SerpApi.Org
Since the formation of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, only 27 ninjas in Narutohave held the rank of Kage. Other ninja villages have leaders as well, but a Kage is only used to identify the leader of one of the Five Great Nations. The Kage are considered to be the strongest ninjas in their respective villages, but all of these villages have powerful ninjas who never became Kage.
The most powerful non-Kage ninjas in Naruto were powerful enough to claim the title for themselves. In fact, several of these ninjas were in contention to become Kage, but they were either passed over or refused the position. Some of these powerful ninjas have actually killed a previous Kage in the past.
Sasori Could Take Down An Entire Nation Singlehandedly
Sasori might have been the first Akatsuki member to die, but that does not mean he was weak. In fact, there is a good chance he could have been named the Hidden Sand Village's Fourth Kazekage if he had not defected. Sasori was the strongest member of the Sand's Puppet Brigade, and his mastery of the technique allowed him to control up to 100 puppets at once. Using these puppets, he was able to to defeat a small nation by himself.
Like most puppet users, Sasori specialized in ranged combat, but thanks to his innovative designs, he was also an effective close quarter fighter. Sasori could use various poisons that were so complex that only a medical ninja of Tsunade's caliber, or one of her disciples, could create an antidote in time. Sasori proved he was a Kage-level ninja when he killed the Third Kazekage, who is still considered by many to be the strongest Kazekage in Sand Village history.
Kisame Hoshigaki's Power Was Equivalent To That Of A Tailed Beast
Prior to joining the Akatsuki, Kisame was part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, making him one of the most skilled and feared swordsmen in the entire Ninja World. He wielded Samehada, a sentient broadsword that is designed to shred opponents. More importantly, it can absorb an opponent's chakra to the point their techniques are nullified and they are knocked unconscious. Kisame could fuse with Samehada for an instant victory, and he could use the stolen chakra to heal himself.
Kisame's natural chakra reserves were so great that he was considered a tailless Tailed Beast. He mastered Water Release to the point he could submerge entire landscapes under water. Kage-level ninja can beat a Jinchuriki one-on-one, and Kisame did that when he defeated Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, without any help. If Samehada had not betrayed him, Kisame would have easily defeated Killer B, a perfect Jinchuriki with even greater power.
Orochimaru Is A Sannin Who Would've Been Hokage In Another Life
Orochimaru may be the founder and undisputed leader of the Hidden Sound Village, but he is not a Kage. As a member of the Leaf Village's legendary Sannin, Orochimaru is one of the strongest ninja in history, and if it were not for his evil experiments and disregard for human life, he likely would have succeeded Hiruzen as the Leaf's Fourth Hokage. Orochimaru can use all five basic chakra natures, he is exceptionally skilled with a sword, and he has mastered hundreds of jutsu.
Orochimaru demonstrated his Kage-level strength several times over the course of the series. For instance, he personally killed the Fourth Kazekage, which turned out to be one of the Naruto franchise's most impactful Kage deaths. He overwhelmed the Third Hokage to the point he needed to sacrifice himself just to seal Orochimaru's arms. In the second half of the series, Orochimaru was able to fight on par with and even overpower Naruto's Four-Tail Tailed Beast transformation, without sustaining any serious injuries.
Jiraiya Was Strong Enough To Beat Pain One-On-One
As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was asked mutliple times to become Hokage, but he refused each time because he believed he was not worthy of the position. Ironically, he personally trained two future Hokage, and Nagato, who was on the same level. He may have come across as childish at times, but no one can deny Jiraiya's strength. Itachi, an Uchiha prodigy, believed he and Kisame would not be able to defeat him.
Jiraiya would summon ninja toads of various sizes during combat, which allowed him to take on monstrous beasts or dozens of ordinary ninjas at once. He was also one of the few people who could utilize Sage Mode. He may not have mastered it, but he still wielded it well enough to defeat three of Pain's bodies. Pain, who wielded the Rinnegan and controlled six bodies, and who can be considered stronger than a Kage, admitted that Jiraiya could have defeated him if he had uncovered the secret of the Six Paths sooner.
Killer B Was A Perfect Jinchuriki And Master Swordsman
Killer B is the adopted brother of the Hidden Cloud Village's Fourth Raikage, but he is also a perfect Jinchuriki who can access all of the Eight-Tail's chakra. He can also transform into the Tailed Beast at any time without losing control. As a result, B can utilize the Tailed Beast Ball, which is a Tailed Beast's ultimate attack. With it, he can vaporize one of the other great ninja villages.
B is a master swordsman who can increase the cutting power of his swords by infusing them with lightning chakra. He uses an unorthodox style of up to eight swords, which makes his movements incredibly difficult to read. Even the Sharingan cannot keep up with his swordsmanship. If it were not for Jugo and Karin, B would have killed Sasuke twice, very easily. If a Jinchuriki like Gaara, Yagura, and Naruto could become Kage, then B could have as well.
Obito Uchiha Could Beat A Kage With His Kamui
Like Naruto, Obito dreamed about becoming Hokage, but his life took a dark turn when he witnessed Rin's death. He trained with Madara Uchiha for a year and became a Kage-level ninja during that time. Obito nearly defeated Minato, the Fourth Hokage, in a one-on-one duel, and he personally killed all of the Uchiha Clan's strongest fighters during the massacre.
Obito could use Kamui thanks to his Mangekyo Sharingan. It is one of the best teleportation abilities in anime, and it granted Obito a form of intangibility. Most attacks would safely phase through his body, and he could instantly win a fight by trapping someone inside his Kamui dimension. Even someone as fast at the Fourth Raikage could not land a hit on Obito. If that were not enough, Obito took control of Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, and he could use his Sharingan to control a Tailed Beast.
Itachi Uchiha Possessed A Powerful Mangekyo Sharingan And Virtually Unbeatable Susanoo
The Uchiha Clan is one of the most feared and powerful clans in history, and Itachi was viewed as a true prodigy. He mastered the base Sharingan by his eleventh birthday and awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan a year later. He was the youngest ninja to ever join the Leaf Village's Anbu. By the time he was 16, Itachi was already strong enough to take on Kage-level ninjas.
When Orochimaru attempted to steal his body, Itachi easily defeated him, and even severed the Sannin's left hand. Itachi could trap others in a powerful time-altering genjutsu, or incinerate others with the black flames of Amaterasu. His Susanoo could take on a Tailed Beast, and it was said to be invincible because it wielded an ethereal sword that could pierce anything. It also had a shield that could reflect any attack. Itachi sacrificed everything to protect the Leaf Village, which is something only a Hokage is expected to do.
Madara Uchiha Is A Legendary Ninja Who Can Easily Beat The Five Kage
The argument can be made that Madara is the strongest Uchiha in history. It is hard to dispute this claim since he only lost to Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, whose skills earned him the God of Shinobi title. Madara co-founded the Hidden Leaf Village, and Hashirama wanted him to become Hokage, but he Hashirama was ultimately chosen because he was more popular.
Madara's power is so great that he is one of the few Naruto characters who can wipe out a country. He demonstrated this legendary power during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he wiped out thousands of ninja singlehandedly with his Rinnegan. Madara's Susanoo was comparable to a Tailed Beast, as a single swing of its sword could destroy entire mountains. He quickly subdued all of the Tailed Beasts during the war, and he easily defeated the Five Kage when he decided to get serious.
