The classic tale of Naruto Uzumaki, written by Masashi Kishimoto, explores the cycles of war that span generations of history in the shinobi world. Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden chronicle important events that occur during the titular protagonist’s lifetime, several of which mirror significant historical moments.
Ancient cycles influence the shinobi world Naruto Uzumaki is born into, but new cycles also manifest during his journey, like his inescapable rivalry with Sasuke Uchiha. History repeats itself in many ways throughout Naruto’s adventure, influencing some shinobi for the better and others for the worse.
Table of Contents
10.An Ancient Rivalry Between Brothers Reincarnates
The Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, is the historic progenitor of the entire world’s shinobi population. Hagoromo’s twin sons, Indra and Asura, compete to inherit his incredible power, sparking a rivalry that transcends their lifetimes in a cycle of reincarnation.
Although Indra Otsutsuki is eventually celebrated as the creator of ninjutsu, his brother Asura is selected by their father to carry on the Sage of Six Paths’s will. Indra’s descendants, the Uchiha Clan, continue to fight Asura’s descendants, the Senju and Uzumaki Clans, as rivals for generations. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are the two shinobi to finally settle the ancient rivalry, ending a vicious cycle of hatred.
9.The Shinobi World’s Strongest Tailed Beast is Resurrected
Before the appearance of the nine fearsome Tailed Beasts roaming the world during Naruto Uzumaki’s lifetime, they existed as a singular entity: the Ten-Tailed Beast. The ancient Sage of Six Paths uses his power to separate the creature into nine parts, and they stay that way until the unthinkable happens during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Madara and Obito Uchiha plot together to extract the Tailed Beasts from all nine Jinchuriki to resurrect the body of the Ten-Tails. With the knowledge that Tailed Beasts are stronger the more tails they have, the Ten-Tails is even stronger than Naruto’s powerful Nine-Tailed Fox. Obito, Madara, and Kaguya each briefly become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki during the war before the Tailed Beasts’ chakra is finally dispelled for good.
8.The Mangekyo Sharingan Awakens Through a Dark Ritual
The Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan is one of the most powerful kekkei genkai in the world of ninjutsu, and its advanced form, the Mangekyo Sharingan, is even more refined. The legendary Madara Uchiha is the first of his clan to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. As Madara’s descendants attempt to recreate the mysterious circumstances that trigger the ability’s awakening, their methods become darker.
Itachi Uchiha becomes one of the most skilled Sharingan users after seeing his close friend Shisui Uchiha commit suicide to help awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. The cycle repeats when Sasuke watches Itachi die, awakening the coveted ability through the heartbreaking loss of his older brother. Perhaps the saddest Mangekyo Sharingan awakening happens when Obito Uchiha witnesses Rin’s death at Kakashi Hatake’s hands, proving once again that only intense loss can unleash it.
7.Four Great Ninja Wars Influence the Shinobi World
The First Great Ninja War begins shortly after the end of the Warring States Period, reinforcing Naruto‘s theme that the cycles of war have defined the world for generations. The overarching cycle of violence influencing the shinobi world eventually inspires Pain and the other villains of the Akatsuki to bring about the Fourth Great Ninja War with the contradictory intention of ending all wars.
The First Great Ninja War may end with the Second Hokage’s death, but the Second Great Ninja War strengthens Tsunade the Fifth Hokage and the legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf Village. The infamous pupils of Jiriaya, another Sannin, eventually create the Akatsuki because of the effects of this war. Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and other shinobi in the Fourth Great Ninja War are part of the Third Great Ninja War, but no one is prepared for the devastation of the last of the devastating great wars.
6.Shinobi Teammates Turn From Rivals to Enemies
Many rivalries drive the plot of the Naruto franchise, and some of the most intense rivals are born from characters who were once allies. Differing worldviews and betrayals are often the cause of the major fallout between characters in the series, and several important Hidden Leaf Village shinobi who start as teammates eventually turn on each other for these reasons..
Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who rise to fame as the legendary Sannin with Tsunade, become two of Konoha’s most important figures after turning on each other — the former for his heroism and the latter for his villainy. The pupils of Jiraiya’s pupil, Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha, have a friendly rivalry as children but fight to kill when they meet in the Fourth Great Ninja War. However, the bond that defines the franchise most is the explosive rivalry between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
5.The Nine-Tailed Fox Attacks Konoha a Second Time
Not long after Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox makes its home in the Hidden Leaf Village, Madara Uchiha uses it to attack his rival, Hashirama Senju the First Hokage. Madara uses an advanced kekkei genkai technique called the Rinnegan to force the Nine-Tails under his control, but it isn’t the last time the creature is used against the village.
After Hashirama Senju defeats Madara Uchiha in their battle at the iconic Valley of End, Kurama is sealed inside the First Hokage’s wife to create the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki: Mito Uzumaki. The Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed in Kushina Uzumaki next until its forceful extraction when Obito Uchiha, disguised as Madara, unleashes Kurama on the Hidden Leaf Village again. Obito’s disguise as Madara makes the return of the Nine-Tails even more similar to its first devastating appearance.
4.The Iconic Final Valley Hosts Multiple Historic Battles
The iconic Final Valley location looming over Naruto’s Hidden Leaf Village is more than a picturesque backdrop. Final Valley is most recognizable as the staging ground for multiple clashes between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, but it was originally created during a battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
Many generations before the events of Naruto, Madara Uchiha attacks Hashirama Senju with the Nine-Tailed Fox, but the First Hokage claims victory despite Madara’s use of the beast; their destructive battle is permanently memorialized by the damage that creates Final Valley. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha repeat history with their two epic fights at Final Valley, mirroring what once took place between their respective ancestors.
3.Team 7 Becomes the Second Incarnation of the Sannin
A shinobi’s mentor has a big influence on their journey, and this impact is obvious in Naruto‘s lead trio: Team 7. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno train under three significant characters known as the legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf Village, and they eventually rise as the Sannin of their own generation.
Tsunade’s medical-nin training and Jiraiya’s ninjutsu training are critical in developing Sakura and Naruto, respectively, as both heroes and ninjas. Orochimaru’s training also makes Sasuke a stronger ninja, but it corrupts his mind to the villain’s advantage. Despite the divergence in their paths, each member of Team 7 develops a reputation for their strength and resolve that sets them apart as the Sannin of the next generation.
2.The Rasengan Technique Passes From Father to Son
Although Naruto Uzumaki grows up an orphan, his father, Minato Namikaze, still influences his journey in many ways. Perhaps most notably, Minato the Fourth Hokage’s influence appears in Naruto’s powerful Rasengan technique.
Jiraiya is one of the powerful Sannin who trains Minato Namikaze as a young shinobi before he develops his reputation as the beloved Fourth Hokage. Minato proves himself one of Jiraiya’s most talented pupils when he creates the innovative and recognizable Rasengan technique. When Naruto Uzumaki trains under Jiraiya years later, he masters the Rasengan for himself, albeit through an uncommon method, to inherit his father’s technique.
1.Naruto & Sasuke Collide in Increasingly Violent Battles
The increasingly intense conflict between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha defines the Naruto franchise from the beginning. What starts as a friendly rivalry in the academy transforms into one that reflects generations of history preceding them.
Naruto and Sasuke are inseparable training partners as young shinobi, and their journeys bring them together repeatedly in many memorable fights. After the devastation of the Konoha Crush, Naruto surprises Sasuke with his power on a hospital roof in a battle that could’ve killed them both if not for Kakashi sensei’s intervention. Eventually, their encounters escalate to battles at Final Valley on par with Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, effectively reincarnating the ancient rivalry between Indra and Asura.