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- Naruto Had No Natural Aptitude for Ninjutsu
The Naruto franchise has produced countless prodigies and natural-born geniuses throughout its run. From Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, and Itachi Uchiha to Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake, there were many talented and gifted shinobi celebrated in the Leaf Village alone. However, the titular protagonist of the series, Naruto Uzumaki, was never gifted in the traditional sense.
From the very beginning of Naruto, the Seventh Hokage struggled to perform even the most basic and simplest jutsu in the ninja academy. He did not even understand how chakra works, let alone pronounce it right. “Chatra,” as Naruto called it before, had to be thoroughly explained by a much younger Konohamaru to him. This speaks volumes about his lack of innate talent and why almost everyone underestimated his capabilities.
This section contains spoilers for the Naruto series.
Naruto Uzumaki Is a Hero Without Natural Gifts
Naruto Had No Natural Aptitude for Ninjutsu
Before Naruto could master ninjutsu and become the powerful man that he is now, he constantly failed at the ninja academy. He had no affinity with ninjutsu, taijutsu, or even genjutsu, not to mention his chakra control was not something to be proud of. While his classmates celebrated Sasuke and his genius, they laughed at Naruto’s failures, painting him as the class clown. Worse, he was viewed as a lost cause and the village’s dead last.
Unlike Naruto’s father, Minato Namikaze, who graduated at the top of his class and was considered a prodigy, Naruto barely passed the graduation exam. He only made it after he learned the forbidden multi-shadow clone jutsu from the Scroll of Seals. Without this, he could only create one sloppy shadow clone who couldn’t even stand on his own. In other words, he did not know how to use his chakra properly enough to maintain a stable shadow clone.
If you don’t like the hand that fate’s dealt you with, fight for a new one.—Naruto
In addition, Naruto also had little to no desire to study the basic principles of being a ninja from the get-go. All he wanted was to train his body, in the belief that it would instantly make him stronger. While Naruto had this lazy behavior, the real problem stemmed from a lack of a reliable guide. Sure, he had Iruka, but he only truly empathized with Naruto by the time the graduation exams were over. On top of that, the entire village ostracized Naruto, never wanting anything to do with him.
Naruto Started His Journey Without a Kekkei Genkai
Naruto Had No Special Head Start
While Naruto Uzumaki had a powerful bloodline in the series, it did not give him a special head start at all. When he started his journey, he did not inherit any Kekkei Genkai even if he was the only son of the Fourth Hokage, and he had the Uzumaki blood running in his veins. He had to start from scratch, unlike Sasuke and Neji with bloodline limits. On top of that, he was clueless about his heritage, unaware of the special techniques his parents held.
Somebody told me I’m a failure. I’ll prove them wrong.—Naruto
Naruto only had Kurama sealed in his body and that’s about it. While many fans think Naruto was automatically gifted just because he had Kurama, it’s the other way around until he formed a bond with him through training and patience. In fact, Kurama often tried to sabotage Naruto in the past, much like how Momoshiki acts toward Boruto. If this wasn’t enough, Kurama was the main reason why the Leaf Village shunned Naruto as an outcast, making him a burden and a curse.
Naruto’s Success Was Earned, Not Gifted
Naruto's Hard Work Over Natural Talent
Over time, Naruto reaped the fruits of his hard work and determination. He received new gifts along the way, including the power of the Sage of Six Paths. He even earned the trust and respect of the entire Leaf Village, including the doubters and a few believers. He also made his teachers proud, from Iruka to Jiraiya to Kakashi. In short, his indomitable spirit, unwavering determination, and perseverance became the core of his story.
Hard work is worthless to those who don’t believe in themselves.—Naruto
All in all, much of Naruto’s success was never a product of innate talent and brilliance. He trained harder than anyone else despite the number of setbacks, rejections, and failures he experienced. He consistently proves his worth little by little, fighting every step of it until he achieves his dream of becoming the Hokage. Ultimately, he is the living proof that hard work and determination can surpass natural talent in Naruto.
