Over the course of Naruto's run, viewers have been acquainted with several missing-nin from almost every single shinobi village. Missing-nin or rogue ninja are those shinobi that have defected from their home village, with the intention of never returning and using insider knowledge to possibly harm the nation itself. While all shinobi villages have their fair share of missing-nin, the Hidden Leaf seems to have the highest number.

Almost every single rogue ninja is truly a force to be reckoned with, a fact that is apparent from their strength and the ability to wade off attempts of their home villages to capture them. From the likes of Orochimaru to defectors such as Deidera, these missing-nin have proven to be in a league of their own. Determining the strongest rogue ninja from each village can shed light on how well they fare within their own nations, and the disparity in power between all shinobi villages.

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Hidden Sand Village – Sasori

Since the Hidden Sand itself gets minimal screen time, missing-nin belonging to the Sand are rather rare. The only known rogue shinobi from the Sand is Sasori, making him the strongest missing-nin of his nation by default. However, his feats on the battlefield and his unmatched strength would have landed him this title regardless.

Even before his defection, Sasori was one of the Sand’s strongest shinobi, renowned for his combat skill during the Third Great Ninja War. The sheer number of shinobi that died by his hands etched the sand with a bright red hue, earning him the title of Sasori of the Red Sand.

Hidden Hotspring Village – Hidan

The Village Hidden in Hotsprings is a small nation somewhere within the Naruto world, with little to no impact on the political landscape of the world. Hidan is the only known shinobi in the series belonging to this village, making him the strongest missing-nin as well. With his belief in the god Jashin, Hidan attained immortality and became an undying force.

While immortality may have served as his greatest strength, Hidan’s ability to paralyze his foes simply by licking their blood furthered the notion of his unrivaled power. It took an elaborate scheme by Shikamaru to entrap him for all eternity since there was no counter to his permanence.

Hidden Rain Village – Nagato

The constant turmoil and power struggle within the Hidden Rain led many shinobi to defect from the despair-ridden nation. Out of these missing-nin, Nagato is arguably the strongest one owing to his Rinnegan and Six Paths powers. His powers need no introduction as he was able to single-handedly take on the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Some may argue that Nagato himself ruled over the Hidden Rain, making it impossible to deem him a missing-nin. However, Nagato revolted against the de facto leader of the Hidden Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander, and went as far as slashing his own forehead protector. He eventually overthrew the leadership and forcibly took control of the Hidden Rain. While he was able to settle in as the ruler of the Hidden Rain Village, his path of being a defector deems him a missing-nin.

Hidden Stone Village – Deidara

Similar to the Hidden Sand, the Hidden Stone Village received minimal screen time, resulting in fans being acquainted with only a few shinobi. Therefore, the only known missing-nin from the Hidden Stone is Deidera. Before defecting from his nation, Deidera also stole the Stone’s secret forbidden technique, which allows the user to knead substances out of one’s own chakra.

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Coupled with his barrage of explosive techniques, Deidera is truly an unstoppable force. He was later recruited by the Akatsuki due to his absurd strength. Deidera was also able to take down the Kazekage all by himself, a feat that showcases the overwhelming nature of his explosions. Despite eventually being defeated in battle, he was able to leave a mark in the world with his explosive art.

Hidden Mist Village – Kisame

The Hidden Mist Village has been the most volatile nation out of the Five Great Nations, resulting in hoards of shinobi defecting from the Mist. Several missing-nin such as Zabuza and Juzo were known for their strength, yet they still pale in comparison to Kisame’s raw power.

Before abandoning his home village, Kisame also stole Samehada, one of the Mist Blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Coupled with his almost infinite chakra reserves, Kisame is truly a beast on the battlefield. Obito acknowledged Kisame’s strength and persuaded him to join the Akatsuki.

Hidden Grass Village – Karin

The Hidden Grass Village is one of the smaller nations in the series, and only a few of its shinobi have been introduced in the series. However, the nation technically has one missing-nin, Karin. While Karin did not originally belong to the Grass Village, she was taken in by the nation due to her unique healing powers.

Karin may not be the strongest in terms of combat, but her resourcefulness and healing abilities make her a somewhat capable fighter. Her ability to sense chakra and fully heal allies with one bite make her an incredible support as well.

Hidden Waterfall Village – Kakuzu

The Hidden Waterfall Village is another minor player in Naruto’s political landscape, though it once used to hold considerable importance. The Hidden Waterfall has had a few deserters, with more details in an anime-only episode. However, Kakuzu remains the strongest missing-nin from this village, largely due to the power he gained from the Earth Grudge Fear technique.

With the Earth Grudge Fear, Kakuzu can extend needle-like appendages from his body and sever his own limbs at will. This further allows him to steal organs from other humans and integrate them into his own body, prolonging his own lifespan. Through this method of plundering human bodies, Kakuzu was able to achieve a sort of pseudo-immortality, though it was cut short by the efforts of Team 10 and Kakashi.

Hidden Cloud Village – Kinkaku and Ginkaku

The Hidden Cloud is the only village among the Five Great Nations to not have any of its rogue ninja join the Akatsuki. However, that certainly doesn’t imply that the village lacked missing-nin as plenty of shinobi have deserted the Hidden Cloud. The strongest would be the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

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Since the two are a duo and have comparable power levels, it's safe to say that Kinkaku and Ginkaku tie for the position of the Cloud’s strongest missing-nin. The two were able to get their hands on the Sage of Six Paths’ weapons and have the Nine-Tails’ chakra within them, turning the duo into a monstrous force. The two were also able to take down the Second Hokage Tobirama, a feat that deems them as Kage-level shinobi.

Hidden Leaf Village – Madara Uchiha

Out of all the nations in the Naruto series, the Hidden Leaf has witnessed the largest number of rogue ninja. However, this is largely due to the Leaf being the series’ main setting, leading to fans being acquainted with several of these defectors. The most notable names among these traitors are Orochimaru, Sasuke, Obito, and Itachi. While these missing-nin are truly unrivaled and boast unfathomable strength, they pale in comparison to Madara Uchiha, the very first defector of the Hidden Leaf.

In his lifetime, Madara was the most powerful Uchiha and the only shinobi able to go toe to toe against Hashirama Senju. After being brought back by the Edo Tensei and Rinne-Rebirth, Madara became an undefeatable being that none could stop. Considering his Ten-Tails form and the ability to cast an infinite genjutsu, it's safe to say that Madara Uchiha is the strongest missing-nin from the Hidden Leaf Village.

Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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