maybe because he still was a kid?Alright lets start this sh*T up
Naruto hid behind the fox during his fights with:
Haku
Neji
Deidara
Orochimaru
Pein
Madara and Obito
and more
He hid behind Gamabunta against Gaara
He hid behind Sasuke during the Forest of death
In all aspects Naruto is a scarey azz ninja who cant go toe-to-toe with anyone without support
Sasuke had lived with a daily trauma and was seeking fights to get stronger.
After Jiraiya died, he took his duty as Konoha's saviour/hero and is atm protecting the whole ninja world, wth do you expect more??