Board Thread:Rebirth: Applications/@comment-25152698-20141023004640/@comment-25152698-20141024231835

Yes, they are the strongest. And like I said, (maybe I wasn't clear enough, or didn't elaborate on it enough) Jouzai stood out with his Aroma Release. For one, it was an odd kekkei genkai to possess, something that Orochimaru had never seen before. This allowed Jouzai to take his opponents by surprise, something Orochimaru took advantage of, by having Jouzai complete a few personal tasks for him every now and then, such as missions to acquire certain items from certain places, abductions, etc.

Overtime, Jouzai proved himself superiror to the sound four, despite initially being labeled inferior and being placed on a much less regarded Sound Three. (This shows his progress)

Also, he received his curse seal rather late, in terms of age when compared to the other two. Sasuke was 12, Kimimaro was 15 at the time of his death. Jouzai's rather respective chakra reserves, as well as the fact that his body was more mature than Sasuke and Kimimaro's due to his age, and going through puberty and stuff, he was ready for it. Not to mention Jouzai was one of the earlier ones to contract the seal, it may have even been used on him for testing purposes, similar to Anko.