Summary
One of the most perplexing aspects of the New Era of Masashi Kishimoto’sNaruto, as seen in its sequel seriesBoruto: Naruto Next Generations, lies in the ranks oftwo of history’s strongest shinobi: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Despite having saved the world and emerged as heroes of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto, and Sasuke remained genin well into adulthood, without ever advancing in rank after their efforts in the greatest conflict of their time.
As the main duo of rivals of the original series, whose relationship and divergent journeys constituted the spiritual core of the series, Naruto and Sasuke are among the strongest characters inNarutoand its sequel, which makes their ranks all the more confusing. Even though none of their allies and comrades would ever question their strength, the fact that neither of them ever chose toparticipate in any Chunin Examsis even more bewildering. That being said, there are a few obvious reasons behind this turn of events, which convey a deeper meaning concerning theNarutofranchise’s themes.
The Two Strongest Ninja In History
Having fought and prevailedagainst the combined likes of Pain(Nagato), Danzo Shimura, Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and Kaguya Otsutsuki,Naruto and Sasuke are far above the level of an average Kage. In fact, Naruto is actually theSeventh Hokageby the start ofBoruto: Naruto Next Generations, whereasSasukehas been referred to as aSupporting Kagewho is the only one capable of challenging his old rival.
When the pair first participated in the Chunin Exams during Part I ofNaruto, the Finals wereinterrupted by the Konoha Crush, where Orochimaru and the Hidden Sand attacked the Hidden Leaf Village. As a result, none of the contenders that year — save for Shikamaru Nara — were promoted beyond the rank of Genin. Subsequently,Sasuke’s defection from Konohaand endeavors as a rogue ninjablew the prospect of his promotionout the window, and the same could be said ofNaruto’s travels with Jiraiyaduring the time skip.
By the time Part II began, virtually every member of the Konoha 11 had been promoted to the rank of chunin, withonly Naruto remaining a geninas he was not present in the village when the Chunin Exams were held again. Additionally, Neji Hyuga had attained the rank of jonin by that point, highlighting how far his peers had risen during the time skip. Naturally, given the events thattranspired during the rest of the series, there wasno real opportunity for Naruto or Sasuketo take the necessary exams to advance their ranks, but this does not explain why they never did so after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Unraveling The Hierarchy Of Shinobi Ranks
Shinobi whograduate from a village’s Academy are tentatively awarded the rank of genin, pendingapproval by the Jonin Commanderof the squad they are assigned to after completing their studies. After administering asecond testto ascertain their abilities, the Jonin Commander is the one who officially promotes the graduates to the rank of genin, which also confirms their place in their squad.
Genin can then participate in a series ofbi-annually held tests, known as theChunin Exams, where they are evaluated on a number of parameters and promoted based on the opinions of observing ninja and the daimyo in attendance. Next, they can progress one step further to the level ofJoninby either participating in the Jonin Exam — as per the anime — or after being recommended by enough Jonin in the village and receiving the approval of their respective Kage.
Potential Explanations For Naruto And Sasuke’s Status
Considering the long and arduous processes involved in attaining higher ranks, along with the immenseresponsibilities that both Narutoand Sasuke undertook after the end of the war, the prospect of them still being genin becomes a bit easier to digest.Sasuke continued to travel after the warto investigate external threats to the village, like the Otsutsuki clan and groups of rogue ninjas, which might have made it difficult for him to advance in rank.
It is not hard to imagine that he may not have been present during subsequent editions of the Chunin Exams, which partly explains his status. There is also the lingering notion ofSasuke having been a rogue ninjaand aninternational criminal during most of Part II, which could have stood in the way of his promotion. Since he is now acknowledged as an ally of Konoha and one of the strongest ninjas in the world,Sasuke himself may not have held any desire for promotion, seeing it as aformalityin which he had no interest.
This Is the Path I Walk. Not You Or Anyone Can Change That - Sasuke
For Naruto, his role in protecting the village would have made it difficult for him to spare time to participate in the Chunin Exams. As the strongest shinobi in Konoha by a considerable margin, and the entire world, by extension,Naruto is a critical linchpin in maintainingthe delicate peace between the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and hisworkload must have been equally intenseeven before he rose to the rank of Hokage. While there was muchspeculationthat he became ajonin during the interval between the end of Part II and the New Era, Episode 48 of theBoruto: Naruto Next Generationsanime explicitly confirmed that heremained a genin, and this has been corroborated by series creator Masashi Kishimoto as well.
Decoding The Meaning Behind This Anomaly
In an earlier interview, Kishimoto’s reason for never promotingNaruto was that the idea of himbecoming Hokage directly from the rank of Geninwas amusing and perfectly in character for him. After reading between the lines, there is also a deeper meaning to be gleaned from this occurrence. Essentially, theconcept of titles or ranks holds little valueto those whose strength is unquestionable, where their sole focus is their duty.
I Don’t Care If I Do Get Stuck As A Genin For The Rest Of My Life! I’ll Still Be Hokage Someday - Naruto
Although Naruto still aspired to reach the position of Hokage, this dream was motivated by his desire for acknowledgment, which was later enhanced by his need to protect the bonds he had built with the rest of the village. In short,Naruto and Sasuke are still geninbecause they have no use for ranks or titles unless they are a means to an end, which is an intriguing statement about the entire shinobi organization system inNarutoas a whole.
