Every Character Who Has Been Naruto’s Mentor

Naruto Uzumaki may be an immensely passionate ninja who is adamant about one day being Hokage, but when it comes to natural talent, he’s not quite as gifted as a lot of his allies. Despite possessing the destructive power of the Nina Tails Fox, Naruto struggles for much of the series to harness Kurama’s strength. However, thanks to a handful of individuals who act as mentors to the plucky ninja, Naruto grew to become a formidable ninja who gradually learned how to utilize his untapped potential to its full power.

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While some of these teachers were more than happy to take Naruto under their wing, it took a little bit of convincing from others, which makes sense considering he can be a little irritating at times with his reckless and childish behavior. Despite that though, these characters all played a part in making Naruto the heroic leader he would eventually become by the end of the series.

7

Iruka Umino

Iruka Kept Naruto On The Straight And Narrow When He Was A Troublesome Youth

Before Naruto became a ninja, he was a reckless troublemaker who was always playing pranks on the villagers and desecrating the Hokage sculptures. The truth is, Naruto was doing all this due to feeling like an outcast by the village because of his possession of the Nine Tails Fox, though thankfully, he still had Iruka-sensei to confide in during this time.

Iruka is also the one who tries to prevent Naruto from getting into too much trouble while on the streets, while also bailing him out at several points any time he goes a step too far. Until Naruto was handed over to Team 7, it was Iruka who kept a careful watch over him, and who taught him the responsibilities that would come with being a ninja.

6

Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Would Take Naruto On A Plethora Of Dangerous Missions To Help Him Grow Stronger

Every Genin in the world of Naruto is placed into a team comprised of three students and a teacher, and for Team 7, their mentor would be none other than the legendary Kakashi Hatake. Despite eventually becoming close allies, Kakashi wasn’t all that fond of Naruto to begin with, especially after the latter decided to prank his teacher on the very first day by dropping a board eraser on his head.

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However, Kakashi would push Naruto to his absolute limit with the Bell Test, where he taught Naruto the importance of teamwork, which is a crucial part of the ninja’s code. Additionally, Kakashi also helped Naruto refine his Shadow Clones and would take him on dangerous missions such as in the Land of Waves, which forced Naruto to grow and recognize his underlying potential.

5

Jiraiya

The Pervy Sage Taught Naruto His Most Iconic Ability While Also Helping Him Mature

When Jiraiya first shows up near the halfway point of the original Naruto series, he appears to be little more than a clumsy, sarcastic, and perverted ninja who Naruto isn’t all that impressed by. When Jiraiya reveals that he was once a legendary Sannin though, Naruto begins to warm up to his new teacher, and would eventually learn the Rasengan from him, which has become his go-to ability ever since.

Even after the original series ended, Jiraiya would train Naruto for another three years before letting him return to Konoha. When Naruto does finally come back, he’s clearly matured a lot and feels as though he can take on anything the world throws at him thanks to his newfound strength. The amount of emotion Naruto shows when Jiraiya is suddenly killed highlights just how deeply the ninja cares for his master, who has had an enormous impact on his life.

4

Yamato

Yamato Acted As A Stand-In Leader For Team 7 Who Also Helped Naruto With His Wind Training

Yamato is a character who only shows up during the Shippuden section of the story, but for a brief period, he acts as a temporary teacher to Naruto. In order to help Naruto master the Wind-Rasengan technique, Yamato would guide him through the process, while also using his Wood Style to suppress the Nine Tails, ensuring Naruto doesn’t lose control out of nowhere.

Yamato also filled in for Kakashi during Team 7’s first real mission in Shippuden, where he guides and protects his new students, while also encouraging them to enhance and improve their skills as much as possible along the way. While Yamato would only be a mentor to Naruto for a short amount of time, he still played a big part in helping the young ninja to learn one of his most powerful techniques, the Wind Style Rasen-Shuriken.

3

Asuma

Asuma’s Affinity With Wind Release Made Him Integral In Naruto’s Nature Transformation Training

Yamato wouldn’t be the only one helping out with Naruto’s Wind Release training, as Asuma, the leader of Team 10, was also called in to provide some assistance, considering his affinity with wind Jutsu techniques. As a result, he temporarily leaves his squad to help Naruto out by giving him a practical demonstration with his Chakra Blades.

He also explains the properties of the wind release, and how, when used effectively, it can decimate opponents in short to medium-range battles. Asuma gave Naruto the boost of confidence he needed to finally finish his Wind style training, which would ironically be the element he uses to take down Asuma’s killers a little later on in the story.

2

Fukasaku

In Order To Make Naruto Strong Enough To Deal With Pain, Fukasaku Taught Him How To Activate Sage Mode

After the sudden death of Jiraiya, Naruto is an emotional wreck as he tries to come to terms with the loss of his longtime master. With Pain fast approaching the village though, Fukasaku, who was Jiraiya’s old mentor, decided that the only one still capable of saving Konoha from being completely destroyed was Naruto.

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As a result, the toad led Naruto to Mount Myoboku, where he would then teach him the true power of the Sage mode, and how it can be activated. Even during the fight itself, Fukasaku still remains by Naruto’s side, giving him small bits of advice and guidance to help him during the intense duel against Pain.

1

Killer Bee

From One Jinchuriki To Another, Bee Gave Naruto Advice On How To Bond With His Inner Beast

As was put on full display during his epic fight against Sasuke, Killer Bee is a Jinchuriki who is able to use the full power of his inner beast, the Eight Tailed Ox. In contrast, Naruto continues to struggle with Kurama, who is always desperate to break free and run rampant, so in an attempt to make peace with his inner demon, Naruto calls on the help of Bee, not long before the final war kicks off.

Despite Bee’s exuberant personality and childlike demeanor, he makes for a good teacher and is ultimately the one who pushes Naruto to confront Kurama, and eventually, form a connection with him. Without Bee, it’s unlikely Naruto would have been able to gain any of his future forms, and would probably have been consumed by the Nine Tails sooner or later if he didn’t take Bee’s advice when he did.

Naruto

Release Date

2002 – 2006

Showrunner

Masashi Kishimoto

Directors

Hayato Date

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