Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a shinobi from Konohagakure. He became the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails
on the day of his birth, a fate that caused him to be ostracised by
most of Konoha throughout his childhood. After he becomes a member of Team Kakashi, Naruto begins working to gain the village's respect and acknowledgment with the eventual goal 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.
Background
A newborn Naruto with his mother Kushina.
Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Kurama's second jinchūriki. Naruto's parents named him after the main character of Jiraiya's first book, thus making the Sannin his godfather.[8] Prior to Naruto's birth, his parents and the Third Hokage Hiruzen 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 a masked ninja
who intended to take the fox for his own evil ends. Killing the
midwives and ANBU, the masked man took the newborn Naruto hostage to
keep Minato away from Kushina so the seal can be shattered.[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 Minato sacrificing 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 jinchūriki 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 ostracised 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 Chōji 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 mate Sasuke 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. 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 the Ramen Ichiraku), and being afraid of ghosts. He is also somewhat perverted, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura Haruno and Iruka, but has only become even more so 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
self-confidence, 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 Chōji 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 from Fukasaku 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 Gokū 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 the Konoha 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 the Falls 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 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 Relationships
Due 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 jinchūriki.
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 Katō 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.
When he enters his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, his body is covered in a yellow shroud of chakra, upon which his seal
is clearly visible. He also gains a necklace of magatama around his
neck. Finally his hair spikes up, with the two endmost locks resembling
horns. After he and Kurama
melded their chakra, his appearance changed once again. The shroud
splits down the middle and opens up into a cloak that has a tattered
appearance. The previously smaller 'horns' grow out larger, and his
whisker marks become thicker. Underneath the 'coat', the magatama are
still visible and he gains a new set around the 'collar' of the coat.
Underneath this his seal changes once again opening out into circles
instead of swirls. He also gains seals on his hands and feet. The cloak
also has nine, tail-like appendages formed from the cloak and flowing
from it with lines running down the middle of each.
Abilities
Naruto's use of high-ranking ninjutsu such as the Shadow Clone Technique and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Naruto was an unremarkable student in the Academy and he struggled to perform even basic techniques.
He narrowly managed to graduate from the Academy and become an official
shinobi after three consecutive failures. His only "ability" of note
was the Sexy Technique. While creative and an effective distraction against certain men, the technique had virtually no practical use.[61]
Yet sheer perseverance and willpower allowed Naruto to push past this
stumbling block, revealing himself as a late bloomer as his true talent
showed itself later, enabling Naruto to develop quickly during Part I,
learning several complicated jutsu in a short period of time. His
performance during the Chūnin Exams
impresses many of the same people that knew him as a failure in the
Academy; even Sasuke, who was the top of their graduating class, becomes
jealous that Naruto is catching up to him so rapidly. Many prominent
ninja, both allies and enemies have noted Naruto's great potential
growth, Orochimaru in particular viewing Naruto as a great future threat if left alive.[62] Jiraiya,
seeing the same potential that Orochimaru does in Naruto, took the
young boy as a student, greatly developing his skills by the start of
Part II. Since his return to Konoha in Part II, Naruto continued to go
through rapid improvement, mastering increasingly advanced techniques
and forms and even devising some long-range techniques to fill the gaps
in his repertoire. Through his frequent encounters with powerful shinobi
like the Akatsuki, Naruto gains some notoriety, even defeating the leader of Akatsuki, Pain.
Konoha has since considered him a hero, which leads his fame to spread
to other ninja villages. He is even recognised by the current five Kage, the four previous Hokage, and the ninja world at large as the only person who can save and change the world.[63] Even shinobi such as Madara Uchiha were forced to take him seriously when he fought Naruto.[64] He has also been noted to have surpassed his father[65] and has even been compared to Hashirama Senju several times, with Tobirama even noting that he could become a greater Hokage than Hashirama was.[66] Hashirama himself credited Naruto with their near defeat of Madara.[67]
Life Force and Chakra Control
Because of his Uzumaki
lineage, Naruto's chakra reserves are naturally large and resilient,
granting him tremendous stamina and vitality. Stemming from this is an
exceptionally long potential life-span and an accelerated healing rate
(the latter originally accredited to the Nine-Tails' chakra), allowing
Naruto to recover from fatigue in a fraction of the time or injuries to
mend themselves.[68]
His life force has also proven strong enough to survive the extraction
of a tailed beast (albeit he was rendered unconscious and in a critical
state).[69]
His poor performance in the Academy was because he lacked the proper
control of his reserves, leading him to allocate chakra insufficiently.
When he became aware of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, he was able to
improve his chakra output enough to perform techniques successfully,
but he in fact used up more chakra than necessary. Because of how large
his reserves were, this does not cause him immediate problems, but Ebisu - and later Jiraiya - nevertheless taught Naruto how to use his chakra more efficiently.[70] Karin has described his chakra as being "bright and warm".
Naruto sharing some of Kurama's chakra.
Despite the natural size of his chakra reserves, the Nine-Tails' is
far greater; Kakashi estimates that Naruto's chakra reserves are four
times greater than his own without the tailed beast and a hundred times greater with it.[71]
Naruto's chakra has been mixing with the Nine-Tails' since the day he
was born, amplifying his already large reserves. Due to this symbiosis,
Naruto can perform many chakra-taxing jutsu and in a very rapid
sequence. Throughout Part I and for much of Part II, the Nine-Tails
gives Naruto brief access to its chakra, but only insomuch as it
benefits the fox. After Naruto befriends it and learns the Nine-Tails'
name, Kurama, he is granted complete access to its chakra. Having long since mastered chakra control
and already experienced with manipulating large amounts of chakra,
Naruto makes quick use of what Kurama gives him, mixing it with his own
so that he can, in turn, share it with others.[72]
The power of his shrouds to resemble his tailed beast cloak along with
allowing them to use senjutsu-empowered Rasengan. When using the chakra
he got from six of the tailed beasts in his and Sasuke's final strike on
Obito, the tailed beasts reacted to their chakra and the chakra of the
tailed beasts that was sustaining the Shinju came out, allowing him to
initiate a tug-of-war to take the beasts out.
Jinchūriki Transformations
Main articles: Jinchūriki Forms and Nine-Tails Chakra Mode Naruto's initial jinchūriki form.
Naruto's journey to access and control Kurama's power (and later befriend the tailed beast) is a long and arduous one. Having been its jinchūriki
for his entire life, Naruto has always benefited from its presence.
After learning of Kurama's presence, Naruto begins tapping into its
chakra reserves, supplementing his own and increasing his strength and
speed in the process. It also augments Naruto's healing power, able to
regenerate lost flesh within seconds with no lingering signs. But Naruto
does not, in fact, consciously access Kurama's power on the first few
occasions. Rather, Kurama intervenes when Naruto's life is in danger or
it takes advantage of Naruto's rage to exert some of its influence.
Jiraiya teaches Naruto how to communicate with Kurama, enabling Naruto
to thereafter request a donation of its strength. His ability to utilise
it and the amount he can access grows during Part I, culminating in his
ability to enter a single-tailed version 1 state, which improves Naruto's defences and allows him to manifest chakra arms that increase his range.
Jiraiya helps Naruto improve his control of Kurama's power during
their two-and-a-half years together. Naruto is able to reach a
three-tailed version 1 form, which incrementally boosts his speed and
strength. Although Naruto becomes more headstrong, even violent, when
using version 1 cloaks, he remains in control. Satisfied with these
results, Jiraiya loosens the seal that keeps Kurama sealed inside Naruto
in the hopes it will give Naruto increased access to its chakra. This
inadvertently triggers a version 2
state; Naruto's capabilities grow to exponential heights in version 2,
but Naruto no longer remains in control of his senses, causing him to
attack anything in sight. Jiraiya is nearly killed in their first
experiment and Naruto remembers nothing about it afterwards. From that
point further, Jiraiya encourages Naruto to be cautious in his use of
Kurama's power and, upon returning him to Konoha, Jiraiya quietly
advises others about how to prevent Naruto from losing control.[73]
Because he was never told about his first version 2 experience,
Jiraiya's warnings do not make an impression on Naruto. Added to the
increasing danger he and his friends face and the frustrations that come
with them, Naruto eventually enters a version 2 form a second time.
Although he is able to use it to overpower Orochimaru, he attacks Sakura
in the process. Yamato, having been specifically teamed with Naruto to suppress Kurama if needed, intervenes in time to save her.[74]
Yamato tells Naruto afterwards what happened. Upset that he could be a
danger to those he cares for, Naruto stops relying on Kurama and looks
for new ways to get stronger. He succeeds for a time, but once again
succumbs to rage during his fight with Pain and enters another version 2
form.
Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Naruto's desperation for power in order to defeat Pain almost makes
him release Kurama, causing him to realise that avoidance is not the
solution. He instead decides to control Kurama, and seeks guidance from Killer B, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. With B's help he is able to conquer Kurama and gain free access to a portion of its strength, focusing its power into a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode increases his strength, speed, and defences
beyond what they were in version 1 and 2, he becomes more dexterous with
chakra arms, and he can sense negative emotions, a method of detection even sensor-type ninja can't do.[75] His speed in particular surpasses A's, who was the fastest shinobi in the world since Minato Namikaze died.[76] Nine-Tails Chakra Mode becomes instrumental to turning the tide of the Fourth Shinobi World War, letting him defeat the hordes of reincarnated shinobi.
Naruto in Tailed Beast Mode.
Conquering Kurama is not the same as cooperating with it, and Naruto
must still exercise caution when initially using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Having seen what Naruto has gone through during his life and the type
of person he has become, Kurama decides to stop opposing Naruto and
accepts Naruto's offers of friendship. Kurama freely gives Naruto as
much of its chakra as it can, enabling him to enter Tailed Beast Mode.
In Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto can focus Kurama's power into what is
merely a more ornate Nine-Tails Chakra Mode or fully manifest Kurama's
form, in doing so unleashing Kurama's full might, including Tailed Beast Balls.[77]
His speed, strength, and durability also increase by impressive
amounts, to the point where he could deflect five Tailed Beast Balls at
the exact same time and send them flying kilometres away, and even pin
and damage a senjutsu-enhanced complete Susanoo from Madara Uchiha with a single tail.[78][79] He could hold his own against three tailed beasts in battle and equal the combined power of the five with a single Tailed Beast Ball in a clash.[80][81]
Naruto is even able to meld their chakra together so that he can pass
it to others, giving them version 1-like cloaks that keep them safe and
amplify their power.
Taijutsu
Naruto fighting Kiba.
Although not his specialty, Naruto does use taijutsu
quite frequently. While his taijutsu attacks are not that skillful or
very organised, he still used it successfully in battle against foes and
opponents such as Kiba. In Part II, it seems that Naruto's taijutsu was
at its best when using shadow clones to help. With the aid of two
shadow clones, he could take out two rogue samurai on his own to protect
Inari.[82]
He remains manoeuvrable in a fight, able to get close to even skilled
taijutsu practitioners and spar with them for a time, but if he is to
ultimately defeat them in speed or strength he must utilise either
Kurama or, in Part II, Sage Mode. Despite this, Naruto's proven skilled enough to hold his own against highly skilled taijutsu users such as Neji Hyūga, Nagato's Deva Path, Karui and Omoi at the same time.[83][84][85]
Ninjutsu
Shadow Clone Technique
Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Naruto is best known for his use of the Shadow Clone Technique.
Where the average ninja must be careful in the creation of shadow
clones so that they do not deplete their chakra reserves, Naruto can
create upwards of a thousand clones and retain a decent amount of chakra
in each of them.[86]
This lets him overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers or carry out
multiple tasks at once. It is because of shadow clones that Naruto is
able to be so effective during the Fourth Shinobi World War, as he can
appear on multiple battlefields at the same time.
During Part II, Naruto learns that whatever his shadow clones
learn, he, the original, would also learn. He frequently employs this to
complete a year's worth of training in a couple of days. In combat, it
also lets him scout an area or test an opponent's abilities, letting him
gauge how many shadow clones he will actually need for a fight rather
than waste chakra on thousands of excess clones.[87]
Summoning Technique
Naruto using the Summoning Technique.
In order to encourage improved control over Kurama's chakra, Jiraiya teaches Naruto to perform the Summoning Technique. By offering a certain amount of chakra, Naruto can summon the toads of Mount Myōboku
as allies that fight beside him. He is initially restricted to tadpoles
due to his poor chakra control, but as his control improves he can
summon small toads such as then-young Gamakichi or Gamatatsu. During Part I he must rely on Kurama's chakra to summon toads of Gamabunta's size, but by Part II, Kurama's help is merely optional.
Rasengan
Naruto using the Rasengan.
Once Naruto succeeded in mastering summoning, Jiraiya teaches him the Rasengan.
His reasons for teaching it to Naruto are various: the training
involved in learning the Rasengan improves his chakra control; it is in
many ways the counterpart to Sasuke's Chidori;
it was invented by Naruto's father. Because of the very intricate
chakra control the Rasengan requires, Naruto struggles to master it, and
is not helped by the time limit he imposes on himself during his
training. Although the Rasengan is intended as a one-handed technique,
Naruto learns to use it with more than one hand, specifically a shadow
clone's: he provides the chakra that will make the Rasengan while the
clone forms it into shape.
Naruto using the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan.
From further training with Jiraiya, Naruto is able to create larger versions of the Rasengan in Part II, such as the Big Ball Rasengan.
The amount of preparation time required to form the Rasengan has
decreased, but he still relies on shadow clones to help him when in his
normal form. To make up for the need for shadow clones, Naruto steadily
increases the number Rasengan he uses at a time, either by having the
shadow clones form Rasengan in both of his hands or having the shadow clones make their own Rasengan to bombard the target with.
It is only with Kurama's chakra or senjutsu chakra that Naruto
can make a Rasengan on his own. He did so with the former briefly at the
end of Part I, using a version 1 cloak as a shell for a Kurama-powered
Rasengan. With Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he uses the extra hands of his
chakra arms to make new Rasengan, such as the Spiralling Absorption Sphere and the Planetary Rasengan. Because the Rasengan was conceptually based on the Tailed Beast Ball, he attempts to bring it into further parallel with the Tailed Beast Rasengan.[88] He fails when first trying to use it, but with Kurama's aid later invents the Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball.[89]
Nature Transformation
Naruto using the Wind Release: Rasengan.
As a possible alternative to Kurama's chakra, Kakashi teaches Naruto how to take advantage of his natural elemental affinity: wind.
The wind nature compliments Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match
for short-range fighters. Because the Rasengan was originally intended
to be combined with a user's nature transformation,
Naruto sets out to combine his wind affinity with the Rasengan. He
struggles with it, finding it as near-impossible as his father did
before him, but once again finds a solution with shadow clones: while he
provides the chakra and a clone provides the shape, as is done with
normal Rasengan, a second clone infuses it with their nature. This
results in the creation of the Wind Release: Rasengan, and later the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. With two clones, he can make a bigger version of it.[90]
On contact with a target, the Rasenshuriken explodes into a
torrent of wind that cuts them at a cellular level. At first, Naruto
uses it like a blunt object that he forces into opponents, causing him
to receive the same level of damage as they do. After learning Sage Mode
he becomes able to throw it, preventing harm to himself and at the same
time increasing its speed and cutting power.[91] In Nine-Tails Chakra Mode he can further augment its size, making a miniature version, a gigantic version, or even Twin Rasenshuriken, all without the help of shadow clones.[92]
Collaboration Techniques
Naruto and Gamatatsu using their Wind Release: Toad Gun.
In the anime, Jiraiya gives Naruto special training in collaboration techniques
so that he can combine his wind affinity with the affinities of
summoned toads, creating one single technique that is more powerful than
the sum of its part. Naruto eventually manages to synchronise with
Gamakichi and Gamatatsu, first with the Wind Release: Toad Gun, and later the Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet.
Naruto in a Susanoo-clad Tailed Beast Mode with Sasuke and most of the members of Konoha 11.
Naruto briefly collaborates with Yamato, combining a Wind Release: Rasengan to create Typhoon Water Vortex Technique. He later performs another collaboration with Sasuke, producing the Scorch Release: Halo Gale Jet Black Arrow Style Zero. Tobirama Senju notes this required a perfect balance between the ratio of the combined techniques and was hard to achieve.[93] Another collaboration with Sasuke is when Sasuke can shapeSusanoo around Naruto's Sage Tailed Beast Mode, with Naruto adding chakra and senjutsu to the Susanoo swords so they can overpower even Obito's Sword of Nunoboko and destroy half of it.[94][95] He could also collaborate with most of the members of the Konoha 11, even giving them a Tailed Beast Mode mantle while they wielded a Rasengan he created.[96]
Senjutsu
Naruto in Sage Mode.
After Jiraiya is killed by Pain, Naruto is taught senjutsu by Fukasaku,
a former teacher of Jiraiya, to prepare him for the day when Pain comes
after him. During his training he proves to have a greater aptitude for
senjutsu than Jiraiya, helped in no small part by his necessarily high
chakra levels. He progresses through the learning steps rapidly,
becoming able to sense and then gather the natural energy
around him and perfectly balance it with his own chakra. However, doing
this requires absolute calm, which can't be achieved or maintained in
the middle of combat. For this reason, Fukasaku and his wife would theoretically fuse
with him, gathering the natural energy for him to use. During all
attempts at fusion, Kurama rejected Fukasaku, a threat to its power,
leaving Naruto with no way to enter Sage Mode.
Naruto found a away to use shadow clones as a workaround. While
he fights, the clones gather natural energy for him and then, when he is
in need, he has them disperse, transferring their natural energy to
him. Although this lets him enter a perfect Sage Mode that Jiraiya was
never able to, this method limits the maximum number of shadow clones
that he can create to five for as long as the clones are gathering
natural energy, as anything more would interfere with their focus. To
make sure he has enough shadow clones for use in battle, Naruto has only
two shadow clones gather senjutsu chakra, allowing him to enter Sage
Mode a total of three times.
Naruto combining Kurama's chakra and Sage Mode.
Once in Sage Mode, Naruto's speed, strength, durability, and
proficiency with the Rasengan and its variants increases. He can utilise
the Frog Kata
- a form of taijutsu that uses the natural energy around the user to
enhance the range and the potency of their attacks - and sensory
abilities effective even at long ranges.[97] His sensing abilities also let him predict the movements of his enemies for easy retaliation.[98] Following his befriending of Kurama, he can even combine Sage Mode with Tailed Beast Mode, which has the added bonus of letting him gather natural energy faster.[99]
Deception and Strategy
Naruto sneaks up behind Kakashi.
From his years as a prankster, Naruto acquired a cunning and
imagination that are useful in battle. Naruto's strategies typically
involve shadow clones: he may direct his opponent's attentions towards
one of his clones to disguise his own movements; he may transform them
into objects or other individuals for surprise attacks; he may make
himself seem predictable by creating a pattern, just to throw them off
by breaking it.
Naruto is resourceful in a fight even without clones, formulating
multi-step plans and even backups to those plans in the thick of
battle.[100] He is observant, able to notice details others may overlook; after wondering how the Third Raikage,
who was famous in life for his defences, could receive a scar, Naruto
deduced that the scar was self-inflicted, and subsequently takes
advantage of that knowledge to manipulate the Raikage's movements and
use him to defeat himself. Even when given new information he can act
quickly; when he learned that Kakashi and Tobi's Kamui were connected, he formed a plan to send one of his clones into the other dimension which enabled him to destroy Tobi's mask.[101]
Naruto is headstrong and often acts without thinking his actions
through, making it difficult for others to communicate their battle or
lesson plans to him. For this reason, he is sometimes considered dense.
However, he is a masterful tactile learner, meaning that he learns better through executing a task rather than theorising about it.[22] Once they see him in action, even the likes of the Second Hokage revise their thoughts about his intellect.[102]
Other Skills
After the time-skip, Naruto has improved his knowledge of other ninja
skills while under Jiraiya's tutelage. He has displayed some limited
skill in shurikenjutsu.[103][104] Naruto's been shown to keep a spring-loaded kunai up his sleeve for quick access.[105] Though he has no skill in genjutsu, he does at least know how to dispel it and avoid falling prey to it.
His skills with fūinjutsu have not been explored greatly, but he knew how to use the seal's key after receiving Gerotora, and later resealed Kurama after he separated a majority of chakra from the tailed beast.[106] Jiraiya had left Naruto with the key to help him complete an as of yet unknown technique which he, Naruto, and Minato have been working on, but never finished. Naruto stated that he was ready to complete it.[107]
Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a shinobi from Konohagakure. He became the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails
on the day of his birth, a fate that caused him to be ostracised by
most of Konoha throughout his childhood. After he becomes a member of Team Kakashi, Naruto begins working to gain the village's respect and acknowledgment with the eventual goal 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.
Background
A newborn Naruto with his mother Kushina.
Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Kurama's second jinchūriki. Naruto's parents named him after the main character of Jiraiya's first book, thus making the Sannin his godfather.[8] Prior to Naruto's birth, his parents and the Third Hokage Hiruzen 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 a masked ninja
who intended to take the fox for his own evil ends. Killing the
midwives and ANBU, the masked man took the newborn Naruto hostage to
keep Minato away from Kushina so the seal can be shattered.[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 Minato sacrificing 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 jinchūriki 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 ostracised 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 Chōji 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 mate Sasuke 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. 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 the Ramen Ichiraku), and being afraid of ghosts. He is also somewhat perverted, something he tends to be reprimanded for by Sakura Haruno and Iruka, but has only become even more so 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
self-confidence, 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 Chōji 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 from Fukasaku 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 Gokū 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 the Konoha 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 the Falls 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 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 Relationships
Due 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 jinchūriki.
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 Katō 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.
When he enters his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, his body is covered in a yellow shroud of chakra, upon which his seal
is clearly visible. He also gains a necklace of magatama around his
neck. Finally his hair spikes up, with the two endmost locks resembling
horns. After he and Kurama
melded their chakra, his appearance changed once again. The shroud
splits down the middle and opens up into a cloak that has a tattered
appearance. The previously smaller 'horns' grow out larger, and his
whisker marks become thicker. Underneath the 'coat', the magatama are
still visible and he gains a new set around the 'collar' of the coat.
Underneath this his seal changes once again opening out into circles
instead of swirls. He also gains seals on his hands and feet. The cloak
also has nine, tail-like appendages formed from the cloak and flowing
from it with lines running down the middle of each.
Abilities
Naruto's use of high-ranking ninjutsu such as the Shadow Clone Technique and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Naruto was an unremarkable student in the Academy and he struggled to perform even basic techniques.
He narrowly managed to graduate from the Academy and become an official
shinobi after three consecutive failures. His only "ability" of note
was the Sexy Technique. While creative and an effective distraction against certain men, the technique had virtually no practical use.[61]
Yet sheer perseverance and willpower allowed Naruto to push past this
stumbling block, revealing himself as a late bloomer as his true talent
showed itself later, enabling Naruto to develop quickly during Part I,
learning several complicated jutsu in a short period of time. His
performance during the Chūnin Exams
impresses many of the same people that knew him as a failure in the
Academy; even Sasuke, who was the top of their graduating class, becomes
jealous that Naruto is catching up to him so rapidly. Many prominent
ninja, both allies and enemies have noted Naruto's great potential
growth, Orochimaru in particular viewing Naruto as a great future threat if left alive.[62] Jiraiya,
seeing the same potential that Orochimaru does in Naruto, took the
young boy as a student, greatly developing his skills by the start of
Part II. Since his return to Konoha in Part II, Naruto continued to go
through rapid improvement, mastering increasingly advanced techniques
and forms and even devising some long-range techniques to fill the gaps
in his repertoire. Through his frequent encounters with powerful shinobi
like the Akatsuki, Naruto gains some notoriety, even defeating the leader of Akatsuki, Pain.
Konoha has since considered him a hero, which leads his fame to spread
to other ninja villages. He is even recognised by the current five Kage, the four previous Hokage, and the ninja world at large as the only person who can save and change the world.[63] Even shinobi such as Madara Uchiha were forced to take him seriously when he fought Naruto.[64] He has also been noted to have surpassed his father[65] and has even been compared to Hashirama Senju several times, with Tobirama even noting that he could become a greater Hokage than Hashirama was.[66] Hashirama himself credited Naruto with their near defeat of Madara.[67]
Life Force and Chakra Control
Because of his Uzumaki
lineage, Naruto's chakra reserves are naturally large and resilient,
granting him tremendous stamina and vitality. Stemming from this is an
exceptionally long potential life-span and an accelerated healing rate
(the latter originally accredited to the Nine-Tails' chakra), allowing
Naruto to recover from fatigue in a fraction of the time or injuries to
mend themselves.[68]
His life force has also proven strong enough to survive the extraction
of a tailed beast (albeit he was rendered unconscious and in a critical
state).[69]
His poor performance in the Academy was because he lacked the proper
control of his reserves, leading him to allocate chakra insufficiently.
When he became aware of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, he was able to
improve his chakra output enough to perform techniques successfully,
but he in fact used up more chakra than necessary. Because of how large
his reserves were, this does not cause him immediate problems, but Ebisu - and later Jiraiya - nevertheless taught Naruto how to use his chakra more efficiently.[70] Karin has described his chakra as being "bright and warm".
Naruto sharing some of Kurama's chakra.
Despite the natural size of his chakra reserves, the Nine-Tails' is
far greater; Kakashi estimates that Naruto's chakra reserves are four
times greater than his own without the tailed beast and a hundred times greater with it.[71]
Naruto's chakra has been mixing with the Nine-Tails' since the day he
was born, amplifying his already large reserves. Due to this symbiosis,
Naruto can perform many chakra-taxing jutsu and in a very rapid
sequence. Throughout Part I and for much of Part II, the Nine-Tails
gives Naruto brief access to its chakra, but only insomuch as it
benefits the fox. After Naruto befriends it and learns the Nine-Tails'
name, Kurama, he is granted complete access to its chakra. Having long since mastered chakra control
and already experienced with manipulating large amounts of chakra,
Naruto makes quick use of what Kurama gives him, mixing it with his own
so that he can, in turn, share it with others.[72]
The power of his shrouds to resemble his tailed beast cloak along with
allowing them to use senjutsu-empowered Rasengan. When using the chakra
he got from six of the tailed beasts in his and Sasuke's final strike on
Obito, the tailed beasts reacted to their chakra and the chakra of the
tailed beasts that was sustaining the Shinju came out, allowing him to
initiate a tug-of-war to take the beasts out.
Jinchūriki Transformations
Main articles: Jinchūriki Forms and Nine-Tails Chakra Mode Naruto's initial jinchūriki form.
Naruto's journey to access and control Kurama's power (and later befriend the tailed beast) is a long and arduous one. Having been its jinchūriki
for his entire life, Naruto has always benefited from its presence.
After learning of Kurama's presence, Naruto begins tapping into its
chakra reserves, supplementing his own and increasing his strength and
speed in the process. It also augments Naruto's healing power, able to
regenerate lost flesh within seconds with no lingering signs. But Naruto
does not, in fact, consciously access Kurama's power on the first few
occasions. Rather, Kurama intervenes when Naruto's life is in danger or
it takes advantage of Naruto's rage to exert some of its influence.
Jiraiya teaches Naruto how to communicate with Kurama, enabling Naruto
to thereafter request a donation of its strength. His ability to utilise
it and the amount he can access grows during Part I, culminating in his
ability to enter a single-tailed version 1 state, which improves Naruto's defences and allows him to manifest chakra arms that increase his range.
Jiraiya helps Naruto improve his control of Kurama's power during
their two-and-a-half years together. Naruto is able to reach a
three-tailed version 1 form, which incrementally boosts his speed and
strength. Although Naruto becomes more headstrong, even violent, when
using version 1 cloaks, he remains in control. Satisfied with these
results, Jiraiya loosens the seal that keeps Kurama sealed inside Naruto
in the hopes it will give Naruto increased access to its chakra. This
inadvertently triggers a version 2
state; Naruto's capabilities grow to exponential heights in version 2,
but Naruto no longer remains in control of his senses, causing him to
attack anything in sight. Jiraiya is nearly killed in their first
experiment and Naruto remembers nothing about it afterwards. From that
point further, Jiraiya encourages Naruto to be cautious in his use of
Kurama's power and, upon returning him to Konoha, Jiraiya quietly
advises others about how to prevent Naruto from losing control.[73]
Because he was never told about his first version 2 experience,
Jiraiya's warnings do not make an impression on Naruto. Added to the
increasing danger he and his friends face and the frustrations that come
with them, Naruto eventually enters a version 2 form a second time.
Although he is able to use it to overpower Orochimaru, he attacks Sakura
in the process. Yamato, having been specifically teamed with Naruto to suppress Kurama if needed, intervenes in time to save her.[74]
Yamato tells Naruto afterwards what happened. Upset that he could be a
danger to those he cares for, Naruto stops relying on Kurama and looks
for new ways to get stronger. He succeeds for a time, but once again
succumbs to rage during his fight with Pain and enters another version 2
form.
Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Naruto's desperation for power in order to defeat Pain almost makes
him release Kurama, causing him to realise that avoidance is not the
solution. He instead decides to control Kurama, and seeks guidance from Killer B, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. With B's help he is able to conquer Kurama and gain free access to a portion of its strength, focusing its power into a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode increases his strength, speed, and defences
beyond what they were in version 1 and 2, he becomes more dexterous with
chakra arms, and he can sense negative emotions, a method of detection even sensor-type ninja can't do.[75] His speed in particular surpasses A's, who was the fastest shinobi in the world since Minato Namikaze died.[76] Nine-Tails Chakra Mode becomes instrumental to turning the tide of the Fourth Shinobi World War, letting him defeat the hordes of reincarnated shinobi.
Naruto in Tailed Beast Mode.
Conquering Kurama is not the same as cooperating with it, and Naruto
must still exercise caution when initially using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Having seen what Naruto has gone through during his life and the type
of person he has become, Kurama decides to stop opposing Naruto and
accepts Naruto's offers of friendship. Kurama freely gives Naruto as
much of its chakra as it can, enabling him to enter Tailed Beast Mode.
In Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto can focus Kurama's power into what is
merely a more ornate Nine-Tails Chakra Mode or fully manifest Kurama's
form, in doing so unleashing Kurama's full might, including Tailed Beast Balls.[77]
His speed, strength, and durability also increase by impressive
amounts, to the point where he could deflect five Tailed Beast Balls at
the exact same time and send them flying kilometres away, and even pin
and damage a senjutsu-enhanced complete Susanoo from Madara Uchiha with a single tail.[78][79] He could hold his own against three tailed beasts in battle and equal the combined power of the five with a single Tailed Beast Ball in a clash.[80][81]
Naruto is even able to meld their chakra together so that he can pass
it to others, giving them version 1-like cloaks that keep them safe and
amplify their power.
Taijutsu
Naruto fighting Kiba.
Although not his specialty, Naruto does use taijutsu
quite frequently. While his taijutsu attacks are not that skillful or
very organised, he still used it successfully in battle against foes and
opponents such as Kiba. In Part II, it seems that Naruto's taijutsu was
at its best when using shadow clones to help. With the aid of two
shadow clones, he could take out two rogue samurai on his own to protect
Inari.[82]
He remains manoeuvrable in a fight, able to get close to even skilled
taijutsu practitioners and spar with them for a time, but if he is to
ultimately defeat them in speed or strength he must utilise either
Kurama or, in Part II, Sage Mode. Despite this, Naruto's proven skilled enough to hold his own against highly skilled taijutsu users such as Neji Hyūga, Nagato's Deva Path, Karui and Omoi at the same time.[83][84][85]
Ninjutsu
Shadow Clone Technique
Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Naruto is best known for his use of the Shadow Clone Technique.
Where the average ninja must be careful in the creation of shadow
clones so that they do not deplete their chakra reserves, Naruto can
create upwards of a thousand clones and retain a decent amount of chakra
in each of them.[86]
This lets him overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers or carry out
multiple tasks at once. It is because of shadow clones that Naruto is
able to be so effective during the Fourth Shinobi World War, as he can
appear on multiple battlefields at the same time.
During Part II, Naruto learns that whatever his shadow clones
learn, he, the original, would also learn. He frequently employs this to
complete a year's worth of training in a couple of days. In combat, it
also lets him scout an area or test an opponent's abilities, letting him
gauge how many shadow clones he will actually need for a fight rather
than waste chakra on thousands of excess clones.[87]
Summoning Technique
Naruto using the Summoning Technique.
In order to encourage improved control over Kurama's chakra, Jiraiya teaches Naruto to perform the Summoning Technique. By offering a certain amount of chakra, Naruto can summon the toads of Mount Myōboku
as allies that fight beside him. He is initially restricted to tadpoles
due to his poor chakra control, but as his control improves he can
summon small toads such as then-young Gamakichi or Gamatatsu. During Part I he must rely on Kurama's chakra to summon toads of Gamabunta's size, but by Part II, Kurama's help is merely optional.
Rasengan
Naruto using the Rasengan.
Once Naruto succeeded in mastering summoning, Jiraiya teaches him the Rasengan.
His reasons for teaching it to Naruto are various: the training
involved in learning the Rasengan improves his chakra control; it is in
many ways the counterpart to Sasuke's Chidori;
it was invented by Naruto's father. Because of the very intricate
chakra control the Rasengan requires, Naruto struggles to master it, and
is not helped by the time limit he imposes on himself during his
training. Although the Rasengan is intended as a one-handed technique,
Naruto learns to use it with more than one hand, specifically a shadow
clone's: he provides the chakra that will make the Rasengan while the
clone forms it into shape.
Naruto using the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan.
From further training with Jiraiya, Naruto is able to create larger versions of the Rasengan in Part II, such as the Big Ball Rasengan.
The amount of preparation time required to form the Rasengan has
decreased, but he still relies on shadow clones to help him when in his
normal form. To make up for the need for shadow clones, Naruto steadily
increases the number Rasengan he uses at a time, either by having the
shadow clones form Rasengan in both of his hands or having the shadow clones make their own Rasengan to bombard the target with.
It is only with Kurama's chakra or senjutsu chakra that Naruto
can make a Rasengan on his own. He did so with the former briefly at the
end of Part I, using a version 1 cloak as a shell for a Kurama-powered
Rasengan. With Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he uses the extra hands of his
chakra arms to make new Rasengan, such as the Spiralling Absorption Sphere and the Planetary Rasengan. Because the Rasengan was conceptually based on the Tailed Beast Ball, he attempts to bring it into further parallel with the Tailed Beast Rasengan.[88] He fails when first trying to use it, but with Kurama's aid later invents the Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball.[89]
Nature Transformation
Naruto using the Wind Release: Rasengan.
As a possible alternative to Kurama's chakra, Kakashi teaches Naruto how to take advantage of his natural elemental affinity: wind.
The wind nature compliments Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match
for short-range fighters. Because the Rasengan was originally intended
to be combined with a user's nature transformation,
Naruto sets out to combine his wind affinity with the Rasengan. He
struggles with it, finding it as near-impossible as his father did
before him, but once again finds a solution with shadow clones: while he
provides the chakra and a clone provides the shape, as is done with
normal Rasengan, a second clone infuses it with their nature. This
results in the creation of the Wind Release: Rasengan, and later the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. With two clones, he can make a bigger version of it.[90]
On contact with a target, the Rasenshuriken explodes into a
torrent of wind that cuts them at a cellular level. At first, Naruto
uses it like a blunt object that he forces into opponents, causing him
to receive the same level of damage as they do. After learning Sage Mode
he becomes able to throw it, preventing harm to himself and at the same
time increasing its speed and cutting power.[91] In Nine-Tails Chakra Mode he can further augment its size, making a miniature version, a gigantic version, or even Twin Rasenshuriken, all without the help of shadow clones.[92]
Collaboration Techniques
Naruto and Gamatatsu using their Wind Release: Toad Gun.
In the anime, Jiraiya gives Naruto special training in collaboration techniques
so that he can combine his wind affinity with the affinities of
summoned toads, creating one single technique that is more powerful than
the sum of its part. Naruto eventually manages to synchronise with
Gamakichi and Gamatatsu, first with the Wind Release: Toad Gun, and later the Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet.
Naruto in a Susanoo-clad Tailed Beast Mode with Sasuke and most of the members of Konoha 11.
Naruto briefly collaborates with Yamato, combining a Wind Release: Rasengan to create Typhoon Water Vortex Technique. He later performs another collaboration with Sasuke, producing the Scorch Release: Halo Gale Jet Black Arrow Style Zero. Tobirama Senju notes this required a perfect balance between the ratio of the combined techniques and was hard to achieve.[93] Another collaboration with Sasuke is when Sasuke can shapeSusanoo around Naruto's Sage Tailed Beast Mode, with Naruto adding chakra and senjutsu to the Susanoo swords so they can overpower even Obito's Sword of Nunoboko and destroy half of it.[94][95] He could also collaborate with most of the members of the Konoha 11, even giving them a Tailed Beast Mode mantle while they wielded a Rasengan he created.[96]
Senjutsu
Naruto in Sage Mode.
After Jiraiya is killed by Pain, Naruto is taught senjutsu by Fukasaku,
a former teacher of Jiraiya, to prepare him for the day when Pain comes
after him. During his training he proves to have a greater aptitude for
senjutsu than Jiraiya, helped in no small part by his necessarily high
chakra levels. He progresses through the learning steps rapidly,
becoming able to sense and then gather the natural energy
around him and perfectly balance it with his own chakra. However, doing
this requires absolute calm, which can't be achieved or maintained in
the middle of combat. For this reason, Fukasaku and his wife would theoretically fuse
with him, gathering the natural energy for him to use. During all
attempts at fusion, Kurama rejected Fukasaku, a threat to its power,
leaving Naruto with no way to enter Sage Mode.
Naruto found a away to use shadow clones as a workaround. While
he fights, the clones gather natural energy for him and then, when he is
in need, he has them disperse, transferring their natural energy to
him. Although this lets him enter a perfect Sage Mode that Jiraiya was
never able to, this method limits the maximum number of shadow clones
that he can create to five for as long as the clones are gathering
natural energy, as anything more would interfere with their focus. To
make sure he has enough shadow clones for use in battle, Naruto has only
two shadow clones gather senjutsu chakra, allowing him to enter Sage
Mode a total of three times.
Naruto combining Kurama's chakra and Sage Mode.
Once in Sage Mode, Naruto's speed, strength, durability, and
proficiency with the Rasengan and its variants increases. He can utilise
the Frog Kata
- a form of taijutsu that uses the natural energy around the user to
enhance the range and the potency of their attacks - and sensory
abilities effective even at long ranges.[97] His sensing abilities also let him predict the movements of his enemies for easy retaliation.[98] Following his befriending of Kurama, he can even combine Sage Mode with Tailed Beast Mode, which has the added bonus of letting him gather natural energy faster.[99]
Deception and Strategy
Naruto sneaks up behind Kakashi.
From his years as a prankster, Naruto acquired a cunning and
imagination that are useful in battle. Naruto's strategies typically
involve shadow clones: he may direct his opponent's attentions towards
one of his clones to disguise his own movements; he may transform them
into objects or other individuals for surprise attacks; he may make
himself seem predictable by creating a pattern, just to throw them off
by breaking it.
Naruto is resourceful in a fight even without clones, formulating
multi-step plans and even backups to those plans in the thick of
battle.[100] He is observant, able to notice details others may overlook; after wondering how the Third Raikage,
who was famous in life for his defences, could receive a scar, Naruto
deduced that the scar was self-inflicted, and subsequently takes
advantage of that knowledge to manipulate the Raikage's movements and
use him to defeat himself. Even when given new information he can act
quickly; when he learned that Kakashi and Tobi's Kamui were connected, he formed a plan to send one of his clones into the other dimension which enabled him to destroy Tobi's mask.[101]
Naruto is headstrong and often acts without thinking his actions
through, making it difficult for others to communicate their battle or
lesson plans to him. For this reason, he is sometimes considered dense.
However, he is a masterful tactile learner, meaning that he learns better through executing a task rather than theorising about it.[22] Once they see him in action, even the likes of the Second Hokage revise their thoughts about his intellect.[102]
Other Skills
After the time-skip, Naruto has improved his knowledge of other ninja
skills while under Jiraiya's tutelage. He has displayed some limited
skill in shurikenjutsu.[103][104] Naruto's been shown to keep a spring-loaded kunai up his sleeve for quick access.[105] Though he has no skill in genjutsu, he does at least know how to dispel it and avoid falling prey to it.
His skills with fūinjutsu have not been explored greatly, but he knew how to use the seal's key after receiving Gerotora, and later resealed Kurama after he separated a majority of chakra from the tailed beast.[106] Jiraiya had left Naruto with the key to help him complete an as of yet unknown technique which he, Naruto, and Minato have been working on, but never finished. Naruto stated that he was ready to complete it.[107]
