Naruto Uzumaki serves as the Seventh Hokage of Konohagakure and, being the protagonist of the series and the person with who countless Naruto fans grew up with, is dearly loved. One of Naruto's most defining qualities throughout the series is his ability to turn his enemies into his friends.

Time after time Naruto showed that he was capable of changing people and Kurama, the beast sealed within him, was no different. The two went on to form what could be described as the closest of relationships in the story. In Naruto's sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the story continues with the two having worked together to overcome any obstacle in their way, however, the most recent clash against the all-powerful Isshiki Otsutsuki saw their relationship finally come to an end. Using the double-edged sword called Baryon Mode, Naruto was successful in stopping Isshiki and overcoming him in battle. However, the price to pay for this was huge as Kurama burned up all his chakra and eventually faded out of existence, leaving Naruto alone and, more importantly, a shell of his former self.

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The Power Of Naruto And Kurama's Bond

kurama in naruto

Kurama, also known as the Nine-Tails, was introduced to be a weakness of Naruto. Sealed within him by his father, Minato Namikaze, Kurama was a hindrance for Naruto at the beginning of the series. Although there is no denying that he offered tremendous help to him at times, it always came at a huge cost. Naruto was always known as the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails and the boy who must be avoided at all costs, even when he was a child. His own friends were scared of him when he lost control and even when he fought for them, Kurama's influence often led to him losing himself and hurting them instead.

Naruto eventually conquered the hate in Kurama's heart and this was possibly the biggest thing that he accomplished at the time, especially since Kurama was known to be a mass of hatred in the shape of a fox. Naruto's story was always about him conquering his weaknesses and making them into his strength and that's exactly what he accomplished with Kurama as well.

Together, Naruto and Kurama went on to form the most incredible team and with their power, they single-handedly changed the fate of the shinobi world. Naruto went from struggling against the likes of Pain to defeating the reanimated Kage with his mere shadow clones. As the war progressed, Naruto's control over Kurama's power improved massively and this was evident when with just half of the Tailed Beast inside him, Naruto overwhelmed five Tailed Beasts at once without even trying. He then went on to fight the likes of Obito Uchiha and eventually, even fought Madara Uchiha.

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Returning from a near-death experience only made Naruto stronger as he became capable of using the Six Paths Sage Mode, a power that saw him overwhelm even Madara and exchange blows with Kaguya Otsutsuki, the progenitor of chakra itself. Thanks to Kurama, his stamina was boosted to a point where even after fighting for days against incredibly powerful people, Naruto still had it in him to take on Sasuke immediately afterward, and surprisingly, defeat him too.

By making his biggest weakness into his biggest strength, Naruto Uzumaki changed the world and built a new era of peace. When the very same peace he built was threatened by Isshiki Otsutsuki, the two once again threw their lives on the line but only Naruto walked out safely this time. Without Kurama, Naruto lost a big part of what defined his strength, and what also made him who he really is.

How Naruto Scales Up To His Former Self

naruto six paths sage mode

It is safe to assume that Naruto is far from being at the level that he was once on. Fans are made aware that he is no longer a superhuman immediately after the death of Kurama. Naruto can't rely on Kurama's power anymore, which means power-ups such as the chakra cloaks, the Nine-Tails chakra mode, and his Kurama Mode aren't accessible to him anymore. According to Amado, Naruto can't take on the likes of Code in battle and expect to win given his current state, which makes sense. Despite being a Kage, one can do little about the monstrous threat of the beasts of Kara.

When Naruto fought Delta, he was forced to use his Six Paths Sage Mode which just goes to show how monstrously powerful the Inners of this organization truly are. Even though Naruto was holding back, had he not tapped into the Tailed Beast's power, he would have lost the battle without a shadow of a doubt. Kurama didn't just offer strength to Naruto, after all. He was also the source of the incredible healing factor that Naruto once possessed. Things like healing from stab wounds or recovering from a punctured lung are no longer possible for Naruto in this state. Even in his fight against Delta, he had several of her appendages pierce him, but thanks to the power of his Tailed Beasts, he recovered immediately.

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Naruto also lacks the insane chakra pool that he once had. He fought constantly in the Fourth Great Ninja War and changed the tides of the war single-handedly. He shared his charka with the shinobi alliance and helped them stand up to the Ten-Tails and even the likes of Madara to some extent. For him, pulling off these seemingly impossible tasks is no longer feasible given his current state. For the very first time in a long time, Naruto is weighed down by his limitations.

naruto sage mode face

However, that's not to say that Naruto is among the weakest characters in the series. The fact is that Kurama was also a problem for Naruto throughout most of his time in the story and so he devised other ways to fight to make up for the lack of strength. Naruto is still an excellent user of the Toad Sage Mode, the same form that helped him overcome Pain. Having accumulated tons of experience since then, he is now far better at using this power than he ever was. It should also be noted that Naruto is also a user of all the five nature transformations, a feat that only a handful of shinobi can perform.

Perhaps the biggest indication of his level of strength is that he was able to keep up with Momoshiki Otsutsuki even in his base form when the other Kage didn't even stand a chance. Stack Sage Mode on top of that and Naruto can somewhat hold his own against the alien parasites and the Kara Inners. Given that he is a Kage, Naruto should very well be capable of that, but despite everything, he doesn't have what it takes to overcome these enemies or even protect the entire village from them, even if he puts his life on the line. Without Kurama, Naruto is a shell of his former self and he is simply incomplete which, while extremely sad, is his reality now.

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