Наруто Узумаки

Naruto Uzumaki[1][2][3]



(うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto)
Child of the Prophecy (予言の子, Yogen no Ko)
Konoha's Orange Hokage (木ノ葉のオレンジ火影, Konoha no Orenji Hokage)
Debut (Manga)
Chapter #1
Debut (Anime)
Naruto Episode #1
Debut (movie)
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Debut (video game)
Naruto: Clash of Ninja
Debut (OVA)
Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!
Appears in
Anime, Manga, Game and Movie
Voice actor(s) (English)
Maile Flanagan
Stephanie Sheh (Sexy Technique)
Seiyū (Japanese)
Junko Takeuchi
Ema Kogure (Oiroke no Jutsu)
Voice actor(s) (Spanish)
Isabel Martiñon (Latin America)
Voix française(s) (French)
Carole Baillien

Personal
Birthdate
October 10
Gender
Male
Age Part I: 12-13
Part II: 15-16
Height Part I: 145.3 cm-147.5 cm
Part II: 166 cm
Weight Part I: 40.1 kg-40.6 kg
Part II: 50.9 kg
Blood type
B
Tailed Beast
Nine-Tailed Demon Fox (Forms)
Classification
Jinchūriki, Sage
Affiliation
Konohagakure
Mount Myōboku
Team
Team Kakashi
Sasuke Retrieval Team
Eight Man Squad
Team One (Anime only)

Rank
Ninja Rank
Genin
Ninja Registration
012607
Academy Grad. Age
12

Loyalty
Clan
Uzumaki Clan
[hide]
Family

Minato Namikaze (Father)
Kushina Uzumaki (Mother)
Jiraiya (Godfather)

[hide]
Nature Type

Wind (Affinity)

[hide]
Jutsu

All Directions Shuriken
Clone Body Blow
Combination Transformation
Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet (Anime only)
Frog Kata
Great Ball Rasengan
Harem Technique
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique
New Sexy Technique (Manga only)
Nine-Tailed Fox Sonic Roar
One Thousand Years of Death
Rasengan
Red Chakra Arms
Sage Art: Great Ball Rasengan
Sage Art: Super Great Ball Rasen Tarengan (Manga only)
Sage Art: Super Great Ball Rasengan (Manga only)
Sage Mode
Sage Technique: Rasenrengan
Sexy Technique
Shadow Clone Technique
Shadow Shuriken Technique
Spinning Heel Drop (Anime only)
Spiralling Super Large Group Spheres (Manga only)
Summoning Technique (Toads)
Typhoon Water Vortex Technique
Uzumaki Formation (Anime only)
Uzumaki Naruto Combo
Uzumaki Naruto Two Thousand Combo
Wind Release: Rasengan
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken
Wind Release: Toad Gun (Anime only)
Wind Release: Toad Oil Bullet (Anime only)
Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet (Anime only)

[hide]
Weapons

Fūma Shuriken
Hidden Kunai Mechanism



Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is the title character and main protagonist of the series. Although he is only a genin of Konohagakure, he is trained in the art of senjutsu and thus is one of the village's most powerful ninja. He is the only son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, a member of Team Kakashi, the godson and student of Jiraiya, and the third jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Contents [show]

Background

Naruto as a baby.

Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and the Nine-Tails' second jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki. Before his birth, they had decided to name him after the main character in Jiraiya's first book, hoping their son would be as great a ninja as the character was, making Jiraiya Naruto's godfather.[4]

Prior to Naruto's birth, his parents knew that the seal that kept the Nine-Tails within Kushina would be in danger of breaking during childbirth, so they set up a plan to prevent that from ever happening. Kushina was taken a short distance outside of the village to give birth in secret, with Biwako Sarutobi and Taji as her midwives, a few ANBU as security, and with Minato keeping the seal in place. Immediately after Kushina gave birth, Madara Uchiha appeared and took Naruto hostage, demanding Minato to step away from Kushina or he would kill the newborn child. Madara then threw Naruto into the air, forcing Minato to catch him and transport him to a safer location, allowing Madara to escape with Kushina. By the time Minato could go after Kushina, Madara had already succeeded in removing the Nine-Tails from Kushina.

Fortunately, Kushina (who survived the extraction thanks to her strong vitality) was saved by Minato and brought to Naruto, leaving the weakened mother to care for the sleeping Naruto while Minato went to combat Madara. To save the village, Minato sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tails' Yin chakra within himself, and seal the Yang chakra (as well as imprints of his and Kushina's soul) within Naruto, believing that his son would someday have need of the demon's power to defeat Madara's threat once and for all.[5][6] Suddenly orphaned, Naruto was left to grow up knowing nothing of his parents, receiving only his mother's last name since the Third Hokage felt that it was best that nobody knew that he was related to the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto as a young child.


Before Minato died, he asked that the villagers of Konoha view Naruto as a hero who had helped defeat the Nine-Tails. However, only a few of the villagers honored his request, while most instead resented him for containing the monster that had destroyed their home. In light of this, the Third Hokage decreed that nobody should ever speak of the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto, hoping that their children would not resent him as they did. The children, however, followed their parents' lead, despite not knowing why. Apart from the Third Hokage, Iruka Umino was the only one who acted as a surrogate family to the young Naruto.
Appearance

As stated by Jiraiya, Naruto bears a striking resemblance to his father, possessing Minato's blue irides and spiky blond hair. From his mother, Naruto inherited the shape of his eyes and face. Naruto also has a unique facial birthmark in the form of whiskers, passed on from the demon imprisoned within his mother at the time of his birth. A trait regularly mentioned, that easily angered him, was his short stature for his age. During Part I, he was one of the shortest in his graduating class, second only to Hinata Hyūga. After the timeskip, he had a significant growth spurt that was noticeable to all, dwarfing the kunoichi in his age group.

In Part I, Naruto's outfit consisted of a orange jacket with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as up and down the front, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl on the back, a big white collar, orange pants, blue sandals, and a blue forehead protector that was given to him by Iruka after he graduated from the Ninja Academy. In Part II, Naruto's outfit undergoes modification after being worn to shreds during his training with Jiraiya.[7] The outfit retains the orange color 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 color extending from the upper shoulders area to the sleeves. The forehead protector has also changed with Naruto moving the metal portion to a new longer black bandana and he wears black sandals instead of blue. During his battle with Pain, Naruto briefly sported a red coat that has a combined design of his master and father's before him with a black flaming border at the bottom as well as a large summoning scroll on his back.
Personality

Naruto's room.

Due to the prejudice and loneliness he suffered in his childhood, Naruto developed a craving for acknowledgment. In order to achieve this, Naruto would pull pranks all around the village and even go as far as strive for the title of Hokage. Even after graduating from the academy, Naruto was still determined to be recognized, though as Naruto 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. Because of Naruto's desire to become Hokage, he greatly admires those who have held it. As stated by Madara Uchiha, Naruto is a firm believer in the Will of Fire.

Naruto's exuberant personality and fiery desire for self-improvement strongly impacts the lives of those around him. At the beginning of the series, Naruto befriended Konohamaru Sarutobi, the grandson of the Third Hokage, and it is through his brief tutelage that Konohamaru learned that the path to success is through plenty of hard work. Kakashi Hatake has described this as Naruto's "unique power," as he seems to change the world views of everyone he meets, and inspires courage for the future within them. With this power, Naruto was able to redeem Zabuza Momochi, make Neji Hyūga abandon his view of destiny and inescapable fate, inspire courage in Inari, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyūga, persuade Tsunade to come out of seclusion, change Gaara from the dark demon into one of his closest friends, and even earn the trust of Nagato, the apparent leader of Akatsuki, who was one of the main antagonists of the series. Neji believes that only Naruto can save Sasuke Uchiha from darkness; however, Sasuke and A, the Fourth Raikage are to date the only people Naruto has failed to persuade.

As mentioned above, Naruto is characterized as being hyperactive; he is typically exuberant, easily excitable, and impulsive. This is supported by Asuma Sarutobi in the Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc in the anime, describing Naruto as being the type who doesn't think before acting, similar to Sora. Asuma also identified Naruto's personality type and fighting style, like Sora's, as being a 'power type' (types that are best suited to 'charging straight in') and are best effective in battle when sent in first, in the front to 'clear a path' through the enemy's defensive line, making a way in after them for the rest of the team. While raw power is one of his strengths, Naruto has begun to learn in recent chapters that it is something that he needs to temper with focus in order for it to become truly effective.

According to Kakashi, Naruto is someone who learns through his body. Naruto is relatively naive, being slow to understand a jutsu's principles, and often requiring a dumbing-down of an already dumbed-down analogy in order to grasp what is being explained to him. This assumes he is able to keep his attention long enough, as he commonly seeks to change the subject in light of his ignorance, outwardly insisting that he already gets the concept. Though he retains this confidence in himself to great degrees, loudly proclaiming that he will master whatever technique he is learning in a fraction of the usual time, Naruto will not hesitate to ask for help if he needs it.

As an extension of his naivety, Naruto has a number of childish traits. His pajamas always include a comical black nightcap with eyes and teeth, and he keeps his money in a chubby, green-frog wallet he affectionately calls "Gama-chan." He is also very brash and rarely pays heed to formality or social standings. He almost exclusively eats ramen, and is a frequent customer at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He has only refused ramen on one occasion: when he was stricken by grief over Jiraiya's death.[8] He has a natural affinity for perverted ideas and jutsu, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura as well as Iruka, and which is only brought to new levels after meeting Jiraiya. He also smiles near-constantly, which during his childhood, was to mask the sadness of his lonely life. Those who are closest to him are able to recognize when his smile isn't genuine. Naruto also inherited his catch-phrase "Dattebayo!" (だってばよ！) from his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, who would say "(da)ttebane" (「(だ)ってばね」) when excited or frustrated.

However, when the situation calls for it or when someone dear to him is in trouble, Naruto can be very serious, and will instantly try to come to their aid. This is most commonly seen in the series through his interactions with his team-mates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. With Sasuke, Naruto views him as a brother, and throughout Part II strives to bring him back to Konoha, despite his willing defection from the village. With Sakura, Naruto had a long-standing crush on her, and will do all in his power to make her happy, even if it is at the expense of his own happiness. Sai has indicated that this dedication has progressed to the point of love. Sai also notes that the strain of making Sakura happy and bringing Sasuke home are the source of Naruto's internal pain.

After the loss of his mentor Jiraiya, talking with his own father, and talking to Jiraiya's killer and former pupil, Nagato, Naruto came to understand the downside of revenge, and desired to save Sasuke from it even more. Naruto also tried to stop the Kumo-nin from exacting their revenge against Sasuke, for this would only create a cycle of hatred. It appeared that Naruto was becoming increasingly desperate in his quest to save Sasuke, as he was willing to get down on his knees before the Raikage and beg for Sasuke to be forgiven for his crimes and even take physical abuse over selling him out. Furthermore, after learning from Madara Uchiha the reason of Sasuke's hatred, Naruto decided and proclaimed to Sakura, who was trying to get him to leave his quest, that he truly understood Sasuke now and wanted to save him not just because of the promise he made to Sakura, but for also to himself. However, after realizing that the rest of his comrades were aiming to kill Sasuke, and that nobody in the village would ever accept him again, Naruto apparently suffered from hyperventilation due to the extreme conflict that he has been presented with.

Upon finally reuniting with Sasuke, Naruto sympathized with the criminal for his actions, and refused to back down or kill him, instead finding a third solution. Naruto came to the conclusion that the two of them were indeed destined to fight, as Madara predicted, and that when that happens, both Naruto and Sasuke would die. Naruto is fully prepared to shoulder Sasuke's burden, as a friend. In a way, Naruto is the sole person to not have given up hope on Sasuke. However, like the rest of Konoha, Naruto has finally given up in bringing Sasuke back as a citizen of the village, believing that words would no longer have any effect to allowing them to understand each other, and has resigned himself to fighting (and potentially killing) Sasuke to protect Konoha.
Dark Naruto

Dark Naruto.

After Killer Bee refused to train Naruto, Motoi guided Naruto and Yamato to the Falls of Truth, the place where Bee trained to control the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox. He instructed Naruto to sit on a platform and close his eyes. Soon after, Dark Naruto (闇ナルト, Yami Naruto) appeared, berating Naruto for how quickly the people from Konoha changed their ideals of Naruto and had started sucking up to him, which sickened Dark Naruto.[9] Dark Naruto said that he was the manifestation of hatred that existed within Naruto's heart, the Nine-Tails liked him better, and exclaimed that he was the real Naruto and that Naruto was an impostor.[10] They started to fight, but after a while, Naruto soon realized 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 long time to settle it, so he awoke and told Yamato and Motoi what happened. Motoi told him that he must defeat Dark Naruto in order to learn how to control the Nine-Tails.

He appeared once again after Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth. When Naruto projected an image from his mind (his signature for the autograph he was unable to give to the Konoha shinobi), it angered Dark Naruto, talking back to Naruto that those people were part of the same villagers who treated him as an outcast and how he suffered because of them, pointing out that he shouldn't trust them. However, Naruto said the villagers 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 and forcing him to ask what was the reason for his existence then. So Naruto said that Dark Naruto was really him and thanked him for pushing him to be the person he is now, hugging him when he tried to attack Naruto and saying it was all going to be alright. Letting go of his own anger at their past, Dark Naruto's eyes lightened and he gave into Naruto's warmth, disappearing into Naruto.[11]

Later, when Naruto entered his subconscious, the Nine-Tails 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.[12]
Abilities

At the start of the series, one of the only techniques Naruto could do without fail was the Transformation Technique, and his own original variant of the technique called the Sexy Technique; a creative but almost completely useless diversionary jutsu, used simply to shock his instructors.[13] Naruto was also able to use simple E-rank abilities.

While under the tutelage of Jiraiya, Naruto's abilities had continued to improve; his prowess in ninjutsu and taijutsu had grown greatly, and he had also been taught some limited skill at dispelling genjutsu. However, the most valuable assets that Naruto had gained in his training with Jiraiya were an increased range of battle smarts and more knowledge of the basics of a shinobi, which he lacked during Part I. This, along with the skills and abilities Naruto has gained over the course of Part II, makes him a much more complete ninja. Unfortunately for him, with the exception of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and throwing himself with clones (which are both risky moves), he is mainly limited to short-range combat.

During Part II, Naruto had regularly proven himself a match against the S-rank members of Akatsuki, Deidara acknowledged how strong he had became, even landing a blow on him; he beat Kakuzu, and finally he beat Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, something no one else had accomplished. It had been said by Kakashi at different points in time that Naruto had surpassed Jiraiya, Tsunade, his father, and even Kakashi himself. He was suggested to be Hokage in Tsunade's place by several villagers following Pain's invasion. Zetsu had noted that Naruto was probably stronger than Sasuke following Pain's invasion. Even the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the tailed beasts, commented on how powerful Naruto had become when they battled.

While searching for the Uchiha brothers, Itachi granted Naruto a portion of his power, in case Sasuke ever chooses to revolt against Konoha. It is currently unknown what this power is yet. Jiraiya had also left Naruto with a "key" to help him complete an unknown technique which he, Naruto, and Minato have been working on but never finished. Naruto stated he was ready to complete it.

Being a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, Naruto possesses incredible stamina and vitality, the former of which is further augmented by the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
Jinchūriki Transformations

Naruto's initial jinchūriki form.

Main article: Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms
As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto is gifted with its enormous supply of chakra and stamina, immense strength, increased speed, accelerated healing (recovering from minor injuries within a few seconds to major injuries within a day), and, at times, a nearly impenetrable chakra shield.

Naruto's normal chakra level is considered extremely high, partially because of the Nine-Tails. The seal allowed a small amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra to always mix with Naruto's own. Jiraiya once commented upon the fact that Naruto's body was much too small a vessel to properly contain the Nine-Tails' chakra, and his body would instinctively reject the bulk of it due to the damage it could cause. Ebisu implied that Naruto's poor chakra control stemed from this, as a portion of his chakra was used to reject the Nine-Tails' overwhelming chakra. According to Kakashi, Naruto's regular chakra level is about four times of Kakashi's own. As such, he is naturally suited to jutsu that use a large amount of chakra, such as the Shadow Clone Technique. While most ninja are only capable of creating a few clones safely, due to the technique's hazard of equally dividing the user's chakra among the clones, Naruto is able to create hundreds while maintaining a decent supply of chakra in each one.

Naruto's controlled jinchūriki form.

The Nine-Tails' chakra first came to Naruto during life-threatening situations, given to him by the Nine-Tails itself to ensure its survival, but after training with Jiraiya, Naruto learned how to contact the Nine-Tails and demand some of its chakra. Alternatively, Naruto could give into his anger or frustration, allowing the Nine-Tails to force its influence upon him. Depending on how much of its chakra he gained, the Nine-Tails' influence within its chakra could make Naruto lose control of his senses, devolving into an animal that attacks anything within reach, as well as damaging his own body, slowly shortening his lifespan. For these reasons, Naruto learned to exercise more control over the Nine-Tails' chakra.

After Naruto successfully separated the Nine-Tails' chakra from its will, and imprisoned the Nine-Tails itself with a new seal, the chakra is sectioned off within a separate place of himself, meaning he's not automatically using it all the time. Because of this, he can access the chakra directly without the need to interact with the Nine-Tails at all, and gains a new form: a chakra shroud that resembles the Sage of the Six Paths.[14][15] With the Nine-Tails' power under his control, Naruto's strength and speed are significantly increased. He also gains the Nine-Tails' ability to sense negative emotions, something not even the best sensor-type ninja are capable of.[12][16] Due to having the Nine-Tails' Yang chakra in this form, Yamato's Wood Release techniques reacts to the chakra's life-giving energy, turning his wooden totems into full grown trees within a matter of seconds.[5][17]
Taijutsu

Naruto had always been at least passable in taijutsu, ever since the Academy where he received a B in that class. Throughout Part I, his taijutsu slowly improved, where it was first showcased in his battle with Kiba Inuzuka in the Chūnin Exams preliminaries where he was able to hold his own and avoid multiple Dual Piercing Fangs without the aid of his shadow clones. A testament to his skill with taijutsu was shown when Naruto was fighting against Neji Hyūga's Gentle Fist techniques in the Chūnin Exam finals, where he got into striking distance using only hand-to-hand combat. After the timeskip, Naruto's taijutsu improved greatly under the tutelage of Jiraiya where he could hold his own in hand-to-hand against Chiyo, Kakashi Hatake, Yamato, and Sai, the latter three being ANBU-trained ninja. Throughout the series, Naruto's taijutsu continually improved, eventually learning the Frog Kata style from Fukasaku.

On top of his taijutsu skills, Naruto has shown a high level of physical strength. During his senjutsu training in Part II, he was able to budge one of the huge statues without using the special oil. After the training, he could shatter stone with his raw strength, as seen when he escaped from the Preta Path, which had turned to stone after absorbing too much of his senjutsu chakra.

Though initially compensating for his lack thereof with sheer numbers, Naruto has shown impressive speed after the timeskip. When he and Sasuke finally confronted each other after the Five Kage Summit Arc, he saved Sakura from her own poisoned kunai that Sasuke used on her in the span of a second. Naruto then met Sasuke's Chidori charge after creating a Rasengan, showing they were at or near the same level of speed.
Shadow Clone Technique

Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Although Naruto had trouble with the Clone Technique at the start of the series, he quickly learned how to use Jōnin-level techniques, like the Shadow Clone Technique and its large-scale version. The technique would become his first signature jutsu. The Shadow Clone Technique takes advantage of the massive chakra reserve Naruto possesses due to him being the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Naruto is able to create upwards to two thousand clones, and able to have a decent amount of chakra in each of them. Because of this, Naruto can use his shadow clones for virtually anything, from straight combat to speed training.

In the beginning, Naruto would create a multitude of clones to overwhelm his opponents. Other times however, he would employ the use of the Transformation Technique to change the appearance of these clones to catch his target off guard. By Part II, Naruto learned that whatever his shadow clones learn, he, the main mind, would also learn. By using this, he is able to learn something that would usually take years in days, which greatly increased his rate of learning. Naruto also learned that he could use the shadow clones to determine his opponents' abilities, to determine how many clones he will really need to defeat them instead of simply wasting chakra on thousands of clones.
Summoning Technique

Naruto using the Summoning Technique.

Naruto was first taught how to use the Summoning Technique by Jiraiya. After allowing Naruto to sign the Summoning Contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya took Naruto through the execution of the technique in order to provide Naruto with allies in future battles. Additionally, Jiraiya's other motivation to teaching Naruto how to summon was to help Naruto to realize and take advantage of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

The type of toads that Naruto can summon at any time is proportional to his chakra and skill, as when he first started out he could only summon tadpoles. At first, Naruto had a hard time getting any specific toad, as he summoned either Gamakichi or Gamatatsu. But when he used the Nine-Tails' chakra, or when he was truly motivated, Naruto was able to summon the toad boss, Gamabunta.
Rasengan

Naruto using the Rasengan.

Created by the Fourth Hokage and taught to him by Jiraiya, the Rasengan is Naruto's second and strongest signature jutsu. While the Rasengan is a one-handed technique, Naruto required the use of two to form it due to his poor chakra control, thus using a clone to form the "shell" of the sphere. Despite this, Naruto has used the Rasengan effectively in almost every one of his fights after mastering it. The Rasengan holds an advantage over its counterpart, the Chidori. The Rasengan only requires chakra control to form, while the Chidori uses so much chakra that it can only be used a few times a day. Naruto mastered the Rasengan to a degree that he can do it almost instantaneously.

The Rasengan, like the Clone Technique, would be the base of several original jutsu created by Naruto, such as the Great Ball Rasengan, a larger and more powerful version of the Rasengan. He has also created the Wind Release: Rasengan and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken after his wind training, and after his senjutsu training, the Sage Art: Great Ball Rasengan and Sage Technique: Rasenrengan. He has also demonstrated the combined use of his shadow clones and the Rasengan, resulting in Sage Art: Super Great Ball Spiralling Large Group Spheres, in which Naruto and his shadow clones can each use a Rasengan many times their own size against a single target.

Due to the unique nature of the Rasengan in Naruto movies, Naruto creates a new type of Rasengan, often facilitated by a character in the movie, or a unique property present in the movie.
Collaboration Jutsu

Wind Release: Toad Gun.

Collaboration jutsu, also synchronized or combination jutsu, pertains to an area of jutsu which entail techniques that are comprised of at least two or more jutsu that, when initiated with the right timing, one will feed into each other to become a jutsu of greater power than the sum of its parts. Naruto was introduced to the subject by Jiraiya in the anime, in order for him to synchronize with a toad, and develop a collaboration technique. Naruto eventually managed to synchronize with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu developing the Wind Release: Toad Gun, and the stronger Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet. The stronger version had enough power to temporarily knock out the Three-Tailed Giant Turtle. Naruto has also done collaboration techniques with both Gamabunta and Yamato.
Nature Transformation

Naruto's Wind Release: Rasengan.

After failing to bring Sasuke back to Konoha for the second time, Naruto went through elemental training where he discovered that he had an affinity to wind. By incorporating his wind affinity with the Rasengan, which was originally intended to be combined with a nature element, he would greatly increase the jutsu's power and range. The wind nature compliments a fighter like Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match for short-range fighters. By focusing his wind chakra, Naruto can go as far as cutting objects with just his chakra.

Naruto had learned nature transformation to upgrade his Rasengan, which he achieved with the Wind Release: Rasengan and the Rasenshuriken, combining both shape and nature manipulation originally deemed impossible without natural talent or instinct. The Rasenshuriken was capable of slicing into the victim and cutting them at a cellular level faster than a Sharingan can see it. It, however, caused similar damage to himself as it is still a handheld jutsu, despite its name. After his sage training, he could throw the Rasenshuriken and expand it, increasing its power and attack radius. This also helped to nullify the damage it would normally do to his arm.
Senjutsu

Naruto in Sage Mode.

After Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pain, Naruto began training with Fukasaku in Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu and how to enter Sage Mode. In order to achieve this, Naruto had to learn to sense and control the natural energy around him. Once mastered, Naruto was able to perfect the Rasenshuriken, so that he could throw it, and learn Frog Kata, a taijutsu style that uses the natural energy around the user to enhance the range and the potency of their attacks. In Sage Mode, Naruto's overall physical abilities are dramatically enhanced to the point where he could throw entities much larger than himself with little to no effort, including the Animal Path's Giant Rhino and the Nine-Tails. His speed increases to a point where he was able to intercept a charging Asura Path, which had been using its chakra boots to attack Tsunade, create a Rasengan and slam it down before it could even react, showing him covering considerable distance in a short amount of time.

However, Naruto had two flaws in his senjutsu training: To mold natural energy, the user must remain absolutely still, something one can not do while in combat; and because of the Nine-Tails, Shima and Fukasaku were unable to fuse with Naruto to mold it for him. To counter this, Naruto had to leave two shadow clones in a safe place to mold the natural energy for him. Once he depleted his current amount of senjutsu chakra, he would dispel one of the clones and use the natural energy it had gathered to re-enter Sage Mode. However, this method limits the maximum number of shadow clones that Naruto can create to five. Any more would interfere with the focus of the clones' gathering natural energy. However, this limit in shadow clones ceases should Naruto decide to go all out during a fight and forgo having any clones store natural energy for him.[18][19][20] Naruto is currently trying to extend the time he can remain in Sage Mode. During his battle with the Nine-Tails within his subconscious, Naruto and his large group of shadow clones entered Sage Mode. It appeared that his "physical self" was able to enter Sage Mode in his mediated state, then transferred the senjutsu chakra to his "mental self" and all of his shadow clones.

Also while in Sage Mode, Naruto gains a sensory ability to detect other people's chakra from long distances. This ability was first demonstrated when Naruto returned to Konoha during Pain's invasion and asked Tsunade about Kakashi's whereabouts, as he could not sense his chakra.
Deception and Strategy

Although Naruto's intelligence is greatly downplayed for most of the series, his skills in deception and strategy are actually extremely high, allowing him to defeat even S-Class ninja such as Kakuzu and Pain. He also possesses the ability to formulate complex plans in the midst of battle. Naruto's strategies typically involve shadow clones; either directing his opponent's attentions towards one of his clones to disguise his own movements, or transforming them into various shapes (such as shuriken) to allow for surprise attacks. His skills in deception were shown to have grown exponentially during his battle with Pain, allowing him to prevail through an elaborate and highly unpredictable array of back-up plans, such as transforming his clones to mimic the environment. He also used the Shadow Shuriken Technique and the Transformation Technique to turn himself into a Rasenshuriken to temporarily neutralize Preta Path while his real Rasenshuriken went to attack Deva Path.

Naruto can also be quite innovative, using his clones to master advanced techniques. Examples of this include a two-man Rasengan, three-man Rasenshuriken, and using clones to perform senjutsu.
Stats Databook Ninjutsu Taijutsu Genjutsu Intelligence Strength Speed Stamina Hand seals Total
First 2 1.5 1 1 2 2 4 1 14.5
Second 3 2 1 1.5 3 3 4 1 18.5
Third 4 3.5 2 3 3.5 3.5 5 1.5 26



Part I

Team picture for Team 7.

See also: Plot of Naruto
The series begins with Naruto, labelled as his classes 'Dead-Last', once again failing to graduate from the Ninja Academy. Disappointed that his plans of becoming Hokage have hit another hurdle, Naruto was approached by one of his instructors, Mizuki. Mizuki told Naruto that, if he could steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage Residence and learn one of the jutsu written on it, then he would be allowed to graduate. Naruto did so, and began struggling to learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, unaware that the village was now looking for him.

Iruka tracked him down, and discovered Mizuki's involvement in the theft, realizing that Naruto had been duped by Mizuki, in an effort to steal the scroll. Mizuki attacked them, and told Naruto about the Nine-Tails sealed within him, claiming that Iruka hated him because of it. When Iruka risked his life to protect Naruto, however, Naruto realized that Mizuki's earlier words were a lie, and created hundreds of shadow clones to beat Mizuki to a pulp. For mastering such a difficult technique, Iruka allowed Naruto to graduate.

In the days to come, Naruto befriended Konohamaru and became his on-off teacher, showing him how to perform a variety of both perverted and useful jutsu throughout the rest of the series. He was also assigned to Team 7, where he was partnered with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake.

As the team's first order of business, Kakashi gave them a test to see if they were ready to become Genin. He had the three of them try to take the two bells he kept on his person, the goal of the test being to place teamwork above the fact that they couldn't all have a bell. Although they initially failed miserably, all trying independently to take a bell, they eventually decided to work together, allowing them to pass.
Land of Waves Arc

After completing a number of simple, uneventful missions, Team 7, at Naruto's insistence, was assigned the somewhat more difficult C-rank task of escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves. When they were attacked by the Demon Brothers along the way, who tried to kill Tazuna, they realized that there was more to this mission than a simple escort. Tazuna revealed that his country was under the control of Gatō, who had left the people poor and unable to afford the more accurate A-rank mission payment. By building a bridge that would connect the Land of Waves to the mainland, Tazuna hoped to free the country from Gatō, prompting Gatō to try and kill him. Team 7 decided to help Tazuna, and act as his bodyguards until the bridge was completed.

They were soon attacked by Zabuza Momochi, another of Gatō's assassins, who engaged Kakashi in battle. When Zabuza captured Kakashi, he encouraged his team to escape with Tazuna. Having been of little use during the battle with the Demon Brothers, Naruto resolved to help Kakashi. With Sasuke's assistance, they were able to free Kakashi, who in turn almost defeated Zabuza. However, Haku, disguised as a hunter-nin, intervened, and appeared to kill Zabuza first, in actuality only putting him in a death-like state in order to get him to safety. Kakashi suspected that Zabuza was still alive, and gave Team 7 a Tree Climbing Practice to improve their chakra control. Naruto and Sasuke developed a competition over the exercise, each determined to complete the training first, and subsequently motivating each other to do better.

While Naruto was resting from training one day, he encountered Haku, unaware that it was the same boy he had encountered earlier. The two had a conversation about those who were precious to them, and the lengths they would go to protect them. After Haku left, Naruto finished the training, but was left so tired that the rest of Team 7 allowed him to rest the next day as they went to escort Tazuna. When he woke up, he went to assist them, only to find that they were in the midst of battle with Zabuza and Haku.

Naruto's first use of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Naruto went to help Sasuke in his battle with Haku, but they were both trapped by Haku's Demonic Ice Mirrors. When Haku tried to use a volley of needles to kill Naruto, Sasuke stepped in to protect him, appearing to die instead. Enraged by the apparent death of Sasuke, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra, allowing him to destroy the ice mirrors, and subsequently defeat Haku. Before he could kill Haku, however, the mask he was wearing broke away, revealing the face of the boy Naruto had met earlier. Naruto stopped himself, but Haku asked that he should finish the job, since he could no longer be of use to Zabuza. Although Naruto tried to comply, Haku stopped him at the last minute, and went to help Zabuza. When Naruto realized what had happened - that Haku had given his life to save an ungrateful Zabuza - an outraged Naruto reprimanded Zabuza for not appreciating Haku's actions. Touched by his words, Zabuza killed Gatō to repent in an effort to do Haku justice, but died of his wounds. The bridge (now named the Great Naruto Bridge) was completed, and the Land of Waves was saved, so Team 7 (with a recovered Sasuke) returned home.
Chūnin Exam Arc

After returning home and completing a few other simple missions, Team 7 was entered into the Chūnin Exams. In the first phase, a written test, the participating Genin were tasked with completing the test by cheating, all the while being sure not to get caught. Though the rest of the examinees realized this, Naruto did not, and struggled to answer the questions, which were far beyond his comprehension. Hinata Hyūga, who was sitting next to him, offered to allow him to copy off her paper, but he refused, in fear that she would get caught. Naruto was forced to rely on getting the tenth question correct to pass. When faced with the prospect of correctly answering the question to proceed, failing and never being allowed to take the test again, or giving up to try it again during the next exams, Naruto insisted on answering the question, stating that, even if he got it wrong, he would still become Hokage. The willingness to face the unknown being the answer to the tenth question, Naruto and the rest of Team 7 were allowed to proceed to the second phase.

For the second phase, Team 7 was sent into the Forest of Death with one scroll, tasked to obtain a second scroll from another team and arrive at the forest's centre before the phase ended. Soon after entering the forest, they were attacked by Orochimaru, who immobilized Sasuke and Sakura with his murderous intent. Before Sasuke could forfeit their scroll in exchange for their lives, Naruto intervened, fighting Orochimaru by tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra. Orochimaru rendered Naruto unconscious by restricting access to the Nine-Tails' chakra, but Naruto's courage inspired Sasuke to fight in his place. After Orochimaru was driven off and Naruto awakened, Team 7 encountered Team Oboro. After wasting a day trapped in the rival team's genjutsu, Team 7 was able to defeat them, take their scroll, and pass the round.

Naruto versus Kiba and Akamaru.

Because too many Genin teams had passed the second phase, a round of preliminary matches, where Genin faced each other in combat, were held to thin the field. After watching the first few rounds, Naruto was matched against Kiba Inuzuka, and his dog, Akamaru. Remembering Naruto to be talentless from their days in the academy, Kiba believed it would be an easy match. He and Akamaru double-teamed Naruto, who initially had difficulty with the match. After combining the Transformation Technique with his shadow clones to turn Kiba and Akamaru against each other, Naruto was able to remove Akamaru from the competition. When Kiba was about to defeat him, Naruto farted, immobilizing Kiba and his heightened sense of smell, and making him an easy target for the Uzumaki Naruto Combo. Naruto won the match.

While watching the remaining matches, Naruto witnessed Neji Hyūga's ruthless treatment of his cousin, Hinata. Angered by Neji's actions, and his claims that Hinata was a failure who couldn't escape that fate, Naruto vowed to defeat Neji during the first round of the finals a month later. In the meantime, Naruto started training with Ebisu to improve his chakra control. When Ebisu was knocked out by Jiraiya, Naruto forced Jiraiya to train him in his place. Jiraiya, noticing that Naruto was the container of the Nine-Tails, and the restrictive seal Orochimaru had placed on him earlier, Jiraiya removed the seal to ease his chakra control. He then taught him how to take advantage of the Nine-Tails' chakra by showing him how to use the Summoning Technique to summon toads. Although having little success at first, Naruto was eventually able to summon the likes of Gamabunta in time for the final round.

Naruto versus Neji.

When his match against Neji began, Naruto appeared to be at a disadvantage. Although he was able to overwhelm Neji with shadow clones, none of the clones could manage to land a hit. Convinced that Naruto was a failure that could not defeat a genius like himself, Neji used his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms to cut off Naruto's chakra supply. Determined to prove Neji wrong, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' reserves and, revitalized, clashed with Neji. When the smoke cleared, Neji emerged, Naruto appearing to have been defeated. This, however, was only a shadow clone, and the real Naruto burst from the ground beneath Neji, to deliver an uppercut and defeat him. Neji was taken away, contemplating the fact that fate was not predetermined, since a failure could beat a genius, while Naruto watched the remaining matches. When Sasuke fought Gaara, he was envious of Sasuke's improvements, but the fight was interrupted by the beginning of the invasion of Konoha.
Invasion of Konoha Arc

Naruto fighting Gaara in his miniature Shukaku form.

Naruto was put to sleep when the invasion began, but was awakened by Sakura so that they could go after Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara in order to continue their fight. They caught up in time to stop Gaara from killing Sasuke. Intrigued by Naruto's abilities, Gaara forced him into battle by threatening to kill Sakura. With the power of the One-Tailed Shukaku sealed within him, Gaara tried to prove his existence by killing Naruto by playing with him. Although Naruto could relate to Gaara's life as a jinchūriki, he was not willing to allow anything to happen to Sakura and Sasuke. With the Nine-Tails' chakra, he summoned Gamabunta, and fought Gaara, who by now had progressed to his full Shukaku form.

Naruto was able to awaken Gaara from his jutsu to reseal Shukaku, and they exchanged final blows, with Naruto emerging the final blow. Both of them, being very exhausted, fell to the ground and Naruto crawled his way towards Gaara, who was shocked to see why Naruto was so strong. Naruto explained that he had also suffered a relentless lonely life, but was later saved by having friends. Gaara understood, and retreated with Kankurō and Temari, while Naruto was returned back to Konohagakure with Sakura and Sasuke.

Days passed, and Naruto and the rest of the shinobi came to a ceremony to respect the death of the Third Hokage and his sacrifice for the village.
Search for Tsunade Arc

After the failed invasion resulted in the death of the Third Hokage, Jiraiya was tasked with finding a Fifth Hokage. He convinced Naruto to come with him by promising to teach him a new jutsu that would be stronger than Sasuke's Chidori. Along the way, they were met by Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha, two members of Akatsuki, who sought to capture Naruto for the Nine-Tails sealed within him. Jiraiya was able to draw them off, but Naruto was introduced to the organization that would become more of a problem for him in Part II. To prepare him for their future encounters, Jiraiya taught him how to use the Rasengan, a jutsu created by Minato. While Naruto was able to complete the first two steps of the learning process with little difficulty, he struggled to complete the third and thus master the technique.

Naruto using the Rasengan for the first time on Kabuto.

Naruto and Jiraiya eventually found Tsunade, the ideal candidate for the position of Fifth Hokage. When she turned down the offer, and insulted all those who had previously held the title, an angry Naruto challenged her to a fight and attacked her with an incomplete Rasengan. Although his effort failed to hit her, she was surprised by his progress and made a bet with him: if he could master the technique in a week, she would give him her necklace, but if he couldn't, she would take his money and his frog wallet, Gama-chan. Naruto agreed, and started practicing, but in a week's time, he still had yet to finish the training. Disappointed, Tsunade met with Orochimaru, the murderer of the Third Hokage, and Naruto, Jiraiya, and Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, tried to stop her from helping him.

Tsunade turned out to have no intention of helping Orochimaru, and fought him and his assistant, Kabuto Yakushi. When Kabuto left her unable to fight, Naruto came to her aid. Although he was getting beaten by Kabuto and Tsunade told him to run, Naruto refused and by using shadow clones to help him form it, Naruto was able to hit Kabuto with a perfected Rasengan, defeating Kabuto and winning the bet. Amazed by his determination to keep to his word and to survive against a superior opponent, Tsunade gave him her necklace, drove off Orochimaru and Kabuto, and accepted the position of Fifth Hokage. They returned to Konoha, Tsunade confidently believing Naruto would someday become a great Hokage.
Land of Tea Arc

In the anime, after Sasuke was healed by Tsunade, Team 7 was assigned a mission to escort someone in the Land of Tea without Kakashi. Early in the mission, they encountered their client, Idate Morino. Though Idate did not insist in having aid during the race, Naruto and the rest still agreed, as that was what they were told to do. Near the end of the race, a shinobi known as Aoi Rokushō interfered, and attacked them suddenly. After Sasuke began to lose, Naruto came to his aid with the Rasengan, destroying Aoi's sword and defeating him (albeit Sasuke's Chidori made a crack in Aoi's sword). While Sakura helped Sasuke up, Naruto guided Idate at the final peek of the finish line. Naruto let Idate finish the race on his own, which Idate successfully did. After that, Ibiki Morino, the brother of Idate, sent in the ship for Team 7's departure. Naruto and the rest said their goodbyes to Idate and returned to Konoha.
Sasuke Retrieval Arc

After returning with Tsunade (in the anime, after returning from the mission in the Land of Tea), Sasuke began to fall into the corruption set in place for him by Orochimaru. He began lashing out at Sakura and Naruto, not as team-mates but as enemies, eventually defecting from Konoha in order to seek out Orochimaru for power. Under the escort of Orochimaru's Sound Four, Sasuke left to join Orochimaru, and Naruto joined a retrieval team that would bring him back. While the other members of the team dealt with the Sound Four, Naruto finally engaged in a fight with the Sound Four's fifth member, Kimimaro. However, he was not able to beat him even with Nine Tails-enhanced shadow clones. When Naruto was about to be killed, he was saved by Rock Lee, who told him to continue the pursuit of Sasuke while he fought Kimimaro.

Naruto clashing with Sasuke.

Naruto finally caught up with Sasuke in a place called Valley of the End, very near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound, and fought Sasuke. With Sasuke determined to kill Naruto in his quest for power, Naruto decided he would have to take the battle seriously if he was to bring Sasuke back. When Sasuke's drive to kill proved greater than Naruto's resolve of friendship in a 'fair' fight, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra to level the playing field, allowing him to batter around Sasuke. Sasuke, pushed to his limits, managed to develop the mature Sharingan, greatly overpowering Naruto. When Naruto, even with the Nine-Tails' chakra, was defeated, he tapped into the chakra even more, and a red aura of the Nine-Tails' chakra, in the shape of a fox, surrounded him. Sasuke then drew on the power of the second stage of his cursed seal to properly compete with Naruto. The two had one final clash, Naruto with his Rasengan (enhanced by the Nine-Tails' chakra) and Sasuke with his Chidori (empowered by the cursed seal). Upon contact, a giant, black energy dome formed and surrounded them. In the dome, Sasuke struck Naruto in the stomach, while Naruto scratched Sasuke's headband, proving the latter's earlier taunt of the subject wrong. Sasuke won the fight, but after staring at the unconscious Naruto, he couldn't bring himself to kill his best friend, so he simply continued on his way to Orochimaru.

Kakashi and Pakkun didn't come in time to get Sasuke, and left with Naruto. In the hospital, Naruto vowed to Sakura that he would someday bring Sasuke home. Soon after, Jiraiya arrived suddenly, telling Naruto to train with him for three years prior. He also told him to give up on Sasuke, as he is no different from Orochimaru. Naruto accepts training with Jiraiya, but rejects to giving up Sasuke. In the manga, right after this, Naruto departs, but in the anime, he stays for awhile, doing numerous filler arc missions.
Filler arcs

Naruto sets off with Jiraiya.

After the original Naruto anime had concluded the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, to make sure the anime did not over take Part II of the manga, the makers instead animated several filler arcs to take place before Naruto left for his three year training with Jiraiya. Naruto is sent on various missions with the other members of the Konoha 11, but while there is little character development for himself, the filler arcs tend to develop the supporting characters, as well as Gaara. The final filler arc was right before Naruto's departure with Jiraiya, though in the manga, this was right after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
Part II

See also: Plot of Naruto: Shippūden
Kazekage Rescue Arc

Naruto in Part II.

When Naruto returned to Konoha, the remaining members of Team 7 were reorganized into Team Kakashi. As their first order of business, Kakashi gave them another bell test, this time the only goal being to take a bell, and that he would use his Sharingan against them. Although their abilities had improved, Naruto and Sakura were still unable to beat Kakashi, and it was only by threatening to spoil the end of the latest Icha Icha novel that they distracted Kakashi long enough to take the bells. Naruto reconnected with his old friends, who had all advanced to chūnin-rank or higher, and then heard that Gaara, the new Kazekage, had been kidnapped by Akatsuki. Naruto and Team Kakashi set out for Sunagakure to save him.

Upon arrival in Sunagakure, Chiyo was added to Team Kakashi as an adviser, and they followed Akatsuki's trail. Along the way, they encountered a body-double of Itachi Uchiha, which engaged them in battle. Kakashi and Naruto teamed up in order to defeat the lookalike, before continuing onto the Akatsuki lair. There, they found Gaara's body in the possession of Deidara and Sasori. When Deidara flew off with Gaara, Naruto and Kakashi pursued him, leaving Sasori to Chiyo and Sakura. While initially unable to catch Deidara, Kakashi was able to use his Mangekyō Sharingan to distract Deidara, giving Naruto an opportunity to attack him and retrieve Gaara. Deidara escaped, and Naruto and Kakashi reunited with Sakura and Chiyo.

Although Sakura tried to heal Gaara, he had already died, a casualty of Akatsuki's tailed beast extraction-process. Angered that Gaara had died because he was a jinchūriki, something he had never asked for and had suffered because of his whole life, Naruto lashed out at Chiyo, the one who had sealed the One-Tailed Shukaku into Gaara in the first place. To make up for what she had done, Chiyo, with the help of Naruto, restored Gaara back to life, at the cost of her own. Gaara awakened surrounded by friends, and, after Chiyo's funeral, Naruto and Gaara finally shake hands (Gaara insisting), as a sign to their close relationship. Afterwards, Naruto and the gang went back to Konoha.
Sai and Sasuke Arc

The reborn Team Kakashi.

During Sakura's battle with Sasori, she learned of a spy in Orochimaru's inner circle, an opportunity for them to find Sasuke after his years of absence. Kakashi was left hospitalized from overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan, so Yamato was assigned to lead Team Kakashi in his place. Sai was also added to the team as Sasuke's replacement, but neither Naruto nor Sakura were able to accept him as such.

En route to the meeting place with the spy, Yamato tried to get the team to work together, although Sai's personality and disdain for his predecessor caused only conflict amongst the team. When they arrived at the meeting spot, they found that the spy was Kabuto. Yamato, disguised as Sasori, spoke with him, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Orochimaru. Kabuto, in turn, turned against Yamato, who was forced to call Naruto and the others for back-up. Surprised to see Naruto, Orochimaru wondered aloud if Naruto had become as strong as "his Sasuke". Enraged that Orochimaru had spoken as if Sasuke belonged to him, Naruto entered his three-tailed form, and attacked him.

Naruto's four-tailed form.

While a fair match, Orochimaru was able to evade Naruto's attacks. Further provoked by his inability to land a debilitating blow, Naruto advanced to his four-tailed form, losing his sense of self in his anger. Now a danger to Orochimaru, Naruto was forced back so that he could switch targets, his first being Sakura. Yamato restrained him before he could do any real harm, and forced the Nine-Tails' influence to recede. When he woke up, they found that Sai had joined up with Orochimaru. They followed him in the hopes that he would lead them to Sasuke, and to see what he was up to. During a break, Yamato took Naruto aside, and told him of how he had attacked Sakura, encouraging him not to rely on the Nine-Tails if he really wanted to protect those close to him.

When they arrived at Orochimaru's hideout, they infiltrated the lair, and captured Sai. Exposed, Sai revealed that his superiors had sent him to help organize another invasion of Konoha. He was restrained for his treachery, while the others went looking for Sasuke. Sai, having earlier met Sasuke, asked why Naruto was so determined to bring him back. Naruto explained that the two had a bond that couldn't be broken, and that he would risk his life to protect this bond. Intrigued, Sai switched sides, helping them to capture Kabuto and then scouring the base in order to reunite Sasuke with Naruto. He succeeded, but was attacked by Sasuke, the magnitude of which drew the rest of Team Yamato to their location.

Together again, Naruto and Sakura tried to convince Sasuke to come home. Still determined to gain power, he refused, prompting the team to use force. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and Naruto, in his inability to compete with Sasuke's growth, struggled to reject the Nine-Tails. Within his subconscious, he told it that he never wanted its assistance again, but it was not until Sasuke entered Naruto's subconscious that the Nine-Tails gave up on spreading its influence. In the real world, Sasuke tried to finish off his former, defeated team-mates. He was stopped by Orochimaru, however, and they retreated, leaving Team Yamato to return home.
Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc

In the anime, Team Yamato was sent on a mission to the Fire Temple. There they met Sora, a young monk who openly disliked Naruto. Despite this, Sora was added to their team to help investigate the grave-robbing of a number of former Twelve Guardian Ninja. Soon after the investigation began, Naruto noticed that the other monks treated Sora much as the villagers of Konoha used to treat him: as an outcast sentenced to loneliness. Naruto asked him about this, but Sora only replied that he didn't blame them.

Upon finding the grave robbers, Naruto was forced into battle with Fuka, a woman that kept trying to kiss Naruto. Through the use of shadow clones, he was able to escape her advances, only to find out that she was a master of all five types of elemental jutsu. Soon afterwards, she managed to kiss him, an act that sucked all the chakra from his body. Once his normal chakra was gone, however, she began sucking out the Nine-Tails' chakra, a force she couldn't handle, and was promptly overwhelmed by. She retreated with her team, and Team Yamato returned to Konoha, with Sora as a temporary substitute for Sai.

Naruto in his three-tailed form tries to hold down Sora in his four-tailed form.

Naruto continued to try and befriend Sora, only for his and the efforts of others in Konoha being turned away. When later following Sora, Naruto found him to be trying to kill Asuma and Tsunade. After stopping him, Naruto asked why Sora was being so hostile. He discovered that Asuma had killed Sora's father. Asuma soon arrived to try and explain, but Sora ran off. Naruto once again followed him, but was stopped by Fuka. Forced into battle with her again, Naruto attacked, only to find that she was apparently regenerating from her injuries. Upon noticing that she had stopped using certain elements, Naruto realized that Fuka somehow had multiple bodies, and that each had its own affinity which she could switch between. Coming to the conclusion that her soul resided in her hair, Naruto destroyed all of Fuka's bodies before destroying her hair too, allowing him to follow Sora uninhibited.