Since the very first episode of the anime, Naruto’s ultimate goal has been to become a Hokage. While sharing a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku, he boldly told Iruka that he would one day achieve this dream.
Though Iruka didn’t mock him, he was genuinely taken aback; he knew Naruto was a failing Academy student and the village’s resident troublemaker.
Even as a young boy, Naruto tried to protect Hinata from three bullies. He fiercely declared to them that he would become Hokage, only to be laughed at. A fistfight ensued, and despite taking a beating, Naruto reaffirmed his dream, vowing to become a real Hokage and prove them all wrong.
Later, after graduating to Genin and joining Team 7, Naruto once again proudly announced to his teammates that he, Naruto Uzumaki, would one day lead the Hidden Leaf Village.
Here are 6 characters who once underestimated Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage:
1. Tazuna
When Team 7—led by Kakashi and consisting of Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto—was assigned to safely escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves to build his bridge, the bridge builder immediately doubted Naruto’s capabilities.
Judging the boy for being short and looking foolish, Tazuna deemed him entirely unqualified for the mission. This infuriated Naruto, who nearly attacked the very man he was supposed to protect.
Even as Team 7 stood at Konoha’s main gate ready to depart, Tazuna continued to belittle him. Fed up, Naruto warned Tazuna never to underestimate a shinobi.
He confidently introduced himself as Naruto Uzumaki, a great ninja who would one day become Hokage. Unfazed, Tazuna bluntly replied that a “stupid” ninja like him could never achieve such a title.
2. Kiba Inuzuka
Kiba had known Naruto since their Academy days, viewing him as a complete failure. A prime example was Naruto’s repeated, catastrophic attempts at the Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu) when trying to morph into the Third Hokage.
Failing such a basic technique frustrated Iruka and left the entire class laughing. Yet, with absolute conviction, Naruto told his mocking classmates that he would be Hokage one day. This only cemented Kiba’s disbelief.
During the Chunin Exam preliminaries, the two were matched against each other. Naruto was thrilled, assuming Kiba would be an easy win. Kiba took offense, believing he was the lucky one to face such a notoriously weak opponent.
In the match, Kiba and his ninken, Akamaru, unleashed their combined Taijutsu assault, Fang Over Fang (Gatsuga). The brutal strike sent Naruto flying, slamming him hard into the floor where he coughed up blood.
Despite agonizing pain, Naruto refused to stay down. He stubbornly declared that he would become Hokage and wouldn’t lose to Kiba. Looking down on his battered opponent, Kiba mocked the lofty dream, sarcastically promising that if Naruto failed, he would gladly take the Hokage seat for him.
3. Neji Hyuga
During the final rounds of the Chunin Exams, Naruto fought Neji. To counter the Hyuga prodigy, Naruto used Shadow Clones to distribute his chakra evenly, making it nearly impossible for Neji’s Byakugan to pinpoint the real target.
However, even with a coordinated swarm of clones, Naruto couldn’t land a single hit. With overwhelming skill, Neji effortlessly decimated the clones, leaving Naruto awestruck—feeling as though his opponent had eyes in the back of his head.
During the bout, Neji openly belittled Naruto’s dream. Judging by what his Byakugan saw, Neji claimed Naruto lacked the innate qualities of a leader.
He argued that hard work alone could never bridge the gap; becoming Hokage was a destiny reserved for the chosen few. According to Neji, the only true, inescapable destiny shared by everyone was death.
4. Tsunade
When Jiraiya informed Tsunade that the village elders wanted her to be the Fifth Hokage, she flatly refused, calling anyone who wanted the job a fool. She cited the tragic deaths of the Fourth Hokage, Minato, and the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, claiming they threw their lives away for the village.
Naruto was enraged, feeling she had deeply disrespected both fallen heroes. Intrigued by his visceral reaction to the word “Hokage,” Tsunade listened as Naruto proudly proclaimed that he would take the mantle one day.
This sparked a brief clash between them. Naruto charged at her with a Rasengan, but Tsunade merely tapped the ground with a single finger, splitting the earth and sending Naruto tumbling into the fissure. She realized his Rasengan was incomplete and nowhere near Minato’s level.
Afterward, Tsunade fiercely scolded Jiraiya for teaching him the technique, certain Naruto could never master it. She accused Jiraiya of coddling the boy and feeding him false hope, effectively treating Naruto’s Hokage dream like a naive joke.
5. Sakura Haruno
In the first phase of the Chunin Exams, examiner Ibiki Morino administered a grueling written test. The participants had to desperately cheat without getting caught to answer the first nine questions. Once time was up, Ibiki prepared to reveal the highly anticipated tenth question.
Before revealing it, however, Ibiki introduced a soul-crushing rule. The participants had to choose whether to “take it” or “not take it.” The stakes were brutal: if one teammate opted out, the entire squad failed. But if they chose to take it and answered incorrectly, they would be permanently stripped of their right to retake the exams, remaining Genin forever. Ibiki then asked those who wanted to quit to raise their hands.
The sheer psychological pressure broke many participants, who chose to forfeit rather than risk their ninja careers. Sakura had no intention of quitting for her own sake—she was confident she could answer the question. However, she severely doubted Naruto’s academic abilities. Watching him struggle, she remembered how this “foolish” boy always spoke of his dream to become Hokage with unwavering conviction.
Unable to bear the thought of him losing that dream, Sakura decided to raise her hand to forfeit, intending to save him from a permanent Genin rank. But before she could, Naruto slammed his hand on his desk, stood up, and fiercely declared to Ibiki that he would never run away.
His sheer resolve stopped Sakura in her tracks. Ultimately, choosing to stay and face the question was the correct answer. Everyone who refused to quit automatically passed the first phase.
6. Kabuto Yakushi
Kabuto witnessed Naruto’s desk-slamming speech during the Chunin Exams. He watched as Naruto yelled at Ibiki, boldly declaring that even if he stayed a Genin for the rest of his life, his dream of becoming Hokage would never change.
Later, during the legendary Sannin deadlock, a brutal battle unfolded between Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Kabuto. Exploiting Tsunade’s hemophobia, Kabuto paralyzed her with fear. Stepping in to protect her, Naruto engaged Kabuto in combat.
Naruto attempted to strike with his incomplete Rasengan. Before the attack could land, Kabuto drove a chakra scalpel into Naruto’s right thigh, severing his vastus lateralis muscle. Unable to stand, Naruto was left completely vulnerable.
Kabuto coldly mocked him, throwing Naruto’s own words from the Chunin Exams back in his face. He asked if Naruto was finally scared and ready to run. Condescendingly, Kabuto told him to stop screaming like a child, urging him to grow up and accept that, sometimes, running away is the only logical choice.
He then viciously tore into Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage, calling it a foolish fantasy of a kid who thought the world was easy. To Kabuto, Naruto’s grand declarations meant absolutely nothing—they were just empty, childish words.
