Ijust started Xanga so people plz give me comments on things that u like or dislike so the only thing i can think of is this fr the people that just started Naruto here are some things about Naruto an his friends.

Naruto was born on October tenth, but not much is known about his parentage. It is known that, as an infant, the spirit of the Ky鸼i (nine-tailed demon fox), who had attacked the village of Konoha, was sealed within Naruto's body by the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.

The villagers of Konoha harbored a fierce hatred for the young child, since he bore the spirit of the demon who decimated their once peaceful village, in spite of the Fourth Hokage's wish that Naruto be seen as a hero who contained the demon. He was shunned by his fellow villagers and their children, his classmates, leaving Naruto a confused and lonely child.

Fortunately, Naruto was befriended by his compassionate ninja instructor, a Ch鹡in named Umino Iruka. Though Iruka's own parents perished at the hands of the Ky鸼i, Iruka didn't blame Naruto for their deaths. Instead, Iruka accepted Naruto and empathized with the boy's desire to be accepted, since he too once had the same desire. He may have been the first person to believe in Naruto, and has made a lasting impact on Naruto himself. It is through Iruka's presence as Naruto's only family figure that Naruto learns to overcome his sadness.

 :baby Naruto

 :The Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father, (Yondaime Hokage), also known as "The Leaf's Yellow Flash" ("Konoha no Kiiroi Senk?), was the brave ninja responsible for sealing the Ky鸼i inside Naruto. He is said to be the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced. He is remembered for his heroic acts through the monument which overshadows Konoha. Before he performed the seal, which would trap the Ky鸼i, he said that he did not want Naruto to be viewed as the container of a monster, but as a hero who saved the village from annihilation. This request, however, was not honored by the villagers, who still held much resentment for the Ky鸼i. He was a student of Jiraiya, and was the sensei of Hataka Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin.

The Fourth shares many similarities with Naruto, including blond hair, blue eyes, the same blood type (B), and overall similar personalities as noted by Jiraiya (though he also notes that the Fourth was much smarter, relatively speaking). Naruto is also noted to be the Fourth's legacy by Uchiha Itachi. Furthermore, when he was trying to force Naruto to release his Ky鸼i chakra, Jiraiya pushed Naruto off of a cliff, saying "Forgive me, Fourth" as he did so.

The Fourth created several unique techniques, including Hiraishin no Jutsu, which essentially allows him to teleport to any location with the use of a special seal. He also created the Rasengan, a technique that does not rely on hand seals, but instead uses a concentration of spinning chakra in the palm that causes immense damage to its victim on contact.

 (Nine tailed fox) The Ky鸼i is said to be the most powerful of the tailed-beasts; a single swipe of one of its nine tails could raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. After the Ky鸼i attacked Konohagakure, the Fourth Hokage sealed it into baby Naruto by using the Shiki F鹖n (Dead Demon Seal), sacrificing his own life.

 Before graduating from the Academy, Naruto was craving for acknowledgement. He would play pranks all around the village in an attempt to be recognized by its inhabitants. This included, but was not limited to, painting graffiti on the monument depicting the first four Hokages. He would also tell everyone who doubted him that he would one day become Hokage. As he tells Iruka (and pretty much everyone else), he wishes to become Hokage in order to be recognized by those around him. Even after graduating, Naruto is still determined to be recognized, and becomes the "Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja" of Konoha, as described by Hatake Kakashi.

Naruto's exuberant personality and fiery desire for self-improvement strongly impacts the lives of those around him. At beginning of the series, Naruto befriends Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage, and it is through his brief tutelage that Konohamaru learns (by sticking to Naruto like glue as Naruto is his hero) that the path to success is through plenty of hard work. Despite his headstrong nature, Naruto is a clever prankster who overcomes his opponents through a combination of willpower, dumb luck (though as Kakashi himself states, luck is very important), and clever diversions.

Naruto has a great sense of humor, albeit somewhat perverted in some cases, and is usually all smiles and laughs around (though, at times, he smiles to hide whatever's bothering him so no one worries about him; those who are closest to him see right through it). Outside his world, he's just an ordinary kid with a laid-back attitude.

A glimpse into Naruto's mind as he stands before the locked-up Ky鸼i.

As the host (known as a Jinch鹯iki) of the Ky鸼i, both Naruto's body and mind (occasionally) are influenced by it. Physically, Naruto has some of the Ky鸼i's characteristics, such as whisker-like marks on his cheeks and larger than normal incisors. He also has increased stamina and healing ability, which allows him to recover from most injuries within a day. Mentally, Naruto remains largely unaffected, save for a few animalistic traits that slip through, such as his tendency to leap between trees on all fours. Since the Ky鸼i was sealed inside Naruto since birth, it is unclear just what parts of his personality it has had an effect on; however, it could explain Naruto's devilish side for pulling pranks to gain attention, as well as his stubbornness to never back down from a challenge. (In Japanese mythology, a kitsune is said to often play pranks on people, and foxes are also known to be very resourceful during crises.) These traits become more pronounced as he draws upon the Ky鸼i's chakra.

Naruto's normal chakra level is considered high for a ninja of his level, partially because of the Ky鸼i. Even without directly drawing upon it, a small amount of the Ky鸼i's chakra is always mixed with his own. His body instinctively rejects the bulk of it due to the damage it would cause. As such, he is naturally suited to jutsu that use a large amount of chakra, such as his signature technique: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Shado  Doppelganger). While most ninja are only capable of creating a few clones safely, due to the jutsu's hazard of equally dividing the user's chakra among the clones, Naruto is able to create upwards of one thousand while maintaining a decent supply of chakra.

The Ky鸼i's chakra usually comes to Naruto during life-threatening or other stressful situations, given to him by the Ky鸼i itself to insure its survival. Naruto eventually learns to contact the Ky鸼i and demand some of its chakra, which it seems to comply to out of amusement. The reason Naruto is able to access its chakra is because of the unique way in which it was sealed. Though the Ky鸼i remains trapped within Naruto, its chakra can leak out through the seal and mix with Naruto's. Other Jinch鹯iki apparently possess similar seals. The Ky鸼i's limitless supply of chakra becomes an invaluable weapon for Naruto, often turning the tide of a difficult battle in his favor. The Ky鸼i chakra increases every aspect of Naruto's physiology, making him a nearly unstoppable force. His speed and strength increase far beyond that of any normal human, and even beyond that of most ninja. It also increases his healing rate, allowing him to regenerate even major wounds in a few seconds. His stamina is also increased beyond its normal level, allowing him to fight without tiring.

Naruto in his one-tailed Ky鸼i transformation.

Part 1

Naruto's personality tends to inspire similar traits in those around him, and as such he has changed the worldviews of several people, mostly through his battles with them. During the Chūnin exam, Naruto forges several bonds with other participating Genin. Naruto's encounters during the Chūnin exam are characterized by Naruto relating to or opposing to sentiments and outlooks on life, and it is through this relation that he makes many new friends (on three different occasions, by defeating his future friend in battle).

Naruto's own way of thinking is also strengthened by these encounters, particularly from his first real battle against Haku and Momochi Zabuza. Haku's sacrifice and Zabuza's initial lack of compassion in regards to it leads him to reject the idea of becoming an emotionless living weapon, the very definition of being a shinobi.

Gaara

Gaara, like Naruto, is the unwilling host of a demon, the one-tailed Shukaku. As such, Gaara had a similar childhood. Unlike Naruto, however, Gaara never had someone like Iruka to alleviate his loneliness. Instead, the one person who befriends Gaara eventually tries to kill him. This event leads Gaara to believe that his purpose in life is to kill everybody around him, so no one will be able to deny his existence. This is not helped by the fact that Gaara must always remain awake, lest Shukaku eat away at his personality. Naruto realizes that were it not for his own friends, he could have easily become like Gaara. During Naruto and Gaara's fight at the end of the Destruction of Konoha arc, Naruto explains to Gaara that he gets his strength from protecting those who he believes are important. This outlook, along with Naruto's unwillingness to be defeated, changes Gaara's outlook on life. He starts to value other people's lives, and he comes to consider Naruto his best friend. Gaara is profoundly affected by Naruto's words and decides to change. Gaara later goes on to become the Fifth Kazekage to protect his village.

 Hyuga Hinata

While Naruto never has any previous problems with Hinata, her innate shyness prevented her from doing anything more than blushing and not saying anything when they spoke, which made him uncomfortable. Naruto states that he knows Hinata is a good person, but thinks she is timid and weird, regardless. He was (and still is) completely oblivious to the fact that she's extremely attracted to him.

Naruto never truly notices Hinata until the preliminaries of the Chūnin exam, during Hinata's battle with Hyūga Neji. Hinata is part of the main house of the Hyūga clan, and supposedly the heir to its leadership, but she is only an average ninja, while Neji is recognized as a genius of his clan, but is part of the branch house and can never become its leader. As such, he takes out his frustration on Hinata, who doesn't give up despite being clearly outmatched against her genius cousin. During the fight, Neji berates her for her lack of ability, which inspires Naruto to cheer her on, since he knows what it's like to be underestimated. Hinata fights on because of his cheering, but loses anyway. Naruto is extremely overcome with emotion when he sees Hinata lose to Neji. He then decides that he will beat Neji. Even though Hinata lost, Naruto was able to inspire her to change, and she is able to become stronger later in the series. After the timeskip, Naruto gives Hinata a friendly greeting, much to her embarrassment (as she had been hiding from him trying to figure out what to say when he discovered her).

 Hyuga Neji

After the preliminaries, Naruto is paired to fight against Hyūga Neji in the finals of the Chūnin exam. When the chance comes, Naruto tells Neji to stop blaming everything on fate, challenging Neji's statements about how everything is predetermined. After Naruto defeats Neji, Naruto is able to convince him that fate isn't predetermined, and that destiny can be changed. Neji may never admit it, but he is thankful to Naruto for showing him a brighter part of life. Neji even admits that Naruto saved him from his own personal darkness, and they become good friends.

Rock Lee

Naruto gradually bonds with Rock Lee, calling him "Bushy Brows" (ゲジマユ, "geji-mayu"). At first, the name is derisive, but later becomes affectionate. Rock Lee is a taijutsu expert who is incapable of using either ninjutsu or genjutsu. Faced with that limitation, Rock Lee compensates by training himself to be almost ridiculously skilled in taijutsu, and thus represents the ideal of hard work prevailing against all odds. During Lee's fight with the more powerful Gaara during the preliminary exams, Rock Lee refuses to give up, even trying to fight while unconscious and having a crushed arm and leg. Naruto deeply identifies with Lee because they are somewhat similar. Lee's concept of 'hard work' is something they've both had to do, and both met with numerous failures before getting any success. They both wish to achieve their goals, and they want to prove themselves to gain other people's respect. They even have similar rivals in Sasuke and Neji. Both possess powerful bloodline limits and are considered some of the top rookies in the village, while Naruto and Rock Lee are considered subpar. Naruto feels very sorry for Rock Lee after Gaara beats him. Later, when Gaara tries to make an attempt on Lee's life in the hospital, Naruto and Shikamaru stop Gaara from crushing Lee with his sand. Naruto and Shikamaru would have been forced to fight Gaara themselves if Might Guy hadn't arrived to visit Lee. Naruto is also happy for Lee when he is able to fight again and continue being a ninja.

 Uchiha Sasuke

Perhaps Naruto's most defining relationship, the bond between him and Sasuke remains at the core of the series. The two are both rivals and friends, though more of the former than the latter. Their rivalry pushes them to outperform one another, which makes it a mutually beneficial relationship. The opinions of this greatly differ, however. While Naruto sees himself as an equal to Sasuke, or at least works his way up to that point, Sasuke sees himself as stronger than Naruto. As such, whenever Sasuke finds that Naruto is either catching up to him or surpassing him, Sasuke feels as if he's inferior or weak. This opinion is not helped by the fact that Naruto is usually responsible for their team's victories.

After the Chūnin exams, Naruto's continued increase in strength makes Sasuke even more jealous (comparatively speaking, Naruto had progressed much more than Sasuke over the same length of time). Naruto's defeat of Gaara, who Sasuke stood no chance against, is what brings these feelings to the surface. This is compounded by the arrival of Sasuke's brother, Itachi. Not only is Itachi not the least bit interested in Sasuke, he is actually after Naruto. This, coupled with the staggering differences in their respective strengths and Sasuke's subsequent defeat, leads Sasuke to challenge Naruto to a fight.

The two go to the roof of the hospital, where each voices their opinion of their rivalry, with Naruto insisting they're equals while Sasuke thinks otherwise. Their battle is short, ending with each trying to use their most powerful attack on the other. Kakashi steps in to prevent them from injuring Sakura, who attempts to intervene. Kakashi deflects their attacks into adjacent water towers. At first, it appears as if Sasuke did more damage, but in reality Naruto did. While Sasuke does put a major dent in the front of a tower, Naruto actually blows out the back of the other. Though Kakashi tries to convince Sasuke to give up his quest for revenge, his defeat at the hands of the Sound Four leads him to defect to Orochimaru.

The Sound Four are held off by Naruto's friends so Naruto can reach Sasuke. Once he does, the two have a much more serious battle, during which they each bring out their respective "gifts", those being Naruto's Kyūbi chakra and Sasuke's cursed seal. During the battle, Sasuke claims that he doesn't need any friends, as that does nothing to make him more powerful, since killing Itachi is his only goal. Naruto refuses to accept Sasuke's decision, as by his own admission Sasuke is like a brother to him and he can't bear to lose him to the twisted path of self-destruction he has chosen. This drives Naruto to draw upon the Kyūbi's chakra to such a degree that he nearly overcomes Sasuke's Sharingan. As such, Sasuke finally acknowledges Naruto as an equal. In the end, the two use their most powerful attacks against each other once more, only this time enhancing the attacks with their respective gifts. They cannot go through with their attacks, however. Naruto purposefully misses, scratching Sasuke's headband, and Sasuke doesn't kill Naruto because he doesn't want to become like Itachi.

With Sasuke's successful defection, Naruto's main goal is to bring Sasuke back before Orochimaru can take him as his new host.

Part II

New personality

Naruto, two and a half years later.

In the second part of the story, after a two-and-a-half year time skip, Naruto shows physical growth, sports a new outfit, and appears to not only have increased in strength, speed, and techniques, but intelligence as well. However, according to Tsunade, Naruto is also slowly adopting some of Jiraiya's perverted traits. During his apprenticeship under Jiraiya, Naruto was able to read the latest of the "Icha Icha" series written by Jiraiya, although when he presents a copy to Kakashi, he says he thought it was boring.

It seems Naruto's feelings for Sakura have matured. They do not seem to be a child-like crush anymore. They have a very easy time communicating with each other, despite the nearly three-year separation. They are capable of having a casual conversation together, and they seem to like spending time together. Naruto is now noticeably taller than Sakura and some of his other friends. (In Part I, he is made fun of for being shorter than her.)

It is when Team 7 was on the way to Sunagakure that Naruto revealed to Sakura and Temari that the Kyūbi was sealed inside him. Sakura had already found out, but she sympathizes with him, as does Temari.

It is also shown that Sasuke's defection still affects Naruto and Sakura, and when the whole of Team 7 finally meets after two and a half years, Sasuke greets them with cold indifference, and says he doesn't care if he becomes Orochimaru's vessel as long as Itachi will die. He even attempts to kill Sakura and Naruto. Later, after Sasuke leaves with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Naruto and Sakura are clearly upset that he is no longer the Sasuke they knew.

New abilities

Naruto has displayed a few new abilities since the start of Part II. Sometime during his training with Jiraiya, Naruto accidentally transformed into a four-tailed form of the Kyūbi without his remembering. In this form, Naruto loses all control of himself and cannot remember what happens during this state. He becomes an unrestrainable beast who attacks anyone he sees. Jiraiya claims that there were only two times in his lifetime when he nearly died ?the first was an incident with Tsunade, the second time being when Naruto transformed into the four tailed state. During his battle with Orochimaru, he gets angry to the point of turning into the four-tailed Kyūbi. Orochimaru states that this form is powerful enough to actually kill him.

Naruto has greatly improved his ninjutsu and taijutsu post-timeskip, as well as becoming a much better tactician. He managed to catch Kakashi by surprise during his second bell test, and even used Kakashi's obsession to Icha Icha Paradise to his advantage. Apparently, Naruto is starting to wield and become more skilled with weapons (other than regular kunai or shurikens), as seen in the Rescue Gaara arc.

Naruto has also developed a new version of the Rasengan, titled the Odama Rasengan. Classified as an S-rank jutsu, the Odama Rasengan is a much larger and powerful version of the normal Rasengan. Naruto uses both his and his clone's hand to control it due its unstable nature. During his battle with Itachi (actually a clone of Itachi formed by the Akatsuki leader's Shoten no Jutsu (Shapeshifting Technique), Naruto utilizes this new technique to defeat Itachi's clone.

Recently, Kakashi has been training Naruto to alter the nature of his chakra, in order for Naruto to create a jutsu that is unique to him. Though this normally takes a long time to do, there is a trick that speeds up the process. By creating one thousand shadow clones of himself, Naruto can complete twenty years worth of training in just one week. Most ninja are unable to train using this method due to a lack of chakra and stamina, something Naruto doesn't need to worry about. Because the clones are linked to Naruto, he remembers everything they experience after they disperse. Naruto was ignorant of this fact until told by Kakashi. Kakashi also helps Naruto to discover the nature of his chakra through a special form of paper that reacts differently to chakra. When Naruto channels his chakra into the paper, it splits in half, indicating that Naruto has an affinity for wind.

The first part of Naruto's training involves him and his many clones trying to cut a leaf in their hands with chakra alone. Whenever one makes progress, it disperses itself so each clone gains the knowledge. During this time, Naruto asks Kakashi if there are any other wind element users, so Kakashi points him to Asuma. Asuma gives Naruto some pointers by explaining how he uses his trench knives, but not before getting Naruto to cover his team's next party dinner. After a while, he disperses every single clone, allowing him to gain all their knowledge at once, but also causing extreme mental fatigue. This gave him enough experience to complete the first step of the training.

The second part of Naruto's training involves taking his first lesson to a greater level. He's to learn how to control large bursts of wind chakra on a much bigger object: in this case, a waterfall. Yamato had created it earlier as a demonstration.

Naruto was born on October tenth, but not much is known about his parentage. It is known that, as an infant, the spirit of the Ky鸼i (nine-tailed demon fox), who had attacked the village of Konoha, was sealed within Naruto's body by the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.

The villagers of Konoha harbored a fierce hatred for the young child, since he bore the spirit of the demon who decimated their once peaceful village, in spite of the Fourth Hokage's wish that Naruto be seen as a hero who contained the demon. He was shunned by his fellow villagers and their children, his classmates, leaving Naruto a confused and lonely child.

Fortunately, Naruto was befriended by his compassionate ninja instructor, a Ch鹡in named Umino Iruka. Though Iruka's own parents perished at the hands of the Ky鸼i, Iruka didn't blame Naruto for their deaths. Instead, Iruka accepted Naruto and empathized with the boy's desire to be accepted, since he too once had the same desire. He may have been the first person to believe in Naruto, and has made a lasting impact on Naruto himself. It is through Iruka's presence as Naruto's only family figure that Naruto learns to overcome his sadness.

 :baby Naruto

 :The Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father, (Yondaime Hokage), also known as "The Leaf's Yellow Flash" ("Konoha no Kiiroi Senk?), was the brave ninja responsible for sealing the Ky鸼i inside Naruto. He is said to be the greatest ninja Konoha had ever produced. He is remembered for his heroic acts through the monument which overshadows Konoha. Before he performed the seal, which would trap the Ky鸼i, he said that he did not want Naruto to be viewed as the container of a monster, but as a hero who saved the village from annihilation. This request, however, was not honored by the villagers, who still held much resentment for the Ky鸼i. He was a student of Jiraiya, and was the sensei of Hataka Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin.

The Fourth shares many similarities with Naruto, including blond hair, blue eyes, the same blood type (B), and overall similar personalities as noted by Jiraiya (though he also notes that the Fourth was much smarter, relatively speaking). Naruto is also noted to be the Fourth's legacy by Uchiha Itachi. Furthermore, when he was trying to force Naruto to release his Ky鸼i chakra, Jiraiya pushed Naruto off of a cliff, saying "Forgive me, Fourth" as he did so.

The Fourth created several unique techniques, including Hiraishin no Jutsu, which essentially allows him to teleport to any location with the use of a special seal. He also created the Rasengan, a technique that does not rely on hand seals, but instead uses a concentration of spinning chakra in the palm that causes immense damage to its victim on contact.

 (Nine tailed fox) The Ky鸼i is said to be the most powerful of the tailed-beasts; a single swipe of one of its nine tails could raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. After the Ky鸼i attacked Konohagakure, the Fourth Hokage sealed it into baby Naruto by using the Shiki F鹖n (Dead Demon Seal), sacrificing his own life.

 Before graduating from the Academy, Naruto was craving for acknowledgement. He would play pranks all around the village in an attempt to be recognized by its inhabitants. This included, but was not limited to, painting graffiti on the monument depicting the first four Hokages. He would also tell everyone who doubted him that he would one day become Hokage. As he tells Iruka (and pretty much everyone else), he wishes to become Hokage in order to be recognized by those around him. Even after graduating, Naruto is still determined to be recognized, and becomes the "Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja" of Konoha, as described by Hatake Kakashi.

Naruto's exuberant personality and fiery desire for self-improvement strongly impacts the lives of those around him. At beginning of the series, Naruto befriends Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage, and it is through his brief tutelage that Konohamaru learns (by sticking to Naruto like glue as Naruto is his hero) that the path to success is through plenty of hard work. Despite his headstrong nature, Naruto is a clever prankster who overcomes his opponents through a combination of willpower, dumb luck (though as Kakashi himself states, luck is very important), and clever diversions.

Naruto has a great sense of humor, albeit somewhat perverted in some cases, and is usually all smiles and laughs around (though, at times, he smiles to hide whatever's bothering him so no one worries about him; those who are closest to him see right through it). Outside his world, he's just an ordinary kid with a laid-back attitude.

A glimpse into Naruto's mind as he stands before the locked-up Ky鸼i.

As the host (known as a Jinch鹯iki) of the Ky鸼i, both Naruto's body and mind (occasionally) are influenced by it. Physically, Naruto has some of the Ky鸼i's characteristics, such as whisker-like marks on his cheeks and larger than normal incisors. He also has increased stamina and healing ability, which allows him to recover from most injuries within a day. Mentally, Naruto remains largely unaffected, save for a few animalistic traits that slip through, such as his tendency to leap between trees on all fours. Since the Ky鸼i was sealed inside Naruto since birth, it is unclear just what parts of his personality it has had an effect on; however, it could explain Naruto's devilish side for pulling pranks to gain attention, as well as his stubbornness to never back down from a challenge. (In Japanese mythology, a kitsune is said to often play pranks on people, and foxes are also known to be very resourceful during crises.) These traits become more pronounced as he draws upon the Ky鸼i's chakra.

Naruto's normal chakra level is considered high for a ninja of his level, partially because of the Ky鸼i. Even without directly drawing upon it, a small amount of the Ky鸼i's chakra is always mixed with his own. His body instinctively rejects the bulk of it due to the damage it would cause. As such, he is naturally suited to jutsu that use a large amount of chakra, such as his signature technique: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Shado  Doppelganger). While most ninja are only capable of creating a few clones safely, due to the jutsu's hazard of equally dividing the user's chakra among the clones, Naruto is able to create upwards of one thousand while maintaining a decent supply of chakra.

The Ky鸼i's chakra usually comes to Naruto during life-threatening or other stressful situations, given to him by the Ky鸼i itself to insure its survival. Naruto eventually learns to contact the Ky鸼i and demand some of its chakra, which it seems to comply to out of amusement. The reason Naruto is able to access its chakra is because of the unique way in which it was sealed. Though the Ky鸼i remains trapped within Naruto, its chakra can leak out through the seal and mix with Naruto's. Other Jinch鹯iki apparently possess similar seals. The Ky鸼i's limitless supply of chakra becomes an invaluable weapon for Naruto, often turning the tide of a difficult battle in his favor. The Ky鸼i chakra increases every aspect of Naruto's physiology, making him a nearly unstoppable force. His speed and strength increase far beyond that of any normal human, and even beyond that of most ninja. It also increases his healing rate, allowing him to regenerate even major wounds in a few seconds. His stamina is also increased beyond its normal level, allowing him to fight without tiring.

Naruto in his one-tailed Ky鸼i transformation.

Part 1

Naruto's personality tends to inspire similar traits in those around him, and as such he has changed the worldviews of several people, mostly through his battles with them. During the Chūnin exam, Naruto forges several bonds with other participating Genin. Naruto's encounters during the Chūnin exam are characterized by Naruto relating to or opposing to sentiments and outlooks on life, and it is through this relation that he makes many new friends (on three different occasions, by defeating his future friend in battle).

Naruto's own way of thinking is also strengthened by these encounters, particularly from his first real battle against Haku and Momochi Zabuza. Haku's sacrifice and Zabuza's initial lack of compassion in regards to it leads him to reject the idea of becoming an emotionless living weapon, the very definition of being a shinobi.

Gaara

Gaara, like Naruto, is the unwilling host of a demon, the one-tailed Shukaku. As such, Gaara had a similar childhood. Unlike Naruto, however, Gaara never had someone like Iruka to alleviate his loneliness. Instead, the one person who befriends Gaara eventually tries to kill him. This event leads Gaara to believe that his purpose in life is to kill everybody around him, so no one will be able to deny his existence. This is not helped by the fact that Gaara must always remain awake, lest Shukaku eat away at his personality. Naruto realizes that were it not for his own friends, he could have easily become like Gaara. During Naruto and Gaara's fight at the end of the Destruction of Konoha arc, Naruto explains to Gaara that he gets his strength from protecting those who he believes are important. This outlook, along with Naruto's unwillingness to be defeated, changes Gaara's outlook on life. He starts to value other people's lives, and he comes to consider Naruto his best friend. Gaara is profoundly affected by Naruto's words and decides to change. Gaara later goes on to become the Fifth Kazekage to protect his village.

 Hyūga Hinata

While Naruto never has any previous problems with Hinata, her innate shyness prevented her from doing anything more than blushing and not saying anything when they spoke, which made him uncomfortable. Naruto states that he knows Hinata is a good person, but thinks she is timid and weird, regardless. He was (and still is) completely oblivious to the fact that she's extremely attracted to him.

Naruto never truly notices Hinata until the preliminaries of the Chūnin exam, during Hinata's battle with Hyūga Neji. Hinata is part of the main house of the Hyūga clan, and supposedly the heir to its leadership, but she is only an average ninja, while Neji is recognized as a genius of his clan, but is part of the branch house and can never become its leader. As such, he takes out his frustration on Hinata, who doesn't give up despite being clearly outmatched against her genius cousin. During the fight, Neji berates her for her lack of ability, which inspires Naruto to cheer her on, since he knows what it's like to be underestimated. Hinata fights on because of his cheering, but loses anyway. Naruto is extremely overcome with emotion when he sees Hinata lose to Neji. He then decides that he will beat Neji. Even though Hinata lost, Naruto was able to inspire her to change, and she is able to become stronger later in the series. After the timeskip, Naruto gives Hinata a friendly greeting, much to her embarrassment (as she had been hiding from him trying to figure out what to say when he discovered her).

 Hyūga Neji

After the preliminaries, Naruto is paired to fight against Hyūga Neji in the finals of the Chūnin exam. When the chance comes, Naruto tells Neji to stop blaming everything on fate, challenging Neji's statements about how everything is predetermined. After Naruto defeats Neji, Naruto is able to convince him that fate isn't predetermined, and that destiny can be changed. Neji may never admit it, but he is thankful to Naruto for showing him a brighter part of life. Neji even admits that Naruto saved him from his own personal darkness, and they become good friends.

Rock Lee

Naruto gradually bonds with Rock Lee, calling him "Bushy Brows" (ゲジマユ, "geji-mayu"). At first, the name is derisive, but later becomes affectionate. Rock Lee is a taijutsu expert who is incapable of using either ninjutsu or genjutsu. Faced with that limitation, Rock Lee compensates by training himself to be almost ridiculously skilled in taijutsu, and thus represents the ideal of hard work prevailing against all odds. During Lee's fight with the more powerful Gaara during the preliminary exams, Rock Lee refuses to give up, even trying to fight while unconscious and having a crushed arm and leg. Naruto deeply identifies with Lee because they are somewhat similar. Lee's concept of 'hard work' is something they've both had to do, and both met with numerous failures before getting any success. They both wish to achieve their goals, and they want to prove themselves to gain other people's respect. They even have similar rivals in Sasuke and Neji. Both possess powerful bloodline limits and are considered some of the top rookies in the village, while Naruto and Rock Lee are considered subpar. Naruto feels very sorry for Rock Lee after Gaara beats him. Later, when Gaara tries to make an attempt on Lee's life in the hospital, Naruto and Shikamaru stop Gaara from crushing Lee with his sand. Naruto and Shikamaru would have been forced to fight Gaara themselves if Might Guy hadn't arrived to visit Lee. Naruto is also happy for Lee when he is able to fight again and continue being a ninja.

 Uchiha Sasuke

Perhaps Naruto's most defining relationship, the bond between him and Sasuke remains at the core of the series. The two are both rivals and friends, though more of the former than the latter. Their rivalry pushes them to outperform one another, which makes it a mutually beneficial relationship. The opinions of this greatly differ, however. While Naruto sees himself as an equal to Sasuke, or at least works his way up to that point, Sasuke sees himself as stronger than Naruto. As such, whenever Sasuke finds that Naruto is either catching up to him or surpassing him, Sasuke feels as if he's inferior or weak. This opinion is not helped by the fact that Naruto is usually responsible for their team's victories.

After the Chūnin exams, Naruto's continued increase in strength makes Sasuke even more jealous (comparatively speaking, Naruto had progressed much more than Sasuke over the same length of time). Naruto's defeat of Gaara, who Sasuke stood no chance against, is what brings these feelings to the surface. This is compounded by the arrival of Sasuke's brother, Itachi. Not only is Itachi not the least bit interested in Sasuke, he is actually after Naruto. This, coupled with the staggering differences in their respective strengths and Sasuke's subsequent defeat, leads Sasuke to challenge Naruto to a fight.

The two go to the roof of the hospital, where each voices their opinion of their rivalry, with Naruto insisting they're equals while Sasuke thinks otherwise. Their battle is short, ending with each trying to use their most powerful attack on the other. Kakashi steps in to prevent them from injuring Sakura, who attempts to intervene. Kakashi deflects their attacks into adjacent water towers. At first, it appears as if Sasuke did more damage, but in reality Naruto did. While Sasuke does put a major dent in the front of a tower, Naruto actually blows out the back of the other. Though Kakashi tries to convince Sasuke to give up his quest for revenge, his defeat at the hands of the Sound Four leads him to defect to Orochimaru.

The Sound Four are held off by Naruto's friends so Naruto can reach Sasuke. Once he does, the two have a much more serious battle, during which they each bring out their respective "gifts", those being Naruto's Kyūbi chakra and Sasuke's cursed seal. During the battle, Sasuke claims that he doesn't need any friends, as that does nothing to make him more powerful, since killing Itachi is his only goal. Naruto refuses to accept Sasuke's decision, as by his own admission Sasuke is like a brother to him and he can't bear to lose him to the twisted path of self-destruction he has chosen. This drives Naruto to draw upon the Kyūbi's chakra to such a degree that he nearly overcomes Sasuke's Sharingan. As such, Sasuke finally acknowledges Naruto as an equal. In the end, the two use their most powerful attacks against each other once more, only this time enhancing the attacks with their respective gifts. They cannot go through with their attacks, however. Naruto purposefully misses, scratching Sasuke's headband, and Sasuke doesn't kill Naruto because he doesn't want to become like Itachi.

With Sasuke's successful defection, Naruto's main goal is to bring Sasuke back before Orochimaru can take him as his new host.

Part II

New personality

Naruto, two and a half years later.

In the second part of the story, after a two-and-a-half year time skip, Naruto shows physical growth, sports a new outfit, and appears to not only have increased in strength, speed, and techniques, but intelligence as well. However, according to Tsunade, Naruto is also slowly adopting some of Jiraiya's perverted traits. During his apprenticeship under Jiraiya, Naruto was able to read the latest of the "Icha Icha" series written by Jiraiya, although when he presents a copy to Kakashi, he says he thought it was boring.

It seems Naruto's feelings for Sakura have matured. They do not seem to be a child-like crush anymore. They have a very easy time communicating with each other, despite the nearly three-year separation. They are capable of having a casual conversation together, and they seem to like spending time together. Naruto is now noticeably taller than Sakura and some of his other friends. (In Part I, he is made fun of for being shorter than her.)

It is when Team 7 was on the way to Sunagakure that Naruto revealed to Sakura and Temari that the Kyūbi was sealed inside him. Sakura had already found out, but she sympathizes with him, as does Temari.

It is also shown that Sasuke's defection still affects Naruto and Sakura, and when the whole of Team 7 finally meets after two and a half years, Sasuke greets them with cold indifference, and says he doesn't care if he becomes Orochimaru's vessel as long as Itachi will die. He even attempts to kill Sakura and Naruto. Later, after Sasuke leaves with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Naruto and Sakura are clearly upset that he is no longer the Sasuke they knew.

New abilities

Naruto has displayed a few new abilities since the start of Part II. Sometime during his training with Jiraiya, Naruto accidentally transformed into a four-tailed form of the Kyūbi without his remembering. In this form, Naruto loses all control of himself and cannot remember what happens during this state. He becomes an unrestrainable beast who attacks anyone he sees. Jiraiya claims that there were only two times in his lifetime when he nearly died ?the first was an incident with Tsunade, the second time being when Naruto transformed into the four tailed state. During his battle with Orochimaru, he gets angry to the point of turning into the four-tailed Kyūbi. Orochimaru states that this form is powerful enough to actually kill him.

Naruto has greatly improved his ninjutsu and taijutsu post-timeskip, as well as becoming a much better tactician. He managed to catch Kakashi by surprise during his second bell test, and even used Kakashi's obsession to Icha Icha Paradise to his advantage. Apparently, Naruto is starting to wield and become more skilled with weapons (other than regular kunai or shurikens), as seen in the Rescue Gaara arc.

Naruto has also developed a new version of the Rasengan, titled the Odama Rasengan. Classified as an S-rank jutsu, the Odama Rasengan is a much larger and powerful version of the normal Rasengan. Naruto uses both his and his clone's hand to control it due its unstable nature. During his battle with Itachi (actually a clone of Itachi formed by the Akatsuki leader's Shoten no Jutsu (Shapeshifting Technique), Naruto utilizes this new technique to defeat Itachi's clone.

Recently, Kakashi has been training Naruto to alter the nature of his chakra, in order for Naruto to create a jutsu that is unique to him. Though this normally takes a long time to do, there is a trick that speeds up the process. By creating one thousand shadow clones of himself, Naruto can complete twenty years worth of training in just one week. Most ninja are unable to train using this method due to a lack of chakra and stamina, something Naruto doesn't need to worry about. Because the clones are linked to Naruto, he remembers everything they experience after they disperse. Naruto was ignorant of this fact until told by Kakashi. Kakashi also helps Naruto to discover the nature of his chakra through a special form of paper that reacts differently to chakra. When Naruto channels his chakra into the paper, it splits in half, indicating that Naruto has an affinity for wind.

The first part of Naruto's training involves him and his many clones trying to cut a leaf in their hands with chakra alone. Whenever one makes progress, it disperses itself so each clone gains the knowledge. During this time, Naruto asks Kakashi if there are any other wind element users, so Kakashi points him to Asuma. Asuma gives Naruto some pointers by explaining how he uses his trench knives, but not before getting Naruto to cover his team's next party dinner. After a while, he disperses every single clone, allowing him to gain all their knowledge at once, but also causing extreme mental fatigue. This gave him enough experience to complete the first step of the training.

The second part of Naruto's training involves taking his first lesson to a greater level. He's to learn how to control large bursts of wind chakra on a much bigger object: in this case, a waterfall. Yamato had created it earlier as a demonstration.