The Pain Arc is one of the most beloved arcs in Naruto. Naruto has to deal with one of his toughest challenges yet. Pain levels the village while Naruto has to find a way to protect the people he cares about. He has to rely on his allies to protect Konoha.

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There is a rumor that the Pain Arc was supposed to be the end of Naruto. According to the rumor, this was going to be Naruto's final fight with the Akatsuki leader. If true, that means the Naruto story had to be reworked to add more towards the end. Naruto and his allies managed to work together to defeat one of the series greatest threats.

10 Sakura

Sakura Haruno In Naruto Standing In A Forest Tightening Her Gloves

Naruto's teammate played a small but important part during Pain's attack. Sakura falls back on her medical training to help heal those injured by Pain. Sakura acts as a backup for her mentor Tsunade.

She doesn't directly fight anyone during the battle, but she helps deal with the medical problems the village is facing. Despite having a shortage of medical staff, Sakura does her best despite being understaffed. In Boruto, Sakura is shown to be one of the leading medical personnel in the village. Hints of who she will be are shown during this fight.

9 Konohamaru

Konohamaru's actions during the Pain Arc are widely considered the greatest moment for Konohamaru's character. When Konohamaru stumbles across one of Pain's corpses, he is forced to fight the powerful enemy. Pain's Naraku Path is steadfastly searching for the missing Naruto.

Konohamaru uses the jutsu he has learned from Naruto to gain the upper hand in the fight. With shadow clones and the Rasengan, Konohamaru manages to cause the Naraku Path to retreat. Konohamaru shows a lot of potential in this fight with the unstoppable Pain.

8 Hinata

Hinata in front of Naruto in Naruto.

Hinata shows incredible strength and growth during the Pain Arc. She is the only person who steps up to help Naruto when the Deva Path manages to restrain him. Hinata is willing to stand against Pain despite knowing that she is no match for him.

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Hinata begins using a jutsu of her own creation to stand against Deva Path. Despite her best efforts, the help she provides seems meaningless. However, she stands up to Pain with her own incredible bravery.

7 Konan

Konan of the Akatsuki during Naruto: Shippuden

Konan was a powerful ninja that worked alongside the Akatsuki. She was a lifelong friend of Nagato and agreed to help him get revenge against Konoha. Along with Pain, she searches for Naruto throughout the village.

She tries to persuade Nagato not to overexert himself as he fights against Naruto. When Naruto comes to confront Nagato, they both have a change of heart. Konan has proven herself to be a skilled fighter. After she decides to stand against the Akatsuki, she becomes a notable ally of the Leaf Village.

6 Tsunade

Naruto Tsunade Hokage

Tsunade proves how amazing a Hokage she is during the events of the Pain Arc. She goes against her advisors, wanting to summon Naruto back to the village. Unknown to her, Danzo interrupts her message.

She then summons Katsuyu, who aids her in her mission to keep the entire village alive. Though she can't bring Kakashi back to life, Tsunade plans to make sure that no one else dies. Tsunade exhausts all of her chakra and still refuses to back down.

5 Kakashi

kakashi carrying naruto

Kakashi comes across Iruka being attacked by the Deva Path. Kakashi proves to be such a tough opponent that the Asura Path comes to aid the Deva Path. Kakashi struggles as he attempts to fight against two of the Six Paths of Pain.

Kakashi puts up a good fight, but he runs out of chakra. He gives up his life to defend his village and his allies. His story isn't over, and he'll return to life. Kakashi shows the strength and selflessness that defines his character and will serve him well as he becomes Hokage.

4 Danzo

Danzo looking upset in Naruto.

Danzo's ability to manipulate and strategize gives him the upper hand during the Pain Arc. He orders his men to do nothing as the village is attacked. That way, Tsunade will look like a terrible leader.

He manages to use Pain's attack to his own advantage. He claims that the actions of the previous Hokage have made the village weak and vulnerable to attack. In the end, he props himself up as the best candidate for the next Hokage.

3 Naruto

Naruto Sage Mode

Naruto was greatly suffering after the untimely death of his master. He went off into the mountains to train with the toads. With the aid of his massive chakra reserves and shadow clones, he quickly learned Sage Mode.

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During the battle with Pain, the Nine-Tails begins to take control of Naruto. Naruto begins to show all that could be possible if he were to control Kurama's chakra fully. When Naruto manages to win against Pain, he proves himself to be one of Konoha's strongest shinobi.

2 Sasuke

Sasuke with Itachi during his death in Naruto.

In the manga, Sasuke's final battle with his brother comes directly before the Pain Arc. Sasuke shows what an amazing shinobi he has become during his battle with Itachi. He shows the jutsu he invented, Kirin.

After the battle, Itachi's eyes are transplanted into Sasuke. With access to his brother's powers, Sasuke becomes incredibly more powerful. He is ready to fight again when Pain's attack comes. Sasuke is ready for his inevitable fight with Danzo. At this point, Sasuke stands as one of the strongest shinobi in the Naruto world.

1 Tobi

Obito Uchiha, disguised as the Akatsuki's Tobi, during naruto: shippuden

Tobi, previously known as Obito Uchiha, is one of the main antagonists of the Naruto series. He proves himself to be incredibly powerful when it is revealed he is something of a puppet master.

Tobi has the power of the Sharingan, which he has used to control the Nine-Tails. He is ultimately responsible for both Sasuke and Naruto losing their parents so young. Tobi is also the one controlling Nagato. Tobi stands as a threat that few would be able to stand against.

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