Every Teacher Naruto Uzumaki Had (& What They Taught Him)
Robert Clark
Published Mar 29, 2026
Naruto Uzumaki rises to the top of Konoha village, but he couldn't have done it without these teachers and the techniques they taught him.
Which characters were responsible for teaching Naruto his most famous techniques? Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the story of Naruto Uzumaki is classic underdog tale. Over the course of the iconic anime and manga series, Naruto grows from a fledgling ninja at the bottom of his class to arguably the strongest of all time, and the leader of his entire village. Naruto's journey is designed to highlight the virtues of determination, kindness and positivity, and fans watch the protagonist grow from a troublesome youth to a (somewhat) more mature adult with kids of his own and a pile of responsibilities.
Naruto Uzumaki develops considerably as a person throughout Naruto, but he also evolves greatly in terms of power. In chapter 1, the youngster struggles to perform the most basic of moves and initially fails his academy graduation exam. By the end of Kishimoto's series, however, Naruto is firing off massive chakra attacks and cloaking himself in the spirit of a demonic beast. Even for the world of anime, that's quite a glow-up. As is common in Shonen series, much of what Naruto learns can be attributed to the string of teachers he trains with along the way, and many signature techniques were actually passed down to Naruto from others. Here is every sensei Naruto trains under and what they teach him.
Iruka - As Naruto's instructor at the Konoha academy, Iruka would've taught the youngster the basic points in knife-throwing, taijutsu and transformation, although much of this instruction takes place off-screen before the story begins.
Kakashi - After Naruto graduates, Kakashi becomes his new sensei and the leader of Team 7. Kakashi's biggest lesson is the importance of teamwork, but he also imparts knowledge of strategy and battle sense throughout his time with Naruto. Initially, Kakashi doesn't directly pass down any techniques to his exuberant blond-haired underling (these he saves for Sasuke), but the Jōnin does instruct Naruto in nature transformation later in the series.
Ebisu - Konohamaru's personal instructor and a supposedly elite tutor, Naruto spent a very brief time training alongside Ebisu in chakra control and walking on water. The pair didn't exactly get on, and Naruto's tutelage was soon taken over by another...
Jiraiya - If Naruto has only one definitive master, Jiraiya is undoubtedly that man. Known to his friends (?) as the "Pervy Sage," Jiraiya is actually Naruto's godfather and the pair spend several years together during Naruto's time skip. Jiraiya bestows Naruto with his eventual signature attack, the Rasengan, and also sets him up with Toad Summoning. Jiraiya is the first to try and teach Naruto to control his Nine Tails power, and he partially succeeds in this ambitious mission.
Yamato - Yamato briefly took Kakashi's position as the leader of Team 7. During this time, he taught Naruto not to rely on his Nine Tails power in battle. A little later, Yamato joins Kakashi in helping Naruto develop his nature-release Rasengan variation.
Asuma - The son of the Third Hokage briefly tutors Naruto in the use of wind nature transformation.
The Toad Sages - Following Jiraiya's death, Naruto trains with the toads at Mt. Myōboku in order to become strong enough to defeat Pain. The miniature husband and wife duo of Fukasaku and Shima take responsibility for guiding Naruto, as they did with Jiraiya, and the process is overseen by the Great Toad elder. The toads' biggest lesson for Naruto is Sage Mode - a powerful transformation used all the way until the end of the story. As an extension of these Sage abilities, Naruto is also taught the Frog Kata style of martial arts.
Killer B - Eventually, Naruto decided to stop running from the Nine Tails Fox and harness the power inside of him. To do this, he enlisted the help of Killer Bee, a fellow Jinchuuriki who lived in relative harmony with his tailed beast. While B and the Eight Tails were the best of friends, however, the Cloud ninja simply taught Naruto how to draw on the Nine Tails' energy, and Naruto soon developed the powerful Nine Tails Chakra mode. After weaving her chakra into the Nine Tails seal before death, Naruto's mother, Kushina, was able to help her son attain this new form.
