Naruto Uzumaki

Five Kage Summit arc
While Naruto is returning to the village, Kakashi finds him and carries him back. There, he was greeted by all of the Konohagakure villagers. Naruto thinks back to his original reason to become Hokage: to be acknowledged by everyone in the village. He smiles as the village celebrates his success, some of the villagers even voicing the opinion that he should be Hokage.

When the village begins to rebuild after Pain's attack, Naruto runs into Tazuna and an older Inari, who have come to help with the reconstruction effort. They catch up, but Naruto avoids telling them that about what happened to Sasuke, instead stating that they "had a fight" which made Sasuke leave, but that he would be back soon. Soon afterwards, Naruto learns that Danzō has been appointed as Hokage to replace the comatose Tsunade. In addition, he has ordered Sasuke been eliminated as a missing-nin. Naruto and Sakura contemplate how to get Danzō to change his mind, but Kakashi advises them against it.

Naruto and Sakura ask Sai about Danzō, but they are unable to learn anything useful. They are then approached by Kumogakure ninja, Karui and Omoi, who tell them of Sasuke's recent involvement with Akatsuki. They demand information on Sasuke and the Akatsuki. Seeing Sakura's tears, Naruto volunteers to tell them about Akatsuki in private so that Sakura won't need to, but when Karui and Omoi question him about Sasuke, Naruto is unable to bring himself to sell out Sasuke, and offers Karuni the opportunity to beat on him up so as to release herself of her grief and her desire for revenge. She gladly accepts, and only stops at Sai's insistence.

While Naruto is recovering, he asks Kakashi and Yamato to escort him to the Land of Iron so that he can ask the Fourth Raikage to forgive Sasuke. When they arrive there and meet with the Raikage, Naruto pleas for the Raikage to pardon Sasuke, trying to explain why Sasuke has done what he has done. The Raikage refuses and berates Naruto's belief that he can change Sasuke. Having failed, Naruto goes to a nearby inn to reflect upon Sasuke's actions, noting that he no longer understands Sasuke's motives.

Naruto is interrupted by the arrival of Madara Uchiha, who asks for an opportunity to speak with him. Kakashi and Yamato, having expected him, appear and try to catch him. Madara voices his surprise that Naruto could have such an effect on Nagato, but Naruto ignores this and asks what he is going to do with Sasuke. Madara tells him of Sasuke's descent into darkness, caused by Konoha's leadership's role in the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Naruto is unwilling to believe this and says he can still get through to Sasuke. Madara laughs at the suggestion and states that Naruto and Sasuke are fated to fight again at some point before leaving.

Naruto decides that he must confront Sasuke face-to-face. He practices with Sage Mode, hoping to extend the reach of his sensory skills, but is interrupted by the arrival of Sakura. Sakura tells him that she loves him and that she no longer has any feelings for Sasuke. He does not believe her and suggests she is lying, stating that he knows her better than that. Angered by this, Sakura insists it is true and that he therefore does not need to fulfill his earlier promise of bringing Sasuke home. Naruto says his actions have nothing to do with the promise and that he just wants to save Sasuke, choosing not to reveal what Madara has said about the Uchiha clan. Suspecting that Sakura is keeping something from him, Naruto presses her on her real reasons for following him to the Land of Iron, but she leaves rather than answer. Later on, Naruto is approached by one of Sai's ink clones, saying he will tell him what Sakura couldn't.

After Sai tells Naruto that Sakura and the other Konoha 11 members are preparing to kill Sasuke for his crimes and to prevent him from sinking any lower, Naruto came to realize that it was indeed too late to bring Sasuke back, as all hope has shattered. As Naruto laments, Gaara, Kankurō and Temari arrived to inform what happened at the Kage summit. After telling Naruto about what happened at the summit, Gaara offers that in this war, they have to protect Killer Bee and Naruto, and as Kazekage, he will protect Naruto with his life, and should Sasuke challenge the coalition, he will show him no mercy. He also tells Naruto that if he is truly ready to bear the burden of Kage, he must do what is right as Sasuke's friend. As the Sand siblings begin to depart, Gaara tells Naruto that he once thought "friend" was just a word, but it was given meaning by Naruto. He offers that Naruto needs to think about its meaning and what he plans to do with Sasuke. Naruto is hit by these words, but remains silent. Yamato tries to console Naruto, but Kakashi stops him, saying that Naruto must find the answer on his own. Later, after several flashbacks about Sasuke, he fainted due to hyperventilation. This was most likely due to his grief at the possibility of bringing Sasuke back being gone and his promise to Sakura now impossible to keep.

Abilities
At the start of the series, one of the only jutsu Naruto could do without fail was his own original Transformation Technique, called the Sexy Technique; a creative but almost completely useless diversionary jutsu, used simply to shock his instructors. Naruto was also able to use simple E-rank abilities, like the Cloak of Invisibility Technique and Body Replacement Technique. Although Naruto had trouble with the Clone Technique at the start of the series, he quickly learned how to use Jōnin-level techniques, like the Shadow Clone Technique and its larger-scale version.

While under the tutelage of Jiraiya, Naruto's abilities have continued to improve; his prowess in ninjutsu and taijutsu have grown greatly, and he had also been taught some limited skill at dispelling genjutsu but the most valuable assets that Naruto has gained in his training with Jiraiya are an increased range of battle smarts and more knowledge of the basics of a shinobi, which he lacked during Part I. This, along with the skills and abilities Naruto has gained over the course of Part II, makes him a much more complete ninja. Also, during Part II, Naruto has regularly proven himself a match against the S-Class members of Akatsuki. It has been said by Kakashi at different points in time that Naruto has surpassed Jiraiya, Tsunade, his father, and even Kakashi himself in strength. He was suggested to be Hokage in Tsunade's place by several villagers following Pain's invasion.

Shadow Clone Technique
Naruto's first signature jutsu, the Shadow Clone Technique takes advantage of the massive chakra reserve Naruto possesses due to him being the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Naruto is able to create upwards to two thousand clones, and able to have a decent amount of chakra in each of them. Because of this, Naruto can use his shadow clones for almost anything, from straight combat to speed training.

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

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

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

Collaboration Jutsu
Collaboration Jutsu, also synchronized or combination jutsu, pertains to an area of jutsu which entail techniques that are comprised of at least two or more jutsu that, when initiated with the right timing, one will feed into each other to become a jutsu of greater power than the sum of its parts.

Naruto was introduced to the subject by Jiraiya in the anime, where Jiraiya summoned Gamariki to synchronize with Naruto in order for him to develop a collaboration technique. Though he found it difficult to work with Gamariki and summoned Gamakichi and Gamatatsu of whom he was already accustomed to working with and trained with the two, later Naruto asked if they could speed up the training in which case he would need to be inside Gamatatsu's mouth and release his wind chakra the moment Gamatatsu released water chakra. This training developed Wind Release: Toad Gun the attack was strong enough to blast through Guren's Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Labyrinth Technique.

Later in the midst of a battle with the Three-Tailed Giant Turtle, Naruto developed a collaboration jutsu with both Gamakichi and Gamabunta known as, Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet, this technique was powerful enough to temporarily knock out the tailed beast. He has also been seen using Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet with Gamabunta but knowing no Fire Release ninjutsu and needing an ignition source, he substituted an exploding tag instead.

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

The Rasengan, like the Clone Technique, would be the base of several original jutsu created by Naruto, such as the Great Ball Rasengan, a larger version of the Rasengan, and after his wind training created the Wind Release: Rasengan and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and after his senjutsu training, the Sage Art: Great Ball Rasengan and Sage Technique: Rasenrengan.

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

Wind Release
After failing to bring Sasuke back to Konoha for the second time, Naruto went through elemental training where he discovered that he had an affinity to wind, which by incorporating into the Rasengan, which was originally intended to be combined with a nature element, would greatly increase his power and his chances. The wind nature compliments a fighter like Naruto, as the wind nature is a good match with short ranged fighter. By focusing his wind chakra, Naruto can go as far as cut things with only his chakra.

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

Senjutsu
After Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pain, Naruto began training with Fukasaku in Myōbokuzan to learn senjutsu and how to enter Sage Mode. In order to achieve this, Naruto had to learn to sense and control the natural energy around him. Once mastered, Naruto was able to perfect the Rasenshuriken, so that he could throw it, and learn Frog Kata, the taijutsu style that uses the natural energy around the user to enhance the range and the potency of their attacks.

However, Naruto had one fatal flaw in his senjutsu training. To mold senjutsu chakra, the user must remain absolutely still. Something one can not do while in combat, and because of the Nine-Tails, Shima and Fukasaku are unable to fuse with Naruto to mold it for him. To counter this, Naruto has to leave two shadow clones in a safe place to mold the senjutsu chakra for him. Once he depletes his current amount of senjutsu chakra, he would dispel one of the clones and gather it's senjutsu chakra to reenter Sage Mode. However, he is currently trying to extend the time he can remain in Sage Mode at one time.

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

Creation and Conception
When creating Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto incorporated into the character a number of traits he felt made an ideal hero: a straightforward way of thinking, a mischievous side, and many of the attributes possessed by Son Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise. He also made sure to keep Naruto "simple and stupid", since he does not like smart characters. Naruto himself is not modeled after anyone in particular, being conceived as childlike, with something of a dark side as a result of his harsh past. Despite this, he is always positive, making him unique in Kishimoto's eyes.

Naruto's wardrobe is based on clothing Kishimoto wore when he was younger; according to Kishimoto, using a pre-existing design would not have made Naruto unique, whereas something original would have made him stand out too much. The orange coloring of his costume is used to make Naruto "pop", with blues often being used to complement the orange. Because Naruto is associated with spirals, swirl patterns are incorporated into his costume. Initial illustrations of Naruto had him wearing boots, but Kishimoto substituted these for sandals, because he likes drawing toes. The goggles that Naruto used to wear were also replaced with a forehead protector, because the goggles themselves were too time-consuming to draw. Kishimoto said that he felt glad that his character had blond hair and blue eyes. The editor of Shonen Jump in the United States added that Kishimoto implied that the traits may have led the character to appeal to a Western audience. Kishimoto said that he most identifies with Naruto out of all of the Naruto characters.

In the Japanese versions of Naruto, Naruto often ends his sentences with the addendum "-ttebayo" (which gives a similar effect to ending a sentence with "you know?"). Kishimoto wanted to give Naruto a childlike catchphrase, and "dattebayo" came to mind. It complements Naruto's character, and serves as a verbal tic that shows him to be something of a brat. Throughout the beginning of the English, the dub replaced "dattebayo" and "-ttebayo" with the phrase "believe it!" to mirror the effect, as well as to match the character's lip movements.

Trivia

 * Spirals and swirl patterns are a recurring theme in Naruto, especially in relation to the character of Naruto Uzumaki himself. The word/name "Naruto" can mean "maelstrom", and is also the name for a sliced stick of kamaboko with a pink whirlpool design in the middle that is used as a topping for ramen, which is Naruto's favorite food. The surname "Uzumaki" is a pun on, because it refers to a three-dimensional spiral, like a whirlpool or vortex. "Uzumaki" can also mean "whirlpool", in reference to the , named after the city of Naruto.
 * October 10th, Naruto's birthday, was Health and Sports Day in Japan when his character was conceived. The holiday, however, was later moved to the second Monday of October in 1999.
 * Masashi Kishimoto stated in an interview with the U.S. Shonen Jump that his childhood was like that of Naruto's years while he was enrolled in the Academy.
 * Naruto consistently ranked in the top two (taking first place twice) in the first five official Shonen Jump character popularity polls. However, in the sixth character poll, he was ranked fourth. According to the latest character poll, which adds up all the votes from the first six polls, Naruto took second place.
 * The coat Naruto wore upon returning to Konoha to face Pain is nearly identical to the one his father, Minato Namikaze, wore as the Fourth Hokage. The only difference is the color; Naruto's coat is red with black flames, while Minato's was white with red flames. Naruto was also wearing a large, specially-prepared summoning scroll--similar to a large scroll carried around by Jiraiya --but this one is meant to be used to summon his Sage Mode shadow clones when his own senjutsu chakra ran out--this scroll nor the coat has not been since the 'Invasion of Pain' arc.
 * According to the Naruto databook:
 * Naruto's hobbies are pulling pranks and watering plants.
 * Naruto wishes to fight Sasuke Uchiha and the Third Hokage (first databook) and members of Akatsuki (second and third databooks).
 * Naruto's favorite foods are Ichiraku ramen and red bean soup. His least favorite are fresh vegetables.
 * Naruto's registration number is 012607.
 * Naruto has completed 16 official missions in total: 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 2 B-rank, 6 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
 * Naruto's favorite phrase is.
 * Despite having failed the Genin exam three times, Naruto isn't any older than anyone else in the rookie nine.
 * Despite being the protoganist,Naruto hasnt killed any Akatsuki members so far.As the Six paths of Pain don't count as he did not kill Nagato himself.

Quotes

 * "And my dream is to be the greatest Hokage! That way, people will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Someone important!"
 * "I never give up, and I never go back on my word! That's my Nindō: my ninja way!"
 * (To himself) "I don't know what is going on, but I will pretend that I do." (nods head in agreement)
 * (To Nine-Tails) "Hey, you stupid fox! You're in my body and you owe me rent! So for payment, I'll take your chakra! You got that?!"
 * (To Sakura) "It doesn't matter if you want to be useful to someone, there's no such a thing as a life worth throwing away!"
 * (To Sai about saving Sasuke) "I don't care who I have to fight... If someone rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death... If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death... If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death...and if he gouges my eyes, I'll curse him from beyond the grave... Even if I'm torn to shreds...I'll take Sasuke back!"
 * (To Kakashi) "Kakashi-sensei... do you remember what you told me when I was training? You said you believe I'm the only shinobi who can surpass the Fourth Hokage. I know teamwork is important. I also know that this is a very risky path. Even so, I want to take this risk alone. If I can't beat this, I'll never be able to grow up. So please...please...don't take this path away from me."
 * (To Itachi about Sasuke) "Because he's like a brother to me...and I'm a better brother than you ever were!"
 * (To Nagato) "Then I will break that curse. If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!"
 * (To Sakura) "I...hate people who lie to themselves!"