The Naruto series often demonstrates that the ninja world is a dangerous place to live. With enemies lurking outside their village, young shinobi must train to learn how to fight against opposing forces. While their time at the Academy helps them develop their skills, nothing prepares them more than actual battles and missions.
Sometimes a simple mission turns into a life or death situation. Even with training and powerful allies, when facing a powerful opponent, some shinobi have to put their lives on the line. It's sad having to say goodbye to so many wonderful characters — especially when many of their deaths could have been avoided.
10 Neji Didn't Have To Use His Body As A Human Shield
Neji Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga's cousin, is a very skilled Byakugan user. Although Neji is a member of a branch family of the Hyuga Clan, he overcomes his animosity towards the main family and forges his own path.
Sadly, Neji is killed during the Fourth Great Shinobi War when the Ten-Tails fires Wood Release projectiles at him. Neji didn't necessarily have to die, but he used his body as a human shield to protect Hinata and Naruto, who were right in the line of fire.
9 Itachi Wouldn't Have Been A Target If He Didn't Murder His Clan
Itachi Uchiha is one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan. He is responsible for killing his entire clan in what became known as the Uchiha Clan Massacre, an event that made him a target of the Leaf Village — and his younger brother Sasuke.
Perhaps if Itachi hadn't carried out the massacre and just let the Uchiha have their uprising, he wouldn't have become a target for his brother. Sasuke went to great lengths to kill his brother over that one incident, which all could have been avoided.
8 Jiraiya Didn't Have To Take On The Six Paths Of Pain Alone
Jiraiya is one of the Legendary Sannin and Naruto's mentor throughout the series. Even though he's a very powerful and skilled shinobi, he was taken out by the Six Paths of Pain. His death made a significant impact on the rest of the series.
Jiraiya was investigating Pain in the Hidden Rain Village when he met his ultimate demise, in part because he was traveling alone. Taking on six very powerful beings that he didn't know much about wasn't a wise choice, and even Tsunade knew she would never see Jiraiya again if he journeyed on his own.
7 Chiyo Didn't Have To Give Up Her Life Energy
Granny Chiyo is an elder of the Sand Village and a talented puppet master. Although she had recused herself from involvement in shinobi affairs, she joined Naruto and his friends on their mission to retrieve Gaara.
The mission is successful in that they retrieve Gaara's body, but he's already dead by the time they find him. Chiyo feels responsible for his death and decides to give her life energy to revive him. Obviously, had she not done this, she would still be alive.
6 Shisui Uchiha Didn't Have To Jump Off A Bridge
Shisui Uchiha is another famous and powerful member of the nearly-extinct clan. Like Itachi, Shisui didn't agree with growing unrest in the Uchiha clan or the plan to overthrow the Konoha leadership.
Shisui tried to use his Mangekyo Sharingan's Kotoamatsukami to force the Uchiha to negotiate with the elders. However, Danzo stole his right eye, and fearing he would also come for his left, Shisui gave it to Itachi before ending his own life. He really didn't have to jump off a bridge, and even worse, his death just caused more trouble for Itachi.
5 Yashamaru Didn't Have To Attack Gaara
Yashamaru isn't a major character in the Naruto series, but he definitely has an impact on Gaara's life. As Gaara's uncle and caretaker, he tried to understand his nephew rather than treating him as something to be feared because of his jinchuriki abilities.
Because Gaara is unable to control Shukaku, the Fourth Kazekage, who also happens to be Gaara's father, sends Yashamaru to test him. The test turns deadly when Yashamaru is fatally wounded and decides to blow himself up in an attempt to kill Gaara as well. It's hard to imagine why Yashamaru went through with the mission if he really cared for Gaara. If he'd said no to the Kazekage, he would still be alive.
4 Shikaku Nara And Inoichi Yamanaka Didn't Have To Stay At Headquarters
Shikaku and Inoichi, among others, are stationed at Headquarters during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. The two shinobi are tasked with sending information to and receiving intel from the battlefield in order to help the ground shinobi develop fighting strategies.
When the Ten-Tails targets them, the people of Headquarters, including Shikaku and Inoichi, stay behind to relay one final battle strategy to the Allied Shinobi Forces. Their actions are heroic, but even so, they could have tried to flee Headquarters or had Mabui, the Raikage's assistant, transport them all away.
3 Rin Nohara Didn't Have To Jump In Front Of Kakashi's Chidori
Rin Nohara was a member of Team Minato with Kakashi and Obito. Rin was later kidnapped by Madara Uchiha and the Three-Tails, Isobu, was sealed inside her against her will. The young chunin soon realizes that the enemy wants to use her to attack the Leaf Village.
Rin asks Kakashi to kill her to protect the Leaf Village, but he refuses, so she takes matters into her own hands, jumping in front of Kakashi's Chidori as he's aiming it at someone else to end her own life. Rin was probably right in her assumption about being part of a plan to attack the village, but she didn't have to die. She could have avoided the village and possibly learned how to control her new power.
2 Hiruzen Sarutobi Didn't Have To Use The Dead Demon Consuming Seal
When Orochimaru attacks the Leaf Village in an attack known as the Konoha Crush, he targets his former sensei, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. As a way to punish his former master, he summons the First and Second Hokage to fight him.
Hiruzen is sealed off from his bodyguards as he battles for his life. Although outnumbered, he holds his own against the two former Hokage. He's injured during the fight, but what ultimately seals his fate is his use of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to defeat his enemies. He didn't have to use the deathly seal. He might have died anyway, but the use of the seal definitively doomed him.
1 Tobi Didn't Have To Kill Konan
Konan is one of the founding members of the Akatsuki, an organization that originally stood for peace. After Nagato's death, Konan returns to the Hidden Rain Village, renouncing her ties with the organization and putting her hope in Naruto for a better future.
Tobi wants to find Nagato's body so he can take his Rinnegan, and Konan is the only person who knows where the body lies. Konan confronts Tobi when he enters the Hidden Rain Village and a fight ensues. Tobi eventually uses a genjutsu on Konan to get the information he needs, telling her she will die when the illusion is over. He could have just used genjutsu on her from the beginning and avoided killing her; after all, they served in the Akatsuki together.