1. Sage of Sixth Paths
Obviously he deserves to be first though he has descended into somewhat of a legend.
2. Jiraiya
Like Orochimaru and the Third Hokage he has shown a plethora of assumed original techniques. Though he is not as serious and strict as most other prodigies he has shown impressive skill in taijutsu, ninjutsu and other important skills for a successful ninja to have. Jiraiya also maintained near constant eyes and ears on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki and provided valuable information on both to Konoha. During his fight with the Pains he was able to deduct the techniques and pick at a few weaknesses of the Pains. Lastly, with his dying breath he came up with a code on the fly that he knew Naruto (who had spent the last three years with Jiraiya and was well aware of his writing habits) would be able to at least help the Cypher Core decode so that others who faced the Pains would stand a chance against them.
3. Kakashi
I believe Kakashi is one of the few true prodigies that appear in the Naruto Series. Like his father before him, Kakashi is shown to be capable of being on par with the Sannin and, though he won't admit it, even the Kage as he was at one point nominated for the title of Hokage. He also has the ability to teach several different learning types, the most drastic comparison being between Sasuke, who could easily understand most concepts before him and was quick to learn new things, and Naruto, who was thick-headed and needed things explained in simple terms. Unlike most other characters of the series he is well aware of his limits and plans his strategies accordingly. He is also the only Non-Uchiha to be able to awaken the mangekyou sharingan and be able to use a sharingan to its fullest extent even though his body isn’t to the average strength of those Uchiha who are able to awaken the sharingan.
4. Orochimaru
Arguably the most talented of all the Naruto Characters I fear that he never reached his true potential due to his obsession of revenge against not only Konoha but Itachi as well. I also believe that he enjoyed torturing his subjects/followers more then he enjoyed discovering new jutsu as he claimed. Orochimaru also had a nasty habit of over estimating his own abilities like when Sasuke defeated and absorbed him. Despite all the shortcomings that stunted his growth as a shinobi he excelled in all jutsu he came across and his abilities and name will be remembered across the shinobi world with others such as the other Sannin and possibly even Madara.
5. Hiruzen
One of the very, very few to survive two Great Wars and was handpicked by the first two Hokage to become their successor. The Third Hokage developed several jutsu that are still used by many even after his death. Harashima and Tobirama Senju were two of the strongest shinobi of their age and Hiruzen took them booth on while they were under Orochimaru's control and ended up using the dead demon seal to drag the both into death with him and almost took Orochimaru as well.
6. Konan & Yahiko
Though not much is known about Yahiko's abilities or skill what is known is that he was able to keep up with Nagato who possessed the same eyes as the sage of sixth paths. Konan is also on this list for the exact same reason though we have been given better understanding of her skills. She was able to go toe to toe with Tobi who possessed the mangekyou sharingan and was able to push him to his limits ultamaitly causeing him to sacrifice one of his prized eyes. She was also able to turn her weaknesses into strengths before her opponent knew what happened. She is the only female character who deserves a place on this list.
7. Minato
A true one of a kind genius who eventually became 4th Hokage and was feared across the nations as the Yellow Flash. He was obviously skilled in ninjutsu and taijutsu and excelled in sealing techniques as is apparent by his sealing of the Nine Tails. Though what truly cement his place on this list is his foresight that a war would take place 16 years before it happened and the countermeasures he took to protect not only his son but Konoha and the rest of the Shinobi World. He was able to seal his mental energy in the seal he created for the nine-tails so that in the event that Naruto gave control over to the fox he would be able to seal the fox away again. He also sealed Kushina's chakra away for when the time came for Naruto to learn to control the demonic chakra.
8. Itachi
Though he did not kill his entire clan by himself like everyone was lead to believe, he is still one of the most talented shinobi in the whole series. His skills in genjutsu alone are so incredible and far above the other characters that he has made himself infamous in every corner of the shinobi world. He of course excelled in other skills otherwise he wouldn’t have become an ANBU Captain at the age of thirteen. It should also be noted that he put several failsafe’s into place for after he died to protect not only his brother but Konoha as well. Unfortunately both plans failed but the eye he implanted in Naruto did serve the purpose of freeing Itachi from Kabuto’s control which gave him the opportunity to assist in the war by stopping Kabuto and ultimately the resurrected Madara.
9. Madara
Most of what was previously known of Madara could really only be considered myth as the series gave no real information on him other than he was a strong shinobi that could contend with the First Hokage. But since his recent appearance in the series and lightly taking what others have had to say about him, Madara definitely deserves a place on this Top Ten List but as of now he doesn’t deserve to be too high on the list as obviously we haven’t seen even half of his abilities or strategy skills in battle.
10. -------
There are obviously many who deserve to be labeled prodigies but I feel that no other character in Naruto has reached the level that these shinobi are on or we haven’t been given enough information on them to accurately assess their skills in comparison to others. Also with the exception of the number one spot I believe the others are interchangeable.
HONERABLE MENTIONS
. Harashima Senju- though obviously a fantastic ninja we have not been given enough information on his skill set other than hearsay and propaganda.
. Tobirama Senju- the same circumstances as his brother though it should be noted that he was the inventor of the resurrection technique that now plagues the current war.
. Shisui Uchiha- another of the few who were able to develop the mangekyou sharingan and was considered one of the most elite of the Uchiha in history.
. Sasori- feared as Sasori of the Red Sands he was able to develop a multitude of puppets that are still used by the Sand Village today and he was also able to control 100 puppets at once where as his grandmother, Chiyo, was only able to control 10 at a time.
. Shikamaru Nara- his real only genius lays in strategy and not in taijutsu, ninjutsu or genjutsu.
. Kabuto- he was able to accomplish things beyond Orochimaru and really what anybody else thought him capable of but when compared to the others who made the list he really can’t contend as he mostly relies on trickery to get his way.
. Nagato- while obviously incredibly powerful, when compared to the only two others who have had the rinnegan he really never stood a chance.
. Sasuke Uchiha- Sasuke has huge potential to make the top ten list and probably will when more chapters are released and we see just how far he has progressed with Itachi’s eyes, but for now he can only be an Honorable Mention.
. Neji Hyuga- I actually don’t believe he deserves a place at all as a prodigy, the only time he showed any genius was while he was a genin and during his academy days. Since then he’s fallen far behind all the others mentioned.
Obviously he deserves to be first though he has descended into somewhat of a legend.
2. Jiraiya
Like Orochimaru and the Third Hokage he has shown a plethora of assumed original techniques. Though he is not as serious and strict as most other prodigies he has shown impressive skill in taijutsu, ninjutsu and other important skills for a successful ninja to have. Jiraiya also maintained near constant eyes and ears on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki and provided valuable information on both to Konoha. During his fight with the Pains he was able to deduct the techniques and pick at a few weaknesses of the Pains. Lastly, with his dying breath he came up with a code on the fly that he knew Naruto (who had spent the last three years with Jiraiya and was well aware of his writing habits) would be able to at least help the Cypher Core decode so that others who faced the Pains would stand a chance against them.
3. Kakashi
I believe Kakashi is one of the few true prodigies that appear in the Naruto Series. Like his father before him, Kakashi is shown to be capable of being on par with the Sannin and, though he won't admit it, even the Kage as he was at one point nominated for the title of Hokage. He also has the ability to teach several different learning types, the most drastic comparison being between Sasuke, who could easily understand most concepts before him and was quick to learn new things, and Naruto, who was thick-headed and needed things explained in simple terms. Unlike most other characters of the series he is well aware of his limits and plans his strategies accordingly. He is also the only Non-Uchiha to be able to awaken the mangekyou sharingan and be able to use a sharingan to its fullest extent even though his body isn’t to the average strength of those Uchiha who are able to awaken the sharingan.
4. Orochimaru
Arguably the most talented of all the Naruto Characters I fear that he never reached his true potential due to his obsession of revenge against not only Konoha but Itachi as well. I also believe that he enjoyed torturing his subjects/followers more then he enjoyed discovering new jutsu as he claimed. Orochimaru also had a nasty habit of over estimating his own abilities like when Sasuke defeated and absorbed him. Despite all the shortcomings that stunted his growth as a shinobi he excelled in all jutsu he came across and his abilities and name will be remembered across the shinobi world with others such as the other Sannin and possibly even Madara.
5. Hiruzen
One of the very, very few to survive two Great Wars and was handpicked by the first two Hokage to become their successor. The Third Hokage developed several jutsu that are still used by many even after his death. Harashima and Tobirama Senju were two of the strongest shinobi of their age and Hiruzen took them booth on while they were under Orochimaru's control and ended up using the dead demon seal to drag the both into death with him and almost took Orochimaru as well.
6. Konan & Yahiko
Though not much is known about Yahiko's abilities or skill what is known is that he was able to keep up with Nagato who possessed the same eyes as the sage of sixth paths. Konan is also on this list for the exact same reason though we have been given better understanding of her skills. She was able to go toe to toe with Tobi who possessed the mangekyou sharingan and was able to push him to his limits ultamaitly causeing him to sacrifice one of his prized eyes. She was also able to turn her weaknesses into strengths before her opponent knew what happened. She is the only female character who deserves a place on this list.
7. Minato
A true one of a kind genius who eventually became 4th Hokage and was feared across the nations as the Yellow Flash. He was obviously skilled in ninjutsu and taijutsu and excelled in sealing techniques as is apparent by his sealing of the Nine Tails. Though what truly cement his place on this list is his foresight that a war would take place 16 years before it happened and the countermeasures he took to protect not only his son but Konoha and the rest of the Shinobi World. He was able to seal his mental energy in the seal he created for the nine-tails so that in the event that Naruto gave control over to the fox he would be able to seal the fox away again. He also sealed Kushina's chakra away for when the time came for Naruto to learn to control the demonic chakra.
8. Itachi
Though he did not kill his entire clan by himself like everyone was lead to believe, he is still one of the most talented shinobi in the whole series. His skills in genjutsu alone are so incredible and far above the other characters that he has made himself infamous in every corner of the shinobi world. He of course excelled in other skills otherwise he wouldn’t have become an ANBU Captain at the age of thirteen. It should also be noted that he put several failsafe’s into place for after he died to protect not only his brother but Konoha as well. Unfortunately both plans failed but the eye he implanted in Naruto did serve the purpose of freeing Itachi from Kabuto’s control which gave him the opportunity to assist in the war by stopping Kabuto and ultimately the resurrected Madara.
9. Madara
Most of what was previously known of Madara could really only be considered myth as the series gave no real information on him other than he was a strong shinobi that could contend with the First Hokage. But since his recent appearance in the series and lightly taking what others have had to say about him, Madara definitely deserves a place on this Top Ten List but as of now he doesn’t deserve to be too high on the list as obviously we haven’t seen even half of his abilities or strategy skills in battle.
10. -------
There are obviously many who deserve to be labeled prodigies but I feel that no other character in Naruto has reached the level that these shinobi are on or we haven’t been given enough information on them to accurately assess their skills in comparison to others. Also with the exception of the number one spot I believe the others are interchangeable.
HONERABLE MENTIONS
. Harashima Senju- though obviously a fantastic ninja we have not been given enough information on his skill set other than hearsay and propaganda.
. Tobirama Senju- the same circumstances as his brother though it should be noted that he was the inventor of the resurrection technique that now plagues the current war.
. Shisui Uchiha- another of the few who were able to develop the mangekyou sharingan and was considered one of the most elite of the Uchiha in history.
. Sasori- feared as Sasori of the Red Sands he was able to develop a multitude of puppets that are still used by the Sand Village today and he was also able to control 100 puppets at once where as his grandmother, Chiyo, was only able to control 10 at a time.
. Shikamaru Nara- his real only genius lays in strategy and not in taijutsu, ninjutsu or genjutsu.
. Kabuto- he was able to accomplish things beyond Orochimaru and really what anybody else thought him capable of but when compared to the others who made the list he really can’t contend as he mostly relies on trickery to get his way.
. Nagato- while obviously incredibly powerful, when compared to the only two others who have had the rinnegan he really never stood a chance.
. Sasuke Uchiha- Sasuke has huge potential to make the top ten list and probably will when more chapters are released and we see just how far he has progressed with Itachi’s eyes, but for now he can only be an Honorable Mention.
. Neji Hyuga- I actually don’t believe he deserves a place at all as a prodigy, the only time he showed any genius was while he was a genin and during his academy days. Since then he’s fallen far behind all the others mentioned.
Rock Lee is most definitely the 2nd best Taijutsu master in the series *cough* Might Guy *cough*, Lee is awesome in all but to say "Rock Lee improved like Naruto in a matter of freaking weeks" is a little farfetched. Rock Lee improved, yes this is a fact....but like Naruto? I have to disagree....