Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-30323490-20171113213649/@comment-34194151-20180104023950

Ninjachris wrote: CombatIQmatters wrote: Guys, you have to remember intelligence and fighting style matters, along with how fights progress. But before that, there are some huge misconceptions I see here. Being a sensor type doesn't save you from genjutsu. Naruto has shown on multiple occasions that he cannot deal with Itachi's genjutsu without help. Itachi is the better genius of the two, and his combat aggression and IQ is such that each of his attacks serve as powerful feints that setup his subsequent attacks. Itachi is superior in misdirection and deception, and being a sensor doesn't help naruto undo the effects of genjutsu. His only option for doing that is Kurama. But as I said, Itachi is smart enough to chain attacks and take advantage of openings. Even if Kurama breaks naruto out of the first genjutsu in time to save him from a lethal totuska blade stab, itachi immediately chains another genjutsu to keep naruto on the defensive. You are never late once in combat. IT'ss only matter of time before Itachi tricks naruto into a tsyukyomi or a totsuka blade hit. Itachi's fighting style is control and aggro as we have seen on many occasions. Plus, from the sasuke vs killer bee fight, we have proof that jinchurki can't be freed from genjutsu instantly, they are vulnerable for a few seconds (sasuke simply failed to take advantage of this opening). Naruto's shadow clone diversions, rasenshuriken, and stamina benefits won't mean anything if he is ensnared perpetually in genjutsu meanwhile itachi has the yata mirror up for defense while the totuska blade is pressuring naruto offensively. Remember guys, its not just about brawns and what characters can do on paper, its how that specific character can manipulate their arsenal, and that's where differences in intelligence and combat experience/wisdom matter. If we take itachi's genjutsu off the table, then this would be a very different fight. But since naruto doesn't have enough experience against genjutsu, especially against amaster like itachi who already shut down naruto twice with his genjutsu, I don't see naruto winning. And its not like Itachi is also only good at genjutsu either, he has shown skillful ninjutsu tactics such as in his fight with kakashi in part one. Naruto is smart too but he isn't on itachi's plane of existence in that department.

All that you said would be true if we were talking about a teenage naruto but you seem to neglect a major factor which is that this is adult Hokage Naruto who has way may battle experience that itachi does since naruto is in his late twenties early thirties. naruto knows everything about itachi, itachi doesn’t know everything about naruto in this instance and knowledge is power, he has studied war/battle strategies since becoming hokage you can also see how his reckless approach to fighting has drastically changed he is more calculated and calm. He is way more proficient in all his techs and has probably learnt an arsenal of new ones, he has 100% kuruma and finally there is no way itachi can match naruto in speed itachi is would probably be dead before he knew the fight began. As I said in my post, I acknowledge naruto's intelligence. I am one of the people who always knew naruto was smart from the beginning: he mastered shadow clones by teaching himself after stealing the ninja scroll, he saved kakashi from the water prison and nearly killed zabuza with a KUNAI, he outsmarted neji multiple times despite neji having near 360 vision, he defeated kakazu, he defeated the pains with strategy and smoke bombs, etc. I know naruto is smart and he gained experience since his teenage years, except for the fact none of that experience was against GENJUTSU. Name a genjutsu master naruto has effiecently learned how to beat in his adult years. And Like I said, even when he relies on kurama, the match isn't over. ITachi is smart enough to use genjutsu as a distraction. And Naruto isn't so much faster than itachi that Itachi can't cast a single jutsu to interrupt naruto's rythmn. Substitution is a thing, and genjutsu takes all but a single handsign to cast, and mind you sharingan kakashi and sasuke couldn't see itachi's handseals at all when itachi was fighting serious. Again Itachi's isnt stupid. He won't cast tysukyomi until he can trick naruto into looking into his eyes, and even if naruto manages to dodge that bullet, he has the totsuka blade waiting to take advantage of the fact he is afraid to look at itachi directly on the off chance their gazes accidentally meet. Itachi is a genius prodigy of his time as evidenced by the manga. Naruto's experience doesn't close that gap unless you show me some feats of him breaking high level genjutsu so fast that it doesn't leave him open.