The world of Naruto is filled with some incredible ninja with tremendous power up their sleeve. While some of them are known to be prodigies who were blessed with immense talent right from the very beginning of their journey, others weren't so lucky, and thus, weren't special.

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These ninja had to work their way up to reach the same level as those known to be geniuses. Nonetheless, in due time, they became just as well-respected as the others, with some even surpassing the genius ones with nothing but sheer hard work.

10 HARDWORKING: Rock Lee Focused All His Training On Taijutsu

Rock Lee ready to fight Kimmimaro in Naruto

Rock Lee was a genin in the first part of Naruto and later went on to become a chunin by the end of Naruto Shippuden. He was considered to be unfit to be a ninja as he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but Lee continued to work hard every day to break through his limits.

Thanks to the guidance of Might Guy, Lee was able to become a master of taijutsu and get stronger than most characters in the series. He's always been a hardworking shinobi who could even defeat some of the geniuses.

9 GENIUS: Neji Hyuga Takes Advantage Of His Byakugan & Powerful Bloodline

Neji Hyuga from Naruto with his hand up

Neji was a member of the branch family of the Hyuga Clan, however, that certainly didn't limit his ability in any way. With the Byakugan, he was head and shoulders above most ninja from his generation. He was known to have talent that surpassed even the main family members and was a born genius.

Neji was also the first person from his generation to become a jonin which shows how gifted he truly was.

8 HARDWORKING: Might Guy Became One Of The Best Taijutsu Specialists

Might Guy Naruto

Just like his student Rock Lee, Might Guy was also a shinobi considered to be no good at ninja arts. Although he could use some ninjutsu unlike Lee, Guy was still heavily reliant on Taijutsu throughout his ninja career.

He trained himself to surpass every other shinobi and succeeded in doing so eventually. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Guy was even able to put up a fight against Madara Uchiha in his Ten-tails state.

7 GENIUS: Kakashi Hatake Became A Jonin At Age 13

Naruto Kakashi

Guy's eternal rival, Kakashi Hatake was the son of the White Fang, Sakumo Hatake. Being the son of a legendary ninja, Kakashi was always considered to be a genius. By the age of 13, he was already a jonin, a feat that shows how brilliant he truly was.

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Throughout his life, Kakashi was revered as a powerful shinobi with the potential to become a Kage. By the end of Naruto, he fulfilled his potential.

6 HARDWORKING: Jiraiya Patiently Trained His Mind & Body To Keep Up With The Other Legendary Sannin

Jiraiya takes a fighting stance in Naruto Shippuden

Jiraiya was one of the students of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure. Being the student of one of the Kage, it was easy to see that Jiraiya would end up becoming a great shinobi, however, he certainly wasn't blessed with many talents.

To achieve greatness, Jiraiya had to train his mind and body incredibly hard, and ultimately, he became powerful enough to be considered as one of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf.

5 GENIUS: Orochimaru Always Stood Out As One Of The Third Hokage's Students

Orochimaru

Jiraiya's teammate, Orochimaru was the exact opposite of him in terms of talent. Where Jiraiya was lacking, Orochimaru excelled and this was seen well during their days as Team Hiruzen. Orochimaru honed this talent of his and became a tremendous shinobi.

Just like Jiraiya, by adulthood, he became a terrific ninja, although his way of doing it was in stark contrast to how Jiraiya did it.

4 HARDWORKING: Obito Uchiha Trained Hard Until His True Powers Were Awakened

Obito revealing his identity to Kakashi and Naruto

Obito Uchiha was one of Kakashi's teammates and the student of the legendary Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. Usually, most Uchiha members are blessed with great talent, but Obito was different. He wasn't weak like Rock Lee, but he wasn't a genius either.

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To get stronger, Obito had to train quite hard and once his abilities awoke, he blossomed into a powerful shinobi. In his later life, Obito became one of the strongest characters in the story.

3 GENIUS: Itachi Uchiha Showed Potential Since He Was Young & Never Disappointed

itachi and kakashi young

Itachi Uchiha was one of the most powerful characters in the Naruto series and much of that was down to the fact that he was a born genius. Right from his early childhood, Itachi showed tremendous potential as a ninja and he managed to gain both strength and wisdom by a very young age.

Although he was ravaged by disease, Itachi was still powerful enough to take on the strongest of shinobi and beat them within a matter of seconds.

2 HARDWORKING: Naruto Uzumaki Had To Overcome A Lack Of Talent & Gain The Nine-Tail's Trust

Naruto Uzumaki looks determined and serious

Naruto Uzumaki is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails in the series and a shinobi who was once considered to have little to no talent. It is often wrongly believed that Naruto was a blessed shinobi, but despite being the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki, Naruto had no talent.

The Nine-Tails only made it harder for him to grow until he conquered his heart with his kindness towards the end of the story. Naruto was truly a hardworking shinobi who rose to the very top with his effort alone.

1 GENIUS: Sasuke Uchiha Was Blessed With The Sharingan & Uchiha Blood

Naruto Sasuke

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke was considered to be a genius ninja from his days in the academy, as expected of an Uchiha child. His talent only grew in the latter half of the series and by the end, he was considered to a shinobi close to the level of Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke was quite skilled with his Sharingan and with time, his Dojutsu only got stronger. While Sasuke did train hard, he was destined for greatness from the start.

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