I know threads like this are controversial, but Naruto seems to lack any good leadership qualities. In every way a character like Sasuke is more calm, intelligent and generally less prone to run to the battlefield or involve the village in unnecessary conflicts. Naruto really doesn't seem to have the sort of personality that is well-suited to leadership or politics. Plus the idea of a 16 year old kid leading a village also seems a bit... silly, frankly.
The old calm Sasuke just came back, he was a psychomaniac-MS-spammer after Itachi's death until now.
Naruto still lacks some of Sasuke's qualities, but Naruto has charisma, motivation, projection, vision of peace, vision of pain, vision of love, vision of loneliness, and over all these things, determination.
Sasuke just found the light when he discovered that the meaning of Shinobi is to "endure" every obstacle... but he was lost back then. Naruto in the other side, has an entire life showing people what is the meaning of being a shinobi, even before achieving the Genin Rank.
Do Naruto really deserves the title? I say "yes", he does. But I also think that he is not prepared for it... and Sasuke is not nearer than Naruto in this aspect.
