In Naruto Chapter 1, the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, officially set the goal to become the strongest ninja in the village and claim the position of Hokage for himself on September 21, 1999. Since then, decades have passed, and Naruto has accomplished his dream. By the time of the Boruto era, which officially began in the manga on May 9, 2016, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #23, Naruto Uzumaki was at the helm of Konoha as the Seventh Hokage and stood as the strongest Shinobi in the world at that time. It was unimaginable for anyone to even come close to his level, let alone surpass him, but much has changed since the Boruto series started, and Naruto Uzumaki has also lost a significant portion of his power.
At the same time, many of the next-generation ninjas are currently on the rise, attaining greater strength with each passing chapter. Right now, it can officially be said that three powerful Konoha ninjas have managed to reach and surpass the level of Naruto Uzumaki and are on the path to carving out even greater legacies for themselves as the next generation story continues.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Lines Up Boruto Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha, And Kawaki To Surpass Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki was one of the strongest characters in the world up until recently; however, in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation's chapter 55, Naruto Uzumaki officially lost his Six Paths powers following the sacrifice of Kurama. It appears that Naruto's bond with the other Tailed Beasts was also shattered, and due to that, he could no longer access Tailed Beast chakra anymore. Naruto Six Paths' Sage Mode was his biggest source of strength, which he awakened first officially in Naruto Chapter 670 on April 14, 2014, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #18.
I feel different from before. I feel like I can do anything in the world with this power now! — Naruto Uzumaki after Awakening Six Paths Sage Mode, Naruto Chapter #670
Since then, he has relied on this power significantly, but it was officially lost after the usage of Baryon Mode, which burned out the entirety of Kurama's chakra. With Naruto significantly weaker, quite a few other characters began to surpass him. The next generation, in particular, trained relentlessly hard over the three-year timeskip in Boruto, and right now, they are tremendously powerful.
Naruto's own son, Boruto Uzumaki, was trained directly by Sasuke Uchiha and, later down the line, by Kashin Koji. Thanks to these two mentors, Boruto has reached a level even greater than Naruto's right now. In fact, even Momoshiki and Boruto signed a pact where the latter agreed to share his powers with him on the condition that he would receive his body in the end. This deal was struck officially in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 29 on December 18, 2016, in V Jump Issue #5. With all these powers combined, Boruto Uzumaki surpasses even the Six Paths version of Naruto and stands as the strongest Shinobi in the world.
“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 Uchiha to Boruto Uzumaki, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #5
That said, Boruto isn't alone when it comes to surpassing Naruto. Kawaki, yet another next-generation ninja, also has enough power to surpass Naruto Uzumaki. It must be remembered that Kawaki holds the power of Isshiki Otsutsuki and has now fully mastered it. He even had all his Limiters removed and cranked up his attacking potency to the absolute maximum level. Right now, Kawaki has every power that Isshiki held, which means both Daikokuten and Sukunahikona are under his perfect control. By Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 34, which was released officially on May 20, 2026, he has also surpassed Naruto Uzumaki.
Boruto Officially Confirms A New Power Up For Sasuke Uchiha
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Volume 8 has officially confirmed a major power-up for Sasuke Uchiha from the timeskip.
Finally, there is Sarada Uchiha, who, with the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan Ohirume, holds enough power to defeat Naruto. Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan ability was first awakened in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 20, where she defeated Shinju Ryu with it on March 23, 2026. Since then, Sarada has continued to evolve this power further, and right now, despite her blindness, she stands at above Kage level already, with further potential to get even stronger.
“It's okay to use that power of yours for someone you truly love!” — Yodo encourages Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan Awakening, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #20
Why The Next Generation Ninjas Can Already Defeat The Current Naruto
The current version of Naruto Uzumaki, who is stuck in the dimension of Daikokuten, isn't all that powerful. His greatest strength is his Sage Mode, which he has officially upgraded to the next level, as stated officially in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 61, released officially in Shueisha's Jump issue 5 on November 14, 2023.
While this power is greater than ever before, it is still not enough to take down Boruto, Kawaki, and Sarada. Each of them possesses enough power to not only match but completely overwhelm Naruto Uzumaki in battle, and this is a fact. With six paths of Sage Mode, Naruto stands a better chance against them, but would still potentially lose out against individuals like Boruto and Kawaki due to the overpowered Otsutsuki nature of their bodies, as well as the full power of the Karma that they can now manifest.
“You can't beat me as you are. You're too weak” — Boruto Uzumaki to Code
Against Baryon Mode Naruto, all three would fail. Unfortunately, Naruto doesn't have access to Kurama anymore, which means that he has now officially been surpassed by these three next-generation Konoha ninjas.
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Konoha's Next Gen Trio Is Officially Set To Attain Even Greater Power Ups
While Naruto Uzumaki has been left behind by Boruto, Kawaki, and Sarada, what's even scarier is the fact that these characters have the potential to grow even stronger. For one, Boruto Uzumaki has yet to manifest the full power of the Otsutsuki Karma. He has not tapped into Karma Stage 2 after making a deal with Momoshiki yet, and furthermore, his other skills need to be upgraded even further. In the meantime, Kawaki, despite having his Limiters removed, still struggles to control his power properly, and with time, he will become much stronger as well. Finally, there is Sarada Uchiha, who is already on the path to attaining even greater power-ups.
“Something is going on. Something that only you and Sarada can deal with. That's what my gut is telling me, and that's why I mentored you.” — Sasuke Uchiha to Boruto Uzumaki in Two Blue Vortex Chapter #5
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 34, which was officially released on May 20, 2026, in V-Jump Issue #6, set up Sarada for a major power-up to circumvent the blindness that comes with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sarada's second Mangekyo ability has not been revealed yet, and neither has her Susanoo. With these powers, she will officially get even stronger, leaving behind both her father as well as Naruto Uzumaki in the dust.
Whether fans like to admit it or not, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha have been left behind by the new generation of ninjas as they look to attain even greater levels of strength and reach heights that were never even deemed possible by Shinobi-kind in the past.
All the latest chapters of the Boruto series are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
