The Fourth Great Ninja War was the biggest known event in the entire Naruto franchise, and it saw all the shinobi go up against the forces of the Akatsuki and Kabuto Yakushi to save the world. Although the Shinobi Alliance was victorious, the losses it bore were significant, and many great shinobi were lost.

Following the war, many shinobi trained to better prepare themselves for a similar threat that might appear in the future and thus, grew stronger. With the era of Boruto Uzumaki and his generation here, only a handful of shinobi can truly be called the strongest.

Updated on April 2nd, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This list of the strongest shinobi in Naruto after the Fourth Great Ninja War has been updated to adhere to CBR's current publication standards and has new information.

10 Kakashi Hatake Is a Talented But Aging Jonin

Kakashi Hatake was a jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village during the Fourth Great Ninja War and after it, was promoted to the rank of a Kage. He led the village as the Sixth Hokage for quite some time and even now, remains to be one of the strongest shinobi in Naruto.

However, Kakashi has aged quite a bit and has also his Sharingan eye, getting weaker in the process. He is no longer as powerful as he once was, meaning he isn't quite the strongest shinobi in Naruto. Still, Kakashi's hard-won experience still counts for a lot, and he has plenty to teach to young shinobi in the post-war era, such as the sons and daughters of the original Konoha 11.

9 Kurotsuchi Is Doing Well as the Tsuchikage

Known as the Fourth Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone Village, Kurotsuchi is the granddaughter of Onoki and she took over the as Kage of the village at some point after the Fourth Great Ninja War. Her skills as a ninja have improved tremendously, as expected of someone with her title.

She was seen fighting against Kinshiki Otsutsuki and did rather well, which suggests that her powers are on a very high level, and that's impressive, given her lack of powers like a tailed beast or special eye jutsu like he Sharingan or Rinnegan.

8 Chojuro Succeeded Mei as the Mighty Mizukage

Following the victory in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Mei Terumi stepped down as the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village, and replacing her was none other than Chojuro. Being the wielder of Hiramekarei, Chojuro is a skilled swordsman and he's shown that time and again in the series.

He was able to fight against Kinshiki, just like Kurotsuchi, and did well against him. Chojuro's skill with his sword makes him quite dangerous to take on in battle, though fans would say he's not on par with the very strongest Kage of his time, such as his Sand counterpart Gaara.

7 Darui Is the Formidable Raikage

Darui was a jonin of his village during the Fourth Great Ninja War and now he's the Kage, following the footsteps of A, the Fourth Raikage. He's a terrific shinobi, as seen during the Fourth Great Ninja War, where he fought and sealed both Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

Darui also inherited the Black Lightning of the Third Raikage and is also a user of the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai. He put up quite a fight against Momoshiki in his base form, showing fans that he's no pushover.

6 Gaara Wields Sand and Magnet Release Jutsu

Once the jinchuriki of Shukaku, Gaara is the Fifth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village and one of the most powerful shinobi alive in the series right now. He can manipulate sand according to will and his power is known to be ferocious, as seen during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Gaara can also utilize the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, however, what he can truly do with it remains to be seen so far. Nonetheless, he's a monstrously powerful fighter in his own right, and there are good reasons why he was chosen to help lead the shinobi coalition army in the Fourth Great Ninja War. It was a fine moment of Gaara being one of the best characters in Naruto.

5 Killer Bee Has Mastered the Eight-Tailed Ox

Killer Bee is the perfect jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails. While the Tailed Beasts were freed after the war, Gyuki remained with Bee because of the bond they shared. The two continued to train and grow stronger together, setting a great example of a jinchuriki who gets along with their tailed beast as partners. He and Naruto give anime fans hope that half-other anime characters can get a happy ending, no matter their terrifying powers.

Killer Bee's skill with his swordplay and taijutsu remains as great as ever, if not better. Furthermore, the fact that he's a Jinchūriki of one of the most powerful Tailed Beasts makes him a force to be reckoned with. Thus, Killer Bee is one of the most powerful shinobi in Naruto and certainly one of the most formidable jinchuriki currently alive.

4 Sakura Haruno Has Gone From Zero to Hero in a Big Way

Sakura Haruno is a former member of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7 and ranks among the strongest characters in the world of Naruto. It is highly likely that she's the most powerful Kunoichi alive as of the current storylines in Boruto. Sakura had a weak start as a kunoichi of few talents, but then she got a glow-up in Naruto Shippuden and has been growing even stronger ever since then.

Sakura's usage of medical ninjutsu makes her a valuable asset, and on top of that, she is also a ferocious fighter, capable of defeating most with a single punch. Furthermore, her usage of the Byakugou makes her quite a threat to anyone in the world of Naruto. She has learned well from her mentor, Tsunade the slug princess, and has become one of the strongest members of the Konoha 11 after all.

3 Rock Lee Still Stands as One of the Greatest Taijutsu Experts

Rock Lee is a jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village and was once a member of Team Guy. He was Guy's apprentice and learned the art of Strong Fist and the Eight Inner Gates Technique from him. Training throughout his life, Lee has become incredibly powerful and it is said that by adulthood, he can open all eight gates, meaning he has access to a power greater than that of the Five Kage.

Even without the Eighth Gate, Lee is a tremendous fighter and his skills are enough to fight against any S-ranked shinobi in the story. Unfortunately, Rock Lee peaked early in the Naruto franchise, being a surprise star in the classic Chunin Exam story arc as an example of hard work fighting back against talent. So, Rock Lee hasn't felt special in a long time, but his raw power is undeniable all the same.

2 Sasuke Uchiha Wields Incredible Powers Like Six Paths and the Rinnegan

One of the strongest people in the world of Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha is the leader of the Uchiha clan, which has since been revived after Itachi massacred them when Sasuke was just seven. Sasuke protects the Leaf Village from any outside threat and can also track down the members of the Otsutsuki clan.

Sasuke is a user of Six Paths powers and has the Rinnegan as well which makes him strong enough to contend with the likes of the Otsutsuki clan members. He's an example of an anime character who seems to embody every power at once, gathering all kinds of jutsu and talents to become a one-man army. Not just anyone can wield so many dojutsu like Sasuke, but he makes it look so easy at times.

1 Naruto Uzumaki is the Hokage and Has Kurama's Power at His Disposal

Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki is the strongest shinobi in the entire story and like his shonen-style rival Sasuke, a user of the Six Paths powers. He has the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts at his disposal along with the ability to use the Six Paths Sage Mode.

When push comes to shove, Naruto can get even stronger by using Baryon Mode, which made him powerful enough to overwhelm even Isshiki in battle, though Baryon Mode is risky and physically taxing, so Naruto must make sparing use of it. Even so, such immense power clearly marks Naruto Uzumaki as the single strongest shinobi in Naruto as of the Fourth Great Ninja War's end, and will always be remembered as a great hero and beloved Hokage.