Originally posted by: Crows_Kill
I think its been said before, but it does bear repeating- Naruto does not follow a strict "power level" arrangement when it comes to the power of the characters.
If they did start that, I think it woul really detract from the series. Alot of the coments from characters about how strong they/their oppenents are reflect their own perceptions of how strong they think they are, not strict "im lvl 3500 he's lvl 4000, theres no way i can win" type comparisons. Thats one way I enjoy naruto- the characters are more human and falable than most comic or manga characters. They tend to underestimate their own abilities and over estimate their oppenents- none of this "I'm greater and I'll hold back to make the fight interesting" bs (except for a few scenes with kakashi and oro, but they could both arguably be called the 2 most arrogant characters of the series, god love them both).
The only true test of the characters would be if kishimoto would actauly write a fight between them. Story wise, I think it would depend alot on how rested the characters are, the circumstances of the fight and who got the drop on who, alot like a real fight. Not just whos jutsu is greater.
Of course everyone has their favorites and are going to post :"insert-favorite-ninja 0wns j00 n00bs" as well, but only time and kishimot will tell.