With the beginning of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, fans got to see what happened to the Naruto cast after they grew up. Many paired off, settled down and had families, leaving their time as shinobi behind. This led to the new generation of up and coming shinobi characters populating the Boruto manga series.
While romance may never have been the focus of the series, Naruto is home to many different couples. Each have their own stories. Some are tragic, and others endearing. The series didn’t delve much into the subject beyond Sakura’s obsessive love for Sasuke and Hinata’s silent and nervous pining for Naruto, but seeing all of Naruto‘s couples together as they lead a new generation, it’s not hard to see which ones are actually enjoying a healthy relationship, and which ones are struggling to find balance in love.
15 Sasuke & Sakura
Turned Out As Well As Fans Expected
Teased since the beginning of the series, Sasuke and Sakura show fans a rather heart-breaking setup. While they do have a daughter together, Sarada, Sasuke is not present for her upbringing, spending the majority of his time away either following his own interests or protecting the village.
Sasuke’s absence leaves Sakura having to raise their daughter entirely by herself. Neither party seems to cooperate or mesh well with the other and the series never shows any unique dynamics or development for the characters. Sakura claims to still see the good in Sasuke, while he shows little interest in her.
14 Naruto & Hinata
Great Couple, Not Great Parents
Naruto and Hinata don’t have the best family skills, as while Naruto was present for the birth of his children, his continuous focus on his duties as Hokage has left his son to resent him and the title. While they are happy together and mesh well creating a peaceful home life, Naruto‘s negligence towards his children shows signs that he hasn’t matured quite as much as we were led to believe.
As Naruto‘s wife, Hinata seems to understand Naruto‘s work pressures and reassures their son, Boruto, that he has the village’s best interest in mind. Still, in a child’s mind, it can be incredibly difficult to understand the nuances of adult life and responsibility. Naruto should be there for his children more often.
13 Emperor Tenji & Princess Kaguya
A Forbidden Love
An important relationship in terms of the story, as it sets into motion many aspects of both Madara’s and Kaguya’s plan. The relationship between Princess Kaguya and the emperor Tenji is very quickly glossed over. The series briefly mentions her pregnancy before her death and never delves deep into her and Tenji’s story.
However, due to Kaguya never officially becoming empress, their relationship is private from others. The series never shows its development or goes beyond the sparse details in the story, so fans can never accurately say how positive it was.
12 Kizashi & Mebuki
The Most Normal Couple Of The Series
Only appearing in the sixth Shippuden film, fans never learn much about Kizashi and Mebuki, but, they seemed genuinely happy together. Assuming their relationship carries over to the primary Naruto world, they worked together to instill a dedicated work ethic into their daughter as Sakura’s parents. After Sakura goes missing during the course of the sixth film, they worriedly search for her throughout the village. A couple that sits primarily in the background of the series, Kizashi and Mebuki’s care and cooperation would rank them higher if they were more present in the story.
11 Fugaku & Mikoto
Proud Parents Of The Uchiha Clan
The parents of both Itachi and Sasuke, Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha showed a very happy relationship. Although only seen in brief flashbacks from Sasuke’s perspective, it is possible he only sees them in a romanticized view.
Throughout the story, viewers never hear of any conflict or fights between them. Proud members of the Uchiha clan, they passed their traditions down to their children. Even in their clan’s plan to assassinate the rest of the village, they showed complete cooperation.
10 Hashirama & Mito
A Couple That Started A Legacy
Hashirama and Mito’s relationship led to the first instance of an Uzumaki sealing a tailed beast within themselves. Not much is known about Mito aside from being from a powerful clan herself. Her betrothal to the first Hokage already asserts her place as a powerful figure in the early ninja world.
Mito even battles alongside her husband during the warring states period against the Uchiha. More development in their relationship would probably introduce a new form of power couple into the series, since their strong bond led to the evolution of the ninja world, after all.
9 Hayate & Yugao
Tragedy That Led To Resolution
In a tragic story for the Naruto world, Hayate and Yugao’s relationship is cut short after Baki kills Hayate in the first part of the series. His partner Yugao vows to avenge his murder as a member of the Anbu Black Ops. Viewers see Yugao visit Hayate’s grave many times throughout the series, showing that she did truly love him. Though we never see them on screen together, Yugao’s refusal to give in leads her to battle a resurrected Hayate during the Fourth Great Ninja War. After much internal debate, Yugao finally avenges the death of her lover by putting him to rest.
8 Kiba & Tamaki
Beauty & The Beast
Although not clearly stated as a couple, Kiba and Tamaki have been seen throughout the Boruto series attending events together or passing through the village together with their pets. However, the Naruto exhibition booklet, Book of Thunder, contains the one-shot story “The Beast that was Shot by Love!!” which tells the story about how Kiba and Tamaki met. The book Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding further discusses their relationship after Tamaki moves to Konoha.
Kiba and Tamaki aren’t seen together again until the New Era. It’s clear that despite the way he feels for her, Kiba still hasn’t matured enough to have a meaningful relationship. Especially with a cat lover like Tamaki.
7 Choji & Karui
A Love Worth A Thousand Miles
Throughout the book, Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze, readers are told that Choji often makes excuses to travel all the way to Kumogakure to see Karui. In Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise, fans learn that Kauri also makes an effort to keep in contact with Choji. In Naruto‘s epilogue, viewers see that Choji and Karui have already gotten married and have a daughter named Cho-Cho. Their relationship throughout Boruto seems to be rather normal with the regular ups and downs of marriage, but they struggle to teach their daughter her bloodline techniques.
6 Tsunade & Dan
A Story Of Love & Loss
After being fatally wounded during the Second Great Ninja War, Dan died in the arms of his partner Tsunade Senju, who failed to stop his blood loss despite being trained in medical ninjutsu. The weight of Dan’s death set Tsunade down a path of alcoholism and isolation that was only resolved when she met Naruto and Jiraya. Dan’s death caused Tsunade to leave Konoha and her duties as a shinobi, as well as her place as one of the former Sannin. Though we never see them together onscreen, Tsunade and Dan clearly had a meaningful relationship.
5 Sai & Ino
A Welcomed Surprise To The Series
Unlike most of the secondary cast relationships, Sai and Ino’s relationship began at the beginning of Shippuden. The pair met in the hospital while Sai’s team was there to meet Kakashi. Sai and Ino had a back-and-forth relationship with subtle nods until their love finally came to fruition during the Blank Period, when she rescued Sai from Gengo’s genjutsu.
Sai and Ino’s relationship progresses throughout the Naruto stories that all take place after the main series, with Sai taking Ino’s family name after living with none of his own. In Boruto they have a son named Inojin, who shares his father’s passion for art.
4 Asuma & Kurenai
A Love Story Cut Short
Both Kurenai and Asuma were well-respected jonin and were in a semi-secret relationship. Both managing their own teams, they were often seen discussing their students together. While they were never married, following Asuma’s death at the hands of the Akatsuki member Hidan, Kurenai gives their daughter his family name: Sarutobi. To honor Asuma’s memory, Kurenai herself also changed her name to Sarutobi at a later point in the series. Her daughter, Mirai Sarutobi, appears as a jonin who holds great respect for her father and often speaks to him through an old photo of him she has.
3 Shikamaru & Temari
Two Fan Favorites
A relationship that initially began as mutual respect between two shinobi, Shikamaru and Temari saw one another as equals during the Chunin Exams. As her escort at the beginning of Shippuden, the two spent a lot of time together, allowing them to learn more about each other.
Temari was surprised when Shikamaru saw her off before she left, which heavily contrasted his normally lazy nature. Their relationship formally began after the defeat of Gengo during the Blank Period when Shikamaru asks Temari on a date. This then progresses to the New Era, where they are married and have a son, Shikadai.
2 Fukasaku & Shima
Everyone’s Favorite Grandparents
The Sage Toads of Mount Myoboku are like one big, happy family, and at the head of it are Ma and Pa. Fukasaku and Shima are one of the most well-rounded couples in the series, which is saying something. They’re like an adorable pair of toad grandparents, looking after everyone they take under their wing with loving kindness.
Not only do they have a deep amount of respect for each other, but they work side-by-side when it really matters. Their combined power provided Jiraiya and Naruto both with a much-needed boost. The couple knows that any moment could be their last, as is life for ninjas, so they make every one count while they’re together. Shima watching Fukasaku die during the battle with Pain was one of the most heartwrenching scenes in Shippuden.
1 Minato & Kushina
The Definitive Power Couple
A power couple of the Naruto universe, Minato and Kushina are two very successful shinobi in their own right. Minato is the Fourth Hokage while Kushina sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox within herself. Their relationship began when they were genin, as Minato rescued Kushina from bandits who kidnapped her because of her Uzumaki heritage.
After the birth of their son, the Nine-Tailed Fox was released. Minato and Kushina fought tooth and nail to keep their son safe, giving their lives in the process and sealing a portion of the fox spirit within their son, Naruto, setting off the story of the series.