5 Reasons Kakashi was Naruto’s Greatest Mentor (& 5 Why It Was Jiraiya)

Advertisement

Naruto is the Ninja he is today because of the people who believed in him. Kakashi and Jiraiya were both mentors to Naruto. But who was the better teacher? Was it the Copy Ninja? Or was it the Toad Sage?

Kakashi Hatake: Helped Prevent a Brutal Fight Between Naruto & Sasuke

Featured Video

Advertisement

After Naruto had found out Lady Tusnade’s location and trained under the Toad Sage, he had come increasingly more powerful. Sasuke on the other hand had been training under Kakashi. When he lost to his brother Itachi dearly after trying to fight him, Sasuke was seething with rage, jealous of Naruto’s progress. Sasuke challenged Naruto to a duel even though he was recovering from his injuries. The fight was the final straw that pushed Sasuke into a path of villainy. Right when Naruto and Sasuke were about to hurt each other grievously, Kakashi managed to intervene and break off the fight. A good teacher would never let infighting take the better of his students.

Also Read: Naruto: The Franchise’s 10 Strongest Swordsmen, Ranked

Lord Jiraiya: Left Naruto Clues That Ultimately Led To Pain’s Downfall

Advertisement

Lord Jiraiya’s death in Naruto Shippuden is considered one of the saddest anime deaths of all time. Jiraiya worked for the Hidden Leaf Village. He would travel all across the world, spying on enemies and gathering intelligence for Konoha. He would soon encounter his greatest nemesis in the form of Pain, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village. Despite dying, Jiraiya had one final gift for Naruto. On the back of the toad Fukasaku, Jiraiya wrote a hidden message that revealed that the six paths of pain are being controlled from afar. The real villain was not amongst them. This message proved vital in helping Naruto defeat Pain for good.

Kakashi Hatake: Taught Him The Foundations Of Chakra Mannipulation

During their mission to the Land of Waves, Naruto and Sasuke along with Sakura were given another side mission. Kakashi Hatake instructed them to do the tree climbing exercise, a feat Sakura pulled off near instantaneously. It took both Sasuke and Naruto quite a bit of time to master how to push Chakra through their feat and use it to stick to surfaces. Tree climbing is a basic technique of chakra manipulation, the initial part of a much more complex exercise – water walking. it was Kakashi Hatake who taught Naruto the basics.

Lord Jiraiya: Saved Naruto From The Akatsuki

Advertisement

The Akatsuki were pursuing Naruto to extract the Nine-Tailed Beast from his body. Thhey would have been successful in their attempt to get their hands on Kurama. They were stopped because the great Toad sage stood in between them and Naruto. Using creativity and ingenuity, Jiraiya trapped Kisame and Itachi inside a toad’s belly. Realizing they were no match for Lord Jiraiya, they retreated. Had it not been for Jiraiya, maybe the Infinite Tsukoyomi would have happened a lot sooner and would have most likely been successful.

Kakashi Hatake: Tested Him Through All Walks of Genin Life

Advertisement

Kakashi regularly challenged Naruto and allowed him to reach higher than his limits. in fact, he did the same for all the Genin students of Team 7 under his care. Apart from the bell ring test, Kakashi also put them under test right before the trio were preparing for the Chunin exams. Turning the entire city of Konoha into a battleground, Kakashi tested Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke by putting them via several real-time combat like situations. A true teacher never ceases to test their students, stopping the dulling of their blades.

Lord Jiraiya: Helped Naruto Forge His Summoning Contract

The Summoning Jutsu allows a shinobi to use chakra to summon an animal or object to aid them in battle. The feat is achieved via a summoning contract. Sasuke, Kakashi, and even Sakura have their own summoning contracts. Naruto has one too. His summoning jutsu allows him to call for toads to aid him in combat. It was Jiraiya who helped Naruto get his hands on the toad summoning contract, allowing him to walk on the same path the Toad Sage once walked through.

Kakashi Hatake: Taught Him The Value Of Teamwork

Advertisement

The first and most important lesson a warrior must learn is that you can never make it by yourself. In battle, you must learn to trust your comrades. That’s a lesson Naruto learnt in his very first day as a ninja. In the bell ring test, Kakashi asked Team 7 to snatch the bell ring attached to his belt. But what he actually wanted the team to learn is the value of trusting each other. When Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke defied their own teacher’s orders and went out of their way to work together, no person was more pleased than the one whose order’s they just went against.

You May Also Like: Ranked: 15 Smartest Characters In My Hero Academia

Lord Jiraiya: Helped Naruto Unlock Kurama’s Chakra

Advertisement

Before Jiraiya met Naruto during the Chunin Exams, Naruto was a mess. He had no control over his chakra reserves. Lord Orochimaru had placed an additional seal on Naruto’s belly on top of the original seal. This had locked Kurama’s chakra completely out of Naruto’s body. Lord Jiraiya not only dispelled Orochimaru’s sealing technique, but also taught Naruto how to access the chakra of the tailed beast living inside him.

Kakashi Hatake: Helped Naruto Master His Nature Transformation

Advertisement

Every ninja in the world of Naruto has an affinity towards a nature element. Some are inclined towards water while some prefer fire. Others are more akin to lightning, earth, or wind. Identifying a person’s nature transformation is crucial in developing one’s skills as a shinobi. It was Kakashi that helped Naruto identify the latter’s affinity for the wind nature transformation. The Copy Ninja was partly responsible for Naruto developing his signature Rasenshuriken technique.

Lord Jiraiya: Taught Naruto His Signature Technique – Rasengan

The Rasengan technique creates a swirling ball of chakra that can lead to destructive spiral movements once it hits the target. Developed by the Fourth Hokage – Minato Namikaze, the Rasengan was a technique that was taught to Jiraiya by the Fourth Hokage himself. He later passed on the technique to Naruto. Deconstructing the technique to three basic steps, Jiraiya helped Naruto master each step while he patiently waited for the young hotshot to figure it out on his own. When Naruto finally learnt the technique, it was a sight to behold. The Rasengan was used more than a thousand times in the latter story arcs by Naruto because of its sheer simplicity and destructive potential.

Avatar

Written by Bibhu Prasad Panda

Articles Published: 1230

With a Bachelor's in Engineering and a Master's in Marketing and Operations, Bibhu found a love for writing, working for many different websites. He joined FandomWire in July 2020 and worked his way to his current position of Content Strategist. Bibhu has been involved in operating and managing FandomWire's team of writers, diversifying into varied, exotic fields of pop culture.