Those who choose to walk the path of the shinobi are aware of the horrors they may one day face. Death and destruction come with the territory and the best ninja train their minds to manage their fear.

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Not all are successful and many ninja buckle under the excruciating anxiety caused by a powerful enemy or hopeless situation. However, some manage to transcend their fear, remaining calm when everything crumbles around them. The Leaf Village was particularly blessed with this type of shinobi—and almost all of them went on to do great things.

10 Sai Was Trained To Suppress All Emotion

Sai from Naruto

As a member of Root, Sai Yamanaka was conditioned to remove all emotion—something Danzo believed would make his members more effective. When Sai was tasked with joining team 7 to simultaneously keep an eye on Naruto and learn more about Sasuke's whereabouts, he struggled to cooperate and interact with the team, unable to understand the nuances of human feelings.

However, as he spent more time with them, Sai began to immerse himself in the behavior of others and worked hard to carve out his own personal identity. By the end of Naruto, Sai learns to empathize with other shinobi but remains pretty fearless.

9 Orochimaru Wasn't Intimidated By The Reanimated Hokage

Orochimaru Using The Edo Tensei

As the physical embodiment of evil, fear was mostly a foreign concept to Orochimaru. He never seemed to be afraid of anything or anyone, and it appeared that his single-minded desire to learn all jutsu took precedence over his own personal safety.

It probably helped that Orochimaru was close to immortal, able to switch bodies or implant his own consciousness into another via his curse mark. Most impressive was his lack of fear when a reanimated Tobirama flexed his chakra—a move that even shocked the great Sasuke Uchiha.

8 Might Guy Was Willing To Give His Life To Defeat Madara

Might Guy smiles, winks, and makes the thumbs up sign

Might Guy is one of those characters who feels excitement rather than fear. Konoha's blue beast and taijutsu expert relished any and all challenges, considering them to be a chance for growth.

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He battled Kisame of the Akatsuki on several occasions and was about to fight Itachi by only observing his feet. Most impressively however was Guy's willingness to open the eight gates against Madara—a forbidden jutsu that all but guaranteed death. Fortunately for Guy and fans, Naruto was around to heal the taijutsu master before his flame burnt out.

7 Kakashi Stood His Ground Against The Strongest Shinobi

Kakashi From Naruto With Sharingan

Despite his friendly demeanor, Kakashi had been hardened by a life filled with loss. The copycat ninja lost everyone close to him including his parents, his master Minato, and his best friends Rin and Obito. These life-changing events provided Kakashi with a close relationship with death, and he appeared to no longer fear the loss of his own life.

He bravely confronted Pain despite being clearly outmatched, and alongside Might Guy, faced down eight tailed beasts and the masked Madara. The only time Kakashi showed genuine fear was during his brief confrontation with Orochimaru—a character who gives everyone the creeps.

6 Madara Uchiha Gave Everything To Achieve His Dream

madara-uchiha-naruto-villain

Madara Uchiha was a complex character who firmly believed that the ends justified the means. Like his best friend Hashirama, Madara desired peace, he just never considered it to be possible within the physical world. Whilst embarking on his journey to implement the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Madara took many chances that could be considered courageous acts.

He put his faith in a young Obito to carry out his master plan and resurrect him decades later. An iconic Naruto moment involves Madara facing down the entire Allied Shinobi Forces with a smile on his face. Madara was many things, including fearless.

5 Minato Was Always Calm And Collected

minato namikaze

The role of Hokage is a stressful one, with the occupant responsible for the safety of Konoha and trusted with building relationships with neighboring villages. It, therefore, helps for the Hokage to be calm and measured, capable of pragmatic thinking even in the direst of situations.

Minato Namikaze perfectly embodied these traits and never seemed flustered. In one night, Minato defeated masked Madara before teleporting to Konoha and successfully sealing the Nine-Tails inside his own son. He did all of this knowing he'd lose his own life. the fourth Hokage was truly a fearless and selfless shinobi.

4 Sasuke Made A Habit Of Confronting The Strongest Ninja

Sasuke Looks Down On His Enemies In Naruto Shippuden

Sasuke Uchiha's desired path of vengeance left no room for cowardice. During his initial mission to kill Itachi, Sasuke sought out the terrifying tutelage of Orochimaru, knowing that he would one day have to face the Sannin. And further down the line, Sasuke showed no fear when confronting Itachi—despite the reputation and monstrous skill of his brother.

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He would later take on the likes of Danzo, Madara and Kaguya, the latter of whom is an actual god. Maybe Sasuke's most impressive display of fearlessness occurred when he invaded the mind of Naruto and looked upon Kurama unshaken and unmoved.

3 Hashirama Offered To Commit Suicide To Appease Madara

Hashirama Senju during war

Hashirama Senju was the first Hokage of Konoha and universally recognized as 'the god of shinobi.' He was Madara Uchiha's eternal rival, although, in truth, Madara never once bested the Senju prodigy. Hashirama was fearless in every sense of the word.

Hashirama was willing to kill himself at Madara's request, demonstrating a fearlessness in the face of death, and stood up to Madara and the Nine-Tails with nothing more than his own jutsu. The first Hokage overcame everything life threw at him, and he did so whilst wearing his characteristic smile.

2 Itachi Killed His Clan And Joined The Akatsuki To Protect Konoha

Itachi uses Mangekyou Sharingan

There may be no one in the Naruto universe who has suffered more than Itachi Uchiha. Despite being just 13 years old, Itachi decided to slaughter his clan and prevent a coup d'état, losing almost everyone he loved in the process. He then joined the Akatsuki terrorist organization as a double agent, keeping tabs on them to ensure the safety of Konoha.

He did all of this whilst hiding the true motives of his actions, accepting the villain role the unknowing world thrust upon him. In his final dying moments, Itachi experienced complete liberation for the first time, no longer burdened by his secrets.

1 Naruto Uzumaki Overcame The Odds Time And Time Again

Naruto grins and points

As the protagonist and titular character, Naruto Uzumaki's life was bombarded with powerful opponents, near-death experiences and hidden evils - and the knuckleheaded ninja rarely flinched.

Listing all of his fearless feats would take far too long, but his most memorable moments include saving the Leaf Village from Pain, taking on Madara alongside Sasuke, and befriending the demon fox hellbent on killing him. Naruto's true strength is derived from his willpower and courage. There was no enemy he was unwilling to face.

NEXT: Naruto: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Pain