# Why Kakashi Chose to Train Sasuke

So, what was Kakashi’s reason for not training young Naruto? Why did he choose to focus on Sasuke instead, making Naruto feel neglected and unfairly treated?

In truth, Kakashi’s decision to focus on Sasuke was based on a direct request from Jiraiya. After returning to Konoha from his long travels, Jiraiya met with Kakashi to discuss an important matter. He asked Kakashi for permission to take responsibility for Naruto’s training, even though the Third Hokage had previously assigned Kakashi to oversee Naruto. According to Jiraiya, Kakashi’s abilities at that time would not be enough to protect Naruto alone.

When Kakashi asked for an explanation, Jiraiya revealed that he had been monitoring Orochimaru’s movements ever since his former comrade left the village. Initially, Jiraiya had left to investigate because he feared that Orochimaru might attack Konoha sooner or later. The situation became even more concerning when Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki, an organization of nine S-rank shinobi criminals.

Although the Akatsuki had not yet taken any major steps other than some small-scale activities, Jiraiya remained vigilant. His concern stemmed from the fact that every member of the Akatsuki was listed in the Bingo Book as an extremely dangerous S-rank criminal. Jiraiya believed that if the Akatsuki gathered together, their objective would undoubtedly lead to a catastrophic event.

Jiraiya explained that while Orochimaru had left the Akatsuki, the organization remained a significant threat as they began moving in pairs across different regions to capture and collect Biju. One of their primary targets was the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto, as it possessed the strongest chakra among all the Biju. This was why Jiraiya requested Kakashi’s permission to take care of Naruto for the time being.

Jiraiya also advised Kakashi to focus on training Sasuke, especially since Kakashi had experience with the Sharingan and needed to teach Sasuke how to control it effectively—a crucial skill in facing major threats like the Akatsuki.

This might explain why Kakashi chose to prioritize training Sasuke over Naruto at that time. Additionally, during the Chunin Exams, Kakashi once mentioned to Guy that Sasuke reminded him of himself. This further fueled his decision to focus on Sasuke’s training.