Naruto takes place in a world with filled with incredible powerful ninjas, perhaps none as extraordinary as the series’ titular protagonist. Naruto’s world is filled with different types of impressive jutsu and while Naruto begins the series as an ambitious but ultimately not very skilled tween, he eventually gains abilities that help him become the Hidden Leaf Village’s seventh Hokage.
As his village’s leader, Naruto is recognized as the strongest shinobi in Konoha and is responsible for protecting his people from harm. A lot of that role surprisingly looks like keeping on top of administrative tasks, but it also means Naruto has to master several types of jutsu so he can effectively keep the village safe from strong enemies.
Throughout the Naruto franchise, Naruto masters abilities like Sage mode and controlling the Nine-Tails chakra, enabling him to defeat powerful opponents. His abilities are almost mythical in nature, spurring some fans to wonder if Naruto is the legendary Sage of Six Paths or his reincarnation.
Who is the Sage of Six Paths in Naruto?
Naruto is not the Sage of Six Paths but a reincarnation of the Sage’s younger son, Asura Otsutsuki. The Sage of Six Paths is actually Hagoromo Otsutsuki, a nearly mythical figure who is said to be the ancestor of all ninja. Hagoromo is responsible for the creation of the ninja world, thanks to his founding of ninshu, a religion that would later become ninjutsu.
The son of Princess Kaguya, Hagoromo and his twin brother Hamura battled and defeated their mother after she became the Ten-Tails. Hagoromo sealed the Ten-Tails inside himself, thus becoming the first jinchuriki. Unlike Kaguya, who resented the fact she had spread her chakra to her children, Hagoromo wanted to share this gift with others and traveled the world, helping those who needed it and giving chakra to everyone he came across. As he gifted chakra to others, he also spread his religion of ninshu, thus planting the seeds of what would later become ninjutsu.
Hagoromo’s ultimate goal was to peacefully unite the world and he entrusted his two sons, Asura and Indra, with his dream. He taught the pair ninshu and eventually split the Ten-Tails into nine distinct beasts, creating the nine tailed beasts seen in Naruto. Later on, when Hagoromo had reached the end of his life, he named Asura as his successor, angering Indra, who had believed it was his right as the oldest to inherit his father’s chakra. Indra would turn to fight his brother, starting a war that would last for generations between even their descendants (now you know why the Uchiha clan is always caught in turmoil).
That’s cool, but why do people think Naruto is the Sage of Six Paths?
Besides the Sage of Six Paths being a really cool title (Naruto, as the protagonist, deserves a cool title), there are some reasons people could mistakenly think Naruto is the Sage of Six Paths. Before the battle against Madara and Kaguya during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto and Sasuke were granted Six Paths Powers from Hagoromo himself. Naruto spoke with the Sage after a near-death experience during the battle, where Hagoromo revealed Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura. Hagoromo had only given Six Paths Powers to Asura in the past but this time, he decided to do things differently and split them between both Naruto and Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra.
Blaming himself for causing the rift between his sons and their future descendents, Hagoromo gave his Yang powers to Naruto and his Yin powers to Sasuke. After talking with Naruto, the Sage believed in his determination to get through to Sasuke, thus ending the cycle of hatred between the two brothers and their reincarnations for good. The Sage showed he trusted this generation to mend that rift by entrusting his chakra to both Naturo and Sasuke, rather than just one.
These new powers put Sasuke and Naruto on an even playing field with the likes of Madara and Kaguya, helping them end the war and, eventually, to bridge the distance between them. Some fans may have believed the two to be the Sage of Six Paths since they contained his chakra, but that is not the case. Together, Naruto and Sasuke had the ability to use the Sage’s chakra but that does not make either ninja the Sage of Six Paths. Boruto is still airing so we acknowledge anything can happen, but for now, there’s only one Sage of Six Paths, and that’s Hagoromo Otsutsuki.