rivalries in naruto it can be triggered by something as momentous as different philosophies on how to run the world or something as simple as two people fighting over a crush.
The same could be said for any rivalry, really, but the truth is that several of these rivalries have proven fatal for Hidden Leaf Village/Konoha. From friendships shattered to immense levels of destruction and lives lost, quite a few have resulted in pain and devastation.
On the other hand, several have benefited the people involved or the town as a whole.
Note: This is only the author’s opinion and contains spoilers for all of Naruto and Boruto up to their current chapter.
Five rivalries in naruto that left Konoha devastated
1) First Hokage vs. Madara
Konoha almost got wiped out by Madara Uchiha before it started! As detailed below naruto shippuden, Harashima Senju (the first Hokage) and Madara Uchiha collaborated to end the bitter rivalry between Senju and Uchiha after the Warring States period. The founding of Konoha was to be a significant bridge to peace between these two clans.
While the village was founded on peaceful principles, sadly Madara and Harashima disagreed on where things should go from there.
The former feared that the Senju would exploit and oppress the Uchiha, so he gathered followers to overthrow the First Hokage. After several devastating battles, including one that created the Valley of the End, he left Madara for dead.
The Uchiha’s treatment was a self-fulfilling prophecy that led to the next entry.
2) Danzo vs Third Hokage
This rivalry proved fatal, mainly to Danzo’s insurmountable and obnoxious ego. While the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was a kind and emphatic ruler who always tried to take care of everyone in Konoha, Danzo was the exact opposite.
The tensions and clashes between the two never led to open conflict, but Danzo’s lack of oversight of operations led to untold bloodshed.
From the beginning, Danzo considered himself Konoha’s ultimate protector and only his particular brand of justice counted. He formed Root and used them to murder people.
Danzo also created tension with the Uchiha by advocating that they be blamed for the nine-tailed fox’s attack and not be allowed to participate in the defense. All of this led to the massacre of the Uchiha clan, Orochimaru’s experiments that left many dead, and Danzo’s death along the way.
3) Jiraiya vs. Orochimaru
A darker reflection of the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are former teammates, with the former having always considered Orochimaru a close friend.
Just like Naruto, Jiraiya worked hard to compete with Orochimaru considering how strong he was. Though his paths parted after he became the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya always tried to stay in touch.
When Orochimaru finally defected from Konoha, Jiraiya tried his best to get him back, but failed. He ultimately rejected the position of Hokage for her failure, and Orochimaru would return to Konoha years later to burn it down.
This ultimately resulted in a massive loss of life, from Orochimaru’s twisted experiments to the death of the Third Hokage.
4) The Uchiha clan against the Senju clan
This one goes back to the ancient times of Indra vs Asura, but for the sake of simplicity, we’re only focusing on the Uchiha Clan’s influence on Indra’s curse. The curse of hate basically states that the more people hate, the stronger they become.
The Uchiha Clan hated the Senju long before the massacre occurred, as they were the two most powerful clans during the Warring States Era.
The Uchiha Clan’s policy of isolation and fear made Madara’s fears come true as the Konoha Council forbade any Uchiha to defend against Kurama’s attack. Thus, the Uchiha were increasingly isolated in the village for fear of reprisals.
An attempted coup was planned and violently foiled through a massacre carried out by Itachi Uchiha and Obito in secret to prevent a larger war.
5) Tanuki Shigaraki’s Revenge
This is more of a personal tragedy than boruto, but it counts independently. When Danzo Shimura’s Root Black Ops organization was inevitably exposed to the public, all members were ostracized by the village for years of bloodshed.
This included Sumire Kakei’s parents. Sumire’s mother fell ill and died shortly after she was born, and her father fell into madness.
Believing that Konoha had betrayed him and being a fanatical follower of Danzo, Tanuki Shigaraki sought revenge on the village and would use his daughter to do so.
He trained her, groomed her to be a weapon and sleeper agent for Gozu Tenno, and finally bound his Yokai Nue to destroy Konoha. This might have worked if it wasn’t for Boruto and the rest of her class saving Sumire.
Five rivalries that attended Konoha
1) Might Guy vs. Kakashi Hatake
This rivalry brought out the best in both men and ultimately helped Konoha and the others. This was the pure embodiment of a friendly rivalry from start to finish, with Might Guy and Kakashi pushing each other with races, rock-paper-scissors matches, and even actual fights from time to time.
It is primarily born out of Guy’s need to one-up Kakashi, with the latter simply accepting it.
While this rivalry technically ends when Guy’s legs break kicking Madara into the stratosphere, they never stop being friends or challenging each other. This is beneficial because it pushes both men to do their best and ultimately do whatever they can to help Konoha.
It culminates with Kakashi and Guy getting the better of Kaguya and Madara, respectively.
2) Amado and Koji vs. Jigen/Isshiki Otsutsuki
Although technically another boruto entry, it bears examination. When the Kara organization was initially founded, its sole purpose was to produce a God Tree and eat its fruit to gain strength and its own personal desires.
Since that was canned, Isshiki started looking for boats as a side project. This alarmed Amado, who began plotting to remove the Otsutsuki from the equation.
How does this infighting benefit Konoha? Well, he took several key pieces off the board, exposed Isshiki, and ultimately led to the collapse of the organization. Koji was a clone made from Jiraiya’s cells and had Jigen/Isshiki as his sole target, and it worked.
Isshiki’s ultimate goal was exposed, and the elder Otsutsuki was finally taken down by Baryon Mode Naruto and Kawaki.
3) Neji’s rivalries
Neji Hyuga was an elitist to the core in the original. naruto. His arrogant attitude of calling people failures and dismissing them as trash earned him a rival in Hinata (same clan), Rock Lee (his teammate) and Naruto Uzumaki (revenge for how he treated Hinata).
While Neji was eventually able to handle Hinata, his fight with Naruto took a huge hit to his psyche.
Neji changed for the better after his confrontation with Naruto in the Chunin Exams arc. He recognized Hinata’s strength and helped her train. She saw Lee as a legitimate threat and rival after his duel against Gaara.
As for Naruto, Neji sacrificed himself to save the protagonist and Hinata during the Shinobi World War. His change helped save lives, and his sacrifice helped turn the tide of the war.
4) Gaara vs. Naruto (and Kurama vs. Shukaku by proxy)
Gaara was like Naruto in many ways. They were ostracized by their villages, seen as aberrations, and both had monsters within them who equally hated each other.
The Tailed Beast’s rivalry stretched from long before Konoha was founded, all the way back to the days of the Sage of Six Paths. When the two met in combat, Kurama and Shukaku’s egos and tempers were enough to destroy entire forests!
However, the two-tailed beasts would bury their particular axes during the Shinobi World War and Boruto. Naruto also helped Gaara out of his darkness during the Chunin Exam arc, seeing him become the Kazekage and even helping to rescue and revive him.
It developed into a friendship that has lasted well into boruto and has proven to be excellent for relations between Konoha and Suna.
5) Naruto vs. Sasuke
Where to start with a long standing rivalry like Naruto vs Sasuke? The two have been together since their days in the schoolyard before the Academy.
Once they graduated, all bets were off when they were on the same team, having to learn to work in sync and manage their respective issues with each other. It seemed to work for a while until Sasuke’s defection.
From then on, they wiped out the Akatsuki members, discovered the secrets of the Uchiha Clan, and eventually joined forces again to prevent the world from being destroyed. The aftermath of their final fight? Are they growing up to be dads?
They only made the world better by continuing to fight the Otsutsuki clan and being there for their children, though not without growing pains.