The Naruto universe is defined by its many legendary and story-defining battles. Whether through the grand clashes between Naruto and Sasuke or Shikamaru's stunning displays of intelligence and craftiness, many ninja receive the credit they deserve for their service. After all, these ninja battles often have a lot on the line.

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However, there are also dozens of fights that few fans remember despite the important role they've played in shaping the future of the narrative. By identifying them, we can better appreciate how even the most obscure battles affect an ever-expanding, dynamic world.

10 Kisame Almost Defeated Killer Bee Before Being Interrupted By The Raikage

Kisame And killer bee Stare Down

Kisame ambushed Killer Bee in the middle of the forest in order to seize the Eight Tailed beast for the Akatsuki. Although the Cloud ninja put up a valiant effect, Samehada was particularly effective at consuming his chakra.

Just as it seemed as if the villain would capture his target, the Fourth Raikage entered the fray and assisted his younger brother. Together, they defeated Kisame with a double lariat, although he was able to slip away by inserting his body into his sword. This gave him fantastic access to Naruto in the near future, only to be narrowly thwarted again by Might Guy.

9 Sasuke Defeated Temari While Pursuing Gaara

Sasuke and temari clash in Naruto

Desperately seeking to conclude his match with Gaara and prove his own strength, Sasuke hunted the jinchuriki aggressively through the forest. Since Gaara was still reeling from exertion, Temari volunteered to stay behind and fight the intrepid Uchiha.

What ensued was a brief and brutal skirmish that forced Sasuke to hide behind great oaks to avoid the slicing power of the kunoichi's wind fan. After recognizing his opportunity, he leaped out of hiding and struck the ninja down. It was fortunate that he chose not to kill Temari since she would later prove a powerful ally.

8 Rock Lee's Fight Against Shira Finally Challenged His Taijutsu Skill

Rock Lee versus shira match Naruto

Rock Lee is often regarded as one of the greatest taijutsu geniuses of the series. However, he met his match against Shira, who perfected a breathing technique that was different (although fundamentally similar) to his Eight Gates.

What resulted was a captivating battle between two martial arts masters and the first instance where Lee was sincerely challenged through someone's physical power alone. Once the dust had settled, they departed as rivals with a healthy respect for each other.

7 The Aburame Clan Failed To Defend Konoha From Konan

Konan vs aburame clan in Naruto

Although the Aburame Clan valiantly defended the Leaf, they would ultimately not see their defeat against Pain himself. Instead, Konan confronted and attacked them in a dark alley, overwhelming the bug-harnessing heroes with the explosive impact of her paper bombs.

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While their chakra draining insects would be useful against the villainess under ordinary circumstances, her unique physiology, clone-manifesting abilities, and affinity with fire all proved sufficient deterrents for their standard tactics. As a result, Shino and his father were overwhelmed.

6 Sai Helped Kankuro Defeat Sasori & Deidara

Kankuro captures deidara and sasori in Naruto

When Sasori and Deidara were resurrected with the Edo Tensei, they served as Kabuto's vanguard in the coming war. Immediately after being sent out, they found Kankuro's allies and attacked them.

Fortunately, the puppet master was much better prepared to deal with Sasori than he was in their previous encounter. By having Sai thrust the villains into the air, Kankuro was able to trap them within his creations and arrange for a sealing team to take care of them. Surprisingly, Sasori expressed gratitude that his captor was continuing the craft of puppeteering and wished him well with his final breaths.

5 Dosu's Victory Over Choji Is Often Forgotten Due To How Fast It Was

Chunin exam fight

Dosu's fight with Choji was perhaps the most anti-climactic match of the Chunin Exams. After watching how the Sound ninja fought, the paunchy hero assumed that he would be safe as long as he plugged his ears with torn pieces of cloth.

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His villainous opponent was still able to dodge the clumsy and predictable motions of Choji's human boulder, casually hopping about the battlefield until he smashed into a wall. Understanding the opportunity at hand, Dosu drove his sound gauntlet into the genin's chest, activating it for an instant victory.

4 Kabuto Subdued Anko In A Battle Between Orochimaru's Students

Kabuto vs anko in Naruto

Anko set out to defeat Kabuto since she presumed to have understood his jutsu better than anyone. It was a reasonable insinuation, seeing how both ninja were trained directly under Orochimaru, and she would therefore be less likely to be taken by surprise from anything in the scientist's arsenal.

Regardless, Kabuto quickly subdued her, using her unconscious body as a muse for his exposition in the Fourth Ninja War. After his defeat by the Uchiha brothers, the seal on Anko's neck was used to revive Orochimaru.

3 The Allied Mothers' Forces Protected Konoha From A Sumo Invasion

Allied Mothers' Forces Sumon Invasion Naruto

When most of the Leaf's combatants were deployed to fight the Fourth Shinobi War, it seemed as if Konoha itself was defenseless. Yokozuna attempted to exploit the situation by attacking the village with a small army of sumo wrestlers and plundering its wealth.

Much to his surprise, he was met by the resistance of the Allied Mothers' Forces. They were comprised of the ninja world's finest mothers and proved more than capable of thwarting their larger opponents.

2 Kisame Battled Suigetsu During Itachi's Fight With Sasuke

Suigetsu Kisame Sword Fight outside itachi's house

There was another less well-known fight occurring at the same time Sasuke battled Itachi. Suigetsu fought Kisame to slake his boredom and prove his dominance as the finest ninja swordsman to have ever lived.

Although Kisame was delighted by the challenge, neither character was able to gain the upper hand by the time Sasuke's business had been concluded. Similarly, both warriors weren't exerting themselves to the best of their ability. As a consequence, the fight ended with no clear victor despite the excitement the matchup generated.

1 Naruto Successfully Proved Himself To The Fourth Raikage

Naruto fighting the fourth Raikage in Naruto.

Naruto sought to prove himself to the stubborn Fourth Raikage, an obstacle that was almost impossible, considering the Cloud ninja's notoriously obstinate disposition. This resulted in a battle between the two of them, one that the Allied Shinobi Forces could hardly afford under the circumstances.

Fortunately, the counsel of Tsunade and direct intervention of Killer Bee helped to sway the Raikage's heart and allow Naruto to fight whenever he deemed it necessary. In the end, the Raikage concluded the match with his Jinchuriki opponent on much more amicable terms than he did with Sasuke.

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