Kishimoto already explained how Sasuke Uchiha surpassed Naruto Uzumaki

This article contains spoilers from the Naruto series.

It goes without saying that the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke has been one of the most exciting things about the Naruto series as a whole. Over the years, fans have seen Naruto and Sasuke engage in many exciting battles, and while some battles were won by Sasuke, in others Naruto emerged victorious. By the end of the main story, it was a generally accepted fact that Naruto Uzumaki was the stronger of the two. This comes as no surprise to anyone, simply because these two have always pulled ahead of each other at various points in the story, but remained largely equal in the grand scheme of things.

This means that in Boruto era, things are very different, and Naruto and Sasuke are no longer equal at this point. Kishimoto has already explained to fans how Sasuke actually surpassed Naruto Uzumaki in the new era.

Sasuke and Naruto were evenly matched in Boruto Part 1

• Naruto and Sasuke were equal in Boruto part 1

• Kishimoto considered them equal

In the beginning Boruto series, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were seen as very evenly matched in terms of power. He was portrayed by Kishimoto himself in the Momoshiki arc. Fans also know that Kishimoto even stated that the two were equal in terms of strength as adults. This means that even though Naruto was stronger than Sasuke at the end of the 4th Great Ninja War, Sasuke eventually caught up with him through rigorous training and gaining great abilities.

Besides the Six Paths, the Rinnegan has another great power. It is the cruel Seventh Way, called the Outer Way. Those with the power of the fabled Rinnegan have the power to rule over life and death. Nagato gives up his life because he trusts you. — Konan to Naruto about the Rinnegan

As adults, in the beginning Borutothey were evenly matched and this was quite clearly seen in many battles such as the fight against Momoshiki and later also the battle against Jigen.. However, Naruto then surpassed Sasuke in the battle against Isshiki. Gaining the power of Baryon Mode, Naruto reached a level that Sasuke could only dream of. He then played a significant role in defeating Isshiki Otsutsuki. Unfortunately for fans, this temporary power-up led to Kurama's deathand Naruto was seriously nervous then. Similarly, Sasuke lost access to his Rinnegan and both were reduced to weakened versions of themselves.

at this point a case can already be made for Sasuke being stronger than Naruto. That's why Sasuke had access to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharinganwhich is definitely better than Sage Mode. for context, Kishimoto compared Sage Mode to the Mangekyo Sharingan and Kurama Chakra Mode to the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in its original manga. Sasuke still has access to all the abilities of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, while Naruto Uzumaki only has his Sage Mode. Either way it doesn't matter because Sasuke officially surpassed Naruto later on.

Sasuke trained to become stronger during Boruto's Timeskip

• Sasuke and Boruto spent a lot of time training

• Boruto databooks confirm Sasuke's new abilities

During the timeskip that took place between the first part of Boruto and Two Blue Vortex, Sasuke Uchiha trained Naruto's son Boruto Uzumaki. Fans already knew this, but what they didn't know was that Sasuke was training in preparation for the enemies he would face in the future. This is in line with Sasuke's personality as he believes that he is the only one who should carry the burden of the village above all else.

Even as he trained Boruto, Sasuke also trained his mind and body to face greater threats. This was confirmed in the first databook of the Boruto series, which clearly stated that both Sasuke and Boruto trained together every day and were stronger than before.

One more thing, a certain special material was also incorporated into the sword. It is much stronger than before. Your and Sasuke's chakra has already been registered as well as mine since I'm working on it. — Sumire on Boruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha's new sword

Of course, that goes without saying Naruto Uzumaki would also match Sasuke or even surpass him if he was here. However, fans are well aware that Kawaki made sure that Naruto didn't get stronger. That's why Kawaki sealed Naruto Uzumaki away in the Daikokuten dimensionand has been there for about three years. This took Naruto's opportunity to grow stronger while Sasuke continued to grow in strength for a year. In the end, Sasuke was also incapacitated during the battle against the Code, but it is this very battle that showed that Sasuke was now above Naruto's power level.

Sasuke heavily injured the code in the battle

The perfect display of Sasuke's high level of power came during his battle against the Code. As fans know, Code was tremendously powerful as the Inner of Kara. Eventually gaining Isshiki Otsutsuki's karma, Amado unlocked his true potential by removing his limiters. It was said that he was stronger than Jigen at this point in the story, and that's a really big statement.

For fans who don't remember, Jigen was so powerful that he was able to overpower both Naruto and Sasuke with the Six Paths Powers by himself and didn't land a single hit. IN Sasuke's battle against Code, he not only injured Code but also permanently took his eye. Sasuke really dominated this fight, but ended up losing due to the increasing number of Claw Grimes Code was using in the battle. These Claw Grimes eventually led to Sasuke's defeat, but he otherwise held his own against Koda, a monster above the level of the average Otsutsuki.

Naruto still has time to catch up with Sasuke

It is quite clear that right now, Sasuke is even stronger than Naruto Uzumaki. Kishimoto set the premise for this and explained it very well in his story. However, this does not mean that Sasuke will always remain stronger than Naruto. Fans are well aware that Kishimoto will eventually give Naruto his well-deserved upgrades and that at the end of the story Naruto and Sasuke will be equal again.

For this to happen, Naruto Uzumaki must return to the story first. At this point, the return doesn't seem imminent, but it will come eventually. Hopefully, Naruto and Sasuke will get a chance to fight each other and both will show off new abilities that will push them to new heights. At the end of the day, Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry is the most exciting part of this entire franchise, and fans can only hope that it continues in Boruto later on.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is a sequel to the original Boruto series written by Mikio Ikemoto and supervised by Masashi Kishimoto. The series follows the journey of Boruto Uzumaki, 3 years after the events of Omnipotence intervened in the story. Boruto must now try to save the world from the danger he faces when dealing with his brother Kawaki. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 30 is set to officially release on January 20, 2026. The chapter release time is 10:00 EST / 15:00 UTC. As always, fans can read this chapter officially for free on Manga Plus and Shonen Jump.