For years, the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke has served as the emotional and structural spine of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto universe. Their collision at the Valley of the End set the standard for modern anime rivalries: a literal dynamic of god-like powers clashing until both ended up without an arm and exhausted.
However, the narrative shift in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations radically reshaped the power hierarchy. In rapid succession, the franchise stripped both legends of their ultimate aces. Naruto lost Kurama to fuel Baryon Mode against Isshiki Otsutsuki, permanently losing his Nine-Tails reserves. Moments later, a Momoshiki-possessed Boruto destroyed Sasuke’s Rinnegan.
Stripped of god-level chakra and spatial hax, who actually holds the upper hand in their remaining arsenals? When examining their demonstrated canon abilities in a post-nerf landscape, a clear answer emerges.
Boruto Settles Naruto and Sasuke’s Power Debate After 12 Years
The first thing to establish is what Boruto actually confirms. It never gives a direct statement declaring EMS Sasuke stronger than Sage Mode Naruto. Therefore, “officially settles” is best understood as a canon-based assessment, not an explicit ranking from the manga. The losses themselves, however, are indisputable.
Naruto’s Baryon Mode was a last-resort transformation created by completely using up all of Kurama’s chakra. The technique consumed life force, and Kurama ultimately paid the price. The official Boruto database confirms that Kurama died after using Baryon Mode, leaving Naruto without access to Kurama’s chakra and abilities. Sasuke suffered a similarly brutal downgrade. After Isshiki’s defeat, Momoshiki took control of Boruto and stabbed Sasuke’s Rinnegan, permanently removing its abilities. So, Sasuke was unable to use his Rinnegan.
But losing the Rinnegan did not mean Sasuke became an ordinary Sharingan user. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan remains, along with the abilities attached to it. That means the post-nerf Sasuke can still rely on Susanoo, Kirin, Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi, Sharingan perception and genjutsu, while his extraordinary combat intelligence remains intact. Official material continues to depict an EMS Sasuke using Susanoo and Blaze Release techniques. The crucial point is that Sasuke lost his most versatile eye, not his entire Uchiha arsenal.
Naruto, meanwhile, still possesses something Sasuke cannot simply replicate: Sage Mode. His mastery of natural energy dramatically increases his physical capabilities, sensory perception, and close-range combat ability. Naruto’s Sage training also produced Frog Kumite, allowing his attacks to extend through the natural-energy chakra surrounding his body. He also retains his enormous experience, Shadow Clones, and Rasengan variations. Even without Kurama, writing Naruto off as weak would completely misunderstand what made him formidable before becoming a jinchūriki. That is precisely why this fight would remain difficult.
Why Sasuke’s EMS Gives Him the Edge Over Sage Mode Naruto
Sasuke in Naruto: Shippuden. [Credit: Pierrot]
The difference is versatility. Sage Mode Naruto is terrifying when he can dictate the pace with clones, enhanced taijutsu, sensory awareness, and devastating Rasengan-based attacks. His physical power could force Sasuke into defensive play, while his sensory abilities make conventional surprise attacks much harder.
But Sasuke’s EMS creates more problems than Naruto can comfortably solve. Susanoo gives Sasuke a powerful defensive and offensive platform, forcing Naruto to find ways through an enormous chakra construct rather than simply overpowering Sasuke physically. His Amaterasu provides another lethal threat, while Kagutsuchi allows him to shape and manipulate those black flames. His Sharingan also gives him exceptional visual analysis during combat.
Most importantly, Sasuke is an opponent who has spent his entire life studying Naruto. Their final battle in Shippuden demonstrated that neither could simply overwhelm the other through raw power. Their fighting styles repeatedly countered one another, and that familiarity only became deeper during their years as adult shinobi. Naruto’s greatest advantage after Kurama is his unpredictability through clones and Sage-enhanced physical combat. Sasuke’s advantage is his ability to punish predictable approaches with visual jutsu, ranged attacks, defensive Susanoo, and tactical feints.
There is also a major distinction between this matchup and their peak forms. This is not Rinnegan Sasuke against Six Paths Sage Mode Naruto. Those versions possessed abilities far beyond the narrower arsenal being examined here. Sasuke no longer has Amenotejikara or his dimensional space-time abilities, while Naruto no longer has Kurama’s chakra or Baryon Mode. Under those specific conditions, EMS Sasuke has the cleaner win condition.
Naruto can absolutely overwhelm him if he lands the right Sage-enhanced attack or successfully exhausts Sasuke. His stamina, clones, sensory abilities, and battle experience prevent this from being an easy victory. Yet Sasuke has more ways to control the battlefield and more tools capable of exploiting Naruto’s openings.
So Boruto has not literally announced that Sasuke is the stronger shinobi. Instead, the story stripped away the two legendary powers that once made the comparison nearly impossible and left behind their core arsenals. And in that narrower fight, EMS Sasuke has the edge over Sage Mode Naruto. After everything these two rivals have lost, that may be the most revealing version of the debate yet.
Do you agree with this power verdict, or does Sage Mode Naruto still have what it takes? Tell us your winner below!
Boruto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are available to read via VIZ Media and the Manga PLUS app by Shueisha.
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