When Naruto first declared his intentions to become Hokage, it seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. After all, what businesses did a ninja school dropout who couldn't summon a convincing clone have attempting to become the Leader of Konoha? To the surprise of the entire village, Naruto made good on his promise, quickly amassing jutsu and power that left him unrivaled in all of Konoha.
Of course, he couldn't have done all this alone. Throughout the original series and Naruto: Shippuden, he had several sensei that taught him jutsu and shaped his idea of what shinobi could be. Here are the teachers Naruto studied under, as well as the most important lessons they imparted to him.
Iruka Sensei Was The First Adult To Acknowledge Naruto
Since his parents were shinobi casualties of the Nine Tailed Fox attack on the Leaf Village, it was much harder for Iruka Sensei to tolerate Naruto's presence than the other villagers. For a while, Iruka attempted to ignore him entirely and even tried to be relieved of his duty as Naruto's teacher. Fortunately, Kakashi and the Third Hokage advised him against harboring resentment toward the child, and slowly, Iruka began to form a relationship with Naruto.
During an attempt by Mizuki to steal Forbidden Jutsu scrolls using Naruto, both Iruka and Naruto reached a new depth of their fondness for each other. Naruto never expected to one day see a Leaf Villager attempt to lay down their life for his sake, and this gesture made him understand just how much Iruka Sensei valued him. After Naruto defeated Mizuki, Iruka presented him with a ninja headband from his own forehead and congratulated Naruto on his graduation from the academy. Finally, Naruto was a full-fledged ninja.
Kakashi Taught Naruto Basic Ninja Skills, the Value of Teamwork and the Rasenshuriken
Team 7 was the very first ninja cell Naruto was placed in, and although he didn't have a great relationship with either Kakashi or Sakura, his rapport with Sasuke was especially terrible. Using the bell test, Kakashi showed them just how dangerous individualism in the ninja world could be, and from then on, the duo channeled their animosity into more or less healthy competition. Naruto and Sasuke turned Kakashi's chakra control class into a competition, but by the time they had mastered it, they realized they had grown used to leaning on each other for support.
In Naruto: Shippuden, Kakashi once again took on Naruto as a student, this time attempting the far more difficult task of creating an original jutsu. He came up with the idea of Naruto using shadow clones to cut down training time, and in the process taught Naruto how to use his clones in a more strategic manner. Their training yielded the Rasenshuriken, the most devastating jutsu in Naruto's arsenal. Once it connected with an opponent, their death was all but assured.
Jiraiya Taught Naruto the Rasengan and Summoning Jutsu
When they first met, Naruto had no idea who the Toad Sage was, but Jiraiya knew everything about him. Fearing he'd be underprepared for the Chunin Exam, Naruto asked Jiraiya to become his new sensei and wouldn't let him have any rest until he agreed. Finally, Jiraiya acquiesced, but only because he had his own plans for the young Jinchuriki. He first had Naruto sign a contract with the toads of Mount Myoboku and subsequently taught him how to summon them in battle.
Although he acted like he only agreed to teach Naruto under duress, Jiraiya had always planned to take him under his wing. Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki meant the Akatsuki would come looking for him sooner or later, and Jiraiya wanted to make sure his student would be prepared for that day. On their trip to locate the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya passed down the Rasengan to Naruto, giving the orphan his first-ever connection to his father, the jutsu's creator. After they escorted Tsunade to the village, Jiraiya left on his travels once more, this time taking Naruto with him, and promised to return him as a full-fledged shinobi.
Lord Fukasaku Taught Naruto Sage Jutsu
After Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pain, Naruto was entrusted to Lord Fukasaku to learn senjutsu. He journeyed to Mount Myoboku and underwent the same training Jiraiya did to attain sagehood. He faced the initial difficulty all those new to senjutsu did, but in time was able to attain a perfect Sage Mode that was superior to even Jiraiya's.
After attaining sagehood, Naruto also trained in the art of Frog Kumite with Lord Fukasaku, a hand-to-hand combat discipline that could only be fully utilized by those who'd mastered Sage Mode. Frog Kumite allowed Naruto to have a great awareness of his surroundings and even use the very air around him as a weapon. Apart from the regular taijutsu boost that came with sage mode, Frog Kumite increased Naruto's skill set, making him more of a threat than he was before.
Killer Bee Taught Naruto to Overcome Hatred and Use The Nine Tails' Chakra
The perfect Jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud Village was Naruto's final sensei. While trapped on Turtle Island with Bee, Naruto was finally able to learn how to harness the power of the Tailed Beast within him. It was a lengthy process that began with Naruto confronting all the hatred within himself. As good-natured and friendly as he was, Naruto still harbored some resentment toward the Leaf Villagers for ostracizing him as a child. After confronting his inner demons, Naruto was ready for the Nine Tails.
Killer Bee guided him on how to extract the Nine Tails' chakra from within himself without dragging out its will as well. Again, Naruto fought an internal battle, this time with the Nine Tails within him, and succeeded in overpowering the great beast. Finally, the bottomless reserves of chakra within Naruto was entirely his to control, and it put him on a level no shinobi has yet to match, let alone surpass.
