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Neji was one of the first rivals that Naruto had to face off against, who truly believed that Naruto’s ninja way was nonsense. This positioned both Neji and Naruto as absolute foils to each other for the Chunin Exams and would allow for the victor’s beliefs to be the ones deemed worthy of the narrative. For most Naruto fans, this fight was a huge step in the right direction for our protagonist as he managed to assert his belief that hard work and determination are enough to change anyone’s destiny, especially your own. However, keen-minded fans may have realized that as the series continued into Naruto Shippudensuddenly Neji’s assertions began to ring more and more true. Throughout his entire fight with Naruto, he proclaimed that people are set in the destiny they are born to and that there is no changing those truths, and even though our protagonist fought tooth and nail to disprove this, the eventual narrative may have proved the Genin right.
As Naruto Shippuden marched confidently towards its eventual climax and resolution, many things came to light through the many battles fought by our protagonists. Early on in Shippuden, Naruto continued his hard work and mastered and created multiple techniques and jutsus to aid him in the oncoming strife. Yet the crux of Naruto’s final arc boiled down to a cycle of reincarnation that has Naruto and Sasuke as two halves of a whole savior prophecy, meaning that all things leading up to that point in the series were parts of Naruto’s eventual “destiny.”
A Clash of Destiny
This matchup between Neji and Naruto seemed destined to come about, as much of the Chunin exams’ one-on-one matches consisted of genius Genin facing off against determined Genin. As thematic as the trend was, there were certainly moments where it appeared our hero might lose, but the reality of the matter is that during these competitions, the fans were set to learn just how they should view the world of Naruto. Naruto fought for the sake of “weaklings” who wanted to rise above the way they were perceived and wanted to win for the sake of Hinata and Rock Lee, who lost during the previous matches of the exams. As the two clashed, Neji regaled his past and how he was born to a destiny that he could not change. By the end of the battle, Naruto had proven to Neji that, according to his ninja way, anyone could craft their destiny and break free of their predetermined lives.
This faceoff was, in a sense, destined as well, as the two Genin were diametrically opposed, and only one of them could emerge victorious, proving the other’s views as inferior beliefs. Even with the fight being dominated by Neji’s overwhelming techniques, the battle boiled down to the fact that Neji consistently underestimated those he felt weren’t destined for greatness. Neji was blinded by his belief system, and on the opposite side of that coin was Naruto, who was liberated and empowered by his personal beliefs. Naruto drove forward, creating his destiny as he tapped into Kurama’s chakra to down his opponent and demonstrate just how capable he was of changing his path.
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The Man Destined for Greatness
Much of early Naruto, such as the showdown between Neji and Naruto, insisted that the young ninja was simply a product of grit and determination. Yet, every fan who watched further into Narutoas well as Naruto Shippuden, would soon realize that Naruto may be more than a hardworking Shinobi. The narrative of the series truly begins to lend itself to a savior story during the Shippuden war arc as Naruto rapidly begins surpassing characters left and right and is even revealed to be one-half of the reincarnated “God of Shinobi.” If that’s not destiny, we’re not sure what is. This simple fact alone is enough to condemn Naruto to be a bit full of himself and to gratify any long-standing Neji fan, but there are still many earlier moments that set Naruto apart from a basic, hardworking character.
Going through a handful of Naruto’s victories, it quickly becomes evident that much of his success stems from the Tailed Beast sealed inside of him, as well as the large reserve of chakra his lineage had granted him. Suddenly, there’s substantially more context to Neji vs. Naruto, and it wasn’t some underdog ninja facing a clan’s genius, but two genin granted power beyond much of the ninja world fighting it out to defend the concepts they respect the most. With all of this in mind, it is easy to quickly dismiss the savior of the Shinobi world as a hypocrite, but there is still something to be said for Naruto’s undying will to fight for those under him and even inspire them to become better versions of themselves.
