While Naruto truly is the story of an Uzumaki orphan becoming the hero he always dreamed to be, there's a lot more going on. For example, there are conspiracies, love triangles, and even comedy. However, one of the most important other parts of Naruto is the lead character's relationship with Sasuke Uchiha. Young genin friends turned bitter rivals and enemies, Sasuke and Naruto have a complex relationship. They may be on opposite sides of several conflicts, but they also are loyal to one another, in their own way. Sasuke always believes in Naruto's abilities, and Naruto always assumes his friend will one day come back to him. These are just two examples, among many other things, of course.

Either way, the conflict between the two ninja became the heart of the show, questioning if Sasuke could ever come back or if Naruto will ever give up. With 700+ episodes covering this, the anime has a lot of material exploring their friendship. However, there are some things casual or new fans might not realize about the pair. After all, there's a lot between them.

Here are 25 Wild Revelations About Naruto And Sasuke's Rivalry.

Sasuke Didn't Consider Naruto A Rival (At First)

As children, Sasuke was the clear favorite in class to become a legendary ninja. Not only did he have the Uchiha heritage, but he also maintained a serious disposition about training and learning. When he lost his family, that focus only became stronger.

On the other hand, his teachers, peers, and other adults always saw Naruto as a goofball. He didn't show much promise as a ninja and also never seemed to take anything seriously. He broke countless rules and made daily life in Konoha more chaotic. Because of this, Sasuke barely considered Naruto worth notice, let alone a rival. It wasn't until the Chunin Exams that the Uchiha heir really saw the power in his teammate.

They Are Reincarnated Rivals

The Naruto world includes countless cycles and repeating patterns, whether it's feuding families, recurring dangers, or similar rivals. The woman who brought ninja abilities to the world, Kaguya, had two sons that spread the gift with their genetics. However, her son, Hagaromo, had his own children and they began a cycling rivalry that would spread down generations. After all, these the universe continually reincarnated these two souls in new young men.

The process started with Indra and Asura, but then spread to their descendants Madara and Hashirama. As reincarnations of the pair, Sasuke (Indra) and Naruto (Asura) have been fighting the complex, deep bond that keeps them together but also keeps them at odds.

Naruto Stopped Sasuke From Ending It

When Sasuke and Naruto's battle with Kaguya ended, the Uchiha heir decided that the world was better off without his kind. Over time, the Uchiha family used their hatred to cause endless amounts of pain. He thought their influence should vanish with him.

However, Naruto wasn't having any of that. He fought his friend to keep him alive, just like he'd found him for years to bring him back to Konoha. In the end, they ended in a draw that took both an arm from both men and Sasuke relenting.

If it wasn't for Naruto, though, the Uchiha story would have ended with Sasuke, heartbroken, angry, and alone. With Naruto, he learned to be more.

They Took Each Others' Arms

Even though Team 7 reunited to fight against the world-eating Kaguya Otsutsuki, the boys still weren't on the best of . Naruto had become obsessed with finding a way to save Sasuke. Sasuke had drenched himself in so much blood and revenge that he could barely see anything else. Their conflicts culminated in a final, epic fight. Not only would it deal with their feelings, but it would finally prove which one of them was stronger.

Ultimately, the battle proved nothing. Meeting each other strike for strike, the combat ended with both men losing an arm. They seemed so equally match that, at best, they'd tear each other apart. Luckily, the two decided an arm each was enough and they'd go back to Konoha, together.

Naruto And Sasuke Share Hokage Duties

Though Naruto holds the official title as Seventh Hokage, most shinobi know Sasuke as the "Shadow Hokage". Together, the pair share duties of the role. While Naruto takes care of everything going within the walls of Konoha, Sasuke protects them from outside. He goes on dangerous, faraway missions to keep his people, his friends, and his family safe.

Complementing each other, they create an effective protective leadership for Konoha. With a powerful agent in the shadows and a figurehead strongly standing in the light, they can take care of more danger than most Hokage ever were capable of. If only the incoming threats of Boruto didn't seem more than even Sasuke and Naruto can handle.

Their Kids Are Also Rivals (In Their Own Way)

In Boruto, the Uchiha/Uzumaki rivalry doesn't stop with the parents. When Sarada and Boruto meet, they're pretty antagonistic and combative. Not only do they want to be better than one another, but they don't like the other's attitude. Sarada thinks Boruto is way too lazy. Boruto thinks Sarada is far too serious and uptight.

Once they become team , though, that rivalry dissolves away into a deep friendship. Afterwards, Sarada sees his laziness makes him more adaptive and he's a great, comionate friend/leader. Similarly, Boruto realizes Sarada's uptight nature just comes from her deep-seated love for helping others and her fierce ambition to become Hokage. Instead of fighting like their fathers, the rivalry is short-lived. They choose to help each other reach their goals.

Sannin Taught Them Both

When Naruto started, the two Team 7 boys were leagues apart. Sasuke was ahead in every way. However, as time went on, Naruto caught up to his friend with record speed. Ultimately, not wanting to fall behind and his desire to destroy Itachi turned the young Uchiha towards Orochimaru, the powerful, yet devious, Sannin.

At the same time (after not being able to retrieve Sasuke), Naruto ed Jiraiya on his journeys. The other Sannin already taught him some abilities, but to match up to Sasuke, become stronger, and save his friend, he had to learn more.

Under the tutelage of two incredibly powerful men, Naruto and Sasuke became stronger ninja than any of their previous teachers could have ever hoped.

Boruto Learned A Lot From Both Ninja

During his own series, Boruto always struggled with connecting to his heavily negligent father. However, he succeeded more with the absent Sasuke. After all, his reason for being gone was noble. Naruto just always chose even busy work over his family. Through intense training sessions, Boruto learned a lot of Sasuke's specializations.

Because of this, Boruto not only inherited a lot of Uzumaki abilities, but also learned a fair bit of Uchiha ones. This meant that he could wield lightning like Sasuke, but also use the Rinnegan like his father. Between the two men, Boruto became a stronger ninja for learning from them.

Their Iconic Colors Complement One Another

In iconic moments between Indra and Asura Otsutsuki, the pair are often seen as the moon and sun, respectively. They complement one another as people, even though the opposition can lead them to become bitter rivals.

As reincarnations of Indra and Asura, Sasuke and Naruto have those same elements to them. Those elements not only show up in their serious versus goofball demeanor, but also their clothes. Between his hair and outfit, Sasuke is a night child. The black and blues exemplify his darker personality. In the same way, Naruto's bright blonde hair and orange clothes set him up as the sun, a cheerier ninja who acts as a beacon to his people.

Naruto Was Jealous Of Sasuke Since Childhood

Even though Sasuke felt inadequate compared to Itachi, he still was an Uchiha. Other students in class saw the power and strength within him and were jealous of that. One of the most envious was Naruto, a lonely kid who wished he was as strong or as popular as Sasuke.

Though Sasuke only really cared about becoming powerful like Itachi, he had the attention of girls and teachers. Naruto had none of that, as the common screw-up. He wouldn't dare change who he was, but that kind of recognition? Of course a lonely orphan would want all that.

As he grew older that iration and jealousy turned into annoyance, and they eventually moved beyond it.