Naruto uzumaki

Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a shinobifrom Konohagakure. He became the jinchūriki of Kurama on the day of his birth, a fate that caused him to be ostracised by most of Konoha throughout his childhood. After becoming a member of Team Kakashi, Naruto works hard to gain the village's respect and acknowledgement with the eventual dream of becoming Hokage. In the years that follow, Naruto becomes a capable ninja and eventually becomes regarded as a hero, both by the villagers and the shinobi world at large.

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Background

A newborn Naruto with his mother Kushina.

Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Kurama's second jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto's parents named him after the main character ofJiraiya's first book, thus making the Sannin his godfather.[8]Prior to Naruto's birth, his parents and the Third HokageHiruzen Sarutobi feared that his birth would break the seal which kept Kurama in Kushina. The plan to ensure it did not occur was for Kushina to be taken to a top-secret location outside the village with Biwako Sarutobi and Taji as her midwives, a few ANBU as security, and Minato to keep the seal in place. However, word of Kushina giving birth reached amasked ninja who intended to take the fox for his own evil ends. After killing the midwives and ANBU, the masked man took the newborn Naruto hostage to keep Minato away from Kushina so he can release the seal.[9]

Minato and Kushina protecting Naruto from Kurama.

Though Naruto was taken to a safer location, the masked ninja succeeded in releasing Kurama and used it to devastate Konoha. After saving Kushina, Minato left Naruto with her as he went off to save their village.[9] Having severed the

masked ninja's control over the tailed beast, Minato realised the only way to stop Kurama was to seal it within Naruto, believing that his son would someday have need of the fox's power to defeat the masked ninja when he returned.[10] However, Kurama's chakra was too immense for the seal to hold, forcing Minato to first weaken the demon, splitting its Yin and Yang chakra, sealing the former into the Hokage himself and the latter into his son. This great effort came at the price of Minatosacrificing his soul as well as Kushina taking a fatal blow from the fox meant for their son. Suddenly orphaned, Naruto was left to grow up knowing nothing of his parents, receiving only his mother's last name as Hiruzen believed it was best that nobody knew that he was related to the Fourth Hokage.[11] Despite Minato's final request to Hiruzen for the villagers to see Naruto as a hero who had helped defeat Kurama, only the Third Hokage and a few of the villagers honoured his request. Everyone else instead resented him for containing the beast that had destroyed their home, some even seeing him as the fox itself.

Furthermore, Hiruzen made a decree to prohibit any mention of Naruto's nature as a jinchĹŤriki in the hope that the other children would not resent him. However, even without knowing the reason, most of the children followed their parents' example and shunned Naruto.[12] The social isolation would cause Naruto to develop a need to be acknowledged through mischief.

Naruto as a child.

Naruto later enrolled at the Academy. In the anime, one day, he was confronted

by Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka,Shikamaru Nara, and ChĹ?ji Akimichi. They accused him of making someone named Yota, who was a stranger to the village, disappear. Seeing them look at him with such distrust like the rest of the village, Naruto grew furious and ran away, so angry that people would like even an outsider over him. He then heard a young boy crying who strangely appeared to control the weather, making it rain with his tears. Naruto then realised this boy must be Yota. Immediately taking a liking to Naruto, the young boy asked him to teach him how to whistle like he saw Naruto do earlier. As Naruto began teaching him, the two soon became close friends. Later, Naruto and Yota began playing

along with other the Konoha children that knew about Yota. One day, while playing a game of hiding, Yota insisted to hide with Naruto. When Naruto told him to hide somewhere else, Yota mistakenly thought Naruto didn't like him anymore and ran away crying. His crying caused another rainshower, which alerted the ANBU. As they took Yota captive, Naruto and the others tried to stop the ANBU, but to no success.[13] Determined to save his first ever friend, Naruto and the others staged a plan with Naruto acting as a diversion. Despite finding Yota, the ANBU easily foiled their plan. Naruto quickly joined his friends, refusing to let Yota be kept prisoner.

Seeing how much Naruto cared for him and then got struck down by the ANBU, Yota summoned bolts of lightning to knock the ANBU out. Greatly weakened by the act, Naruto carried Yota out of the village with the others, determined to bring him to freedom. Upon reaching a river, unable to walk over it yet, they chose to swim.

Their attempts proved futile and nearly drowned, only to be saved by Yota. Having overtaxed himself, Yota felt his life fading. Happy to have had friends, Yota didn't want them to suffer with this sad memory and erased all knowledge of him from their minds.[14]

Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry during their childhood.

Naruto eventually became the student of Iruka Umino and met his class mateSasuke Uchiha when the two were paired to spar against each other. Though excited at the chance to achieve popularity by beating Sasuke, Naruto was easily beaten. By looking at Sasuke's eyes, Naruto realised that they were filled with hatred, even though it wasn't directed at him. When Iruka told them to make the reconciliation seal, they both refused.[15] Since then, Naruto came to see Sasuke as a rival and intended to beat him. When Naruto found out that Sasuke was also an orphan, he was secretly happy for not being the only one alone and wanted to talk to him, but couldn't because of his jealousy toward Sasuke's skills.[16] Still, Naruto wished that someday, Sasuke would acknowledge him as an equal.[17] In the anime, when Naruto pulled a prank on a group of boys for not being invited to their "test of courage", he refused to return to the Academy after being glared at by Iruka with the same resentful stare everyone else gives him. Later, Naruto was tricked by the boys' leader, Hibachi, to get himself killed by enemy ninja in the hills. Learning of this, Iruka ended up saving Naruto from a trio of Takigakure

kunoichi before Kakashi Hatake dispatched their pursuers. Soon after, Naruto began attending class again at the time that Iruka, who now acted as a surrogate brother to keep the boy in line, gave a lecture on the Will of Fire that inspired Naruto to become the next Hokage someday to achieve the acknowledgement he is striving for.[18] Apart from Hiruzen and Iruka, Naruto also found a surrogate family with the owner of Ramen Ichiraku, Teuchi and his daughter Ayame to some extent.

Personality

Naruto's Ninja Registration Form photograph.

Naruto is exuberant, brash, inattentive, and heedless to formality or social standings. He inherited his catch-phrase "Dattebayo!" (だってばよ!) from his mother, who would say "(da)ttebane" ((だ)ってばね) when excited or frustrated.[19] Naruto has a number of childish traits, like keeping his money in a chubby, green-frog wallet he affectionately calls "Gama-chan",[20] being a very picky eater (he almost exclusively eats ramen and is a frequent customer at theRamen Ichiraku), and being afraid of ghosts. He is also slightly perverted, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura Haruno and Iruka, but has only become more peverted after meeting his mentor Jiraiya, causing many to say that Jiraiya raised a perfect replica of himself.[21] However, whenever someone dear to him is in trouble or the situation calls for it, Naruto can be very serious, and will instantly try to come to their aid.

According to Kakashi, Naruto learns through his body, as he is relatively naive, simple, and being slow to understand a principle or situation, which often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp what is being explained to him.[22] Overall, Naruto responds best to competition and has a great deal of selfconfidence, loudly proclaiming that he will master whatever technique he is learning within a fraction of the usual time,[23] though he doesn't hesitate to ask for help if he needs it.[24] While as naive as he appears to be throughout most of the series, Naruto has proven to have a keen eye to certain things most people don't see, showing that he can be smarter than what most people, especially Sakura, are willing to give him credit for when he wants to be, something

even ChĹ?ji comments on once in a while. This was shown when Naruto was the first to notice the differences in Sai's book,[25] later helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message left fromFukasaku on his back and managed to help solve the message through Kakashi's Icha Icha book.[26] He is also quite observant in regards to other people's feelings (though he was oblivious of Hinata's love for him until she confessed her feelings to him) and is able to perceive the truth from people's intentions, such as when Sakura claimed she loved him and not Sasuke any more, Naruto immediately knew she was lying about how she felt, having witnessed her most extreme and inimitable signs of love for Sasuke.[27] Naruto also saw through Iruka's lie about a new wild creature on the Island Turtle they were on by remembering Motoi stating that B had tamed all the animals on the island.[28]

Naruto making a promise in the "nice guy" pose.

Due to the prejudice and loneliness he suffered in his childhood, Naruto developed a craving for acknowledgement. In order to achieve this, Naruto would pull pranks all around the village and even going far as strive for the title of Hokage. Even after graduating from the Academy, Naruto was still determined to be recognised, but as he made more and more connections with others, his reasons for wanting to become Hokage underwent a change, having less to do with the desire for recognition, and more to do with wanting the strength to protect his home and the people close to him. As noted by Tobi, Naruto possessed the Will of Fire, likening him to Hashirama Senju in this aspect.[29] Naruto's determination and drive strongly impacts the lives of those around him, even his enemies have been affected by his empathy. Both Kakashi and Temari referred to Naruto's amazing charisma as a "unique power" that allows him to change the worldly views of others for the better, usually by helping them regain the beliefs they lost due to certain tragedies they suffered.[30][31] Son GokĹŤ also thought of him as an open and honest person.[32] Like Guy and Rock Lee, when Naruto makes a promise, he assumes the "nice guy pose" and becomes dedicated to fulfilling it, as shown in his promise to Sakura of bringing Sasuke back after the latter defected from Konoha.[33] Even Madara saw Naruto as the "heart" of the Allied Shinobi Forces,

further proven when Naruto's senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode combined with telepathy causes his emotions and personal memories to be transferred to everyone, he managed to reignite their fighting spirit after being demoralised by the Shinju where Hashirama couldn't.[34] Hashirama goes as far as to stating that Naruto's feelings and past gave hope to the Allied Shinobi Forces.[35] Sasuke's defection shocked Naruto to his core, but he never wavered in his resolve to bring him back to Konoha. When his teacher Jiraiya was killed in battle by the Akatsuki leader Pain, he vowed vengeance against the man and left Konoha for a time to train in senjutsu.[36] Upon returning home after Pain destroyed the village and succumbing to rage, he met and spoke with his father, who explained to him the cycle of hatred and entrusted him with the duty of saving the ninja world from its hate.[37] After listening to Nagato's story of how hatred can shape a person and the world into darkness, Naruto vowed he would end the cycle of hatred and bring peace to the ninja world.[38] This decision, however, would come in direct opposition in his quest to bring Sasuke home, something that at first saddened him deeply.[39] Nevertheless, after meeting again in the Land of Iron, Naruto resolved that if he had to, he would fight and potentially kill his friend to end the cycle of hatred and save Sasuke from despair, even if it costs his own life.[40] When he discovered that the Fourth Shinobi World War had started, Naruto made it his mission to end the war all by himself, so no one else would suffer.[41] He continued to do so until his battle with the reincarnated Nagato and Itachi Uchiha.

After the fight, even though Itachi acknowledged Naruto had become stronger, he explained to Naruto that if he continued to believe that he could do everything alone, he would become arrogant like Madara. Itachi also said that if Naruto were to become Hokage, he should never forget his friends or do everything on his own.[42] Afterwards, Naruto acknowledged his shortcomings in his attempts to do things himself, and allowed others to help him instead of shouldering burdens himself. Due to this, Naruto takes up more of a leadership role, which he demonstrates throughout the course of the war as he successfully leads the counter attack on the White Zetsu Army, the charge against Tobi, who he later unmasks as Obito Uchiha, as well as leading the charge against Obito, Madara Uchiha himself, and even the Ten-Tails, ultimately freeing the tailed beasts by leading the entire Allied Shinobi Forces and theKonoha 11 personally.[43] Expressing disapproval on Obito's nihilistic outlook on life, Naruto declares to Obito that he would not let him kill any of his comrades.[44] As a result, Obito resolved to put both him and the Allied Shinobi Forces into the same despair he

experienced, namely by killing one of Naruto's friends, Neji Hyūga. This, along with Obito's diatribe towards Naruto and his beliefs, drove the young shinobi into a period of mental and emotional turmoil. Although nearly succumbing to Obito's temptation, Naruto was brought out of his depression by Hinata, who explained to him the meaning of Neji's last words that his life was not just his own, restoring his self-confidence as he thanked her for staying by his side.[45] Soon after, Naruto tells Kakashi and his comrades that he clearly understands that shinobi are meant to endure, believing that if remembering his friends was a curse, he would gladly shoulder that burden and keep the real Neji in his heart forever.[46] This shows how far Naruto has come as a shinobi and that he is above Obito's psychological warfare, telling him that unlike Obito, he wants to maintain the bonds he made with his friends. His dedication to his loved ones and comrades is so great, that even while fighting, his chakra responds to his subconscious desire to save them by healing them on its own.[47]

Dark Naruto

Dark Naruto.

After Killer B refused to train Naruto, Motoi guided Naruto and Yamato to theFalls of Truth, the place where B trained to control Gyūki's power. He instructed Naruto to sit on a platform and close his eyes. Soon after, Dark Naruto (闇ナルト, Yami Naruto), the manifestation of the hatred that existed within Naruto's heart, appeared, berating Naruto for how quickly the people from Konoha changed their ideals about him.[48] Dark Naruto exclaimed that Kurama liked him better and he was the real Naruto while Naruto was an imposter.[49] They started to fight, but after a while, Naruto realised that they both had the same techniques, skills, and tactics. As a result, their fight was a draw and Naruto mentioned that if they continued like this, it would take a very long time to settle it.

He appeared once again after Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth. Instead of fighting, Naruto projected an image from his mind of his autograph signature that he was unable to give to the Konoha shinobi. This angered Dark Naruto, pointing out to Naruto that those people were part of the same villagers who made him suffer as an outcast, telling him that he shouldn't trust them. However, Naruto stated that he trusted the villagers because they were important to him, but what

was also important was that he needed to have faith in himself, so he would have the strength to live up to the villagers' trust in him. Naruto's statement started to weaken Dark Naruto, forcing him to question what was the reason for his existence. Naruto stated that Dark Naruto was really him and thanked Dark Naruto for pushing him to be the person he was now. He hugged Dark Naruto when the latter tried to attack him, telling Dark Naruto that it was all going to be alright.

Letting go of his own anger at their past, Dark Naruto's eyes lightened as he gave into Naruto's words, and disappeared.[50] Later, when Naruto entered his subconscious, Kurama expressed surprise as it could no longer sense any hatred within Naruto, and questioned Naruto about where the "real him" was, to which Naruto replied that the real him was right in front of it.[51] During his battle with Kurama to obtain its power, the fox infected its chakra with its own hatred when Naruto started to gain the upper hand. This partially brought about Dark Naruto again briefly, before Naruto's mother appeared and helped banish him.[52][53]

Relationships Main article: Naruto Uzumaki's RelationshipsDue to his friendly nature and his unique

charisma, Naruto has built many relationships over the course of the series that have defined him and others, even tailed beasts and other jinch큰riki. Many of these relationships started off antagonistic, but through his tenacity and empathy, they developed into deep and lasting friendships.

Appearance

Naruto in Part II (left) and in Part I (right) respectively.

As stated by Jiraiya, Naruto bears a striking resemblance to his father, having Minato's blue eyes and blond, spiky hair.[54] From his mother, Naruto inherited the

shape of both her eyes and face.[55] During the Fourth Shinobi World War,Dan KatĹ? initially mistakes him for Nawaki due to their stark resemblance as well.[56] Naruto's most prominent physical characteristics, however, are the whisker marks on his face. Probably Naruto's most regularly mentioned trait before the second half of the series (which easily provoked him) was his short stature for his age.[57] After the time skip, he had a noticeably significant growth spurt which made him taller than his team-mate, Sakura.[58] In Part I, Naruto's outfit consisted of an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as around the waist, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red Uzumaki swirl crest on the back, a large white collar, orange pants with a shuriken holster attached to his right knee (due to being right-handed), blue sandals, and a blue forehead protector that was given to him by Iruka after he graduated from the Academy. Naruto would usually wear a black T-shirt inside his tracksuit, but sometimes wore armour underneath his clothing.[59] During his early childhood, Naruto would usually wear a T-shirt (white, navy green or black) that had either an Uzumaki or fire symbol on the front, also wearing a pair of shorts.

He also donned green goggles that he wore on his forehead sometimes.

Naruto as he appeared during his battle with Pain.

In Part II, Naruto's outfit undergoes modification after being worn to shreds during his training with Jiraiya.[60] The outfit retains the orange colour as well as the white (without the tassel) and red swirls, but the jacket is much more form fitting with the blue parts changed to black and the colour extending from around the neck and shoulders, down the front and sleeves. The forehead protector has also changed with Naruto moving the metal portion to a new longer black bandanna and he wears black sandals instead of blue. Naruto occasionally is seen wearing a navy green T-shirt with a fire symbol and white shorts on casual days or his off-

duty days from missions. During his battle with Pain, Naruto briefly sported a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern along the hemline and carried a large summoning scroll on his back. After meeting Hagoromo ĹŒtsutsuki, who transfered half of his power to Naruto, he gained a light circle mark on his right palm.