Naruto: How old was Kakashi when Minato died? Explained

Kakashi Hatake is one of the few characters in the expansive Naruto universe that have won the hearts of fans. Kakashi is well known for his mysterious personality and strong abilities, and his rise from a young prodigy to the position of Sixth Hokage is nothing short of amazing.

Since the first arc, when he assumed the role of Team 7's sensei, the character has played a crucial role in the series.

While he was still fairly young at the time, given that Naruto is now the father of a 12-year-old boy named Boruto, his sensei must have aged considerably, allowing fans to speculate as to how old he was on the tragic night that Naruto was born.

Disclaimer: This article will contain spoilers for the anime and character fates mentioned therein. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

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Naruto: Exploring the age of Kakashi Hatake during Minato's demise

The beginning of Kakashi Hatake's story was tragic. He graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of five and showed incredible skill right away. But unfortunately, his father Sakumo Hatake, a well-known ninja, killed himself soon after, he was admitted to the academy.

It was discovered that Sakumo passed away about the time Kakashi turned four.

After his father passed away, Kakashi put all of his efforts into being a merciless ninja, in contrast to his father. Kakashi became a chunin at the age of nine. He later led his first mission alongside Rin, Obito, and Minato.

Kakashi's life changed dramatically after the incident on the Kannabi Bridge.

During the mission, The Fourth Hokage informed Obito that Sakumo had passed away five years ago. This information suggests that Kakashi was elevated to the rank of Jounin at the age of 9, which was five years after the unexpected death of Sakumo.

Kakashi spent a strange period honing his abilities while in the Anbu Black Ops. He joined the covert group at the age of 12 or 13, making him one of its youngest members, according to the Kakashi Anbu arc.

Kakashi should have been between the ages of 13 and 14 when Obito and the Nine-Tails assaulted the Village after serving for the Anbu for a year or two.

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An alternate way to calculate Kakashi's age during Minato's demise

To determine Kakashi's age when Minato died, we need to establish the timeline of significant events. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's son, was 17 years old. About two and a half years had passed since Naruto finished his rigorous training with Jiraiya, a famous Sannin.

When Kakashi founded team 7 under his leadership, Kakashi and Naruto were, respectively, 26 and 14, plus or minus a year. We can determine that Minato's passing took place 17 years prior to the Fourth Great Ninja War based on the fact that the Nine-Tails raid on Konoha took place on the day that Naruto was born.

Consequently, Kakashi would have been between the ages of 13 and 14 at the time.

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How did the Fourth Hokage die?

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died heroically during the Nine-Tails and Obito's attack on Konoha. As Kurama attacked people while under the influence of Obito's Sharingan, Minato reacted quickly to save the villagers.

He made the ultimate sacrifice to save the town and its future. He used the forbidden jutsu called the Dead Demon Consuming Seal method to seal the Yang portion of Kurama's Chakra with his newborn son Naruto.

Unfortunately, this act led to his own demise.

Minato's sacrifice ensured the protection of Konoha from the devastating rampage of the Nine-Tails. As a result, his son became a Jinjuriki, enabling him to harness the power of the Nine-Tails and safeguard the Village in the years to come.

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