The hero accidentally helping the bad guys is a trope that can be done exceptionally well in a shonen series. It makes the bad guys look smart, capable of manipulating the heroes into unwittingly doing their bidding. It's part of what made Naruto so interesting, with so many villains taking advantage of the heroes and their circumstances to further their own nefarious goals.
While Sasuke might've been the series' biggest victim in this regard with how Obito manipulating him for much of the latter half of Shippuden, even the protagonist, Naruto, had moments where he inadvertently did exactly what the Akatsuki wanted him to do.
10 His Birth Helped Eliminate The Fourth Hokage
Initially, the sacrifice that Minato and Kushina made helped halt Obito's plans, snatching away his chance at the Nine-Tails. In reality, it was a blessing in disguise. It allowed Obito to be rid of one of the strongest ninja alive in the form of Minato and ensured that Naruto would live a life without any parents. It's a win-win for the true leader of Akatsuki, who only needed to continue buying his time until it was the right time to strike again.
9 His Growth As A Ninja Forced Sasuke To Reach Out To Orochimaru For Power
While Itachi was always Sasuke's overriding focus, the fact that Naruto was surpassing him got on his nerves. He knew if he couldn't even keep up with someone like Naruto, there was no hope of him ever beating his brother. This lust for power led him into the clutches of Orochimaru, who led him down a dark path to become the ninja he was in the latter half of the series. That, in turn, helped Obito's plans as Sasuke helped fill out the ranks of the Akatsuki leading into the war.
8 The Change In Gaara's Attitude Made Him Easier To Catch
By and large, the shift in Gaara's personality was for the best, turning him into a well-rounded character rather than someone who killed without emotion. It's one of the well-executed character developments in Naruto. From the Akatsuki's standpoint, it also made their job far easier. While Gaara being a Kazekage gave him a better standing in the village, it also meant he had a glaring weakness that could be exploited. He'd always try to protect the village, which was something he never would have worried about without Naruto's words.
7 His Overly Reliance On Kurama's Chakra Inched Him Closer To Losing Control
When he was younger, Naruto relied on Kurama's chakra all the time. It was his go-to way of getting out of a problem, and even Jiraiya tried to get him to tap into it more during their training.
This over-reliance kept inching him closer and closer to getting fully taken over by the tailed beast, something that would have greatly benefitted the Akatsuki, given Obito's Sharingan. On several occasions, he nearly killed his allies while under the influence of Kurama's chakra.
6 He Allowed Deidara To Escape While In A Fit Of Rage
After Deidara managed to defeat Gaara, he was pursued by Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi got to reveal Kamui, and Naruto showed how reckless he was when his friends were in danger. After he saw the condition Gaara was in, he snapped into a fit of rage, attacking Deidara as if he were a rabid animal. Just like a mindless beast, Naruto didn't realize he was attacking a clone, allowing the real Deidara to escape from their grasp.
5 His Unwillingness To Kill Sasuke Gave The Akatsuki A Weakness To Exploit
Naruto's biggest weakness was never his intelligence or that he was extremely hotheaded. It was his love of Sasuke, something that Obito tried to manipulate when he helped turn Sasuke against Konoha. He was always Obito's ace in the hole to eliminate Naruto if the time ever came since he knew Naruto would never harm the person he viewed as a brother. The manipulation would have worked too, had it not been for Itachi stepping in to set his brother straight.
4 Kabuto Was Inspired By Naruto To Surpass Orochimaru & Led Him To Help Bolster Obito's Forces
It's hard to say how Obito would have fared in his war without Kabuto's help. The white Zetsu were designed for infiltration and to be high enough in numbers that they would overwhelm others, but they lacked power.
Additional power came from Kabuto's contribution of resurrecting the dead to fight on their behalf, giving Obito a far better chance of actually succeeding. All of that can be attributed to Naruto, who helped inspire Kabuto to surpass his former master, Orochimaru.
3 Naruto Almost Handed The Akatsuki The Nine-Tails On A Silver Platter
Naruto's battle with Pain served several purposes for the Akatsuki, but the most important one was to capture the tailed beast. While Pain didn't manage to finish the deed, he pushed Naruto so hard that he nearly gave the Akatsuki the Nine-Tails on a silver platter. After Hinata's apparent death, he unleashed his six-tails form and hit as high as eight after getting caught with Chibaku Tensai. If it weren't for Minato's timely arrival, Naruto would have given full control to Kurama.
2 Earning Enough Of Itachi's Trust To Receive A Special Crow, Which Led To Kabuto's Defeat
Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation proved helpful to Obito, but it was only ever meant as a stalling technique before he could retrieve the eight and nine-tailed beasts. The reason for this is that it brought back Madara, a man that Obito had no intention of ever reviving himself. It's why Itachi's special crow came in handy, allowing him to break free and defeat Kabuto with Izanami, even if it meant losing Sasuke as a pawn in the process.
1 Naruto & Killer Bee Leaving The Island Brought Obito's Targets To Him
One of the few instances that Naruto knowingly helped Akatsuki was when he left the island to join the war alongside Killer B. The decision brought the tailed beasts to the battlefield, giving Obito & Madara exactly what they wanted. It's admittedly a double-edged sword as the joint shinobi force never would have won without them, but it did also allow for the Ten-Tails to be completed. In the end, it worked out for Naruto and the Allied Forces, but it did still help in progressing Obito's plans.
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