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Naruto Uzumaki’s story began as a young, orphaned ninja. He sought recognition from his peers and dreamt of becoming Hokage of the Leaf Village. Naruto was generally a very easy-going, cheerful, and simple-minded person. He was often oblivious to important things while rushing into mishaps.
Despite his fun-loving nature, Naruto Uzumaki was still an exceptional ninja, who brought something unique into the realm of the Naruto Universe.
To begin with, he had a nine-tailed fox (Kurama) sealed inside of him, and survived on a diet of mostly ramen. Notably, he concocted the most creative and unique techniques. Needless to say, Naruto was truly a shinobi unlike any other.
With all these attributes under his belt, it’s clear to see why fans of the original Naruto series would expect him to grow stronger in its successor, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
But will that be the case?
Naruto Uzumaki’s indomitable strength
Naruto was without a doubt the series’ strongest hero. Although he was followed closely by Sasuke, Naruto’s resilience, durability and tremendous creativity in battle cannot be matched.
Matter of fact, many members of the Otosuki clan possessed the necessary strength needed to defeat Naruto but they simply could not. Ergo, he became the natural choice for the role of Hokage, as village leaders are supposed to be the strongest warriors.
Naruto’s strength, albeit impressive, is not completely on his own merit. He developed an unintentional relationship with the nine-tailed fox sealed inside him since birth, Kurama.
After an initial struggle, Naruto was able to best Kurama in combat and take most of its chakra.
By the end, Naruto rose through the ranks as the strongest shinobi of his era. In his most basic forms, he can create countless shadow clones, summon giant toads, and wield the awe-inspiring Rasengan.
Then there’s his Toad Sage Mode, where he summons nature's chakra to further enhance his strength.
Naruto Uzumaki in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation
In Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, Naruto fathers the protagonist, Boruto Uzumaki and achieves his goal of becoming Hokage. Whilst he is the Seventh Hokage, he also stands to be the only one in Boruto’s run thus far.
With Kurama still around and his reputation preceding him, many fans of the parent series, Naruto, expected him to be just as, if not more powerful.
Sadly, this isn’t the case. It seems as though Naruto became weaker in the interim before Boruto began. In "The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring," Shin sought revenge and faced off against Naruto. After taking damage, the Hokage himself acknowledged that he had lost his edge.
A fact that both Sasuke and Kurama agreed with. Furthermore, in the Boruto manga, Naruto goes on to fight Kara, a member of Delta. This was before his loss to Jigen despite fighting alongside Sasuke.
As saddening as it may be to see Naruto almost struggle to perform feats that came naturally before, he still had Kurama with him and that provided a source of strength. That was, of course, until the latter's death.
How would Kurama’s death affect Naruto Uzukami?
It’s no question that Kurama’s death had a huge impact on not only Naruto’s power level but on the entire shinobi world itself. With this in mind, as word of the latter's loss gets out, he may no longer be considered the strongest shinobi.
Although Naruto lost Kurama, he still has Six Paths Powers still accessible to him. He proved his ability to use this power without tapping into Kurama's chakra. This should be enough to sustain him for a few years.
Whilst Naruto may not be as clever, receptive to negative emotions, or able to heal as easily without Kurama, he still has other redeeming factors. He still possesses the chakra of the other tailed beasts and is a master of all the nature types.
Most importantly, he is the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. Owing to his heritage, Naruto Uzumaki was born with exceptional physical prowess. This only bolsters the Uzumaki bloodline, which further strengthens Naruto’s Chakra.
Final thoughts
As devastating as Kurama’s death is, Naruto Uzumaki is not completely useless without his friend's power. He can still use sage mode and get the Yin Yang chakra bestowed upon him by Hagoromo Otsutsuki. This could help preserve his status as the strongest shinobi.
Beyond that, his weakened strength can be caused by a plethora of factors. After all, it must be acknowledged that Naruto’s major role in Boruto is to serve as a teacher and father to not only his son but other young ninjas as well.
Additionally, in his teenage years, Naruto had the desire to become Hokage driving him ahead. Now that he has achieved his ambition, there isn’t much pushing him anymore. Maybe all he needs is a new motivation, to do right by his true potential.
