Anime enthusiasts, especially those who have closely followed Naruto Uzumaki’s rise to becoming the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, take great delight in comparing their hero’s strength against formidable opponents. Whether these adversaries hail from Naruto’s own universe or are iconic figures like the legendary Godzilla, exploring the vast extent of Naruto’s abilities unveils a world of endless potential.

Within his realm, Naruto stands as an almost unmatched force. The challenge of finding a rival who could match the future Hokage’s prowess seems insurmountable. However, Naruto’s dominance wasn’t instantaneous. His journey to becoming the strongest involved years of growth and guidance. Had some characters decided to confront Naruto before he honed his skills, they might have had a fair chance of defeating him long before he claimed the title of Hokage.

When discussing Itachi Uchiha, fans often highlight his notorious act of annihilating his clan and the psychological torment inflicted on his younger brother, Sasuke. While these actions have cemented Itachi’s infamous legacy in Konohagakure’s records, they can overshadow his incredible capabilities. The fact that Itachi orchestrated such complex and powerful feats only underscores the extent of his formidable strength.

At the Height of His Power, Itachi Uchiha Would Destroy Naruto

Image via Studio Pierrot

When it comes to Itachi Uchiha, the things fans tend to focus on are him wiping out his entire clan and then torturing his own younger brother, Sasuke. Itachi’s true potential isn’t necessarily forgotten, so much as it is overshadowed by the complicated circumstances that earned him a page in Konohagakure’s bingo book. Yes, Itachi murdered his entire clan, including both of his parents. He then used genjutsu to force his little brother to suffer through every gory detail, but the fact that he was able to do all of that is further testament to his unreal power.

Itachi was a once-in-a-generation Uchiha prodigy. Born with such talent, not even the Hidden Leaf could think of another ninja with his genius-level intelligence and capabilities. He graduated the Ninja Academy at the age of seven, awakened his sharingan at eight, and was promoted to chunin by the time he was 10 years old. He joined ANBU Black Ops at 11, and was promoted to captain when he was 12, a feat that actually prompted the Third Hokage and Danzo to fudge the records because the minimum age was 13.

A tactical strategist with a quick mind and even faster reflexes, his brain power alone is more than enough to outwit a fighter like Naruto. Itachi was more than capable of suppressing his emotions and focusing on the battle in front of him, which isn’t something Naruto has ever been skilled with.

Naruto’s Confrontation With Itachi In the Woods Could Have Gone Very Differently

Naruto thinks with his heart, not his head. His react-first-think-later impulses land him in more sticky situations than fans can count on both hands. Against an opponent of Itachi’s skill and intellect, an emotional response is exactly what would get the future hokage in over his head. In fact, fans actually see this in Naruto Shippuden Episode 126, “Twilight,” which would have witnessed the end of Naruto’s life had Itachi been there to do more than just talk.

“Twilight” does provide an excellent example of how far Naruto has come by this point. He thinks through things carefully when first approaching Itachi, reminding myself of what his opponent is capable of. When Itachi asks him why he’s so attached to Sasuke, however, Naruto’s emotional response winds up with him trapped inside Itachi’s genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Mirage Crow.

As the encounter abruptly ends, anime fans have to wait another 26 episodes to find out what Itachi actually wanted to talk to Naruto about. It isn’t until after Itachi’s death, when Naruto is remembering their encounter, that fans see the truth. Itachi implanted one of his crows inside Naruto, and it was set to activate the moment Naruto saw Itachi’s Sharingan in Sasuke’s eye.

Had Itachi been there to kill him, that encounter alone would have ended the Naruto series. Instead, this moment is meant to show Naruto that he isn’t there for that. He just wants to talk.

Naruto Never Personally Encountered Itachi At Full Power

Image via Studio Pierrot

It’s safe to say that as Naruto and Sasuke both continue to progress across the remaining episodes of Shippuden, an encounter with Itachi after Naruto and Kurama forged an alliance, would have been a tough fight. Had he still been alive by that point, Itachi’s illness would likely have interfered with his techniques, giving Naruto the upper hand and a potential victory.

If Naruto had faced off against Itachi at the height of his power, even with Kurama’s full chakra at his disposal, chances are Itachi would have still emerged the victor. Anime fans saw firsthand what Itachi was capable of when he went toe-to-toe with Kakashi Hatake. Trapping Kakashi with Tsukuyomi, one of the most powerful genjutsu known to exist, the “Copy Ninja” only survived the experience with his wits intact because he possessed a sharingan.

Those without sharingan suffer a much worse fate, as they aren’t able to resist its lingering effects Tsukuyomi has on the mind. Had Itachi used Tsukuyomi against Naruto, the future Hokage wouldn’t have been able to counter it. Suffering the after-effects could have potentially altered Naruto’s mental state.

Not even Sage Mode Naruto would have been immune to Itachi’s Tsukuyomi, though it would have given him a stronger resistance to genjutsu by allowing him to fight blind. Fortunately, in a scenario where Naruto fell prey to Itachi’s Tsukuyomi, Tsunade was one of the only medical ninja capable of healing a genjutsu-fractured mind.

Given Itachi’s capabilities, there’s little room for a Naruto victory when the circumstances align, and fans saw the proof all throughout Naruto and Shippuden. Even with death looming at his back, Itachi Uchiha was an overpowered, once-in-a-generation phenom, and there’s no way Naruto would have ever stood a chance.

Naruto: Shippuden

Release Date

2007 – 2017-00-00

Network

TV Tokyo

• Junko Takeuchi

  Naruto Uzumaki (voice)

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  Noriaki Sugiyama

  Sasuke Uchiha (voice)