Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-27202380-20151112185408/@comment-734582-20151114142510

SJ 88 wrote: He was 'weak' in Gaiden because he wasn't using his full power. Naruto himself said that they were just kids and he didn't want to hurt them. Gaiden makes a LOT more sense if you read it twice. Naruto was aware of the Shin. He likely planned to turn the Clones from the very start, which is why he didn't do much more than defend and use Taijutsu. Even then he seemed more like a Hiruzen on an afternoon stroll. He didn't use anything special yet easily defeated the shin. He wasn't used to getting stabbed, but even then Sasuke's sword didn't hurt him one bit. He just healed it back up and went on. He simply had Sasuke fly them to the Hideout because he apparently couldn't be bothered to fly himself which is fine. He then strolled through the hideout, kicked the Shins assess without trouble.

Naruto wasn't nerfed in Gaiden. He defeated the Shins just with Taijutsu. Considering his specialty is near-nuclear level Ninjutsu, it's fairly clear that he wanted to do this without having to explain why half the forest is now a gaping crater. He did Gaiden without Ninjutsu and won. If that's not a testament to his power, what is? Sure he took some time to adjust to fighting again, he was a bit rusty and he seemed to underestimate Shin's power. But he didn't need any of his God Powers to win.

Rmstorm1 wrote: And in the Naruto vs Sasuke fight, Sauske could have just soul ripped Naruto and he would have won. Naruto has Six Paths power too. It seems extremely unlikely to me that a person with Six Paths power (which is essentially the power over life and death) would be vulnerable to such a jutsu. Even against Nagato Naruto was able to resist the Human path, causing it to be slow enough for Itachi to resist. There's no way in hell Sasuke could just pull out his soul at the Final Battle.