Are Naruto and Tsunade Related By Blood?

Summary

Tsunade and Naruto are blood-related due to shared Uzumaki and Senju ancestry.
The Senju and Uzumaki clans have a common ancestor, Asura Otsutsuki.
Tsunade’s grandfather had Uzumaki ancestry, potentially making her and Naruto closer relatives.

Naruto and Tsunade don’t seem to be particularly close at the beginning of Naruto, although they might have a common ancestor. Coincidentally, they both become Hokage at some point in the story.

Tsunade had her bloodline on her side when it came to being appointed Hokage — and, of course, she is a legendary ninja, especially in medical ninjutsu. But Tsunade might actually be a close relative of Naruto‘s. What do we know about their shared ancestry?

Naruto: The Secret Behind Tsunade’s Youthful Appearance

Despite nearing her seventies, Tsunade is able to maintain her youthful appearance. Here’s a look at the secret behind her enduring beauty.

The Relation Between The Senju And The Uzumaki Clans

They Both Descended from Asura Otsutsuki

While there is no information on who Tsunade’s parents were, it is likely that her father was from the Senju clan, as most of her known family are Senju. However, this is all speculation, as nothing has been revealed about either her father or her mother.

What we do know is that she was the first grandchild of the late Hashirama Senju, and her grandpa was very fond of her. Hashirama was the first Hokage of the village, and that’s the reason why Tsunade is called “Princess”.

Anyway, the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan actually share a common past, as they are both descendants of the Otsutsuki Clan. Not only that, but they are closer to each other than to the other clans that branched off from the Otsutsuki, the Uchiha and Hyuuga Clans.

All of these clans are ultimately descended from Kaguya Otsutsuki, but the Uzumaki, Uchiha and Senju clans share Hagoromo Otsutsuki as their ancestor, while the Hyuuga branched off from Hamura Otsutsuki’s lineage — Hamura and Hagoromo were brothers.

But the Uzumaki and Senju clans are closer to each other than to the Uchiha clan, as they both branched off from the youngest son of Hagoromo, Asura Otsutsuki — the Uchihas descend from his older brother, Indra. However, it is not known exactly when or how Asura’s lineage split into these two clans. What we do know is that this shared past is one of the reasons why the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan have generally remained allies.

Tsunade Also Has Uzumaki Ancestry

If it were just a matter of Tsunade being a Senju, then she and Naruto would probably be quite distant relatives. However, they may be even closer because Tsunade also has Uzumaki ancestry: her grandfather was married to Mito Uzumaki. She could have Uzumaki ancestry in her mother’s bloodline, but unfortunately nothing has been revealed about her mother.

Actually, Uzumaki and Senju often married each other because they remained allies over time. So Tsunade might have even more Uzumaki ancestors, and Naruto may have Senju ancestors as well.

Unfortunately, there is not much information about how close Tsunade’s grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, and Naruto’s mother, Kushina Uzumaki, were to each other. All we know is that Mito was the first Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails and that Kushina was chosen as the next host due to her special chakra, but there is no information about how distant or close they were in terms of blood relations.

I’m gonna be the first female Hokage!

— Kushina Uzumaki (when she was a child)

However, Boruto could still explore how Naruto and Tsunade might be related, as the series has focused on the Otsutsuki clan and, thus, has a great opportunity to expand even more on the series’ lore.