Naruto Story Arcs With The Highest Stakes

Naruto’s journey to becoming Hokage has been far from an easy one. On more than a few occasions, the stakes have been set immensely high, usually due to the villains of an arc, who will often push Naruto and his friends to their absolute limit. However, these mischievous individuals may also seek to destroy all of Konoha, or in some cases, the entire world and everyone in it. Other times, the stakes can be a little more personal, where a single fight or tournament can ultimately change the lives of everyone involved, depending on the outcome.

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Needless to say, there have been plenty of intense high-stakes story arcs throughout this incredibly popular series, all of which do an excellent job of keeping viewers on the edge of their seats in anticipation of how things will end. When matched up against one another though, here is how these Naruto arcs compare in terms of intensity and overall stakes.

7

Chunin Exams

A Test Of Strength And Might Which Gives Genin The Opportunity To Move Up A Rank

The Chunin Exams are an extremely important event for every Genin ninja who is involved. As the name implies, this is the tournament that determines whether a rookie ninja is eligible to move up to a new rank, meaning that a lot is riding on this exam for many of the story’s main characters.

Each Genin has their own personal motivations for coming out victorious in their fights, such as Hinata wanting to prove herself as a reliable ninja, or Rock Lee showing that he is still a formidable warrior without needing to rely on Ninjutsu. It’s clear just how much these exams mean to the students since they could make or break their careers as ninja depending on their performance.

6

Sasuke Retrieval Mission

The Rescue Mission Was The Gang’s Final Chance to Rescue Their Friend From Darkness

While Sasuke struggles to decide how he should improve his strength throughout the original series, his attention soon turns to Orochimaru, a sick and twisted individual who was once a Legendary Sannin. Once Sasuke leaves the village and makes his way toward his new mentor, Naruto and a few of his friends realize they have one final chance to bring him back to his senses, which leads to the Sasuke Retrieval Mission.

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If the team succeeded in their mission, they would have saved a friend from entering a dark path of misery and suffering, but if not, they presumed that they would never see the revenge-obsessed Uchiha ever again. As a result, the stakes always feel extremely high throughout the entirety of this arc, especially for Naruto himself, whose desperation really shows during the Valley of the End battle.

5

Fated Battle Between Brothers

Sasuke And Itachi’s Heated Rivalry All Came Down To One Final Fight

• Episodes: Shippuden 134-143

The Fated Battle Between Brothers arc, which primarily revolves around the long-awaited confrontation between Sasuke and Itachi, wasn’t a section of the story where the world or even a village was at stake. However, it’s more important on a personal level, as both brothers realize this would be the fateful battle that would prove, once and for all, who was the strongest of the two, and whether Sasuke is worthy of getting his revenge or not.

As a result, both brothers give all they can to the fight, considering they’ll never be able to live it down if they lose. The stakes only ramp up once the battle reaches its climax where it feels like either of them could lose their lives if they take just one more lethal Jutsu attack.

4

Land Of Waves

Zabuza And Haku Prove To Be A Lot More Than Team 7 Can Handle

What should have been a basic escort mission turns into a fight to the death when Zabuza, one of the Hidden Mist Swordsmen, attacks Team 7 early on in the series. When Zabuza first shows up, even Kakashi struggles to fend him off, which instantly puts viewers in a state of panic as they wonder what exactly the team has gotten itself into.

Things only get more terrifying when Haku seemingly ‘kills’ Sasuke with his Ice Mirrors, causing Naruto to lash out by using his underlying Nine Tails Chakra for the very first time. Zabuza’s overwhelming strength made it clear that he could cut down any of the Team 7 Genin with a single swing, which is what made this early arc so memorable and intense.

3

Kasekage Rescue Arc

Gaara’s Life, And The Power Of The Shukaku, Is Put On The Line

Though Naruto is able to return to a peaceful Konoha after his training with Jiraiya while out on the road, things aren’t going as well for Gaara and the Hidden Sand Village. After being taken out by Deidara, Gaara is kidnapped by the Akatsuki, with the power of his one-tailed Shukaku now up for grabs.

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Despite only having a single tail, fans of Naruto will be well aware of just how much chaos even a single beast can cause, so if the Akatsuki were to retrieve it, all hell would break loose. Of course, there’s also the safety of Gaara himself, which is put into question for the entire arc. While the Shukaku is eventually sealed away, and Gaara is returned home safe and sound, there’s always a palpable tension to this arc which comes from the stakes being so high.

2

Pain Arc

Naruto Becomes Konoha’s Last Hope For Survival

• Episodes: Shippuden 152-175

When Pain shows up in the story and kills Jiraiya in the most gruesome way imaginable, it is made crystal clear to fans that this Akatsuki member is a cut above the rest when it comes to power and Jutsu techniques. After the death of Naruto’s mentor, the tension begins to bubble as everyone anticipates Pain’s arrival in the village, not realizing that he’s a lot closer than anyone could have expected.

Once Pain unleashes an Almighty push to obliterate the entire village, slaughtering villagers as he goes, the only hope left of saving what’s left of Konoha is Naruto, who manages to arrive just in time in his brand-new Sage form. Simply put, everything was riding on this fight, and with the stakes at a breaking point, the weight of Konoha lay solely on Naruto’s shoulders, making for a true nail-biter of an arc.

1

Fourth Great Ninja War

Madara Threatens To Trap The Entire Planet In An Infinite Tsukuyomi

• Episodes: Shippuden 243-375

The final arc of any series always needs to feel important and intense to end the story with an epic climax, and the Fourth Great Ninja War certainly fits that description. With Madara planning to put the entire world into a state of hypnosis by executing his Infinite Tsukuyomi on the moon, the five great ninja villages band together to fight back against his maniacal scheme. Considering this is a war after all, multiple characters lose their lives during the conflict, which ensures the stakes always feel high as there’s no telling who is going to be next to fall in battle.

Additionally, Madara only becomes stronger as the arc goes on, and at one point, even starts mocking the five Kages due to his overwhelming power and strength. As a result, it seems like Madara may have pulled his maniacal plan off at numerous points in the arc, as every ninja desperately tries to stop the world from being possessed by his otherworldly powers.