Naruto Uzumaki's Relationships

Due to his friendly nature, tenacity, empathy, and unique charisma, Naruto Uzumaki has built many relationships over the course of the series that have defined him and others.

Kurama
A relationship that shaped Naruto's character, albeit unintentionally, was with the tailed beast that was sealed within him since the day he was born, Kurama — the Nine-Tails. Because he was the fox's jinchūriki, Naruto was treated as an outcast by most of the villagers and his peers until he was twelve years old. Despite learning the truth of his nature during his fight with Mizuki, it was thanks to Iruka's kindness that convinced Naruto to continue trying to gain the villagers' acknowledgement.

Kurama had an intense hatred toward humans, due to receiving nothing but fear and disdain from them for centuries. Ever since its sealing within Naruto, Kurama, believing that he wouldn't be any different, plotted to use the young shinobi's dependence on its power to break free from the seal. Their relationship soon became even more antagonistic when Naruto discovered that he could potentially kill his comrades while under the fox's influence, which made him resolve to rely on his own power and find other ways to get stronger. However, after his close victory against Pain, Naruto realised that even though he had mastered Sage Mode, he could still not avoid using Kurama's power and sought Killer B, the jinchūriki of Gyūki, to learn how to control it. With his mother and B's help, Naruto managed to best Kurama in combat, and separate and take most of its chakra.

During the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kurama tried instil doubt into Naruto by telling him that shouldering the hatred of an entire war was futile and reminding him of his failure to save Sasuke from revenge, but Naruto refuted with brimming confidence that regardless of the odds, he would still do something about them, before the young shinobi promised to someday resolve the fox's own hatred as well. Although reproaching him for making such a claim, Kurama nevertheless had developed a level of respect for Naruto and his determination, even noting that he was different from the humans it had previously encountered, eventually allowing Naruto to utilise the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode without consequence. Kurama then intentionally aided Naruto when the reincarnated Madara was fighting against one of Naruto's shadow clones and the Fourth Division, saying it would rather choose Naruto than be manipulated by the Uchiha again. Afterwards, Naruto told Son Gokū of his desire to save the tailed beasts and admitted that he was jealous of Killer B's dynamic relationship with Gyūki and wanted the same with Kurama. Kurama — having witnessed all of the challenges and endeavours Naruto had in his life — stood by to see if he could truly aid its brethren through his actions. When Naruto successfully freed Son Gokū from Obito's control, Kurama finally became convinced of Naruto's word and offered to meld its chakra with his as a coalition, to which the young shinobi then removed the seal that restrained it and happily acknowledged the fox as his team-mate from Konohagakure.

Their relationship has greatly improved by this action, as shown when Kurama teased Naruto about his first kiss with Sasuke. Within that short space of time, the two instantly gained utmost trust in one another, even to the point where Naruto would allow Kurama to momentarily take control of his body without worry. Later on, when Obito tried to instil doubt into Naruto as an attempt to weaken his resolve, Kurama asked Naruto to switch once again long enough to reveal that it was sealed within Naruto to give the boy the strength to stop him while proclaiming itself as Naruto's friend, along with the confidence in its jinchūriki's ability to live up to the legacy Minato and Jiraiya left him. When Naruto fell into despair over Neji's death, Kurama, with Hinata's aid, managed to break him out of it by reminding him over how his parents died for him as Neji did without a second thought over how his life has an unshakable bond. Later, despite the Yang half of Kurama being freed from its seal within Naruto, the fox without arguement agreed to Hagoromo's request for it to return within Naruto, showing that it had grown to like his companionship, despite refusing to admit it to others. Two years later, having been restored to its complete self with its other half, Kurama is shown willing to fight alongside Naruto both from within his subconscious and alongside the shinobi as two separate entities. Ultimately, Kurama fully adjusted to being inside Naruto, being able to casually sleep.

Minato Namikaze
Despite not knowing that the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze was his father, Naruto had expressed the utmost respect for him. Though angry at Minato's chakra imprint at first once learning of their relation and that it was his own father who sealed Kurama inside of him, Naruto quickly got over his anger and expressed pride in being the Fourth Hokage's son.

On his way to the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto defended his parents with vigour when the Fourth Raikage insulted Minato on how he failed as the "Children of the Prophecy" upon his death. Naruto also explained to the Raikage that despite the fact his parents died shortly after he was born, their love and faith in him made him strong.

Naruto would later fight alongside his reincarnated father against the Ten-Tails during the war where Minato not only became proud of how far his son had come as a shinobi, but was also reminded so much of how he was fighting alongside Kushina, moving him to tears of joy. After Kaguya's defeat, Minato and the spirits of the other deceased Kage summoned back Naruto's team, the tailed beasts, and an unconscious Madara from the princess's dimension. Before departing, Minato had one final conversation with Naruto, congratulating him for finally ending the war and wished him a happy birthday, with Naruto promising to do his best to follow the teachings Kushina and Minato left him.

Kushina Uzumaki
During his training to control Kurama's power, Naruto tearfully embraced his mother Kushina Uzumaki when her chakra imprint came to his aid. Naruto found his mother is similar to him in terms of personality, and also complimented on her red hair as "beautiful". After learning how his parents met each other, and how they died in what actually occurred during Kurama's attack on Konoha, Naruto told his mother that he could finally understand what a parent's love felt like and that he didn't blame them, instead feeling glad to be their son.

After his father's passing in Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto explained to Hagoromo how his mother Kushina was a truly good person compared to the heartless Kaguya.

Two years after the war, Naruto found a teal and light blue striped scarf knitted by his mother and began treasuring and wearing it to honour her memory. However, this unknowingly interfered with Hinata's attempts to give Naruto a red scarf she knitted to confess her feelings for him. He would later stop wearing his mother's scarf after realising his own feelings for Hinata.

Jiraiya
Inarguably one of the closest relationships Naruto ever had, Jiraiya indirectly played a role in his life even before he was born, as he was mentor to both Minato and to Nagato due to being foretold that a student under him would be destined for greatness. He was also the one who gave Naruto his name, with the boy named after the protagonist in his "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi" novel, thus making him Naruto's godfather. Because of Orochimaru's defection, and learning of the Akatsuki's existence, Jiraiya was forced to leave the village to spy on the organisation and was unable to take care of his godson during the first twelve years of his life. Jiraiya would only meet Naruto years later during the boy's first Chūnin Exam, being labelled.

While ultimately more perverted than Naruto, Jiraiya had many similarities to his godson from a desire to bring world peace to an unrequited affection for their respective female team-mates. Since their meeting, Jiraiya and Naruto became close with the latter holding him in high regard and after learning of Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pain, Naruto fell into a deep depression and mourned him. Jiraiya's death was the first time Naruto ever felt the pain of losing a loved one. After being moved to tears from reading "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi", Naruto confronts Jiraiya's killer and the true identity of Pain, his fellow pupil Nagato. Meeting Nagato face to face, Naruto vowed to seek vengeance against him and he would kill him to avenge Jiraiya. However, realising this was similar to the path Sasuke took, Naruto later declared that what he inherited from Jiraiya will help him bring peace in this world, and that if Jiraiya was willing to place his faith in him, then Naruto was willing to believe in himself and stated that he would find peace for the world. Naruto also made a memorial grave in honour of Jiraiya. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, when Obito and Naruto argued about dreams, Naruto answered back that he thought of Jiraiya as a hero.

Hinata Hyūga
In their childhood days, Naruto first met Hinata Hyūga while they were preparing to enrol at the Academy. Despite not knowing her, Naruto refused to let a group of three bullies insult Hinata and came to her defence, but was outnumbered and easily beaten, with his red scarf trampled over by them. Surprised by how much Naruto stood up for someone he didn't know, Hinata thanked him while Naruto let her keep the scarf since it was ruined. Ever since then, Hinata developed a strong admiration towards Naruto, and because he was treated as an outcast by almost everyone in the village, she found herself able to relate with his desire to be acknowledged and praised. She was also amazed that despite having nothing and no one to rely on, Naruto never gave up in believing he could become something great like Hokage. Inspired by his determination, Hinata decided to try her best to become strong so she could be acknowledged as well, and adopted Naruto's nindō of never giving up. Her admiration for Naruto eventually grew into love.

Because of his socially ostracised childhood, Naruto was unaware that Hinata had feelings for him. However, he held her in high regard because of her desire to change herself and be acknowledged. During the Chūnin Exams, Naruto had cheered for Hinata in her match against Neji after watching her cousin's attempt at verbally abusing her into giving up, and even vowed with her blood to defeat Neji in her place. A month later, when Naruto revealed to Hinata about his growing doubts on the upcoming match and his own abilities, she reassured him that he never gave up because he always had the strength to overcome his own failures. Naruto gratefully thanked Hinata for bringing him out of his depression, and he said to her that even though he had thought of her as a shy and weird girl, he really liked a person like her. As Naruto departed to train with Jiraiya, Hinata watched him leave, but was unable to bring herself to say goodbye to him. As he left, she vowed to become stronger, and to work as hard as he did.

During Pain's assault on Konoha, Hinata immediately came into the fray after she saw Naruto being pinned down by the Akatsuki leader. Worried about her safety, Naruto demanded Hinata to stay away from the fight, but despite knowing that she stood no chance against Pain, Hinata refused to leave and confessed her love and willingness to protect Naruto, even at the cost of her own life. Left speechless upon hearing her confession, Naruto instantly erupted into a rage after he saw Pain stabbing Hinata, allowing Kurama to take control and continue the battle. Later, once Kurama was suppressed, Naruto became very distressed at the thought that he might have killed Hinata and the villagers while he was under the fox's influence, but was brought to tears of relief upon learning that she and the others were still alive. After her wounds were healed by Sakura, Hinata shed tears of joy and relief over the news that Naruto had defeated Pain and he safely returned to the village, and was later seen smiling as everyone celebrated Naruto's victory.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, after one of Naruto's shadow clones helped Hinata and the Second Division defeat a group of White Zetsu clones, she began to lament the fact that though she wanted to protect Naruto, he ended up saving her instead. However, Naruto saw Hinata feeling down on herself and reassured her that she was strong, recounting her coming to his aid against Pain, to which she silently thanked him for. Later on, when Obito attempted to shatter Naruto's belief in himself after Neji sacrificed own his life to protect both Naruto and Hinata from the Ten-Tails, Hinata snapped Naruto out of it by telling him that if his life was connected with everyone who shared his beliefs and were willing to sacrifice themselves for him, he should not give in to despair and have Neji die in vain, reminding him of their shared nindō. With her and Kurama's aid, Naruto's self-confidence was restored and he took Hinata's hand, thanking her for staying by his side before transferring Kurama's chakra into her and the rest of the Shinobi Alliance.

Two years after the war, Hinata had fixed Naruto's old red scarf and planned to give it to him as a personal gift of love at the Rinne Festival to once again confess her feelings for him, but encountered problems such as her own shyness and the new competition with the many young women for Naruto's affections due to his new-found popularity. When Hinata finally made an attempt to give it to him, she saw Naruto wearing a scarf his late mother had knitted for him, which made her sadly back down as she thought it was given by another girl. When Toneri Ōtsutsuki kidnapped Hanabi, Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru were deployed to go and rescue her. While on the mission, they got caught in the Gatekeeper's genjutsu ball trap, which caused them all to drift into a sleep and dream about their own memories. However, inside the trap, the red scarf accidently got out of Hinata's bag and began to wrap around Naruto, allowing her memories to flow into his. Left utterly bewildered after witnessing how long Hinata had loved and acknowledged him, Naruto became fiercely protective of her, even bashful in her presence. When the team arrived in an abandoned Ōtsutsuki clan village, Naruto saw Hinata knitting the red scarf and realised it was for him, to which he decided to stop wearing his mother's scarf. As he spent time interacting with Hinata, Naruto began to experience a special kind of happiness he had never felt before and realise that her being was irreplaceable and essential to him, and eventually, in their moment alone, confessed he had fallen in love with her, which left her speechless.

However, driven to save her sister and destroy the Tenseigan, Hinata gave the red scarf to Naruto and said goodbye to him as she left with Toneri who suddenly appeared to them, much to Naruto's shock and confusion. As Naruto was chasing after them, Toneri attacked Naruto by draining almost all of his chakra, leaving him unconscious along with the scarf being destroyed. After recovering three days later, Naruto fell into a great depression and came very close to giving up on everything, but it wasn't until Sakura helped him realise how deep and unwavering Hinata's feelings truly were that his strength had returned and set out to rescue her. Once he reunited with Hinata, she apologised to Naruto for her earlier act, but he replied that he understood why she had to do it and he himself should be the one to apologise. As Naruto and Hinata regrouped with the rest of the team (including Hanabi) after the two destroyed the Tenseigan, Naruto then happily took a small remnant of Hinata's replacement scarf that was callously ripped by Toneri, saying that even in its ruined state, he would cherish it, which left her on the brink of tears of joy by his kind gesture.

After Naruto defeated Toneri and saved the shinobi world, Naruto then reiterated his love for Hinata and stated that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, much to her happiness, and the two had their first kiss upon returning to Earth. After several months of dating, Naruto and Hinata got married and had two children together. Despite Naruto not returning home as often as he used to before becoming Hokage, Hinata remained supportive and understanding of his busy life, even going as far as to defend Naruto's busy work schedule that kept him from being home on important days (ex. their children's birthdays), but she would at times yearn for her husband to be at home.

Children
Naruto's first child is a rambunctious boy named Boruto, and his second child is a lovely girl named Himawari. Naruto is shown to be a loving and doting parent towards his children, often playing with them whenever he has free time.

Although he loved his father, Boruto's relationship with him grew more complicated as Naruto's duties as Hokage detracted him from spending enough time with his family, which made Boruto feel neglected, as well as resentful to the Hokage title. Boruto would occasionally pull pranks such as defacing the Hokage Rock just to seek his father's attention. Despite reprimanding Boruto for his behaviour and knowing he would be late for the Five Kage Summit, Naruto understood what his son wanted and spent some time to lecture him to endure any hardship as a true shinobi would.

However, due to never experiencing any of the hardships that both his parents had gone through during childhood, Boruto failed to understand the meaning of being a shinobi and doubted his father didn't care about him and the family, leading him to frequently lash out in anger at his father for not paying attention to him. He would also react with dismay at the mention of him following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and often felt like he lived in their shadows. As a result, Boruto tended to rebel against his father and used any means to surpass his legacy, even by cheating in the Chūnin Exams. However, after being caught cheating and disqualified, Boruto blamed his father for how he turned out because Naruto never had the time to properly lecture him. However, seeing his father risk his life to protect him and fight against Momoshiki and Kinshiki changed Boruto, making him understand the meaning of being a shinobi, and respect the title of Hokage. Afterwards, Boruto's relationship with his father improved significantly to the point where Naruto was home more and Boruto wished for his father to do his best at work.

In contrast to her older brother, Himawari was shown to be very mature for her young age, as she was quite patient, supportive, and understanding with her often-absent father and his Hokage duties. However, Himawari missed him just as much as her mother did, and was a bit sad when he sent a shadow clone as a stand-in for her birthday party, and got worried when he disappeared during his fight with Momoshiki and Kinshiki.

Konoha Ninja
The villagers of Konoha as a whole had a drastic change in the manner that they view Naruto: moving from what they viewed as a menace and looming threat because of Kurama sealed within him, to a citizen/hero of Konoha whom they genuinely care about and would even go as far as to risk their own lives to ensure that he was safe. Two years after ending the war, with Naruto becoming a hero to the entire world, he has gained much fame and popularity throughout the land, regularly receiving gifts from the villagers and women swooning over him, including visitors who came from different parts of the world just to see him.

Iruka Umino
As it was because of his parents' death by Kurama's attack that he suffered a miserable childhood, Iruka Umino initially found it awkward to become a teacher to Naruto, before eventually deciding to be strict with the boy so he could work harder and reach his potential. In time, learning from Hiruzen that the boy acted out with his antics to be acknowledged, just as he had in his youth, Iruka understood Naruto's loneliness and went out of his way to connect with the boy outside the classroom — treating Naruto like a younger brother. As a result, after Naruto learned of his nature as a jinchūriki and Kurama's role in the deaths of his teacher's parents, Iruka confidently believed in Naruto as a shinobi of their village and nothing else, becoming the first person to do so. Ultimately, Naruto began looking to Iruka as a father-figure, as he noted to Sasuke at the Valley of the End.

Even after Naruto graduated, Iruka still treated his former student at the Ramen Ichiraku whenever he returned from a mission. Though times like that allowed him an opportunity to see how Naruto was developing as a shinobi, Iruka still tended to worry about him. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Iruka was among the shinobi assigned to keep an unaware Naruto safe from the army Obito amassed to take him and Killer B by force. But once Naruto learned of the war, Iruka attempted to talk him out participating in the fight until Naruto reminded him of the confidence he had in him years ago. Staging an apparent capture of him while secretly giving his former student a message to come back alive. Naruto, upon reading the message, swallowed it to keep his sensei's words close to him. Iruka was assured by Killer B that he and his teachings were with Naruto in his heart.

Two years after the war, when Naruto was getting married to Hinata, he had asked Iruka to be his 'father' for the ceremony, bringing Iruka to tears. Years later, Iruka watched on proudly as Naruto finally achieved his lifelong dream of becoming Hokage. Iruka also notes that Naruto's son Boruto tends to ironically act like his father in pulling pranks for attention from Naruto.

Hiruzen Sarutobi
Naruto was looked after by Hiruzen Sarutobi after his parents' deaths. The Hokage kept his parents' identity a secret and gave him his mother's last name. He asked the village to never reveal anything about Kurama to Naruto or the children. Naruto was inspired by the Hokage, originally due to the respect they received, including Hiruzen, and hoped to become Hokage himself someday. He would often get under Hiruzen's skin by the disturbances he would make by his pranks or the use Sexy Technique, the latter of which often caused Hiruzen to suffer from nosebleeds due to being a closet pervert. Despite their unique relationship, Naruto deeply cared for Hiruzen and was very saddened by his sudden death, to which he paid his respects to the Hokage at the ceremony for the sacrifices he made for the village. Likewise, he was very verbal about his anger towards people insulting Hiruzen's memory. Thanks to Hiruzen's teachings and value, Naruto would continue to help and protect the village after his death.

During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, when the reincarnated Hiruzen saved Naruto from nearly dying to the Ten-Tails in its tree form, a half-conscious Naruto sincerely thanked Hiruzen, happy to see him again.

After assuming office as the Seventh Hokage, Naruto would adopt Hiruzen's mindset that regardless of blood relation or not, the people of the village were his family; a mindset he would constantly relay to the next generation.

Konohamaru Sarutobi
Even though he and Naruto had a rough start when they first met, Konohamaru Sarutobi is the second person to acknowledge Naruto as he is. This was due to Naruto not seeing Konohamaru as simply Hiruzen's grandson like everyone else in Konoha originally did. Though he pretended to be Naruto's rival for the position of succeeding Hokage, Konohamaru clearly has a deep and understanding friendship with him. Having trained under Naruto to learn the Sexy Technique, Konohamaru devised his own variations of the unorthodox transformation technique. At some point, Naruto would go on further to teach him the Rasengan, further establishing both a brotherly and mentor-pupil relationship. Eventually, Konohamaru would begin to train Naruto's son Boruto as his jōnin teacher and would later teach Boruto the Rasengan out of honour for Naruto.

Sasuke Uchiha
Naruto's relationship with Sasuke Uchiha was the highlight of the majority of his life. Their relationship was complicated, especially due to the circumstances of their ancestors' feud, dating back to the beginning of Shinobi; Naruto and Sasuke are the latest reincarnations of Asura and Indra Ōtsutsuki, the sons of the Sage of the Six Paths.

When the two were both Academy students, Naruto wanted to befriend Sasuke, knowing that he too was alone. But when Sasuke proved to be better than him at everything, gaining popularity and admiration, Naruto grew jealous and made it his goal to surpass him. Ever since then, Naruto saw him as his rival and was bent to prove himself as an equal before both youths were made members of Team 7. Even though he thought of Naruto as a loser, Sasuke understood the pain of being an orphan well enough, to the point of taking offence to Sakura insulting and blaming Naruto's stupidity on him not having parents. As they continued to work together as team-mates, Naruto came to view Sasuke as a brother. In turn, Sasuke gained respect for Naruto, and saw him as a dear friend and rival until the events of the Chūnin Exams: noticing that Naruto was beginning to surpass him and that he was nowhere near strong enough to defeat Itachi convinced Sasuke that defecting from Konoha to train under Orochimaru was the only way he could become strong enough to avenge his clan.

Even after failing to stop Sasuke from leaving, Naruto was determined to bring him back as a promise to Sakura, despite Sasuke's willing defection and eventual corruption. When Naruto came to understand both the nature of the cycle of hatred and the reason behind Sasuke's malice, his desire to save him grew even stronger. It became so immense that Naruto was willing to take physical abuse from Kumo-nin rather than sell Sasuke out, and begged the Fourth Raikage, who had branded Sasuke an international criminal following his attack on Kumogakure, to pardon Sasuke for his crimes against his village.

Naruto would later learn that Obito turned Sasuke even further against Konoha by revealing to him the truth behind Itachi's actions. According to him, Naruto and Sasuke were mortal enemies, whose respective embodiments of the Will of Fire and the Curse of Hatred were fated to clash. It was then that Naruto revealed to Sakura that his wish to bring Sasuke back to Konoha was no longer fueled by the promise he made to her, but rather his own desire to save his best friend. Finding Sasuke and intending to bare his friend's hatred, Naruto concluded that reasoning him out of destroying Konoha was no longer a viability and believed that they would most likely die during their fated conflict. However, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke renounced his intent to destroy Konoha and joined forces with his former team-mates against Madara and the Ten-Tails. The dynamics between the two had not changed and their innate rivalry still caused Naruto and Sasuke to challenge each other, even more so when Sasuke announced his desire to become Hokage, and with both of them noticing their respective improvements and new abilities.

Later, when both Naruto and Sasuke met Hagoromo and learning of their status as reincarnations, Naruto declared that even though they were not real brothers, he was confident that together they could change the world. Sasuke, meanwhile, acknowledged Naruto as his best and only friend, but would have to kill him to "erase the past". After they successfully sealed Kaguya, Sasuke revealed his intent to begin a revolution and noted that Naruto was the only one capable of stopping him. Hagoromo sombrely believed this was a result of the constant fighting between his sons, but Naruto was quick to state he was not Asura and Sasuke was not Indra. He also revealed his intent to finally end the brothers' and, by proxy, his and Sasuke's feud. The two engaged in an arduous battle, with both teens losing their dominant arms as a result. Lying together, both too injured to move, Naruto explained that even after everything they had put each other through, he still considered Sasuke his best friend. Brought to tears by Naruto's resolve, Sasuke forfeited the fight, realising that he was always envious of Naruto, just like he had been of Itachi. With their friendship restored, the two were able to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi together and finally end the feud of Asura and Indra. After the war, Naruto used his influence as a hero to absolve Sasuke of his status as an international criminal. As Sasuke once again left the village to travel the world, Naruto came to greet him and returned the forehead protector Sasuke had discarded following their first battle, with the surrogate brothers promising to one day skirmish again.

Two years later, Sasuke briefly returned to Konoha to stop a meteor from destroying it, stating that only he could protect the village in Naruto's absence.

After both men had started families, Naruto, now the Seventh Hokage, would tell Sasuke's daughter that the two were still rivals and that despite Sasuke's shortcomings as a person and father, he was a terrific shinobi that he could see a lot of him in her. The relationship between the two men has become much more friendly, allowing them to converse casually, make jokes and entrust the safety of their respective children to each other.

Sakura Haruno
Back in the Academy days, Naruto had a crush on Sakura Haruno, who considered Naruto an annoyance because of his constant antics. She even went as far as to insult Naruto for being an orphan, a statement which offended Sasuke when she shared this belief with him. Sasuke, in turn, admonished Sakura for saying that, which led Sakura to realise that she had gone too far and decided to be more pleasant towards Naruto from then on. Shortly after being assigned to Team 7, Sakura eventually began to see Naruto in a new light due to his constant dedication to his friends, and made good on her resolution to be nicer to Naruto, as shown when she explained the mechanism behind the Tree Climbing Practice during their mission in the Land of Waves. She was even willing to forfeit her entry into the Chūnin Exams upon realising that Naruto would not have been able to pass the first test, which would have resulted in him being stuck as a genin, thus ending his dream to become Hokage. Later, when she learned from Sasuke that Naruto was the one who saved her from Gaara during the Konoha Crush, she was surprised, but grateful. When Sasuke defected from Konoha, Naruto, aware of her feelings for their former team-mate, promised Sakura that he would do everything in his power to bring Sasuke back to her. Despite Naruto's failure, Sakura was inspired by his determination to fulfil his promise, and became Tsunade's apprentice to help Naruto retrieve Sasuke.

Even after Naruto returned from his training with Jiraiya after two-and-a-half years, both he and Sakura displayed that their friendship had not suffered during the time apart and continued to grow, bearing great resemblances to those of their Sannin masters. Shortly after learning that the Akatsuki was targeting Naruto because he was a jinchūriki, Sakura became protective of him and constantly tried to repay the many things he has done for her. Some time after Pain's assault on Konoha, Sai, remembering his conversation with Naruto about why he hadn't told Sakura of his feelings for her, informed Sakura that the strain of making her happy and fulfilling his promise to her to save Sasuke have been the source of Naruto's pain. Shocked, she felt guilty for asking too much from Naruto and decided to stop Sasuke from sinking any lower by herself. Sakura tried to release Naruto from his promise by telling him that she loved him and not Sasuke any more, but Naruto and the others present immediately knew that she was lying, and Naruto shocked her when he said he hated people who lied to themselves. Naruto also adamantly refused to believe Sakura would kill Sasuke because he knew how much she loved him. After Naruto saved Sakura from being killed by Sasuke and voiced his resolve that he would shoulder Sasuke's hatred as a friend even if both were to die, she was touched by Naruto's determination, for he had again given her hope that there may still be a happy ending for Team 7.

When the Fourth Shinobi World War reached its climax, Sakura resolved to aid Naruto in fighting against Obito, Madara, and the Ten-Tails, stating that he didn't need to carry the burden alone and that everyone would be there to help him. Her understanding and care of Naruto was strengthened when he exclaimed how not having any friends was the most painful thing to him, to the point where she raised the morale of the Shinobi Alliance. Later, after Yang-Kurama was extracted from Naruto, Sakura expressed great concern when he was in critical condition and used her medical ninjutsu to keep her friend alive, swearing she would not let him die when was close to achieve his goal in becoming Hokage.

Two years after the war, Sakura was deployed on the same team as Naruto and exhausted all her chakra trying to heal him for three days straight, causing her to collapse afterwards. Sakura then helped Naruto realise his feelings for Hinata, even noting that they are more genuine and real in comparison to his crush on Sakura, as it never went deeper than wanting to win her over as another means of competing with Sasuke, whom she has feelings for. Some time after they succeeded their mission to save Hinata's sister Hanabi, Sakura was one of the many guests that attended Naruto and Hinata's wedding. After the two moved on with their lives, Naruto and Sakura remained close friends.

Kakashi Hatake
Kakashi Hatake is the leader of Team 7, the squad Naruto was assigned to after becoming a genin, and one of his first mentors. Initially seeing Naruto as a slacker who didn't understand camaraderie, Kakashi soon came to understand that Naruto's unpredictability was his greatest asset and also came to believe in the young man he labelled Konoha's "Show-Off, Number One Unpredictable, Noisy Ninja". In turn, Naruto would cherish the lessons he learned from Kakashi about friendship and teamwork. After he came back from training with Jiraiya, Kakashi would train Naruto in nature transformation and acknowledged that he was the only one who could surpass his sensei, the Fourth Hokage, and realised not long after that Naruto had surpassed him as well. With Kakashi's help, Naruto was able to create and master the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken which would become one of the most powerful techniques in his arsenal. When Naruto learned of Kakashi's death at the hands of Pain, he was enraged and later noted Kakashi as one of the many reasons Naruto had to hate him.

Kakashi sees much of his beloved friend Obito inside Naruto and has noted that his ideals and personality are much like the Uchiha's when he was a child. Kakashi also sees some of his sensei (and Naruto's father), Minato Namikaze, in Naruto so much that he momentarily mistook him for the Fourth Hokage upon seeing him in Tailed Beast Mode for the first time. When Kakashi began to falter against Obito, he looked to Naruto for inspiration; seeing him as a representative of the old Obito, Kakashi realised the only way he could protect that was to kill the current Obito. During the battle against Madara, Kakashi took a moment to reflect the changes of his students, starting with how Naruto went on to become a hero and gain acknowledgment from everyone but becoming Hokage was still his dream. When the odds were against them as they dealt with Kaguya, Kakashi's trust in Naruto never wavered and he would exclaim how proud he was of how much Naruto and the team has accomplished.

Years after the war, Kakashi would come to trust Naruto's capabilities enough to name him his successor as the Seventh Hokage after stepping down as the Sixth Hokage.

Sai
When Naruto first met Sai, they had a rough start due to Sai's constant criticism and regards of Sasuke as a traitor. However, the two got to understand each other better during their attempt to retrieve Sasuke with Naruto now considering Sai a member of Team Kakashi. Inspired by Naruto, noting that he reminded him of his own brother Shin, Sai works to become a more social person though his attempts can sometimes be awkward. Although Naruto's ties to Sasuke were his overall motivation for bettering himself, Sai began to feel what he believed to be anger over Sasuke becoming beyond redemption with all the grief that he caused for Naruto through his crime-riddled vendetta. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sai finally reaches a full understanding of friendship before arriving to Naruto's side during his battle with the Ten-Tails.

Shikamaru Nara
Shikamaru Nara was a "dead last" student like Naruto during their Academy days. Having noticed the way the other villagers ostracised Naruto, Shikamaru seemed to be one of the first of their peers to see him as more than as a jinchūriki. Furthermore, Shikamaru himself stated that something about Naruto compelled him to follow him. Because of this, outside of the missions that may include them working together, Shikamaru would sometimes hang out with Naruto. Having lost his mentor Asuma Sarutobi prior, Shikamaru played a role in helping Naruto cope with Jiraiya's death. In some ways, Shikamaru had became one of Naruto's best friends and strongest bonds among his male friends.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, when he was weakened by the Ten-Tails, aware that Naruto was always alone, Shikamaru believed Naruto needed an intelligent brother figure, like Tobirama was to Hashirama, by his side, and resolved to be Naruto's adviser when he becomes Hokage so he would never have to be alone again. Years after the war, this dream became true, as Shikamaru accompanied Naruto to the Five Kage Summit as both his advisor and personal bodyguard.

Rock Lee
Nicknaming him, Naruto originally saw Rock Lee as a rival and vice-versa. Lee's victory over Naruto before the Chūnin Exams started was used by the latter as motivation to get stronger. After he stopped Naruto from attacking Neji for nearly killing Hinata, Lee admitted his resolve to prove his team-mate's ideals of a fixed destiny being wrong. Seeing him sharing that same resolve, Lee was willing to let Naruto handle Neji in his stead prior to his injuries from fighting Gaara. Wanting to help Lee make a full recovery, Naruto brought Tsunade to Konoha in hopes that she could heal him.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, mourning over Neji's death, Naruto helped give Lee the strength needed to continue fighting and, with his assistance, helped sever Madara's and Obito's connections to the Ten-Tails. To strike the final blow on Obito, Naruto enabled Lee to wield a ninjutsu for the first time by giving him a Rasengan he created. When Lee questioned whether he could do it or not, Naruto gave a shout of encouragement.

Neji Hyūga
In the beginning, Naruto developed a strong dislike towards Neji Hyūga due to his ideals that no one can ever change their fate. Furthermore, after Neji left his cousin Hinata in critical condition, Naruto vowed to beat him at their match. Their match proved not only a physical battle, but also a conflict of ideals with Neji losing on both accounts after revealing his own fight with his fate as a branch member of the Hyūga clan. When Naruto promised that he would change the fate of the Hyūga clan for him, Neji became a nicer person as he set aside his hatred for the main house, looking after Hinata as he trained with her, and desired to become strong enough to return the favour to Naruto.

Years after, Neji got his chance during the Fourth Shinobi World War when he and Hinata came to Naruto's aid in a plan to defeat the Ten-Tails. However, their defences proved no match for the monster, and Neji took a deathblow from the Ten-Tails meant for Naruto and Hinata. As Naruto pleaded why Neji sacrificed himself, the latter, reminding him of their battle years ago replied that Naruto called him a genius. Neji realised in his final moments that, like his father before him, he made the choice to die for those he holds dear. Upon Neji's death, Naruto's resolve was shattered even further as Obito openly mocked Naruto for failing to protect his comrades. However, Hinata and Kurama managed to remind Naruto of his life not being just his own nor should he give up on Neji's death so easily. As his confidence was restored, Naruto thanked Hinata and admitted to himself how he'd never be able to thank Neji enough for everything he had done. Naruto then told a saddened Lee that he'll keep the real Neji in his heart forever and stated to Obito that Neji's will isn't dead and used his death to increase the morale of the Allied Forces.

After the war ended, Naruto and the rest of Konoha attended Neji's funeral, and Naruto was shown reflecting on the death of his friend.

Tsunade
Naruto's relationship with Tsunade began when he aided Jiraiya in looking for her as an ideal successor to their mentor Hiruzen. Upon finding her, Naruto challenged Tsunade after she said only fools would want to become Hokage, accepting her wager of mastering the Rasengan within a week. Despite her reluctance to become Hokage and lack of faith, Tsunade was loyal to her village and attempted to kill her former team-mate Orochimaru before Kabuto used her haemophobia to his advantage. When Naruto defeated Kabuto with a fully mastered Rasengan, Tsunade overcame her phobia to aid him and accepted the position of Fifth Hokage. As a sign of thanks for restoring her faith in their village, Tsunade entrusted Naruto with her grandfather's necklace.

Tsunade found Naruto similar to her younger brother Nawaki both in appearance and personality. In fact, the three are all descended from the Uzumaki clan.

Overall, the two have a very strong relationship based on mutual love and respect, one that could almost be called familial, as Naruto is the only person to refer to Tsunade as "grandma", and likewise he is the only one Tsunade has ever allowed to refer to her in such a manner. Tsunade aided Naruto in not only keeping the Konoha Council from restricting his movement, but also supporting his search for Sasuke and keeping him out of Konoha's Bingo Book. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tsunade was the only Kage who argued in favour of Naruto being allowed to fight with them. Though outvoted, the other Kage eventually agreed with her resolve. Watching Naruto head off into battle, Tsunade looked on with an expression of nostalgia, sadness, and pride on her face. Two years after the war, she attended Naruto and Hinata's wedding to congratulate them.

Sarada Uchiha
Due to Sarada being Sasuke's daughter and Sasuke being away on a top secret mission for many years, Naruto cares deeply for Sarada. When Naruto secretly left the village to met with Sasuke to discuss a mysterious boy with a Sharingan, Sarada followed him in hope of meeting her father for the first time in years. Naruto saved her from being captured by Shin and, at her insistence, he told her a little about Sasuke from their childhood. Sarada was happy to learn she inherited some good characteristics from him but was disappointed to learn how aloof and stubborn he was. Naruto cheered her up by telling her that while she looked just like Sasuke, her personality mirrored that of Sakura's. Naruto comforted Sarada after Sasuke refused to explain his absence and he assured her that, despite his shortcomings as a person and father, he is one of the best shinobi in the world.

Naruto was just as shocked as Sarada was when a DNA test erroneously showed that Karin, not Sakura, was her biological mother and he furthermore shocked to see that she had awakened her Sharingan. In Sarada's mental crisis, Naruto convinced her that a real family is made up of love rather than blood, and asked her to think carefully about her bond with her parents, leading Sarada to decide she loved her mother. However, Naruto reacted with relief when it turned out Sakura was Sarada's biological mother and Sasuke was never unfaithful to Sakura, and he watched on as the Uchiha family reconciled. It would be her admiration for Naruto and his actions that would make Sarada decide to make her dream of becoming Hokage.

Kabuto Yakushi
When Naruto first met Kabuto Yakushi, he saw him as an ally during the Chūnin Exams. Despite his seeming politeness and helping the younger ninja out, Kabuto has some fixation on him. Eventually, when Naruto later discovered that he worked under Orochimaru, Kabuto became his enemy and defeated him in a fight that nearly killed him were it not for Tsunade.

However, three years later, Naruto learns that his win inspired Kabuto to undergo the painful process of modifying his body with Orochimaru's DNA after his master's defeat. Stating that Naruto was his inspiration for the risky act, Kabuto handed over a book containing intelligence on the Akatsuki before taking his leave with the hope that he can settle things with Naruto after honing his new abilities and dealing with Sasuke. Though he crossed paths with Kabuto during the Power arc, Naruto only faced the shinobi that Kabuto reincarnated for the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Itachi Uchiha
Though he learned from Sasuke that he is looking for his brother, Itachi Uchiha, Naruto had no idea that Sasuke intended to kill Itachi for the downfall of their clan. By the time Naruto learned of this, he was attacked by Itachi when the Akatsuki sent him and Kisame Hoshigaki to capture him. Naruto was forced to stand by and watch Sasuke's failed attempt of revenge that lead him to defect from Konoha.

When encountered by Itachi again years later, Itachi seemed to express concern over Naruto being alone and asked to talk with him. Naruto refused, intending to capture Itachi and use him to bring Sasuke back to the village. Itachi questioned why Naruto would go so far for Sasuke, and Naruto told him that Sasuke was more of a brother to him than to Itachi. This made Itachi smile, but he still put him under genjutsu. In the genjutsu, Itachi asked Naruto what he would do if Sasuke were to attack the village, and Naruto stated he would save Sasuke and Konoha; although Itachi questioned that he might have to endure hardships, Naruto simply responded with his nindō. Unbeknownst to Naruto, this caused Itachi to acknowledge Naruto and trust him to redeem Sasuke. Taking his leave, Itachi placed a crow containing chakra in Naruto's body with hopes that he may never need to use it.

Eventually, after Itachi's death, the crow is revealed to be embedded with Shisui Uchiha's Sharingan with Itachi installing a command that would compel Sasuke to protect Konoha. However, reincarnated and under the control of Kabuto during the Fourth Shinobi World War, tasked alongside Nagato to capture Naruto and Killer B, Itachi is forced to sacrifice his gambit to free himself from Kabuto's control and aid Naruto. Upon learning that Naruto was told the truth of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, gaining his respect for the lengths he would go to protect their village and promise not to reveal it to anyone else, Itachi entrusts Sasuke's well-being to Naruto. After Nagato was sealed away, he decided to depart to stop Kabuto and release all the reincarnated shinobi to give their side a fighting chance, leaving Naruto and Killer B to deal with Sasuke and Madara. Naruto, however, declared he would accomplish both tasks on his own. Seeing that Naruto was becoming arrogant, Itachi told him to put his faith in his comrades as they had put their faith in him. He also told Naruto that being the Hokage means to be able to care for the village while also gaining utmost acknowledgement from them beforehand. This changed Naruto's worldview and gave him a new incentive to become Hokage.

Obito Uchiha
Similar to Naruto in his youth in many ways before his presumed death during the Third Shinobi World War, Obito Uchiha was at first a reflection of the person Naruto would become if he ever gave in to hatred and despair. Though he saw Naruto of no concern, Obito had been the cause of almost everything negative in Naruto's life, having been the one who used the newborn as a hostage, started Kurama's attack on Konoha, and indirectly killed his parents. Years later, after adopting the name Tobi, he would encounter Naruto again when he distracted the youth and the rest of the Eight Man Squad from interfering with Sasuke's fight against Itachi. Tobi later appeared before Naruto again, revealing the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Downfall and how he engineered Sasuke's descent into darkness. Though Tobi claimed his actions were for world peace, he embraced being called a monster while proclaiming that Naruto and Sasuke were fated to battle each other.

Though Tobi initially saw Naruto as a means to stimulate Sasuke for his ambitions, the youth's inadvertent thwarting of his plans forced him to plunge the entire shinobi world into war to expedite his plans. Even after Naruto broke his thrall over the tailed beasts he captured, Tobi reiterated his contempt for Naruto and reassured himself that the boy was no match for him. However, as Kurama stated, Naruto was made a jinchūriki for the purpose of defeating him. Ultimately, it was because of Naruto that Tobi was finally exposed as Obito. While using the Ten-Tails to fight him, Obito realised the similarities between himself and Naruto as he vainly attempted to point out the futility of the youth's struggle against him and Madara. But when Naruto vowed to make sure none of his friends die and expressing disapproval on Obito's nihilistic outlook on life, the Uchiha resolved to put both him and the Allied Shinobi Forces into the same despair he experienced. Though he almost succeeded in breaking Naruto with his guilt over his "inability" to protect Neji, Obito's plan failed when Hinata and Kurama intervened. As a result, now above his psychological warfare, Naruto told Obito that the only difference between them was that he wanted to keep the bonds he made with his friends.

However, before finally separating Obito from the tailed beasts, Naruto showed a more sympathetic side towards him after experiencing visions of the Uchiha's past — even going as far as to shedding tears for Obito's loss. Naruto told Obito that if things were different, he would have looked up to him because like himself, Obito also dreamed of becoming Hokage. To this end, Naruto proclaimed that even though the Uchiha claimed he was no one, there was no sense in Obito hiding any longer, and that he was going to tear off his true mask once and for all. After forcing the tailed beasts out of Obito's body, Naruto did not let Sasuke give the final blow to the defeated enemy, and even tried to reason with Kakashi so that Obito would be given the chance to atone for his crimes instead of being killed by his old comrade, though it was Minato who stopped him. Ultimately, Naruto succeeded in changing Obito's mindset and it led Obito to attempt to revive everyone he had killed with the Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. After finding out that Obito had used that technique, and was forced to revive Madara, Naruto displayed a hint of sadness over the fact that Obito was at the time doomed to perish after using the technique, despite the two fighting against each other moments before.

Naruto's and Obito's lives crossed once again when the latter stopped Black Zetsu from giving the just stolen Yin-Kurama to Madara, who recently became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. Taking a small portion of Shukaku and Gyūki's chakra from Madara and transferring them to the dying Naruto (who had Yang-Kurama extracted from him by Madara), Obito managed to save Naruto's life and allowed him to gain portions of chakra from all the tailed beasts. Naruto would later return the favour by using his newfound abilities to save Obito's life. When Obito was revived, Naruto expressed delight that he was alive and despite their history, they both put it aside in order to stop Kaguya. Later, Obito would take a fatal blow for Naruto, leaving Naruto to try and desperately heal him. Obito, knowing his time was up, however, made final amends with Naruto and willed his dream of Hokage to him before dying at Naruto's side. Naruto was enraged when Black Zetsu continued to mock him after his death. In the end, Naruto looked up to Obito for wanting to become Hokage, protect his friends, and make peace, something he had always related to, going so far as to call him "awesome". After becoming Hokage, Naruto inherited Obito's tendency to help out the elderly in the village, as seen when he carried an old woman across the village on his back and used a clone to carry her groceries.

Zabuza Momochi and Haku
During his first C-rank mission of escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves, Naruto met two mercenary missing-nin hired to kill the elderly carpenter — Zabuza Momochi of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and his ward Haku. While he met Zabuza only twice in his life on the battlefield, Naruto unknowingly met Haku between the two fights. Both youths got into a discussion over protecting those who were precious to them, with Naruto gaining his unselfish desire to protect his friends and to never give up. By the time Naruto learned Haku was his enemy during their battle, he was reluctant to take his life before Haku acted on his own ideals and sacrificed himself to protect Zabuza after being inflicted with numerous injuries.

When Naruto reprimanded Zabuza for not appreciating Haku's actions after hearing the older shinobi talking ill of Haku's sacrifice, Zabuza, who was hiding his actual feelings of sadness for someone he grew to care about, finally opened his heart and killed his former employer, before he died from his wounds. Soon after Zabuza and Haku were buried, Naruto admitted to Kakashi that he liked the two, with his mentor feeling the same way.

When Kabuto brought the pair back to life for the Fourth Shinobi World War, Zabuza and Haku encountered Kakashi, who revealed that Naruto had grown into a fine and well-known shinobi since their deaths.

Nagato and Konan
Like Naruto and his father, Nagato and Konan were apprentices under Jiraiya. However, events resulting from the death of their friend Yahiko, particularity at the hands of certain power-hungry ninja, forced Nagato and Konan to stray from their ideals as Obito warped the organisation they created into the current version of the Akatsuki that Naruto was facing. After defeating Pain, one of six corpses that Nagato used as a vessel for his Deva Path ability, Naruto confronted Nagato. Though angry at Nagato for killing their mentor and destroying Konoha, Naruto asked him how, as a fellow student of Jiraiya, could he have strayed so far from their master's teachings. Hoping that Naruto would come to agree with his solution for peace, Nagato told him his past and how he came to the conclusion to believe that only pain and suffering would save the world.

Although Naruto understood Nagato's conclusion, he could never accept it as he explains that putting an end to the cycle of hatred is the only way to achieve true peace, something this meeting would ultimately drive Naruto to pursue. Amazed by Naruto's resolve to the point of being spared, Nagato decided to put his faith in the youth as he sacrifices himself to revive everyone he killed during his invasion while wishing for Naruto's dream of peace to become a reality. Konan, showing admiration for Naruto as he touched Nagato's heart along with her own, gave Naruto a bouquet as a sign of a truce and her new undying faith in him. Though she later died by Obito's hand, Konan continued to have faith that Naruto's light can extinguish Obito's darkness even in her final moments.

After Nagato's reincarnation, he was shown to be kinder and carefree to the point he was even willing to start making jokes, something that surprised Naruto. His opinion of Naruto also strengthened after he last saw him, pointing out to Itachi that he wasn't surprised that Naruto was able to advance his control over Kurama's power since they both had studied under the same master. Upon Nagato's sealing, he bid Naruto farewell and how he would leave Naruto to finish the story their master started with a better resolution than before.

Jinchūriki and the Tailed Beasts
Although he didn't know all of them personally, the jinchūriki and the tailed beasts were all considered by Naruto as his comrades. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto encountered the other jinchūriki that were reincarnated by Kabuto and the tailed beasts that were resealed in their respective jinchūriki. Naruto understood their pain and resolved to free them from Obito's control, which in turn convinced Kurama enough to trust the human as Naruto was taken into the tailed beasts' shared subconscious with the other jinchūriki. As stated by Han, Naruto's words and actions also allowed the tailed beasts and their jinchūriki to get along and come together on Son Gokū's behalf.

The jinchūriki and their tailed beasts each introduced themselves while placing their faith in Naruto and Kurama through fist bumps. While their jinchūriki were allowed to pass on, the tailed beasts each gave Naruto a part of their chakra before being pulled back into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path prior to its regeneration into the Ten-Tails. Even when Obito became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto, through the combined effort of the Allied Shinobi Forces and Taka, eventually was able to extract all of the sealed tailed beasts from Obito's body. The tailed beasts had collectively agreed that Naruto was the one spoken about by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, and began to aid Naruto in fighting against the revived Madara, and later Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, lending him their powers.

Gaara
When Naruto first met Gaara prior to the Chūnin Exams, he was unaware that he was a jinchūriki like himself until he and Shikamaru stopped him from finishing off the hospitalised Lee. Ever since their encounter, Naruto understood that Gaara had been through the same pain like he had. Though he was afraid to fight Gaara at first, later during the Konoha Crush, Naruto was able to overcome this fear after seeing both Sasuke and Sakura in danger and was determined to protect them both from Gaara. When Naruto defeated him, Gaara, in great shock, questioned him why was he so strong. Naruto explained that despite having suffered a relentless lonely life, he never gave up hope on being acknowledged as a person and ultimately found friends who truly cared for him.

From that day on, Naruto's undying devotion and desire to protect his loved ones inspired Gaara to take on a similar path, and over time, he eventually became the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure and was finally able to connect with his people and be acknowledged as a person rather than a jinchūriki. When Naruto insisted to save Gaara from the Akatsuki, he lamented to find that they killed Gaara by extracting Shukaku. Though he criticised Chiyo for sealing the tailed beast inside him, Naruto offered his chakra to her for Gaara's revival.

Two years after the war, Gaara argued in favour of not destroying the moon, as Naruto and his team were still there. He later attended Naruto and Hinata's wedding, while shaking hands with Hinata. Over the years, Naruto's friendship with Gaara remained intact, to the point that Naruto keeps a photo of them at his house. He attends the Chūnin Exams and sits with Naruto and the other Kage during the third round. After Naruto is kidnapped by Momoshiki and Kinshiki, Gaara and the other Kage team up with Sasuke and Boruto to rescue him.

Killer B
When Naruto first met Killer B, he thought his raps were a little bit weird, but after discovering that he was a jinchūriki like him and had full control, he immediately requested B to train him. After gaining B's respect, the two became good friends and can actually relate to one another, even by communicating with B's raps and fist bumps, something that Yamato, much to his own frustration, couldn't understand. Naruto in return shows respect for B, calling him uncle. B was also willing to help him fight Kurama within his subconscious with Gyūki's help. B even stood up for him against his brother, A, when he tried to kill him and stated he would keep his promise from Iruka to protect Naruto, even going as far as to offer up his own life in exchange for A allowing Naruto to continue on. The two then fought off against Obito and his Six Paths of Pain and could understand the other tailed beasts' suffering from Obito's control.

Two years after the war, B, who was controlling one of the chakra cannons, defied his brother once more and couldn't use the Chakra Cannon to destroy the moon since Naruto was still on it, still valuing their friendship. He later attended Naruto and Hinata's wedding, while bumping fist with Naruto.