naruto gained a significant advantage, reaching a new power level with Baryon Mode that Sasuke couldn’t achieve. This allowed Naruto to play a crucial role in defeating Isshiki. Sadly, using Baryon Mode cost Naruto the life of Kurama, greatly weakening him. Simultaneously, Sasuke lost access to his Rinnegan, leaving both characters significantly less powerful than before.

Currently, there’s a strong argument that Sasuke is more powerful than Naruto. This is largely due to Sasuke still possessing the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, a technique considered more powerful than Naruto’s Sage Mode. The manga’s creator, Kishimoto, actually compared Sage Mode to the regular Mangekyo Sharingan and Kurama Chakra Mode to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. While Naruto is now limited to Sage Mode, Sasuke retains the abilities of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Ultimately, even if this weren’t the case, Sasuke eventually surpasses Naruto in power later in the story.

Sasuke Trained To Get Stronger During The Timeskip Of Boruto

Image by Studio Pierrot
  • Sasuke And Boruto Spent A Lot Of Time Training
  • Boruto Databooks Confirm Sasuke’s New Powers

While Boruto was away training, Sasuke Uchiha was secretly preparing for future threats – and also training Boruto himself. Fans were aware of Boruto’s training, but not that Sasuke was simultaneously sharpening his own skills. This makes sense considering Sasuke’s tendency to feel responsible for protecting the village and believing he should shoulder the biggest challenges.

Sasuke wasn’t just teaching Boruto; he was also pushing his own limits to prepare for even more dangerous enemies. The first Boruto databook confirmed that Sasuke and Boruto trained together daily, and both had become significantly stronger as a result.

Also, I’ve added a special material to the sword, making it much stronger. It already recognizes your chakra, Sasuke’s, and mine, since I’m the one who’s been working on it. — Sumire, talking about Boruto and Sasuke’s new sword

It’s clear that Naruto Uzumaki would likely have reached or even exceeded Sasuke’s power if he’d still been active. However, Kawaki prevented this by sealing Naruto away in the Daikokuten dimension, where he’s remained for roughly three years. This stopped Naruto from improving, while Sasuke continued to get stronger for a year. Although Sasuke was eventually defeated by Code, that fight demonstrated he had surpassed Naruto in terms of power.

Sasuke Injured Code Greatly In Battle

Image from Studio Peirrot

Sasuke truly showed just how strong he’d become during his fight with Code. Code was already incredibly powerful as a member of Kara, and even more so after receiving Isshiki Otsutsuki’s Karma. Amado further boosted his abilities by removing his Limiters, making him, at one point, stronger than Jigen – a significant claim considering Jigen’s power.

Jigen was incredibly powerful, easily defeating both Naruto and Sasuke even without being hit once. More recently, in his fight with Code, Sasuke managed to injure Code and even permanently take one of his eyes. While Sasuke was clearly winning, Code eventually overwhelmed him with a growing number of Claw Grimes, leading to Sasuke’s defeat. Despite losing, Sasuke proved he could hold his own against Code, who is stronger than most members of the Otsutsuki clan.

Naruto Still Has Time To Catch Up to Sasuke

Currently, Sasuke is clearly more powerful than Naruto. The author, Kishimoto, has established this in the story and explained it effectively. However, this won’t last forever. Fans anticipate that Naruto will receive power boosts later on, ultimately bringing him and Sasuke to an equal level by the story’s conclusion.

For the story to truly come full circle, Naruto Uzumaki needs to reappear. While a return doesn’t seem likely right now, it’s expected to happen eventually. Fans are hoping to see Naruto and Sasuke team up again, showcasing new powers and reaching levels they’ve never achieved before. Ultimately, their rivalry is the most captivating aspect of the entire series, and everyone hopes it continues to be a part of the story, even in future installments of Boruto.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the continuation of the Boruto story, created by Mikio Ikemoto and with supervision from Masashi Kishimoto. The series picks up three years after the events of the Omnipotence arc, following Boruto Uzumaki as he strives to protect the world and navigate his relationship with his brother, Kawaki. Chapter 30 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will be released on January 20, 2026, at 10 AM EST / 3 PM UTC. Fans can read it for free on the Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps.

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2026-01-02 00:36