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{{Looking for|the character Naruto Uzumaki|the manga and anime series Naruto|Naruto Series|disambig=Naruto (disambiguation)}}
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{{Looking for|the character Naruto Uzumaki|the similarly named manga and anime series|Naruto (series)|disambig=Naruto (disambiguation)}}
 
{{Infobox}}
 
{{Infobox}}
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<section begin=summary />{{translation|'''Naruto Uzumaki'''|うずまきナルト|Uzumaki Naruto}} is a [[shinobi]] of [[Konohagakure]]'s [[Uzumaki clan]]. He became the [[jinchūriki]] of the [[Nine-Tails]]<!-- DO NOT CHANGE, REFER TO IT AS NINE-TAILS AT THIS POINT --> on the [[Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack|day of his birth]] — a fate that caused him to be shunned by most of Konoha throughout his childhood. After joining [[Team Kakashi]], Naruto worked hard to gain the village's acknowledgement all the while chasing his dream to become [[Hokage]]. In the following years, through many hardships and ordeals, he became a capable ninja, regarded as a hero both by the villagers, and soon after, the rest of the world, becoming known as the {{translation|'''Hero of the Hidden Leaf'''|木ノ葉隠れの英雄|Konohagakure no Eiyū|lit meaning=Hero of the Hidden Tree Leaves}}. He soon proved to be one of the main factors in winning the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], leading him to achieve his dream and become the village's {{translation|'''Seventh Hokage'''|七代目火影|Nanadaime Hokage|lit meaning=Seventh Fire Shadow}}.<section end=summary />
{{translation|'''Naruto Uzumaki'''|うずまきナルト|Uzumaki Naruto}} is the title character and main protagonist of the series: ''[[Naruto Series|Naruto]]''. He is a [[genin]]-level shinobi from [[Konohagakure]], and a member of [[Team Kakashi]]. A [[Kushina Uzumaki|maternal]] descendant of the [[Uzumaki clan]], Naruto is the third and current [[jinchūriki]] of [[Kurama]] — the Nine-Tails. Despite once being ostracised by the majority of the village, he is now regarded as a hero, worthy of inheriting the [[Hokage|title]] his own [[Minato Namikaze|father]] once held.
 
   
 
== Background ==
 
== Background ==
[[File:Naruto and Kushina2.png|thumb|left|A newborn Naruto with his mother Kushina.]]
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[[File:Naruto and Kushina2.png|left|thumb|Naruto, newborn with his mother Kushina.]]
Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth [[Hokage]], [[Minato Namikaze]], and [[Kurama]]'s second jinchūriki, [[Kushina Uzumaki]]. Naruto's parents named him after the main character of [[Jiraiya]]'s [[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi|first book]], thus making the [[Sannin]] his godfather.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 382, pages 9-11</ref> Prior to Naruto's birth, his parents and the Third Hokage [[Hiruzen Sarutobi]] feared that his birth would break the seal which kept Kurama in Kushina. The plan to ensure it did not occur was for Kushina to be taken to a top-secret location outside the village with [[Biwako Sarutobi]] and [[Taji]] as her midwives, a few [[ANBU]] as security, and Minato to keep the seal in place. However, word of Kushina giving birth reached a [[Obito Uchiha|masked ninja]] who intended to take the fox for his own evil ends. Killing the midwives and ANBU, the masked man took the newborn Naruto hostage to keep Minato away from Kushina so the seal can be shattered.<ref name="c5001">''Naruto'' chapters 500-501</ref>
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Naruto was born on the night of October 10th to [[Minato Namikaze]] (the Fourth Hokage) and [[Kushina Uzumaki]] (the second jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails). He was named after [[Naruto Musasabi]], the protagonist of [[Jiraiya]]'s [[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi|first book]], which made the [[Sannin]] his godfather.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 382, pages 9-11</ref> The [[Third Hokage]] made special arrangements for Minato to preserve Kushina's seal containing the Nine-Tails while she gave birth to Naruto in a remote location, assisted by midwives and [[Anbu]]. A masked man, [[Tobi]], tracked down their location, however, killed the midwives and Anbu, and captured Naruto, forcing Minato to quickly rescue him and [[Flying Thunder God Technique|teleport]] him to a [[Minato's Safe House|safe house]].
   
[[File:Minato and Kushina protect Naruto.png|thumb|left|Minato and Kushina protecting Naruto from Kurama.]]
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{{imgRight|Minato and Kushina protect Naruto.png|Minato and Kushina protect Naruto from the Nine-Tails.}}
Though Naruto was taken to a [[Minato's Safe House|safer location]], the masked ninja succeeded in [[Tailed Beast Extraction Technique|releasing]] Kurama and used it to devastate Konoha. After saving Kushina, Minato left Naruto with her as he went off to save their village.<ref name="c5001"/> Having [[Contract Seal|severed]] the masked ninja's control over the tailed beast, Minato realised the only way to stop Kurama was to seal it within Naruto, believing that his son would someday have need of the fox's power to defeat the masked ninja when he returned.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 503, pages 17-18</ref> However, sacrificing his soul to weaken Kurama, the sealing process took both Minato's life and Kushina's when they took a fatal blow from the fox meant for their son. Suddenly orphaned, Naruto was left to grow up knowing nothing of his parents, receiving only his mother's last name as Hiruzen believed it was best that nobody knew that he was related to the Fourth Hokage.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 440, page 5</ref>
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With Minato gone, Tobi captured Kushina and [[Tail Releasing Method|released]] the Nine-Tails from her, using it to [[Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack|devastate Konoha]].<ref name="ch500">''Naruto'' chapter 500</ref> Minato saved Kushina and left Naruto in her care before he went to protect the village,<ref name="ch501">''Naruto'' chapter 501</ref> eventually defeating Tobi and [[Contract Seal|freeing]] the Nine-Tails from Tobi's control. Returning to Naruto and Kushina's location, Minato realised the only way to stop the Nine-Tails was to seal it within Naruto, believing that his son would someday need the fox's power to defeat Tobi when he returned.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 503, pages 17-18</ref> Since the Nine-Tails' [[chakra]] was too immense to be sealed into an infant, Minato [[Dead Demon Consuming Seal|sacrificed his soul]] to split the fox's chakra in half, sealing the [[Yin]] half within himself and the [[Yang]] half [[Eight Trigrams Sealing Style|within]] Naruto. After telling Naruto how much they loved him, Minato and Kushina succumbed to their wounds from protecting their son from the Nine-Tails and passed away.
   
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Orphaned, and not having anyone else to provide for him, Naruto received monthly income from the village in order to afford daily necessities. Naruto grew up not knowing who his parents were, receiving only his mother's surname, as Hiruzen wanted to protect Naruto from his father's enemies.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 440, page 5</ref> Minato's dying wish that Naruto be regarded as a hero was honoured by the very few who could put aside their pain and losses caused by the disaster, while the majority of Konoha, however having no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his birth, openly ostracised and resented Naruto for containing the beast that devastated the village and took many lives; some even viewed Naruto as the Nine-Tails itself. Soon, the Third Hokage forbade anyone from mentioning the Nine-Tails, hoping that the younger generation would not blindly hate Naruto as their parents did.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 2, pages 13-14</ref> However, Naruto's peers emulated their parents' hatred of him, despite not knowing why. This social isolation caused Naruto to crave acknowledgement, which he would gain by pulling pranks.
[[File:Naruto as a little child.JPG|thumb|Naruto as a child.]]
 
Despite Minato's final request to Hiruzen for the villagers to see Naruto as a hero who had helped defeat Kurama, only the Third Hokage and a few of the villagers honoured his request. Everyone else instead resented him for containing the beast that had destroyed their home, some even seeing him as the fox itself. Furthermore, Hiruzen made a decree to prohibit any mention of Naruto's nature as a jinchūriki in the hope that the other children would not resent him. However, even without knowing the reason, most of the children followed their parents' example and ostracised Naruto.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 2, pages 13-14</ref> The social isolation would cause Naruto to develop a need to be acknowledged through mischief.
 
   
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[[File:Naruto's first encounter with Hinata.png|thumb|left|Naruto meets Hinata.]]
Naruto later enrolled at the [[Academy]]. In the anime, one day, he was confronted by [[Sakura Haruno]], [[Ino Yamanaka]], [[Shikamaru Nara]], and [[Chōji Akimichi]]. They accused him of making someone named [[Yota]], who was a stranger to the village, disappear. Seeing them look at him with such distrust like the rest of the village, Naruto grew furious and ran away, so angry that people would like even an outsider over him. He then heard a young boy crying who strangely appeared to control the weather, making it rain with his tears. Naruto then realized this boy must be Yota. Immediately taking a liking to Naruto, the young boy asked him to teach him how to whistle like he saw Naruto do earlier. As Naruto began teaching him, the two soon became close friends. Later, Naruto and Yota began playing along with other the Konoha children that knew about Yota. One day, while playing a game of hiding, Yota insisted to hide with Naruto. When Naruto told him to hide somewhere else, Yota mistakenly thought Naruto didn't like him anymore and ran away crying. His crying caused another rainshower, which alerted the [[ANBU]]. As they took Yota captive, Naruto and the others tried to stop the ANBU, but to no success.<ref name="NS314">''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 314</ref>
 
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On the day of his enrolment in the [[Ninja Academy]]<ref>''The Last: Naruto the Movie'' novelisation</ref> - Naruto first met [[Hinata Hyūga]], who was being picked on by three bullies. Despite not knowing her, Naruto immediately came to her defence, but he was outnumbered and knocked unconscious, and the bullies damaged his red scarf. When Naruto awoke, Hinata thanked him for helping her and returned his scarf to him, but he let her keep it. He was unaware that the girl's growing affection for him began at that moment.<ref name="TheLast">''The Last: Naruto the Movie''</ref>
   
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{{imgRight|Young sasuke and Naruto.png|Naruto and Sasuke in the Academy.}}
Determined to save his first ever friend, Naruto and the others staged a plan with Naruto acting as a diversion. Despite finding Yota, the ANBU easily foiled their plan. Naruto quickly joined his friends, refusing to let Yota be kept prisoner. Seeing how much Naruto cared for him and then got struck down by the ANBU, Yota summoned bolts of lightning to knock the ANBU out. Greatly weakened by the act, Naruto carried Yota out of the village with the others, determined to bring him to freedom. Upon reaching a river, unable to walk over it yet, they chose to swim. Their attempts proved futile and nearly drowned, only to be saved by Yota. Having overtaxed himself, Yota felt his life fading. Happy to have had friends, Yota didn't want them to suffer with this sad memory and erased all knowledge of him from their minds.<ref name="NS315">''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 315</ref>
 
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In the Academy, Naruto became a student of [[Iruka Umino]], who acted as a surrogate older brother to keep him in line and help him work harder. Naruto also met his classmate [[Sasuke Uchiha]] and tried to befriend him, since Sasuke was alone as well. Jealous of Sasuke's skills and popularity, however,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 485, page 14</ref> he developed a one-sided rivalry in his pursuit to prove himself just as good as, if not better than, Sasuke, wishing that someday, Sasuke would accept him as an equal.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 487, page 2</ref> Naruto also grew close with the owner of [[Ramen Ichiraku]], [[Teuchi]] and his daughter [[Ayame]], being welcomed as their favourite customer.
 
[[File:Young sasuke and Naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry during their childhood.]]
 
Naruto eventually became the student of [[Iruka Umino]] and met his class mate [[Sasuke Uchiha]] when the two were paired to [[Traditional Shinobi Sparring|spar]] against each other. Though excited at the chance to achieve popularity by beating Sasuke, Naruto was easily beaten. By looking at Sasuke's eyes, Naruto realised that they were filled with hatred. When Iruka told them to make the reconciliation seal, they both refused.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 538, pages 10-15</ref> Since then, Naruto came to see Sasuke as a rival and intended to beat him. When Naruto found out that Sasuke was also an orphan, he was secretly happy for not being the only one alone and wanted to talk to him, but couldn't because of his jealousy toward Sasuke's skills.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 485, page 14</ref> Still, Naruto wished that, someday, Sasuke would acknowledge him as an equal.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 487, page 2</ref>
 
 
In the anime, when Naruto pulled a prank on a group of boys for not being invited to their "test of courage", he refused to return to the Academy after being glared at by Iruka with the same resentful stare everyone else gives him. Later, Naruto was tricked by the boys' leader, [[Hibachi]], to get himself killed by enemy ninja in the hills. Learning of this, Iruka ended up saving Naruto from a trio of Takigakure kunochi before [[Kakashi Hatake]] dispatched their pursuers. Soon after, Naruto began attending class again at the time that Iruka, who now acted as a surrogate brother to keep the boy in line, gave a lecture on the Will of Fire that inspired Naruto to become the next Hokage someday to achieve the acknowledgement he is striving for.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episodes 177-178</ref> Apart from Hiruzen and Iruka, Naruto also found a surrogate family with the owner of [[Ramen Ichiraku]]: [[Teuchi]] and his daughter [[Ayame]] to some extent.
 
   
 
== Personality ==
 
== Personality ==
[[File:Naruto's photograph.png|thumb|Naruto's Ninja Registration Form photograph.]]
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[[File:Naruto's Ninja Registration Photo.png|thumb|left|Naruto's ninja registration photo.]]
Naruto is exuberant, brash, inattentive, and heedless to formality or social standings. He inherited his catch-phrase {{translation|"[[Dattebayo and Believe It|Dattebayo!]]"|だってばよ!}} from [[Kushina Uzumaki|his mother]], who would say {{translation|"(da)ttebane"|(だ)ってばね}} when excited or frustrated.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 498, page 3</ref> Naruto has a number of childish traits, like keeping his money in a chubby, green-frog wallet he affectionately calls "[[Gama-chan]]",<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 150, page 4</ref> being a very picky eater (he almost exclusively eats [[Wikipedia:Ramen|ramen]] and is a frequent customer at the [[Ramen Ichiraku]]), and being afraid of ghosts. He is also somewhat perverted, something he tends to be reprimanded for by [[Sakura Haruno]] and Iruka, but has only become even more so after meeting his mentor [[Jiraiya]], causing many to say that Jiraiya raised a perfect replica of himself.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 245, page 19</ref> However, whenever someone dear to him is in trouble or the situation calls for it, Naruto can be very serious, and will instantly try to come to their aid.
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Naruto is noted as boisterous, exuberant, and unorthodox, quite similar to [[Hashirama Senju]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 648, page 5</ref> He inherited his mother's verbal tic, as he ends his sentences with {{translation|"[[Dattebayo and Believe It|Dattebayo!]]"|だってばよ!}} when emotional. Though he responds best to competition and is not afraid to ask for assistance, Naruto is relatively naïve and slow to understand principles or situations. He often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp explanations<ref name="ch409">''Naruto'' chapter 409, page 11</ref> and can even prove forgetful.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 645, pages 2-3</ref> Naruto is aware of his faults and admits he acts strong to mask his embarrassment and frustration about them.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 98, pages 8-14</ref><ref name="ch440">''Naruto'' chapter 440, page 13</ref> Despite his naivety, Naruto can be quite observant, picking up on things others miss and retaining information casually gathered through conversation.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 535, pages 2-5</ref>
   
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Growing up as an orphan who suffered years of hatred and social isolation has influenced Naruto's character in a number of ways: he is heedless to formality and social standings, addressing [[Rock Lee|certain]] [[Jiraiya|people]] with nicknames instead of [[Wikipedia:Honorific|honourifics]], although by the time of his adulthood, Naruto has slightly outgrown this trait.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 37, page 7</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 641, page 3</ref> He has picky eating habits of ramen, his favourite food; he has a perverted side that manifests as attempts to peep into women's baths, although these moments are rare.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 286, page 16</ref> Despite his quirks and the criticism they earn him to the point of being labelled the ''ultimate problem child'', Naruto is said to have a personality that draws people to him,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 262, pages 12-13</ref> inspiring friendship and loyalty through acts of genuine kindness that could change a person's world view and thus built [[Naruto Uzumaki's Relationships|meaningful relationships]] that he lacked in early life; the [[Sage of Six Paths]] believes Naruto's kindness is a special gift that allows him to save [[Kurama]] from its hatred.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 693, pages 12-13</ref> Naruto deeply cherishes these bonds and will go to great lengths to protect them, best seen with Sasuke after his defection from Konoha.
According to [[Kakashi]], Naruto [[Wikipedia:Kinesthetic learning|learns through his body]], as he is relatively naive, simple, and being slow to understand a principle or situation, which often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp what is being explained to him.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 409, page 11</ref> Overall, Naruto responds best to competition and has a great deal of self-confidence, loudly proclaiming that he will master whatever technique he is learning within a fraction of the usual time,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 159, page 7</ref> though he doesn't hesitate to ask for help if he needs it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 317, page 9</ref> While as naive as he appears to be throughout most of the series, Naruto has proven to have a keen eye to certain things most people don't see, showing that he can be smarter than what most people, especially Sakura, are willing to give him credit for when he wants to be, something even [[Chōji]] comments on once in a while. This was shown when Naruto was the first to notice the differences in Sai's book,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 300, pages 12-14</ref> later helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message left from [[Fukasaku]] on his back and managed to help solve the message through Kakashi's ''[[Icha Icha]]'' book.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 407</ref> He is also quite observant in regards to other people's feelings (though he was oblivious of [[Hinata]]'s love for him until she confessed her feelings to him) and is able to perceive the truth from people's intentions, such as when Sakura claimed she loved him and not Sasuke any more, Naruto immediately knew she was lying about how she felt, having witnessed her most extreme and inimitable signs of love for Sasuke.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 469, pages 10-17</ref> Naruto also saw through Iruka's lie about a new wild creature on the [[Island Turtle]] they were on by remembering Motoi stating that B had tamed all the animals on the island.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 535, pages 2-5</ref>
 
   
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Another of Naruto's prominent traits is his desire for acknowledgement; his pranks around the village were for people to notice him, even if it meant by scolding him. Therefore, he dreamed of one day becoming Konoha's Hokage, the epitome of acknowledgement and respect from everyone in the village.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 4, page 6</ref> Knowing his dream is a long, arduous and seemingly impossible path, Naruto developed his own [[nindō]] of never going back on his word. This life-long philosophy serves as the cornerstone of Naruto's great self-confidence; he believes he can accomplish any goal with enough hard work and perseverance, no matter what. This trait guides him in many aspects of life, such as his promise to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Over time, his goal to be Hokage grew from a desire for the acknowledgement of others to a desire to help and protect the people close to him, which [[Tobi]] attributed to the [[Will of Fire]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 462, page 14</ref> His nindō has since been reinforced by his understanding that shinobi were meant to endure through hardships.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 19</ref> His belief in hard work and perseverance made him detest shortcuts to achieving, as he disqualified his son from the [[Chūnin Exams]] for using the banned [[Kote]], and expressed disgust at [[Momoshiki]] and [[Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki]] for their reliance on harvesting from [[Chakra Fruit]]s to lazily gain power.<ref name="BorutoMovie">''Boruto: Naruto the Movie''</ref>
[[File:Naruto's promise.png|thumb|left|Naruto making a promise in the "nice guy" pose.]]
 
Due to the prejudice and loneliness he suffered in his childhood, Naruto developed a craving for acknowledgement. In order to achieve this, Naruto would pull pranks all around the village and even going far as strive for the title of [[Hokage]]. Even after graduating from the Academy, Naruto was still determined to be recognised, but as he made more and more connections with others, his reasons for wanting to become Hokage underwent a change, having less to do with the desire for recognition, and more to do with wanting the strength to protect his home and the people close to him. As noted by [[Tobi]], Naruto possessed the [[Will of Fire]], likening him to [[Hashirama Senju]] in this aspect.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 462, page 14</ref> Naruto's determination and drive strongly impacts the lives of those around him, even his enemies have been affected by his empathy. Both Kakashi and [[Temari]] referred to Naruto's amazing charisma as a "unique power" that allows him to change the worldly views of others for the better, usually by helping them regain the beliefs they lost due to certain tragedies they suffered.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 262, pages 12-13</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 280, page 12</ref> [[Son Gokū]] also thought of him as an open and honest person.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 568</ref> Like [[Guy]] and [[Rock Lee]], when Naruto makes a promise, he assumes the "nice guy pose" and becomes dedicated to fulfilling it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 183, page 17</ref> Even Madara saw Naruto as the "heart" of the Shinobi Alliance.
 
   
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After the death of his master [[Jiraiya]], talking to his father [[Minato]] and listening to [[Nagato]]'s tragic story, Naruto grew to understand the destructive cycle of hatred and he vowed to break it in order to bring true peace to the world.<ref name="ch448">''Naruto'' chapter 448, page 2</ref> To that end, his participation in the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]] is not only to protect his friends but also to bear and erase the world's hatred all by himself. After encountering a [[Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation|reincarnated]] [[Itachi Uchiha]], however, Naruto realises that he cannot handle everything alone and that he must allow his friends to support and fight alongside him. As he does so in war's climax, his fighting spirit inspires the [[Allied Shinobi Forces]] to join him and keep fighting to end the war as well, ultimately becoming an example for many people to admire, follow, and believe in.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 647, pages 14-19</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 649, pages 14-17</ref>
Sasuke's defection shocked Naruto to his core, but he never wavered in his resolve to bring him back to Konoha. When his teacher Jiraiya was killed in battle by the [[Akatsuki]] leader [[Pain]], he vowed vengeance against the man and left Konoha for a time to train in [[senjutsu]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 408, page 12</ref> Upon returning home after Pain destroyed the village and succumbing to rage, he met and spoke with his father, [[Minato Namikaze]], who explained to him the cycle of hatred and entrusted him with the duty of saving the ninja world from its hate.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 440, pages 11-14</ref> After listening to Nagato's story of how hatred can shape a person and the world into darkness, Naruto vowed he would end the cycle of hatred and bring peace to the ninja world,<ref name="ch448">''Naruto'' chapter 448, page 2</ref> and later displays a more levelheaded, thoughtful and diplomatic approach from that moment onward. This decision however would come in direct opposition in his quest to bring Sasuke home, something that at first depressed him deeply.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 484, pages 3-5</ref> However after meeting again in the [[Land of Iron]], Naruto resolved that if he had to, he would fight and potentially kill his friend to end the [[Curse of Hatred|cycle of hatred]] and save Sasuke from despair, even if it costs his own life.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 486, pages 12-16</ref>
 
   
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[[File:Naruto watching Hinata knit.png|thumb|Naruto becomes shy around Hinata.]]
When he discovered that the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]] had started, Naruto made it his mission to end the war all by himself, so no one else would suffer.<ref name="ch535">''Naruto'' chapter 535, page 11</ref> He continued to do so until his battle with the reincarnated [[Nagato]] and [[Itachi Uchiha]]. After the fight, even though Itachi acknowledged Naruto had become stronger, he explained to Naruto that if he continued to believe that he could do everything alone, he would become arrogant like ''[[Obito Uchiha|Madara]]''. Itachi also said that if Naruto were to become Hokage, he should never forget his friends or do everything on his own.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 552, pages 7-9</ref> Afterwards, Naruto acknowledged his shortcomings in his attempts to do things himself and allowed others to help him, instead of shouldering burdens himself.
 
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Naruto first met [[Hinata Hyūga]] when they were children, where his open kindness and courageous spirit earned him her admiration, which grew into love. On his part, Naruto remained mostly oblivious to Hinata's feelings for him and even considered her "weird" because of her shyness around him and his socially ostracised childhood. However, that change during the Chūnin Exams in Part I when they began to interact more and support each other, causing Naruto to like her as a friend.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 98, pages 13-14</ref> In Part II, as Hinata becomes willing to risk her life to protect Naruto, he, in turn, sees her as an actively strong person despite his speechlessness at her love confession. Naruto grew to love Hinata subconsciously. Still, he was unaware of it because he kept "fighting" for Sakura, which was just another way for him to compete with Sasuke. During ''[[The Last: Naruto the Movie]]'', Naruto finally recognises the love that Hinata has always had for him, causing him to become more bashful and protective of her, just as she was for him. Realising that she alone has ever had faith in him and that she has always been there for him, he reciprocates her feelings and desires to be with her for the rest of his life. This new-found desire made him willing to make healthier lifestyle choices such as eating vegetables and reeling in his impulsiveness, something others have had little success with doing.
   
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As an adult, Naruto becomes wiser and more mature, though he retains some of his negligence for honourifics.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 700+4, page 10</ref> Although he finally achieves his dream of becoming Hokage, its many tasks would often overwhelm Naruto to the point of him being unable to spend time with his family. He admits that part of this stems was from not having grown up with a father himself, making him unsure of how to interact appropriately with his children.<ref name="BE10">''Boruto'' episode 10</ref> Naruto also tends to be more responsible in his duties as Hokage than as a father. Nevertheless, Naruto profoundly loves his family, as he creates shadow clones to tend to them while he's busy, protects them in times of danger, spends time with them when he can, and expresses pride in his children's successes.<ref name="BorutoMovie"/> He adopts Hiruzen's philosophy that everyone in the village is his family, believing that genuine relationships are made up of love rather than blood relations.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 700+8</ref> His refusal to give his son any special treatment due to their blood-relationships, along with the insistence that the boy professionally addresses him as "Seventh" or "Hokage" while in the office, is a testament of Naruto's lack of bias and prejudice.<ref name="BorutoMovie"/> Likewise, even in the face of people close to him committing horrible deeds, Naruto remains loyal to them, pushing aside his grief enough to see the nature of what they did.<ref>''Boruto'' chapter 67, page 25-27</ref> However, after facing [[Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki]] and realising how his overly-committed nature serving the entire village was significantly affecting his own family's happiness, Naruto came to accept that he needed to give them more attention. As such, by allowing more help from others, Naruto was able to enjoy more time with his family, restoring the same healthy relationship he had with them before he became Hokage.
After exposing Tobi's identity as [[Obito Uchiha]] and expressing disapproval of his new twisted outlook on life, Naruto declares to Obito that he would not let him kill any of his comrades.<ref name="ch608">''Naruto'' chapter 608, pages 13-17</ref> As a result, Obito resolved to put both him and the Allied Shinobi Forces into the same despair he experienced, namely by killing one of Naruto's friends, [[Neji Hyūga]]. This, along with Obito's diatribe towards Naruto and his beliefs, drove the young shinobi into a period of mental and emotional turmoil. Although nearly succumbing to Obito's temptation, Naruto was brought out of his depression by Hinata, who explained to him the meaning of Neji's last words that his life was not just his own, restoring his self-confidence as he thanked her for staying by his side.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 615</ref> Soon after, Naruto tells Kakashi and his comrades that he clearly understands that shinobi are meant to endure, believing that if remembering his friends was a curse, he would gladly shoulder that burden and keep the real Neji in his heart forever.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 616, page 22</ref> This shows how far Naruto has come as a shinobi and that he is above Obito's psychological warfare, telling him that unlike Obito, he wants to maintain the bonds he made with his friends.
 
   
 
=== Dark Naruto ===
 
=== Dark Naruto ===
[[File:Dark Naruto .png|thumb|Dark Naruto.]]
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[[File:Dark Naruto appears.png|thumb|left|"Dark Naruto" reveals himself in the waterfall.]]
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Although he struggled to overcome the hatred of people and the shinobi world, seeking to achieve the peace that his master Jiraiya dreamed of so much, Naruto was also not free from his own hatred. When Naruto understands that it is necessary to definitively master the power of the Nine-Tails, he goes to the [[Genbu|Island Turtle]] and discovers the [[Falls of Truth]] as part of the process. There, Naruto encounters his darker half: {{Translation|'''Dark Naruto'''|闇ナルト|Yami Naruto}}.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 492</ref> This was the personification of all of Naruto's negative feelings, such as the grudge he secretly still held against the villagers of Konoha who had always rejected him since childhood. Dark Naruto was the Nine-Tails' favourite aspect of Naruto, claiming him to be the "real" Naruto. No matter how much he resisted, the Nine-Tails would tap into the hatred that existed hidden in the depths of his heart.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 493</ref> Naruto's conclusion to dealing with his inner hatred was not to ignore him, but rather accept his existence, understanding that this same grudge was what made him get to where he was and value his entire journey up until that moment.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 495</ref> This whole process served as basis for Naruto to shape who he truly wanted to be from then on.
After [[Killer B]] refused to train Naruto, [[Motoi]] guided Naruto and [[Yamato]] to the [[Falls of Truth]], the place where B trained to control [[Gyūki]]'s power. He instructed Naruto to sit on a platform and close his eyes. Soon after, {{translation|'''Dark Naruto'''|闇ナルト|Yami Naruto}}, the manifestation of hatred that existed within Naruto's heart, appeared, berating Naruto for how quickly the people from Konoha changed their ideals about him.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 492, pages 16-17</ref> Dark Naruto exclaimed that Kurama liked him better and he was the real Naruto while Naruto was an imposter.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 493, pages 2-4</ref> They started to fight, but after a while, Naruto realised that they both had the same techniques, skills, and tactics. As a result, their fight was a draw and Naruto mentioned that if they continued like this, it would take a very long time to settle it.
 
   
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== Appearance ==
He appeared once again after Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth. Instead of fighting, Naruto projected an image from his mind of his autograph signature that he was unable to give to the Konoha shinobi. This angered Dark Naruto, pointing out to Naruto that those people were part of the same villagers who made him suffer as an outcast, telling him that he shouldn't trust them. However, Naruto stated that he trusted the villagers because they were important to him, but what was also important was that he needed to have faith in himself, so he would have the strength to live up to the villagers' trust in him. Naruto's statement started to weaken Dark Naruto, then forcing him to ask what was the reason for his existence. Naruto stated that Dark Naruto was really him and thanked Dark Naruto for pushing him to be the person he was now. He hugged Dark Naruto when the latter tried to attack him, telling Dark Naruto that it was all going to be alright. Letting go of his own anger at their past, Dark Naruto's eyes lightened as he gave into Naruto's words, and disappeared.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 495, pages 6-13</ref>
 
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According to [[Jiraiya]], Naruto strongly resembles his father:<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 144, page 4</ref> he has yellow-blond, spiky hair and blue eyes, while inheriting the shape of his mother's eyes and face.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 498, page 8</ref> His trademark characteristics are the three whisker markings on his cheeks. During the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], [[Dan Katō]] initially mistook Naruto for [[Nawaki]] due to their stark resemblance.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 558, page 13</ref> Naruto was rather short for his age during Part I,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 9, pages 10-11</ref> though he grew to be taller than [[Sakura]] in Part II.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 245, page 12</ref> Naruto originally wore green goggles on his forehead, though he discards them upon becoming a genin.
   
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<gallery type="slideshow" position="right" widths="240">
Later, when Naruto entered his subconscious, Kurama expressed surprise as it could no longer sense any hatred within Naruto, and questioned Naruto about where the "real him" was, to which Naruto replied that the real him was right in front of it.<ref name="ch496">''Naruto'' chapter 496, pages 10-11</ref> During his battle with Kurama to obtain its power, the fox infected its chakra with its own hatred when Naruto started to gain the upper hand. This partially brought about Dark Naruto again briefly, before Naruto's mother appeared and helped banish him.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 497, pages 13-17</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 498, pages 1-5</ref>
 
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Naruto both parts.png|Naruto in Part II (left) and in Part I (right) respectively.
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Naruto with coat.png|Naruto's appearance during his battle with Pain.
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Naruto - The Last.png|Naruto in the Blank Period.
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Naruto epilogue.PNG|Naruto in the New Era.
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</gallery>
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In Part I, Naruto wore an orange and blue jacket with a white collar, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, and a red Uzumaki crest on the back. He also wore orange pants with a shuriken holster on his right knee, blue sandals, and a blue [[forehead protector]], given to him by Iruka after graduating from the Academy. In Part II, Naruto wears a more form fitting outfit after wearing out his original one while training with Jiraiya,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 248, page 12</ref> with a T-shirt or mesh armour underneath. While retaining the swirls and orange pants, the blue pieces of his outfit changes to black: his forehead protector (which is now longer), sandals, and orange jacket, the black colour showing more prominence than the blue did originally. During his battle with Pain, Naruto briefly wore a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern around the hem and carried a large scroll on his back.
   
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Naruto lost his right arm after the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], though it is later replaced by a fully manoeuvrable prosthetic arm made of [[Hashirama Senju]]'s cells, wrapped completely in bandages. In ''[[The Last: Naruto the Movie]]'', Naruto grew again to be one of the tallest of his graduating class, cut his hair short, and wore a black elastic forehead protector. Over his pants and sandals, he wears a black uniform jacket with an orange zipper and buttons on the waist and sleeves, which can be folded up at times. He has a red armband with an Uzumaki crest on his left arm. After becoming Hokage, Naruto dons a garment similar to his father's: a white cape that has a red flame pattern around the hem, is held together by a red rope, and has the kanji for {{translation|"Seventh Hokage"|七代目火影|Nanadaime Hokage}} written vertically down the back. Underneath this, he wears an orange sweatshirt with black stripes (reverse in the manga version of ''[[Boruto: Naruto Next Generations]]''), black pants and sandals. He occasionally wears the traditional [[Hokage]] headpiece, but has stopped wearing a forehead protector.
=== Relationships ===
 
{{Main with-include|Naruto Uzumaki's Relationships}}
 
   
== Appearance ==
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== Abilities ==
[[File:Naruto both parts.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto in Part II (left) and in Part I (right) respectively.]]
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[[File:Naruto Vs Kaguya.png|thumb|left|Naruto's combined senjutsu and tailed beast influence over his trademark techniques.]]
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Originally, Naruto was a rather inept ninja, failing to graduate from the [[Academy]] three times. Through sheer determination and training however, his skills rapidly improved to defeat strong [[genin]] like [[Neji Hyūga]], [[Gaara]], and [[Kabuto Yakushi]], earning acknowledgement from all the [[Sannin]] for his potential.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 168</ref> Under various tutelage, Naruto was able to [[Kakuzu|defeat]] [[Nagato|various members]] of [[Akatsuki]], ultimately earning praise from Konohagakure as a Hokage-material hero.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 455, page 9</ref> Naruto's personally defeated various reincarnated [[Kage]]<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 555, pages 11-15</ref> and [[jinchūriki]] during the Fourth Shinobi World War,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 572</ref> with many believing he was the central key to winning the battle.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 675, page 3</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 698</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 699, page 15</ref> By adulthood, his prowess made him the Seventh Hokage, regarded as the strongest shinobi in history<ref>''Boruto'' episode 2</ref> and having command of overwhelming [[jutsu]].<ref>''Boruto'' episode 12</ref> With the combined might of [[Sasuke Uchiha]], noted as his only rival in power,<ref name="BorutoMovie"/> they are said to be able to destroy the world.<ref name="SS">''Shikamaru Shinden'' novel</ref> Together, they overpowered [[Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki]] who [[Chakra Edible Creation|absorbed]] [[Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki]], and pushed [[Jigen]]'s body to its limit. Overall, he could compete against if not defeat world-threatening opponents, such as [[Obito Uchiha]], [[Madara Uchiha]], [[Kaguya Ōtsutsuki]], and [[Toneri Ōtsutsuki]], as well as fighting at his [[Baryon Mode|absolute peak]] managed to overwhelm [[Isshiki Ōtsutsuki]].
As stated by [[Jiraiya]], Naruto bears a striking resemblance to his father, having Minato's blue eyes and blond, spiky hair.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 367, page 12</ref> From his mother, Naruto inherited the shape of both her eyes and face.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 498, page 8</ref> During the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], [[Dan Katō]] initially mistakes him for [[Nawaki]] due to their stark resemblance as well.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 558, page 13</ref> Naruto's most prominent physical characteristics, however, are the whisker marks on his face that he gained from Kurama's influence on him while he was in Kushina's womb. Probably Naruto's most regularly mentioned trait before the second half of the series (which easily provoked him) was his short stature for his age.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 9, pages 10-11</ref> After the time skip, he had a noticeably significant growth spurt which made him taller than his team-mate, [[Sakura]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 245, page 12</ref>
 
   
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=== Chakra and Physical Prowess ===
In Part I, Naruto's outfit consisted of an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as around the waist, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl on the back, a large white collar, orange pants, blue sandals, and a blue [[forehead protector]] that was given to him by Iruka after he graduated from the [[Academy]].
 
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[[File:Naruto gives Hinata power.png|thumb|Naruto sharing Kurama's chakra through physical contact.]]
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As an Uzumaki and a [[reincarnation]] of [[Asura Ōtsutsuki]],<ref name="ch671">''Naruto'' chapter 671</ref> Naruto has massive reserves of strong [[chakra]]. Even as a child, he had at least four times the amount of a seasoned [[Jōnin]] like [[Kakashi Hatake]],<ref name="ch315">''Naruto'' chapter 315, page 11</ref> and described by [[Karin]] as "bright and warm".<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 488, page 8</ref> His initial poor control of it was offset by his sheer reserves,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 90, pages 4-8</ref> which were large enough to endure three and a half days of constant battle against several powerful opponents. Only by the end of his battle against Sasuke did he show exhaustion, and even then could still fight to a standstill and eventual victory.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 698</ref> Naruto's control improved greatly over time; able to [[Chakra Transfer Technique|transfer his chakra]] to others,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 5</ref> and perform one-handed hand seals.<ref>''Kakashi Hiden''</ref> Naruto's powerful life-force grants him an extreme longevity, healing power, stamina, and vitality;<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 611, page 2</ref> this allowed him to survive the extraction of a tailed beast, though he required aid from [[Sakura Haruno]] to stay alive.<ref name="ch661">''Naruto'' chapter 661, pages 1, 12</ref> Naruto also learned how to counter [[genjutsu]] from [[Jiraiya]], but his ability to do so is limited.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 259, pages 8-11</ref> In adulthood, Naruto's chakra is powerful enough to intimidate Kawaki into submission<ref name="BC26">''Boruto'' chapter 26</ref> and destroy high-level barriers simply by releasing a burst of it.<ref>''Boruto ''episode 38</ref> He could repel [[Shikamaru Nara]]'s [[Shadow Imitation Technique]], a feat that no one else could do.<ref name="SS"/> His chakra, when he combined it with his [[Boruto Uzumaki|son's]] [[Vanishing Rasengan]], turned it into a gigantic [[Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan]] able to kill the [[Chakra Edible Creation|empowered]] [[Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki]] who tried to use a [[Deep Crimson Spiral|copy]] of the technique to defeat his.<ref name="BE65">''Boruto'' episode 65</ref> His chakra reserves were also so vast that he was able to overload [[Delta]]'s [[Absorbing Eye]] with a [[Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan|continuous]] Rasengan-assault and still primed to defeat her.<ref name="BC33">''Boruto'' chapter 33</ref>
   
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<!--
[[File:Naruto with coat and scroll.jpg|thumb|Naruto as he appeared during his battle with Pain.]]
 
In Part II, Naruto's outfit undergoes modification after being worn to shreds during his training with Jiraiya.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 248, page 12</ref> The outfit retains the orange colour as well as the white (without the tassel) and red swirls, but the jacket is much more form fitting with the blue parts changed to black and the colour extending from around the neck and shoulders, down the front and sleeves. The forehead protector has also changed with Naruto moving the metal portion to a new longer black bandanna and he wears black sandals instead of blue. During his battle with [[Pain]], Naruto briefly sported a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern along the hemline. He also carried a large summoning scroll on his back.
 
   
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DO NOT add examples of speed/strength/whatever that occur while influenced by Kurama or in Sage Mode.
When he enters his [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], his body is covered in a yellow shroud of chakra, upon which his [[Torii Seal|seal]] is clearly visible. He also gains a necklace of magatama around his neck. Finally his hair spikes up, with the two endmost locks resembling horns. After he and [[Kurama]] melded their chakra, his appearance changed once again. The shroud splits down the middle and opens up into a cloak that has a tattered appearance. The previously smaller 'horns' grow out larger, and his whisker marks become thicker. Underneath the 'coat', the magatama are still visible and he gains a new set around the 'collar' of the coat. Underneath this his seal changes once again opening out into circles instead of swirls. He also gains seals on his hands and feet. The cloak also has nine, tail-like appendages formed from the cloak and flowing from it with lines running down the middle of each.
 
   
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-->
== Abilities ==
 
[[File:Fūton Rasenshuriken.png|thumb|left|Naruto's use of high-ranking ninjutsu such as the Shadow Clone Technique and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.]]
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[[File:Naruto's clones vs Gaara.png|thumb|left|Naruto attacking Gaara with his Naruto Uzumaki Two Thousand Combo.]]
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While naturally a short-range fighter, Naruto originally was inept at [[taijutsu]], requiring unpredictable attacks to surprise combat experts like [[Kiba Inuzuka]] and Neji Hyūga.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 77, pages 3-4</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 104, pages 16-17</ref> He often utilised shadow clones in large if not massive numbers to simply overwhelm his foes.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 75, pages 11-13</ref> Although these tactics resumed later, Naruto becomes much more adept at taijutsu due to Jiraiya's training.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 288, page 7</ref> After [[Fukasaku]]'s tutelage, he could fend off a pair of expert kenjutsu users.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 433, page 5</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 452</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 697</ref> Two years after the war, Naruto's taijutsu prowess could best dozens of opponents without shadow clones or enhancements.<ref name="TheLast" /> As Hokage, his taijutsu could pressure Momoshiki after he had absorbed [[Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki]].<ref name="BE65" /> Naruto could even hold off Delta despite her [[Shinobi-Ware|extreme body modifications]], ultimately controlling the pace of the battle to tire her out and gradually overwhelm her<ref>''Boruto'' chapter 32</ref> to win despite being in the defensive.<ref name="BC33"/> His speed had also increased to the point where he could effortlessly catch up with [[Kawaki]] after he tried to escape from Naruto.<ref name="BC26"/> Likewise, in the anime, he is proven very resilient, able to take a point-blank blast from Kawaki's modifications unfazed.<ref>''Boruto'' episode 200</ref>
At the start of the series, Naruto's ninja skills were either average or sub-par, as seen from his inept ability to perform a basic [[Clone Technique]]. One of the only techniques he could do without fail was the [[Transformation Technique]], and his own original variant of the technique called the [[Sexy Technique]]; a creative, but almost completely useless diversionary technique.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 1, page 10</ref> Throughout Part I, he learns a number of short-range techniques, which are expanded upon during his two-and-a-half years of training with [[Jiraiya]]. During Part II, he starts to master longer-range techniques, such as the [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]] and the [[Tailed Beast Ball]]. Though Naruto is officially ranked as a [[genin]], (due to not being around to take part in the [[Chūnin Exams]]), he has already accomplished many [[jōnin]] and even [[Kage]]-level feats.
 
   
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==== Body Modifications ====
In Part I, Naruto was regularly noted to have a great deal of potential by among some of the strongest ninja like [[Kakashi]], [[Kabuto]], and even the [[Sannin]], proving himself as a late bloomer. [[Iruka]] remarked that Naruto could surpass all of the other previous [[Hokage]], when he saw him use the [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]] to defeat [[Mizuki]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 1, page 51</ref> When [[Orochimaru]] saw him defeat Kabuto, he immediately took back his previous assessment of Naruto lacking potential and tried to kill Naruto for fear of what he would become.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 168, page 17</ref> Even [[Sasuke]] once began to grow irritated at not only how fast Naruto was catching up to him since the Chūnin Exams by being able to defeat [[Gaara]] whereas he couldn't, but also how he would have most likely lost to him if Kakashi didn't intervene with their match.
 
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[[File:Shinobi Ware Absorption.png|thumb|Naruto's prototype Absorbing Hand.]]
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After losing his right arm during his final battle with Sasuke, [[Tsunade]] cultured an artificial prosthesis for him using the cells of [[Hashirama Senju]]. As his body and the prosthesis arms are only connected through his chakra itself he can easily remove and replace them.<ref name="B16P37">''Boruto'' chapter 16, page 37</ref> After Momoshiki's defeat, Naruto took inspiration from his [[chakra absorption technique]] and had [[Katasuke Tōno]] and the [[Scientific Ninja Weapons Team]] modifiy the arm further with mechanical features. With it, Naruto is able to [[Absorbing Hand|neutralise and even absorb]] enemy techniques, though they have yet to replicate Momoshiki's ability to discharge them as a counterattack.<ref name="B16P37"/>
   
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=== Jinchūriki Transformations ===
Much of Naruto's potential manifests itself during Part II, regularly proving himself a match for the [[S-rank]] members of [[Akatsuki]]. His victory over [[Nagato]]'s [[Six Paths of Pain]] has earned him great accolade in the ninja world: Konoha villagers now even believe he is Hokage material after they hear about it, thereby earning status on par with other renown ninja within Konoha.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 455, page 9</ref> [[Zetsu]], after seeing the battle, even suggests that Naruto has become stronger than Sasuke, who also showed similar improvement against Akatsuki members.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 453, page 14</ref> [[Shikaku Nara]] also considered Naruto in a class of his own after learning [[senjutsu]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 432, page 9</ref> Naruto also gained the acknowledgement of other immensely powerful individuals such as [[Kurama]] and even [[Madara Uchiha]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 499, page 10</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 561, pages 16-17</ref> With further training and [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode|control of Kurama's power]], he could hold his own against [[Kage]] of both the previous, and current generation on the battlefield.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 541, pages 6-9</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 553, pages 3-4</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 554, pages 1-5</ref> In the anime, he was able to easily defeat all of the [[Sound Four]] members despite their [[cursed seal]]s being enhanced by their hatred.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 305</ref> After gaining Kurama's cooperation and further access to its [[Tailed Beast Mode|full power]], he could overwhelm three tailed beasts with ease while fighting alongside [[B]] in his [[Killer B's Jinchūriki Forms#Full Eight-Tails Form|full Eight-Tails form]] who handled the other two, and then equal the combined power of five tailed beasts with a single [[Tailed Beast Ball]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 571, pages 7-10</ref> Eventually, even the [[Ten-Tails]] began to see him as a threat when it start to see how Naruto resembles the Sage from sensing the chakra of the other eight tailed beasts to the point where it powered itself up even more.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 629, pages 5-6</ref>
 
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{{main|Jinchūriki Forms|Nine-Tails Chakra Mode|Baryon Mode}}
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[[File:Version 1 form.png|thumb|left|Naruto's Version 1 form.]]
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Originally as the [[jinchūriki]] of [[Kurama]]'s Yang half, Naruto had access to massive reserves of exceptionally powerful chakra, which was at least a hundredfold greater than Kakashi's.<ref name="ch315" /> These chakra levels were increased even further when the Yin half of Kurama was reunited with the Yang half inside of Naruto. Due to his inheriting his [[Kushina Uzumaki|mother]]'s unique chakra capacities and being Kurama's jinchūriki for essentially his entire life, Naruto's chakra has properly mixed with the fox's,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 5</ref> allowing him to perform several chakra-taxing techniques unhindered. Originally, he could only access Kurama's chakra in times of great anger. It enhanced Naruto's abilities, but the fox's negative influence made Naruto more aggressive. While essentially remaining himself when accessing a [[Jinchūriki Forms#Version 1|Version 1]] state, manifesting four tails would trigger [[Jinchūriki Forms#Version 2|Version 2]] state, which made him lose control and would gradually turn into even more [[Tailed Beast Control|feral]] forms, requiring outside assistance to suppress Kurama's power and regain control, prompting him to avoid relying on the fox's power whenever possible. By the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, he could access his Version 1 form without any loss in his mentality.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 697, page 6</ref>
   
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[[File:Naruto transforming.png|thumb|Naruto transforming from his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode into his Kurama Mode.]]
=== Life Force and Chakra Control ===
 
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Realising he could not avoid using Kurama's power, Naruto sought to control it with help from [[Killer B]], a jinchūriki who had fully mastered the power of [[Gyūki]]. Upon succeeding and taking most of Kurama's chakra, Naruto attained the [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], which greatly increased his physical parameters. Naruto can also detect [[Negative Emotions Sensing|negative emotions]] in this mode, and use [[Tailed Beast Chakra Arms]] from any part of his body as he pleases, as well as form [[Tailed Beast Ball]]s from them. As he didn't have Kurama's cooperation, Naruto needed to exercise extreme caution while using the form, as the chakra exchange could cost him his life. Eventually, when Kurama acknowledged Naruto's life-long strength of character and Naruto learned the fox's true name, their new-found friendship granted Naruto access to its [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode#Kurama Mode|full power]], which further increased his physical parameters and with no drawbacks. This also increased his resilience to such degrees to the point where he could survive the [[Ten-Tails]]' [[Tenpenchii]] and endure Toneri's [[Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion]] — which was able to cut the [[Moon]] in half — with no visible signs of damage. This cooperation of Kurama also provides Naruto with an immediate resistance from [[genjutsu]]. Two years later, he could [[Kurama Arm Attack|store]] Kurama's chakra within his arm to deliver powerful punches capable of creating massive craters on the Moon and depower Toneri from his [[Tenseigan Chakra Mode]] to his normal state, as well as block the latter's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
Being a descendant of the [[Uzumaki clan]], Naruto inherited an incredibly strong life-force. This gives him extraordinary stamina and vitality, and by extension, an equally long potential lifespan, which enabled him to survive the cell-destroying effects of Kurama's hatred within its chakra several times. It also gives Naruto a degree of accelerated healing (recovering from minor injuries within seconds and major injuries within a day).<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 78, page 3</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 162, page 8</ref> Despite his young age, Naruto has been repeatedly noted to have a massive reserve of exceptionally strong chakra, to which Kakashi, estimated it to be at least four times greater than his own during their initial missions together as [[Team 7]].<ref name="ch315">''Naruto'' chapter 315, page 11</ref> This allowed Naruto to use many highly advanced and chakra-taxing techniques for considerable periods of time before finally collapsing. Naruto grew older, his reserves increased greatly, reaching the point where he could undergo senjutsu training and enter [[Sage Mode]]. Additionally, his chakra was described by [[Karin]] to be warm and bright, exactly opposite to Sasuke's.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 488, page 8</ref> Naruto's chakra is also shown to be extremely potent to such an extent that it was sensed all the way in [[Konohagakure]] by Sasuke Uchiha, [[Suigetsu Hōzuki]], [[Jūgo]], and [[Orochimaru]] — none of which, as Orochimaru noted, were [[sensor type]]s.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 616, page 4</ref>
 
   
[[File:Lee resolved to fight.jpg|thumb|Naruto giving Lee some of Kurama's chakra.]]
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[[File:Naruto's tailed beast mode.png|thumb|left|Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode.]]
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Failing to transform into a replica of Kurama at first, Naruto instead achieved a [[Tailed Beast Mode]] in the unique form of a life-sized transparent avatar of chakra. In it, he could create [[Tailed Beast Ball]]s and revitalise the life-forces of any he touches physically or with the avatar,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 610, page 8</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 649, pages 7-8</ref> heal nearly any wounds,<ref name="BorutoMovie"/> or grant them temporarily chakra-cloaks.<ref name="ch651">''Naruto'' chapter 651, pages 7-9</ref> After he became the jinchūriki of Kurama's complete self, Naruto is able to manifest the demon fox outside himself for a period akin to summoning, allowing both to fight as separate entities. During the endgame of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto received chakra from the other tailed beasts,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 671, page 12</ref> which greatly increased his chakra reserves even further and allowed him to access their unique abilities himself, such as [[Shukaku]]'s [[sand]] manipulation, [[Saiken]]'s [[Soap Bubble Ninjutsu|soap bubble ninjutsu]] and ability to emit [[Wisdom Wolf Decay|corrosive liquids]], [[Chōmei]]'s [[Scale Powder|scale powder]], or [[Gyūki]]'s [[Ink Creation|ink creation]], and infuse them into his own [[Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken|techniques]]. With the infusion of all nine of the tailed beasts' respective chakra inside of him, Naruto has become a medium to connect all the tailed beasts to communicate with each other<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 692, page 4</ref> and made him a human pillar for the [[Six Paths Senjutsu|power of the Ten-Tails]].<ref>''Shikamaru Hiden''</ref>
Initially, Naruto had very poor chakra control, in part due to how Kurama's chakra interfered with his own, though this was not much of a problem due to Naruto's immense reserves.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 90, pages 4-8</ref> Eventually with extensive training with [[Ebisu]] and later Jiraiya, Naruto started to exert better control of his chakra. During the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], Kurama noted that Naruto was the only person who could completely synchronise with its chakra due to his constant exposure throughout his life, first through his mother and then after becoming the jinchūriki himself shortly after birth.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 5</ref> Further impressing the fox, was Naruto's ability to alter this chakra to fit an entire battlefield worth of shinobi, which was no easy feat due to every person having their own unique traits and personalities. In this regard, Kurama noted that Naruto had surpassed his parents. Kakashi Hatake noted that when compared to the chakra transferred to him by the fox itself, Naruto's version was much more dense, and robust as it were.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 3</ref> When this chakra was [[Chakra Transfer Technique|transferred]], all the shinobi gained Version 1-like cloaks shrouding their bodies, which enhanced their abilities tremendously.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, pages 6-7</ref> The shrouds are strong enough to protect the shinobi he gives them to from [[Fire Release]] techniques as powerful as those of Madara and [[Obito Uchiha]], and the [[Ten-Tails]]' [[Tenpenchii]], without getting damaged.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 628, page 3-4</ref> Not only that, Naruto can control each individual shroud to protect his allies.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 628, page 4</ref>
 
   
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[[File:Naruto's Baryon Mode.png|thumb|Naruto's Baryon Mode.]]
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto received some chakra from the other tailed beasts, excluding [[Gyūki]]; the effects of these gifts are currently unknown.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 572, pages 9, 11-12</ref> However their power seems to have an effect on the Ten-Tails, when upon sensing their presence, enraged it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 629, page 5</ref>
 
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In the most dire of situations, Naruto is able to access a deep level of Kurama's power, [[Baryon Mode]]. In this state, his facial features become even more akin to Kurama with nine blazing chakra tails which he can use in a similar manner to Tailed Beast Chakra Arms to catch and bind opponents or objects and [[Baryon Tail Breaker|deflect attacks]]. He also displayed the ability to use these chakra tails to form a protective shield around something or someone.<ref>''Boruto'' episode 216</ref> In a process similar to [[wikipedia:Nuclear fusion|nuclear fusion]], Naruto's and [[Kurama]]'s chakra are consumed as raw materials to produce a new type of energy. When in use, it dramatically boosts Naruto's reflexes, raw might, and chakra to such extreme levels, able to surpass Isshiki's capabilities. Because all chakra is connected, the same power that is produced from bits of their lives also work to reduce the lifespan of opponents on contact. Due to its extreme energy consumption, Naruto must remain focused and not waste energy on extraneous thoughts and actions, to maximise the amount of time he can maintain Baryon Mode.<ref>''Boruto'' chapter 52</ref> The drawback of this form is the high chance of death for Kurama from the extreme strain of this form. Upon Kurama's death from this form, while Naruto was spared the same fate, he lost access to all of Kurama's chakra and abilities.<ref>''Boruto'' chapter 55</ref>
   
=== Jinchūriki Transformations ===
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=== Ninjutsu ===
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[[File:Summoning Technique.png|thumb|left|Naruto using the Summoning Technique.]]
{{main|Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms}}
 
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In the Academy, the [[Sexy Technique]] was the only technique that Naruto could perform successfully, which had no practical use other than to shock people. Later, he learned more advanced and useful ninjutsu from [[Jiraiya]]. This included [[Summoning Technique|summoning]] [[toads]] from Mount Myōboku to assist him, and use them to [[Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique|crush]] enemies from above. He became skilled in [[shurikenjutsu]], able to throw weapons quickly and with precision.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 259, page 1-2</ref> Naruto's repertoire expanded to [[fūinjutsu]], where he could [[Enclosing Technique|store]] his weapons within scrolls. His fūinjutsu was further increased upon receiving [[Gerotora]] near the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War.<ref name="ch499">''Naruto'' chapter 499, pages 12-15</ref> In the anime, Jiraiya taught Naruto [[cooperation ninjutsu]], combining his techniques with others to create an even more powerful one.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 91</ref> The collaboration techniques he performed with other individuals typically utilised his own elemental affinity, such as the [[Typhoon Water Vortex Technique]] with [[Yamato]], the [[Wind Release: Toad Gun]] with [[Gamatatsu]], and the [[Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero]] with Sasuke. He also learned from [[Asuma Sarutobi]] to [[Chakra Flow|flow]] chakra into his weapons to increase their offensive might.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 63</ref> In the anime, by adulthood, Naruto became able to use the [[Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique]],<ref>''Boruto'' episode 65</ref> and also showed some proficiency with bōjutsu.<ref>''Boruto'' episode 204</ref>
[[File:Glowingnaruto.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto's initial jinchūriki form.]]
 
As Kurama's [[jinchūriki]], Naruto's already considerable chakra reserve is greatly enhanced to enormous levels, which Kakashi estimated to be about a hundred times greater than his own when its influence is not suppressed.<ref name="ch315"/> Also, depending on the amount of Kurama's chakra he's using, Naruto is given an increase in strength, speed, and his healing factor are pushed to such levels that he completely recovered from a [[Chidori]] through his chest in mere moments with no lingering signs of injury.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 228, pages 10-18</ref> At times, he is also granted a fox-shaped chakra shroud with massive invulnerability, being able to resist being pierced by Orochimaru's [[Sword of Kusanagi (Orochimaru)|Sword of Kusanagi]], a sword known as being able to cut through [[Transformation: Adamantine Staff|adamantine]], and is completely undamaged by the [[Leech Gap|alkali substance]] excreted by [[Saiken]], which was able to damage Gyūki and disintegrate its surroundings rapidly. Kurama was also believed to be played a role in enhancing the Uzumaki clan's healing ability that Naruto inherited from his mother.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 11, page 2</ref>
 
   
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==== Shadow Clone Technique ====
Due to the [[Eight Trigrams Seal]] that [[Minato Namikaze|his father]] placed on him, it initially allowed a small amount of Kurama's chakra to always mix with Naruto's own. Kurama's chakra first came to Naruto during life-threatening situations, given to him by the fox itself to ensure its survival, but after training with Jiraiya, Naruto learned how to contact Kurama and demand some of its chakra. Alternatively, Naruto could give into his anger or frustration, allowing Kurama to force its influence upon him. Depending on how much he gained, Kurama's influence within its chakra could make Naruto lose control of his senses, devolving into an animal that attacks anything within reach, as well as damaging his own body, slowly shortening his lifespan. Although a number of methods had been devised to break its influence over Naruto (Jiraiya's [[Chakra-Suppressing Seal|seal tag]],<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 277, pages 9-10</ref> and [[Yamato]]'s [[Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands]], which was facilitated by [[Hashirama Senju]]'s [[First Hokage's Necklace|necklace]] Naruto wore before its destruction),<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 296, pages 15-16</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 438, pages 2-4</ref> Naruto simply limited his use of Kurama's chakra, and tried not to allow his anger get the better of him, but he eventually attempted to exercise more [[Tailed Beast Control|control]] over it, in which he was able to achieve during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
 
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[[File:Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.png|thumb|Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.]]
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{{See also images|Naruto|Shadow Clone Technique}}
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Naruto's first trademark technique was the [[Shadow Clone Technique]]. While originally failing constantly with a basic illusionary clone, after briefly studying the [[Scroll of Seals]], he learned to create shadow clones on a [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique|mass scale]]. From then on, Naruto's skill with shadow clones blossomed to great heights. Having unusually high chakra reserves, Naruto could use this technique to create hundreds of shadow clones and retain large amounts of chakra in each one with relative ease.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 366, page 4</ref> He could use them to outnumber or deceive his enemies, manoeuvre himself in mid-air, transform into weapons, scout areas, or test an opponent's abilities.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 339, pages 9-10</ref> During his elemental-affinity training, learning that the original will gain all the knowledge and conditioning of a shadow clone right after it dispersed. From this, Naruto can use his mass scale of clones to drastically speed up his training to gain years worth of experience in just days. By the time he became Hokage, Naruto's usage of this technique on mass-scale and prolonged-periods allowed him to constantly perform multiple simultaneous tasks throughout the village daily, although he does have a tendency to overexert himself, leaving him exhausted afterwards.
   
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==== Rasengan ====
[[File:Rasenrangan Anime 1.png|thumb|Naruto in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.]]
 
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[[File:Naruto's Rasengan.png|thumb|left|Naruto using the Rasengan.]]
The [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]] is a form that Naruto gained after he separated and [[Torii Seal|sealed]] Kurama from its chakra. In this form, Naruto exhibits exceptional speed and strength. Like his predecessor, [[Mito Uzumaki]], Naruto also gains Kurama's ability to [[Negative Emotions Sensing|sense negative emotions]], something that not even the best [[sensor]]-type ninja can do.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 505, pages 9-10</ref> Naruto can even use the shroud to create [[Tailed Beast Chakra Arms|chakra arms]] that he can use for greater range of attacks as well as giving him greater dexterity and manoeuvrability to his fighting style without the use of shadow clones. The power of his techniques become so great that unless they already have some inherent durability, like the [[Third Raikage]], [[Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation|reincarnated shinobi]] have a hard time regenerating.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 558, page 1</ref>
 
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Naruto's second trademark technique is the [[Rasengan]]. Originally, due to his poor chakra control, Naruto had to use a shadow clone to form the spherical shape while he provided the chakra. Over time, Naruto developed [[Big Ball Rasengan|larger]] [[Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan|versions]] of the Rasengan and learned how to perform it faster.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 460, page 6</ref> During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he learned to use the Rasengan and its variants unaided with a single hand, or even form one in both hands simultaneously.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 476</ref> He also increased the size of his standard Rasengan.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 698, page 4</ref> Naruto had also shown the ability to release the Rasengan as an energy wave,<ref name="TheLast" /> or as a projectile in the anime.<ref>''Naruto'' episode 194</ref> Using senjutsu or Kurama's chakra, Naruto can create [[Sage Technique: Spiralling Serial Spheres|more]] [[Spiralling Strife Spheres|powerful]] and [[Spiralling Absorption Sphere|elaborate]] [[Planetary Rasengan|variations]] of the Rasengan; using the latter, he even developed the [[Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball]], performing it in a similar manner to the Rasengan. In the anime, usage of his tailed beast chakra also allows him to instantly perform massive Rasengan without the aid of his hands and launch in quick successions, similar to a [[Tailed Beast Ball]].<ref>''Boruto'' episode 135</ref>
   
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==== Nature Transformation ====
[[File:Naruto Bijudama.PNG|thumb|left|Naruto in Tailed Beast Mode.]]
 
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[[File:Naruto Creating Lava Rasenshuriken.png|thumb|Naruto simultaneously using Wind and Lava Release.]]
Naruto eventually gained Kurama's cooperation and further access to its full power, becoming one of the rare individuals, jinchūriki or otherwise, to succeed having complete control over the tailed beast's power. When they meld their chakra together, Naruto is able to enter [[Tailed Beast Mode]] as he gains access to a new chakra shroud as well as the ability to create a tailed beast-cloak and showing feats of tremendous speed and power in both forms. He can release a [[Tailed Beast Shockwave|powerful shock-wave]] that is strong enough to knock back five fully transformed tailed beasts at once.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 571, pages 5-6</ref> He is also able to use the Tailed Beast Ball himself. His skill with the Tailed Beast Ball is high enough that he could aim it perfectly at the bottom of the combined Tailed Beast Ball Tobi controlled beasts made to send both flying into the air and explode.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 572, pages 1-2</ref> He could also use his tails as chakra arms, making a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode [[Shadow Clone Technique|shadow clone]] in each to attack multiple targets at once.<ref name="Naruto chapter 572, pages 4-5">''Naruto'' chapter 572, pages 4-5</ref> Also like Killer B and Gyūki, Naruto can perform a [[Continuous Tailed Beast Balls|barrage of Tailed Beast Balls]] at a single target.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 610, page 12</ref> In this form, Naruto can perform partial transformations, such as manifesting a giant chakra arm or Kurama's head to block an attack or to fire a Tailed Beast Ball.
 
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Naruto's natural affinity is [[Wind Release]]. Using shadow clones, one to form the Rasengan while another infuses the Wind chakra, Naruto could complete difficult task of producing a Rasengan that is the pinnacle of shape and nature transformation, something no one before him could accomplish, including Kakashi and his father. Once adjusting to using the [[Wind Release: Rasengan]] he could expand upon it to produce the [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]]. He also created [[Mini-Rasenshuriken|different]]-[[Wind Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken|sized]] [[Big Ball Rasenshuriken|variations]], and could even use [[Wind Release: Repeated Rasenshuriken|two Rasenshuriken]] simultaneously. Two years after its creation, he became skilled enough to form a Rasenshuriken without any shadow clones and throw it in his base form,<ref name="TheLast"/> a feat which he previously could only do while using his enhanced modes.
{{-}}
 
   
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After gaining the [[Six Paths Senjutsu]], Naruto can utilise all basic five nature transformations, as well as [[Yin–Yang Release]].<ref>Fourth Databook, page 310</ref> He could make perfect use of the latter to revitalise life-forces, heal whomever he touches, and restore missing organs.<ref>Fourth Databook, page 226</ref> After gaining chakra from the respective tailed beasts, Naruto can also use [[Shukaku]]'s [[Magnet Release]], [[Son Gokū]]'s [[Lava Release]], and [[Kokuō]]'s [[Boil Release]], able to infuse any of the other elements into is normal techniques as seamlessly as with Wind chakra. Having an arm made from Hashirama's cells, Naruto has a possibility to use [[Wood Release]].<ref>''Boruto'' episode 159</ref>
=== Taijutsu ===
 
[[File:UzumakiNarutoCombo.jpg|thumb|Naruto fighting Kiba.]]
 
Naruto has always been at least passable in [[taijutsu]], ever since the [[Academy]] where he received a B in that class. Throughout Part I, his taijutsu slowly improved, where it was first showcased in his battle with [[Kiba Inuzuka]] in the Chūnin Exams preliminaries where he was able to hold his own and avoid multiple slash attacks from Kiba and [[Akamaru]]'s [[Four Legs Technique]] without the aid of his shadow clones and then defeat him with the [[Naruto Uzumaki Combo]]. A testament to his skill with taijutsu was shown when Naruto was fighting against [[Neji Hyūga]]'s [[Gentle Fist]] techniques in the Chūnin Exams, where he got into striking distance using only hand-to-hand combat. After the time skip, Naruto's taijutsu improved greatly under the tutelage of Jiraiya where he could hold his own in hand-to-hand against several shinobi skilled in taijutsu such as Kakashi Hatake, Yamato, and the [[Yahiko|Deva Path]], he could even disarm adept [[kenjutsu]] users such as [[Karui]]. Throughout the series, Naruto's taijutsu continually improved, eventually learning the [[Frog Kata]] style from [[Fukasaku]]. In Sage Mode, he was able to beat the Deva Path twice in taijutsu, the first time sending it flying back with a roundhouse kick and the second time disarming it of its [[chakra disruption blade]] and sending it crashing into a boulder with a single kick. After deducing the weakness of the [[Third Raikage]], he was able to use his sensory and [[Frog Kata]] skills to outmanoeuvre the former and turn his own attack against him.<ref name="ch555">''Naruto'' chapter 555, page 14-15</ref> While in [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], he was also able to block several of [[A]]'s immensely strong punches despite being intercepted several times,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 541, pages 6-7</ref> and he could even hold his own against a skilled [[Sharingan]] user and hand-to-hand fighter like [[Itachi Uchiha]] in a taijutsu fight.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 549, pages 5-7</ref> During the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], Naruto was able to fight off one of the [[Ten-Tails Fission|Ten Tails' mini clones]] with taijutsu in his normal form.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 632, page 13</ref>
 
   
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=== Senjutsu ===
[[File:The Preta Path turned to stone.PNG|thumb|left|Naruto shattering stone with his raw strength.]]
 
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[[File:Naruto's Sage Mode.png|thumb|left|Naruto's Sage Mode.]]
On top of his taijutsu skills, Naruto has shown a high level of physical strength. In rage, he was strong enough to punch [[Haku]] and break his mask, even sending him flying and smashing through [[Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals|one of his ice mirrors]] using Kurama's chakra.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 28, pages 15-18</ref> During the Chūnin Exams, he stopped a charge from one of Orochimaru's giant snakes albeit while using Kurama's chakra. During his fight with [[Sasuke]] in the [[Valley of the End]], he was able send him flying with kicks and punches in his [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Initial Jinchūriki Form|initial jinchūriki form]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 229, pages 1-8</ref> During his senjutsu training in Part II, he was able to budge one of the huge statues without using the special oil. After the training, he could shatter stone with his raw strength, as seen when he escaped from the petrified [[Preta Path (character)|Preta Path]] after it absorbed too much of his senjutsu chakra. His strength is increased to such a point in Sage Mode where he can toss not only the [[Second Animal Path (character)|Animal Path]]'s [[Giant Rhino]] after stopping its charge, but Kurama itself. He can also shatter sharp objects with his bare hands, such as the Deva Path's chakra disruption blades, with relative ease. In Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto becomes strong enough to push a fully formed [[Tailed Beast Ball]] through a [[Thirty-Six Layer Self-Repairing Barrier|multiple layered barrier]] with just one arm,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 536, pages 8-11</ref> neutralise [[White Zetsu]] with a single kick despite their durability,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 545, page 11</ref> and, in collaboration with B in his [[Killer B's Jinchūriki Forms#Full Eight-Tails Form|full Eight-Tails form]], he could also knock down Tobi's [[Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]] with an uppercut.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 592, page 7</ref>
 
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Naruto later trained in [[senjutsu]] at Mount Myōboku, which was only possible due to his high chakra reserves. Unlike [[Jiraiya]], he was able to perfectly balance [[natural energy]] with his chakra, and enter a complete [[Sage Mode]], symbolised by the orange pigmentation around his yellow eyes, his toad-like pupils, and no other alterations to his appearance. Using Sage Mode made Naruto's techniques stronger, enhanced his physical parameters,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 418, page 6</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 430, pages 17-18</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 431, page 6</ref> utilise the [[Frog Kata]] taijutsu style,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 431, page 12-17</ref> and [[Sensing Technique|sense]] chakra through advanced enough to identify different signatures from vast distances.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 535, pages 7-8</ref> Since Fukasaku was unable to [[Sage Art: Amphibian Technique|fuse]] with Naruto and gather natural energy for him due to Kurama's interference, Naruto had to employ shadow clones instead to maintain the technique, taking advantage of the clones' own buildup of natural energy being transferred to the original and let him use [[Sage Mode]] a number of times. However, creating more than five shadow clones overall would disrupt the focus of the clones gathering natural energy. The need for this method diminishes over time as Naruto became capable of entering Sage Mode much faster.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 535, page 3</ref> However, after finding unity with [[Kurama]], Naruto overcame this problem and learned to combine Sage Mode with Kurama's chakra to further enhance his abilities, such that he could resist [[Nagato]]'s control and shatter [[Truth-Seeking Ball]]s. In later years, having drawn experience from his various events, Naruto became able to maintain Sage Mode for much longer durations unaided.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 64, page 32</ref>
   
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==== Six Paths Senjutsu ====
In Part I, Naruto occasionally displayed impressive feats of speed. Enraged and using Kurama's chakra, Naruto was able to dodge an arial attack from Haku, and even catch him by his arm, stopping him before he could return to his ice mirrors, which before he and Sasuke struggled to accomplish.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 28, pages 11-13</ref> In [[The Forest of Death]], when [[Orochimaru]] was only a short distance away from killing Sasuke with his snake, Naruto was able to rush there almost instantly to intevene.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 48, page 16-18</ref> After gaining more control of Kurama's chakra during his one month of training with Jiraiya, he could move at sppeds similar to just disappearing, even evading [[Neji|Neji's]] throw of shuriken during The [[Chūnin Exams]] finals.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 104, page 3-5</ref> In his fight against Sasuke in [[The Final Valley]], Naruto in his [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Initial Jinchūriki Form|Initial Jinchūriki Form]] reached speeds so fast that Sasuke with his [[Sharingan]] was unable to predict his attacks and had no time to react.<ref>''Naruto'' episode 133</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 229, page 1-7</ref> Only until Sasuke's Sharingan fully matured was he able to anticipate Naruto's movements.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 230, page 6-16</ref>
 
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{{main|Six Paths Senjutsu}}
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Naruto also gained access to the {{translation|'''Six Paths Senjutsu'''|六道仙術|Rikudō Senjutsu}}, which allows him to fly and also manifest up to nine [[Truth-Seeking Ball]]s, composed of all five basic [[nature]]s, use Yin–Yang Release, and imbue them with the [[Six Paths Chakra]]. He can mould the balls into a myriad of shapes, fire them as projectiles and still control them from distance, or convert them into Tailed Beast Balls and use them to create [[Tailed Beast Ball Rasenshuriken]]s capable of destroying the planetoids generated from [[Chibaku Tensei]]. While his shadow clones are unable to produce Truth-Seeking Balls of their own, Naruto is able to transfer control of his own to any of his shadow clones.
   
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==== Six Paths Sage Mode ====
[[File:Naruto bypasses A.png|thumb|Naruto outpacing A in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.]]
 
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{{main|Six Paths Sage Mode}}
Naruto has also displayed impressive speed over the time skip as well. When confronting Sasuke after the [[Five Kage Summit]], he saved Sakura from her own poisoned kunai which Sasuke wielded to stab her and received only a shallow cut in exchange.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 484, pages 15-16</ref> With the help of his shadow clones, Naruto was then able to restrain Kakashi while charging up a Rasengan, meeting Sasuke's [[Chidori]] charge and equalling it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 485, pages 9-12</ref> While he's in Sage Mode, Naruto's speed increases greatly to the point where he could intercept the [[Asura Path (character)|Asura Path]], which was using its [[Chakra Propulsion|chakra boots]] before Nagato could complete his sentence or attack [[Tsunade]]. He was even able to avoid the Third Raikage's [[Hell Stab]] at near point blank range and retaliate with a Rasengan after meeting his charge. Naruto's speed is so great in [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]] that [[Killer B]] even had trouble determining if he had used the [[Body Flicker Technique]] when attacking [[Kisame]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 505, page 12</ref> He could even surpass the speed of a [[Lightning Release Armour|fully charged]] [[A]], who was noted to be the fastest shinobi in the world since Minato's death,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 544, page 11-12</ref>. Once he entered the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], he was fast enough to be at all locations and battlefields of the war in a very brief amount of time using the Shadow Clone Technique.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 545, page 17</ref> He was also able to outright blitz the Third Raikage with a Rasenshuriken before the immensely fast shinobi had any chance to turn around.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 554, page 4</ref> In Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto's speed and strength are enhanced greatly to such an extent that he was able to deflect five Tailed Beast Balls by simply moving past them, and also to the point where Kakashi mistook him for his sensei.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 571, page 3</ref> With the help of a [[shadow clone]], he could even move fast enough to two different locations of a battlefield, while at the same time, destroying Madara Uchiha's [[Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique|wooden dragon]] in the process.<ref name="ch608"/>
 
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[[File:Naruto's SPSM.png|thumb|Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode.]]
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With the power given to him by [[Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki]], Naruto gained access to the {{translation|'''[[Six Paths Sage Mode]]'''|六道仙人モード|Rikudō Sennin Mōdo}}.<ref name="d4" /> In this mode, his pupils take on a cross-like shape — without manifesting the orange pigmentation around his eyes present in Sage Mode. Going further, Naruto donned a new Nine-Tails Chakra Mode cloak, which he could access instantly and maintain much longer than his standard Sage Mode.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 695, page 4</ref> Naruto's physical attributes and techniques are further augmented,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 673, page 2</ref> to the point where he could dodge [[Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang|attacks]] that moved at the speed of light and deflect Truth-Seeking Balls. It also empowers his sensory abilities to the highest possible level,<ref>Fourth Databook</ref> which allowed him to sense the [[Limbo: Border Jail|invisible shadows]] of Limbo.
   
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[[File:Asura Kurama Mode.png|thumb|left|Naruto's Asura Kurama Mode.]]
=== Ninjutsu ===
 
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Naruto also retained use of his Tailed Beast Mode avatar of Kurama, which rivalled Sasuke's Rinnegan-empowered [[Susanoo|Complete Body — Susanoo]] in size and power.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 695</ref> Using two shadow clones, he could create and combine three Kurama avatars into a single construct with three faces and six arms, which is largely reminiscent of Asura's [[Six Paths: Kunitsukami]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 696, pages 14-15</ref> This state allowed Naruto to infuse [[Six Paths: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken|two massive Rasenshuriken]] with natural energy whose destructive capabilities rivalled that of Sasuke's most powerful jutsu, [[Indra's Arrow]];<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 697, page 1</ref> the [[Six Paths: Shinra Tenkyō|resulting explosion]] from the two techniques colliding created an enormous cyclone that was visible from outer space.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 478</ref>
==== Shadow Clone Technique ====
 
[[File:Naruto Shadow Clones Part II.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.]]
 
Of his arsenal of abilities, Naruto is most notable for his use of shadow clones. Interestingly, during his time at the Academy Naruto had the most trouble with the Clone Technique which caused him to constantly fail the graduation examinations. However, after getting his hands on the [[Scroll of Seals]] he was able to learn the [[Shadow Clone Technique]] and its [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique|large-scale version]] both jōnin-level skills. The use of shadow clones would become his first signature technique, one of the two foundations of his ninjutsu, and later, the base of his training skills. The Shadow Clone Technique takes advantage of the massive chakra reserve Naruto possesses which is even furthered by him being Kurama's jinchūriki. Naruto is able to create upwards of a thousand clones,<ref>''Naruto Shippuden'' episode 81</ref> and retain a decent amount of chakra in each of them. Because of this, Naruto can use his shadow clones extensively in battle, as well as to expedite his training.
 
   
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=== Intelligence ===
Initially, Naruto would create a multitude of clones to overwhelm his opponents. Other times, however, he would employ the use of the [[Transformation Technique]] to change the appearance of these clones to catch his target off guard. After the time-skip, Kakashi has noted that Naruto's timing with the technique has improved drastically to the point where even though he was being held down by Kakashi, Naruto still managed to quickly get a shadow clone behind Kakashi with a [[kunai]] in hand.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 246, page 8</ref> During Part II, Naruto learns that whatever his shadow clones learn, he, the original, would also learn. By using this, he is able to learn techniques that would usually take months or years in days, which speeds up his training greatly. Naruto takes advantage of this often, using shadow clones to determine his opponents' abilities, to determine how many clones he will really need to defeat them instead of simply wasting chakra on thousands of clones.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 339, pages 9-10</ref> In the anime, Naruto is shown to use the larger-scale version on multiple occasions to form human chains, for both offensive and supplementary reasons.
 
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[[File:Naruto's intelligence.png|thumb|Naruto reveals himself after disguising as a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.]]
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While headstrong and often acting without thinking, Naruto's years as a prankster had given him a cunning imagination that was useful in split-second decision making, which has repeatedly proved invaluable in battle. He is a remarkable [[wikipedia:Kinesthetic learning|tactile learner]], able to learn better through executing a task rather than understanding the theory of it.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 314, page 12</ref><ref name="ch409" /> Jiraiya also considered him to have a good gambling instinct.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 156, page 16</ref> Once seen in action, even the likes of the Second Hokage revise their thoughts about Naruto's intellect and instinct in battle.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 642, page 12</ref> After meeting Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Naruto gained the innate ability to grasp the nature of chakra and comprehend all universal things,<ref>Fourth Databook, pages 309-310</ref> allowing him to quickly master the new powers he received. By adulthood he had become a capable teacher, instructing students at Konoha's [[Ninja Academy]].<ref>''Sakura Hiden''</ref><ref>''The Last: Naruto the Movie''</ref> During his fight with [[Delta]], Naruto showed his ability to think ahead by hiding his power and faking defeat in order to make Delta drop her guard and reveal her plans, although Delta was perceptive enough to see through his attempts. Naruto ultimately was able to find out the weakness of Delta's [[Shinobi-Ware]] absorbing eye and overtax it after seeing it in action repeatedly.<ref name="BC33"/>
   
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Naruto's most famous mental skill is to deceive his opponents, as he made effective use of even the most [[Transformation Technique|simple techniques]] to trick the [[Six Paths of Pain|deadliest of opponents]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 433, page 14</ref> He could formulate multi-step plans or backup plans in the thick of battle,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 565, pages 12-14</ref> and act quickly even when given new information.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 598, pages 12-15</ref> He can also seemingly make himself predictable by creating a pattern, only to throw off his opponent by breaking it. He has even thrown in what others would call [[Sexy Reverse Harem Technique|completely useless techniques]] at [[Kaguya Ōtsutsuki|powerful opponents]] to create an opening for a counterattack.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 682, pages 6-8</ref> Naruto is rather observant, able to notice details others may overlook and subsequently take advantage of them to overcome his opponents.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 555, page 9-15</ref> As an adult, Naruto proved to be a capable teacher in ninjutsu, quickly teaching the basics to [[Kawaki]].
Despite the risks of Naruto's chakra being drained faster by Kurama whenever he uses the Shadow Clone Technique while in [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], Naruto did use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to scatter throughout the battlefield, although he didn't create as many as he normally does.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 519, pages 10-11</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 545, page 17</ref> His relationship with Kurama has improved since them, allowing Naruto to create clones in Tailed Beast Mode without having his chakra drained. Naruto also uses his shadow clones in a more innovative way so that he can access his various modes such as Sage Mode and the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode along with their respective abilities simultaneously by having his clones transform into the various modes while he himself is using the Tailed Beast Mode.<ref name="Naruto chapter 572, pages 4-5"/><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 571, page 10</ref>
 
   
==== Summoning Technique ====
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=== Stats ===
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{{Stats}}
[[File:Summoning Technique.jpg|thumb|Naruto using the Summoning Technique.]]
 
Naruto was first taught how to use the [[Summoning Technique]] by Jiraiya. After allowing Naruto to sign the summoning contract with the [[toads]] of [[Mount Myōboku]], Jiraiya took Naruto through the execution of the technique in order to provide Naruto with allies in future battles. Additionally, Jiraiya's other motivation to teaching Naruto how to summon was to help Naruto to realise and take advantage of Kurama's chakra.
 
   
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== Part I ==
The type of toads that Naruto can summon at any time is proportional to his chakra and skill, as when he first started out he could only summon tadpoles. At first, Naruto had a hard time getting any specific toad, as he summoned either [[Gamakichi]] or [[Gamatatsu]]. When he used Kurama's chakra, or when he was truly motivated, Naruto was able to summon the toad boss, [[Gamabunta]]. Naruto is also capable of summoning [[Gamahiro]] to use [[Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique]].
 
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{{See also|Plot of Naruto}}
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=== Prologue — Land of Waves ===
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{{Main|Prologue — Land of Waves}}
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[[File:Iruka protects naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto is protected by Iruka.]]
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Failing once again to graduate from the [[Academy]], a disappointed Naruto is advised by one of his instructors, [[Mizuki]], to steal the [[Scroll of Seals]] and learn a technique from it in order to graduate. As Naruto struggled to learn the [[Shadow Clone Technique]], [[Iruka Umino]] tracked him down and realised that Naruto was tricked by Mizuki into stealing the scroll. Mizuki attacked them and told Naruto about the Nine-Tails sealed within him, claiming that Iruka hated him because of it. When Iruka risked his life to protect Naruto, however, he saw through Mizuki's lies and used the [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]] to defeat him, prompting Iruka to happily grant Naruto his graduation from the Academy. Naruto would later befriend [[Konohamaru Sarutobi]], grandson of the [[Third Hokage]], and teach him several perverted or useful techniques.
   
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[[File:Team Kakashi.png|thumb|Team 7's group photo.]]
==== Rasengan ====
 
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Naruto was eventually assigned to [[Team Kakashi|Team 7]], partnered with [[Sasuke Uchiha]] and [[Sakura Haruno]] under the leadership of [[Kakashi Hatake]]. During their first meeting, Naruto shared his love of ramen, his hobbies, and his dream to become Hokage. To test their qualifications, Kakashi gave the team a [[bell test]], stating that whichever of the three takes one of the two bells on his person will officially become [[genin]]. Instead of hiding like Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto tried to take the bells from Kakashi by force, only to be easily defeated, hung upside-down from a tree and tied to a wooden post in an attempt to steal lunch. After Sakura and Sasuke fail as well, Kakashi explains that the goal of the test was to use teamwork, to do together what none of them could do by themselves. He is persuaded to allow them to try again after lunch, but instructs Sasuke and Sakura not to feed Naruto. They feed him anyway, needing him in top-form if they're to work together. Kakashi sees this and, because they care more about the team than listening to his instructions, allows them all to pass.
[[File:Rasengan.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto using the Rasengan.]]
 
Created by the Fourth Hokage and taught to him by Jiraiya, the [[Rasengan]] is Naruto's second and strongest signature technique. 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, in only requiring chakra control to form, while the Chidori uses so much chakra that it can only be used a few times a day. Naruto has mastered the Rasengan to a degree that he can do it almost instantaneously.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 460, page 7</ref> After obtaining [[Tailed Beast Mode]] Naruto is able to perform the Rasengan without a clone,<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 598, page 11</ref> as well as being able to form and wield a Rasenshuriken in each hand.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 617, page 10</ref>
 
   
[[File:Tailed Beast Rasengan Infobox 1.png|thumb|Naruto forming a Tailed Beast Rasengan.]]
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[[File:Zabuza Vs Genin.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke team up against Zabuza.]]
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After a series of uneventful [[D-rank]] missions, Naruto is able to secure a [[C-rank]] mission for Team 7: escorting [[Tazuna]] to the [[Land of Waves]]. Soon after leaving Konoha, they are attacked by the [[Demon Brothers]]. Naruto is paralysed with fear, forcing Sasuke to step in to disarm them and protect Tazuna until Kakashi can capture them. Tazuna confesses that assassins have been hired to kill him but that he couldn't afford the bodyguard detail he needs. Although the mission is now [[A-rank]] in nature - far beyond the skill of genin - Team 7 decides to continue with it. Angered by Sasuke's taunting of him, Naruto cuts his hand to bleed out the poison he received earlier, vowing to never waver again. When they arrive in the [[Land of Waves]] and are confronted by [[Zabuza Momochi]], Naruto is overwhelmed by the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza before he is knocked aside by Zabuza's [[water clone]]. Remembering his vow, Naruto regained his confidence and teamed up with Sasuke to free Kakashi from Zabuza's [[Water Prison]]. In the end, Zabuza is seemingly killed by [[Haku]], allowing Team 7 to escort Tazuna back to his house.
The Rasengan, like the Shadow Clone Technique, would be the base of several original techniques developed by Naruto, such as the [[Big Ball Rasengan]], a larger and more powerful version of the Rasengan, he then later learned how to use the [[Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan]] without the use of natural energy or Kurama's chakra.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 560, page 8</ref> He has also created the [[Wind Release: Rasengan]] and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken after his wind training, and after his senjutsu training, the [[Sage Art: Big Ball Rasengan]], [[Sage Technique: Spiralling Serial Spheres]] and [[Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan]]. He has also demonstrated the combined use of his shadow clones and the Rasengan, resulting in the [[Big Ball Spiralling Serial Zone Spheres]], in which Naruto and his shadow clones launch a barrage of Big Ball Rasengan that are strong enough to even counter Madara's [[Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees|massive advancing forest]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 561, page 14</ref> He could even use a larger scale version in Sage Mode known as the [[Sage Art: Many Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Serial Spheres]], which deals immense damage that could even stun Kurama. Because of the risk of using the Shadow Clone Technique while in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto instead uses the shroud's chakra arms to help him create new Rasengan variants, such as the [[Spiralling Strife Spheres]], the [[Spiralling Absorption Sphere]] and the [[Planetary Rasengan]] for example. He later tries to complete a technique related to the Tailed Beast Ball: the [[Tailed Beast Rasengan]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 520, pages 1-5</ref> However, Naruto later develops a more effective version of this technique: the [[Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball]], which is basically a miniature Tailed Beast Ball that he's able to control with the help of a shadow clone.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 595, pages 4-6</ref>
 
   
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Kakashi finds Zabuza's death suspicious and decides to train the team in case he returns. He has them perform the [[Tree Climbing Practice]] to improve their chakra control, which will help them against Zabuza. Naruto becomes frustrated after several failures and asks for advice from Sakura, who herself mastered it from the start. Now rapidly improving, Naruto competes with Sasuke to finish the training, each determined to outdo the other. One day, Naruto encounters Haku (albeit unaware of his true identity) and they each discussed their dreams and desire to protect those precious to them. After Haku leaves, Naruto finishes the training with Sasuke but is left exhausted, so Team 7 leaves him behind the next morning as they resume their escort duties. Naruto awakens and arrives to assist Team 7 in fighting Zabuza and Haku, but, unaware of how Haku's [[Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals]] work, he joins Sasuke within the prison.
Due to the unique nature of the Rasengan in [[List of Animated Media#Movies|''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.
 
   
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[[File:Naruto Holds Sasuke.png|thumb|Naruto's first use of the Nine-Tails' chakra.]]
==== Nature Transformation ====
 
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Naruto cannot break free with his shadow clones and Sasuke cannot melt the ice with his fire. As Haku moves in to kill Naruto, Sasuke uses his body as a shield to protect Naruto and seemingly dies. Enraged by Sasuke's apparent death, Naruto unwittingly accesses the [[Jinchūriki Forms#Initial Jinchūriki Form|Nine-Tails' chakra]] for the first time, allowing him to destroy the ice mirrors and defeat Haku, breaking his mask. Realising his opponent was the boy he met before, Naruto calms himself. He is asked by Haku to kill him, since he feels of no further use to Zabuza. Before Naruto can do so, Haku immediately stops him and goes off to save Zabuza from being killed by Kakashi, sacrificing his own life. When Zabuza refuses to appreciate this, Naruto angrily scolds him, stating that Haku gave up his life to save someone precious to him. Touched by his words, Zabuza, using Naruto's kunai, killed Gatō and many of his henchmen before he himself dies. Sasuke soon awakens, and when their injuries heal, Team 7 leaves for home via Tazuna's newly-constructed [[Great Naruto Bridge]].
[[File:Wind Release Rasengan.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto using the Wind Release: Rasengan.]]
 
After failing to bring Sasuke back to Konoha for the second time, Naruto went through elemental training where he discovered that he had an affinity for [[Wind Release]]. By incorporating his wind affinity with the Rasengan, which was originally intended to be combined with an element, he greatly increased the technique's power and range. The wind nature compliments a fighter like Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match for short-range fighters. By focusing his wind chakra, Naruto can go as far as cutting objects with just his chakra. During his training to use his Wind Release, [[Asuma Sarutobi]] taught him how to [[Chakra Flow|channel]] it through [[Chakra Blades|his weapons]].
 
   
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=== Chūnin Exams ===
Naruto had learned [[nature transformation]] to upgrade his Rasengan, which he achieved with the Wind Release: Rasengan and then took it even further by creating the Rasenshuriken, combining peak levels of 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. However, it caused similar damage to his own arm, as it was still a hand-held technique, despite its name. After his senjutsu training, he completed the Rasenshuriken. He could increase its power and attack radius, to the point where he could completely shred the [[Human Path (character)|Human Path]] to pieces leaving only a portion of its body behind.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 432, pages 5-8</ref> When thrown, the Rasenshuriken becomes Naruto's quickest attack with its speed being so great that it could cross an entire mountain range in a single second, and explode with enough force to fill up nearly half that area. In the [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], Naruto can also create a [[Mini-Rasenshuriken|miniature Rasenshuriken]], using two small chakra arms on his forefinger. In this form, he can also perform a [[Wind Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken|larger version of the Rasenshuriken]].
 
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{{Main|Chūnin Exams (Arc)|l1=Chūnin Exams}}
{{-}}
 
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[[File:Naruto refuses to give up.png|thumb|left|Naruto refuses to give up from the Chūnin Exams.]]
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Team 7 resumes its series of unremarkable missions. For their performance in the Land of Waves, however, Kakashi decides to enter them in the [[Chūnin Exams]] taking place in Konoha, which greatly excites Naruto. Because they've only recently graduated from the Academy, the three feel they must give strong showings to prove themselves. When they enter the exam hall, the team is met by [[Rock Lee]], who challenges Sasuke to a fight; Naruto tries to attack Lee in jealousy, but is easily swept aside. The fight is interrupted by [[Might Guy]], after which Naruto notes that the bandages around Lee's arms signify his arduous taijutsu training while also mocking Sasuke for his unability to best Lee.
   
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During the exam's first stage, the participating genin are given a written test, the goal of which is to cheat without getting caught. Unaware of this, Naruto struggles to answer the questions, so [[Hinata Hyūga]], who is seated next to him, offers to let him copy off her paper. Despite the temptation, Naruto declined Hinata's offer, claiming that he isn't the type to cheat and that they might be disqualified if they are caught. Before the tenth question can be given, the genin are presented with the opportunity to forfeit; Naruto refuses to do so, declaring his refusal to give up and his goal to still become Hokage. His determination to face the tenth question despite the potential consequences inspires the rest of the genin to do the same, and so they pass the first stage. It is later noted that he was the only one to hand in a blank sheet, though this did not prevent him from passing.
==== Collaboration Techniques ====
 
[[File:Water and Wind.PNG|thumb|Naruto and Gamatatsu using their Wind Release: Toad Gun.]]
 
[[Collaboration Techniques]] entail techniques that are comprised of at least two or more techniques that, when initiated with the right timing, one will feed into each other to become a technique of greater power than the sum of its parts. Naruto was introduced to the subject by Jiraiya in the anime, in order for him to synchronise with a toad, and develop a collaboration technique. Naruto eventually managed to synchronise with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu developing the [[Wind Release: Toad Gun]], and the stronger [[Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet]]. The stronger version had enough power to temporarily knock out the [[Three-Tails]]. Naruto has also done collaboration techniques with both [[Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet|Gamabunta]] and [[Typhoon Water Vortex Technique|Yamato]].
 
   
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[[File:Naruto saves Sasuke from Orochimaru.png|thumb|Naruto saves Sasuke from Orochimaru's snake.]]
During the Fourth Shinobi World War and the battle against the Ten-Tails, Naruto displayed a high-level of skill in this combat area, by using the [[Swirling Gale of Light and Black Arrow]], a collaboration technique with Sasuke, which according to Tobirama Senju, requires a perfect unison that is hard to achieve.
 
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For the second phase, teams enter the [[Forest of Death]] with the objective of obtaining a set of two scrolls, one of which they are given at the start. Naruto becomes separated from his team and is attacked and swallowed by a giant snake. He manages to kill it and regroups with his frightened teammates against [[Orochimaru]]. Angered by Sasuke's sudden cowardice and resignation, Naruto engages Orochimaru using the Nine-Tails' chakra, defeats his giant snake, and taunts Sasuke before Orochimaru [[Five Element Seal|suppresses]] the Nine-Tails' chakra, rendering Naruto unconscious. After he awakens, Team 7 continues its search for the second scroll, which they eventually gain by defeating [[Team Oboro]], allowing them to pass the second stage.
   
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[[File:Uzumakirendan.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Kiba.]]
=== Senjutsu ===
 
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In the preliminary matches of the exam, Naruto was pitted against [[Kiba Inuzuka]] and his dog, [[Akamaru]]. Believing the match to be an easy victory, Kiba and Akamaru overwhelmed Naruto with many high-speed attacks, so Naruto tricks Kiba into knocking Akamaru out of the fight by using the [[Transformation Technique]], shocking all spectators. Naruto then disorients Kiba by farting in his face and defeats him with the [[Naruto Uzumaki Combo]] (which he invented from watching Sasuke's [[Lion Combo]]). When Neji and Hinata's match begins, Naruto is enraged by Neji's ruthless tirade against Hinata and cheers Hinata on to defeat Neji. Although Hinata is defeated, Naruto wipes up her blood and vows to defeat Neji in the finals.
[[File:Naruto AnimeSagemode.png|thumb|left|Naruto in Sage Mode.]]
 
With the strength of his chakra being so high, Naruto's training was able to expand to include the same [[senjutsu]] arts of his late sensei Jiraiya. He learned this in [[Mount Myōboku]], showing an even higher aptitude for it than Jiraiya and ultimately learning how to perfectly enter [[Sage Mode]]. In order to achieve this, Naruto had to learn to sense and then gather the [[natural energy]] around him and perfectly balance it with his own chakra. Once mastered, Naruto was able to perfect the Rasenshuriken, so that he could throw it, and learn [[Frog Kata]]: a taijutsu style that uses the natural energy around the user to enhance the range and the potency of their attacks. In Sage Mode, Naruto's overall physical abilities are dramatically enhanced to the point where he could throw entities much larger than himself with little to no effort, including the [[Second Animal Path (character)|Animal Path]]'s [[Giant Rhino]] and Kurama.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 431, page 6</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 497, page 8</ref> He can even shatter sharp objects with his bare hands, such as the Deva Path's chakra disruption blades, with relative ease. Using Frog Kata in the anime, he was able to completely overpower the [[Nine-Tailed Naruto Clone]], even stripping him of his "Version 2" cloak with each of his punches.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 294</ref> His durability increased to the point where he could fall on a bed of spikes and not even be damaged, as well as surviving the Giant Rhino's charge despite it tearing up the land behind him with its impact. His speed increases to the point where he was able to intercept a charging [[Asura Path (character)|Asura Path]], which had been using its [[Chakra Propulsion|chakra boots]] to attack Tsunade, create a Rasengan and slam it down before it could even react, showing him covering a considerable distance in a short amount of time.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 430, pages 15-16</ref>
 
   
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[[File:Naruto meets Kurama.png|thumb|Naruto meets the Nine-Tails.]]
While in Sage Mode, Naruto gains a sensory ability to detect and identify other people's chakra even from very long distances away. This enabled him to be able to gain a sense of what was going on during the Fourth Shinobi World War, on battlefields a considerable distance away.<ref name="chpt535">''Naruto'' chapter 535, pages 7-8</ref> His sensing abilities have also enabled him to predict the movements of his enemies for easy retaliation.<ref name="ch555"/> With his sensing abilities, he could pinpoint the [[chakra receiver]]s that were on [[Tobi]]'s [[tailed beast]] [[Six Paths of Pain]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 571, page 10-11</ref> He also attempted to use this mode to gauge the power of the Ten-Tails, only to find out that it was immeasurable.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 610, pages 5-6</ref>
 
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During the month of training, Naruto first meets [[Jiraiya]] (who knocked out [[Ebisu]], Naruto's original teacher) and trains under the [[Sannin]] to improve his chakra control. Recognising Naruto as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Jiraiya [[Five Elements Unseal|removes]] the seal Orochimaru had placed on Naruto to ease his control and begins teaching him how to use the Nine-Tails' power by [[Summoning Technique|summoning]] [[toads]]. To accelerate Naruto's slow progress, Jiraiya pushes him over a cliff, causing Naruto to enter his subconscious and meet the Nine-Tails. Working past his fear, he bravely demands chakra from it as "rent" for living in his body. The Nine-Tails complies and Naruto summons [[Gamabunta]], though he exhausts himself and ends up in the [[Konoha Hospital|hospital]], where he is visited by [[Shikamaru Nara]]. After talking, he and Naruto stop [[Gaara]] from killing [[Rock Lee]] in the next room and listen to Gaara's story of his childhood, which Naruto finds very similar to his own. Gaara prepares to kill them, but [[Might Guy]] intervenes and forces Gaara to retreat. On the day of the finals, Naruto meets Hinata at the [[Third Training Ground]] and expresses his doubts about his upcoming match with Neji. Hinata reassures Naruto that he never gave up because he always had the strength to overcome his own failures, admiring him for it. Reinvigorated, Naruto thanks Hinata and tells her even though he first thought she was weird, he now likes her.
   
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[[File:Naruto vs Neji.png|thumb|left|Naruto vs. Neji.]]
However, Naruto had two flaws in his senjutsu training: To mould natural energy, the user must remain absolutely still, something one cannot do while in combat; and because of Kurama, Shima and Fukasaku were unable to [[Sage Art: Amphibian Technique|fuse]] with Naruto to mould it for him. To counter this, Naruto had to leave two shadow clones in a safe place to mould the natural energy for him. Once he depleted his current amount of senjutsu chakra, he would dispel one of the clones and use the natural energy it had gathered to re-enter Sage Mode. However, this method limits the maximum number of shadow clones that Naruto can create to five. Any more would interfere with the focus of the clones' gathering natural energy. However, this limit in shadow clones ceases should Naruto decide to go all out during a fight and forget having any clones store natural energy for him.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 434, page 14</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 441, page 17</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 442, pages 5-10</ref> Naruto has also stated that it is possible to lengthen the time he is in Sage Mode.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 468, page 16</ref>
 
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Facing Neji in the first match of the finals, Naruto began by creating shadow clones to overwhelm Neji's with sheer numbers. Deeming Naruto a failure who could never defeat a genius like himself, Neji easily defeats Naruto's clones and seals his chakra with [[Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms]]. Determined to prove Neji's ideals about fate wrong, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra and, revitalised, clashed with Neji. When the smoke cleared, Neji emerges and Naruto lies defeated. This, however, was only a shadow clone, and the real Naruto burst from the ground beneath Neji, defeating him with an uppercut. Before he is declared the winner, Naruto tells Neji that creating clones was once his shortcoming and that Neji needs to stop believing in inescapable fate. When Sasuke finally arrives for his match with Gaara, Naruto is envious of Sasuke's improvements, but is later [[Temple of Nirvana Technique|put to sleep]] along with most of the audience, commencing the [[Konoha Crush]].
   
=== Intelligence ===
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=== Konoha Crush ===
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{{Main|Konoha Crush (Arc)|l1=Konoha Crush}}
==== Deception and Strategy ====
 
[[File:Naruto surprises Kakashi.png|thumb|Naruto sneaks up behind Kakashi.]]
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[[File:Naruto saves Sasuke from Gaara.png|thumb|Naruto saves Sasuke from Gaara.]]
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Sakura wakes up Naruto so they can pursue Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara himself. They arrive in time for Naruto to kick Gaara away before he can kill Sasuke. Partially transformed into [[Shukaku]], Gaara knocks Sakura unconscious and binds her to a tree, forcing Naruto to battle him, with little success. Naruto relates to Gaara's painful life as a jinchūriki, but he is not willing to let anything to happen to Sakura and Sasuke. Determined to protect his friends, Naruto creates an army of shadow clones to [[Naruto Uzumaki Two Thousand Combo|relentlessly batter]] Gaara, forcing him to [[Tailed Beast Mode|fully transform]] into Shukaku, to which Naruto responds by summoning Gamabunta.
Although Naruto's intelligence is greatly downplayed for most of the series, his skills in deception and strategy are actually extremely high. According to Kakashi, this is all thanks to his cunning and imagination as a former prankster, which allows him to fool perceptive and dangerous jōnin-level shinobi like [[Zabuza Momochi]] in Part I and even defeat S-rank ninja such as [[Kakuzu]] and [[Pain]] in Part II. 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, transforming them into various shapes such as shuriken, to allow for surprise attacks, or making himself seem predictable by creating a pattern, just to surprise them by breaking it (examples being when Naruto fooled Neji and Kakuzu into thinking the shadow clone, furthest away from danger, was the real him, or variations using the [[Shadow Shuriken Technique]]).
 
   
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[[File:Naruto defeats gaara.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Gaara.]]
His deceptive skills were first best displayed in Team 7's first battle against Zabuza; he came up with the strategy to disguise himself as a [[fūma shuriken]] in order to free Kakashi from Zabuza's [[Water Prison Technique]]. During the preliminaries of the Chūnin Exams, Naruto was even able to get around Kiba's sensitive nose by fooling him visually. In the anime [[Hoshigakure Arc]], he deduced the weakness of the [[Mysterious Peacock Method]], that while the user is manipulating such large quantities of chakra, they pay less attention to their surroundings, which allowed Naruto to easily sneak up on [[Natsuhi]] and land a blow (something that according to [[Akahoshi]] had never been done before). These skills were shown to have increased exponentially by the time of his battle with Pain, allowing him to prevail through an elaborate and highly unpredictable array of back-up plans, such as transforming his clones to mimic the environment. He also used the Shadow Shuriken Technique and the Transformation Technique to turn himself into a Rasenshuriken to temporarily neutralise the Preta Path while his real Rasenshuriken went to attack the Deva Path, while a clone attacked the [[Naraka Path (character)|Naraka Path]] from above with a [[Sage Technique: Spiralling Serial Spheres]]. When Naruto caught his second wind against Kurama to bypass its hatred completely, he systematically used the [[Sage Art: Many Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Serial Spheres]], [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]] and his [[Kushina Uzumaki|mother]]'s [[chakra chains]] to push Kurama's chakra out of its body from a safe distance to absorb it into his own body. During his fight with the reincarnated [[Third Raikage]], knowing the speed of the [[Raikage]] is great, he tricks the Raikage into dodging the first Rasenshuriken, his true intentions being to use Kurama's chakra arm to redirect it and throw it at him from behind. Even after the second attempt fails, Naruto still has the where-with-all to attack the Kage with a third at point blank range before he can even get decent footing to dodge. After speaking with [[Gyūki]] about its battle with the Third Raikage, he deduced that the latter injured himself with his own technique and used this to his advantage by slamming a Rasengan to the side of his arm forcing the Raikage to impale himself with his own technique. When he learned the location of the [[chakra receiver]]s on [[Tobi]]'s [[Six Paths of Pain]], he immediately formed a plan to eliminate them. Testing it out on [[Rōshi]], he nearly destroyed the chakra receiver if not for [[Han]]'s interference.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 565, pages 12-14</ref> He then forms a two-fold plan to release [[Son Gokū]] from Tobi's [[Demonic Statue Chains|control]] by attacking from the outside in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, pulling the receiver, while having a shadow clone in Sage Mode inside Son Gokū trying to [[Frog Strike|push]] it out.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 569, pages 10-16</ref> When he learned that Kakashi and [[Tobi]]'s [[Kamui]]'s were connected, he formed a plan to send one of his clones into the [[other dimension]] which enabled him to destroy Tobi's mask.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 598, page 12-15</ref> In the anime Naruto was able to deduce that the "[[Yota]]" his friends were fighting were [[White Zetsu Army]] in disguise based solely on the fact that he had to be fighting the original.<ref name="NS315"/>
 
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Gaara [[Feigning Sleep Technique|puts himself to sleep]] to give control of his body to Shukaku, forcing Naruto and Gamabunta to figure out a way to end the jutsu. They do so by [[Combination Transformation|transforming]] into a giant fox (the Nine-Tails in the anime) to restrain Shukaku, allowing Naruto to awaken Gaara with a solid punch to the face. Shukaku's influence disappears, but Gaara regains control and traps Naruto with his sand. Naruto escapes by tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra, and headbutts Gaara when he is close enough, destroying Shukaku's form. Exhausted from the fight, the two leap at each other for one final exchange, and Naruto punches Gaara, claiming victory.
   
  +
Naruto and Gaara fell to the ground, unable to move. Slowly crawling towards Gaara, Naruto explained that he also suffered a painful and lonely life, but was later saved by having friends. To that end, he will do anything to protect them, even if it means killing Gaara. Understanding Naruto's true strength, Gaara retreated with [[Kankurō]] and [[Temari]] with a new outlook on life, while Naruto passes out from exhaustion and is returned to Konoha with Sasuke and a rescued Sakura. A few days later, Team 7 attended the [[Third Hokage]]'s funeral.
==== Learning Capabilities ====
 
[[File:Naruto's Growth.png|thumb|left|Results of Naruto's training over the years.]]
 
Naruto's ability to learn through study is somewhat limited due to his average intelligence, something he got from his mother. When he applies himself to physical training and experience however, he is able to learn highly advanced techniques in a much shorter period of time, the most prominents examples are his senjutsu and jinchūriki training.
 
   
  +
=== Search for Tsunade ===
Naruto can also be quite innovative, using his clones to master advanced techniques. Examples of this include a two-man Rasengan, three-man Rasenshuriken, using clones to perform senjutsu and using chakra arms to perform the Tailed Beast Rasengan.
 
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{{Main|Search for Tsunade}}
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Jiraiya is tasked with finding [[Tsunade]], a candidate for Fifth Hokage, and convinces Naruto to accompany him by promising to teach him a technique stronger than Sasuke's [[Chidori]]. Stopping at an inn in [[Shukuba Town]], Naruto was approached by [[Kisame Hoshigaki]] and [[Itachi Uchiha]] of [[Akatsuki]], who intend to capture the Nine-Tails. When Sasuke shows up and furiously attacks Itachi, Naruto gathers the Nine-Tails' chakra to help Sasuke, but it is absorbed by Kisame's [[Samehada]]. Jiraiya soon arrives and drives off Itachi and Kisame, but Sasuke is left mentally and physically damaged by Itachi. [[Might Guy]] appears and takes Sasuke back to Konoha, but not before giving Naruto a spare green jumpsuit.
   
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[[File:Tsunade vs naruto.png|thumb|Naruto and Tsunade face-off.]]
Naruto has also shown potential as a teacher, at least in regard to [[Konohamaru]]. He helped him to develop his [[Transformation Technique]], albeit for the sake of the [[Sexy Technique]], and the [[Rasengan]], albeit a very weak version, prior to the [[Invasion of Pain]].
 
  +
To prepare for the next encounter with Akatsuki, Naruto begins learning the [[Rasengan]], completing two of its three learning steps. Taking a break from training, Naruto and Jiraiya eventually found Tsunade and her assistant [[Shizune]] at a restaurant. When Tsunade refuses the offer to become Hokage and insults all who held the title, an angry Naruto challenged her to a fight and attacked her with an incomplete Rasengan, only to be easily defeated. Impressed by his progress, however, Tsunade makes a bet with Naruto: if he can master the Rasengan in a week, he gets the [[First Hokage's Necklace]]; if not, she gets his [[Gama-chan|wallet]]. Naruto agreed and spent the week trying to perfect the Rasengan, but has no success and collapses from exhaustion. Once he recovers, Naruto heads out with Jiraiya and Shizune to stop Tsunade from meeting with Orochimaru.
   
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[[File:Naruto vs. Kabuto.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Kabuto.]]
=== Other Skills ===
 
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They arrive to see Tsunade, who never intended to aid Orochimaru, in the midst of battle with [[Kabuto Yakushi]]. When Tsunade is incapacitated, Naruto fights Kabuto in her place and eventually defeats him with a perfected Rasengan, which he formed by using a shadow clone. Naruto collapses almost immediately afterwards, his heart muscles torn by Kabuto, but Tsunade successfully manages to heal him, gives him the necklace he wins, and accepts the position of Hokage. After Orochimaru and Kabuto are defeated, Naruto and the others return to Konoha, Tsunade confidently believing Naruto would someday become a great Hokage.
After the time-skip, Naruto has improved his knowledge of other ninja skills while under Jiraiya's tutelage, displaying some limited skill in shurikenjutsu against Akatsuki members such as [[Itachi Uchiha]] and [[Sasori]].<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 259, pages 2-3</ref><ref>''Naruto'' chapter 264, pages 8-9</ref> He has also learned how to dispel [[genjutsu]] and despite his limited skill with it, he was still able to resist being put to sleep by a genjutsu master like Itachi. Naruto has also shown to keep a [[Hidden Kunai Mechanism|spring-loaded kunai knife]] up his sleeve, which is a strategy that allows him to quickly draw his kunai for battle.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 283, page 19</ref> He was also apparently taught some skill and knowledge on [[fūinjutsu]] from Jiraiya, as he knew how to use the [[Eight Trigrams Sealing Style#Key|seal's key]] after receiving [[Gerotora]], and [[Torii Seal|resealed]] Kurama after he separated it from its chakra.<ref name="ch499">''Naruto'' chapter 499, pages 12-15</ref> Jiraiya had left Naruto with the key to help him complete an as of yet [[That Technique|unknown technique]] which he, Naruto, and Minato have been working on, but never finished. Naruto stated that he was ready to complete it.
 
   
=== Stats ===
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=== Land of Tea Escort Mission ===
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{{Main|Land of Tea Escort Mission}}
{{Stats}}
 
  +
  +
=== Sasuke Recovery Mission ===
  +
{{Main|Sasuke Recovery Mission}}
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[[File:Naruto's Promise.png|thumb|Naruto promises Sakura to return Sasuke to Konoha.]]
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Naruto visits a recovering Sasuke at the hospital, but is immediately challenged to a fight, to which Naruto eventually agrees. The fight escalates quickly, culminating with Naruto using Rasengan and Sasuke using Chidori. Kakashi arrives and deflects their attacks into opposing water towers before they can clash, Naruto unknowingly doing more damage than Sasuke. Distressed by Sasuke's behaviour, Sakura informs Naruto of the cursed seal Sasuke received from Orochimaru, though Naruto assures Sakura that Sasuke would never abandon Konoha for power. Unfortunately, Sasuke does just that and Naruto joins the [[Sasuke Recovery Team]] in order to bring him back; he promises a tearful Sakura to do so before he leaves. En route to Sasuke, the team encounters members of the [[Sound Four]], each of which battles a member of the recovery team, while Naruto engages [[Kimimaro]]. Overwhelmed by Kimimaro's taijutsu skills, Naruto is saved at the last minute by Rock Lee, who volunteers to fight Kimimaro while Naruto heads after Sasuke.
   
  +
[[File:Naruto Sasuke clash.png|thumb|left|Naruto fights Sasuke.]]
== Part I ==
 
  +
Naruto finally meets Sasuke at the [[Valley of the End]]. His pleas for Sasuke to come back to Konoha and warns him that Orochimaru will [[Living Corpse Reincarnation|take his body]], but his pleadings fall on deaf ears. Naruto starts attacking him, ready to take him back to Konoha by force if necessary. Undeterred, Sasuke responds by tapping into his cursed seal and landing a series of heavy blows on Naruto. It becomes painfully clear to Naruto that Sasuke is fighting with an intent to kill, so Naruto utilises the Nine-Tails' chakra to overpower Sasuke. Naruto says that Sasuke is like a brother to him and that he will do anything to protect that bond. Sasuke vows to sever that bond, but acknowledges Naruto as an equal by putting on his forehead protector. They continue trading blows, with Naruto eventually manifesting a [[Jinchūriki Forms#Version 1|fox-shaped cloak]] and Sasuke entering his [[Cursed Seal of Heaven|cursed seal]]'s second level. Naruto clashes his Rasengan with Sasuke's Chidori, and within the dome of resulting energy they trade final blows: Sasuke punches Naruto and Naruto scratches Sasuke's forehead protector.
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[[File:Sasuke defeats Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto defeated by Sasuke.]]
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When the energy dissipates, Naruto lies defeated, but Sasuke spares him and continues his way to Orochimaru, leaving his scratched forehead protector behind. Kakashi and [[Pakkun]] arrive late and failing to retrieve Sasuke, leave with Naruto. In the hospital, Naruto once again promises Sakura to bring Sasuke back one day. Soon after, Jiraiya arrived with an offer to train Naruto for preparation against Orochimaru and Akatsuki in three years and to give up on Sasuke, as he is no different from Orochimaru. Naruto accepts Jiraiya's training, but refuses to give up on Sasuke, satisfying Jiraiya.
  +
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=== Original Anime Arcs ===
 
{{See also|Plot of Naruto}}
 
{{See also|Plot of Naruto}}
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[[File:Naruto Departing Konoha.png|thumb|left|Naruto leaving Konoha.]]
=== Introduction Arc ===
 
  +
As in the manga, Naruto later departs with Jiraiya to begin his two and a half years of training, after making a determined gesture at the Fourth Hokage's statue. In the anime, this does not happen until about 3 months later as Jiraiya was occupied with important intel gathering about Akatsuki for Konohagakure. During the waiting period, Tsunade gives Naruto several missions with members of the [[Konoha 11]] to keep him busy.
[[File:Teamkakashi.jpg|thumb|The official group photo of Team 7.]]
 
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{{-L}}
Naruto, labelled as his classes '[[Academy#Student Body|Dead-Last]]', once again failed to graduate from the [[Academy]]. Disappointed that his plans of becoming Hokage have hit another hurdle, Naruto was approached by one of his instructors, [[Mizuki]]. Mizuki told Naruto that, if he could steal the [[Scroll of Seals]] from the [[Hokage Residence]] and learn one of the techniques written in it, then he would be allowed to graduate. Naruto did so, and began struggling to learn the [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]], unaware that the village was now looking for him. [[Iruka Umino]] tracked him down, and discovered Mizuki's involvement in the theft, realising that Naruto had been duped by Mizuki, in an effort to steal the scroll. Mizuki attacked them, and told Naruto about the Nine-Tails sealed within him, claiming that Iruka hated him because of it. When Iruka risked his life to protect Naruto, however, Naruto realised that Mizuki's earlier words were a lie, and created hundreds of shadow clones to beat Mizuki to a pulp. For mastering such a difficult technique, Iruka allowed Naruto to graduate.
 
   
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== Interlude ==
In the days to come, Naruto befriended [[Konohamaru Sarutobi]] and became his on-off teacher, showing him how to perform a variety of both perverted and useful techniques throughout the rest of the series. He was also assigned to [[Team 7]], where he was partnered with [[Sasuke Uchiha]] and [[Sakura Haruno]], under the leadership of [[Kakashi Hatake]]. As the team's first order of business, Kakashi gave them a test to see if they were ready to become [[genin]]. He had the three of them try to take the two bells he kept on his person, the goal of the test being to place teamwork above the fact that they couldn't all have a bell. Although they initially failed miserably, all trying independently to take a bell, they eventually decided to work together, allowing them to pass.
 
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[[File:Naruto Improving Resengan.png|thumb|Naruto training with the Big Ball Rasengan.]]
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In the anime, shortly after leaving Konoha, Jiraiya and Naruto discuss the fact that Naruto will need to learn how to counter genjutsu if he hopes to be a match against Sasuke the next time they meet. Naruto practises with [[Gamariki]] to dispel genjutsu, but he struggles with it and his chakra keeps hitting Gamariki, who doesn't appreciate it. Naruto follows Jiraiya to the [[Genjutsu Tree Village]] to try a different approach, but they discover the village has been taken over by [[Kandachi]].<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 187</ref> They free the villagers and then attack Kandachi, who Naruto eventually defeats with his newly-created [[Big Ball Rasengan]]. As they leave afterwards, Jiraiya is pleased by how similar Naruto is to [[Minato Namikaze]] and hugs him, which Naruto is bothered by.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 188</ref>
   
=== Land of Waves Arc ===
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=== In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths ===
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{{Main|In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths}}
After completing a number of simple, uneventful missions, Team 7, at Naruto's insistence, was assigned the somewhat more difficult [[C-rank]] task of escorting [[Tazuna]] to the [[Land of Waves]]. When they were attacked by the [[Demon Brothers]] along the way, who tried to kill Tazuna, they realised that there was more to this mission than a simple escort. Tazuna revealed that his country was under the control of [[Gatō]], who had left the people poor and unable to afford the more accurate [[A-rank]] mission payment. By building a bridge that would connect the Land of Waves to the mainland, Tazuna hoped to free the country from Gatō, prompting Gatō to try and kill him. Team 7 decided to help Tazuna, and act as his bodyguards until the bridge was completed.
 
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Two years into their training, Naruto's control of the Nine-Tails' chakra has improved significantly. Jiraiya tries to give him more access to the Nine-Tails' power and uses [[Gerotora]] to weaken Naruto's [[Eight Trigrams Sealing Style]]. Seizing the opportunity, the Nine-Tails mocked Naruto for his inability to save Sasuke, using Naruto's negative emotions to force him to enter a [[version 2]] form with four tails. Not in control of his body, Naruto attacks Jiraiya and nearly kills him before he manages to suppress the Nine-Tails. Naruto has no memory of what happened and Jiraiya doesn't tell him, instead, shifting Naruto's training to other pursuits, including keeping his anger in check so that the Nine-Tails won't flare up again.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 409</ref>
   
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== Part II ==
They were soon attacked by [[Zabuza Momochi]], another of Gatō's assassins, who engaged Kakashi in battle. When Zabuza captured Kakashi, he encouraged his team to escape with Tazuna. Having been of little use during the battle with the Demon Brothers, Naruto resolved to help Kakashi. With Sasuke's assistance, they were able to free Kakashi, who in turn almost defeated Zabuza. However, [[Haku]], disguised as a [[hunter-nin]], intervened, and appeared to kill Zabuza first, in actuality only putting him in a death-like state in order to get him to safety. Kakashi suspected that Zabuza was still alive, and gave Team 7 a [[Tree Climbing Practice]] to improve their chakra control. Naruto and Sasuke developed a competition over the exercise, each determined to complete the training first, and subsequently motivating each other to do better.
 
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{{See also|Plot of Naruto: Shippūden}}
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=== Kazekage Rescue Mission ===
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{{Main|Kazekage Rescue Mission}}
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[[File:Naruto returns to Konoha.png|thumb|left|Naruto returns to Konohagakure.]]
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Naruto and Jiraiya return to Konoha after two-and-a-half years of training, where Naruto becomes surprised by Tsunade's newly-formed statue on [[Hokage Rock]]. He greets his old friends afterwards: he gives Kakashi a copy of ''[[Icha Icha Tactics]]'' as a gift; he catches up with Sakura, whom he has become taller than; he gets back into a competition of [[Sexy Technique]]s with [[Konohamaru Sarutobi]], only to be violently reprimanded by Sakura. Kakashi reforms Team 7 with them and gives them another [[bell test]], but unlike last time, taking the bells from him is the real objective. As with last time, Naruto launches a first attack before the test officially begins, but this time it nearly succeeds. Despite their improved abilities, Naruto and Sakura were still unable to get a bell through conventional means, and it was only by Naruto's threat to spoil the latest ''[[Icha Icha]]'' novel that they distracted Kakashi long enough to take the bells.
   
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While Team 7 tries without success to find a mission to go on that Naruto won't complain about, word reaches Konoha that [[Akatsuki]] has kidnapped [[Gaara]], the [[Kazekage]]. Team 7 is sent to Sunagakure to assist in rescuing Gaara. On their way to Suna, Naruto explains that Gaara was kidnapped because he is the [[jinchūriki]] of the [[One-Tail]], just as Naruto is the jinchūriki of the [[Nine-Tails]]. Upon arrival in Suna, Naruto defends Kakashi from [[Chiyo]]'s assault when she mistakes him for his father. Team 7 gathers what intel they can on Gaara's kidnappers and leave to go after them; Chiyo volunteers to escort them since they aren't familiar with the country around Suna. Naruto promises a recovering [[Kankurō]] to rescue Gaara before they leave.
While Naruto was resting from training one day, he encountered Haku, unaware that it was the same boy he had encountered earlier. The two had a conversation about those who were precious to them, and the lengths they would go to protect them. After Haku left, Naruto finished the training, but was left so tired that the rest of Team 7 allowed him to rest the next day as they went to escort Tazuna. When he woke up, he went to assist them, only to find that they were in the midst of battle with Zabuza and Haku.
 
   
[[File:Naruto's 1st Use Of The 9 Tails.PNG|thumb|left|Naruto's first use of the Nine-Tails' chakra.]]
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[[File:Naruto pummels Deidara.png|thumb|Naruto pummels Deidara.]]
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While en route to an Akatsuki lair, they are confronted by [[Itachi Uchiha]], who traps Naruto in a genjutsu. Sakura and Chiyo release him, allowing Naruto to team up with Kakashi and defeat Itachi with a [[Big Ball Rasengan]]. The Itachi is discovered to be an [[Shapeshifting Technique|impostor]], so they continue to the Akatsuki lair, meeting up with [[Team Guy]], who takes down the barrier over the entrance so that Team 7 can get in. They find Gaara's body finds with his kidnappers, [[Deidara]] and [[Sasori]]. Deidara flies off with Gaara's body with Naruto and Kakashi in pursuit, leaving Sasori to Chiyo and Sakura. Naruto, enraged, makes repeated failed attempts to rescue Gaara before he is calmed by Kakashi, who uses his new [[Mangekyō Sharingan]] to distract Deidara with [[Kamui]]. Naruto retrieves Gaara's body, but seeing it drives him over the edge: he furiously attacks Deidara and beats him mercilessly into the ground. Discovering that it was a [[Clay Clone]], Naruto slips into his [[version 1|two-tailed]] form in rage, but is restored to normal by Kakashi via the [[Chakra-Suppressing Seal]].
Naruto went to help Sasuke in his battle with Haku, but they were both trapped by Haku's [[Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals]]. When Haku tried to use a volley of needles to kill Naruto, Sasuke stepped in to protect him, appearing to die instead. Enraged by the apparent death of Sasuke, Naruto tapped into the [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Initial Jinchūriki Form|Nine-Tails' chakra]], allowing him to destroy the ice mirrors, and subsequently defeat Haku. Before he could kill Haku, however, the mask he was wearing broke away, revealing the face of the boy Naruto had met earlier. Naruto stopped himself, but Haku asked that he should finish the job, since he could no longer be of use to Zabuza. Although Naruto tried to comply, Haku stopped him at the last minute, and went to help Zabuza. When Naruto realised what had happened - that Haku had given his life to save an ungrateful Zabuza - an outraged Naruto reprimanded Zabuza for not appreciating Haku's actions. Touched by his words, Zabuza killed Gatō to repent in an effort to do Haku justice, but died of his wounds. The bridge (now named the [[Great Naruto Bridge]]) was completed, and the Land of Waves was saved. With a recovered Sasuke, Team 7 returned to the Konoha. On their way home, Naruto remarked to Kakashi that, even though Haku and Zabuza were their enemies, he still liked them.
 
   
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[[File:Gaara awakens.png|thumb|left|Gaara awakens, with Naruto by his side.]]
=== Chūnin Exam Arc ===
 
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Deidara escapes, while Naruto and Kakashi regroup with Sakura, Chiyo, and Team Guy. Sakura attempts to revive Gaara, but the [[Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals|removal]] of Shukaku has caused him to die. Naruto breaks down in tears and angrily lashes out at Chiyo, saying she had no right to make Gaara not only a jinchūriki, but also lose his life because of it. As atonement and with Naruto's aid, Chiyo sacrifices her life to revive Gaara; as the jutsu nears completion, Chiyo voices her faith in Naruto's ability to save Gaara and to become Hokage. Naruto greets Gaara when he awakens, and a few days later, Teams 7 and Guy attend Chiyo's funeral in Suna. Before returning home, Naruto and Gaara shake hands (Gaara using his sand) as a sign of their close relationship.
After returning home and completing a few other simple missions, Team 7 was entered into the [[Chūnin Exams]]. In the first phase, a written test, the participating genin were tasked with completing the test by cheating, all the while being sure not to get caught. Though the rest of the examinees realised this, Naruto did not, and struggled to answer the questions, which were far beyond his comprehension. [[Hinata Hyūga]], who was sitting next to him, offered to allow him to copy off her paper, but he refused, in fear that she would get caught. Naruto was forced to rely on getting the tenth question correct to pass. When faced with the prospect of correctly answering the question to proceed, failing and never being allowed to take the test again, or giving up to try it again during the next exams, Naruto insisted on answering the question, stating that, even if he got it wrong, he would still become Hokage. The willingness to face the unknown being the answer to the tenth question, Naruto and the rest of Team 7 were allowed to proceed to the second phase.
 
   
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=== Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission ===
For the second phase, Team 7 was sent into the [[Forest of Death]] with one scroll, tasked to obtain a second scroll from another team and arrive at the forest's centre before the phase ended. Soon after entering the forest, they were attacked by [[Orochimaru]], who immobilised Sasuke and Sakura with his murderous intent. Before Sasuke could forfeit their scroll in exchange for their lives, Naruto intervened, fighting Orochimaru by tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra. Orochimaru rendered Naruto unconscious by [[Five Elements Seal|restricting access]] to the Nine-Tails' chakra, but Naruto's courage inspired Sasuke to fight in his place. After Orochimaru was driven off and Naruto awakened, he tried to open their scroll what was forbidden, but he was stopped by [[Kabuto Yakushi]], who disguised himself as Konoha ninja. Team 7 and Kabuto encountered [[Team Oboro]]. After wasting a day trapped in the rival team's [[genjutsu]], Team 7 was able to defeat them, take their scroll, and pass the round.
 
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{{Main|Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission}}
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[[File:Naruto and Sai's first meeting.png|thumb|Naruto and Sai's first encounter.]]
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During her fight with Sasori, Sakura learned of an opportunity to meet with a spy in Orochimaru's ranks in a few days' time, hoping it will lead them to Sasuke. Kakashi is left bedridden from his fight with Deidara, so [[Yamato]] leads Team 7 as his replacement. Replacing Sasuke on the team is [[Sai]], whom Naruto actually encounters earlier and dislikes, declaring him an inferior version of Sasuke. Sai is happy for this distinction and proceeds to degrade Sasuke for defecting from Konoha, forcing Yamato to use his [[Wood Release]] to break up their fight. Naruto is constantly exasperated by Sai's lack of empathy and his ridicule of Sasuke, but resolves to work with Sai if it means saving Sasuke.
   
[[File:Kiba vs Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto vs. Kiba and Akamaru.]]
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[[File:Team Yamato at Tenchi Bridge.png|thumb|left|Team 7 confronts Orochimaru and Kabuto.]]
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Yamato disguises himself as Sasori and goes to the [[Tenchi Bridge]] to meet the spy while Naruto, Sakura, and Sai hide nearby. The spy, [[Kabuto Yakushi]], begins telling Yamato about Orochimaru's organisation, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Orochimaru, who teams up with Kabuto to fight Yamato, having intended to kill Sasori. Team 7 comes to his aid and Orochimaru, recognising them, taunts Naruto about Sasuke. Naruto is enraged and strikes him, using his [[version 1]] form to make his attacks more devastating. Naruto's rage intensifies as he submits to the Nine-Tails' influence: he destroys the Tenchi Bridge and eventually advances to his [[version 2]] form while fighting Orochimaru. Naruto is soon forced back to the destroyed bridge, where, unable to tell friend from foe, he unknowingly attacks Sakura when she approaches him.
Because too many genin teams had passed the second phase, a round of preliminary matches, where genin faced each other in combat, were held to thin the field. After watching the first few rounds, Naruto was matched against [[Kiba Inuzuka]], and his dog, [[Akamaru]]. Remembering Naruto to be talentless from their days in the academy, Kiba believed it would be an easy match. He and Akamaru double-teamed Naruto, who initially had difficulty with the match. After combining the [[Transformation Technique]] with his shadow clones to turn Kiba and Akamaru against each other, Naruto was able to remove Akamaru from the competition. When Kiba was about to defeat him, Naruto farted, immobilising Kiba and his heightened sense of smell, and making him an easy target for the [[Naruto Uzumaki Combo]] which he invented watching Sasuke's [[Lion Combo]]. Naruto won the match.
 
   
[[File:Trappedfox.jpg|thumb|left|Naruto's first encounter with the Nine-Tails.]]
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[[File:Naruto vs. Orochimaru.png|thumb|A four-tailed Naruto attacks Orochimaru with Tailed Beast Ball.]]
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Yamato restrains Naruto with his Wood Release and suppresses the Nine-Tails' influence, but its chakra leaves Naruto's body badly damaged. After Sakura heals him, Naruto wakes up unable to remember what happened, but is surprised by the devastated landscape. When they realise that Sai is missing, Yamato reports that he has joined with Orochimaru and Kabuto. On the way, Yamato secretly takes Naruto aside and tells him that he is the one who attacked Sakura. He encourages Naruto to use his own strength instead of the Nine-Tails in order to protect his loved ones. The team locates Sai, whom Yamato has placed a [[Transmission Wood|trace]] on, at Orochimaru's lair and capture him. Restrained, Sai asks why Naruto is determined to save him; Naruto replies that his bond with Sasuke is too precious to be broken and that he will do anything to protect it. Intrigued, Sai switches sides, helping them capture Kabuto and then searching the base for Sasuke on Naruto's behalf. While he's gone, Yamato goes through his belongings and finds evidence that Sai has been assigned to assassinate Sasuke.
While watching the remaining matches, Naruto witnessed [[Neji Hyūga]]'s ruthless treatment of his cousin, Hinata. Angered by Neji's actions and claims that Hinata was a failure who couldn't escape her fate, Naruto vowed to defeat Neji during the first round of the finals a month later. In the meantime, Naruto started training with [[Ebisu]] to improve his chakra control. When Ebisu was knocked out by [[Jiraiya]], Naruto forced Jiraiya to train him in his place. Jiraiya, noticing that Naruto was the container of the Nine-Tails, and the restrictive seal Orochimaru had placed on him earlier, Jiraiya [[Five Elements Unseal|removed]] the seal to ease his chakra control. He then taught him how to take advantage of the Nine-Tails' chakra by showing him how to [[Summoning Technique|summon]] [[toads]]. Because Naruto had troubles with it, Jiraiya pushed him from the cliff, hoping to provoke Naruto to use Nine-Tails' chakra. When falling, Naruto met with the Nine-Tails in his subconscious and convinced it to lend him its chakra. Thanks to that, he was able to summon [[Gamabunta]], landing on the toad's back. After a short argue with the giant toad, he had to be hospitalised due to the chakra loss. In the [[Konoha Hospital|hospital]] he met [[Shikamaru Nara]] and the two encountered [[Gaara]] who was going to kill [[Rock Lee]]. Gaara told them about [[Shukaku]] sealed within him and tried to kill both of them, but they were saved by the coming of [[Might Guy]].
 
   
[[File:Neji's Fight With Naruto.PNG|thumb|Naruto vs. Neji.]]
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[[File:Sasuke draws sword.png|thumb|left|Naruto encounters Sasuke.]]
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When they find Sai, he explains that he truly does want to help retrieve Sasuke, and in fact has already found him: Naruto and Sakura are speechless to see Sasuke again. Sasuke reacts with indifference to them, but Naruto remarks he can't become Hokage without saving his friend. To demonstrate that they mean nothing to him, Sasuke quickly neutralises them all. As Naruto struggles to avoid the temptation of using the Nine-Tails, Sasuke suddenly appears in Naruto's subconscious using his Sharingan and suppresses the Nine-Tails. He then prepares to kill them, but is persuaded not to by Orochimaru and leaves without further comment. Naruto is upset at having failed once more to bring Sasuke home, but is reminded by Sakura that they need to become stronger and Team 7 returns to Konoha.
When his match against Neji began, Naruto appeared to be at a disadvantage. Although he was able to overwhelm Neji with shadow clones, none of the clones could manage to land a hit. Convinced that Naruto was a failure that could not defeat a genius like himself, Neji used his [[Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms]] to cut off Naruto's chakra supply. Determined to prove Neji wrong, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' reserves and, revitalised, clashed with Neji. When the smoke cleared, Neji emerged, Naruto appearing to have been defeated. This, however, was only a shadow clone, and the real Naruto burst from the ground beneath Neji, to deliver an uppercut and defeat him. Neji was taken away, contemplating the fact that fate was not predetermined, since a failure could beat a genius, while Naruto watched the remaining matches. When Sasuke fought Gaara, he was envious of Sasuke's improvements, but the fight was interrupted by the beginning of the invasion of Konoha.
 
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=== Twelve Guardian Ninja ===
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{{Main|Twelve Guardian Ninja (Arc)}}
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=== Akatsuki Suppression Mission ===
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{{Main|Akatsuki Suppression Mission}}
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[[File:Naruto training.png|thumb|Naruto training with his clones.]]
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Once Kakashi is done recuperating in the hospital, he assembles Naruto, Sakura, and Sai to discuss their failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. Kakashi believes the best way to match Sasuke is for Naruto to create a new [[jutsu]]. As the training began, Naruto discovers that his [[nature]] is [[wind]] and learns to use the wind nature. Ordinarily, such training would take months or years, but Kakashi advises that Naruto, by training alongside hundreds of [[shadow clones]] can do the same training in a mere fraction of the time. With Kakashi's instructions and the training grounds created by Yamato, Naruto quickly masters how to use the wind nature. The next step is more difficult for him: combining that nature with the [[Rasengan]].
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[[File:Naruto vs Kakuzu .png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Kakuzu.]]
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Like Kakashi and [[Minato Namikaze]] before him, Naruto fails several times in trying to combine his nature with the Rasengan; his frustration evokes the Nine-Tails' chakra at times, which Yamato suppresses. With further advice from Kakashi, Naruto finds his solution using two shadow clones: one helps him form the Rasengan and the other adds his wind nature. When they receive news that Asuma died in battle with members of [[Akatsuki]], they take a break to attend Asuma's funeral. Kakashi leaves Yamato in charge of overseeing Naruto's training so he could help [[Team Asuma|Team 10]] avenge Asuma. Having finished his jutsu, Naruto and Team Yamato went to provide assistance, arriving in time to save Kakashi and Team 10 from [[Kakuzu]]. Naruto engages Kakuzu alone with his newly-created [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]], though it dissipates on its first use and Naruto is rescued by Kakashi and Yamato. The technique succeeds the second time, destroying two of Kakuzu's hearts and putting the last one on the brink of failure. Kakashi finishes off Kakuzu and they return to Konoha.
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The Rasenshuriken injures Naruto's arm after use and he is forbidden to use the technique ever again. When they visit Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto has a hard time eating while his arm mends, so Sakura opts to help, before the responsibility falls to Sai, then to Kakashi. As they leave afterwards, they are met by Konohamaru, who demonstrates his [[Sexy: Girl on Girl Technique]]; Naruto approves but Sakura is disgusted and violently reprimands him. In the manga, Konohamaru responds with [[Sexy: Boy on Boy Technique]]; Sakura approves but Naruto is disgusted and violently reprimands him.
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=== Three-Tails' Appearance ===
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{{Main|Three-Tails' Appearance}}
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=== Itachi Pursuit Mission ===
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{{Main|Itachi Pursuit Mission}}
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[[File:Eight Man Squad.png|thumb|The Eight Man Squad formed to pursue Itachi and Sasuke.]]
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News reaches Konoha that Sasuke has killed Orochimaru. Realising that this is a good opportunity to try once again to reunite with Sasuke, Kakashi combines Teams 7 and 8 into an [[Eight Man Squad]] with the mission to find either Sasuke or his assumed target, Itachi. When they split up to search, Naruto, because he's a target of Akatsuki, is given a protective escort in the form of Hinata, Yamato, and [[Bull]]. Their group encounters Kabuto, who offers them intel on Akatsuki and its members, his thanks to Naruto "inspiring" him to overcome Orochimaru after absorbing his remains. Kabuto then escapes.
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=== Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant ===
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{{Main|Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant}}
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[[File:Itachi's Genjutsu.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Itachi converse.]]
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After regrouping and [[Kiba Inuzuka]] detects Sasuke's trail, Naruto creates shadow clones to search the area faster, one of which encounters Itachi. Itachi repels Naruto's attacks and insists he only wants to talk. He asks Naruto what Sasuke means to him and what he will do if Sasuke ever moves against Konoha. Naruto replies that he is Sasuke's brother – a better brother than Itachi is – and that if Sasuke ever attacks the village he will defend it without killing Sasuke. Itachi is happy with this answer and gives Naruto some assistance for this purpose: a [[Itachi's Crow|special crow]] that he stores within Naruto's body. Itachi left, and Naruto continued his search, eventually finding Sasuke.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 403, pages 2-10</ref>
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As they near Sasuke's location they are intercepted by [[Tobi]] of Akatsuki, who prevents them from progressing and who is invulnerable to their attacks.
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=== Fated Battle Between Brothers ===
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{{Main|Fated Battle Between Brothers}}
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As the group continually tries to attack Tobi, he dodges the attacks with ease. Naruto tries several times to attack him with his Rasengan, but without success. Tobi attempts to use a hidden jutsu to attack the teams, but fails at it. Eventually, Zetsu comes to tell him about Sasuke and Itachi's fight. Tobi leaves when he receives news that Sasuke has killed Itachi, and Teams 7 and 8 try to reach Sasuke before he does. Unable to find where Tobi has taken Sasuke, they are forced to return to Konoha.
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=== Six-Tails Unleashed ===
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{{Main|Six-Tails Unleashed}}
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=== Pain's Assault ===
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{{Main|Pain's Assault (Arc)|l1=Pain's Assault}}
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[[File:Naruto after Jiraiya's death.png|thumb|Naruto mourns Jiraiya's death.]]
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As Naruto contemplated his meeting with Itachi, he was called to the [[Hokage Residence]] to hear sombre news: his master Jiraiya was killed by [[Pain]], the leader of Akatsuki. Grief-stricken, Naruto blamed Tsunade and spent the day mourning his teacher's death, depressed that Jiraiya cannot see him become Hokage. After being comforted by [[Iruka]] and [[Shikamaru]], Naruto helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message and eventually they succeed. Understanding that Jiraiya had bought him time for his own fight with Pain, Naruto went to train with the toads of [[Mount Myōboku]] to learn [[senjutsu]]. Naruto trained to harmonise with nature, a process he sped up by using a limited number of shadow clones. He rapidly progressed through the training stages and attained a perfect [[Sage Mode]], which Jiraiya was unable to do. News of [[Pain's Assault]] on Konoha reached them, they began to mobilise for battle.
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[[File:Naruto and Fukasaku.png|thumb|left|Naruto arrives to fight Pain.]]
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As Naruto, [[Fukasaku]], [[Gamaken]], [[Gamahiro]], [[Gamabunta]], and [[Gamakichi]] were summoned to the centre of Konoha, the group was confronted by the [[Six Paths of Pain]], who had just destroyed the village. After destroying the [[Asura Path]] before it could attack Tsunade, Naruto told her to make sure everyone left the battle to him. After a brief skirmish with [[Animal Path]], Naruto and the toads defeated the Animal, [[Preta]], and [[Human Path]]s before running out of senjutsu chakra. Naruto revealed that he had two shadow clones waiting back at [[Mount Myōboku]] to revitalise him with natural energy. Naruto went back on the offensive, dispatching the healed Preta and Naraka Path before the Deva Path regained its full power. Pain killed Fukasaku and used the opportunity to capture Naruto, pinning him down to the ground.
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[[File:Naruto influenced.png|thumb|Naruto succumbs completely to the Nine-Tails' influence.]]
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With Naruto restrained, Pain opened up his reasons for Akatsuki, their plan for the tailed beasts, and the peaceful world he wanted to create. Though Naruto rejected his notion that using a weapon to force peace, he could offer no alternative. Before Pain could depart with Naruto, he was attacked by [[Hinata Hyūga]]. Declaring her love for Naruto and vowing to protect him, she continued to fight against Pain before she was subdued and critically wounded. Believing Hinata to had been killed, an enraged Naruto erupted into his [[Version 2|six-tailed form]]. Resisting the [[First Hokage's Necklace]]'s attempted to quell the transformation and destroying it, the Nine-Tails attacked Pain, forcing him out of the village to get close enough to his actual body to use the [[Chibaku Tensei]], trapping Naruto within the small satellite. The technique was not enough to stop the Nine-Tails, however, as it simply progressed to [[Jinchūriki Forms#Partial Transformation|eight-tailed form]] to force its way out of the satellite. Meanwhile within his subconscious, Naruto was tempted by the Nine-Tails to open its seal to save him from the pain of not having Pain's answer for peace. However, before Naruto could, [[Minato]] appeared, having left some of his chakra within the seal in case of an emergency to protect his son. Overjoyed at meeting his father, but angered that he would condemn him to life as a jinchūriki, Naruto listened to his father encouraging him, confident that he would find a way to break the cycle of hatred. After repairing the seal, Minato disappeared and the newly-inspired Naruto prepared to resume his battle with Pain.
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[[File:Naruto defeating Deva path.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Pain.]]
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Confidence restored, Naruto was greatly relieved to learn that not only had Hinata survived, but nobody was injured during his rampage. After clever use of shadow clones, Naruto destroyed the Deva Path with a Rasengan, defeating the last of Pain's Six Paths. Using one of Pain's [[Black Receiver]]s, Naruto followed the chakra signal to [[Nagato]] and [[Konan]]'s position. Confronting Nagato, Naruto listened to Nagato's story that turned him into Pain and came to understand why he made the actions he did. Despite not forgiving him, he told Nagato he would not kill him and would instead try to create the better world that their teacher wished for. Moved by Naruto's determination to create a better world, Nagato decided to put his trust in Naruto and sacrificed his own life to [[Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique|revive]] all the people he had killed in Konoha. Naruto helped Konan retrieve Nagato and [[Yahiko]]'s bodies for burial in [[Amegakure]], and Konan left Naruto a bouquet of paper flowers for him, symbolising their new alliance.
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[[File:Hero of the Hidden Leaf.PNG|thumb|The village greets Naruto upon his return.]]
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Naruto then created a [[Jiraiya's Memorial|memorial]] for [[Jiraiya]] and left the flowers and a copy of ''[[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi]]'' by a rock with the kanji for {{translation|''teacher''|師|shi}}. While the exhausted Naruto walked back to the village, he was found by Kakashi who carried him the rest of the way. Upon arrival, Naruto was greeted as a hero by the villagers, his dream of acknowledgement being realised at last.
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=== Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha ===
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{{Main|Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha}}
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=== Five Kage Summit ===
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{{Main|Five Kage Summit (Arc)|l1=Five Kage Summit}}
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[[File:Karui Beating Naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto willingly gets beaten by Karui.]]
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Sakura informs Naruto that Tsunade fell into a coma and that there's nothing that can be done to bring her out of it. While they talk, they are approached by [[Tazuna]] and [[Inari]], who have come to help rebuild Konoha. They ask about Sasuke, which Naruto avoids going into detail about so as to spare them and Sakura a discussion about Sasuke's defection. After Tazuna and Inari leave, they receive news that [[Danzō Shimura]] has become the next [[Hokage]] and that he has ordered Sasuke be killed as a traitor. Naruto and Sakura approach Sai to ask him how they can convince Danzō to change his mind, but Sai is unable to help. [[Omoi]] and [[Karui]] of [[Kumogakure]] overhear them talking about Sasuke and they ask for information about Sasuke, wishing to kill him for his role in Akatsuki's capture of [[Killer B]]. Naruto leads Omoi and Karui away to spare Sakura pain, but refuses to reveal anything about Sasuke. Instead, Naruto allows the Kumo-nin vent their anger by beating him, to which [[Karui]] obliges until Sai stops her and the Kumo-nin retreat.
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[[File:Naruto's failed plea to Raikage.png|thumb|Naruto unsuccessfully pleas the Raikage to forgive Sasuke.]]
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Recovering later, Naruto asked Yamato and Kakashi to take him to the [[Land of Iron]], so that he could ask [[Fourth Raikage]] to pardon Sasuke. Upon arrival, the Raikage rejected Naruto's request even with Kakashi and Yamato's assistance and berated him for defending a criminal. Naruto went to a local inn to ponder his next course of action, but was soon confronted by [[Tobi]], who wanted to understand Nagato's change of heart. Naruto ignored the question and demanded to know about his plans with Sasuke. Tobi told him about the [[Sage of the Six Paths]], the Uchiha clan, and the truth about the [[Uchiha Clan Downfall]], all of which now drove Sasuke along [[Curse of Hatred|a path of vengeance]] against Konoha and anyone else who would dare cross his path. Naruto insisted that he could still get through to Sasuke, but Tobi laughed and left, saying that Naruto and Sasuke were fated to fight again.
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[[File:As one's friend.png|thumb|left|Naruto talks with Gaara about Sasuke.]]
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While Naruto was practising his Sage Mode's sensory abilities to locate Sasuke, he was interrupted by the arrival of Sakura, [[Rock Lee]], Kiba and Sai. Sakura attempted to dissuade Naruto in his attempts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha by falsely telling him that she loved him. However, Naruto knew she was lying and he rejected her confession and her proposal to abandon Sasuke, stating it had nothing to do with his promise to her. After Sakura's party left, Sai's [[ink clone]] revealed that the rest of the [[Konoha 11]] had decided to kill Sasuke themselves to prevent another war, while Sakura planned to kill Sasuke herself, at Sai's unintended insistence. [[Gaara]], who attended the [[Five Kage Summit]] that Sasuke attacked, arrived and revealed Tobi's declaration of the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], telling Naruto how they would be fighting Sasuke to protect Naruto, but he did advise Naruto to consider for himself what was the right thing to do. After hearing that most of his friends have turned against Sasuke, who now wanted to unleash his vengeance on just about everyone, Naruto hyperventilated and passed out. When he awoke, he was told by Yamato that Kakashi went to stop Sakura from dealing with Sasuke.
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[[File:Naruto vs. Sasuke.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke clash.]]
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Using a shadow clone as a decoy, Naruto escaped from the inn and followed Kakashi, arriving just in time to save Sakura from being killed by Sasuke. He tried once more to reason with Sasuke, sympathising with his pain and acknowledging Itachi's sacrifice. However, Sasuke was unmoved and declared his resolve to destroy Konoha and sever the Uchiha's connection to the shinobi world. Naruto then clashed his Rasengan with Sasuke's Chidori, realising that everything in his life he could have easily gone down the same path of Sasuke. Despite his jealousy of him, he had come to like Sasuke and was glad to have met him. Undeterred, Sasuke gave Naruto two options: kill or be killed; Naruto chose neither. Tobi and [[Zetsu]] arrived and prepared to depart with Sasuke. Naruto resolved that if he and Sasuke were to battle again, they would kill each other, but he was willing to accept it as he would shoulder Sasuke's hatred alone. Sasuke vowed to kill Naruto first and left with Tobi and Zetsu, while Naruto and his teammates returned to Konoha, with the captive [[Karin]]. Naruto explained the situation to his friends and asked to fight Sasuke alone, determined to get stronger for their upcoming battle.
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=== Power ===
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{{Main|Power (Arc)}}
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=== Paradise Life on a Boat ===
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{{Main|Paradise Life on a Boat}}
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=== Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown ===
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{{Main|Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown}}
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[[File:The Great Toad's Prediction.png|thumb|left|Naruto meets with the Great Toad Sage.]]
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As Naruto was about to eat at Ichiraku, he was suddenly summoned back to Mount Myōboku by [[Fukasaku]]. He learns from the [[Great Toad Sage]]'s fortune that he would meet an "[[Gyūki|octopus]]" and would battle a "[[Sasuke Uchiha|young man with powerful eyes]]." When [[Gerotora]] was summoned to give Naruto the "key" to the [[Eight Trigrams Seal]], Naruto knew he would need the Nine-Tails' power for the battles to come and accepted the key. Naruto was sent back to Ichiraku, where some of the villagers asked for his autograph. Naruto was unaware that the five Kage were planning to keep him from participating in the upcoming [[Fourth Shinobi World War]]. For his safety, Tsunade gave Naruto an "S-rank mission" on a [[Genbu|remote island]] in the [[Land of Lightning]] with [[Yamato]], [[Might Guy]], [[Aoba Yamashiro]], and other Konoha-nin as security.
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Once at the island, Naruto met [[Killer B]], the jinchūriki of [[Eight-Tails]], and requested to train under him after marvelling at B's mastery of his tailed beast. B refused as he was on vacation, despite Naruto's best efforts to impress him. However, when [[Motoi]] heard Naruto bumped fists with B, he took Naruto was taken to [[Falls of Truth]], where B trained to control the [[Eight-Tails]]. Following Motoi's instructions, Naruto sat on the platform in front of the waterfall and closed his eyes to see his true self: Dark Naruto, who berated Naruto on how quickly the Konoha villagers changed their opinions of him and exclaimed that the Nine-Tails liked him better. Inside his mind, Naruto fought his dark self, but found that they were evenly matched. Breaking out of meditation, Naruto questioned Motoi about B's history in order to learn how to conquer his inner darkness.
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[[File:Cho-odama.png|thumb|Naruto fights the Nine-Tails.]]
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Naruto reminisced about how B and Gaara changed everyone's opinions about them and began to doubt if the Konoha villagers sincerely trusted him. After witnessing B save Motoi from a [[giant squid]] and resume their friendship, an inspired Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth and confronted Dark Naruto again. With Naruto now having faith in himself, Dark Naruto began to weaken as he asked what his reason for existing was. Naruto answered by hugging him, accepted Dark Naruto as a part of him while thanking him for pushing him to become a better person. Dark Naruto finally relented and faded. B led Naruto and Yamato to a special room in the [[Tailed Beast Temple|secret temple]] behind the waterfall, where Naruto was prepared to fight the Nine-Tails for its chakra. Within his subconscious, Naruto unlocked the seal and engaged the Nine-Tails in battle using [[Sage Mode]]. Though he appeared to have the upper hand and drain the Nine-Tails' chakra, the fox instantly planted its own hatred within its absorbed chakra, consuming Naruto.
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[[File:Naruto and Kushina meet.png|thumb|left|Naruto meets his mother.]]
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Just before Naruto was completely consumed, the spirit of his mother, [[Kushina Uzumaki]], appeared. Naruto believed that Kushina was the Nine-Tails in disguise, earning a hit on the head and an immediate apology from her, who hoped that he did not inherit her short-temper. Realising Kushina was his mother, he tearfully hugged her and the love-filled reunion purged the Nine-Tails' hatred within its drained chakra. With renewed confidence from hearing the story of his parents, Naruto battled the Nine-Tails once more. With his mother's assistance, Naruto successfully weakens the fox long enough to separate it from its chakra. Attaining the [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], Naruto imprisons the emaciated and infuriated Nine-Tails within a [[Torii Seal|new, stronger seal]], apologising to it as it faded into darkness. Afterwards, Naruto learned from Kushina about his [[Uzumaki Clan|heritage]], the truth behind the [[Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack|Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha]], and how his parents gave their lives to protect him. Naruto told his mother that he could finally understand what a parent's love felt like and that he didn't blame them for what happened, instead feeling glad to be their son. As she fades away, Kushina tearfully hugged Naruto, thanking him for letting her and Minato be his parents.
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[[File:Naruto crashes into Kisame.png|thumb|Naruto attacks Kisame.]]
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In the real world, Naruto demonstrated his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to B and Yamato before sensing [[Kisame Hoshigaki]] of [[Akatsuki]] hidden inside his [[Samehada]] via [[Negative Emotions Sensing|his negative emotions]]. When Kisame attempted to escape, Naruto used his blinding speed to quickly smash Kisame into the wall, though his foot gets stuck. Yamato helps Naruto out while B pursues Kisame and they regroup to see Kisame's defeat by Guy. Kisame is restrained for interrogation, though he breaks free of his confinements through sheer will and summons sharks inside a [[water prison]] to eat him alive. Shocked by Kisame's suicide, Naruto observes that even those in Akatsuki fight for their comrades. They examine the intel that Kisame was trying to send, which turns out to be booby-trapped: they are each caught in a water prison and are trapped alongside a shark. Another shark, meanwhile, is able to escape with Kisame's intel. After they escape, Naruto is tasked with evacuating the giant animals into the [[Island Turtle]]'s shell and logging the island's ecology as part of his "official" [[S-rank]] mission. He remains unaware that it is a ploy to keep him away from the war.
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=== Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation ===
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{{Main|Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation}}
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[[File:Naruto senses the war.png|thumb|left|Naruto senses the war with Sage Mode.]]
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Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth with B to start practising his [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]], specifically learning how to use [[Tailed Beast Ball]]s. Since Tailed Beast Balls couldn't be made without the Nine-Tails' cooperation, Naruto tried to create the [[Tailed Beast Rasengan]] as a workaround. While struggling to balance the jutsu's composition, he sensed a [[Kinkaku|distant source]] of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Naruto left the Falls of Truth to investigate and was met by a contingent of Konoha-nin, amongst them [[Iruka Umino]]. Iruka tried to convince him to go back to his training, but Naruto bypassed them and, from entering Sage Mode, sensed the ongoing [[Fourth Shinobi World War]]. Naruto became angry that they would try to keep the war a secret from him and that they wouldn't let him help. Iruka apologised, yet still made an effort to [[String Light Formation|restrain]] him. Naruto escaped and found a [[Self-Repairing Barrier]], preventing him from leaving by himself. B, at Iruka's request, decided to join him, and together they broke through the barrier.
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[[File:Naruto in Kyubi's eye.png|thumb|Naruto states his resolve to the Nine-Tails.]]
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Shortly after, the Nine-Tails pulled Naruto into his subconscious, berating him for squandering its chakra and calling him naive for thinking he could stop the war by himself. When the Nine-Tails failed to once again tempt Naruto with power, the fox went off to claim that his attempt to put an end to hatred was futile, using his history with Sasuke as proof. Naruto responded by [[Torii Seal|pinning]] the fox down, refuting that it was the one who was being naive and confidently exclaiming he would find a way to deal with Sasuke and end the war. Before he leaves, Naruto also promises to resolve the Nine-Tails' own hatred someday, unnerving the fox.
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[[File:Naruto bypasses A.png|thumb|left|Naruto outpaces A.]]
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On their way to the battlefield, Naruto and B were met by the [[Fourth Raikage]] and [[Tsunade]], both intent on stopping the jinchūriki. B tried to convince the Raikage to let them go, and when that failed, Naruto tried to get around them, but the Raikage's [[Lightning Release Chakra Mode]] was too fast for that. The Raikage became increasingly aggressive in his determination to stop Naruto and B from joining the war effort, going so far as to threaten to kill Naruto if it would keep Akatsuki from capturing the Nine-Tails. First B and then Tsunade joined Naruto in arguing to allow them to fight, which the Raikage relented to once Naruto dodges his maximum speed. On Tsunade's orders, [[Shikaku Nara]] contacted Naruto and informed him about Akatsuki's [[White Zetsu Army]] and the accompanying [[Impure World Reincarnation]]s. Naruto and B soon afterwards encountered a squad of seeming Allied forces, but with his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode's [[Negative Emotions Sensing|ability]], it allowed him to detect them as disguised Zetsu. He quickly defeated them and sent shadow clones to various other battlefields to lend assistance.
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[[File:Naruto kills dog.png|thumb|Naruto fights Nagato.]]
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Naruto and B soon ran into the reincarnated [[Itachi Uchiha]] and [[Nagato]]. They greeted Naruto and briefly caught up on what had happened since their deaths, but were quickly forced to attack by their summoner, [[Kabuto Yakushi]]. Nagato advised Naruto and B on how to counter his jutsu while Itachi, between his own attacks, recalled the crow he planted in Naruto during their last meeting. Itachi activated the [[Kotoamatsukami]] of the crow's [[Mangekyō Sharingan]] to release himself from Kabuto's influence. Itachi joined Naruto and B in fighting Nagato, first by neutralising the [[Rinnegan Summoning]] and then saving them from being killed by Nagato. Nagato, his personality now suppressed, tried capturing them with [[Chibaku Tensei]], which the three combined efforts to destroy. While Nagato was distracted by their attack, Itachi sealed him with [[Susanoo]]. His personality restored, Nagato used his last moments to apologise and put his faith in Naruto. Afterwards, Itachi destroyed the crow, its Kotoamatsukami too valuable to let fall into the wrong hands. He left to find Kabuto so that he could end the Impure World Reincarnation, but not before telling Naruto to let his friends support him and leaving Sasuke's reform to him.
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[[File:Mujun.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats the Third Raikage.]]
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A shadow clone arrived at the site of the [[Fourth Division]]'s battle with various reincarnated [[Kage]]. Naruto was able to land a sneak attack on [[Mū]], allowing the [[Third Tsuchikage]] to seal him before he could say anything. The Tsuchikage went to help [[Gaara]] fight the [[Second Mizukage]], leaving Naruto to fight the [[Third Raikage]] along with the other members of the Fourth Division. Like the Fourth Raikage, the Third was very fast, easily dodging most attacks. The few attacks that did land had almost no effect, his body's natural defence was too high, and the Raikage's offences allowed him to break through every attempt to contain him. When Naruto noticed that the Raikage had a scar from his fight with the Eight-Tails years earlier, he contacted it via B to ask how the Raikage received the scar. Upon hearing the Eight-Tails' answer, Naruto surmises the scar was self-inflicted, confirming it as he manipulates the Third into piercing his own body. The Third is sealed and Naruto regroups with the Tsuchikage and Gaara, who already defeated the Second Mizukage.
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As Naruto and B continued onwards, Naruto's shadow clones started arriving at various locations. In the anime, shadow clones were able to: save the members of the [[Sasuke Recovery Team]] from the reincarnated [[Sound Four]]'s [[Space–Time Technique Formula: Underworld Turnover]];<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episodes 303-305</ref> update [[Tatewaki]] about the fates of the children he was responsible for during life, granting him peace and allowing him to return to the afterlife;<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episodes 309-310</ref> run in to [[Yota]], a childhood friend, and giving Yota a chance to play with him again before releasing himself from the Impure World Reincarnation;<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 313</ref><ref name="NS314">''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 314</ref><ref name="NS315">''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 315</ref> assist [[Omoi]] in saving the [[Thundercloud Unit]].<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 320</ref>
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=== Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax ===
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{{Main|Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax}}
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Shadow clones arrived at all the remaining battlefields, securing Impure World Reincarnations, weeding out the Zetsu that had infiltrated the Alliance's ranks, and defeating any other remaining Zetsu. Victory seemed near when the [[Sensor Division]] detected a new threat near the Fourth Division: Mu, who [[Fission Technique|split]] himself before his sealing, and the reincarnated [[Madara Uchiha]]. Shocked by this revelation, they all wondered who the masked man, [[Tobi]], really was. Madara gave them little time to discuss it and attacked them immediately. He cut swaths through the Fourth Division's ranks and used his Rinnegan to avoid the clone's, the Tsuchikage's, and Gaara's counterattack. Wishing to eliminate them all at once, Madara [[Tengai Shinsei|dropped a meteorite]] on them.
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[[File:Kurama helps Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto receives help from the Nine-Tails.]]
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While the survivors regroup, Madara tried to [[Summoning Technique|summon]] the Nine-Tails. Although it failed, the fox sensed the attempt and offered some [[chakra]] to help fight Madara, preferring Naruto over the Uchiha. The shadow clone used the Nine-Tails' chakra to counter Madara's [[Nativity of a World of Trees]] with [[Big Ball Spiralling Serial Zone Spheres]], though the extended fighting left the clone exhausted afterwards. Madara moved in to capture it, but was parried by the arrival of Tsunade, the Fourth Raikage, and the [[Fifth Mizukage]]. The Five Kage vowed to deal with Madara themselves and asked that Naruto should instead focus on defeating Tobi. The clone dispersed just as the real Naruto converged on Tobi. Naruto and B clashed with Tobi's reincarnated [[jinchūriki]], styled like a [[Six Paths of Pain]]. During the fighting, Naruto referenced another Madara and asked who Tobi really was. Realising his lie was exposed, Tobi refused to accept any particular identity, believing it to be irrelevant. Naruto was not satisfied with this answer and vowed to break Tobi's mask.
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[[File:Jinchūriki clashes.png|thumb|left|Naruto and B clash with the reincarnated jinchūriki.]]
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B entered [[Tailed Beast Mode]] to clear the surrounding forest that was giving him and Naruto a disadvantage against the reincarnated jinchūriki. He then tried to [[Sealing Technique: Octopus Hold|seal]] the jinchūriki, but Tobi had them enter [[Version 2]] forms to escape at the last second. The increased strength of the jinchūriki caused difficulties for Naruto and B. Tobi, taking advantage of the situation, nearly captured Naruto, but was blocked by the arrival of Kakashi and Guy. Their arrival balanced out the two sides, so Tobi had the [[Four-Tails]] and the [[Six-Tails]] enter Tailed Beast Modes as well. The Four-Tails captured Naruto in its mouth, allowing it to communicate with him. The Four-Tails, introducing itself with the name Son Gokū, was angered to be controlled by Tobi, but it doubted Naruto would be any better since humans had always sought to control it and its fellow tailed beasts. Naruto insisted he was different and Son Gokū, touched by his desire to help it, told him how to release it from Tobi's control. Naruto managed to break out of its mouth, locate the [[black receiver]], and remove it.
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[[File:Kurama teams up.png|thumb|Naruto and Kurama unite.]]
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Son Gokū thanked Naruto for his help, but explained that it couldn't actually be saved, as it was still bound to the [[Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]]. Before it was pulled back into the Demonic Statue, Son Gokū gave some of its chakra to Naruto and wished him luck. Tobi, having lost the use of one tailed beast, forced the others to enter Tailed Beast Modes so that the battle could be brought to an end. The Nine-Tails remarked that Naruto couldn't possibly win without its help. Naruto stated that he was not up for taking its chakra by force at the moment and that he would figure something out. However, Naruto's earlier determination to help Son Gokū moved the Nine-Tails, reminding it of the many selfless things Naruto had done during his life and the perseverance he always displayed. The Nine-Tails no longer wanted to oppose Naruto and instead offered to join him as a partner, asking only that Naruto call it by name: Kurama.
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[[File:Seishin Sekai.png|thumb|left|Naruto meets the tailed beasts.]]
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Naruto entered his own Tailed Beast Mode and went to save Kakashi and Guy, deflecting the other five beasts' Tailed Beast Balls. The Kurama avatar fought the beasts in close combat, forcing them to combine their Tailed Beast Balls into one against it. Kurama countered theirs with a single one of its own Tailed Beast Balls and Naruto then used the avatar's tails to grab and remove the beasts' black receivers. From the contact, Naruto was able to interface with the other beasts, who introduced themselves and, like Son Gokū, gave him portions of their chakra. Tobi recalled the beasts back into the Demonic Statue and, though irritated, remained confident in his eventual victory as he faced off with Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy. By the time night fell, however, Tobi was still unable to defeat them. A light eventually descended on the reincarnated jinchūriki that B had kept restrained, returning them to the afterlife and signalling that Itachi had finally defeated Kabuto.
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[[File:Naruto destroys the mask of Tobi.png|thumb|Naruto destroys Tobi's mask.]]
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With his options running out, Tobi deposited the [[Benihisago]] and the [[Kohaku no Jōhei]] (which contained [[Gold and Silver Brothers|portions of Kurama's chakra]]) into the Demonic Statue which, combined with a fragment of the Eight-Tails, [[Gyūki]]'s, chakra he acquired previously, was enough to start the revival of the [[Ten-Tails]]. Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy started focusing on destroying it, but were constantly stopped by Tobi and his peculiar teleportation and intangibility abilities. From the fighting, however, Kakashi noticed that Tobi's abilities were seemingly linked to his own [[Kamui]]. To take advantage of this, Kakashi had one of Naruto's shadow clones attack Tobi and, just as the clone was about to be destroyed by one of Tobi's attacks, Kakashi used Kamui on it without Tobi noticing. Naruto then attacked with a Tailed Beast Ball, which Tobi escaped by retreating to [[Kamui's dimension]]. He found the clone waiting for him there and it destroyed his mask with a Rasengan.
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When they saw his face, Guy and Kakashi recognised Tobi as their childhood friend, [[Obito Uchiha]], whom they'd long thought dead. Obito declined to explain his actions to them and instead attacked, which attracted Madara, who escaped the release of the Impure World Reincarnation, to their location. Seeing Madara, Naruto asked what happened to the Kage, to which the elder Uchiha replied that they were in bad condition when he left them. From that and the conversation he overheard between Madara and Obito, particularly their manipulation of Nagato, Naruto attacked in a rage. Madara reflected him and then tried to capture him and B so that the Ten-Tails could be revived in its complete form. Naruto split his attention, he and B fighting Madara's [[wood dragon]] with their Tailed Beast Modes and one of his shadow clones trying to help Kakashi get over the revelation that Obito was alive.
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[[File:Allied Forces Jutsu.png|thumb|left|Naruto with the Allied Shinobi Forces.]]
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Obito tried to convince Naruto of the futility of resistance. Naruto insisted that protecting his comrades was always worthwhile, no matter how hopeless things may seem. His words brought Kakashi out of his slump, enabling him to start fighting Obito on his own, and energised Guy, who created an opening for Naruto and B to attack the Demonic Statue with a combined Tailed Beast Ball. The attack came too late, however, and the Ten-Tails was revived. Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy regrouped and coordinated an attack, but the Ten-Tails was too powerful and Madara and Obito, once they linked themselves to it, were able to deploy its powers effectively. Just before they could kill Naruto and the others, the combined remaining Allied Shinobi Forces arrived to help. Shikaku Nara, communicating to all of them from the Alliance's headquarters, staged an offensive to restrain the Ten-Tails. Although it failed, it was effective enough that Madara and Obito had the Ten-Tails destroy the distant headquarters, killing Shikaku and everyone else stationed there.
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The Allies made individual attacks against the Ten-Tails, but none had any effect. At the same time, the Ten-Tails started raining wooden skewers all over the battlefield, killing many. When one was about to hit Naruto, [[Hinata]] shielded him with her body and [[Neji]] shielded her with his own. Dying, Neji collapsed on Naruto's shoulder, asking him to be more careful in the future since many lives, Hinata's particularly, now depend on his. With his last breath, he thanked Naruto for calling him a genius all those years ago. Naruto was deeply distraught by Neji's death, which Obito tried to use as an example of the needless death that resistance caused and that could be solved in the new world he wanted to create. Hinata brought Naruto back to his senses by reminding him of all the people who had given their lives to protect him and whose memories he would be insulting if he had given up now. As Naruto thanked her, he took her hand and coated her with some of Kurama's chakra.
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[[File:Naruto powered the Alliance up.png|thumb|Naruto gives chakra to the Allied Shinobi Forces.]]
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Naruto shared Kurama's chakra throughout the Allied Forces, increasing their strength and protecting them from harm. They all manoeuvred into a formation that Shikaku was able to communicate to them before he died and, taking the form of a bird in memory of Neji, successfully removed the Ten-Tails from Obito and Madara's control. Forced to fend for themselves, Obito sought out Naruto, criticising him for wasting his energy protecting others. Naruto replied that protecting them actually gave him strength, motivating everyone within earshot. They then sensed the Ten-Tails was about to attack, which Kakashi tried to stop with Kamui. Obito intercepted him and they teleported away, leaving the others to endure the Ten-Tails' [[Tenpenchii]]. Kurama's chakra protected everyone, but it faded in the aftermath; Naruto was left quite beaten up, requiring Sakura to heal him. When the Ten-Tails attacked with another Tailed Beast Ball, the Allies mustered what little defence they could. Before it could reach them, however, the Tailed Beast Ball was suddenly teleported away and Naruto's reincarnated father, [[Minato Namikaze]], appeared at Naruto's side.
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[[File:Team 7 Reunited.png|thumb|left|Team 7 reunites.]]
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The [[Hashirama|First]], [[Tobirama|Second]], and [[Third Hokage]] arrived soon afterward and, along with Minato, erected a barrier around the Ten-Tails to confine it. Sasuke arrived shortly too, at whose request the previous Hokage were reincarnated by [[Orochimaru]] and who now opposed Obito and Madara. Their fellow [[Rookie Nine]] had set aside their differences with Sasuke for the time being and joined forces in launching an attack against the Ten-Tails' [[Ten-Tails Fission|cruft]]. On Sai's advice, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all summoned their signature animals (Naruto calling on [[Gamakichi]]) in order to focus directly on the Ten-Tails itself. Naruto and Sasuke successfully damaged the Ten-Tails' arm with a combined [[Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero]], but it merely removed the arm to prevent the flames of Sasuke's [[Amaterasu]] from spreading.
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Before they could attack again, Obito returned, landing on top of the Ten-Tails head and seemingly about to use the [[Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique]] to restore Madara to life. While everyone focused on stopping Obito, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the [[hand seals]] he was using were different from what Nagato used. Minato tried to cut Obito down, but discovered that it was too late as he sealed the Ten-Tails into his body, becoming its jinchūriki.
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=== Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki ===
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{{Main|Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki}}
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[[File:Shuriken hits Obito.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke attack Obito.]]
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Obito used his new power to destroy the barrier, forcing the Hokage to put the energy they were using toward the barrier into the fight instead. Because they had immortal bodies, they launched the first attack so that the others could learn what they could about Obito's new abilities, but they were quickly defeated. Naruto and Sasuke engaged him as well, but were nearly killed, saved only by Naruto using his [[chakra arm]]s to link to Minato so he could teleport them to safety. Just as before, Naruto and Sasuke combined their attacks, having Minato and the Second Hokage coordinate teleports so that the attack would connect. Obito's [[Truth-Seeking Ball]]s dissipated much of the attack and the damage that he did incur was quickly regenerated.
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[[File:Naruto attacks Obito anime.png|thumb|left|Naruto attacks Obito after discovering his weakness.]]
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From the development and some of the previous exchanges, Minato concluded that Obito was able to neutralise [[ninjutsu]]. Gamakichi, wanting to make some final contribution to the fight before he was forced to return to [[Mount Myōboku]], attacked with his [[Starch Syrup Gun]]. Minato took this opportunity to try and reason with Obito, reminding him of his former dream to become Hokage. Obito berated the title and those who had held it, as he had surpassed them. Naruto was insulted not only because that was a slight against his father, but also because he hadn't abandoned his dream of being Hokage like Obito had. The Second Hokage teleported him to Obito and he attacked with a Rasengan, which successfully damaged Obito; Naruto noticed that Gamakichi's attack wasn't neutralised and realised Obito was vulnerable to [[senjutsu]].
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[[File:Minato and Naruto bump fists.png|thumb|Kurama and its jinchūriki join forces.]]
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With a weakness discovered, Obito trapped the Alliance in a [[Six Red Yang Formation|barrier]] and began charging multiple Tailed Beast Balls that he would use to wipe out everyone within its confines. Minato noted that he wouldn't be able to teleport them all away in time, so Naruto came up with a different approach: he linked his chakra with Minato and remotely restored the Alliance's chakra cloaks, networking everyone in with Minato's [[Flying Thunder God Technique]], allowing him to teleport everyone out of the barrier. Minato did so and was afterwards very proud of his son, saying he wished they had more time to talk. Naruto replied that it was not necessary since he already met [[Kushina|his mother]] and that she explained everything. Naruto and Minato each entered Tailed Beast Modes, with Naruto merging his with Sage Mode in order to imbue their shared Rasengan with senjutsu. The Second teleported them to Obito and they attacked, but he blocked it with his Truth-Seeking Balls.
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[[File:Obito vs Titans.png|thumb|left|A senjutsu-enhanced Naruto and Sasuke attack Obito.]]
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To move ahead with his plans, Obito created a replica of the [[God Tree]], the first step in performing the [[Infinite Tsukuyomi]]. The tree started absorbing chakra from those nearby until they die, a fate that Naruto nearly succumbed to until he was saved by the Third Hokage. Obito pointed to the growing number of casualties as further evidence that Naruto should stop resisting, an argument that Naruto was increasingly having trouble ignoring. Sasuke, unmoved by Obito's words, used Susanoo to hack through the tree and then mocked Naruto for giving up. Naruto was reminded of his desire to not lose Sasuke or anyone else for that matter and, reinvigorated, joined Sasuke in the offensive. Although their senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo could compete with Obito, they were individually unable to defeat him. Obito continued trying to convince Naruto to stop, but he ignored him.
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[[File:Obito is taken down.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke slash through Obito.]]
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Sasuke then coated his Susanoo around Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode, granting the Kurama-avatar a sword and armour. Sensing that it was the final exchange, Obito created a [[Sword of Nunoboko|sword and shield]] of his own out of Truth-Seeking Balls. Naruto created a Rasengan in each of the Kurama-avatar's tails, which his friends from Konoha guide in a coordinated assault to Obito's shield, destroying it. As soon as Naruto and Sasuke sliced through Obito with their sword, the tailed beasts then began to emerge from the Uchiha's body, giving Naruto and the combined Allied Shinobi Forces the opportunity to pull them out. The tug-of-war for the tailed beasts linked Naruto's consciousness with Obito's. Naruto reminded Obito of his earlier claim that he was nobody and set out to prove to him that he was Obito Uchiha, specifically the Obito Uchiha that Kakashi used to know. Naruto pointed out their similarities, how both were orphans and that, because of that, they wanted to be Hokage. Obito agreed that they were similar, but that was the reason why he has been trying so hard to convince Naruto that he was right, and insisted that the world he wanted to create was a better one because his vision of the future was clear, whereas the future of the current world was ambiguous. Naruto argued that was the point and that uncertainty, when faced with comrades, was worthwhile, and offered Obito his hand so that they might see what happened together.
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[[File:Kurama extracted from Naruto.png|thumb|left|Kurama is extracted from Naruto by Madara.]]
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The Allies successfully removed the tailed beasts from Obito and he fell to the ground, defeated. Minato and Kakashi insisted that Obito be left to them while Naruto and the rest of the Alliance should focus on Madara. They did so, joining forces with the First Hokage against him, but right before he could seal him, Madara put one final fail-safe into effect: he had [[Black Zetsu]] force Obito to revive him. Madara quickly neutralised the First, fended off Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai, and then went after the freed tailed beasts. Naruto entered Tailed Beast Mode and assisted them with fighting him off. They were initially successful, but when Madara reacquired one of his [[Rinnegan]], he easily defeated them with [[Limbo: Border Jail]], sealing them all back into the Demonic Statue, including B's Gyūki and Naruto's Kurama.
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[[File:Obito Saving Naruto.png|thumb|Obito transfers his tailed beasts' chakra into Naruto.]]
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The removal of Kurama from his body caused Naruto to pass out and placed his life in immediate danger. His [[Uzumaki]] heritage prevented him from dying instantly, but he required constant medical attention from Sakura in order to keep him alive. On the advice of Kurama right before it was extracted, Gaara took Naruto to Minato so that Minato's portion of Kurama's chakra could be sealed into him, saving him. Kakashi sent Naruto and Sakura to [[Kamui's dimension]] so that she could continue performing life support without interruption. Obito soon arrived to help her, having overcome both Black Zetsu and Madara in order to acquire Minato's half of Kurama and give it to Naruto, as his form of penance.
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[[File:Naruto & Sasuke obtain Rikudo Power.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke accept Hagoromo's power.]]
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While on the border of life and death, Naruto was met by the Sage of Six Paths, [[Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki]]. He explained his past conflicts with his mother, [[Kaguya Ōtsutsuki]], and the conflicts that emerged between his sons, [[Asura]] and [[Indra]]. His sons' conflict had continued through the centuries, with their chakra reincarnated every generation in new individuals to fight anew; Naruto was the current reincarnation of Asura, while Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra. Naruto was not greatly surprised, having sensed something like that when he met Sasuke during the [[Five Kage Summit]]. Because of Madara's aims for the world, Hagoromo asked that he and Sasuke join forces to stop him, a task he was only encouraged by from the tailed beasts' positive words concerning Naruto. He gave Naruto the [[Six Paths Yang Power]], [[Chakra#Six Paths Chakra|half his chakra]] and [[Six Paths Sage Mode]] to help him in this goal.
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[[File:Madara Attacked.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke strike Madara.]]
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When Naruto woke up, he had Obito send him back to the real world. There, he stopped Madara from killing Might Guy and used Hagoromo's power to stabilise Guy's life force from using the [[Eight Gates Released Formation]]. Surprised by Naruto's sudden increase in power, Madara was hit by Naruto's [[Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken]], which was fueled by Son Gokū's chakra and instantly cut down the giant tree Obito created earlier. When Sasuke arrived, Naruto entered [[Six Paths Sage Mode]] and they started overwhelming Madara. Realising his window was closing, Madara went after Kakashi and took his Mangekyō Sharingan, using it to follow Obito. Sakura appeared shortly afterward, sent by Obito so Madara wouldn't kill her. She could do nothing about Kakashi's eye, so Naruto used Hagoromo's power to restore the one he lost years ago.
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[[File:Clones vs Shadows.png|thumb|left|Naruto's clones facing Madara's clones.]]
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Madara soon returned, now having both his Rinnegan and Black Zetsu in control of Obito's body. Naruto and Sasuke immediately resumed their attack, but Madara had an easier time with them. He rose into the sky, raining [[Chibaku Tensei]] on them to keep them busy while he projected the [[Infinite Tsukuyomi]] on the world. While Naruto destroyed the remaining satellite-like constructs, Sasuke shielded him, Sakura, and Kakashi with Susanoo from the Infinite Tsukuyomi's gaze. He let them out once the illusion was finished casting and they emerged to find themselves alone, with the rest of the world being wrapped into Madara's [[God: Nativity of a World of Trees]]. As Madara confronted them and started explaining how he had saved the world, he was stabbed in the back by Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu then transferred to Madara's body from Obito's and forced him to absorb the world's chakra, converting him into a woman that Naruto and Sasuke recognised as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
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=== Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes ===
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{{Main|Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes}}
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Kaguya detected that Naruto and Sasuke as the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, and also that her son Hagoromo had given them the power to defeat her. Not wanting to further the damage the world that their fighting would cause, she [[Amenominaka|shifted]] them all to one of [[Kaguya's Dimension|her dimensions]], placing them above a sea of lava. Sasuke summoned his [[hawk]] [[Garuda]] to save himself and Naruto, but ignored Naruto's pleas to save Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito too since only he and Naruto were vital to the fight. Kakashi was able to briefly stop their fall, but the heat burned the scroll he used to save them and it was only Naruto's sudden discovery that he was able to levitate that saved them from the lava. He left a shadow clone to hold onto them and engaged Kaguya, creating an opening for Sasuke to attack.
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[[File:Kaguya Freezes Boys.png|thumb|Kaguya thwarts Naruto and Sasuke's sealing attempt.]]
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Sasuke's attack failed and Naruto must save him from the lava. With their attacks ineffective and the environment such a hazard, Naruto and Sasuke discussed what to do. Kaguya appeared behind them and paralysed them, binding them with Black Zetsu while she started absorbing their chakra. Black Zetsu took the opportunity to expand on the history earlier given by Hagoromo, painting Kaguya as the victim of her sons, Hagoromo and [[Hamura]]. Black Zetsu had for centuries been manipulating others toward the outcome of reviving her, and only then had it finally succeeded. It encouraged them to bask in the embrace of their oblivion, but Naruto refused, breaking himself and Sasuke free. Needing to take drastic action, Naruto used his "ultimate" jutsu: [[Sexy: Reverse Harem Technique]]. Kaguya was so distracted that she was nearly sealed, but she recomposed herself in time to shift dimensions again, freezing Naruto and Sasuke in place.
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[[File:Naruto Region Combo.png|thumb|left|Naruto overwhelms Kaguya with shadow clones.]]
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Because Naruto and Sasuke were only a threat to her when together, Kaguya [[Yomotsu Hirasaka|sent]] Sasuke to a different dimension while she focused on Naruto. While Kaguya manipulated the ice dimension against him, his shadow clone explained to Kakashi, Sakura, and the now-awake Obito that his and Sasuke's powers were both necessary to defeat her. Obito offered to use his Kamui to try and explore Kaguya's dimensions to find Sasuke. To give Obito an opening, Naruto used [[Naruto Region Combo]] to overwhelm Kaguya, forcing her to retreat to another dimension to get her bearings. When she did so, Obito infiltrated the dimension Kaguya went to with Sakura and the shadow clone. The shadow clone faced her so that she wouldn't notice them while they look for Sasuke. Kaguya returned to the ice dimension and resumed her fight with the army of Naruto's clones. He kept her preoccupied until Obito returned with Sasuke.
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[[File:Naruto Attacks Kaguya.png|thumb|Naruto separates Black Zetsu from Kaguya.]]
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Increasingly frustrated, Kaguya shifted them to another dimension with powerful gravity to immobilise Naruto and Sasuke while she attacked with her [[All-Killing Ash Bones]]. Kakashi and Obito used themselves to shield the attack, with Obito then using Kamui to protect Kakashi, leaving Obito unable to defend himself. Naruto tried to heal the damage to his body, but even Hagoromo's power couldn't save him. While Sasuke fought Kaguya, Obito thanked Naruto for reminding him of who he was and made him promise to become Hokage for both their sakes. Naruto agreed and Obito's body crumbled. Black Zetsu ridiculed Obito for living an insignificant life and dying an insignificant death. Enraged, Naruto severed Kaguya's arm, in the sleeve of which Black Zetsu had been hiding, and then pinned it to the ground with his Truth-Seeking Balls.
  +
  +
[[File:Kaguya's Defeat.png|thumb|left|Team 7 defeats Kaguya.]]
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Naruto and his shadow clones attacked Kaguya with [[Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken]]. On impact, the tailed beasts' chakra within her began reacting and Kaguya started losing control of her form. She was able to reconfigure herself and prepared an [[Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball]] to destroy them. Kakashi interfered, using Susanoo (a last gift from Obito) to make an opening for Naruto and Sasuke. She tried to escape, but Sakura punched her to keep her in place, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to trigger [[Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei]]. The tailed beasts were removed from her, Madara was spat out, and she was entombed in her own dimension. Not wanting Black Zetsu to scheme for her release again, Naruto made a point to trap it with her but not before telling it that a spoiled brat like it has no right to compare itself with the men and women who truly shaped shinobi history.
  +
  +
[[File:Minato leaving Naruto.png|thumb|Minato wishes happy birthday to Naruto.]]
  +
Team 7 wondered how they would return to their world. Sensing their need, Hagoromo combined the efforts of the dead Kage to summon them, the tailed beasts, and Madara back. Hagoromo thanked them for saving the world, as did the tailed beasts for saving them. Naruto happily greeted to his original Kurama, asking if it missed him, to which the flustered fox denied. After Madara died from his ordeal, Naruto met with Minato who, as day broke, wished him a happy seventeenth birthday. As Hagoromo returned Minato's and the souls of the other dead Kage to the [[Pure Land]], Minato voiced his pride in Naruto and promised to tell Kushina everything about him. The other Kage also gave words of parting, which Naruto tearfully accepted.
  +
  +
With all threats gone, Hagoromo explained that the Infinite Tsukuyomi could be released if Naruto and Sasuke combine their chakra. Sasuke agreed to this, but first he wanted to kill the Kage and destroy the tailed beasts, believing both were inhibitive to world peace. When he was unwilling to back down from his threat, the tailed beasts moved in to stop Sasuke, but he captured each in their own Chibaku Tensei. Hagoromo recognised that as a continuation of Indra's feud with Asura, but lacked the time and power to do anything about it. Sakura tried to reason with Sasuke, but he knocked her out and left. Naruto followed after him, promising to Hagoromo that he would bring him around and finally end the centuries-long feud.
  +
  +
[[File:Naruto vs. Sasuke begins.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke begin their rematch at the Valley of the End.]]
  +
Naruto and Sasuke ended up at the [[Valley of the End]], where they fought years ago. Sasuke stated his willingness to bear the world's burdens by himself and live independently of the past, neither of which Naruto believed were possible, or at least wise. He tells Sasuke it's impossible to do everything alone like he plans to, pointing to the missteps Itachi made and their own successful teamwork against Kaguya. Sasuke replies that he only wants to remake a better world, one where he can, like Itachi before, be solely responsible for the difficult decisions that must be made so that nobody else needs to; this is what he believes a true "Hokage" to be. Naruto insists he will be Hokage, not Sasuke, because Sasuke is still going against what Itachi wanted for him and they start fighting.
  +
  +
[[File:Kurama vs Susanoo.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke's attacks collide.]]
  +
After a brief exchange of blows reminiscent of their fight years ago, Naruto and Sasuke started trading punches with their Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo respectively. Sasuke chastised Naruto for not attacking with an intent to kill, but Naruto, like last time, was unwilling to do so, not wishing for either of them to go without the other. Naruto then clashed his Tailed Beast Ball with Sasuke's Susanoo-supported Chidori, producing a large explosion that does noticeable but not debilitating damage to their respective avatars. Each therefore powered up the avatars, Sasuke by channelling the captured tailed beasts into his Susanoo and Naruto by merging his avatar with the avatars of two shadow clones. The two met attacks once again, creating a giant explosion that stripped away their avatars and left them with too little chakra to use practically. They instead resorted to [[taijutsu]], kicking and punching each other into the night.
  +
  +
[[File:Sasuke Vs Naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke's final clash.]]
  +
As the two battled near exhaustion, Kurama mustered enough chakra for Naruto to make one last attack, but Sasuke [[Preta Path|absorbed]] it. Having expected this, Naruto delivered a solid punch, finally irritating Sasuke over the endless repetition of their fight. Kurama gave the last of its chakra to Naruto, who used it to make a Rasengan to counter Sasuke's Chidori. Both woke up later to find that much of the Valley of the End had been destroyed, that they had each lost an arm, and that neither could move. Sasuke reflected that Naruto had been a constant obstacle to his goals, but that he was also the only person who never given up on him. Naruto's usual response that they were friends didn't convince Sasuke since it obviously went beyond, so Naruto elaborated that he experienced pain if he didn't have Sasuke. Sasuke was awed, knowing full well that Naruto had experienced various misfortunes in his life, smiled through all of them, yet would suffer without Sasuke.
  +
  +
[[File:Naruto & Sasuke Wounded.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke reconnect.]]
  +
When they woke up the next day, Sasuke admitted defeat for the first time in his life, as he came to accept that Naruto was just as vital to him as he was to Naruto. Kakashi and Sakura eventually tracked them down and Sakura healed them, though she couldn't do anything about their missing arms. Once they were able to walk, they returned to where the Allied Shinobi Forces were all trapped still, dispelled the Infinite Tsukuyomi according to Hagoromo's instructions, and Sasuke released the tailed beasts. With the war over, Naruto returns to the village, where he attends a mass funeral for the participants of the war. In the anime, while recovering from his injuries, Gaara and A approach Naruto and thank him for his effort during the war. Shikamaru later brings Naruto to the Academy to meet with Iruka and Kakashi, who is considering on promoting Naruto as a jōnin. However, because he never got to retake the Chūnin Exams, Naruto has to complete two years worth of studies, much to his dismay. However, Naruto is cheered up as Iruka offers to help him.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 479</ref>
  +
  +
== Blank Period ==
  +
[[File:Parting Ways.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke part ways.]]
  +
Months after the war, Sasuke was pardoned for his crimes on the good word of Naruto and Kakashi (who had been selected to become the Sixth Hokage). Just before Sasuke left Konoha to wander the world, he was met by Naruto, who returned to him his [[forehead protector]].
  +
{{-L}}
  +
  +
=== Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky ===
  +
{{Main|Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky}}
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Nearly a year after the end of the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], Naruto and Sai were sent to the [[Land of Waves]] to capture [[Garyō]], leader of the [[Ryūha Armament Alliance]]. Once they located the Alliance's hideout, Naruto launched an assault with multiple shadow clones; although he was still missing an arm, he had learned how to perform one-handed [[hand seals]]. He easily dealt with most of the Alliance's members, but was briefly stalled by the [[Ice Release]] of Garyō's [[Kahyō|bodyguard]]. Naruto distracted the bodyguard with a shadow clone for long enough to apprehend Garyō. Garyō tried to convince Naruto that the Alliance was doing good work by releasing the world from money's corruptive influence. Although sympathetic, Naruto couldn't abide their terrorist actions and escaped with Garyō on Sai's [[Super Beast Imitating Drawing|bird]].
  +
  +
At some point within the next two months, Naruto received a prosthetic arm to replace the one he lost during the war. While eating at [[Ramen Ichiraku]] one day, he saw Kakashi walking by and asked him when he would officially take on the responsibilities of Hokage. He tried to convince Kakashi by listing the many shortcomings of Tsunade, unaware that she was standing behind him; she angrily knocked Naruto unconscious. Kakashi finally accepted the Hokage position shortly after the mission involving the Ryūha Armament Alliance and the [[Blood Prison]]. When Naruto learned about the mission, specifically that he was expressly forbidden from being informed about it at the time, Naruto started spreading rumours about Kakashi's relationship with the Blood Prison's new warden, [[Kahyō]]. Kakashi angrily attacked him and then bought him some ramen to apologise.
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=== Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness ===
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{{Main|Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness|Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness (Arc)|l1=Shikamaru Hiden (novel)|l2=Shikamaru Hiden (anime)}}
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Naruto ran into [[Shikamaru]] early one morning and they discussed their heavy workloads for the [[Shinobi Union]]. Since Naruto's assignments were given to him by Shikamaru, he took the opportunity to complain. Shikamaru explained that Naruto, a prime candidate for an eventual Hokage position, needed to get used to it. Naruto later discussed what Shikamaru had said with [[Sakura]], having sensed that there was something Shikamaru was keeping from him. Sakura reminded Naruto of all the work Shikamaru did to prepare Naruto for becoming Hokage and that it likely had something to do with that. Naruto was aware of all that Shikamaru did on his behalf, but wondered if he was worth Shikamaru's trouble.
  +
  +
A few days later, Naruto was approached by [[Temari]], who was worried about Shikamaru's recent behaviour and now asked where he was. Naruto didn't know, and was troubled to find that neither did [[Chōji]] or [[Ino]]. He finally asked Kakashi, who admitted under pressure that Shikamaru was on a secret assignment to the [[Land of Silence]]. Naruto joined Temari's team of [[Suna]] ninja to go to the Land of Silence to provide assistance to Shikamaru. They interrogated the locals upon arrival and learned that Shikamaru had been captured by the [[Enlightened Ones]]. They attacked the prison where Shikamaru was being held and successfully freed him, enabling him to complete his mission by taking the country's leader, [[Gengo]], into custody. Afterwards, Naruto demanded that Shikamaru never keep anything from him again, otherwise their future Hokage—advisor relationship would be very problematic. Shikamaru agreed and apologised. While Shikamaru returned to Konoha, Naruto and several other Konoha and Suna shinobi remain in the Land of Silence to help the country recover from Gengo's control.
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=== The Last: Naruto the Movie ===
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{{Main|The Last: Naruto the Movie}}
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[[File:Naruto vs puppets.png|thumb|Naruto vs. Toneri's puppets.]]
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During the [[Rinne Festival]], Naruto, being the hero of the village, was bombarded with gifts from various young Konoha residents. To distract Naruto from all the attention, [[Konohamaru]] invited him over to [[Hiruzen Sarutobi|his grandfather]]'s storage, where Naruto found a scarf that [[Kushina Uzumaki|his mother]] had knitted for him before she passed. He happily began wearing the scarf around the village, treating it as a precious memento. Naruto attempted to discuss his new-found attention to [[Hinata]] over ramen, but it made her uncomfortable and ran away with embarrassment, much to his confusion and leading him to chase after her. While looking for her, Naruto stumbled across a horde of [[Autonomous Puppet|puppets]] trying to abduct Hinata. After he rescued her, they were notified that Hinata's sister [[Hanabi]] was kidnapped by [[Toneri Ōtsutsuki]], and were assigned on a [[Hanabi Rescue Team|team]] to rescue her.
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  +
Kakashi informed the team of the imminent crashing of the [[moon]] onto the Earth, and asked that they do what they can to stop it in case Toneri was connected in any way. They followed Hanabi's trail and were led into a cave. While traveling through it, they were caught in [[Genjutsu Ball Trap|genjutsu]] formed from their own memories. From seeing events of his own past and some of Hinata's, Naruto was reminded of her feelings for him and realised that he felt the same way. Sakura released them from the genjutsu and they continued with the mission. After the team encountered the [[Gatekeeper]], Naruto noticed that Hinata was missing and left to find her, only to discover that she was in a conversation with a [[Puppet|disguised]] Toneri who he quickly defeated. Hinata wouldn't share what she discussed with the puppet, so Naruto vowed not to let her out of his sight again. They continued through the cave and eventually arrived in the moon's interior, which the team then split up to investigate the surrounding [[Ōtsutsuki clan|settlement]].
  +
  +
[[File:Naruto confesses to Hinata.png|thumb|left|Naruto confesses to Hinata.]]
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After the team regrouped, Naruto watched Hinata as she repaired her ruined scarf. She expressed her concerns that she wasn't doing enough to save her sister, so Naruto reassured her and also told her how he felt. Toneri appeared before she could respond, prompting Hinata to give Naruto the scarf and departed with Toneri. Naruto chased after them, believing Hinata was being taken against her will. When Hinata did not deny Toneri's statement about them getting married, Naruto became too shocked to react. Toneri attacked him, destroying the scarf and leaving him badly injured. After three days of around-the-clock medical attention from Sakura, he woke up. Naruto was distraught, believing there was no reason to go on if Hinata had chosen Toneri. Sakura reassured him that Hinata couldn't really have feelings for Toneri as she loved Naruto too much, and had a reason for doing what she did. As his strength returned, Naruto vowed he would save Hinata and for her to wait for him.
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[[File:Silver Wheel Reincarnation.png|thumb|Naruto fighting Toneri.]]
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The team soon infiltrated Toneri's castle and after [[Sage Mode|locating]] Hinata, Naruto went after her while the others rescued Hanabi. He arrived in time to interrupt Toneri's and Hinata's wedding ceremony. Toneri, who was [[Puppet-Cursing Sphere|controlling]] Hinata, had her attack Naruto, only for him to break his control and escape with her. Hinata led him to the [[Tenseigan (Energy Vessel)|Tenseigan]] that was controlling the moon's decent, which they individually tried to destroy to no success, but [[Gentle Wind Spiralling Twin Lion Fists: Snow White|together]] they succeeded. After regrouping with the others, Hinata gave Naruto a piece of the scarf she knitted for him, which he graciously accepted. The team then attempted to flee the castle, but a furious Toneri appeared and separated the group, which gave him the opportunity to recapture Hinata. During their intense fight, Naruto managed to overcome Toneri's [[Tenseigan Chakra Mode|new power]] and overwhelm him by concentrating all his chakra into his fist and defeated him with a single punch, freeing Hinata in the process.
  +
  +
[[File:Naruto and Hinata kiss.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Hinata kiss.]]
  +
Toneri tried one [[Puppet Reincarnation|final attack]], but was unable to control its power, leading to Naruto to intervene and save him from drifting out into space. Afterwards, Hinata informed Toneri of Hamura's actual decree and he, regretful about what he did, allowed the team to return home. As they were returning to Earth, Naruto reaffirmed his feelings for Hinata and stated that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, much to her happiness, and the two later shared their first kiss.
  +
  +
=== Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze ===
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{{Main|Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze}}
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While Naruto and Hinata were [[After The Last|out on a date]] in Konoha, they ran into Sakura. Sensing that Sakura was overworking herself, they invited her to join them, but she declined.
  +
  +
One day, while Naruto was teaching a class of [[Academy student]]s how to spar, he noticed Sakura, who was wandering around Konoha, looking distressed. Sensing that she needed a distraction, Naruto insisted that she help him, which took her mind off recent events. As thanks, Sakura informed Naruto of something she avoided telling him: there were rumours that Sasuke was trying to destroy Konoha. She didn't believe the rumours were true, but nobody had been able to get in touch with Sasuke to confirm. Naruto pointed out that Sasuke must not be worried by these rumours, otherwise he would respond to the messages he'd been sent. Sakura thought that was a good point and was put at ease.
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  +
When Naruto and Hinata later learned that Sakura had been kidnapped by [[Kido Tsumiki]], they joined with Kakashi in going to rescue her. On finding her, however, they discovered that she had already defeated Kido. They congratulated her on her victory.
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  +
=== Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding ===
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{{Main|Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding|Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding (Arc)|l1=Konoha Hiden (novel)|l2=Konoha Hiden (anime)}}
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[[File:Hinata & Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto and Hinata preparing to be wed.]]
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Naruto and Hinata decided to get married and invited their friends and family. Because his parents were dead, Naruto asked [[Iruka]] to attend as his father, which Iruka happily agreed to. On the day of the wedding, though, Naruto kept his real father in his thoughts, looking upon [[Minato]]'s face on the [[Hokage Rock]] with admiration as he and Hinata were about to walk down the aisle.
 
{{-}}
 
{{-}}
   
=== Invasion of Konoha Arc ===
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=== Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise ===
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{{Main|Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise|Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise (Arc)|l1=Sasuke Shinden (novel)|l2=Sasuke Shinden (anime)}}
Naruto was put to sleep when the invasion began, but was awakened by Sakura so that they could go after Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara in order to continue their fight. They caught up in time to stop Gaara from killing Sasuke. Intrigued by Naruto's abilities since his battle with Neji, Gaara forced him into battle by threatening to kill Sakura. With the power of the Shukaku, Gaara tried to prove his existence by killing Naruto by playing with him. Although Naruto could relate to Gaara's life as a jinchūriki, he was not willing to allow anything to happen to Sakura and Sasuke. With the Nine-Tails' chakra, he summoned Gamabunta, and fought Gaara, who by now had progressed to his [[Gaara's Jinchūriki Forms#Full Shukaku Form|full Shukaku form]].
 
  +
Naruto appears in the novel.
   
  +
== New Era: Part I ==
[[File:Naruto defeats gaara.png|thumb|left|Naruto defeats Gaara.]]
 
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[[File:Uzumaki Family.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Hinata raising their children.]]
Naruto was able to awaken Gaara from his technique and reseal Shukaku, and they exchanged final blows, with Naruto emerging the final blow. Both of them, being very exhausted, fell to the ground and Naruto crawled his way towards Gaara, who was shocked to see why Naruto was so strong. Naruto explained that he had also suffered a relentless lonely life, but was later saved by having friends. Gaara understood, and retreated with [[Kankurō]] and [[Temari]], while Naruto was returned back to [[Konohagakure]] with Sakura and Sasuke.
 
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Shortly after their wedding, Naruto and Hinata had [[Boruto|a son]], and two years later they had [[Himawari|a daughter]]. In the anime, over the years, Naruto was constantly busy, leading to him not taking the Chūnin Exams. Despite being a genin, Naruto was selected to succeed Kakashi and become the Seventh Hokage.<ref>''Boruto'' episode 48</ref> On the day of his inauguration, Boruto accidentally destroyed Himawari's toy, leading to Naruto stepping in to defend his son from Himawari's [[Gentle Fist]]-strike, but ended up taking the blow instead, rendering him unconscious. He ended up missing his own inauguration, forcing Konohamaru to [[Transformation Technique|impersonate him]] during the ceremony.<ref>''The Day Naruto Became Hokage''</ref> As Hokage, he hosted a [[Kage Summit]] in Konoha, in which Sasuke and Sakura attended alongside the four [[Kage]] and their bodyguards. During the meeting, Sasuke reported that a [[Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki|threat]] greater than Kaguya may still exist somewhere, which Naruto and the other Kage decided to keep the information between themselves to avoid causing a panic.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 700+5, pages 9-11</ref>
   
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=== Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust ===
Days passed, and Naruto and the rest of the shinobi came to a ceremony to respect the death of the [[Third Hokage]] and his sacrifice for the village.
 
  +
{{Main|Sasuke Retsuden|Sasuke Retsuden (manga)}}
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When Naruto became afflicted with an unknown illness, Sasuke decided to go to the [[Land of Redaku]] when learning of stories that the Sage of Six Paths had the same illness and found a cure there. Naruto tried to talk Sasuke out of it, but he ignored his pleas.
   
  +
Ultimately, Sasuke, with the help of Sakura and Kakashi, were able to find the cure, [[polar particles]]. Upon recovering, Naruto thanks his friends for their efforts
=== Search for Tsunade Arc ===
 
After the failed invasion resulted in the death of the Third Hokage, Jiraiya was tasked with finding a Fifth Hokage. He convinced Naruto to come with him by promising to teach him a new technique that would be stronger than Sasuke's [[Chidori]]. Along the way, they were met by [[Kisame Hoshigaki]] and [[Itachi Uchiha]], two members of [[Akatsuki]], who sought to capture Naruto for the Nine-Tails sealed within him. Jiraiya was able to draw them off, but Naruto was introduced to the organisation that would become more of a problem for him in Part II. To prepare him for their future encounters, Jiraiya taught him how to use the [[Rasengan]], a technique created by Minato. While Naruto was able to complete the first two steps of the learning process with little difficulty, he struggled to complete the third and thus master the technique.
 
   
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=== Academy Entrance Arc ===
Naruto and Jiraiya eventually found [[Tsunade]], the ideal candidate for the position of Fifth Hokage. When she turned down the offer, and insulted all those who had previously held the title, an angry Naruto challenged her to a fight and attacked her with an incomplete Rasengan. Although his effort failed to hit her, she was surprised by his progress and made a bet with him: if he could master the technique in a week, she would give him her [[First Hokage's Necklace|necklace]], but if he couldn't, she would take his money and his frog wallet, [[Gama-chan]]. Naruto agreed, and started practising, but in a week's time, he still had yet to finish the training. Disappointed, Tsunade met with Orochimaru, the murderer of the Third Hokage, and Naruto, Jiraiya, and [[Shizune]], Tsunade's assistant, tried to stop her from helping him.
 
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{{Main|Academy Entrance Arc}}
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[[File:Naruto welcoming Academy students.png|thumb|Naruto welcoming the Academy students.]]
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In the anime, Naruto partakes in the entrance ceremony at the Academy, which leads to him being mortified after Boruto arrives and damages the [[Hokage Rock]]. After the incident, Naruto learns from the [[Denki's Father|Kaminarimon Company president]] that Boruto is having a positive impact on his [[Denki Kaminarimon|son]], leading to Naruto smiling. Later, as a [[Nue|mysterious presence]] continues to cause people in the village to randomly attack the citizens, Naruto decides to begin an investigation, which uncovers that victims are having their chakra severely drained to the point of hospitalisation.
   
[[File:Attack! Fury of the Rasengan!.JPG|thumb|Naruto using the Rasengan for the first time on Kabuto.]]
+
[[File:Naruto and Hiashi talk.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Hiashi discuss Boruto's training.]]
  +
In the anime, as the mysterious attack began to happen throughout the village, Naruto's efforts to uncover the truth began to exhaust him and being insisted by Shikamaru to go home and rest. Upon arriving, he learned that Boruto was acting very strange recently. Once confronting his son about his new attitude, Boruto insisted that he had finally manifested his Byakugan, leading them to talk to [[Hiashi]]. Upon arriving at his household, Hiashi like Naruto had doubts that Boruto awakened the Byakugan. Deciding to test Boruto, Hanabi faces Boruto, which concluded that Boruto hadn't manifested the [[dōjutsu]]. Afterwards, Naruto talked with Hiashi about his grandchildren.
Tsunade turned out to have no intention of helping Orochimaru, and fought him and his assistant, [[Kabuto Yakushi]]. When Kabuto left her unable to fight, Naruto came to her aid. Although he was getting beaten by Kabuto and Tsunade told him to run, Naruto refused and by using shadow clones to help him form it, Naruto was able to hit Kabuto with a perfected Rasengan, defeating Kabuto and winning the bet. Amazed by his determination to keep to his word and to survive against a superior opponent, Tsunade gave him her necklace, drove off Orochimaru and Kabuto, and accepted the position of Fifth Hokage. They returned to Konoha, Tsunade confidently believing Naruto would someday become a great Hokage.
 
   
  +
After assigning Sai to investigate the attacks in the village, he returned home late, and confided in Hinata about his ineptitude in interacting with his children, believing it to stem from his growing up without parents. Sometime later, Naruto saved civilians at the Konoha Purification Plant. As Boruto decided to check on his hospitalised friends, realising that his son was conducting his own investigation on the attacks, Naruto dragged Boruto to the surgery room, showing his son what was becoming of the victims of prolonged rampages. While hoping to sway Boruto into staying out of this matter, it only strengthened Boruto's resolve. Shino then appeared, encouraging Naruto to have faith in his son as the teacher himself was recently saved by Boruto's efforts. While still weary, Naruto decided to trust Shino's judgement.
=== Land of Tea Arc ===
 
{{Main|Land of Tea Arc}}
 
   
  +
While having dinner with his family and [[Mitsuki]], Naruto abruptly departs to handle a matter involving strange chakra spreading across Konoha. Soon after, Sai discovered that the culprit behind these attacks was [[Sumire Kakei]]. Naruto learned from Kakashi that Sumire's intention was to unleash the [[Gozu Tennō]] on the village. Later, when Sai found Sumire, she unleashed the [[Nue]]. Naruto soon joined the unit to fend off the creature, but Kakashi warned Naruto to not get close, having realised that the endgame of this creature was to amass enough chakra to produce a powerful enough explosion to destroy the village. While the barrier team worked to keep the creature at bay, it suddenly teleported away. As Naruto attempted to find the creature with Sage Mode, Kakashi deduced that the creature worked differently from normal summonings, existing naturally in its own separate dimension.
=== Sasuke Retrieval Arc ===
 
After returning with Tsunade (in the anime, after returning from the mission in the Land of Tea), Sasuke began to fall into the corruption set in place for him by Orochimaru. He began lashing out at Sakura and Naruto, not as team-mates but as enemies, eventually defecting from Konoha in order to seek out Orochimaru for power. Under the escort of Orochimaru's [[Sound Four]], Sasuke left to join Orochimaru, and Naruto joined a [[Sasuke Retrieval Team|retrieval team]] that would bring him back; he also made a promise to Sakura that he will bring Sasuke back at all cost. While the other members of the team dealt with the Sound Four, Naruto finally engaged in a fight with the Sound Four's fifth member, [[Kimimaro]]. However, he was not able to beat him even with Nine Tails-enhanced shadow clones. When Naruto was about to be killed, he was saved by Rock Lee, who told him to continue the pursuit of Sasuke while he fought Kimimaro.
 
   
[[File:Naruto And Sasuke.PNG|thumb|left|Sasuke and Naruto face off.]]
+
[[File:Naruto meets up with Sasuke.png|thumb|Naruto meets up with Sasuke.]]
  +
Upon Sumire turning herself in, Sai and Shikamaru notified him that it's due to Boruto appealing to Sumire's genuine love of her friends in the Academy, making Naruto relieved that decided to admit her in the first place. Later, he informs Boruto that while he must look to the welfare of the entire village and does not have absolute say, he promises to help Sumire. Ultimately, it was decided to pardon Sumire and let her return to the Academy. Later, Naruto sent a clone to meet up with Sasuke, giving him the research on the [[Gozu Tennō]]. Sasuke quickly deduced that this was an attempt on Danzō to recreate Kaguya's technique. Before Sasuke departs, he asks Naruto to apologise to Sakura for his continued absence, leading to Naruto feeling responsible for.
Naruto finally caught up with Sasuke in a place called [[Valley of the End]], very near the border of the [[Land of Fire]] and the [[Land of Sound]], and fought Sasuke. With Sasuke determined that he would kill Naruto in his quest for power, Naruto decided he would have to take the battle seriously if he was to bring Sasuke back. When Sasuke's drive to kill proved greater than Naruto's resolve of friendship in a 'fair' fight, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra to level the playing field, allowing him to batter around Sasuke. Sasuke, pushed to his limits, managed to develop the mature Sharingan, greatly overpowering Naruto. When Naruto, even with the Nine-Tails' chakra, was defeated, he tapped into the chakra even more, and [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Version 1|a red aura]] of the Nine-Tails' chakra, in the shape of a fox, surrounded him. Sasuke then drew on the power of the second stage of his [[Cursed Seal of Heaven|cursed seal]] to properly compete with Naruto.
 
   
  +
=== Sarada Uchiha Arc ===
[[File:Parting Thumb HD.png|thumb|Naruto clashing with Sasuke.]]
 
  +
{{Main|Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring}}
The two had one final clash, Naruto with his [[Rasengan]] (enhanced by the Nine-Tails' chakra) and Sasuke with his [[Chidori]] (empowered by the cursed seal). Upon contact, a giant, black energy dome formed and surrounded them. In the dome, Sasuke struck Naruto in the stomach, while Naruto scratched Sasuke's headband, proving the latter's earlier taunt of the subject wrong. Sasuke won the fight, but after staring at the unconscious Naruto, he couldn't bring himself to kill his best friend, so he simply continued on his way to Orochimaru.
 
  +
[[File:Naruto and Boruto at Ichiraku Ramen.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Boruto having dinner at Ichiraku Ramen.]]
  +
In the anime, when Himawari became sick due to a fever, Naruto hurried home worried about her in which Boruto pointed out that his Hokage cloak is inside out. When Naruto and Boruto began fighting over what Himawari should eat, Hinata became angry and kicked them both out of the house due to them being noisy. Naruto then invited Boruto to eat with him at Ramen Ichiraku to try to bond with him in which he accepted. As they ate, Naruto told his son about all the precious memories he had in the shop, such as being acknowledged by Iruka, hanging out with Team 7, and going on his first [[After The Last|date]] with Hinata.
   
  +
On the day of the [[Five Kage Summit]] in Konoha, [[Moegi Kazamatsuri]] and [[Udon Ise]] notify Naruto that Boruto had vandalised the [[Hokage Rock]]. Before Boruto could do any more damage, Naruto catches and stops him. Afterwards, he gives his son a lecture about how the whole village is his family. The ordeal leads to Naruto arriving late to the kage meeting, which he apologies for.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 700</ref>
Kakashi and [[Pakkun]] didn't come in time to get Sasuke, and left with Naruto. In the hospital, Naruto vowed to Sakura that he would someday bring Sasuke home. Soon after, Jiraiya arrived suddenly, telling Naruto to train with him for three years prior. He also told him to give up on Sasuke, as he is no different from Orochimaru. Naruto accepts training with Jiraiya, but rejects to giving up Sasuke. In the manga, right after this, Naruto departs, but in the anime, he stays for a while, doing numerous filler arc missions.
 
   
  +
As Boruto's graduation exam from the [[Academy]] was approaching, Naruto used a shadow clone to help him train. Meanwhile, the real Naruto received a report from Sasuke about a [[Shin Uchiha (Clones)|boy]] with the Sharingan. After he consulted with Kakashi about it, Naruto decided to accompany Sasuke to a meeting with [[Orochimaru]], leaving behind a shadow clone to manage Konoha in his absence. He made a point to leave the village before Boruto could come to see him off, though he asked Shikamaru to apologise to Boruto on his behalf.
=== Pre-Shippūden Filler Arcs ===
 
  +
{{See also|Plot of Naruto}}
 
[[File:Departure (episode).JPG|thumb|left|Naruto sets off with Jiraiya.]]
+
[[File:Naruto Protects Kids.png|thumb|Naruto protecting Sarada and Chōchō from Shin's attack.]]
  +
While on his way to the rendezvous point, Naruto sensed that he was being followed by [[Sarada Uchiha]] and [[Chōchō Akimichi]]. He initially tried to ignore them, but eventually decided it would be better to confront them than to let them continue coming after him. When he arrived to speak with them, however, he found them being attacked by the same boy from Sasuke's report. Although he was pleased that they were able to hold their own against their attacker, Naruto decided to get personally involved when he saw the boy had a [[Mangekyō Sharingan]]. The boy could do nothing against Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, so he fled with a [[Sharingan Spying Creature|creature]]'s [[Shin Uchiha's Space–Time Dōjutsu|space–time ninjutsu]]. Because the boy was apparently after Sarada, Naruto allowed them to come with him so that he could keep them safe.
After the original ''Naruto'' anime had concluded the [[Sasuke Retrieval Arc]], to make sure the anime did not over take [[Part II]] of the manga, the makers instead animated several filler arcs to take place before Naruto left for his three year training with [[Jiraiya]]. Naruto is sent on various missions with the other members of the [[Konoha 11]], but while there is little character development for himself, the filler arcs tend to develop the supporting characters, as well as Gaara. The final filler arc was right before Naruto's departure with Jiraiya, though in the manga, this was right after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
 
  +
  +
[[File:Sarada & Naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto comforts Sarada.]]
  +
While having lunch, Naruto told Sarada about what her father was like growing up and then informed both Sarada and Chōchō in what ways they take after their parents. Sarada was not only interested to hear about Sasuke, but also found she got along quite well with Naruto. As they got close to where they were supposed to meet up with Sasuke, Sarada used the bathroom as an excuse to sneek away from Naruto and Chōchō so that she could see him first. Naruto followed, and, on arrival, was reprimanded by Sasuke for bringing children with him. Sarada explained that she came without permission, as she wanted to know if Sakura was her real mother. Sasuke ignored the question, which only upset her and caused her to storm out. Naruto tried to comfort her, but his assurances that Sasuke meant well did not improve her mood. Before he could continue, he sensed the boy's return and defended Sarada as the boy and his father, [[Shin Uchiha]], attack. Sasuke assisted in fighting off Shin and his son, but Shin was able to [[Object Manipulation Technique|manipulate]] Sasuke's sword and used it to stab Naruto. Naruto continued attacking Shin despite his injury, though tried to use being impaled by the sword to win sympathy; Kurama ridiculed Naruto for allowing himself to be stabbed at all, but assured him that it wouldn't kill him. Sakura suddenly arrived to lend assistance and landed a fatal blow on Shin, forcing Shin to escape and took Sakura with him. Unable to detect where Shin had taken Sakura, they continued to Orochimaru's lair. Orochimaru informed them that Shin was an old experiment of his that he since lost control of. Naruto noticed Sarada sneaking off with [[Suigetsu Hōzuki]] during Orochimaru's explanation and followed them, listening in as Suigetsu ran a DNA test that suggested Sarada's real mother was actually [[Karin]].
  +
  +
Not knowing what the truth was, Naruto was upset first with Sasuke for the secret he has seemingly been keeping, but also with Suigetsu for getting involved. He approached Sarada to discuss it with her, but she lashed out at him, believing he had been a knowing participant in the lie that Sakura was her mother. When she tried to insist that having no blood relation to Sakura meant they weren't family, Naruto took a firm stance: he wasn't related to most of Konoha's villagers, yet he still considered them his family because they were important to him. In the same way, Sakura and Sarada were family because they were important to each other. Sarada realised how much she loved Sakura and decided she wanted to help rescue her. They reunited with the others and head out for Shin's hideout.
  +
  +
[[File:Shin Vs Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto facing a Shin clone.]]
  +
Using Sasuke's [[Rinnegan]], they were able to reach where Shin took Sakura, only to find Sakura faring fine on her own fighting him. With the numbers against him growing, Shin called in his sons (actually his clones) to assist, but they turned against him and killed him because he always mistreated them. The clones then turned their attention to Naruto and the others, which Naruto engaged with his own shadow clones. Because they were only children, he frightened them into surrendering by manifesting Kurama. After learning that Sakura indeed was her biological mother, Sarada reconciled with her parents, much to Naruto's happiness. Then, they all returned to Konoha, with Shin's clones being delivered to the [[Konoha Orphanage]].
 
{{-}}
 
{{-}}
   
== Part II ==
+
=== School Trip Arc ===
  +
{{Main|School Trip Arc}}
{{See also|Plot of Naruto: Shippūden}}
 
  +
In the anime, to improve relationships with other villages and symbolically show the warring era was over, Naruto set up an official class trip for the Academy to go to Kirigakure. Working out the details with [[Chōjūrō]], he also got a tour guide for the class.
=== Kazekage Rescue Arc ===
 
[[File:Naruto Part II.jpg|thumb|Naruto in Part II.]]
 
When Naruto returned to Konoha, the remaining members of Team 7 were reorganised into Team Kakashi. As their first order of business, Kakashi gave them another bell test, this time the only goal being to take a bell, and that he would use his [[Sharingan]] against them. Although their abilities had improved, Naruto and Sakura were still unable to beat Kakashi, and it was only by threatening to spoil the end of the latest ''[[Icha Icha]]'' novel that they distracted Kakashi long enough to take the bells. Naruto reconnected with his old friends, who had all advanced to [[chūnin]]-rank or higher, and then heard that Gaara, the new [[Kazekage]], had been kidnapped by [[Akatsuki]]. Naruto and Team Kakashi set out for [[Sunagakure]] to save him.
 
   
  +
=== Graduation Exams Arc ===
Upon arrival in Sunagakure, [[Chiyo]] was added to Team Kakashi as an adviser, and they followed Akatsuki's trail. Along the way, they encountered a body-double of [[Itachi Uchiha]], which engaged them in battle. Kakashi and Naruto teamed up in order to defeat the lookalike, before continuing onto the Akatsuki lair. There, they found Gaara's body in the possession of [[Deidara]] and [[Sasori]]. When Deidara flew off with Gaara, Naruto and Kakashi pursued him, leaving Sasori to Chiyo and Sakura. While initially unable to catch Deidara, Kakashi was able to use his [[Mangekyō Sharingan]] to distract Deidara, giving Naruto an opportunity to attack him and retrieve Gaara. Deidara escaped, and Naruto and Kakashi reunited with Sakura and Chiyo.
 
  +
{{Main|Graduation Exams Arc}}
  +
[[File:Naruto training Konoha-nin.png|thumb|left|Naruto training with Konoha-nin.]]
  +
In the anime, as Academy classes began preparing for the graduation exams, the various students were interviewed about their future goals alongside a parent. Naruto however was unable to join his son as he was busy discussing matters with Orochimaru about his research on Danzō's old experiments. As Orochimaru delivered promising results to aid Sasuke in his own investigations, while Shikamaru voiced his still limited trust in Orochimaru, Naruto was more relaxed about Orochimaru roaming the village.
   
  +
On Boruto's first day as a genin, Naruto managed to get some time to have breakfast with his family and see Boruto off to be assigned his team. After Boruto left, Shikamaru went to Naruto's house to collect him and inform him of his various duties for the day. Later on, Naruto was in a field testing a number of shinobi's skills in [[Barrier Ninjutsu]] to better protect the village with [[Mirai Sarutobi]] as his escort for the day. When Boruto and his teammates came to him, he was thinking that they want to change teams, but was pleasantly surprised when instead they want their team denomination to be changed to Team 7.
[[File:Naruto saves Gaara.png|thumb|left|Gaara awakens, with Naruto by his side.]]
 
Although Sakura tried to heal Gaara, he had already died, a casualty of Akatsuki's [[Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals|tailed beast extraction-process]]. Angered that Gaara had died because he was a jinchūriki, something he had never asked for and had suffered because of his whole life, Naruto lashed out at Chiyo, the one who had sealed [[Shukaku]] into Gaara in the first place. To make up for what she had done, Chiyo, with the help of Naruto, restored Gaara back to life, at the cost of her own. Gaara awakened surrounded by his rescue party and the ninja from Sunagakure. After Chiyo's funeral, Naruto and Gaara finally shake hands (Gaara insisting), as a sign to their close relationship. Afterwards, [[Team Kakashi]] and [[Team Guy]] returned to Konoha.
 
   
=== Sai and Sasuke Arc ===
+
=== Genin Mission Arc ===
  +
{{Main|Genin Mission Arc}}
[[File:Team Yamato.PNG|thumb|The reborn Team Kakashi.]]
 
  +
In the anime, as the recently promoted genin began to prepare for their first missions, Naruto prepared to present them, as it was customary. While Boruto began bragging about how easy it will, Naruto sternly warned him not to be so cocky. He presented Team 7 with a D-rank mission to aid the Green Banks Village who were being attacked by bandits for their crops. Naruto stressed that the team show team-work to complete the mission.
During Sakura's battle with Sasori, she learned of a spy in Orochimaru's inner circle, an opportunity for them to find Sasuke after his years of absence. Kakashi was left hospitalised from overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan, so [[Yamato]] was assigned to lead Team Kakashi in his place. [[Sai]] was also added to the team as Sasuke's replacement, but neither Naruto nor Sakura were able to accept him as such.
 
   
  +
=== Byakuya Gang Arc ===
In route to the meeting place with the spy, Yamato tried to get the team to work together, although Sai's personality and disdain for his predecessor caused only conflict amongst the team. When they arrived at the meeting spot, they found that the spy was Kabuto. Yamato, disguised as Sasori, spoke with him, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Orochimaru. Kabuto, in turn, turned against Yamato, who was forced to call Naruto and the others for back-up. Surprised to see Naruto, Orochimaru wondered aloud if Naruto had become as strong as "his Sasuke". Enraged that Orochimaru had spoken as if Sasuke belonged to him, Naruto entered his [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Version 1|three-tailed form]], and attacked him.
 
  +
{{Main|Byakuya Gang Arc}}
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[[File:Naruto Quelling Crowd.png|thumb|Naruto quelling the protest.]]
  +
In the anime, when the [[Byakuya Gang]] began conducting heists throughout Konoha, their act of distributing their stolen wealth to the poor began gaining much support from many of the villagers, leading to a protest breaking out after the group fooled the villages into believing the Kaminarimon Company was corrupt. After shinobi determined that the leaders of the protest were being manipulated by [[Genjutsu Cursed Seal|genjutsu]] and freed them, Naruto and his clones appeared before the crowds and began quelling them with his speech. Straight after, Naruto headed towards the Land of Fire's border where he apprehended [[Gekkō]], who had used the riots as a distraction to steal the [[Magnum Opus]] from the [[Ninjutsu Research Centre]].
   
  +
=== Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day ===
While a fair match, Orochimaru was able to evade Naruto's attacks. Further provoked by his inability to land a debilitating blow, Naruto advanced to his [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Version 2|four-tailed form]], losing his sense of self in his anger. Now a danger to Orochimaru, Naruto was forced back so that he could switch targets, his first being Sakura. Yamato restrained him before he could do any real harm, and forced the Nine-Tails' influence to recede. When he woke up, they found that Sai had joined up with Orochimaru. They followed him in the hopes that he would lead them to Sasuke, and to see what he was up to. During a break, Yamato took Naruto aside, and told him of how he had attacked Sakura, encouraging him not to rely on the Nine-Tails if he really wanted to protect those close to him.
 
  +
{{Main|Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day|Parent and Child Day Arc}}
  +
{{arc order note|anime|after|Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc}}
  +
[[File:Hima and Naruto playing.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Himawari spending Parent and Child Day together.]]
  +
After announcing [[Parent and Child Day]], Shikamaru took care of Naruto's paperwork, allowing him to spend time with Himawari. Despite being sleep deprived, Naruto accepted his daughter's wish and began searching for a Kurama doll with her. After being joined by Kiba during their unsuccessful search, he bought Himawari a Shukaku doll, to which she enjoyed. Later, with Himawari going to bed with Hinata, Naruto approached Boruto and apologised for not having spent any time during the holiday with his son. He gave Boruto a custom shuriken as a present and the two decided to spend the remainder of the evening training together.
  +
{{-L}}
   
  +
=== Versus Momoshiki Arc ===
When they arrived at Orochimaru's hideout, they infiltrated the lair, and captured Sai. Exposed, Sai revealed that his superiors had sent him to help organise another invasion of Konoha. He was restrained for his treachery, while the others went looking for Sasuke. Sai, having earlier met Sasuke, asked why Naruto was so determined to bring him back. Naruto explained that the two had a bond that couldn't be broken, and that he would risk his life to protect this bond. Intrigued, Sai switched sides, helping them to capture Kabuto and then scouring the base in order to reunite Sasuke with Naruto. He succeeded, but was attacked by Sasuke, the magnitude of which drew the rest of Team Yamato to their location.
 
  +
{{Main|Boruto: Naruto the Movie|Versus Momoshiki Arc}}
  +
In the anime, on the day of Boruto's birthday, work got in the way, making him unable to attend, instead only arriving home late at night with only a birthday present as an apology. Later, as more investigations to the workings of Kaguya continued, a third Ōtsutsuki clan ruin tied to her was found. Determined to find out all he could, Naruto prepared to investigate it personally. One the way out, Naruto was approached by his son, demanding that his father promised he would show up for Himawari's birthday that was coming up, which he did.
   
[[File:Sasuke Draws Chokuto.png|thumb|left|Sasuke draws his blade on Naruto.]]
+
[[File:Naruto exhausted.png|thumb|Naruto exhausted from overusing his clones.]]
  +
Later, Naruto remained busy with his Hokage duties and continued having a strained relationship with his son, Boruto. Konoha has grown into a large city under Naruto's leadership, although Naruto is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being Hokage, leading him to create shadow clones to tend to his family and the villagers. When Boruto and his [[Team Konohamaru|team]] report to Naruto after a mission, Naruto asked his son to address him as "the Seventh" instead of "Dad," and reminded him of the importance of teamwork, which annoyed his son, as he believed that he could handle anything on his own. Boruto warned his father to be home for Himawari's birthday party or else he will never forgive him. [[Katasuke Tōno]] then entered his office, requesting permission from Naruto to allow participants of the upcoming Chūnin Exams to use his new invention, the [[Kote]]. However Naruto refused on the grounds that it did not show one's true abilities as a shinobi. Naruto was unable to make it to his daughter's birthday party and sent a shadow clone instead. However, the clone ended up disappearing and dropping the cake when Naruto became fatigued, which enraged Boruto and caused him to throw Naruto's old, tattered jacket out the window. Naruto felt guilty for letting his family down and Shikamaru told him to go home and rest. The jacket was found by Sasuke, who returned to Konoha to ask for help in deciphering a scroll he found in Kaguya's abandoned castle. They met in Naruto's office where Sasuke mentioned his meeting with Boruto and this leads to them making a bet on whether the nature of a shinobi has changed in regards to Boruto, to which Sasuke says it hasn't and Naruto says it has.
Together again, Naruto and Sakura tried to convince Sasuke to come home. Still determined to gain power, he refused, prompting the team to use force. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and Naruto, who was exhausted from his fight with Orochimaru in his four-tailed form, wasn't able to compete with Sasuke's growth. Within his subconscious, the Nine-Tails began to offer Naruto its chakra, but he firmly rejected its assistance. The Nine-Tails became contemptuous at Naruto, mocking him that if it wasn't for its power, he would be nothing. It then tempted Naruto to break the seal so it can "grant" him all of its power, but he still refused. However, before their quarrel could escalate any further, Sasuke with his Sharingan activated, suddenly appeared within Naruto's subconscious, which surprised both Naruto and the Nine-Tails. As the Nine-Tails stated that Sasuke had similar chakra to [[Madara Uchiha]], Sasuke used his Sharingan to suppress the beast's residual chakra. The Nine-Tails concluded that this was probably its last meeting with Sasuke, so it warned him not to kill Naruto, for he would only end up regretting it. Back in the real world, Sasuke tried to finish off his former team-mates, but he was stopped by Orochimaru and they retreated, leaving Team Yamato to return home.
 
   
  +
[[File:Naruto exposes Boruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto exposes Boruto's cheating at the Chūnin Exams.]]
=== Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc ===
 
  +
Naruto wasn't surprised when Boruto won the first test but after being advised by Shikamaru to reach out to Boruto, Naruto congratulated him via email, much to Boruto's annoyance. While the scroll was being deciphered, Naruto sent a clone to meet up with Sasuke and asked him if it was true that he was training Boruto. Naruto said that perhaps Sasuke was right concerning the nature of shinobi remaining the same, to which Sasuke agrees. Naruto was nervous about the outcome of the second test but after learning Boruto passed, Naruto was overjoyed. Later, he met with Boruto in his bedroom and personally congratulated him and told him not to lose against Shikadai. Naruto offered a fist bump, but Boruto only smiled as he didn't want his father to discover the Kote he was wearing. For the third test, Naruto chose to sit with Hinata and Himawari rather than with the other Kage as they watched Boruto fight in the third round and finally against [[Shikadai Nara]]. Near the end, Naruto suspected something was wrong after Boruto won. In the anime, he did not realise anything was amiss until Boruto's next match in the finals when he defeated [[Shinki]]. He asked Hinata to use her Byakugan and she noticed Boruto wearing a Kote (in the anime he realised the truth on his own). Realising that Boruto was using the exam-forbidden tool to advance his techniques, a disappointed Naruto confronted him in the arena, ordered that Boruto be disqualified from the exam and took Boruto's forehead protector from him, suspending his ninja status. He told Boruto they would talk about this at home, but Boruto lashed out at him that Naruto doesn't know how to give him a lecture when he's never home.
{{Main|Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc}}
 
   
  +
[[File:Naruto Captured.png|thumb|Naruto captured by Momoshiki.]]
=== Hidan and Kakuzu Arc ===
 
  +
Suddenly, [[Momoshiki]] and [[Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki]] appear and began attacking the arena. Naruto is knocked out of the arena by Momoshiki but he rushes back to defend his son when he is in danger and is shortly joined by Sasuke and Sarada. Sasuke informed Naruto that the two enemies are the new threat written about in the scroll. Naruto realises he is their target and demands to know what they want. After Momoshiki reveals he wanted Kaguya's chakra, and eventually Kurama's from the Seventh Hokage, Naruto and Sasuke combine Kurama and Susanoo to shield themselves and their children from the enemies' attacks. Naruto also dispatches shadow clones to protect civilians that hadn't managed to flee from the arena. Determined to protect his son and friends, Naruto ultimately decides to allow himself to be captured in Momoshiki's jutsu and asks Sasuke to take care of Boruto for him. Just before Naruto disappears, he looks over his shoulder and offers his son one last smile. Naruto was teleported to another dimension and bound by Momoshiki and Kinshiki to a God Tree. Naruto resisted as Momoshiki extracted half of Kurama's chakra from inside Naruto. The two debated the merits of instant strength and earned strength, causing Naruto to realise his own lack of effort in trying to understand Boruto, which is what drove him to cheat with the Shinobi Gauntlet. During the ordeal, Sasuke, Boruto, and the other Kage arrived to rescue him.
Kakashi, hoping to make Naruto better prepared for his next encounter with Sasuke, trained him to create a new [[Wind Release|wind-based]] technique. In the anime, this training began before, and continued throughout, the Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc, with Naruto seeking assistance from Asuma and Sora, two other wind chakra users. Kakashi had Naruto train with shadow clones to master wind manipulation in only a fraction of the time. When he did this, Kakashi left him with the task of combining what he had learned with the Rasengan. He explained that infusing one's chakra nature with the Rasengan was what Minato had intended to do when he created the Rasengan, but had not been able to do so before he died. Kakashi believed Naruto would prove successful where his father could not, inspiring Naruto to do his best.
 
   
[[File:Kakuzu Finishing Blow.jpg|thumb|Naruto striking Kakuzu with his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.]]
+
[[File:Kurama Vs Golem.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke fighting Momoshiki's techniques.]]
  +
Naruto, surprised to see Boruto wearing his old jacket, told his son that it was like looking at one of his shadow clones. When he tried to apologise to Boruto for not being there for him, Boruto replied that it was alright and he just wants to hear more about Naruto's past. After the other Kage failed to defeat Kinshiki, and the latter was absorbed by Momoshiki, Naruto and Sasuke joined forces to fight him and initially gained the upper hand until Naruto was briefly imprisoned by boulders and Sasuke was severely burned by Momoshiki's [[Lava Release]]. Naruto became enraged upon seeing Sasuke injured but was relieved to find he was all right and still able to fight after being healed by Kurama's chakra. By once again combining Kurama and Susanoo, they managed to defeat Momoshiki and cut his lava creature in half, but Katasuke rushed in and began firing ninjutsu attacks from his Kote at Momoshiki, which he absorbed and used to attack Naruto and the others. Naruto is restrained by black rods while Momoshiki prepares to eliminate the rest of the Kage. When Boruto used his [[Vanishing Rasengan]] against Momoshiki to free his father and the other Kage, Naruto was greatly surprised to find that his son was able to use the Rasengan. As they prepare their final assault, Naruto helps Boruto to create a [[Parent and Child Rasengan]], which Boruto himself unleashes upon Momoshiki and ultimately kills him.
While he struggled to create his new Rasengan, the rest of Konoha mobilised to deal with the Akatsuki members, [[Hidan]] and [[Kakuzu]]. When the two managed to kill Asuma, Kakashi left Yamato in charge of overseeing Naruto's training so that he could help [[Team 10]] avenge Asuma. Once he achieved a usable technique, Naruto and Team Yamato went to provide assistance, arriving in time to save Kakashi and Team 10 from Kakuzu. Naruto engaged Kakuzu by himself with his [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]], created with the help of shadow clones. Once striking Kakuzu with the attack, two of his hearts were destroyed, and his final heart was left on the brink of failure. Tired out by the ordeal, Naruto's injuries were healed while Kakashi finished off Kakuzu.
 
   
  +
[[File:Naruto and Boruto fist bump.png|thumb|Naruto and Boruto reconcile.]]
Upon returning to Konoha, Naruto was forbidden by Tsunade to use the Rasenshuriken again. While it was devastating to his opponents, it caused minor injuries to Naruto's arm as well. Even though they weren't as bad as his opponent's injuries, it was harmful enough to cause the arm to be beyond medical repair if performed again with contact of his hand and the opponent, endangering him and his hopes of remaining a ninja. Naruto said that he realised this, but claimed he understood his own body better than anyone else.
 
  +
After the battle ends, Naruto sits with Sasuke and Naruto agrees Sasuke won their bet. Naruto proudly looked on at his son and stated that he would always be there to watch Boruto grow as his father. After returning home, Naruto posed for a photograph with Boruto, Sasuke, and the four other Kage. In the anime, Naruto hosted a shared birthday party for Boruto and Himawari as an apology for his actions during Himawari's actual birthday and brought home a cake for the family to eat. After Boruto punched Naruto, thinking it was a shadow clone, Naruto began scolding him, while Himawari asked for a piggy back ride. Hinata maintained order by threatening to throw the cake away. The next morning, as Boruto left to meet with his team and Naruto left to go to work, both wished each other to do their best and bumped fists with each other. While Boruto was giving a live interview on Konoha TV, Naruto watches it proudly from his desk.
   
=== Three-Tails Arc ===
+
=== Chōchō Arc ===
{{Main|Three-Tails Arc}}
+
{{Main|Chōchō Arc}}
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In the anime, when the two [[Ashina|lead]] [[Tomaru|actors]] of a popular TV drama received a death threat, Naruto assigned Team 7 and Team 10 to protect them.
   
=== Itachi Pursuit Arc ===
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=== Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc ===
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{{Main|Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc}}
After news of Orochimaru's defeat at the hands of Sasuke, Team Kakashi decided to make another attempt to find him. Knowing that Sasuke was going after his older brother, [[Itachi]], they teamed up with the members of Team 8 to find either of the Uchiha brothers. They scoured the landscape, and eventually encountered Kabuto, who had absorbed some of Orochimaru's remains into his body. As his thanks to Naruto for "inspiring" him to overcome Orochimaru, Kabuto gave him a book containing some information on Akatsuki, while making an escape to avoid capture.
 
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In the anime, when [[Saō|two]] [[Uō|guards]] were attacked by [[Kokuyō|unknown]] [[Sekiei|assailants]], the village was put on lockdown. Naruto and his advisers then oversaw Ino probe Uō's mind for answers, learning that [[Mitsuki]] had left willingly with the attackers. When Naruto revealed to the others Mitsuki was in fact Orochimaru's son, much outrage followed, prompting Naruto to give his rational on why he accepted Mitsuki into Konoha. Later, Naruto was informed that Boruto and Sarada left the village to find Mitsuki, leading to him dispatching [[Team 10 (Moegi)|Team 10]] to retrieve the pair. When Naruto learned that the attackers were on route to the [[Land of Earth]], he contacted [[Kurotsuchi]], who promised to investigate the matter herself and return the Konoha genin pursing Mitsuki. While discussing Mitsuki's apparent betrayal, Konohamaru insisted he be the one to bring his student back, which Naruto reluctantly agreed to. Naruto later attempted to contact Kurotsuchi, but was told she wasn't available, leading to him becoming suspicious something was happening in [[Iwagakure]].
   
[[File:Itachi's Genjutsu.PNG|thumb|left|Naruto caught in Itachi's genjutsu.]]
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[[File:Ōnoki's Funeral.png|thumb|left|Naruto attending Ōnoki's funeral.]]
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Later, Naruto's fears were proven correct when Shikadai contacted his father via phone, revealing that Iwagakure was taken over as part of a plan by Ōnoki. Knowing that they couldn't act hastily, Naruto talks with the other officials and decided that he would join Shikamaru in meeting with the other daimyō to get their support on engaging this personal matter. After getting approval, Naruto and an escort moved out, and allowed his son's peers to come with him. Upon arriving at the batted village, Naruto applauded Konohamaru's work during the Iwa's internal struggle. Naruto stayed in the village and attended Ōnoki's funeral, prompting him to say the [[Tsuchikage]] left behind a grand legacy and lesson about perseverance. After returning to the village, while personally applauding Boruto and Sarada for loyally supporting Mitsuki, whose own efforts were revealed to have saved Iwa, he still was reluctantly forced to strip the Team 7 genin of their shinobi status as punishment for deserting the village. Later, Kurotsuchi's gratitude and recommendation convinced Naruto to reinstate them.
After regrouping and [[Kiba]] picked up on Sasuke's trail, Naruto used a number of shadow clones to search the area faster. When one of his clones neared what he thought was Sasuke's location, he found Itachi there instead. Itachi repelled all of Naruto's attempts to attack him, insisting that he only wanted to talk. He trapped Naruto in a [[Dusk Crow Genjutsu|genjutsu]] and, as was later revealed, questioned Naruto on his dedication to Sasuke and to Konoha. When Naruto insisted that he would protect both at any cost, Itachi gave Naruto [[Kotoamatsukami|some of his power]] sealed inside a [[Itachi's Crow|crow]] in case he ever needed it. Itachi left, and Naruto continued his search, eventually finding Sasuke.<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 403 pages 2-10</ref>
 
   
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=== Konohamaru's Love Arc ===
When the real Naruto and the rest of the team moved to intercept him, they were stopped by [[Tobi]]. Despite their efforts to quickly dispose of Tobi, none of their attacks worked, and it was only after word reached them that Sasuke had killed Itachi that they were allowed to continue. Tobi, however, reached Sasuke first, and having lost the trail, the Konoha-nin were forced to give up on the search.
 
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{{Main|Konohamaru's Love Arc}}
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In the anime, due to Konohamaru spying on [[Asaki]], a complaint was filed against him, prompting Naruto to place him under house arrest.
   
=== Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc ===
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=== One-Tail Escort Arc ===
{{Main|Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc}}
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{{Main|One-Tail Escort Arc}}
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[[File:Biju Conference.png|thumb|Naruto meets with the tailed beasts to discuss Urashiki.]]
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In the anime, after Sai delivered a sealed [[Shukaku]] in a tea kettle to Naruto as a result of Gaara being unable to protect it in the [[Land of Wind]] from [[Urashiki Ōtsutsuki]], Shukaku explained it only made it to Konoha due to Boruto acting as a decoy against their pursuer. Informing Shikamaru he was going to the scene, Sasuke approached the pair and told him that wasn't necessary, as Sasuke had earlier protected Boruto and forced Urashiki to retreat. Three days later, Naruto and Gaara discussed the incident in his office. Afterwards, Naruto had a Shadow Clone see the Kazekage off at the Thunder Rail station. Some time later, Naruto brought Shukaku to his house until an official safe house was decided on. Later that evening, Naruto had a telepathic meeting with some of the other tailed beasts to discuss how to handle being targeted. As a result of guarding Shukaku, Naruto got to spend time with his family, before escorting Shukaku to his safe house.
   
=== Invasion of Pain Arc ===
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=== Time Slip Arc ===
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{{Main|Time Slip Arc}}
[[File:Naruto after Jiraiya's death.png|thumb|Naruto mourning Jiraiya's death.]]
 
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[[File:Young Naruto and Boruto.png|thumb|left|A young Naruto and Boruto discussing Boruto's father.]]
When he returned to Konoha, Naruto learned that Jiraiya had died in his battle with the leader of Akatsuki, [[Pain]]. Grief stricken, Naruto spent the rest of the day mourning the loss of his teacher, musing over the fact he had wanted Jiraiya to be there when he became Hokage. After being comforted by [[Iruka]] and [[Shikamaru]], Naruto helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message. When the code was broken, Naruto decided to go to train with the toads to learn [[senjutsu]], knowing that Pain was coming for him and deciding to make the most of the time Jiraiya had bought for him. To learn senjutsu, Naruto trained to harmonise with nature, a process he sped up by using a limited amount of shadow clones. He rapidly progressed through the introductory stages and attained a perfect [[Sage Mode]], something Jiraiya had never been able to do. When news of Pain's attack on Konoha reached them, they began to mobilise for battle.
 
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In the anime, Naruto was notified that Urashiki was on the move again, being even more indiscriminate in his stealing of chakra. While pleased that all of the Five Great Shinobi Nations were on alert and willing to share all intel on Urashiki, Shikamaru voiced his concern about Mirai's sudden disappearance and also wondered what their enemy true goal was for gathering chakra. Later, Naruto decided to have the genin test new surveillance equipment designed to follow their location. During the field test, Urashiki was spotted in the area. This prompted most of the Konoha-nin in the village to engage, while Shikamaru stayed in the Hokage Office to help protect Naruto. Urashiki managed to get hold of a device that allowed him to travel into the past, prompting Sasuke and Boruto being sent back alongside him to the time period shortly after Sasuke's defection. A teenage Naruto and Jiraiya encountered the pair, who were disguising their identities and their occupations as travelling performers. As they were foreigners, Tsunade has Naruto and Jiraiya look over them. Spending time with Boruto, Naruto allowed him to sleep at his apartment, where Boruto vaguely talked about his father, speaking about both his feats and his flaws, where Naruto was intrigued to hear about, noting that Boruto enjoyed talking about his family, and inquired Boruto if he hated his father, to which Boruto denied.
   
[[File:Naruto and Fukasaku.png|thumb|left|Naruto arrives to fight Pain.]]
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[[File:Boruto training with Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto training with Boruto.]]
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The day after cleaning up a bathhouse together, Urashiki targeted Naruto. Failing at extracting Kurama's chakra, Urashiki instead captured him and trapped Boruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya in a rock prison before retreating. Using a cave for a hideout, Urashiki forced Naruto's seal to emerge and used his chakra in an attempt to forcibly extract Kurama' chakra from within Naruto. Urashiki's actions caused Kurama's chakra to leak out, forcing Naruto to undergo his [[Jinchūriki Forms|Version 1]] transformation. Arriving to rescue Naruto, Boruto attempted to reason with his father, but Naruto had since completely lost his common sense and attacked Boruto. Jiraiya managed to subdue the Nine-Tails' chakra with a seal, and Sasuke forced Urashiki to retreat. Afterwards, Jiraiya offered to train Naruto and Boruto to prepare them for Urashiki. The following day, Naruto began working with Boruto to synchronise their chakra to create a new cooperation ninjutsu under Jiraiya's guidance. After Boruto left to clear his head, Sasuke approached Naruto with food from Jiraiya, and told Naruto about how "a friend" struggled for years to help him after he lost his way, but never gave up until finally succeeding, which renewed Naruto's conviction.
As Naruto (in Sage Mode), [[Fukasaku]], [[Gamaken]], [[Gamahiro]], [[Gamabunta]], and [[Gamakichi]] were summoned to the centre of Konoha, Naruto did not immediately recognise the crater he had been summoned to, but then saw the [[Hokage Monument]] in the distance. Realising that Pain had destroyed the village, an infuriated Naruto destroyed Pain's [[Asura Path (character)|Asura Path]] with a Rasengan before it could attack Tsunade. Naruto told the Hokage to make sure that none of the other villagers would intervene in the battle. Pain's [[Second Animal Path (character)|Animal Path]] summoned a number of animals to attack Naruto, who used the Sage Mode's immense strength to bat them aside to his toad allies. While they dealt with the summons, Naruto disposed of the [[Preta Path (character)|Preta Path]] with [[Frog Kata]] before preparing the fruits of his senjutsu training: a perfected Rasenshuriken. He hurled the attack at Pain's remaining bodies, and it expanded when it neared them, disintegrating the [[Human Path (character)|Human Path]]. Running low on chakra because of the attack, Naruto had Gamabunta trap the Animal Path in his mouth, where Naruto defeated it with his [[Sage Technique: Spiralling Serial Spheres]] without interference from the other bodies.
 
   
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Continuing his training the next day, the pair were approached by Sakura, who had found Sasuke's note from the future, and questioned why it Sasuke's name on it before shortly leaving with an answer. Naruto and Boruto resumed their training, which ultimately left them exhausted. They were then approached again by Urashiki, who subdued the pair. Jiraiya and Sasuke joined the fight. Deciding the foe's newest technique was too dangerous, Sasuke tackled himself and Urashiki over the ledge and into a river to let his allies escape. While tending to Jiraiya's wounds, the group tried to figure out how to deal with Urashiki. Boruto realised that in the fight, the blood splattered on Urashiki was drying much faster than Boruto's. After engaging the foe again to test a theory, they concluded that Urashiki's technique lets him [[Temporal Rewind|warp into the past]] by several seconds, giving him a pseudo-clairvoyance from his experiences. Urashiki attacked the Konoha-nin again, where Jiraiya contained everyone in his [[Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind]]. During which, Naruto unleashed a continued barrage of clones on Urashiki. While he easily countered the assault with his technique, Urashiki inadvertently poisoned himself from the acidic vapours of the great toad's belly far sooner than the Konoha-nin due to his repeated time-warp. Once Jiraiya released the summoning, Naruto and Boruto then proceeded to knockout Urashiki with a [[Rasengan]] assault.
[[File:Naruto pin down.png|thumb|Naruto pinned down by Pain.]]
 
When he ran out of [[natural energy]] and was no longer in Sage Mode, Naruto had Fukasaku summon one of his shadow clones from [[Mount Myōboku]] that gathered it for him. Revitalised, Naruto attacked with another Rasenshuriken, only for the Preta Path to appear and absorb the attack. Realising that the [[Naraka Path (character)|Naraka Path]] had restored it, Naruto focused his efforts on getting rid of it by distracting the Deva Path with a smokescreen, and landing a great blow on the Naraka Path. Though he had defeated four of Pain's six bodies, Naruto was captured through a combination of efforts from both the Deva and Preta Paths. The Preta Path absorbed his chakra to make sure he was no longer a threat, but being unable to handle natural energy, the Preta Path turned into a frog statue, allowing Naruto to free himself. However, the Deva Path quickly captured Naruto again, and killed Fukasaku when he tried to come to help. While immobilising Naruto, the Deva Path told Naruto about his plans for world peace. When Naruto disagreed with his views, the Deva Path questioned Naruto for a better solution. Before he could answer, [[Hinata]] came to intervene. Worried about her own safety, Naruto demanded Hinata to stay away from the fight, but she refused to leave despite knowing that she didn't have the power to defeat the Deva Path. After she confessed her love to Naruto (greatly shocking him), Hinata fought bravely against the Deva Path, but was immediately taken down by its [[Shinra Tensei]] and stabbed her with one of his chakra blades despite Naruto begging him not to. When it looked as if the Deva Path had killed Hinata right before his very eyes, Naruto became so furious to the point where he entered his [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Version 2|six-tailed form]].
 
   
[[File:Minato & Naruto.PNG|thumb|left|Minato placing his trust in Naruto.]]
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[[File:The Last Battle, Urashiki.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Boruto facing Urashiki.]]
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Enraged, Urashiki awoke and consumed all his accumulated chakra and his eyes, leading to him undergoing a transformation that strengthened him. Jiraiya and the two genin were quickly overwhelmed by Urashiki's continued assaults, even with the aid of the returning Sasuke. Urashiki deliberately held back on Naruto, hoping to anger him enough into unleashing the Nine-Tails' chakra. His efforts ultimately succeeded when Jiraiya took a hit that was intended for Naruto, triggering his transformation. Boruto, however, managed to reach Naruto and together were able to perfect their [[Parent and Child Rasengan|new collaboration technique]]. With the combined effort of Jiraiya and Sasuke, the two kids were able to plough through Urashiki's final attack and obliterate him. After the battle, both Naruto and Boruto lose consciousness due to their exhaustion. Days after Naruto and Boruto recovered at the Konoha hospital, he was upset to hear that Boruto and Sasuke would be leaving now that their mission was completed. Before they left, Naruto gave Boruto a gift. Sasuke used his Sharingan to [[Genjutsu: Sharingan|erase]] everyone's memories of the events to preserve the timeline. On seeing the Sharingan, Naruto had what appeared to be a brief moment of recognising Sasuke before losing consciousness.
Even though his [[First Hokage's Necklace|necklace]] reacted to quell the transformation, the Nine-Tails quickly destroyed it and attacked Pain. Unable to deal with this new threat, the Deva Path retreated to a location where it could use [[Chibaku Tensei]], drawing in and containing Naruto. Within his subconscious, Naruto thought of Pain's plans for peace, and pleaded for someone to help him with a response. Through his suffering, the Nine-Tails tempted Naruto to entrust his heart to it so that it could destroy everything that was causing Naruto pain, thus distorting the seal to the point where the [[Naruto Uzumaki's Jinchūriki Forms#Partial Transformation|eight-tailed form]] was released, breaking free of the Chibaku Tensei. Before he could completely release the Nine-Tails, his father, [[Minato]], appeared in Naruto's subconscious and stopped him. Minato revealed that he designed the seal to allow an imprint of himself to appear in an event that the seal was about to break, a fail safe meant to protect his son. Picking up on this, Naruto was overjoyed to finally know who one of his parents was. His time being short, Minato revealed that he had sealed the Nine-Tails into his own son because he thought Naruto would someday find use for it in finally stopping the [[Tobi|masked man of Akatsuki]]. They also discussed the concept of peace, and Minato revealed that hatred gave rise to Pain, and that ninja must find a way to end the hatred. While Naruto doubted that he could do it, Minato replied that he believed Naruto would be able to find the answer, and restored the Nine-Tails' seal before disappearing.
 
   
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Upon the pair returning, Naruto was approached by Sasuke who explained the recent situation he and Boruto had. Naruto was amazed at such a tale. Later, while visiting Jiraiya's grave to pay his respect, he was approached by Boruto, who decided to share with Naruto the gift of special ramen given by his past self. Sometime later, Sumire was officially transferred to the [[Scientific Ninja Weapons Team]]. Naruto reached out to the Land of Iron and requested an exchange student to take Sumire's spot on [[Team 15]]. Shikamaru was concerned about his experimental move of mixing shinobi with samurai, but Naruto insisted it would help close the gap between the two. Later, Naruto attended his father-in-law's birthday, impressed by Boruto getting past his aversion mushy feelings to suggest a regular family photo.
[[File:Naruto defeating Deva path.png|thumb|Naruto defeating Pain.]]
 
Outside, Naruto emerged from the Chibaku Tensei, with the Nine-Tails' influence gone and Sage Mode having returned. After he expressed tears of relief when he found that Hinata was still alive, he clashed one final time with the Deva Path. Taking advantage of the five-second gap between its attacks, Naruto was finally able to defeat the Deva Path with his Rasengan and win the battle. Using the Deva Path's [[chakra receiver]]s, Naruto sought out [[Nagato]], Pain's base mind, to finally answer his earlier question about peace. Naruto admitted that he hated Nagato, but restrained himself long enough to ask how Nagato, a fellow student of Jiraiya, turned out this way. After hearing Nagato's past and his reasons for desiring war, Naruto agreed on some points, but rejected the overall conclusion on the grounds that it differed from Jiraiya's ideals. To break the cycle of hatred, Naruto told Nagato and [[Konan]] that, despite hating them, he would not kill them. Amazed by Naruto's determination to his answer, Nagato said that he would believe in Naruto, and [[Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique|revived]] all the people he had killed in Konoha, at the cost of his own life. With this, Naruto helped Konan retrieve Nagato and [[Yahiko]]'s bodies for burial in Amegakure. After confirming that she had quit Akatsuki, Konan left Naruto a bouquet of paper flowers for him, symbolising their new alliance.
 
   
  +
=== Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil ===
He then created a [[Jiraiya's Memorial|memorial]] for [[Jiraiya]] and left the flowers and a copy of ''[[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi]]'' by a rock with the kanji for {{translation|''teacher''|師|shi}}.
 
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{{Main|Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil}}
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Naruto appears in this novel.
   
=== Konoha History Arc ===
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=== Mujina Bandits Arc ===
{{Main|Konoha History Arc}}
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{{Main|Mujina Bandits Arc|Shikamaru Shinden}}
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In the anime, Naruto set up a mission for [[Team 7 (Konohamaru)|Team 7]] to infiltrate [[Hōzuki Castle]] to verify the information about the [[Mujina Bandits]] offered by [[Kokuri]] in exchange for protection. After losing contact from [[Mujō]], the prison warder who was working with Konohagakure, Naruto sent Sai and a team to investigate. Ultimately, the succeeded in returning "[[Shojoji|Kokuri]]" to the village to question him about the Mujina Bandits before letting the man go free.
   
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At the Hokage building, Naruto hosted a Kage Summit, during which the Kage bickered about topics concerning Konoha, leading to [[Kurotsuchi]] demanding Konoha to disclose all of its confidential information as the village's proof to peace by the next summit, and said [[Iwagakure]] would leave the Five Great Shinobi Country alliance if they didn't. Afterwards the summit ended. Naruto was told then by Shikamaru that the reason why Kurotsuchi was acting that way was because she was being pressured by the Earth Daimyō to invade the Land of Flowers for the corps they had to offer and expressed sadness that Kurotsuchi didn't tell them as he believed that the Shinobi Union would have definitely aided her when it came to food scarcity and other issues and the potential of another war, remembering the casualties of the last war and not wanting to use and introduce the next generation to the horrors of war. Naruto found hope, however, when Shikamaru said they could negotiate with her so the invasion won't happen.<ref name="SS"/>
=== Five Kage Summit Arc ===
 
[[File:Hero of the Hidden Leaf.PNG|thumb|left|The village greets Naruto upon his return.]]
 
While the exhausted Naruto was returning to the village, Kakashi found him and carried him back. He was greeted by the entire village and celebrated as a hero. Soon afterwards, he learned that Tsunade had been left in a coma as a result of protecting the villagers from Pain. Sakura tried to cheer him up, but her efforts were interrupted by the news that [[Danzō Shimura]] has replaced Tsunade as Hokage and has ordered that Sasuke be executed as a traitor to the village. Naruto and Sakura questioned Sai about Danzō, hoping to learn how they can change his mind, but Sai was [[Danzō's Juinjutsu|unable to]] help them. Their questions gained the attention of two [[Kumo]]-nin, [[Karui]] and [[Omoi]], who told Naruto and Sakura about Sasuke's work with Akatsuki and demanded any information that might be useful in killing him. To spare Sakura from having to help them, Naruto volunteered, but ultimately could not bring himself to sell out Sasuke. He offered to allow the Kumo-nin to take their anger out on him by beating him up, to which they gladly accepted before being stopped by Sai.
 
   
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Unfortunately, in the next Kage Summit, Naruto's revelation of Kurotsuchi's true intentions only cause [[Darui]] to angrily threaten to kill Kurotsuchi and to add things worse, Naruto and Sasuke's strength were used as a boon for Kurotsuchi's cause, as they had the power to take over the continent and the imbalance in strength between Konoha and the other villages were thus immense. Despite Naruto's attempts to ensure Konoha would not try to take over the world, Shikamaru responded by paralysing and threatening to crush Kurotsuchi's neck, much to Naruto's horror and fury. Quickly, Naruto used his chakra to break out of Shikamaru's shadow and angrily put Shikamaru in place before attempting to plea for peace but he could not sway Kurotsuchi or Darui, who made it clear they would go to war if the invasion were to occur. Furious over the outcome, Naruto angrily confronted Shikamaru when they walked home but was rebuffed by his friend, who told him to think with his head and start responding harshly enough.<ref name="SS"/>
While Naruto recovered from his injuries, he asked Yamato and Kakashi to take him to the [[Land of Iron]] so that he could ask [[A]], the Fourth [[Raikage]], to forgive Sasuke. Yamato and Kakashi agreed, but when they arrived and spoke with A, the Raikage refused his request and berated Naruto for standing up for a criminal. Naruto went to a local inn to consider what to do next, where he was soon confronted by [[Tobi]], who asked Naruto on how he got Nagato to change his mind. Naruto ignored the question and demanded to know about his plans with Sasuke. Tobi told him about the [[Sage of the Six Paths]], the Uchiha clan, and the truth about the [[Uchiha clan massacre]], all of which now drove Sasuke along [[Curse of Hatred|a path of vengeance]]. Naruto insisted that that he could still get through to Sasuke, but Tobi laughed and left, saying that Naruto and Sasuke are fated to fight again.
 
   
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Several months after the Hōzuki Castle mission, Naruto discussed Katasuke being under mind control with Sai and Ibiki, and had them continue their investigation while Shikamaru handled Katasuki. Afterwards, [[Mirai Sarutobi]] informed Naruto that Team Konohamaru successfully captured the Mujina Bandits, much to his joy. As [[Shojoji]] was discussed, Naruto told everyone that they had to hurry up and handle the [[missing-nin]].<ref>''Boruto'' chapter 11</ref> Shikamaru then informed Naruto of his upcoming meeting with the [[Fire Daimyō]] [[Ikkyū Madoka]], which Naruto had forgotten was later during the day. During which, he discussed financial matter with Ikkyū.<ref name="SS"/>
While Naruto was practising on extending his Sage Mode's sensory skills in hopes of finding Sasuke, Sakura interrupted him, having come to the Land of Iron to speak with him. She told him that she loved him and she no longer had any feelings for Sasuke. Naruto, knowing that Sakura was still in love with Sasuke, didn't believe her and said she was lying to herself, as well as he hated people who lied to themselves. Angered by this, Sakura insisted that she was telling the truth and he therefore doesn't need to fulfil his earlier promise of bringing Sasuke home. Naruto firmly replied that his actions had nothing to do with the promise and that he just wanted to save Sasuke, choosing not to reveal what Tobi had said to him before. Sakura then left with the others, saying she was going home. Soon, one of Sai's [[ink clone]]s approached Naruto, telling him, Kakashi, and Yamato about Sakura and the rest of the [[Konoha 11]]'s decision to kill Sasuke to prevent him from involving Konoha in another war, and also mentioned that he thinks Sakura is still in love with Sasuke, later proven to be true, and wanted to be the one to stop him from sinking any lower. Gaara also appeared and told them about the [[Fourth Shinobi World War]], and the decision to protect Naruto from Akatsuki. Gaara pleaded with Naruto to think about all of the people who will be fighting the likes of Sasuke on his behalf and, as Sasuke's friend, to do what was best given his actions. When Gaara left, Naruto considered what everyone had told him and started hyperventilating. He passed out and when he woke up, he discovered from Yamato that Kakashi had gone to stop Sakura and deal with Sasuke.
 
   
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=== Kara Actuation Arc ===
[[File:Naruto saves Sakura.png|thumb|The original Team 7 re-unites.]]
 
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{{Main|Kara Actuation Arc}}
Using a shadow clone as a decoy, Naruto escaped from Yamato and pursued Kakashi using his Sage Mode to follow the latter's chakra. He arrived just in time to save Sakura from being killed by Sasuke. Naruto made a last attempt to reason with his former friend, commiserating with his pain and acknowledging Itachi's sacrifice. However, Sasuke was unmoved and made his resolve to destroy Konoha clear. Shocked by the depths of his hatred, Kakashi resolved to kill Sasuke, but was stopped by Naruto, who instead fought Sasuke head-on; matching his Rasengan with the latter's Chidori. Both survived the clash, with Tobi and Zetsu coming to Sasuke's aid. Before Sasuke left, Naruto noted that they had both become top-class ninja, and if they ever fought again, they would both die. He nevertheless accepted such an outcome, since it would at least enable him to shoulder Sasuke's hatred alone. In answer, Sasuke declared that he had no intention to die, and promised to kill Naruto first. He left with Tobi, and Naruto returned to Konoha with his team-mates, bearing [[Karin]] as a captive. In the anime, Naruto, Karin, and the rest of Sakura's team rest while Kakashi sent his [[ninken]] to the other Hidden Villages.
 
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Later in the anime, Team 25 and Sasuke were sent to investigate the information extracted from the captured Shojoji about Kara's existence in Amegakure. Upon their return, they learned that Kara had long ago abandoned their facility in Amegakure and were performing biological experiments. They also learned that there were in fact civilians who sympathised with Kara and its goals. Naruto was concerned to learn that Amegakure was in shambles as it had yet to make any recovery since the Fourth Shinobi World War. He was determined to help the village.
   
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Naruto learned that [[Victor]], the president of the [[Land of Valleys]]' premiere medical and research company, was a member of [[Kara]] who somehow obtained a sample of the First Hokage's cells. Naruto was greatly concerned that [[Team 7 (Konohamaru)|Team 7]] was defeated by two Inners. Upon seeing Boruto in treatment, he was certain that Boruto would be fine. Afterwards, Naruto discussed with his advisers on the next move. Shikamaru offered to use his connections in the Land of Valleys to get permission to investigate Victor's company. Three days later, it was approved for Naruto to send [[Mugino]] and Konohamaru to stealthily investigate. Later, Naruto sent [[Team 10 (Moegi)|Team 10]] on a joint mission with [[Team Shinki]] to retrieve Urashiki's puppet. He later listened to Shikadai's report on the mission which greatly concerned and disturbed him.
[[File:Naruto Sasuke clash again.png|thumb|left|Naruto and Sasuke about to clash.]]
 
Upon returning to the village, Naruto explained the situation to his friends. When he insisted to handle Sasuke alone, Neji and Shikamaru said it was foolish not to finish Sasuke when he was already weakened from his fight against the other Kage and Danzō, but Naruto explained that at his current level, he wouldn't be able to kill Sasuke. As Shikamaru berated Naruto for taking all this on his own, Naruto dismissed this and headed off to [[Ramen Ichiraku]]. Sakura realised Naruto was hiding something however, remembering what he said to Sasuke directly.
 
{{-}}
 
   
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After Boruto recovered from his new training, Naruto gave his son permission to return to the Land of Valleys to return the wedding ring of their recent client's husband to her. Following the defeat of Victor and his amoral experiments, Naruto received a report on the events. Upon Konohamaru and Mugino's return, Konoha leadership discussed how to handle Kara, having learned influential figures like Victor were associated with the organisation and finding evidence in their investigation that Kara had spies all around. While many considered closing off the gates to Konohagakure to stop the flow of information, Naruto was torn on this, valuing the new peace between the village and the rest of the world. After talking various officials in the village, and witnessing Boruto and his friends work on an experiment to improve wireless communications, Naruto decided to not close the gates as it would deter cooperation with the outside world, instead deciding to reinforce security.
=== Chikara Arc ===
 
{{Main|Chikara Arc}}
 
   
=== Adventures at Sea Arc ===
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=== Ao Arc ===
{{Main|Adventures at Sea Arc}}
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{{Main|Ao Arc}}
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[[File:Boruto vs. Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto facing Boruto.]]
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In the anime, Naruto attended the memorial service for the fallen people of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Later, Naruto joins his son in a sparring match at the [[Training Hall]], to test out Katasuke's new invention that was fitted on his arm. During the match, Naruto [[Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall|defends]] himself from Boruto, and uses the invention to absorb his [[Water Release: Surging Sea|son]]'s [[Lightning Release: Thunderclap Arrow|techniques]], before defeating him with a single kick. Afterwards at the Hokage's office, Naruto informs Boruto of the technology he used against him, which angered Boruto. Before Naruto could explain himself, Sasuke arrives and interrupts their conversation, calming Boruto down by pointing out the need for them with the coming danger of enemies like the [[Ōtsutsuki Clan]].
   
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Naruto also admitted to knowing about Boruto's mark on his right palm, which was another reason Naruto approved the development of this advanced weaponry. While Boruto still insisted they should rely solely on ninjutsu like in the Chūnin Exams, Naruto noted that the Chūnin Exams were to test one's growth as a ninja, where as they are now in a battle for survival. Katasuke then arrived to retrieve his prototype, to which Naruto assigned Team Konohamaru a C-rank mission to escort the lead scientist back to the lab in Ryūben City. While Boruto stormed off in a huff, Naruto asked his genin team-mates to watch over him should anything happen with his mark.
=== Confining the Jinchūriki Arc ===
 
[[File:The Great Toad's Prediction.png|thumb|Naruto meets with the Great Toad Sage.]]
 
As Naruto was about to eat at Ichiraku, he was suddenly summoned back to Mount Myōboku by [[Fukasaku]] where he learns from the [[Great Toad Sage]]'s fortune that he will meet an "[[Gyūki|octopus]]" and would battle a "[[Sasuke Uchiha|young man with powerful eyes]]". When [[Gerotora]] is summoned to give Naruto the "key" to the [[Eight Trigrams Seal]], Naruto knew he would need the Nine-Tails' power for the battles to come and accepted the key. From there, Naruto is sent back to Ichiraku where some of the villagers asked for his autograph. Naruto was unaware of that the five Kage are planning to keep him from the upcoming [[Fourth Shinobi World War]] for his safety on a [[Island Turtle|remote island]] in the [[Land of Lightning]] with [[Yamato]], [[Might Guy]], [[Aoba Yamashiro]], and several other Konoha-nin as security.
 
   
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As Konohamaru failed to report from his mission, Naruto contacted Boruto's team at the [[Scientific Ninja Weapons Team]]'s lab, who were nearest to Konohamaru's last reported location. He instructed them to search the area but be careful and not recklessly engage any foes. While Shikamaru reminded him that Team Konohamaru were all very capable for their age, Naruto insisted that he was more concerned about the possibility of them running into the organisation [[Kara]] as Konohamaru's mission was to investigate a mysterious airship.
Once at the island, Naruto meets his fellow jinchūriki [[Killer B]], requesting to be his student after being marveled at B's mastery with his tailed beast. B refused the offer on the grounds that he is on vacation, with Naruto worsening it when he accidently insulted B while pulling off a capable rap and his [[Harem Technique]] having no effect. However, when word of him bumping fists with B reached [[Motoi]], Naruto is taken to [[Falls of Truth]], where B began his training to control the Eight-Tails. Motoi instructed Naruto to sit on the platform in front of the waterfall and close his eyes, and he would see his true self. While doing this, Naruto was greeted by [[#Dark Naruto|another version of himself]], who berated Naruto on how quickly the people from Konoha changed their opinions of him.
 
   
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=== Kawaki Arc ===
[[File:Naruto vs. Dark Naruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto vs. Dark Naruto.]]
 
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{{Main|Kawaki Arc}}
Both he and Dark Naruto began to fight and were evenly matched both physically and chakra level wise as both were able to produce the exact same number of [[Shadow Clone Technique|shadow clones]]. It was revealed that the entire battle occurred within Naruto's mind, as Yamato observed Naruto still meditating near the waterfall. Somehow able to break out of the meditation, Naruto questioned Motoi about B's history in order to figure out how to conquer his inner darkness. After that, Naruto reminisced about how B and Gaara changed everyone's opinions about them, he begins to doubt if the villagers of Konoha truly trusted him. After witnessing B save Motoi from [[giant squid]] and resume their friendship, an inspired Naruto returns to the Falls of Truth and confronts Dark Naruto again. With Naruto now having faith in himself, it started to weaken Dark Naruto as he asks what his reason for existing is. Answering his question, Naruto accepts Dark Naruto as a part of him while thanking him for pushing him to become who is now. He then hugged a struggling Dark Naruto, who finally relents and fades.
 
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When Team 7 returned with news of Mugino's demise at the hands of [[Ao]], who was in leagues with Kara, they also revealed a boy with ties to Kara named [[Kawaki]]. In the anime, he was detained at the [[Advanced Technology Research Institute]] in Ryūtan City, prompting Naruto and Sai to go immediately and meet the boy. On the train ride, Sai noted that it was risky to take such a mysterious boy back to the village. Naruto understood Sai's fear, knowing that Kara's desire of the boy could lead to the village becoming a battlefield again. Upon arriving in the station, they learned that Kawaki escaped and was on a rampage. Before Naruto and Sai could act, they met with Boruto and Sumire, the latter insisted to not hurt Kawaki. She noted that Kawaki's rampage stemmed from emotional scars due to his troubled past. Taking Sumire's words to heart, Naruto stopped Kawaki's passively, subduing him until he tired himself out and collapsed.
   
[[File:Naruto vs. Kurama.png|thumb|Naruto vs. the Nine-Tails.]]
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[[File:Naruto Comforts Kawaki.png|thumb|left|Naruto comforts Kawaki.]]
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Naruto decided he was most suitable to monitor Kawaki, and held a Kage Summit to discuss the situation. Following the unanimous agreement from other Kage with Naruto, he took the boy to his house, during which he foiled Kawaki's attempts at fleeing. There, Kawaki attempting to escape, but Naruto intimidated him into submission. His escape attempt resulted in Himawari's vase being destroyed. Naruto intervened when Boruto and Kawaki began fighting, and later overheard Kawaki speaking of his hardship as a result of his Kāma. Afterwards, Naruto took Kawaki to [[Yamanaka Flowers]] to pick a new vase, where he hugged Kawaki after he had a panic attack. Sometime later, Naruto and Boruto sparred; he defeated his son, even while Boruto used his Kāma. Naruto offered for Kawaki to try sparring with Boruto next time, but Kawaki declined as he couldn't use chakra, prompting Naruto to insist that all can learn to do so and that having strong rivals will help one in accomplishing great things.
After awaking and celebrating, Naruto and Yamato is led by B to a special room within the [[Tailed Beast Temple|secret temple]] behind the Falls of Truth where Naruto is prepared to fight the Nine-Tails for its chakra. Within his subconscious, after unlocking the seal, Naruto (in [[Sage Mode]]) appeared to have the upper hand after he weakened the Nine-Tails with the [[Rasenshuriken]] and drained out its chakra, but the Nine-Tails instantly planted its own hatred within its chakra with the absorbed energy consuming Naruto as it begins to use his body to give Yamato and B trouble. Just before Naruto was completely succumbed, the spirit of his mother, [[Kushina Uzumaki]], appeared. Naruto believed that Kushina was the Nine-Tails in disguise before she clobbered him on the head before she apologises and hopes he did not inherit her short-temper. Picking up on this and realising Kushina was his mother as he hugged her while crying, the love-filled reunion causes the Nine-Tails's hatred to be purged from the drained chakra, much to Yamato and B's surprise.
 
   
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Later, Boruto decided to take Kawaki's offer of learning what he knows about their Kāma. Deciding to do so through sparring, the two children quickly activated their respective marks. While Boruto kept up in hand-to-hand combat, Kawaki's usage of his modified body put Boruto on the defensive. Kawaki then launched a blast at Naruto with the intent of him absorbing it like previously, only for Boruto to instead damage his hand. Naruto called off the match and told the two to perform the Seal of Reconciliation. The event made their marks react and caused Boruto's hand to instantly heal. Before pushing the subject, Naruto was alerted of an intruder. Naruto told his son to take Himawari away while he stayed with Kawaki, certain that the intruder was after Kawaki. His assumption proved correct as they were quickly met by [[Delta]]. She demanded Naruto hand over Kawaki to her, and Kawaki confirmed her identity as an Inner from Kara. Naruto instructed Boruto to protect Himawari and Kawaki to protect himself.
With Kushina holding the Nine-Tails at bay, Naruto quickly made a large number of shadow clones, entered Sage Mode, and bombarded the Nine-Tails with the combination of [[Sage Art: Many Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Serial Spheres]] and the Rasenshuriken, weakening the Nine-Tails further and completely separate it from its chakra. When its chakra merged into Naruto, an enraged and emaciated Nine-Tails attempted to fire a much larger [[Tailed Beast Ball]], but its attack ultimately dissipated as Naruto used a [[Torii Seal|new, stronger seal]] to imprison the weakened tailed beast once again. After that, when Naruto learned from Kushina about his [[Uzumaki Clan|heritage]], the truth behind the [[Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha|Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha]], and how his parents gave their lives to protect him. Naruto then told Kushina that he was glad to know that he was filled with their love before the Nine-Tails was sealed within him, and he was happy to be their son. Before she completely faded away, Kushina tearfully hugged Naruto, and thanked him for letting her and Minato be his parents.
 
   
[[File:Naruto crashes into Kisame.png|thumb|left|Naruto attacks Kisame.]]
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[[File:Delta Vs Naruto.png|thumb|Naruto fighting Delta.]]
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Fighting her, Naruto initially outperformed her with taijutsu, but she began making use of her shinobi-ware to launch sneak attacks and absorb his Rasengan. Naruto entered his Six Paths Sage Mode, but Delta was eventually able to stab him and pin him down. He tried to discern her motives for wanting Kawaki, but she saw through his deception, and noticed he was already healing, considering Naruto to be a monster as well. While Naruto was continually forced to hold back in fear of the spectators' safety, he continued to gradually wear down his foe, leading to Delta using her Destruction Beam against Naruto to combat his regenerative ability. Eventually, Delta targets Himawari, leading to Naruto blocking the attack with his body, but is uninjured as Kawaki sacrificed his right arm to block the attack. Enraged at her tactics, Naruto resumed the fight and quickly overwhelmed her. Naruto, having seen her return his Rasengan that she absorbed, deduces that there was a limit to how much chakra her eyes can absorb since the chakra or attack had to be stored somewhere in her body rather than dissipating and vanishing, prompting him to overpower and defeat Delta with his [[Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan]]. Defeated, Delta's body self-destructed, forcing Naruto to flee the vicinity with the children.
Once out of his subconscious, Naruto shows off his [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode|new form]] to B and Yamato before sensing [[Kisame]] hidden inside his [[Samehada]] by detecting his negative emotions. When the surprised Kisame attempted to escape, Naruto used his blinding speed to quickly smash Kisame into the wall with a powerful punch. Naruto's foot got stuck in the wall, allowing Kisame to escape with B in pursuit as Yamato stays behind to help Naruto out of the wall. Naruto and Yamato then caught up with the others as they watched Guy and Kisame's fight from a distance. After the battle, the Konoha and Kumo-nin restrained Kisame and attempted to interrogate him before the Akatsuki member commits suicide before that could get any more information out of him. Shocked by this action, Naruto realised that even the shinobi in Akatsuki fought for their comrades before being trapped in one of Kisame's booby trap [[Water Prison Technique|water prisons]] and occupied with summoned [[shark]]s as one of the sharks takes the information scroll on Kisame to Akatsuki's base.
 
   
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[[File:Naruto Training Kawaki.png|thumb|left|Naruto training Kawaki.]]
=== Shinobi World War Arc ===
 
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Later, when bringing Kawaki to Katasuke to repair Kawaki's arm, the scientist informed him that the technology in Kawaki's body was too advanced for him to handle. Finding an alternate solution, Naruto gave Kawaki one of his prosthetic arms and channelled some of his chakra into Kawaki to make it work. Shocked at how sincere Naruto was at being nice, Kawaki asked to learn ninjutsu, which Naruto agreed to and began training him. Quite a while after Delta's defeat, while Naruto and Kawaki were at his house, he notices Kawaki in distress, resulting in his Kāma creating a portal which Jigen emerged from. Wanting to take his son back, Naruto attempted to attack him but was repelled away and impaled by chakra draining rods. Activating his chakra mode, Naruto kicks Jigen away from Kawaki. Jigen then proceeded to activate his Kāma. Fearing for the Hokage's safety, with Jigen's power entirely above Delta's and capable of either killing or severely injuring Naruto, Kawaki stepped in and submitted, agreeing to back willingly with Jigen if he spared Naruto. While Jigen agreed to the terms, Naruto refused to comply. Jigen responded by teleporting himself and Naruto to another dimension.
[[File:Bijū Rasengan.png|thumb|Naruto attempting to get the chakra ratio correct for his Tailed Beast Rasengan.]]
 
After [[Motoi]] sent his summoned [[owl]] to inform the [[Allied Shinobi Forces]] about the situation, Naruto and [[Killer B]] started evacuating the giant animals into the [[Island Turtle]]'s shell for their safety in case an attack came. Naruto was trying to log the island's ecology as part of his "official" [[S-rank]] mission, but did not realise that it was a ploy to keep him away from the war. After he was done, B instructed Naruto back into the temple within the [[Falls of Truth]] and started to train on how to utilise his [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]] properly. However, during his training, Naruto suddenly sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra within the rampaging [[Kinkaku's Jinchūriki Forms#Version 2|six-tailed]] [[Kinkaku]] far away from the temple. Wanting to investigate, Naruto was able to trick B into letting him out, but was stopped by [[Iruka Umino]], [[Shibi Aburame]], and a handful of Konoha-nin, which confirmed his earlier suspicions that something was wrong. Iruka tried to trick Naruto into believing that he had a second mission on the island, but Naruto used [[Sage Mode]] to barge through the guards, losing his forehead protector in the process.
 
   
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[[File:Jigen vs Shinobi.png|thumb|Naruto and Sasuke facing Jigen.]]
With Naruto out the chakra isolation chamber and sensing the war going on around him, Iruka finally told Naruto the truth. Naruto refused Iruka's order to remain, vowing to end the war and endure whatever pain and anguish is there by himself. When Iruka returned Naruto his fallen forehead protector, he immediately trapped Naruto within a [[Barrier: Confining Technique|barrier]], but Naruto easily broke free while in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. On his way to battle, he found a note from Iruka in his forehead protector, in which Iruka told him that in the event he could not stop Naruto from leaving, he asked Naruto to come back alive. Naruto then proceeded to eat the note after reading it.
 
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As Jigen attempted to strand Naruto there, he was attacked and stopped by Sasuke. Being away from Konoha and free to fight with all their power, the pair engaged in battle with Jigen, leading to Sasuke deducing their opponent's fighting style involved shrinking himself and his rods. Pressuring Jigen, the Kara member taped into his Kāma and grew a horn. Upon seeing Jigen's development, Sasuke revealed how he resembled an [[Isshiki Ōtsutsuki|unknown]] Ōtsutsuki member, and that Jigen had ties with a juvenile Ten-Tails. As Sasuke also revealed that Jigen's goal was to drain the entire planet of all its chakra, the two shinobi decided to fight with their full power. Despite their strong avatar forms and team-work, Jigen ploughed through their defences. As he swiftly wore down and pummelled his foes, he restrained the pair with rods and decided to keep Naruto alive because of Kurama in him while killing Sasuke due to his Rinnegan's Space-Time Ninjutsu. Accepting the truth, Naruto had his clones hold off Jigen while he convinced Sasuke to escape despite his friend's protests. Jigen revealed that he was after Boruto Uzumaki for his Kāma and sealed Naruto in a giant pot which he shrunk, leaving Naruto trapped within the foreign dimension. Afterwards, [[Boro]] stood guard over the pot, during which Boruto and Kawaki used their Kama to [[Kāma Rift|transport]] Naruto's unconscious body out before killing the Kara member.
   
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Returning to Konoha, they were all taken to the hospital for treatment. As Naruto made a quick recovery, he was impressed to hear of the genin's work, and joked that rebellious genin seemed to still be a thing. In the anime, they discussed the recent events. Kawaki informed them that each member of Kara was modified with Shinobi-Ware, granting them abilities besides ninjutsu. After everyone else left, Shikamaru discussed with Naruto on how best to deal with Kawaki, as his Kāma acted as a direct path to Konoha at any time for Kara. Upon learning of Boro's cult, Naruto assigned Sai and Konohamaru to investigate, hoping to discover new information on the new whereabouts of Kara's Ten-Tails. They returned and reported Boro's scheme for getting new cultists and using them as subjects for Kara's Vessel experiments, as well as that despite her defeat to Naruto, Delta was somehow still active, having destroyed the cult's base.
[[File:Naruto in Kyubi's eye.png|thumb|left|Naruto states his resolve to the Nine-Tails.]]
 
Naruto and B, who had been asked by Iruka to watch over Naruto and finally caught up with him, both broke through a [[Thirty-Six Layer Self-Repairing Barrier|barrier]] that surrounded the Island Turtle and continued their way to the battlefield. Shortly after that, the Nine-Tails pulled Naruto into his subconscious, berating him for squandering its chakra. Calling Naruto naive for thinking he could stop the war by himself, the Nine-Tails tried to tempt him again with power, but to no avail, earning Naruto some recognition. When the Nine-Tails claimed that his attempt to put an end to hatred was futile, using the boy's history with Sasuke as proof, Naruto pinned the fox down with a [[Torii Seal|torii]] in retaliation and tells it that he will find a way to deal with both Sasuke and the war. Though Nine-Tails then condescendingly complimented him for standing up for him, Naruto unnerved the tailed beast with the promise to someday resolve the fox's own hatred.
 
   
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[[File:Amado's Interrogation.png|thumb|left|Naruto interrogates Amado.]]
Some time later, [[A]] and [[Tsunade]] showed up at Naruto and B's location to prevent them from going another step further. After Naruto failed to argue his way through with A, Naruto tried to bypass them with his speed, but the [[Raikage]], in his [[Lightning Release Armour]], matched his speed and punched him back. Naruto pleaded with Tsunade to allow him to pass, but Tsunade stated she had to follow through on her role as a leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Understanding Tsunade's position, Naruto made another attempt to bypass them, only to be intercepted by A once more. A then declared to Naruto that he will kill him if he refuses to comply; believing he would buy the Allied Shinobi Forces some time before the Nine-Tails could revive, which would delay Madara's plan. However, B blocked A's attack and defeated his brother in a [[Lariat]] clash while explaining that his and Naruto's strength come from both their tailed beasts and those who cared about them. To test Naruto's resolve, A fully powered up his Lightning Release Armour and attacked Naruto with his fastest punch, but when he was able to dodge it, A allowed Naruto and B to pass.
 
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Later, Naruto was informed by Ino of Shikadai being taken hostage by [[Amado]]. Though he wished to speak to Shikamaru, he was glad to learn of Naruto's rescue, and revealed he wished to defect to Konoha, offering intel on Kara, Jigen, their Ten-Tails, and the Ōtsutsuki. After Naruto gave his word as Hokage to not go back on the deal provided his intel was good, Amado began explaining all he knew. He revealed that how the Ōtsutsuki have since before recorded history been travelling from planet to planet, harvesting its chakra for the sake of evolving itself while destroying the planet in the process, using the Ten-Tails for the process. He revealed that Jigen himself was turned into an Ōtsutsuki from being branded by his Kāma of Isshiki. Amado also revealed to have sabotaged the blimp to free Kawaki and likewise ensure that Sasuke would get the intel of Isshiki. Amado's glasses began beeping. His glasses were taken off, revealing a holographic projection of Jigen talking with his accomplice [[Koji Kashin]] intended to kill Jigen. As Naruto was intrigued by Koji's techniques and battle tactics, Amado insisted that Naruto accept his request to officially join Konohagakure with full amnesty and protection in order to hear more of his secrets, which Naruto agreed. Amado carried on his explanation, sharing what he knew of Jigen, the Ōtsutsuki, and Kāma. He stressed how a full rebirth of the Ōtsutsuki must be avoided, and claimed he'd teach them how to kill an Ōtsutsuki. When Jigen's death triggered Isshiki's resurrection in his body, Amado explained this also erased Kawaki's Kāma to avoid duplicates, leading Shikamaru to realise that without any remaining Kāma, Isshiki was vulnerable to a permanent death.
   
[[File:Naruto sends his shadow clones out.png|thumb|Naruto deploys clones to every battlefield.]]
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[[File:Naruto Meets Isshiki.png|thumb|Naruto halts Isshiki's search.]]
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After Amado was officially made a citizen of Konohagakure, made aware of his rights and limitations, he warned them of Isshiki's immediate focus on rebranding Kawaki. He advised Naruto against taking the fight to Isshiki, and stressed that had to protect Kawaki against being rebranded. Naruto took his advice and ordered a civilian evacuation, as Isshiki would seek Kawaki in Konoha. Naruto was against Boruto staying to fight him, but where interrupted by an alert of Isshiki's arrival. Naruto ordered Boruto to join the evacuation as he went to confront Isshiki. Isshiki was surprised to see Naruto had escaped, but demanded for Kawaki. When Naruto refused, Isshiki began shrinking various targets in the village to destroy it. Naruto activated his [[Six Paths Sage Mode]], but Isshiki easily overpowered him. Sasuke soon joined the fight, levelling the battlefield. He then launched his sword at Isshiki. As Isshiki attempted to shrink it, it was revealed to Boruto [[Transformation Technique|transformed]]. As Naruto was horrified by his son's arrival, Boruto activated his [[Kāma]], [[Kāma Rift|teleporting]] himself and Isshiki to another dimension. Naruto and Sasuke followed through the latter's Rinnegan. As the Konoha-nin faced down Isshiki, he decided the best way to get Kawaki was to present Sasuke and Naruto's corpses to the village. The fight quickly resumed, with Naruto and Sasuke's team-work managing to push Isshiki on the defence as he began shrinking all their attacks. Quickly however, Isshiki demonstrated a new technique, manifesting and manipulating [[Disruption Cube|massive black cubes]] that separated the duo.
While on their way, Naruto and B were contacted by [[Shikaku Nara]] (with the help of [[Inoichi Yamanaka]]'s telepathy) that the former is the only one who can sense the [[White Zetsu Army]]. When their path was blocked by a group of White Zetsu disguising as shinobi, Naruto quickly takes them all out with his new techniques and he then deploys his [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique|shadow clones]] to the other battlefields. After that, Naruto and B find themselves facing reincarnated [[Itachi Uchiha]] and [[Nagato]]. While Naruto sparred with Itachi, Naruto revealed to him about Sasuke's plight, but reassured him that he still had a plan to do something about him.
 
   
[[File:Episode298.png|thumb|left|Itachi's crow is released.]]
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[[File:Naruto Overwhelming Isshiki.png|thumb|left|Naruto overwhelming Isshiki.]]
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Realising he was running out of options, Kurama asked Naruto if he was really willing to sacrifice himself to stop Isshiki. Naruto confirmed it, and Kurama offered a last-ditch strategy which would have a high risk of death from using it. Accepting his duties as Hokage, Naruto faced Isshiki and took on a new form of [[Baryon Mode]]. Kurama explained to Naruto that the form is like nuclear fusion, consuming all their respective energy and that he must be careful not to make any unnecessary movements or thoughts. The new form baffled everyone with its sheer power. Naruto quickly began overwhelming Isshiki, constantly countering and dodging the foes various assaults. Soon after, the strain of Baryon Mode began catching up as Naruto began to tire. Kurama noted this form gradually drains away all life-forces, including Naruto's. However, it would also drain Isshiki's with each contact, meaning they just had to keep pressuring Isshiki until his already diminished lifespan ran out. As Isshiki began getting desperate, he took advantage of Naruto's chakra connection to Kawaki through the latter's prosthetic arm. From this, he teleported Kawaki to them with the goal of rebranding Kawaki before his time ran out. As Kawaki tried to escape Isshiki, he opted to use Kawaki's love for Naruto against him, assaulting the downed Hokage. Despite Naruto's insistence that Kawaki forget about him, Kawaki ultimately showed himself and attacked using the ninjutsu Naruto taught him. Isshiki easily negated it and branded Kawaki again, only for it to be revealed as a shadow clone.
After Nagato summoned his giant [[Giant Multi-Headed Dog|dog]] and [[Giant Drill-Beaked Bird|bird]], Itachi then activated his [[Mangekyō Sharingan]] in order to use [[Amaterasu]] on Naruto, but the [[Itachi's Crow|crow]] Itachi placed inside Naruto before his death suddenly emerged from Naruto's mouth and locked eyes with Itachi, causing him to use Amaterasu on Nagato and his summons instead. Itachi explained that the crow used [[Kotoamatsukami]], thus releasing him from Kabuto's control. Nagato, having his personality completely removed by Kabuto, used his [[Asura Path]] ability to restrain both Naruto and B respectively. Before Nagato could [[Soul Removal|remove Naruto's soul]], he and B were subsequently rescued by Itachi with his [[Susanoo]]. After Nagato used [[Chibaku Tensei]] as an attempt to trap them, Naruto used his [[Wind Release: Rasenshuriken]], along with Itachi's [[Yasaka Magatama]] and B's [[Tailed Beast Ball]], to attack the centre of Nagato's technique, effectively destroying it. After Itachi sealed Nagato with his [[Sword of Totsuka]], he told Naruto that he would help end Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation while Naruto would focus on fighting Tobi. Naruto insisted that Itachi come and see Sasuke again, but he declined, saying that he should leave his brother to his friends. After Itachi left, Naruto and B continued heading towards an unknown destination.
 
   
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[[File:Kurama's Life Fades Away.png|thumb|Naruto watches Kurama's life fade away.]]
One of Naruto's shadow clones arrived at the [[Fourth Division]]'s location at the battlefield to fight against the reincarnation [[Mū]] and the [[Third Raikage]]. Although he was able to defeat Mū, none of Naruto's attacks had much effect against the Third Raikage, as [[Dodai]] explained that the Third's physical endurance could withstand almost any kind of technique, along with the relative invulnerability of Impure World Reincarnation. When Naruto's clone noticed a scar on the Third's chest, Dodai stated that the Third got it during his past fight with the [[Eight-Tails]]. Believing that only a tailed beast was capable of harming the Third, Naruto's clone attempted to form the [[Tailed Beast Ball]], only for it to dissipate, and was then forced out of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode due to chakra overuse. After learning from the Eight-Tails that both it and the Third only collapsed after their prolonged battle with their techniques still in their hands, Naruto's clone entered [[Sage Mode]] and charged toward the Third with a Rasengan in hand. Using Sage Mode's sensory ability, he dodged the Third's [[Hell Stab]] at the last second and aimed the Rasengan at the Raikage's arm. The attack knocked the Third's arm into his chest, impaling him long enough for him to be sealed away. Naruto's clone then went towards where [[Gaara]] was fighting the [[Second Mizukage]], arriving just in time to see the sealing take place.
 
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Finally, Isshiki's time ran out and he crumbled to dust. Sasuke then asked Naruto about his new power, but before he could answer, Boruto, being controlled by [[Momoshiki]], suddenly stabbed Sasuke's left eye. Naruto attempted to help fighting Momoshiki, but collapsed, feeling heavy as lead, and passed out. Inside his subconscious, Naruto had a final conversation with Kurama. He told the kitsune that he had no ill will to Kurama despite the loss of his parents. As Naruto was prepared to die and voiced his concerns for the village, Kurama revealed that Naruto would awake soon and fine, as it was Kurama's life that was gambled from using Baryon Mode. Kurama assured Naruto that it never actually lied to Naruto, but knew the Hokage wouldn't risk Kurama's own life so he hid the truth. As Kurama's life began to fade, it warned Naruto that he would lose all access to Kurama's chakra and abilities, meaning he would have to be more careful from now on. Naruto desperately reached out for Kurama before waking up to see Boruto, Sasuke, and Kawaki standing over him.
   
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[[File:Naruto comforts Boruto.png|thumb|left|Naruto comforts Boruto over his Kāma.]]
In the anime, one of Naruto's clones senses an [[Sound Four|immense source of hatred]]. Then, realising that he couldn't sense Shikamaru, Neji, Chōji, and Kiba's presence any more, Naruto's clone quickly rushes to their aid. Along the way, eliminating more White Zetsu clones in disguise, Naruto's clone finds a member of the communications team, contacting HQ for help. He learns from [[Inoichi Yamanaka]] that his missing friends have been affected by a [[Space–Time Technique Formula: Underworld Turnover|strange technique]]. By locking in on the reincarnated Sound Four's malice, Naruto was able to find and destroy the barrier, letting Inoichi dispel the technique and save Shikamaru and the others. Jumping in to face the Sound Four, with their souls no longer bound to the world, Naruto quickly destroyed them as well.
 
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With Sasuke's Rinnegan and Kawaki's Kāma gone, it was up to Boruto to use his mark to bring everyone back with aid from Kawaki. Upon returning to the village, Naruto was relieved. In the anime, shortly after returning, Naruto was examined by Sakura and Katasuke for any remaining traces of Kurama's essence and capacities. The tests found nothing, confirming that Kurama's death would considerably drop Naruto's abilities and fighting potential. Naruto admitted that Kurama's power had felt like cheating, and despite the void left behind, he chose not to wallow on it, believing that Kurama would make fun of him over it. Afterwards, Naruto received confirmation that Boruto's Kāma was accelerating, and decided to inform Boruto himself. He vowed to do everything in his power to save Boruto. When Kawaki returned his prosthetic hand, having his natural one restored by Amado, Naruto offered to make him a genin.
   
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=== Chūnin Re-Examination Arc ===
Meanwhile, another Naruto clone finds [[Karui]] and her division being attacked by former reincarnated samurai named [[Tatewaki]]. As the division is quickly overwhelmed by Tatewaki's swordsmanship, Naruto is shocked to meet the man again after three years. Remembering Naruto, he asks Naruto what became of the [[Chiyo (princess)|two]] [[Shū (lord)|children]] he was guardian. After Naruto assured him that the children were safely brought to their destination, the relieved samurai was able to let got of his past pains, breaking the summoning contract and returned to the afterlife.
 
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{{Main|Chūnin Re-Examination Arc}}
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[[File:Chūnin Ceremony.png|thumb|Naruto attending the chūnin ceremony.]]
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In the anime, Naruto had the Chūnin Exam that Momoshiki interrupted reorganised, as a way to boost morale and promote more capable chūnin. Naruto acted as a proctor during the second portion of the exams, evaluating the genin's abilities. During the final exam, Naruto invited Kawaki to attended, and watched the matches alongside Sai and Shikamaru. Commentating on the matches, Naruto and Shikamaru agreed that Boruto and Mitsuki would be disqualified for being late to their match. After the event, he asked Kawaki what he thought, leading to him expressing interest in becoming a genin. Later, after assigning Konohamaru and Mirai a mission, Naruto allowed Konohamaru students to assist him when Mirai returned to the village alone and injured. After Team 7 succeeded in their mission, Naruto hosted the promotion ceremony for the new chūnin, assigning them as captains of their teams.
   
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As Naruto decided to test Kawaki for qualification as a shinobi, Shikamaru voiced his concerns, feeling that his modified body would be a prime target for enemies to go after. Naruto however insisted that for Kawaki to grow, he needed to experience the outside world and make friends who could protect him. Because Kawaki fared poorly in D-rank missions with different teams, lacking team-work, Shikamaru deemed him unfit for being a shinobi. He and Naruto agreed to assign him a C-rank escort mission with Team 10 as a final chance to qualify as a genin. Konohamaru arrived and handed him intel on a recently discovered dead body. They wondered about a connection with five other similar incidents in other countries. They determined there was a connection, as all of them were from the Land of Calm Seas. As Team 10 was escorting a client there, Naruto sent Team 7 as backup, as they were out in a mission nearby. At the end of the mission, Boruto reported to Naruto how the Calm Seas Daimyō was exploiting his people. While Naruto couldn't directly interfere, he could send a medical team as a form of aid relief. Later, Kawaki asked for another chance to prove himself, but Naruto revealed that based on Shikadai's report, he passed the exam, and would take missions as a genin under him.
Later, Naruto noticed three unusual weather patterns near each other, one of strong rain, one of snow, and one lightning.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 313</ref> While searching for the source, he found to his shock a [[Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation|reincarnated]] [[Yota]], who began attacking him with powerful wind blasts. While at first unable to remember the child, Naruto gradually began recalling the events that led to Yota's death.<ref name="NS314"/> As Naruto continued evading the attacks, he received word from his allies that Yota was currently fighting in three other locations. It was then deduced that at least three of the Yota were [[White Zetsu Army|White Zetsu]] [[Substitute Technique|disguised]] and using Yota's power from a distance. While the three fake Yota were quickly defeated, Naruto found himself unable to attack Yota. Suddenly, despite being controlled, Yota was able to contact Naruto and his friends telepathically, revealing that he in fact died long before meeting them. Coming from a wondering clan with the same powers as him, Yota was a test subject by Orochimaru to refine the Impure World Reincarnation technique and as such was soon reanimated after "dying" while with Naruto and the others. Happy to see how well his friends grew up, Yota was able to break the summoning contract and destroyed his body with a bolt of lightning.<ref name="NS315"/>
 
   
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=== Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc ===
[[File:Kyubi helps Naruto.png|thumb|right|The Nine-Tails chooses to help Naruto.]]
 
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{{Main|Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc}}
While Naruto's clones arrived at the other division's locations to help find and fight off the remaining White Zetsu within the areas, the one clone with Gaara and his unit was alerted to someone's presence by a [[sensor]]. They spotted Mū on a cliff above them and [[Ōnoki]] informed them that he must have [[Fission Technique|split in half]]. They were even more shocked when Ōnoki told them that the person beside him was none other than [[Madara Uchiha]]. Gaara pointed out that Madara was reincarnated, and they all wondered who the [[Tobi|masked man]] claiming to be Madara really was. As Madara began his assault, Naruto's clone [[Shadow Clone Technique|made more clones]] to fight and stall him for time to enter Sage Mode. He and Gaara attack simultaneously, but their attack failed when Madara revealed his Rinnegan and used its power to [[Tengai Shinsei|summon a large meteorite]] to finish everyone within the area off. After the meteorite was stopped by Ōnoki and Gaara, a second one was sent crashing into it, which made a landfall and devastated the division. When Madara attempted to summon the Nine-Tails, Naruto could feel his stomach burning and the fox angrily recognised his chakra calling for it. As the Nine-Tails resolved to lend Naruto its chakra, he first thought that it was going to attempt to take over his body like it used to, but the fox said it would rather help Naruto than be manipulated by Madara again. Using its chakra, Naruto's clone was able to create more clones and countered Madara's [[Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees]] with a [[Big Ball Spiralling Serial Zone Spheres|series]] of [[Big Ball Rasengan]]. After that assault, the clone was left severely weakened to the point where he felt like that he could disappear at any moment. As Madara and Mū moved to attack, Tsunade, A, and [[Mei Terumī]] [[Heavenly Transfer Technique|suddenly]] [[Flying Thunder God Technique|appeared]] and was able to keep them at bay. Naruto's clone pleaded with Tsunade to heal him as he didn't want to disappear yet or have Tsunade to use her [[Yin Seal: Release|forehead seal]]. However, she refused and Ōnoki explained to him that the war was about protecting everyone, not just him. Tsunade also told Naruto's clone that the Kage would handle the real Madara, while he should focus on defeating the [[Tobi|imposter]]. Elsewhere in a dense forest area, the real Naruto received the dispersed clone's information and vowed to win. Naruto noticed Tobi approaching and immediately headbutted him, causing both of them to recoil from the impact.
 
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In the anime, the Land of Water faced a civil war against the [[Funato Clan]]. [[Team 5]] and [[Team 7 (Konohamaru)|Team 7]] accidentally found themselves caught in it. Aiding Kirigakure, the genin were able to help end the war peacefully. Upon the genin's return to Konohagakure, Naruto informed them of the aftermath from Chōjūrō. As Boruto asked about the fate of his new friend [[Ikada Funato]], a ship-builder who was drawn to the war after his [[Seiren Funato|sister's]] death. Kawaki voiced that he deserved punishment as an enemy commander. Boruto insisted that Ikada was a good person and was key in ending the war. As Kawaki stormed off annoyed at Boruto, Naruto approached Boruto, commending him for his efforts in the war and sympathising with Boruto's new view. He encouraged Boruto to make up with Kawaki. Naruto soon after found the two boys instead coming to blows with each other. Naruto cheerfully watched the fight until the two collapsed against each other. Working off their aggression, the two put aside their differences. Naruto approached them, telling Boruto about Ikada's lenient punishment of surveillance under [[Kajiki]]'s care. Naruto treated them to some ramen.
   
[[File:Fu's jutsu.png|thumb|left|Naruto and B clashing with the reincarnated jinchūriki.]]
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[[File:Uzumaki family's vacation.png|thumb|left|Naruto and his family on vacation.]]
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Naruto later went on a family vacation to a hot spring inn that Himawari won in a raffle, sending Konohamaru in his place to the filming of the next Kagemasa movie where he was to make a guest appearance and use the Rasengan on the climax. At the inn, he and Hinata beat Boruto and Kawaki at ping-pong due to their superior team-work. Naruto later lost to Himawari at a card matching game, and assured Kawaki he was part of the family.
When Naruto questioned him about his true identity, Tobi simply replied that he was a nobody and that only completing the [[Eye of the Moon Plan]] and fixing the worthless world mattered to him. Though Tobi claimed he and B understand misery as jinchūriki, Naruto argued that having [[tailed beast]]s sealed inside them is not that bad while stating he is not going to fall for his lies. Tobi then had his jinchūriki paths enter the early stages of their tailed beast transformations to attack the gravely disadvantaged Naruto and B. After narrowly escaping from the jinchūriki, Naruto, B, and the Eight-Tails began to formulate a counter measure against them. After being informed by B that he had seen a [[Chakra Receiver|black rod]] embedded into [[Yugito]]'s chest, Naruto battles [[Rōshi]] to destroy the receiver in his chest with a [[Rasengan]] before being sent flying by [[Han]]'s kick. Clutching onto B as he transformed into the Eight-Tails and [[Tailed Beast Eight Twists|devastated]] a large area of the forest, Naruto watched on as B used his [[ink clone]]s to try and [[Sealing Technique: Octopus Hold|seal]] the jinchūriki, but the technique was cancelled when they all entered into their Version 2 forms at the last second. As Naruto was fending off the jinchūriki, he eventually became overwhelmed and was [[Coral Palm|weighed down]], thus allowing Tobi the opportunity to try and capture Naruto. However, Naruto was saved by the timely arrival of [[Kakashi]] and [[Guy]]. After Guy destroyed the coral that was restricting his movement, Naruto began assisting them in battling Tobi's [[Six Paths of Pain]]. Suddenly, Tobi had both [[Utakata]] and Rōshi fully transform into the [[Six-Tails]] and the Four-Tails respectively, throwing him off onto the Eight-Tails, and he fell out of the [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]]. With Kakashi and Guy cut off from him, the Four-Tails tossed the Eight-Tails and Naruto quickly re-entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode when he was right between the giant ape's teeth.
 
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{{-L}}
   
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=== Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc ===
[[File:Naruto Kurama.png|thumb|right|Naruto and Kurama team up.]]
 
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{{main|Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc}}
As he struggled to free himself, Naruto was eventually swallowed by the Four-Tails and, to his surprise, ended up inside of Rōshi's subconscious and found the Four-Tails in chains. After denying that he had come to steal the beast's power, Naruto was chastised by the ape as it demands to be called by its proper name: [[Son Gokū]]. Learning the Nine-Tails' true name is [[Kurama]], talking from experience, Naruto expressed his wish to be friends with it in the same manner that B was with the Eight-Tails. Hearing the resolve in Naruto's words, Son Gokū decided to help Naruto defeat it but explained to the boy not to expect it as his ally until he wins the tailed beast's trust. Using his [[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique]] to force the transformed Rōshi to vomit him out while leaving one a clone in Sage Mode behind, Naruto staged two-fold attack on the chakra receiver that located on the side of the neck. Though Naruto succeeded in removing it, he learns that he only severed Tobi's control over Rōshi while Son Gokū's being is still held by the [[Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]]. Regardless, Naruto earned the Four-Tails' trust as he gave the boy some of its chakra being sealed back into the statue. Drained of chakra, finding out his actions also earned the Nine-Tails' trust while thanking if for aiding his clone against Madara, Naruto accepts Kurama's offer to meld their chakra. Noting that Kurama was no longer the monster fox that attacked Konoha, but the village's ally and his team-mate, Naruto unlocked the [[Torii Seal|seal's gate]] as he and released Kurama prepared to face the five remaining, fully-transformed jinchūriki in their [[Tailed Beast Mode|new form]].
 
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In the anime, Naruto and Shikamaru assigned Kawaki a secret mission, to protect Princess [[Kae Yukiwari]] from the [[Land of Bamboo]] while she attended the Academy as an exchange student. They explained that Kae's father discovered an assassination plot targeting his daughter, and sent her there while he investigated the matter domestically, Kae herself unaware of the threat. Naruto picked Kawaki because of his lower profile with the public, and offered some advice on how to connect with the students. Naruto gave a speech during the opening ceremony, and was later pleased by Kawaki's report of having befriended Kae. He also felt that Kawaki had something to learn from attending the Academy, despite his advanced fighting skills.
   
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Following a terrorist attack on the Academy that served as a diversion for an attempt on Kae's life, Konoha leadership learned that Kawaki didn't report the possibility of an attack, and removed him from the mission. Naruto told Kawaki to stay home until further notice. However, Kawaki later thwarted another attempt on Kae's life, and Naruto informed him that it allowed Batora to report his investigation and arrest the [[Bamboo Minister|Land of Bamboo's minister]] as the mastermind behind the plot.
[[File:Naruto's new cloak.png|thumb|left|Naruto in Tailed Beast Mode.]]
 
Wasting no time, Naruto intervened to save Guy and Kakashi from the jinchūriki's [[Tailed Beast Ball]]s, with the latter mistaking him for [[Minato Namikaze|his own former teacher]]. As the beasts rallied again and prepared to attack the shinobi, Naruto transformed into Kurama — seemingly "absorbing" Guy and Kakashi into the beast's chakra for safe-keeping. After creating a Sage Mode clone to help locate the other chakra receivers, Kurama warned Naruto that they only had five minutes to maintain the form because it was his first transformation. With this, he grabbed the Seven-Tails in mid-flight, intending to pile-drive the beast into the Three-Tails, but the giant turtle rolled out of the way. Right after that, the Six-Tails quickly swallowed Kurama's hand, rendering it immobile and allowing the Three-Tails to attack, but was stopped by the Eight-Tails. The Two-Tails attempted to pounce on Naruto and Kurama from behind, but they fiercely swung the Six-Tails right into the monster cat, throwing the two away from a distance while B dealt with the Five-Tails. As the other tailed beasts gathered and preformed a collaborative Tailed Beast Ball, Naruto and Kurama preformed one of their own, intending to counter the attack by aiming slightly below his opponents', which sent them both flying upwards in a massive explosion.
 
   
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While reviewing background files, [[Hana Kaka]] was discovered to hail from the Land of Bamboo, leading to the full uncovering of the plot against Kae. After other conspirators were arrested by Sai and Team 25, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kawaki reported the events to Naruto. Naruto was amenable to Hana's wish to merely suppress her assassin personality in order to teach her to live for more than just her mission. Her wish to maybe one day be friends with it reminded him of his history with Kurama. Naruto was glad that Kawaki's time in the Academy helped him grow, and he was later pleased by how engrossed Himawari was with the Academy, despite still not having decided whether she wanted to be a shinobi or not.
[[File:Naruto meets bijuus.png|thumb|right|Naruto's encounter with the other tailed beasts and jinchūriki.]]
 
Then, as the massive dust cloud was clearing, Naruto used Kurama's tails, transforming them into chakra hands, to grab his opponents by their throats. He then used Nine-Tails Chakra Mode clones to pull out the stakes, while silently promising to free all the tailed beasts. Suddenly, Naruto found that his subconscious had been pulled into a space so that the remaining beasts and their jinchūriki could converse with him. [[Yagura]] and the other jinchūriki explained that Son Gokū insisted that they wait for Naruto and try to help him. After both the jinchūriki and tailed beasts introduced themselves and offered Naruto some of their power, Naruto, back in the real world, successfully managed to pull the [[chakra receivers]] from the beasts, just before his time in the new form ran out. Forcing to seal all of the tailed beasts back into the Demonic Statue, Tobi was left incredulous about these turn of events, but remained convinced that still changed nothing. Naruto, though, disagreed, stating that he just learned a bunch of difficult names all at once, and teased Tobi for not knowing any of them. Later, when Naruto saw the end to Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation as the corpses of the jinchūriki began to deconstruct, he silently thanked Itachi and continued battling Tobi and the [[Demonic Statue of the Outer Path]].
 
   
=== Ten-Tails Revival Arc ===
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=== Code's Assault Arc ===
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{{Main|Code's Assault Arc}}
As Naruto taunted his opponent on taking off his mask, Tobi summoned both the [[Benihisago]] and the [[Kohaku no Jōhei]] that contained the reincarnated [[Gold and Silver Brothers]], who possessed a portion of Kurama's chakra, and tossed them into the Demonic Statue's mouth. That, along with the chakra from one of Gyūki's tentacles that was cut from B's last fight with Sasuke, the Demonic Statue began its transformation into the [[Ten-Tails]]. When Tobi exclaimed that world no longer needed the concept of heroes, hopes, or future, Naruto argued that his own heroes were the reason why he was able to keep moving forward without faltering and would make his dream to become Hokage a reality. With that, Naruto resolved to first crush Tobi's mask, to which the masked man responded that he would not allow them to touch the Demonic Statue.
 
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[[File:Naruto Shikamaru and Sai discussing Code.png|thumb|Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru talking about Code's movements.]]
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Later, Naruto and Shikamaru decided to indefinitely take Boruto off active-duty while deciding on how to deal with his Kāma, helping him pass time with various interviews from the media about his victory over Isshiki. After Amado finished restoring Kawaki's arm, he talked to Naruto about the remaining Kara-threats including their Ten-Tails seed as well as [[Code]], who would inevitably seek out and kill all who were responsible for Isshiki's death. Hearing such a threat, Naruto requested Shikamaru to set up a Kage Summit. During the Kage meeting, they discussed Code, Amado's trustworthiness, and the issue of Momoshiki taking over Boruto, to which Naruto swore to handle it should the need arise. He later approached Amado to deal with Boruto's Kāma. He provided him with pills he developed as a means to defeat Jigen. As the Byakugan originates with the Ōtsutsuki, he theorised that weakening it might interfere with the Kāma's progress. As Boruto was given the pills and explained the nature of them, Naruto was horrified at how recklessly Boruto decided to take them. Later, Naruto and Konohamaru watched the Team 7 and Kawaki training together.
   
[[File:Kakashi attacks Tobi.png|thumb|left|Naruto vs. Tobi.]]
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[[File:Naruto declares Kawaki his son.png|thumb|left|Naruto declares that Kawaki is his son.]]
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Later, Naruto found Kawaki moping about his lack of acceptance in the village. Naruto brought him back home, where a welcome dinner party was held for Kawaki. Naruto and his family made it clear that he was welcomed to stay as long as he desired. Naruto further insisted that this was the very reason he became Hokage. While Kawaki was taking magazines out to the trash, Naruto dozed off on the dinner table. When Boruto discovered Kawaki's ruse to avoid surveillance, he exposed it to Naruto, who confirmed it with Nishi as Kawaki released his shadow clone. He notified Ino and Shikamaru of the development, and was against Boruto leaving to find Kawaki, as he was under surveillance for the same reason and returned to discussing the search with Ino. When Ino determined it was futile to search through sensing, Naruto thought back to Boruto's words and searched for him, and confirmed with Nishi he was nowhere nearby.
Formulating their strategy as Naruto produces a [[shadow clone]], the shinobi agree that the use of feint attacks would be crucial in this battle because of Tobi's [[Kamui|abilities]]. Moving directly towards Tobi, Naruto uses the [[Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball]] to attack Tobi. However, becoming intangible, Naruto passes through him. Guy then leaps in with his [[Sōshūga]] to join battle. Using his nunchaku to counter Tobi's gunbai, Guy is able to sent the masked man throttling towards Naruto and his Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball. As Naruto's attack is about to make contact, Tobi teleports which Naruto had the idea to [[Negative Emotions Sensing|sense him out]] to anticipate Tobi emerging from the ground in a surprise attack. Dodging the attack, Naruto now has a harder time blocking Tobi's gunbai. Kakashi then appears to join in the fight with his [[Lightning Release]] infused kunai. As Kakashi launches the kunai, Tobi became intangible once again and kicks the kunai towards Naruto. Telling Naruto to ignore it, Kakashi uses [[Kamui]] to warp away the kunai. As Naruto makes his last attempt to land a blow on Tobi, he becomes intangible. Regrouping as the last attack seemingly fails to land, the shinobi wonder how they were going to defeat Tobi. Just then a tiny crack appears on Tobi's mask. Noticing the crack Guy believes Naruto's attack caused the damage but Kakashi disagreed noting that the crack was not consistent with a punch. Naruto agrees to confirm Kakashi's hypothesis and climbed aboard [[Gyūki]]'s hand and is then launched across the battlefield towards Tobi. He allows Guy to initiate the first attack breaking the rocks before him and force Tobi to phase through them but Guy continues his assault even as the masked man is still intangible forcing him to absorb his nunchaku. This allows Naruto to attack Tobi with a Rasengan during this vulnerable period and injure his left arm. Naruto later listened in surprise as Kakashi explained the mechanisms behind Tobi's [[Kamui|technique]]. Confused as to why the kunai made a mark but his punch didn't, Kakashi explained causing Naruto to realise that this was what his Rasengan did as well.
 
   
[[File:Naruto hits Tobi.PNG|thumb|Naruto destroys Tobi's mask.]]
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[[File:Naruto Rescuing Kawaki.png|thumb|Naruto rescues Kawaki.]]
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Using Sage Mode, Naruto was able to locate Boruto and Kawaki, alongside an [[Code|unknown individual]]. Hinata attempted to join him, but he stressed she had to take care of Himawari if something happened to him. As Naruto left two shadow clones on standby to store up more senjutsu chakra, Shikamaru arrived, refusing to let Naruto leave the village against the threat without him since the Hokage now no longer had Kurama for additional power. Shikamaru reminded Naruto that he cannot maintain Sage Mode for long anymore, but Naruto insisted that he can maintain it longer on his own drawing from years of experience. They arrive in time to save Kawaki from having his arm broken by Momoshiki, who had taken over Boruto again. Naruto checked on Kawaki, who begged him to flee, fearing his death. Naruto refused to abandon anyone. Code took Shikamaru hostage, who in turn told Naruto to ignore him and attack. Momoshiki decided to help Code killing Naruto, who was also a problem for him, and attacked with an [[Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan]]. He was surprised to see Kawaki absorbing the jutsu with a new Kāma.
As Tobi chastised Kakashi, Naruto interjected stating that he would not give up on his dreams no matter what. When Tobi began to chastise Naruto as well, the young man switched places with Kurama who told Tobi in Naruto's stead that he would not lose, no matter what. With that they entered the [[Tailed Beast Mode]] and charged at Tobi. After Tobi evaded Naruto's attack, and chided him for attacking alone, Naruto rebutted that he was not alone, in that he had his friends and teachers with him, getting Kakashi out of his slump and moving to attack again as a group. Using a shadow clone, Naruto had B cover him while he had the clone charge at Tobi with a Rasengan while the real Naruto charged a Tailed Beast Ball. Tobi thought he destroyed the clone when Kakashi's Kamui failed to warp the Rasengan, and then phased through the Tailed Beast Ball. Once in the other dimension however, he discovered that Kakashi had instead sent the entire clone over and before he could react, Naruto hit him in the face with a Rasengan, breaking his mask.
 
   
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Naruto continued to watch in disbelief as Kawaki began attacking Momoshiki with no restraint, displaying Isshiki's jutsu in the process. Eventually, Naruto intervened, as Kawaki's attacked would have killed Boruto. He tried to reason with Kawaki, who remained committed to killing Momoshiki. Boruto managed to hold back Momoshiki's personality for a moment, and pushed Naruto out of the way, allowing Kawaki to strike through his chest. Code opted to leave and released Shikamaru. While Kawaki was overwhelming Code, he pulled Daemon through the Claw Mark of his face, reflecting Kawaki's attack and knocking him out before leaving. Shikamaru tried to snap Naruto out of his stupor, and began to consider how to deal with Kawaki, arguing with Naruto, who still wanted to support Kawaki. He was stunned when Boruto woke up, his injuries completely healed.
[[File:Naruto vs Madara.png|thumb|left|Naruto vs. Madara.]]
 
He is later seen expressing alarm that Tobi's identity is revealed to be [[Obito Uchiha]], a former comrade Kakashi and Guy are acquainted with. After his question about who was standing, unmasked before them is answered, Naruto tries to rally his sensei, telling him that for now, they had to focus on stopping his plans. When Obito [[Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance|attacked]] Guy and Kakashi, Naruto manifested Kurama's tails and used them as a blockade — dispelling the flames before Madara Uchiha makes an appearance on the battlefield. With Madara's appearance, Naruto demands to know what happened to the five Kage while the two Uchiha casually discussed the current situation, but Madara notes that the Naruto in front of them was a clone, and informed him that the Kage were not doing well. Further angered by his casual disregard of Nagato, Naruto launched an attack on Madara, first releasing B from the chakra stakes, then throwing them at Madara, who blocks them, and then attacking with a mini Tailed Beast Ball. However, Madara sent the [[Uchiha Return|force back]] with his gunbai, destroying the clone before moving to deal with the jinchūriki.
 
   
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=== Omnipotence Arc ===
[[File:Naruto battling madara's dragon.png|thumb|Naruto and Kurama battle against Madara's wooden dragon.]]
 
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{{Main|Omnipotence Arc}}
Naruto, Killer B, and Guy all engaged Madara in combat after that point. Madara overwhelmed B and Guy, and Naruto rose to challenge him and announced that he was the Fourth Hokage's son. In response, Madara created a gigantic [[wood dragon]] to attack him after remarking he won't take it easy on Naruto any more. In response, Naruto countered with his full Tailed Beast Mode, smashing and biting the dragon. However, the dragon eventually gained the upper-hand in their struggle and began to absorb Kurama's chakra, causing the beast's shroud to falter. Hearing Obito and Madara's ideals once again, Naruto noted that they annoyed him to no end before creating a shadow clone to intercept Obito's attack on Kakashi while he protected Guy and B from Madara. He noted that he was not trash and that he would never become trash and that he would protect his comrades. After Kakashi rallied to his side, he and Naruto stand to face their opponents head-on. As Obito began to attack, he binded Naruto's clone with a Wood Release technique, and tried to send Kakashi to the other dimension, however, Naruto head-butted him, boldly denying Obito's claim that Kakashi was trash.
 
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After everyone returned to the village, Naruto kept watch over Kawaki as Shikamaru had Sumire examine him. They and Ibiki discussed how to handle Kawaki, and Naruto intended to have a long talk with Kawaki when he wakes up. Sumire noticed the heavy atmosphere around Naruto and asked Shikamaru about it. He claimed Naruto was just exhausted from almost being killed.
   
  +
When Kawaki woke up, he asked Naruto if he'd condemn him for killing Boruto. Naruto revealed Boruto was fine because of his Kāma. He added was grateful that Kawaki was there, otherwise they might all have died, and that Boruto felt the same. As Naruto reassured him that he belonged in Konoha and was family, Ino alerted him of Code and [[Ada]]'s invasion. Naruto feigned a previous appointment and left after confirming that Boruto was fine to a startled Sumire. After Code and Ada left taking Amado with them, Naruto listened as Shikamaru explained Ada's alluring ability and speculated on the other cyborg that Code employed in his battle the previous night. When Kawaki acted callous when considering Amado's possible death and deriding Shikamaru, Naruto censored him.
As Obito regained his composure and charged at a visibly exhausted Kakashi, planning to send him to the other dimension to keep him from stopping his plans, Kurama asked that Naruto switch with him. As Naruto did so, Kurama grabbed Kakashi's hand and hurled him at Obito, letting Kakashi get absorbed — much to Naruto's shock — to which Kurama simply stated that Naruto could now fight without hesitation. Without much time to discuss the matter as he was set upon by Obito once again, Naruto used his chakra arms to fend off his would-be attacker. As his attacks phased through him, Obito showed signs of being attacked much to Naruto's shock; there it was revealed that Kurama had actually gave Kakashi some of its chakra so he could attack Obito in the other dimension and also return to the real world using [[Kamui]]. Meanwhile, the original Naruto entered the full Tailed Beast Mode to create a giant Tailed Beast Ball with B and Gyūki and fired it at the Demonic Statue. This was all done in vain however, as after the resulting explosion, the Ten-Tails had been revived.
 
   
  +
As Shikamaru briefed Team 7 on their new surveillance mission living with Ada and Daemon, Naruto discussed it with Sasuke, explaining how Shikamaru managed to covertly control Boruto and Kawaki into acting more cautiously by entrusting them with responsibility in the form of a mission. When Naruto noticed Sasuke noticing something, Sasuke dismissed it. After Ada and Daemon departed for their new home, Naruto joined Shikamaru in getting Amado to share everything he was still keeping secret. He listened as Amado explained the [[shinjutsu]] nature of Ada's and Daemon's abilities, their origins in [[Shibai Ōtsutsuki]]'s remains, and Amado's goal of using Kawaki's Kāma to resurrect his daughter [[Akebi]]. When Shikamaru asked Ada to confirm Amado's claims with her [[Senrigan]], Naruto found it a bit excessive. He was satisfied with Amado's goal, and decided he wouldn't interfere in his matters with Kawaki if it didn't endanger Konoha. Naruto agreed to Ada's request to call it a day, as they had just arrived in the village.
Naruto and the others quickly regroup while Kurama restored Kakashi and Guy's respective chakra, but the Ten-Tails, under the control of Obito and Madara, quickly overwhelmed them before they could finish devising a strategy. Kurama and Gyūki then fired a [[Continuous Tailed Beast Balls|barrage of Tailed Beast Balls]] at the Ten-Tails, who easily deflected them with a single blast of its own. Naruto and Kurama were able to withstand the attack (losing six of its tails in exchange) and threw Kakashi and Naruto's Sage Mode shadow clone above the Ten-Tails, where Kakashi teleported Gyūki and B who prepared to launch a Tailed Beast Ball from the beast's blind-spot. However, the Ten-Tails simply flicked the attack back at Gyūki, leaving Naruto's shadow clone, and Kakashi open for an attack. After the clone successfully pushed Kakashi out of the way, and gets dispelled by the tail himself, Naruto and Kurama were able to rescue Kakashi, Gyūki, and B before the Tailed Beast Mode was deactivated, which Kurama noted to Naruto that it needed time to generate more chakra.
 
   
  +
While preparing for dinner with Hinata, they were joined by Kawaki, who asked Naruto not to inform the sensors of his presence. Naruto listened as Kawaki reiterated how much he changed because of Naruto, and how he came to think that shinobi and good people like Naruto would be the first to die in any conflict with Ōtsutsuki. When Kawaki said he'd eliminate all the Ōtsutsuki to protect Naruto, including Boruto, Naruto refused to let Kawaki do this. Not wanting to hurt Naruto, nor let him get in the way, Kawaki sent Naruto and Hinata away with [[Daikokuten]], where they'd be suspended in time, unable to think, and requiring no air or sustenance.
[[File:Naruto Alliance.png|thumb|left|Naruto, together with the Allied Shinobi Forces.]]
 
As Obito and Madara had the Ten-Tails fire another Tailed Beast Ball at Naruto's group, the shinobi were shocked to realise that the attack had missed. Just then, from above, Ino, Hinata, Hiashi and a few others arrived and it is revealed that Ino was able to shift the blast after taking control of the beast for a split second. Shrouding the battlefield in mist and releasing [[kikaichū]] to stop them from being sensed, the entire Allied Shinobi Forces arrive at the battlefield, and Naruto announces that they were no longer a disorderly crowd before announcing that the "Ninja Alliance Technique" could stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As the Allied Shinobi Forces seemingly managed to trap the Ten-Tails with their battle strategy, Naruto entered Sage Mode and prepared to attack the two Uchiha with a Rasenshuriken. He throws the Rasenshuriken like planned as he and the other Allied Shinobi attack only to be repelled by the beast emerging in its matured form, sending Naruto and several others flying backwards, only to be left in shock at the beast's transformation, also leaving Naruto with a dislocated shoulder.
 
   
  +
== New Era: Part II ==
After the Ten-Tails launched several Tailed Beast Balls at nearby locations and the Allied Shinobi Headquarters (not before Shikaku and Inoichi relay their final battle strategy), Naruto questioned what happened to them, but suddenly Neji and Hiashi defended him from an incoming attack and told him not to get distracted in the battlefield. After reminding Naruto that he was the key to their strategy, the two of them, plus Hinata, declared that they will protect him. The Ten-Tails then started firing a barrage of wooden spears that proved difficult to defend against. Naruto entered Sage Mode and launched a few Rasenshuriken at the projectiles, but exhausted his senjutsu chakra. Soon the Ten-Tails launched a pinpoint attack at Naruto that the Hyūga were unable to deflect in time. Hinata prepares to defend Naruto as a human shield, only for Neji to take the fatal blow instead. In his final moments, Neji reminded Naruto that Hinata, as well as everyone else, was willing to die for him. When Naruto pleaded to know why he'd sacrifice himself for him, Neji replied it was because he was called a genius, reminding him of their first battle. Devastated, Naruto and Hinata tearfully mourn as Neji passed away.
 
  +
=== Boruto's Return Arc ===
  +
{{main|Boruto's Return Arc}}
  +
Three years later, Kawaki visited the unconscious Naruto and Hinata.
   
  +
== Flashforward ==
Capitalising on Naruto's grief, Obito mocked Naruto about his earlier statement that he wouldn't let any of his comrades to die by reminding him of many shinobi that were already killed. Naruto was then left in a bewildered and depressed state as Obito lashed out at his beliefs, telling him that they would only lead to more of the same. As Obito tried to tempt Naruto into joining his plan, Hinata managed to snap Naruto out of his rut. She told him that if his life was connected to everyone who shared his beliefs and were willing to sacrifice their lives for him like Neji had, that he shouldn't give up and let their deaths be for nothing. Kurama also joined in, telling Naruto of his parents' similar sacrifice to protect him. With his confidence restored and his beliefs reaffirmed, Naruto took Hinata's hand and he thanked her for staying by his side. As he re-entered Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto [[Chakra Transfer Technique|transferred]] some of Kurama's chakra to Hinata, and created three shadow clones to swiftly transfer more of its chakra to many of the still alive across the battlefield, in particular Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji, whose clans' [[Formation Ino–Shika–Chō|Ino–Shika–Chō Formation]] figured in Shikaku's last strategy.
 
  +
In the wake of Konoha's destruction four years after the [[Ōtsutsuki]] attack on the village, [[Kawaki]] tells [[Boruto]] that he will send him to where he sent the Seventh Hokage.
   
  +
== In Other Media ==
[[File:Naruto giving chakra.png|thumb|Naruto gives Kurama's chakra to the Allied Shinobi Forces.]]
 
  +
=== Movies ===
When Naruto finished distributing chakra to the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces, he lead a charge attack with [[Twin Rasenshuriken|two Rasenshuriken prepared]]. One of them he used in front as they cut right through a couple of the Ten-Tails' tails. He prepared to throw the second one at Obito, but his dislocated shoulder got in the way. Hinata quickly fixed it with her Gentle Fist, allowing him to throw his technique, successfully cutting Obito's connection to the beast, alongside Lee cutting Madara's. The Uchiha duo quickly recollect themselves and began attacking the Allied Shinobi Forces directly with collaborated techniques. Naruto's chakra shrouds were able protected everyone from being killed by the barrage, but Kurama warned Naruto to be careful about micro-managing all of the chakra he had given them, as it was exhausting him and causing him to revert to his [[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]]. Obito confronted Naruto, telling him he was contradicting himself by saying he was closest to his friend after they died but still wished to protect them. Naruto rejected Obito's words completely, telling him that his words were meaningless and that a loner like him wouldn't understand. Suddenly, the Ten-Tails started going berserk, completely distorting the weather around the area into powerful storms. As Kakashi attempted to stop the beast with [[Kamui]], Obito intervened. As Naruto called to his sensei in concern, Kakashi told Naruto to take care of things here while the two former friends teleport back to the alternate dimension.
 
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==== Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow ====
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{{Main|Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow}}
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[[Team Kakashi|Team 7]] is dispatched to the [[Land of Snow]] to protect the lead actress [[Koyuki Kazahana]], during the shooting of the new Princess Gale movie.
   
  +
==== Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel ====
[[File:Team 7 - reunited.png|thumb|left|Team 7 stands reborn.]]
 
  +
{{Main|Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel}}
Naruto once again protected everyone from the Ten-Tails' [[Tenpenchii]], but doing so drained him all of Kurama's chakra to maintain the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and the chakra forming the [[Allied Shinobi Forces|Alliance]] disappeared. Despite that, however, members of the Alliance protected the exhausted Naruto as Sakura [[Mystical Palm Technique|healed]] Naruto. Soon, the Ten-Tails prepared a giant Tailed Beast Ball, only for it to be stopped by the arrival of Naruto's [[Minato Namikaze|reincarnated father]]. After sending the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball to the sea, Minato thanked Sakura for healing Naruto, then asked him if she was his girlfriend, to which Naruto responded "more or less". Sakura lashed at him for lying about them being intimate and that he should focus on the current situation, the action reminding Minato of [[Kushina]] and her own short temper. Naruto stated that he had felt their chakra in Tailed Beast Mode, just as the other Hokage arrived. Minato donned [[Minato Namikaze's Jinchūriki Forms#Nine-Tails Chakra Mode|a chakra cloak]], much to the others' shock, and led Naruto to brag about his father once again to Kurama. After sealing the Ten-Tails in a barrier, Sasuke and [[Jūgo]] arrived on the battlefield. After some dispute between the original Rookie Nine and Sasuke declaring to everyone that he would change the village and become Hokage, Naruto, finally healed, stood beside Sasuke and said that it was he who would actually become Hokage. Naruto and Sasuke moved to the battlefield, followed by Sakura, and the reborn [[Team 7]] prepared to face the Ten-Tails.
 
  +
Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru are sent to track and bring a ferret back to its owner. However, when the group is attacked by mysterious soldiers, they embark on to something big.
   
  +
==== Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom ====
The rest of the Rookie Nine rallied them, and they set out. The Hokage used the barrier to contain the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball, and Hashirama created an opening in the barrier for them to get it. As Sakura began to lay waste of the miniature Ten-Tails clones, a shocked Naruto made a mental note never tease her again. When she momentarily let her guard down, he and Sasuke protected her. Sakura praised Sasuke, but not Naruto, causing him to complain about it. Naruto was annoyed when she declared that if Sasuke and Naruto begin fighting again, she'd snatch the Hokage seat from under their noses. As the trio stood together, back to back, Naruto examined Sasuke's [[Amaterasu]] and his [[Mangekyō Sharingan]], while Sasuke examined Naruto's [[Tailed Beast Mode|tailed beast form]]. After he got into a short scuffle with [[Kiba]], Naruto proceeded to save Sai from his failed aerial attack on the Ten Tails' main body. Sai asked Naruto if he could give chakra to the Alliance, but he explained he couldn't since Kurama was still moulding more chakra. Sai suggested that it would be best to defeat the largest of the clones, and slip close enough to beat the Ten-Tails itself, but it would be too far to jump at one go. He explained, however, that if they were to suffer severe wounds, the medical group would not be able to make it up front. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke simultaneously used the [[Summoning Technique]], saying that they fortunately have a solution to the problem. Naruto summoned [[Gamakichi]], while Sasuke and Sakura summoned [[Aoda]] and [[Katsuyu]], as each the solution to one problem.
 
  +
{{Main|Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom}}
  +
Naruto, Sakura, Rock Lee and Kakashi are assigned to protect the future prince of the [[Land of the Moon]], [[Hikaru Tsuki]].
   
  +
==== Naruto Shippūden the Movie ====
== Video Games ==
 
  +
{{Main|Naruto Shippūden the Movie}}
{{playable in}}
 
  +
Naruto is assigned to protect the priestess [[Shion]], who starts having visions of his death.
  +
  +
==== Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds ====
  +
{{Main|Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds}}
  +
A group of ninja from the [[Land of the Sky]] launched a surprise attack on Konoha and to stop this new threat, Naruto and Sasuke join forces.
  +
  +
==== Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Will of Fire ====
  +
{{Main|Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire}}
  +
[[Team Kakashi]] works together to stop Kakashi from sacrificing himself to stop a world war.
  +
  +
==== Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Lost Tower ====
  +
{{Main|Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Lost Tower}}
  +
Naruto is sent on a mission to stop [[Mukade]]. However, during the mission Naruto is sent 20 years into the past.
  +
  +
==== Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison ====
  +
{{Main|Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison}}
  +
Naruto gets framed for the attempted assassination of the Raikage. In his subsequent attempts to break out of the [[Hōzuki Castle|prison]], he gradually discovers the prison's dark secrets.
  +
  +
==== Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie ====
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{{Main|Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie}}
  +
Naruto and Sakura end up in an alternate reality in a test version of Project [[Eye of the Moon Plan]] where Naruto never lost his parents and many characters have different personalities.
  +
  +
=== Video Games ===
  +
{{main|List of video games}}
  +
As the main character of the series, Naruto is a playable character in every ''Naruto'' video game. As the series has progressed, Naruto has become playable in various forms, often with different move-sets for each. New video game-exclusive forms are also available at times, such as a version of Naruto wearing [[Might Guy]]'s jump suit, a version wearing [[w:c:dragonball:Son Goku|Son Gokū's Turtle School Uniform]], Naruto from ''[[Shippū! Konoha Gakuen Den!]]'', and "[[Mecha-Naruto]]." The video games also put some extra emphasis on his taijutsu; most of the time Naruto in the past fights akin to a brawler; while in his incarnation from ''The Last: Naruto the Movie'', he instead fights more like a hand-to-hand boxer.
  +
  +
=== Live Spectacle Naruto ===
  +
{{Main|Live Spectacle Naruto}}
  +
Koudai Matsuoka plays as Naruto in this stage play adaption.
   
 
== Creation and Conception ==
 
== 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 [[Wikipedia:Son Goku (Dragon Ball)|Son Gokū]] from the ''[[Wikipedia:Dragon Ball|Dragon Ball]]'' franchise. He also made sure to keep Naruto "simple and stupid," since he does not like smart characters. Naruto himself is not modelled 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.
+
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 [[wikipedia:Goku|Son Gokū]] from the ''[[wikipedia:Dragon Ball|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.
   
[[File:FIRST NARUTO.jpg|thumb|The first version of Naruto that Masashi Kishimoto drew.]]
+
[[File:FIRST NARUTO.jpg|thumb|left|The first version of Naruto that Masashi Kishimoto drew.]]
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 colouring 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.
+
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 colouring 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 ''Shōnen 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 an interview with the U.S. ''Shōnen Jump'', Kishimoto stated that his childhood was like that of Naruto's years while he was enrolled in the Academy).
   
  +
[[File: Naruto Appearances.png|thumb|Naruto's appearances throughout the series.]]
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 complemented Naruto's character, and served as a verbal tic that showed him to be something of a brat. Throughout the beginning of the English {{animanga|anime}}, 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.
 
  +
In the Japanese versions of ''Naruto'', Naruto often ends his sentences with the addendum "[[Catchphrases and Verbal Tics#Dattebayo.2C Dattebane and Dattebasa|-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 complemented Naruto's character, and served as a verbal tic that showed him to be something of a brat. Throughout the beginning of the English {{animanga|anime}}, 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 ==
 
== Trivia ==
  +
{{Youthwiki|Naruto Uzumaki}}
* 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 "[[Wikipedia:Maelstrom|maelstrom]]," and is also short for '[[Wikipedia:Narutomaki|Narutomaki]]', a kind of [[Wikipedia:Kamaboko|kamaboko]] with a pink whirlpool design in the middle that is used as a topping for ramen, which is Naruto's favourite food. The surname "Uzumaki" is a pun on {{translation|"spiral"|渦巻}}, because it refers to a three-dimensional spiral, like a whirlpool or vortex. "Uzumaki" can also mean "whirlpool," in reference to the {{translation|[[Wikipedia:Naruto whirlpools|Naruto whirlpools]]|鳴門の渦潮}}, named after the city of [[Wikipedia:Naruto, Tokushima|Naruto]]. In addition, Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, is from [[Uzushiogakure]] in the [[Land of Whirlpools]], who used the spiral pattern as their village symbol.
 
  +
* Spiral patterns are a recurring theme in ''Naruto'', especially in relation to the character of Naruto Uzumaki himself. The name "Naruto" is short for {{translation|"[[wikipedia:Narutomaki|narutomaki]]"|なると巻き}}, a kind of [[wikipedia:kamaboko|kamaboko]] with a pink spiral design in the middle that is used as a topping for ramen, which is Naruto's favourite food. His family name "Uzumaki" can mean "[[wikipedia:Whirlpool|whirlpool]]" or "[[wikipedia:Maelstrom|maelstrom]]." His full name is also a reference to the {{translation|[[wikipedia:Naruto whirlpools|Naruto whirlpools]]|鳴門の渦潮|Naruto no uzushio}}, named after the [[wikipedia:Naruto, Tokushima|city in the Tokushima Prefecture]] in Japan. In addition, Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, is a relative to the [[Uzumaki clan]] from [[Uzushiogakure]] in the [[Land of Whirlpools]], who used the spiral pattern as both their clan and village symbol.
* October 10, Naruto's birthday, was [[Wikipedia:Health and Sports Day|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 ''Shōnen Jump'' character popularity polls. However, in the sixth character poll, he was ranked fourth. According to the Databook 3 character poll, which adds up all the votes from the first six polls, Naruto took second place. In the most recent poll, Naruto regained his status and reached first.
 
** Naruto is one of four characters to have always stayed in the Top Ten of every Character Popularity Poll.
 
* Naruto's mother was nicknamed the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" while his father was famed as the "Yellow Flash". Naruto's appropriate self-styled title of "Konoha's Orange Hokage" refers to the fact that the colour orange is a mixture of red and yellow.
 
* [[Wikipedia:Eiichiro Oda|Eiichiro Oda]], author of [[w:c:onepiece: One Piece (manga)|One Piece]] stated that his character [[w:c:onepiece:Sanji|Sanji]]'s name was originally Naruto, but changed it because ''Naruto'' series was about to become serialised.
 
 
* According to the databook(s):
 
* According to the databook(s):
 
** Naruto's hobbies are pulling pranks and watering plants.
 
** Naruto's hobbies are pulling pranks and watering plants.
** Naruto wishes to fight [[Sasuke Uchiha]], the [[Third Hokage]],<ref name="d1"/> and members of [[Akatsuki]].<ref name="d2"/><ref name="d3"/>
+
** Naruto wishes to fight [[Sasuke Uchiha]], the [[Third Hokage]],<ref name="d1" /> and members of [[Akatsuki]].<ref name="d2" /><ref name="d3" />
** Naruto's favourite foods are [[Ichiraku]] [[Wikipedia:Ramen|ramen]] and [[Wikipedia:Red bean soup|red bean soup]]. His least favourite are fresh [[Wikipedia:Vegetable|vegetables]].
+
** Naruto's favourite foods are [[Ichiraku]] [[wikipedia:ramen|ramen]] and [[wikipedia:red bean soup|red bean soup]]. His least favourite are fresh [[wikipedia:vegetable|vegetables]], which others, especially Kakashi (barring Hinata) have attempted to make him eat with little success in other material.
 
** Naruto has completed 16 official missions in total: 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 2 B-rank, 6 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
 
** 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 favourite phrase is {{translation|"a large serving of [[Wikipedia:Miso|miso]] ramen with [[Wikipedia:Char siu|roasted pork fillet]]"|味噌チャーシュー大盛り|miso chāshū ōmori}}.
+
** Naruto's favourite phrase is {{translation|"a large serving of [[wikipedia:miso|miso]] ramen with [[wikipedia:Char siu|roasted pork fillet]]"|味噌チャーシュー大盛り|miso chāshū ōmori}}.
  +
* According to character trivia from ''[[Boruto: Naruto Next Generations]]'':
  +
** His attributes are: 120 in perception, 160 in dexterity, 170 in negotiations, 110 in strength, 90 in intelligence, and unknown in chakra.
  +
** He was also given a skill rating in these particular areas:
  +
*** Evasion: ★★★★★
  +
*** Unarmed Hand-to-hand Fighting: ★★★★☆
  +
*** Manners: ★★☆☆☆
  +
* According to [[Hyō no Sho]], while in the [[Academy]], Naruto had an A in positivity, a B taijutsu, and an F in ninjutsu, genjutsu, cooperation, and classroom attitude.
  +
* October 10, Naruto's birthday, was [[wikipedia:|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.
  +
* Naruto consistently ranked in the top two (taking first place twice) in the first five official ''Shōnen Jump'' character popularity polls. However, in the sixth character poll, he was ranked fourth. According to the third databook character poll, which adds up all the votes from the first six polls, Naruto took second place. In the most recent poll, Naruto regained his status and reached first.
  +
** Naruto is one of four characters to have always stayed in the top ten of every character popularity poll.
  +
* Naruto is the fourth known jinchūriki known to have survived the extraction of a tailed beast, along with Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Kushina Uzumaki, and Obito Uchiha.<ref name="ch661" />
  +
* Naruto's mother was nicknamed the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" while his father was famed as the "Yellow Flash." Naruto's appropriate self-styled title of "'''Konoha's Orange Hokage'''" refers to the fact that the colour orange is a mixture of red and yellow.
  +
* When Naruto first became a genin, while using his [[Sexy Technique]], his settei reveals that he is 160cm tall.
  +
* Kishimoto's various concept art of Naruto for ''The Last: Naruto the Movie'' showed that his height had gone through various changes: first 170cm, then 173cm, and finally 180cm.
  +
* Despite Naruto being a user of the Truth-Seeking Balls and gaining Hagoromo's power, both of which contain Yin-Yang Release, Yin Release is not listed as one of his natures in the fourth databook.<ref name="d4" />
  +
* [[wikipedia:Eiichiro Oda|Eiichiro Oda]], author of ''[[w:c:onepiece: One Piece (manga)|One Piece]]'', stated that his character [[w:c:onepiece:Sanji|Sanji]]'s name was originally going to be Naruto, but changed it because the ''Naruto'' series was about to become serialised and wanted to avoid confusion.
  +
** Naruto makes an undetailed background appearance on the cover page of the [[w:c:onepiece:Chapter 766|766th chapter]] of ''One Piece'', where the person behind [[w:c:onepiece:Nami|Nami]] (who is wearing a changpao with the Konoha symbol) is implied to be Naruto. Also, both main characters are seen eating each others' respective favourite foods, as Naruto is eating meat, and [[w:c:onepiece:Monkey D. Luffy|Monkey D. Luffy]] is eating ramen. Additionally, this chapter was released on the same week as the release of the [[The Seal of Reconciliation|final]] [[Naruto Uzumaki!! (chapter 700)|two]] ''Naruto'' manga chapters.
  +
** In the 700th chapter of the ''Naruto'' manga, the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates appears on the forehead protector of Naruto's statue as part of [[Boruto]]'s graffiti.
  +
* While Naruto was initially the shortest of the [[Konoha 11]], he ultimately becomes second tallest, after Shino.
  +
* In the original manga pilot, Naruto was actually a demon fox and lived his life as a human boy and the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked the village was his father.
  +
* Although he was never raised by Minato, Naruto seemingly inherited his father's fighting style of almost never relying on hand seals, with the exception of his [[Shadow Clone Technique|signature technique]].
  +
* In the anime, Naruto is a lightweight drinker.<ref name="BE18">''Boruto'' episode 18</ref>
   
 
== Quotes ==
 
== Quotes ==
 
{{See also|Dattebayo and Believe It}}
 
{{See also|Dattebayo and Believe It}}
 
* (To [[Kakashi]]) "''And my future dream is to be the greatest [[Hokage]]! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 4, page 6</ref>
 
* (To [[Kakashi]]) "''And my future dream is to be the greatest [[Hokage]]! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 4, page 6</ref>
* (To [[Ibiki]]) "''Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You're not gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I DO get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 43, pages 16-17</ref>
+
* (To [[Ibiki]]) "''Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You're not gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a [[genin]] for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 43, pages 16-17</ref>
 
* (To [[Neji]]) "''I'm not gonna run away, I never go back on my word! That's my '''[[nindō]]''': my ninja way!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 103, page 3</ref>
 
* (To [[Neji]]) "''I'm not gonna run away, I never go back on my word! That's my '''[[nindō]]''': my ninja way!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 103, page 3</ref>
 
* (To [[Gaara]]) "''It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling; I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you! They saved me from myself. They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends.''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 138, pages 14-16</ref>
 
* (To [[Gaara]]) "''It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling; I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you! They saved me from myself. They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends.''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 138, pages 14-16</ref>
  +
* (To [[Pain]]) "''Just give up… on trying to make me give up!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 442, pages 16-17</ref>
* (To [[Sai]]) "''I don't care who I have to fight… If he 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 out my eyes, I'll curse him to death… Even if I'm torn to shreds… I will take Sasuke back!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 303, page 18</ref>
 
  +
* (To [[Nagato]], reciting a line from [[Jiraiya]]'s [[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi|first book]]) "''Then I will break that curse. If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!''"<ref name="ch448" />
* (To [[Pain]]) "''You should give up… on me giving up!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 442, pages 16-17</ref>
 
* (To [[Nagato]], reciting a line from [[Jiraiya]]'s [[The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi|first book]]) "''Then I will break that curse. If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!''"<ref name="ch448"/>
 
 
* (To [[Sasuke]]) "''If you attack [[Konoha]], I will have to fight you… So save up your hatred and take it all on me, I'm the only one who can take it! It's the only thing I can do! I will shoulder your hatred and die with you! Because I'm your friend!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 486, pages 13-14</ref>
 
* (To [[Sasuke]]) "''If you attack [[Konoha]], I will have to fight you… So save up your hatred and take it all on me, I'm the only one who can take it! It's the only thing I can do! I will shoulder your hatred and die with you! Because I'm your friend!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 486, pages 13-14</ref>
* (To [[Kushina]]) "''Don't apologise… I had a lot of hard times growing up as a [[jinchūriki]], but I never blamed you or [[Minato Namikaze|Dad]]. I couldn't understand what a parent's love was like because you guys were never there… so I could only guess… But now I know… I live because you and Dad gave your lives for me and filled me up with love before the Nine-Tails was inside me! So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your son!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 504, pages 15-17</ref>
+
* (To [[Kushina|his mother]]) "''Don't apologise… I had a lot of hard times growing up as a [[jinchūriki]], but I never blamed you or [[Minato Namikaze|Dad]]. I couldn't understand what a parent's love was like because you guys were never there… so I could only guess… But now I know… I live because you and Dad gave your lives for me and filled me up with love before the Nine-Tails was inside me! So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your son!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 504, pages 15-17</ref>
* (To [[Iruka]]) "''I'll end this war myself! I'll endure all the hate and pain on my own! That's my role!''"<ref name="ch535"/>
+
* (To [[Kurama]]) "''You're not the monster fox anymore. You're one of my teammates from Konoha… '''Kurama.'''''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 570, pages 16-17</ref>
* (To [[A]]) "''Yes, he might have died… but together, he and my mom protected Konoha from the Nine-Tails! They protected me! It may have only been for a second, but in that second, they gave me so much… their faith! Faith that I could finish their jobs! Faith that I could fulfil the role of a 'saviour!'''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 544, page 9</ref>
+
* (To [[Obito]]) "''Quit it with your stupid reasoning! I meant to say that I'll stand any pain for my friends!! I'm not gonna give up on them!! It might just be me being selfish, but… not having my friends here… is the most painful thing for me!! '''Period!!!!'''''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 628, pages 9-10</ref>
  +
* (About [[Hinata]]) "''Hinata… This big idiot finally understands… The real meaning of the scarf you gave to me when you went with [[Toneri]]… I know now, from the scarf you painstakingly knitted and took so long to finish, that your love can't be unravelled so easily… Wait for me… This whole time, you always loved me for the way I am… Now, as a man, there's something I must tell you… Hinata, I swear I '''will''' save you!''"<ref name="TheLast" />
* (To [[Kurama]]) "''You're not the monster fox anymore. You're one of my team-mates from Konoha… '''Kurama.'''''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 570, pages 16-17</ref>
 
  +
* (To Hinata) "''Hinata… Do you remember that lesson in class? The one with, "If the end of the world came, who would you spend your last day with?" I couldn't write anyone's name down. I didn't know my parents, and I didn't have any friends… But now, I know exactly whom I'd choose. I want to be with you. Now and forever, until I die… I want to be with you, Hinata!''"<ref name="TheLast" />
* (To [[Obito]] and [[Madara]]) "''You guys irritate me so much that I can't even express it in words… So I'll just tell you something about me… '''I'm no trash!! And I'll never become trash!! And I won't let you kill my comrades!!'''''"<ref name="ch608"/>
 
* (To [[Kakashi]]) "''That's why we endure… '''We are ninja.''' I will never forget. And anyway, that wound means that my friends are still inside me. The real friends are not the ones I created in my dreams not to get hurt… That would be erasing the real ones. It can work as a curse but I don't care… I want to keep the real Neji here!!''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 616, page 22</ref>
+
* (To [[Boruto|his son]]) "''Boruto… with what I do now, all the people in this village are like a family. So there will be times that you won't be able to have me as a father all to yourself. I know this must be hard for you… but you must learn to endure it. You're a shinobi too, aren't you?''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 700, page 16</ref>
  +
* (To [[Konohagakure|the village]]) "''However, I believe there are many who are dissatisfied. This village is still undergoing development. And during all this, there are those who are facing hard and demanding times. But I don't agree with that. Changing the things before us, a little by little, even one thing at a time, will make the world a better place. I want Konohagakure to be a place where people smile and enjoy their lives. Will you lend me your strength? Let's change Konohagakure together!''"<ref>''Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'' episode 46</ref>
* (To Obito) "''Your dumb arguments!! That's something I really hate about you! Quit it with your stupid reasoning! I meant to say that I'll stand any pain for my friends!! I'm not gonna give up on them!! Maybe I'm just being selfish, but… not having my friends here… is the most painful thing for me. '''Period!!!!!'''''"<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 628, pages 9-10</ref>
 
   
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
<references/>
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<references />
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Latest revision as of 17:37, 11 March 2024

This article is about the character Naruto Uzumaki. For the similarly named manga and anime series, see Naruto (series). For other uses, see Naruto (disambiguation).
editNaruto Uzumaki Camera font awesome Browse Information[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
うずまきナルト Uzumaki Naruto

  • The Show-Off, Number One Unpredictable, Noisy Ninja (目立ちたがり屋で意外性No.1のドタバタ忍者, Medachitagariya de Igaisei Nanbā Wan no Dotabata Ninja, English TV: Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja)[8]
  • Child of the Prophecy (予言の子, Yogen no Ko)[9]
  • Saviour of this World (この世の救世主, Kono Yo no Kyūseishu)[9]
  • Hero of the Hidden Leaf (木ノ葉隠れの英雄, Konohagakure no Eiyū, literally meaning: Hero of the Hidden Tree Leaves)[10]
  • Boy of Miracles (奇跡を起こす少年, Kiseki o Okosu Shōnen)[11]
  • Konoha's Orange Hokage (木ノ葉のオレンジ火影, Konoha no Orenji Hokage, literally meaning: Tree Leaves' Orange Fire Shadow)[12]
  • Seventh Hokage (七代目火影, Nanadaime Hokage, literally meaning: Seventh Fire Shadow)[13]
  • Fox (, Kitsune)
Debut
Manga Naruto Chapter #1
Anime Naruto Episode #1
Novel Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood
Movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Game Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō
OVA Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!
Appears in Anime, Manga, Novel, Game, Movie
Voice Actors
Japanese
English
Personal
Birthdate Astrological Sign Libra October 10 Search_Icon.svg
Sex Gender Male Male
Age
  • Part I: 12–13
  • Part II: 15–17
Status Incapacitated
Height
  • Part I: 145.3 cm1.453 m <br />4.767 ft <br />57.205 in <br />147.5 cm1.475 m <br />4.839 ft <br />58.071 in <br />
  • Part II: 166 cm1.66 m <br />5.446 ft <br />65.354 in <br />
  • Blank Period: 180 cm1.8 m <br />5.906 ft <br />70.866 in <br />
Weight
  • Part I: 40.1 kg88.405 lb <br />40.6 kg89.508 lb <br />
  • Part II: 50.9 kg112.215 lb <br />
Blood type B
Kekkei Genkai
Classification
Tailed Beast Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki, Kurama (Forms)
Occupation
Affiliation
Team
Clan
Rank
Ninja Rank
Ninja Registration 012607
Academy Grad. Age 12
Family
Nature Type
Jutsu

Tools

  • (Anime only)

Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a shinobi of Konohagakure's Uzumaki clan. He became the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails on the day of his birth — a fate that caused him to be shunned by most of Konoha throughout his childhood. After joining Team Kakashi, Naruto worked hard to gain the village's acknowledgement all the while chasing his dream to become Hokage. In the following years, through many hardships and ordeals, he became a capable ninja, regarded as a hero both by the villagers, and soon after, the rest of the world, becoming known as the Hero of the Hidden Leaf (木ノ葉隠れの英雄, Konohagakure no Eiyū, literally meaning: Hero of the Hidden Tree Leaves). He soon proved to be one of the main factors in winning the Fourth Shinobi World War, leading him to achieve his dream and become the village's Seventh Hokage (七代目火影, Nanadaime Hokage, literally meaning: Seventh Fire Shadow).

Background

Naruto and Kushina2

Naruto, newborn with his mother Kushina.

Naruto was born on the night of October 10th to Minato Namikaze (the Fourth Hokage) and Kushina Uzumaki (the second jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails). He was named after Naruto Musasabi, the protagonist of Jiraiya's first book, which made the Sannin his godfather.[14] The Third Hokage made special arrangements for Minato to preserve Kushina's seal containing the Nine-Tails while she gave birth to Naruto in a remote location, assisted by midwives and Anbu. A masked man, Tobi, tracked down their location, however, killed the midwives and Anbu, and captured Naruto, forcing Minato to quickly rescue him and teleport him to a safe house.

Minato and Kushina protect Naruto

Minato and Kushina protect Naruto from the Nine-Tails.

With Minato gone, Tobi captured Kushina and released the Nine-Tails from her, using it to devastate Konoha.[15] Minato saved Kushina and left Naruto in her care before he went to protect the village,[16] eventually defeating Tobi and freeing the Nine-Tails from Tobi's control. Returning to Naruto and Kushina's location, Minato realised the only way to stop the Nine-Tails was to seal it within Naruto, believing that his son would someday need the fox's power to defeat Tobi when he returned.[17] Since the Nine-Tails' chakra was too immense to be sealed into an infant, Minato sacrificed his soul to split the fox's chakra in half, sealing the Yin half within himself and the Yang half within Naruto. After telling Naruto how much they loved him, Minato and Kushina succumbed to their wounds from protecting their son from the Nine-Tails and passed away.

Orphaned, and not having anyone else to provide for him, Naruto received monthly income from the village in order to afford daily necessities. Naruto grew up not knowing who his parents were, receiving only his mother's surname, as Hiruzen wanted to protect Naruto from his father's enemies.[18] Minato's dying wish that Naruto be regarded as a hero was honoured by the very few who could put aside their pain and losses caused by the disaster, while the majority of Konoha, however having no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his birth, openly ostracised and resented Naruto for containing the beast that devastated the village and took many lives; some even viewed Naruto as the Nine-Tails itself. Soon, the Third Hokage forbade anyone from mentioning the Nine-Tails, hoping that the younger generation would not blindly hate Naruto as their parents did.[19] However, Naruto's peers emulated their parents' hatred of him, despite not knowing why. This social isolation caused Naruto to crave acknowledgement, which he would gain by pulling pranks.

Naruto's first encounter with Hinata

Naruto meets Hinata.

On the day of his enrolment in the Ninja Academy[20] - Naruto first met Hinata Hyūga, who was being picked on by three bullies. Despite not knowing her, Naruto immediately came to her defence, but he was outnumbered and knocked unconscious, and the bullies damaged his red scarf. When Naruto awoke, Hinata thanked him for helping her and returned his scarf to him, but he let her keep it. He was unaware that the girl's growing affection for him began at that moment.[21]

Young sasuke and Naruto

Naruto and Sasuke in the Academy.

In the Academy, Naruto became a student of Iruka Umino, who acted as a surrogate older brother to keep him in line and help him work harder. Naruto also met his classmate Sasuke Uchiha and tried to befriend him, since Sasuke was alone as well. Jealous of Sasuke's skills and popularity, however,[22] he developed a one-sided rivalry in his pursuit to prove himself just as good as, if not better than, Sasuke, wishing that someday, Sasuke would accept him as an equal.[23] Naruto also grew close with the owner of Ramen Ichiraku, Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, being welcomed as their favourite customer.

Personality

Naruto's Ninja Registration Photo

Naruto's ninja registration photo.

Naruto is noted as boisterous, exuberant, and unorthodox, quite similar to Hashirama Senju.[24] He inherited his mother's verbal tic, as he ends his sentences with "Dattebayo!" (だってばよ!) when emotional. Though he responds best to competition and is not afraid to ask for assistance, Naruto is relatively naïve and slow to understand principles or situations. He often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp explanations[25] and can even prove forgetful.[26] Naruto is aware of his faults and admits he acts strong to mask his embarrassment and frustration about them.[27][28] Despite his naivety, Naruto can be quite observant, picking up on things others miss and retaining information casually gathered through conversation.[29]

Growing up as an orphan who suffered years of hatred and social isolation has influenced Naruto's character in a number of ways: he is heedless to formality and social standings, addressing certain people with nicknames instead of honourifics, although by the time of his adulthood, Naruto has slightly outgrown this trait.[30][31] He has picky eating habits of ramen, his favourite food; he has a perverted side that manifests as attempts to peep into women's baths, although these moments are rare.[32] Despite his quirks and the criticism they earn him to the point of being labelled the ultimate problem child, Naruto is said to have a personality that draws people to him,[33] inspiring friendship and loyalty through acts of genuine kindness that could change a person's world view and thus built meaningful relationships that he lacked in early life; the Sage of Six Paths believes Naruto's kindness is a special gift that allows him to save Kurama from its hatred.[34] Naruto deeply cherishes these bonds and will go to great lengths to protect them, best seen with Sasuke after his defection from Konoha.

Another of Naruto's prominent traits is his desire for acknowledgement; his pranks around the village were for people to notice him, even if it meant by scolding him. Therefore, he dreamed of one day becoming Konoha's Hokage, the epitome of acknowledgement and respect from everyone in the village.[35] Knowing his dream is a long, arduous and seemingly impossible path, Naruto developed his own nindō of never going back on his word. This life-long philosophy serves as the cornerstone of Naruto's great self-confidence; he believes he can accomplish any goal with enough hard work and perseverance, no matter what. This trait guides him in many aspects of life, such as his promise to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Over time, his goal to be Hokage grew from a desire for the acknowledgement of others to a desire to help and protect the people close to him, which Tobi attributed to the Will of Fire.[36] His nindō has since been reinforced by his understanding that shinobi were meant to endure through hardships.[37] His belief in hard work and perseverance made him detest shortcuts to achieving, as he disqualified his son from the Chūnin Exams for using the banned Kote, and expressed disgust at Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki for their reliance on harvesting from Chakra Fruits to lazily gain power.[38]

After the death of his master Jiraiya, talking to his father Minato and listening to Nagato's tragic story, Naruto grew to understand the destructive cycle of hatred and he vowed to break it in order to bring true peace to the world.[39] To that end, his participation in the Fourth Shinobi World War is not only to protect his friends but also to bear and erase the world's hatred all by himself. After encountering a reincarnated Itachi Uchiha, however, Naruto realises that he cannot handle everything alone and that he must allow his friends to support and fight alongside him. As he does so in war's climax, his fighting spirit inspires the Allied Shinobi Forces to join him and keep fighting to end the war as well, ultimately becoming an example for many people to admire, follow, and believe in.[40][41]

Naruto watching Hinata knit

Naruto becomes shy around Hinata.

Naruto first met Hinata Hyūga when they were children, where his open kindness and courageous spirit earned him her admiration, which grew into love. On his part, Naruto remained mostly oblivious to Hinata's feelings for him and even considered her "weird" because of her shyness around him and his socially ostracised childhood. However, that change during the Chūnin Exams in Part I when they began to interact more and support each other, causing Naruto to like her as a friend.[42] In Part II, as Hinata becomes willing to risk her life to protect Naruto, he, in turn, sees her as an actively strong person despite his speechlessness at her love confession. Naruto grew to love Hinata subconsciously. Still, he was unaware of it because he kept "fighting" for Sakura, which was just another way for him to compete with Sasuke. During The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto finally recognises the love that Hinata has always had for him, causing him to become more bashful and protective of her, just as she was for him. Realising that she alone has ever had faith in him and that she has always been there for him, he reciprocates her feelings and desires to be with her for the rest of his life. This new-found desire made him willing to make healthier lifestyle choices such as eating vegetables and reeling in his impulsiveness, something others have had little success with doing.

As an adult, Naruto becomes wiser and more mature, though he retains some of his negligence for honourifics.[43] Although he finally achieves his dream of becoming Hokage, its many tasks would often overwhelm Naruto to the point of him being unable to spend time with his family. He admits that part of this stems was from not having grown up with a father himself, making him unsure of how to interact appropriately with his children.[44] Naruto also tends to be more responsible in his duties as Hokage than as a father. Nevertheless, Naruto profoundly loves his family, as he creates shadow clones to tend to them while he's busy, protects them in times of danger, spends time with them when he can, and expresses pride in his children's successes.[38] He adopts Hiruzen's philosophy that everyone in the village is his family, believing that genuine relationships are made up of love rather than blood relations.[45] His refusal to give his son any special treatment due to their blood-relationships, along with the insistence that the boy professionally addresses him as "Seventh" or "Hokage" while in the office, is a testament of Naruto's lack of bias and prejudice.[38] Likewise, even in the face of people close to him committing horrible deeds, Naruto remains loyal to them, pushing aside his grief enough to see the nature of what they did.[46] However, after facing Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki and realising how his overly-committed nature serving the entire village was significantly affecting his own family's happiness, Naruto came to accept that he needed to give them more attention. As such, by allowing more help from others, Naruto was able to enjoy more time with his family, restoring the same healthy relationship he had with them before he became Hokage.

Dark Naruto

Dark Naruto appears

"Dark Naruto" reveals himself in the waterfall.

Although he struggled to overcome the hatred of people and the shinobi world, seeking to achieve the peace that his master Jiraiya dreamed of so much, Naruto was also not free from his own hatred. When Naruto understands that it is necessary to definitively master the power of the Nine-Tails, he goes to the Island Turtle and discovers the Falls of Truth as part of the process. There, Naruto encounters his darker half: Dark Naruto (闇ナルト, Yami Naruto).[47] This was the personification of all of Naruto's negative feelings, such as the grudge he secretly still held against the villagers of Konoha who had always rejected him since childhood. Dark Naruto was the Nine-Tails' favourite aspect of Naruto, claiming him to be the "real" Naruto. No matter how much he resisted, the Nine-Tails would tap into the hatred that existed hidden in the depths of his heart.[48] Naruto's conclusion to dealing with his inner hatred was not to ignore him, but rather accept his existence, understanding that this same grudge was what made him get to where he was and value his entire journey up until that moment.[49] This whole process served as basis for Naruto to shape who he truly wanted to be from then on.

Appearance

According to Jiraiya, Naruto strongly resembles his father:[50] he has yellow-blond, spiky hair and blue eyes, while inheriting the shape of his mother's eyes and face.[51] His trademark characteristics are the three whisker markings on his cheeks. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Dan Katō initially mistook Naruto for Nawaki due to their stark resemblance.[52] Naruto was rather short for his age during Part I,[53] though he grew to be taller than Sakura in Part II.[54] Naruto originally wore green goggles on his forehead, though he discards them upon becoming a genin.

In Part I, Naruto wore an orange and blue jacket with a white collar, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, and a red Uzumaki crest on the back. He also wore orange pants with a shuriken holster on his right knee, blue sandals, and a blue forehead protector, given to him by Iruka after graduating from the Academy. In Part II, Naruto wears a more form fitting outfit after wearing out his original one while training with Jiraiya,[55] with a T-shirt or mesh armour underneath. While retaining the swirls and orange pants, the blue pieces of his outfit changes to black: his forehead protector (which is now longer), sandals, and orange jacket, the black colour showing more prominence than the blue did originally. During his battle with Pain, Naruto briefly wore a short-sleeved red coat with a black flame pattern around the hem and carried a large scroll on his back.

Naruto lost his right arm after the Fourth Shinobi World War, though it is later replaced by a fully manoeuvrable prosthetic arm made of Hashirama Senju's cells, wrapped completely in bandages. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto grew again to be one of the tallest of his graduating class, cut his hair short, and wore a black elastic forehead protector. Over his pants and sandals, he wears a black uniform jacket with an orange zipper and buttons on the waist and sleeves, which can be folded up at times. He has a red armband with an Uzumaki crest on his left arm. After becoming Hokage, Naruto dons a garment similar to his father's: a white cape that has a red flame pattern around the hem, is held together by a red rope, and has the kanji for "Seventh Hokage" (七代目火影, Nanadaime Hokage) written vertically down the back. Underneath this, he wears an orange sweatshirt with black stripes (reverse in the manga version of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations), black pants and sandals. He occasionally wears the traditional Hokage headpiece, but has stopped wearing a forehead protector.

Abilities

Naruto Vs Kaguya

Naruto's combined senjutsu and tailed beast influence over his trademark techniques.

Originally, Naruto was a rather inept ninja, failing to graduate from the Academy three times. Through sheer determination and training however, his skills rapidly improved to defeat strong genin like Neji Hyūga, Gaara, and Kabuto Yakushi, earning acknowledgement from all the Sannin for his potential.[56] Under various tutelage, Naruto was able to defeat various members of Akatsuki, ultimately earning praise from Konohagakure as a Hokage-material hero.[57] Naruto's personally defeated various reincarnated Kage[58] and jinchūriki during the Fourth Shinobi World War,[59] with many believing he was the central key to winning the battle.[60][61][62] By adulthood, his prowess made him the Seventh Hokage, regarded as the strongest shinobi in history[63] and having command of overwhelming jutsu.[64] With the combined might of Sasuke Uchiha, noted as his only rival in power,[38] they are said to be able to destroy the world.[65] Together, they overpowered Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki who absorbed Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki, and pushed Jigen's body to its limit. Overall, he could compete against if not defeat world-threatening opponents, such as Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and Toneri Ōtsutsuki, as well as fighting at his absolute peak managed to overwhelm Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.

Chakra and Physical Prowess

Naruto gives Hinata power

Naruto sharing Kurama's chakra through physical contact.

As an Uzumaki and a reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki,[66] Naruto has massive reserves of strong chakra. Even as a child, he had at least four times the amount of a seasoned Jōnin like Kakashi Hatake,[67] and described by Karin as "bright and warm".[68] His initial poor control of it was offset by his sheer reserves,[69] which were large enough to endure three and a half days of constant battle against several powerful opponents. Only by the end of his battle against Sasuke did he show exhaustion, and even then could still fight to a standstill and eventual victory.[70] Naruto's control improved greatly over time; able to transfer his chakra to others,[71] and perform one-handed hand seals.[72] Naruto's powerful life-force grants him an extreme longevity, healing power, stamina, and vitality;[73] this allowed him to survive the extraction of a tailed beast, though he required aid from Sakura Haruno to stay alive.[74] Naruto also learned how to counter genjutsu from Jiraiya, but his ability to do so is limited.[75] In adulthood, Naruto's chakra is powerful enough to intimidate Kawaki into submission[76] and destroy high-level barriers simply by releasing a burst of it.[77] He could repel Shikamaru Nara's Shadow Imitation Technique, a feat that no one else could do.[65] His chakra, when he combined it with his son's Vanishing Rasengan, turned it into a gigantic Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan able to kill the empowered Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki who tried to use a copy of the technique to defeat his.[78] His chakra reserves were also so vast that he was able to overload Delta's Absorbing Eye with a continuous Rasengan-assault and still primed to defeat her.[79]

Naruto's clones vs Gaara

Naruto attacking Gaara with his Naruto Uzumaki Two Thousand Combo.

While naturally a short-range fighter, Naruto originally was inept at taijutsu, requiring unpredictable attacks to surprise combat experts like Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyūga.[80][81] He often utilised shadow clones in large if not massive numbers to simply overwhelm his foes.[82] Although these tactics resumed later, Naruto becomes much more adept at taijutsu due to Jiraiya's training.[83] After Fukasaku's tutelage, he could fend off a pair of expert kenjutsu users.[84][85][86] Two years after the war, Naruto's taijutsu prowess could best dozens of opponents without shadow clones or enhancements.[21] As Hokage, his taijutsu could pressure Momoshiki after he had absorbed Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.[78] Naruto could even hold off Delta despite her extreme body modifications, ultimately controlling the pace of the battle to tire her out and gradually overwhelm her[87] to win despite being in the defensive.[79] His speed had also increased to the point where he could effortlessly catch up with Kawaki after he tried to escape from Naruto.[76] Likewise, in the anime, he is proven very resilient, able to take a point-blank blast from Kawaki's modifications unfazed.[88]

Body Modifications

Shinobi Ware Absorption

Naruto's prototype Absorbing Hand.

After losing his right arm during his final battle with Sasuke, Tsunade cultured an artificial prosthesis for him using the cells of Hashirama Senju. As his body and the prosthesis arms are only connected through his chakra itself he can easily remove and replace them.[89] After Momoshiki's defeat, Naruto took inspiration from his chakra absorption technique and had Katasuke Tōno and the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team modifiy the arm further with mechanical features. With it, Naruto is able to neutralise and even absorb enemy techniques, though they have yet to replicate Momoshiki's ability to discharge them as a counterattack.[89]

Jinchūriki Transformations

Main articles: Jinchūriki Forms, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Baryon Mode

Version 1 form

Naruto's Version 1 form.

Originally as the jinchūriki of Kurama's Yang half, Naruto had access to massive reserves of exceptionally powerful chakra, which was at least a hundredfold greater than Kakashi's.[67] These chakra levels were increased even further when the Yin half of Kurama was reunited with the Yang half inside of Naruto. Due to his inheriting his mother's unique chakra capacities and being Kurama's jinchūriki for essentially his entire life, Naruto's chakra has properly mixed with the fox's,[90] allowing him to perform several chakra-taxing techniques unhindered. Originally, he could only access Kurama's chakra in times of great anger. It enhanced Naruto's abilities, but the fox's negative influence made Naruto more aggressive. While essentially remaining himself when accessing a Version 1 state, manifesting four tails would trigger Version 2 state, which made him lose control and would gradually turn into even more feral forms, requiring outside assistance to suppress Kurama's power and regain control, prompting him to avoid relying on the fox's power whenever possible. By the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, he could access his Version 1 form without any loss in his mentality.[91]

Naruto transforming

Naruto transforming from his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode into his Kurama Mode.

Realising he could not avoid using Kurama's power, Naruto sought to control it with help from Killer B, a jinchūriki who had fully mastered the power of Gyūki. Upon succeeding and taking most of Kurama's chakra, Naruto attained the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which greatly increased his physical parameters. Naruto can also detect negative emotions in this mode, and use Tailed Beast Chakra Arms from any part of his body as he pleases, as well as form Tailed Beast Balls from them. As he didn't have Kurama's cooperation, Naruto needed to exercise extreme caution while using the form, as the chakra exchange could cost him his life. Eventually, when Kurama acknowledged Naruto's life-long strength of character and Naruto learned the fox's true name, their new-found friendship granted Naruto access to its full power, which further increased his physical parameters and with no drawbacks. This also increased his resilience to such degrees to the point where he could survive the Ten-Tails' Tenpenchii and endure Toneri's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion — which was able to cut the Moon in half — with no visible signs of damage. This cooperation of Kurama also provides Naruto with an immediate resistance from genjutsu. Two years later, he could store Kurama's chakra within his arm to deliver powerful punches capable of creating massive craters on the Moon and depower Toneri from his Tenseigan Chakra Mode to his normal state, as well as block the latter's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

Naruto's tailed beast mode

Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode.

Failing to transform into a replica of Kurama at first, Naruto instead achieved a Tailed Beast Mode in the unique form of a life-sized transparent avatar of chakra. In it, he could create Tailed Beast Balls and revitalise the life-forces of any he touches physically or with the avatar,[92][93] heal nearly any wounds,[38] or grant them temporarily chakra-cloaks.[94] After he became the jinchūriki of Kurama's complete self, Naruto is able to manifest the demon fox outside himself for a period akin to summoning, allowing both to fight as separate entities. During the endgame of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto received chakra from the other tailed beasts,[95] which greatly increased his chakra reserves even further and allowed him to access their unique abilities himself, such as Shukaku's sand manipulation, Saiken's soap bubble ninjutsu and ability to emit corrosive liquids, Chōmei's scale powder, or Gyūki's ink creation, and infuse them into his own techniques. With the infusion of all nine of the tailed beasts' respective chakra inside of him, Naruto has become a medium to connect all the tailed beasts to communicate with each other[96] and made him a human pillar for the power of the Ten-Tails.[97]

Naruto's Baryon Mode

Naruto's Baryon Mode.

In the most dire of situations, Naruto is able to access a deep level of Kurama's power, Baryon Mode. In this state, his facial features become even more akin to Kurama with nine blazing chakra tails which he can use in a similar manner to Tailed Beast Chakra Arms to catch and bind opponents or objects and deflect attacks. He also displayed the ability to use these chakra tails to form a protective shield around something or someone.[98] In a process similar to nuclear fusion, Naruto's and Kurama's chakra are consumed as raw materials to produce a new type of energy. When in use, it dramatically boosts Naruto's reflexes, raw might, and chakra to such extreme levels, able to surpass Isshiki's capabilities. Because all chakra is connected, the same power that is produced from bits of their lives also work to reduce the lifespan of opponents on contact. Due to its extreme energy consumption, Naruto must remain focused and not waste energy on extraneous thoughts and actions, to maximise the amount of time he can maintain Baryon Mode.[99] The drawback of this form is the high chance of death for Kurama from the extreme strain of this form. Upon Kurama's death from this form, while Naruto was spared the same fate, he lost access to all of Kurama's chakra and abilities.[100]

Ninjutsu

Summoning Technique

Naruto using the Summoning Technique.

In the Academy, the Sexy Technique was the only technique that Naruto could perform successfully, which had no practical use other than to shock people. Later, he learned more advanced and useful ninjutsu from Jiraiya. This included summoning toads from Mount Myōboku to assist him, and use them to crush enemies from above. He became skilled in shurikenjutsu, able to throw weapons quickly and with precision.[101] Naruto's repertoire expanded to fūinjutsu, where he could store his weapons within scrolls. His fūinjutsu was further increased upon receiving Gerotora near the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War.[102] In the anime, Jiraiya taught Naruto cooperation ninjutsu, combining his techniques with others to create an even more powerful one.[103] The collaboration techniques he performed with other individuals typically utilised his own elemental affinity, such as the Typhoon Water Vortex Technique with Yamato, the Wind Release: Toad Gun with Gamatatsu, and the Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero with Sasuke. He also learned from Asuma Sarutobi to flow chakra into his weapons to increase their offensive might.[104] In the anime, by adulthood, Naruto became able to use the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique,[105] and also showed some proficiency with bōjutsu.[106]

Shadow Clone Technique

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique

Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

See also: Images of Naruto using Shadow Clone Technique Naruto's first trademark technique was the Shadow Clone Technique. While originally failing constantly with a basic illusionary clone, after briefly studying the Scroll of Seals, he learned to create shadow clones on a mass scale. From then on, Naruto's skill with shadow clones blossomed to great heights. Having unusually high chakra reserves, Naruto could use this technique to create hundreds of shadow clones and retain large amounts of chakra in each one with relative ease.[107] He could use them to outnumber or deceive his enemies, manoeuvre himself in mid-air, transform into weapons, scout areas, or test an opponent's abilities.[108] During his elemental-affinity training, learning that the original will gain all the knowledge and conditioning of a shadow clone right after it dispersed. From this, Naruto can use his mass scale of clones to drastically speed up his training to gain years worth of experience in just days. By the time he became Hokage, Naruto's usage of this technique on mass-scale and prolonged-periods allowed him to constantly perform multiple simultaneous tasks throughout the village daily, although he does have a tendency to overexert himself, leaving him exhausted afterwards.

Rasengan

Naruto's Rasengan

Naruto using the Rasengan.

Naruto's second trademark technique is the Rasengan. Originally, due to his poor chakra control, Naruto had to use a shadow clone to form the spherical shape while he provided the chakra. Over time, Naruto developed larger versions of the Rasengan and learned how to perform it faster.[109] During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he learned to use the Rasengan and its variants unaided with a single hand, or even form one in both hands simultaneously.[110] He also increased the size of his standard Rasengan.[111] Naruto had also shown the ability to release the Rasengan as an energy wave,[21] or as a projectile in the anime.[112] Using senjutsu or Kurama's chakra, Naruto can create more powerful and elaborate variations of the Rasengan; using the latter, he even developed the Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball, performing it in a similar manner to the Rasengan. In the anime, usage of his tailed beast chakra also allows him to instantly perform massive Rasengan without the aid of his hands and launch in quick successions, similar to a Tailed Beast Ball.[113]

Nature Transformation

Naruto Creating Lava Rasenshuriken

Naruto simultaneously using Wind and Lava Release.

Naruto's natural affinity is Wind Release. Using shadow clones, one to form the Rasengan while another infuses the Wind chakra, Naruto could complete difficult task of producing a Rasengan that is the pinnacle of shape and nature transformation, something no one before him could accomplish, including Kakashi and his father. Once adjusting to using the Wind Release: Rasengan he could expand upon it to produce the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. He also created different-sized variations, and could even use two Rasenshuriken simultaneously. Two years after its creation, he became skilled enough to form a Rasenshuriken without any shadow clones and throw it in his base form,[21] a feat which he previously could only do while using his enhanced modes.

After gaining the Six Paths Senjutsu, Naruto can utilise all basic five nature transformations, as well as Yin–Yang Release.[114] He could make perfect use of the latter to revitalise life-forces, heal whomever he touches, and restore missing organs.[115] After gaining chakra from the respective tailed beasts, Naruto can also use Shukaku's Magnet Release, Son Gokū's Lava Release, and Kokuō's Boil Release, able to infuse any of the other elements into is normal techniques as seamlessly as with Wind chakra. Having an arm made from Hashirama's cells, Naruto has a possibility to use Wood Release.[116]

Senjutsu

Naruto's Sage Mode

Naruto's Sage Mode.

Naruto later trained in senjutsu at Mount Myōboku, which was only possible due to his high chakra reserves. Unlike Jiraiya, he was able to perfectly balance natural energy with his chakra, and enter a complete Sage Mode, symbolised by the orange pigmentation around his yellow eyes, his toad-like pupils, and no other alterations to his appearance. Using Sage Mode made Naruto's techniques stronger, enhanced his physical parameters,[117][118][119] utilise the Frog Kata taijutsu style,[120] and sense chakra through advanced enough to identify different signatures from vast distances.[121] Since Fukasaku was unable to fuse with Naruto and gather natural energy for him due to Kurama's interference, Naruto had to employ shadow clones instead to maintain the technique, taking advantage of the clones' own buildup of natural energy being transferred to the original and let him use Sage Mode a number of times. However, creating more than five shadow clones overall would disrupt the focus of the clones gathering natural energy. The need for this method diminishes over time as Naruto became capable of entering Sage Mode much faster.[122] However, after finding unity with Kurama, Naruto overcame this problem and learned to combine Sage Mode with Kurama's chakra to further enhance his abilities, such that he could resist Nagato's control and shatter Truth-Seeking Balls. In later years, having drawn experience from his various events, Naruto became able to maintain Sage Mode for much longer durations unaided.[123]

Six Paths Senjutsu

Main article: Six Paths Senjutsu Naruto also gained access to the Six Paths Senjutsu (六道仙術, Rikudō Senjutsu), which allows him to fly and also manifest up to nine Truth-Seeking Balls, composed of all five basic natures, use Yin–Yang Release, and imbue them with the Six Paths Chakra. He can mould the balls into a myriad of shapes, fire them as projectiles and still control them from distance, or convert them into Tailed Beast Balls and use them to create Tailed Beast Ball Rasenshurikens capable of destroying the planetoids generated from Chibaku Tensei. While his shadow clones are unable to produce Truth-Seeking Balls of their own, Naruto is able to transfer control of his own to any of his shadow clones.

Six Paths Sage Mode

Main article: Six Paths Sage Mode

Naruto's SPSM

Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode.

With the power given to him by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Naruto gained access to the Six Paths Sage Mode (六道仙人モード, Rikudō Sennin Mōdo).[5] In this mode, his pupils take on a cross-like shape — without manifesting the orange pigmentation around his eyes present in Sage Mode. Going further, Naruto donned a new Nine-Tails Chakra Mode cloak, which he could access instantly and maintain much longer than his standard Sage Mode.[124] Naruto's physical attributes and techniques are further augmented,[125] to the point where he could dodge attacks that moved at the speed of light and deflect Truth-Seeking Balls. It also empowers his sensory abilities to the highest possible level,[126] which allowed him to sense the invisible shadows of Limbo.

Asura Kurama Mode

Naruto's Asura Kurama Mode.

Naruto also retained use of his Tailed Beast Mode avatar of Kurama, which rivalled Sasuke's Rinnegan-empowered Complete Body — Susanoo in size and power.[127] Using two shadow clones, he could create and combine three Kurama avatars into a single construct with three faces and six arms, which is largely reminiscent of Asura's Six Paths: Kunitsukami.[128] This state allowed Naruto to infuse two massive Rasenshuriken with natural energy whose destructive capabilities rivalled that of Sasuke's most powerful jutsu, Indra's Arrow;[129] the resulting explosion from the two techniques colliding created an enormous cyclone that was visible from outer space.[130]

Intelligence

Naruto's intelligence

Naruto reveals himself after disguising as a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.

While headstrong and often acting without thinking, Naruto's years as a prankster had given him a cunning imagination that was useful in split-second decision making, which has repeatedly proved invaluable in battle. He is a remarkable tactile learner, able to learn better through executing a task rather than understanding the theory of it.[131][25] Jiraiya also considered him to have a good gambling instinct.[132] Once seen in action, even the likes of the Second Hokage revise their thoughts about Naruto's intellect and instinct in battle.[133] After meeting Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Naruto gained the innate ability to grasp the nature of chakra and comprehend all universal things,[134] allowing him to quickly master the new powers he received. By adulthood he had become a capable teacher, instructing students at Konoha's Ninja Academy.[135][136] During his fight with Delta, Naruto showed his ability to think ahead by hiding his power and faking defeat in order to make Delta drop her guard and reveal her plans, although Delta was perceptive enough to see through his attempts. Naruto ultimately was able to find out the weakness of Delta's Shinobi-Ware absorbing eye and overtax it after seeing it in action repeatedly.[79]

Naruto's most famous mental skill is to deceive his opponents, as he made effective use of even the most simple techniques to trick the deadliest of opponents.[137] He could formulate multi-step plans or backup plans in the thick of battle,[138] and act quickly even when given new information.[139] He can also seemingly make himself predictable by creating a pattern, only to throw off his opponent by breaking it. He has even thrown in what others would call completely useless techniques at powerful opponents to create an opening for a counterattack.[140] Naruto is rather observant, able to notice details others may overlook and subsequently take advantage of them to overcome his opponents.[141] As an adult, Naruto proved to be a capable teacher in ninjutsu, quickly teaching the basics to Kawaki.

Stats

Databook Ninjutsu Taijutsu Genjutsu Intelligence Strength Speed Stamina Hand seals Total
First 2 1.5 1 1 2 2 4 1 14.5
Second 3 2 1 1.5 3 3 4 1 18.5
Third 4 3.5 2 3 3.5 3.5 5 1.5 26

Part I

See also: Plot of Naruto

Prologue — Land of Waves

Main article: Prologue — Land of Waves

Iruka protects naruto

Naruto is protected by Iruka.

Failing once again to graduate from the Academy, a disappointed Naruto is advised by one of his instructors, Mizuki, to steal the Scroll of Seals and learn a technique from it in order to graduate. As Naruto struggled to learn the Shadow Clone Technique, Iruka Umino tracked him down and realised that Naruto was tricked by Mizuki into stealing the scroll. Mizuki attacked them and told Naruto about the Nine-Tails sealed within him, claiming that Iruka hated him because of it. When Iruka risked his life to protect Naruto, however, he saw through Mizuki's lies and used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to defeat him, prompting Iruka to happily grant Naruto his graduation from the Academy. Naruto would later befriend Konohamaru Sarutobi, grandson of the Third Hokage, and teach him several perverted or useful techniques.

Team Kakashi

Team 7's group photo.

Naruto was eventually assigned to Team 7, partnered with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake. During their first meeting, Naruto shared his love of ramen, his hobbies, and his dream to become Hokage. To test their qualifications, Kakashi gave the team a bell test, stating that whichever of the three takes one of the two bells on his person will officially become genin. Instead of hiding like Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto tried to take the bells from Kakashi by force, only to be easily defeated, hung upside-down from a tree and tied to a wooden post in an attempt to steal lunch. After Sakura and Sasuke fail as well, Kakashi explains that the goal of the test was to use teamwork, to do together what none of them could do by themselves. He is persuaded to allow them to try again after lunch, but instructs Sasuke and Sakura not to feed Naruto. They feed him anyway, needing him in top-form if they're to work together. Kakashi sees this and, because they care more about the team than listening to his instructions, allows them all to pass.

Zabuza Vs Genin

Naruto and Sasuke team up against Zabuza.

After a series of uneventful D-rank missions, Naruto is able to secure a C-rank mission for Team 7: escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves. Soon after leaving Konoha, they are attacked by the Demon Brothers. Naruto is paralysed with fear, forcing Sasuke to step in to disarm them and protect Tazuna until Kakashi can capture them. Tazuna confesses that assassins have been hired to kill him but that he couldn't afford the bodyguard detail he needs. Although the mission is now A-rank in nature - far beyond the skill of genin - Team 7 decides to continue with it. Angered by Sasuke's taunting of him, Naruto cuts his hand to bleed out the poison he received earlier, vowing to never waver again. When they arrive in the Land of Waves and are confronted by Zabuza Momochi, Naruto is overwhelmed by the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza before he is knocked aside by Zabuza's water clone. Remembering his vow, Naruto regained his confidence and teamed up with Sasuke to free Kakashi from Zabuza's Water Prison. In the end, Zabuza is seemingly killed by Haku, allowing Team 7 to escort Tazuna back to his house.

Kakashi finds Zabuza's death suspicious and decides to train the team in case he returns. He has them perform the Tree Climbing Practice to improve their chakra control, which will help them against Zabuza. Naruto becomes frustrated after several failures and asks for advice from Sakura, who herself mastered it from the start. Now rapidly improving, Naruto competes with Sasuke to finish the training, each determined to outdo the other. One day, Naruto encounters Haku (albeit unaware of his true identity) and they each discussed their dreams and desire to protect those precious to them. After Haku leaves, Naruto finishes the training with Sasuke but is left exhausted, so Team 7 leaves him behind the next morning as they resume their escort duties. Naruto awakens and arrives to assist Team 7 in fighting Zabuza and Haku, but, unaware of how Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals work, he joins Sasuke within the prison.

Naruto Holds Sasuke

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

Naruto cannot break free with his shadow clones and Sasuke cannot melt the ice with his fire. As Haku moves in to kill Naruto, Sasuke uses his body as a shield to protect Naruto and seemingly dies. Enraged by Sasuke's apparent death, Naruto unwittingly accesses the Nine-Tails' chakra for the first time, allowing him to destroy the ice mirrors and defeat Haku, breaking his mask. Realising his opponent was the boy he met before, Naruto calms himself. He is asked by Haku to kill him, since he feels of no further use to Zabuza. Before Naruto can do so, Haku immediately stops him and goes off to save Zabuza from being killed by Kakashi, sacrificing his own life. When Zabuza refuses to appreciate this, Naruto angrily scolds him, stating that Haku gave up his life to save someone precious to him. Touched by his words, Zabuza, using Naruto's kunai, killed Gatō and many of his henchmen before he himself dies. Sasuke soon awakens, and when their injuries heal, Team 7 leaves for home via Tazuna's newly-constructed Great Naruto Bridge.

Chūnin Exams

Main article: Chūnin Exams

Naruto refuses to give up

Naruto refuses to give up from the Chūnin Exams.

Team 7 resumes its series of unremarkable missions. For their performance in the Land of Waves, however, Kakashi decides to enter them in the Chūnin Exams taking place in Konoha, which greatly excites Naruto. Because they've only recently graduated from the Academy, the three feel they must give strong showings to prove themselves. When they enter the exam hall, the team is met by Rock Lee, who challenges Sasuke to a fight; Naruto tries to attack Lee in jealousy, but is easily swept aside. The fight is interrupted by Might Guy, after which Naruto notes that the bandages around Lee's arms signify his arduous taijutsu training while also mocking Sasuke for his unability to best Lee.

During the exam's first stage, the participating genin are given a written test, the goal of which is to cheat without getting caught. Unaware of this, Naruto struggles to answer the questions, so Hinata Hyūga, who is seated next to him, offers to let him copy off her paper. Despite the temptation, Naruto declined Hinata's offer, claiming that he isn't the type to cheat and that they might be disqualified if they are caught. Before the tenth question can be given, the genin are presented with the opportunity to forfeit; Naruto refuses to do so, declaring his refusal to give up and his goal to still become Hokage. His determination to face the tenth question despite the potential consequences inspires the rest of the genin to do the same, and so they pass the first stage. It is later noted that he was the only one to hand in a blank sheet, though this did not prevent him from passing.

Naruto saves Sasuke from Orochimaru

Naruto saves Sasuke from Orochimaru's snake.

For the second phase, teams enter the Forest of Death with the objective of obtaining a set of two scrolls, one of which they are given at the start. Naruto becomes separated from his team and is attacked and swallowed by a giant snake. He manages to kill it and regroups with his frightened teammates against Orochimaru. Angered by Sasuke's sudden cowardice and resignation, Naruto engages Orochimaru using the Nine-Tails' chakra, defeats his giant snake, and taunts Sasuke before Orochimaru suppresses the Nine-Tails' chakra, rendering Naruto unconscious. After he awakens, Team 7 continues its search for the second scroll, which they eventually gain by defeating Team Oboro, allowing them to pass the second stage.

Uzumakirendan

Naruto defeats Kiba.

In the preliminary matches of the exam, Naruto was pitted against Kiba Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru. Believing the match to be an easy victory, Kiba and Akamaru overwhelmed Naruto with many high-speed attacks, so Naruto tricks Kiba into knocking Akamaru out of the fight by using the Transformation Technique, shocking all spectators. Naruto then disorients Kiba by farting in his face and defeats him with the Naruto Uzumaki Combo (which he invented from watching Sasuke's Lion Combo). When Neji and Hinata's match begins, Naruto is enraged by Neji's ruthless tirade against Hinata and cheers Hinata on to defeat Neji. Although Hinata is defeated, Naruto wipes up her blood and vows to defeat Neji in the finals.

Naruto meets Kurama

Naruto meets the Nine-Tails.

During the month of training, Naruto first meets Jiraiya (who knocked out Ebisu, Naruto's original teacher) and trains under the Sannin to improve his chakra control. Recognising Naruto as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Jiraiya removes the seal Orochimaru had placed on Naruto to ease his control and begins teaching him how to use the Nine-Tails' power by summoning toads. To accelerate Naruto's slow progress, Jiraiya pushes him over a cliff, causing Naruto to enter his subconscious and meet the Nine-Tails. Working past his fear, he bravely demands chakra from it as "rent" for living in his body. The Nine-Tails complies and Naruto summons Gamabunta, though he exhausts himself and ends up in the hospital, where he is visited by Shikamaru Nara. After talking, he and Naruto stop Gaara from killing Rock Lee in the next room and listen to Gaara's story of his childhood, which Naruto finds very similar to his own. Gaara prepares to kill them, but Might Guy intervenes and forces Gaara to retreat. On the day of the finals, Naruto meets Hinata at the Third Training Ground and expresses his doubts about his upcoming match with Neji. Hinata reassures Naruto that he never gave up because he always had the strength to overcome his own failures, admiring him for it. Reinvigorated, Naruto thanks Hinata and tells her even though he first thought she was weird, he now likes her.

Naruto vs Neji

Naruto vs. Neji.

Facing Neji in the first match of the finals, Naruto began by creating shadow clones to overwhelm Neji's with sheer numbers. Deeming Naruto a failure who could never defeat a genius like himself, Neji easily defeats Naruto's clones and seals his chakra with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Determined to prove Neji's ideals about fate wrong, Naruto tapped into the Nine-Tails' chakra and, revitalised, clashed with Neji. When the smoke cleared, Neji emerges and Naruto lies defeated. This, however, was only a shadow clone, and the real Naruto burst from the ground beneath Neji, defeating him with an uppercut. Before he is declared the winner, Naruto tells Neji that creating clones was once his shortcoming and that Neji needs to stop believing in inescapable fate. When Sasuke finally arrives for his match with Gaara, Naruto is envious of Sasuke's improvements, but is later put to sleep along with most of the audience, commencing the Konoha Crush.

Konoha Crush

Main article: Konoha Crush

Naruto saves Sasuke from Gaara

Naruto saves Sasuke from Gaara.

Sakura wakes up Naruto so they can pursue Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara himself. They arrive in time for Naruto to kick Gaara away before he can kill Sasuke. Partially transformed into Shukaku, Gaara knocks Sakura unconscious and binds her to a tree, forcing Naruto to battle him, with little success. Naruto relates to Gaara's painful life as a jinchūriki, but he is not willing to let anything to happen to Sakura and Sasuke. Determined to protect his friends, Naruto creates an army of shadow clones to relentlessly batter Gaara, forcing him to fully transform into Shukaku, to which Naruto responds by summoning Gamabunta.

Naruto defeats gaara

Naruto defeats Gaara.

Gaara puts himself to sleep to give control of his body to Shukaku, forcing Naruto and Gamabunta to figure out a way to end the jutsu. They do so by transforming into a giant fox (the Nine-Tails in the anime) to restrain Shukaku, allowing Naruto to awaken Gaara with a solid punch to the face. Shukaku's influence disappears, but Gaara regains control and traps Naruto with his sand. Naruto escapes by tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra, and headbutts Gaara when he is close enough, destroying Shukaku's form. Exhausted from the fight, the two leap at each other for one final exchange, and Naruto punches Gaara, claiming victory.

Naruto and Gaara fell to the ground, unable to move. Slowly crawling towards Gaara, Naruto explained that he also suffered a painful and lonely life, but was later saved by having friends. To that end, he will do anything to protect them, even if it means killing Gaara. Understanding Naruto's true strength, Gaara retreated with Kankurō and Temari with a new outlook on life, while Naruto passes out from exhaustion and is returned to Konoha with Sasuke and a rescued Sakura. A few days later, Team 7 attended the Third Hokage's funeral.

Search for Tsunade

Main article: Search for Tsunade Jiraiya is tasked with finding Tsunade, a candidate for Fifth Hokage, and convinces Naruto to accompany him by promising to teach him a technique stronger than Sasuke's Chidori. Stopping at an inn in Shukuba Town, Naruto was approached by Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha of Akatsuki, who intend to capture the Nine-Tails. When Sasuke shows up and furiously attacks Itachi, Naruto gathers the Nine-Tails' chakra to help Sasuke, but it is absorbed by Kisame's Samehada. Jiraiya soon arrives and drives off Itachi and Kisame, but Sasuke is left mentally and physically damaged by Itachi. Might Guy appears and takes Sasuke back to Konoha, but not before giving Naruto a spare green jumpsuit.

Tsunade vs naruto

Naruto and Tsunade face-off.

To prepare for the next encounter with Akatsuki, Naruto begins learning the Rasengan, completing two of its three learning steps. Taking a break from training, Naruto and Jiraiya eventually found Tsunade and her assistant Shizune at a restaurant. When Tsunade refuses the offer to become Hokage and insults all who held the title, an angry Naruto challenged her to a fight and attacked her with an incomplete Rasengan, only to be easily defeated. Impressed by his progress, however, Tsunade makes a bet with Naruto: if he can master the Rasengan in a week, he gets the First Hokage's Necklace; if not, she gets his wallet. Naruto agreed and spent the week trying to perfect the Rasengan, but has no success and collapses from exhaustion. Once he recovers, Naruto heads out with Jiraiya and Shizune to stop Tsunade from meeting with Orochimaru.

Naruto vs

Naruto defeats Kabuto.

They arrive to see Tsunade, who never intended to aid Orochimaru, in the midst of battle with Kabuto Yakushi. When Tsunade is incapacitated, Naruto fights Kabuto in her place and eventually defeats him with a perfected Rasengan, which he formed by using a shadow clone. Naruto collapses almost immediately afterwards, his heart muscles torn by Kabuto, but Tsunade successfully manages to heal him, gives him the necklace he wins, and accepts the position of Hokage. After Orochimaru and Kabuto are defeated, Naruto and the others return to Konoha, Tsunade confidently believing Naruto would someday become a great Hokage.

Land of Tea Escort Mission

Main article: Land of Tea Escort Mission

Sasuke Recovery Mission

Main article: Sasuke Recovery Mission

Naruto's Promise

Naruto promises Sakura to return Sasuke to Konoha.

Naruto visits a recovering Sasuke at the hospital, but is immediately challenged to a fight, to which Naruto eventually agrees. The fight escalates quickly, culminating with Naruto using Rasengan and Sasuke using Chidori. Kakashi arrives and deflects their attacks into opposing water towers before they can clash, Naruto unknowingly doing more damage than Sasuke. Distressed by Sasuke's behaviour, Sakura informs Naruto of the cursed seal Sasuke received from Orochimaru, though Naruto assures Sakura that Sasuke would never abandon Konoha for power. Unfortunately, Sasuke does just that and Naruto joins the Sasuke Recovery Team in order to bring him back; he promises a tearful Sakura to do so before he leaves. En route to Sasuke, the team encounters members of the Sound Four, each of which battles a member of the recovery team, while Naruto engages Kimimaro. Overwhelmed by Kimimaro's taijutsu skills, Naruto is saved at the last minute by Rock Lee, who volunteers to fight Kimimaro while Naruto heads after Sasuke.

Naruto Sasuke clash

Naruto fights Sasuke.

Naruto finally meets Sasuke at the Valley of the End. His pleas for Sasuke to come back to Konoha and warns him that Orochimaru will take his body, but his pleadings fall on deaf ears. Naruto starts attacking him, ready to take him back to Konoha by force if necessary. Undeterred, Sasuke responds by tapping into his cursed seal and landing a series of heavy blows on Naruto. It becomes painfully clear to Naruto that Sasuke is fighting with an intent to kill, so Naruto utilises the Nine-Tails' chakra to overpower Sasuke. Naruto says that Sasuke is like a brother to him and that he will do anything to protect that bond. Sasuke vows to sever that bond, but acknowledges Naruto as an equal by putting on his forehead protector. They continue trading blows, with Naruto eventually manifesting a fox-shaped cloak and Sasuke entering his cursed seal's second level. Naruto clashes his Rasengan with Sasuke's Chidori, and within the dome of resulting energy they trade final blows: Sasuke punches Naruto and Naruto scratches Sasuke's forehead protector.

Sasuke defeats Naruto

Naruto defeated by Sasuke.

When the energy dissipates, Naruto lies defeated, but Sasuke spares him and continues his way to Orochimaru, leaving his scratched forehead protector behind. Kakashi and Pakkun arrive late and failing to retrieve Sasuke, leave with Naruto. In the hospital, Naruto once again promises Sakura to bring Sasuke back one day. Soon after, Jiraiya arrived with an offer to train Naruto for preparation against Orochimaru and Akatsuki in three years and to give up on Sasuke, as he is no different from Orochimaru. Naruto accepts Jiraiya's training, but refuses to give up on Sasuke, satisfying Jiraiya.

Original Anime Arcs

See also: Plot of Naruto

Naruto Departing Konoha

Naruto leaving Konoha.

As in the manga, Naruto later departs with Jiraiya to begin his two and a half years of training, after making a determined gesture at the Fourth Hokage's statue. In the anime, this does not happen until about 3 months later as Jiraiya was occupied with important intel gathering about Akatsuki for Konohagakure. During the waiting period, Tsunade gives Naruto several missions with members of the Konoha 11 to keep him busy.

Interlude

Naruto Improving Resengan

Naruto training with the Big Ball Rasengan.

In the anime, shortly after leaving Konoha, Jiraiya and Naruto discuss the fact that Naruto will need to learn how to counter genjutsu if he hopes to be a match against Sasuke the next time they meet. Naruto practises with Gamariki to dispel genjutsu, but he struggles with it and his chakra keeps hitting Gamariki, who doesn't appreciate it. Naruto follows Jiraiya to the Genjutsu Tree Village to try a different approach, but they discover the village has been taken over by Kandachi.[142] They free the villagers and then attack Kandachi, who Naruto eventually defeats with his newly-created Big Ball Rasengan. As they leave afterwards, Jiraiya is pleased by how similar Naruto is to Minato Namikaze and hugs him, which Naruto is bothered by.[143]

In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths

Main article: In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths Two years into their training, Naruto's control of the Nine-Tails' chakra has improved significantly. Jiraiya tries to give him more access to the Nine-Tails' power and uses Gerotora to weaken Naruto's Eight Trigrams Sealing Style. Seizing the opportunity, the Nine-Tails mocked Naruto for his inability to save Sasuke, using Naruto's negative emotions to force him to enter a version 2 form with four tails. Not in control of his body, Naruto attacks Jiraiya and nearly kills him before he manages to suppress the Nine-Tails. Naruto has no memory of what happened and Jiraiya doesn't tell him, instead, shifting Naruto's training to other pursuits, including keeping his anger in check so that the Nine-Tails won't flare up again.[144]

Part II

See also: Plot of Naruto: Shippūden

Kazekage Rescue Mission

Main article: Kazekage Rescue Mission

Naruto returns to Konoha

Naruto returns to Konohagakure.

Naruto and Jiraiya return to Konoha after two-and-a-half years of training, where Naruto becomes surprised by Tsunade's newly-formed statue on Hokage Rock. He greets his old friends afterwards: he gives Kakashi a copy of Icha Icha Tactics as a gift; he catches up with Sakura, whom he has become taller than; he gets back into a competition of Sexy Techniques with Konohamaru Sarutobi, only to be violently reprimanded by Sakura. Kakashi reforms Team 7 with them and gives them another bell test, but unlike last time, taking the bells from him is the real objective. As with last time, Naruto launches a first attack before the test officially begins, but this time it nearly succeeds. Despite their improved abilities, Naruto and Sakura were still unable to get a bell through conventional means, and it was only by Naruto's threat to spoil the latest Icha Icha novel that they distracted Kakashi long enough to take the bells.

While Team 7 tries without success to find a mission to go on that Naruto won't complain about, word reaches Konoha that Akatsuki has kidnapped Gaara, the Kazekage. Team 7 is sent to Sunagakure to assist in rescuing Gaara. On their way to Suna, Naruto explains that Gaara was kidnapped because he is the jinchūriki of the One-Tail, just as Naruto is the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Upon arrival in Suna, Naruto defends Kakashi from Chiyo's assault when she mistakes him for his father. Team 7 gathers what intel they can on Gaara's kidnappers and leave to go after them; Chiyo volunteers to escort them since they aren't familiar with the country around Suna. Naruto promises a recovering Kankurō to rescue Gaara before they leave.

Naruto pummels Deidara

Naruto pummels Deidara.

While en route to an Akatsuki lair, they are confronted by Itachi Uchiha, who traps Naruto in a genjutsu. Sakura and Chiyo release him, allowing Naruto to team up with Kakashi and defeat Itachi with a Big Ball Rasengan. The Itachi is discovered to be an impostor, so they continue to the Akatsuki lair, meeting up with Team Guy, who takes down the barrier over the entrance so that Team 7 can get in. They find Gaara's body finds with his kidnappers, Deidara and Sasori. Deidara flies off with Gaara's body with Naruto and Kakashi in pursuit, leaving Sasori to Chiyo and Sakura. Naruto, enraged, makes repeated failed attempts to rescue Gaara before he is calmed by Kakashi, who uses his new Mangekyō Sharingan to distract Deidara with Kamui. Naruto retrieves Gaara's body, but seeing it drives him over the edge: he furiously attacks Deidara and beats him mercilessly into the ground. Discovering that it was a Clay Clone, Naruto slips into his two-tailed form in rage, but is restored to normal by Kakashi via the Chakra-Suppressing Seal.

Gaara awakens

Gaara awakens, with Naruto by his side.

Deidara escapes, while Naruto and Kakashi regroup with Sakura, Chiyo, and Team Guy. Sakura attempts to revive Gaara, but the removal of Shukaku has caused him to die. Naruto breaks down in tears and angrily lashes out at Chiyo, saying she had no right to make Gaara not only a jinchūriki, but also lose his life because of it. As atonement and with Naruto's aid, Chiyo sacrifices her life to revive Gaara; as the jutsu nears completion, Chiyo voices her faith in Naruto's ability to save Gaara and to become Hokage. Naruto greets Gaara when he awakens, and a few days later, Teams 7 and Guy attend Chiyo's funeral in Suna. Before returning home, Naruto and Gaara shake hands (Gaara using his sand) as a sign of their close relationship.

Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission

Main article: Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission

Naruto and Sai's first meeting

Naruto and Sai's first encounter.

During her fight with Sasori, Sakura learned of an opportunity to meet with a spy in Orochimaru's ranks in a few days' time, hoping it will lead them to Sasuke. Kakashi is left bedridden from his fight with Deidara, so Yamato leads Team 7 as his replacement. Replacing Sasuke on the team is Sai, whom Naruto actually encounters earlier and dislikes, declaring him an inferior version of Sasuke. Sai is happy for this distinction and proceeds to degrade Sasuke for defecting from Konoha, forcing Yamato to use his Wood Release to break up their fight. Naruto is constantly exasperated by Sai's lack of empathy and his ridicule of Sasuke, but resolves to work with Sai if it means saving Sasuke.

Team Yamato at Tenchi Bridge

Team 7 confronts Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Yamato disguises himself as Sasori and goes to the Tenchi Bridge to meet the spy while Naruto, Sakura, and Sai hide nearby. The spy, Kabuto Yakushi, begins telling Yamato about Orochimaru's organisation, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Orochimaru, who teams up with Kabuto to fight Yamato, having intended to kill Sasori. Team 7 comes to his aid and Orochimaru, recognising them, taunts Naruto about Sasuke. Naruto is enraged and strikes him, using his version 1 form to make his attacks more devastating. Naruto's rage intensifies as he submits to the Nine-Tails' influence: he destroys the Tenchi Bridge and eventually advances to his version 2 form while fighting Orochimaru. Naruto is soon forced back to the destroyed bridge, where, unable to tell friend from foe, he unknowingly attacks Sakura when she approaches him.

Naruto vs

A four-tailed Naruto attacks Orochimaru with Tailed Beast Ball.

Yamato restrains Naruto with his Wood Release and suppresses the Nine-Tails' influence, but its chakra leaves Naruto's body badly damaged. After Sakura heals him, Naruto wakes up unable to remember what happened, but is surprised by the devastated landscape. When they realise that Sai is missing, Yamato reports that he has joined with Orochimaru and Kabuto. On the way, Yamato secretly takes Naruto aside and tells him that he is the one who attacked Sakura. He encourages Naruto to use his own strength instead of the Nine-Tails in order to protect his loved ones. The team locates Sai, whom Yamato has placed a trace on, at Orochimaru's lair and capture him. Restrained, Sai asks why Naruto is determined to save him; Naruto replies that his bond with Sasuke is too precious to be broken and that he will do anything to protect it. Intrigued, Sai switches sides, helping them capture Kabuto and then searching the base for Sasuke on Naruto's behalf. While he's gone, Yamato goes through his belongings and finds evidence that Sai has been assigned to assassinate Sasuke.

Sasuke draws sword

Naruto encounters Sasuke.

When they find Sai, he explains that he truly does want to help retrieve Sasuke, and in fact has already found him: Naruto and Sakura are speechless to see Sasuke again. Sasuke reacts with indifference to them, but Naruto remarks he can't become Hokage without saving his friend. To demonstrate that they mean nothing to him, Sasuke quickly neutralises them all. As Naruto struggles to avoid the temptation of using the Nine-Tails, Sasuke suddenly appears in Naruto's subconscious using his Sharingan and suppresses the Nine-Tails. He then prepares to kill them, but is persuaded not to by Orochimaru and leaves without further comment. Naruto is upset at having failed once more to bring Sasuke home, but is reminded by Sakura that they need to become stronger and Team 7 returns to Konoha.

Twelve Guardian Ninja

Main article: Twelve Guardian Ninja (Arc)

Akatsuki Suppression Mission

Main article: Akatsuki Suppression Mission

Naruto training

Naruto training with his clones.

Once Kakashi is done recuperating in the hospital, he assembles Naruto, Sakura, and Sai to discuss their failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. Kakashi believes the best way to match Sasuke is for Naruto to create a new jutsu. As the training began, Naruto discovers that his nature is wind and learns to use the wind nature. Ordinarily, such training would take months or years, but Kakashi advises that Naruto, by training alongside hundreds of shadow clones can do the same training in a mere fraction of the time. With Kakashi's instructions and the training grounds created by Yamato, Naruto quickly masters how to use the wind nature. The next step is more difficult for him: combining that nature with the Rasengan.

Naruto vs Kakuzu

Naruto defeats Kakuzu.

Like Kakashi and Minato Namikaze before him, Naruto fails several times in trying to combine his nature with the Rasengan; his frustration evokes the Nine-Tails' chakra at times, which Yamato suppresses. With further advice from Kakashi, Naruto finds his solution using two shadow clones: one helps him form the Rasengan and the other adds his wind nature. When they receive news that Asuma died in battle with members of Akatsuki, they take a break to attend Asuma's funeral. Kakashi leaves Yamato in charge of overseeing Naruto's training so he could help Team 10 avenge Asuma. Having finished his jutsu, Naruto and Team Yamato went to provide assistance, arriving in time to save Kakashi and Team 10 from Kakuzu. Naruto engages Kakuzu alone with his newly-created Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, though it dissipates on its first use and Naruto is rescued by Kakashi and Yamato. The technique succeeds the second time, destroying two of Kakuzu's hearts and putting the last one on the brink of failure. Kakashi finishes off Kakuzu and they return to Konoha.

The Rasenshuriken injures Naruto's arm after use and he is forbidden to use the technique ever again. When they visit Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto has a hard time eating while his arm mends, so Sakura opts to help, before the responsibility falls to Sai, then to Kakashi. As they leave afterwards, they are met by Konohamaru, who demonstrates his Sexy: Girl on Girl Technique; Naruto approves but Sakura is disgusted and violently reprimands him. In the manga, Konohamaru responds with Sexy: Boy on Boy Technique; Sakura approves but Naruto is disgusted and violently reprimands him.

Three-Tails' Appearance

Main article: Three-Tails' Appearance

Itachi Pursuit Mission

Main article: Itachi Pursuit Mission

Eight Man Squad

The Eight Man Squad formed to pursue Itachi and Sasuke.

News reaches Konoha that Sasuke has killed Orochimaru. Realising that this is a good opportunity to try once again to reunite with Sasuke, Kakashi combines Teams 7 and 8 into an Eight Man Squad with the mission to find either Sasuke or his assumed target, Itachi. When they split up to search, Naruto, because he's a target of Akatsuki, is given a protective escort in the form of Hinata, Yamato, and Bull. Their group encounters Kabuto, who offers them intel on Akatsuki and its members, his thanks to Naruto "inspiring" him to overcome Orochimaru after absorbing his remains. Kabuto then escapes.

Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant

Main article: Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant

Itachi's Genjutsu

Naruto and Itachi converse.

After regrouping and Kiba Inuzuka detects Sasuke's trail, Naruto creates shadow clones to search the area faster, one of which encounters Itachi. Itachi repels Naruto's attacks and insists he only wants to talk. He asks Naruto what Sasuke means to him and what he will do if Sasuke ever moves against Konoha. Naruto replies that he is Sasuke's brother – a better brother than Itachi is – and that if Sasuke ever attacks the village he will defend it without killing Sasuke. Itachi is happy with this answer and gives Naruto some assistance for this purpose: a special crow that he stores within Naruto's body. Itachi left, and Naruto continued his search, eventually finding Sasuke.[145]

As they near Sasuke's location they are intercepted by Tobi of Akatsuki, who prevents them from progressing and who is invulnerable to their attacks.

Fated Battle Between Brothers

Main article: Fated Battle Between Brothers As the group continually tries to attack Tobi, he dodges the attacks with ease. Naruto tries several times to attack him with his Rasengan, but without success. Tobi attempts to use a hidden jutsu to attack the teams, but fails at it. Eventually, Zetsu comes to tell him about Sasuke and Itachi's fight. Tobi leaves when he receives news that Sasuke has killed Itachi, and Teams 7 and 8 try to reach Sasuke before he does. Unable to find where Tobi has taken Sasuke, they are forced to return to Konoha.

Six-Tails Unleashed

Main article: Six-Tails Unleashed

Pain's Assault

Main article: Pain's Assault

Naruto after Jiraiya's death

Naruto mourns Jiraiya's death.

As Naruto contemplated his meeting with Itachi, he was called to the Hokage Residence to hear sombre news: his master Jiraiya was killed by Pain, the leader of Akatsuki. Grief-stricken, Naruto blamed Tsunade and spent the day mourning his teacher's death, depressed that Jiraiya cannot see him become Hokage. After being comforted by Iruka and Shikamaru, Naruto helped to decipher Jiraiya's dying message and eventually they succeed. Understanding that Jiraiya had bought him time for his own fight with Pain, Naruto went to train with the toads of Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu. Naruto trained to harmonise with nature, a process he sped up by using a limited number of shadow clones. He rapidly progressed through the training stages and attained a perfect Sage Mode, which Jiraiya was unable to do. News of Pain's Assault on Konoha reached them, they began to mobilise for battle.

Naruto and Fukasaku

Naruto arrives to fight Pain.

As Naruto, Fukasaku, Gamaken, Gamahiro, Gamabunta, and Gamakichi were summoned to the centre of Konoha, the group was confronted by the Six Paths of Pain, who had just destroyed the village. After destroying the Asura Path before it could attack Tsunade, Naruto told her to make sure everyone left the battle to him. After a brief skirmish with Animal Path, Naruto and the toads defeated the Animal, Preta, and Human Paths before running out of senjutsu chakra. Naruto revealed that he had two shadow clones waiting back at Mount Myōboku to revitalise him with natural energy. Naruto went back on the offensive, dispatching the healed Preta and Naraka Path before the Deva Path regained its full power. Pain killed Fukasaku and used the opportunity to capture Naruto, pinning him down to the ground.

Naruto influenced

Naruto succumbs completely to the Nine-Tails' influence.

With Naruto restrained, Pain opened up his reasons for Akatsuki, their plan for the tailed beasts, and the peaceful world he wanted to create. Though Naruto rejected his notion that using a weapon to force peace, he could offer no alternative. Before Pain could depart with Naruto, he was attacked by Hinata Hyūga. Declaring her love for Naruto and vowing to protect him, she continued to fight against Pain before she was subdued and critically wounded. Believing Hinata to had been killed, an enraged Naruto erupted into his six-tailed form. Resisting the First Hokage's Necklace's attempted to quell the transformation and destroying it, the Nine-Tails attacked Pain, forcing him out of the village to get close enough to his actual body to use the Chibaku Tensei, trapping Naruto within the small satellite. The technique was not enough to stop the Nine-Tails, however, as it simply progressed to eight-tailed form to force its way out of the satellite. Meanwhile within his subconscious, Naruto was tempted by the Nine-Tails to open its seal to save him from the pain of not having Pain's answer for peace. However, before Naruto could, Minato appeared, having left some of his chakra within the seal in case of an emergency to protect his son. Overjoyed at meeting his father, but angered that he would condemn him to life as a jinchūriki, Naruto listened to his father encouraging him, confident that he would find a way to break the cycle of hatred. After repairing the seal, Minato disappeared and the newly-inspired Naruto prepared to resume his battle with Pain.

Naruto defeating Deva path

Naruto defeats Pain.

Confidence restored, Naruto was greatly relieved to learn that not only had Hinata survived, but nobody was injured during his rampage. After clever use of shadow clones, Naruto destroyed the Deva Path with a Rasengan, defeating the last of Pain's Six Paths. Using one of Pain's Black Receivers, Naruto followed the chakra signal to Nagato and Konan's position. Confronting Nagato, Naruto listened to Nagato's story that turned him into Pain and came to understand why he made the actions he did. Despite not forgiving him, he told Nagato he would not kill him and would instead try to create the better world that their teacher wished for. Moved by Naruto's determination to create a better world, Nagato decided to put his trust in Naruto and sacrificed his own life to revive all the people he had killed in Konoha. Naruto helped Konan retrieve Nagato and Yahiko's bodies for burial in Amegakure, and Konan left Naruto a bouquet of paper flowers for him, symbolising their new alliance.

Hero of the Hidden Leaf

The village greets Naruto upon his return.

Naruto then created a memorial for Jiraiya and left the flowers and a copy of The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi by a rock with the kanji for teacher (, shi). While the exhausted Naruto walked back to the village, he was found by Kakashi who carried him the rest of the way. Upon arrival, Naruto was greeted as a hero by the villagers, his dream of acknowledgement being realised at last.

Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha

Main article: Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha

Five Kage Summit

Main article: Five Kage Summit

Karui Beating Naruto

Naruto willingly gets beaten by Karui.

Sakura informs Naruto that Tsunade fell into a coma and that there's nothing that can be done to bring her out of it. While they talk, they are approached by Tazuna and Inari, who have come to help rebuild Konoha. They ask about Sasuke, which Naruto avoids going into detail about so as to spare them and Sakura a discussion about Sasuke's defection. After Tazuna and Inari leave, they receive news that Danzō Shimura has become the next Hokage and that he has ordered Sasuke be killed as a traitor. Naruto and Sakura approach Sai to ask him how they can convince Danzō to change his mind, but Sai is unable to help. Omoi and Karui of Kumogakure overhear them talking about Sasuke and they ask for information about Sasuke, wishing to kill him for his role in Akatsuki's capture of Killer B. Naruto leads Omoi and Karui away to spare Sakura pain, but refuses to reveal anything about Sasuke. Instead, Naruto allows the Kumo-nin vent their anger by beating him, to which Karui obliges until Sai stops her and the Kumo-nin retreat.

Naruto's failed plea to Raikage

Naruto unsuccessfully pleas the Raikage to forgive Sasuke.

Recovering later, Naruto asked Yamato and Kakashi to take him to the Land of Iron, so that he could ask Fourth Raikage to pardon Sasuke. Upon arrival, the Raikage rejected Naruto's request even with Kakashi and Yamato's assistance and berated him for defending a criminal. Naruto went to a local inn to ponder his next course of action, but was soon confronted by Tobi, who wanted to understand Nagato's change of heart. Naruto ignored the question and demanded to know about his plans with Sasuke. Tobi told him about the Sage of the Six Paths, the Uchiha clan, and the truth about the Uchiha Clan Downfall, all of which now drove Sasuke along a path of vengeance against Konoha and anyone else who would dare cross his path. Naruto insisted that he could still get through to Sasuke, but Tobi laughed and left, saying that Naruto and Sasuke were fated to fight again.

As one's friend

Naruto talks with Gaara about Sasuke.

While Naruto was practising his Sage Mode's sensory abilities to locate Sasuke, he was interrupted by the arrival of Sakura, Rock Lee, Kiba and Sai. Sakura attempted to dissuade Naruto in his attempts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha by falsely telling him that she loved him. However, Naruto knew she was lying and he rejected her confession and her proposal to abandon Sasuke, stating it had nothing to do with his promise to her. After Sakura's party left, Sai's ink clone revealed that the rest of the Konoha 11 had decided to kill Sasuke themselves to prevent another war, while Sakura planned to kill Sasuke herself, at Sai's unintended insistence. Gaara, who attended the Five Kage Summit that Sasuke attacked, arrived and revealed Tobi's declaration of the Fourth Shinobi World War, telling Naruto how they would be fighting Sasuke to protect Naruto, but he did advise Naruto to consider for himself what was the right thing to do. After hearing that most of his friends have turned against Sasuke, who now wanted to unleash his vengeance on just about everyone, Naruto hyperventilated and passed out. When he awoke, he was told by Yamato that Kakashi went to stop Sakura from dealing with Sasuke.

Naruto vs

Naruto and Sasuke clash.

Using a shadow clone as a decoy, Naruto escaped from the inn and followed Kakashi, arriving just in time to save Sakura from being killed by Sasuke. He tried once more to reason with Sasuke, sympathising with his pain and acknowledging Itachi's sacrifice. However, Sasuke was unmoved and declared his resolve to destroy Konoha and sever the Uchiha's connection to the shinobi world. Naruto then clashed his Rasengan with Sasuke's Chidori, realising that everything in his life he could have easily gone down the same path of Sasuke. Despite his jealousy of him, he had come to like Sasuke and was glad to have met him. Undeterred, Sasuke gave Naruto two options: kill or be killed; Naruto chose neither. Tobi and Zetsu arrived and prepared to depart with Sasuke. Naruto resolved that if he and Sasuke were to battle again, they would kill each other, but he was willing to accept it as he would shoulder Sasuke's hatred alone. Sasuke vowed to kill Naruto first and left with Tobi and Zetsu, while Naruto and his teammates returned to Konoha, with the captive Karin. Naruto explained the situation to his friends and asked to fight Sasuke alone, determined to get stronger for their upcoming battle.

Power

Main article: Power (Arc)

Paradise Life on a Boat

Main article: Paradise Life on a Boat

Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown

The Great Toad's Prediction

Naruto meets with the Great Toad Sage.

As Naruto was about to eat at Ichiraku, he was suddenly summoned back to Mount Myōboku by Fukasaku. He learns from the Great Toad Sage's fortune that he would meet an "octopus" and would battle a "young man with powerful eyes." When Gerotora was summoned to give Naruto the "key" to the Eight Trigrams Seal, Naruto knew he would need the Nine-Tails' power for the battles to come and accepted the key. Naruto was sent back to Ichiraku, where some of the villagers asked for his autograph. Naruto was unaware that the five Kage were planning to keep him from participating in the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War. For his safety, Tsunade gave Naruto an "S-rank mission" on a remote island in the Land of Lightning with Yamato, Might Guy, Aoba Yamashiro, and other Konoha-nin as security.

Once at the island, Naruto met Killer B, the jinchūriki of Eight-Tails, and requested to train under him after marvelling at B's mastery of his tailed beast. B refused as he was on vacation, despite Naruto's best efforts to impress him. However, when Motoi heard Naruto bumped fists with B, he took Naruto was taken to Falls of Truth, where B trained to control the Eight-Tails. Following Motoi's instructions, Naruto sat on the platform in front of the waterfall and closed his eyes to see his true self: Dark Naruto, who berated Naruto on how quickly the Konoha villagers changed their opinions of him and exclaimed that the Nine-Tails liked him better. Inside his mind, Naruto fought his dark self, but found that they were evenly matched. Breaking out of meditation, Naruto questioned Motoi about B's history in order to learn how to conquer his inner darkness.

Cho-odama

Naruto fights the Nine-Tails.

Naruto reminisced about how B and Gaara changed everyone's opinions about them and began to doubt if the Konoha villagers sincerely trusted him. After witnessing B save Motoi from a giant squid and resume their friendship, an inspired Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth and confronted Dark Naruto again. With Naruto now having faith in himself, Dark Naruto began to weaken as he asked what his reason for existing was. Naruto answered by hugging him, accepted Dark Naruto as a part of him while thanking him for pushing him to become a better person. Dark Naruto finally relented and faded. B led Naruto and Yamato to a special room in the secret temple behind the waterfall, where Naruto was prepared to fight the Nine-Tails for its chakra. Within his subconscious, Naruto unlocked the seal and engaged the Nine-Tails in battle using Sage Mode. Though he appeared to have the upper hand and drain the Nine-Tails' chakra, the fox instantly planted its own hatred within its absorbed chakra, consuming Naruto.

Naruto and Kushina meet

Naruto meets his mother.

Just before Naruto was completely consumed, the spirit of his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, appeared. Naruto believed that Kushina was the Nine-Tails in disguise, earning a hit on the head and an immediate apology from her, who hoped that he did not inherit her short-temper. Realising Kushina was his mother, he tearfully hugged her and the love-filled reunion purged the Nine-Tails' hatred within its drained chakra. With renewed confidence from hearing the story of his parents, Naruto battled the Nine-Tails once more. With his mother's assistance, Naruto successfully weakens the fox long enough to separate it from its chakra. Attaining the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto imprisons the emaciated and infuriated Nine-Tails within a new, stronger seal, apologising to it as it faded into darkness. Afterwards, Naruto learned from Kushina about his heritage, the truth behind the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, and how his parents gave their lives to protect him. Naruto told his mother that he could finally understand what a parent's love felt like and that he didn't blame them for what happened, instead feeling glad to be their son. As she fades away, Kushina tearfully hugged Naruto, thanking him for letting her and Minato be his parents.

Naruto crashes into Kisame

Naruto attacks Kisame.

In the real world, Naruto demonstrated his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to B and Yamato before sensing Kisame Hoshigaki of Akatsuki hidden inside his Samehada via his negative emotions. When Kisame attempted to escape, Naruto used his blinding speed to quickly smash Kisame into the wall, though his foot gets stuck. Yamato helps Naruto out while B pursues Kisame and they regroup to see Kisame's defeat by Guy. Kisame is restrained for interrogation, though he breaks free of his confinements through sheer will and summons sharks inside a water prison to eat him alive. Shocked by Kisame's suicide, Naruto observes that even those in Akatsuki fight for their comrades. They examine the intel that Kisame was trying to send, which turns out to be booby-trapped: they are each caught in a water prison and are trapped alongside a shark. Another shark, meanwhile, is able to escape with Kisame's intel. After they escape, Naruto is tasked with evacuating the giant animals into the Island Turtle's shell and logging the island's ecology as part of his "official" S-rank mission. He remains unaware that it is a ploy to keep him away from the war.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation

Naruto senses the war

Naruto senses the war with Sage Mode.

Naruto returned to the Falls of Truth with B to start practising his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, specifically learning how to use Tailed Beast Balls. Since Tailed Beast Balls couldn't be made without the Nine-Tails' cooperation, Naruto tried to create the Tailed Beast Rasengan as a workaround. While struggling to balance the jutsu's composition, he sensed a distant source of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Naruto left the Falls of Truth to investigate and was met by a contingent of Konoha-nin, amongst them Iruka Umino. Iruka tried to convince him to go back to his training, but Naruto bypassed them and, from entering Sage Mode, sensed the ongoing Fourth Shinobi World War. Naruto became angry that they would try to keep the war a secret from him and that they wouldn't let him help. Iruka apologised, yet still made an effort to restrain him. Naruto escaped and found a Self-Repairing Barrier, preventing him from leaving by himself. B, at Iruka's request, decided to join him, and together they broke through the barrier.

Naruto in Kyubi's eye

Naruto states his resolve to the Nine-Tails.

Shortly after, the Nine-Tails pulled Naruto into his subconscious, berating him for squandering its chakra and calling him naive for thinking he could stop the war by himself. When the Nine-Tails failed to once again tempt Naruto with power, the fox went off to claim that his attempt to put an end to hatred was futile, using his history with Sasuke as proof. Naruto responded by pinning the fox down, refuting that it was the one who was being naive and confidently exclaiming he would find a way to deal with Sasuke and end the war. Before he leaves, Naruto also promises to resolve the Nine-Tails' own hatred someday, unnerving the fox.

Naruto bypasses A

Naruto outpaces A.

On their way to the battlefield, Naruto and B were met by the Fourth Raikage and Tsunade, both intent on stopping the jinchūriki. B tried to convince the Raikage to let them go, and when that failed, Naruto tried to get around them, but the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was too fast for that. The Raikage became increasingly aggressive in his determination to stop Naruto and B from joining the war effort, going so far as to threaten to kill Naruto if it would keep Akatsuki from capturing the Nine-Tails. First B and then Tsunade joined Naruto in arguing to allow them to fight, which the Raikage relented to once Naruto dodges his maximum speed. On Tsunade's orders, Shikaku Nara contacted Naruto and informed him about Akatsuki's White Zetsu Army and the accompanying Impure World Reincarnations. Naruto and B soon afterwards encountered a squad of seeming Allied forces, but with his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode's ability, it allowed him to detect them as disguised Zetsu. He quickly defeated them and sent shadow clones to various other battlefields to lend assistance.

Naruto kills dog

Naruto fights Nagato.

Naruto and B soon ran into the reincarnated Itachi Uchiha and Nagato. They greeted Naruto and briefly caught up on what had happened since their deaths, but were quickly forced to attack by their summoner, Kabuto Yakushi. Nagato advised Naruto and B on how to counter his jutsu while Itachi, between his own attacks, recalled the crow he planted in Naruto during their last meeting. Itachi activated the Kotoamatsukami of the crow's Mangekyō Sharingan to release himself from Kabuto's influence. Itachi joined Naruto and B in fighting Nagato, first by neutralising the Rinnegan Summoning and then saving them from being killed by Nagato. Nagato, his personality now suppressed, tried capturing them with Chibaku Tensei, which the three combined efforts to destroy. While Nagato was distracted by their attack, Itachi sealed him with Susanoo. His personality restored, Nagato used his last moments to apologise and put his faith in Naruto. Afterwards, Itachi destroyed the crow, its Kotoamatsukami too valuable to let fall into the wrong hands. He left to find Kabuto so that he could end the Impure World Reincarnation, but not before telling Naruto to let his friends support him and leaving Sasuke's reform to him.

Mujun

Naruto defeats the Third Raikage.

A shadow clone arrived at the site of the Fourth Division's battle with various reincarnated Kage. Naruto was able to land a sneak attack on , allowing the Third Tsuchikage to seal him before he could say anything. The Tsuchikage went to help Gaara fight the Second Mizukage, leaving Naruto to fight the Third Raikage along with the other members of the Fourth Division. Like the Fourth Raikage, the Third was very fast, easily dodging most attacks. The few attacks that did land had almost no effect, his body's natural defence was too high, and the Raikage's offences allowed him to break through every attempt to contain him. When Naruto noticed that the Raikage had a scar from his fight with the Eight-Tails years earlier, he contacted it via B to ask how the Raikage received the scar. Upon hearing the Eight-Tails' answer, Naruto surmises the scar was self-inflicted, confirming it as he manipulates the Third into piercing his own body. The Third is sealed and Naruto regroups with the Tsuchikage and Gaara, who already defeated the Second Mizukage.

As Naruto and B continued onwards, Naruto's shadow clones started arriving at various locations. In the anime, shadow clones were able to: save the members of the Sasuke Recovery Team from the reincarnated Sound Four's Space–Time Technique Formula: Underworld Turnover;[146] update Tatewaki about the fates of the children he was responsible for during life, granting him peace and allowing him to return to the afterlife;[147] run in to Yota, a childhood friend, and giving Yota a chance to play with him again before releasing himself from the Impure World Reincarnation;[148][149][150] assist Omoi in saving the Thundercloud Unit.[151]

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Shadow clones arrived at all the remaining battlefields, securing Impure World Reincarnations, weeding out the Zetsu that had infiltrated the Alliance's ranks, and defeating any other remaining Zetsu. Victory seemed near when the Sensor Division detected a new threat near the Fourth Division: Mu, who split himself before his sealing, and the reincarnated Madara Uchiha. Shocked by this revelation, they all wondered who the masked man, Tobi, really was. Madara gave them little time to discuss it and attacked them immediately. He cut swaths through the Fourth Division's ranks and used his Rinnegan to avoid the clone's, the Tsuchikage's, and Gaara's counterattack. Wishing to eliminate them all at once, Madara dropped a meteorite on them.

Kurama helps Naruto

Naruto receives help from the Nine-Tails.

While the survivors regroup, Madara tried to summon the Nine-Tails. Although it failed, the fox sensed the attempt and offered some chakra to help fight Madara, preferring Naruto over the Uchiha. The shadow clone used the Nine-Tails' chakra to counter Madara's Nativity of a World of Trees with Big Ball Spiralling Serial Zone Spheres, though the extended fighting left the clone exhausted afterwards. Madara moved in to capture it, but was parried by the arrival of Tsunade, the Fourth Raikage, and the Fifth Mizukage. The Five Kage vowed to deal with Madara themselves and asked that Naruto should instead focus on defeating Tobi. The clone dispersed just as the real Naruto converged on Tobi. Naruto and B clashed with Tobi's reincarnated jinchūriki, styled like a Six Paths of Pain. During the fighting, Naruto referenced another Madara and asked who Tobi really was. Realising his lie was exposed, Tobi refused to accept any particular identity, believing it to be irrelevant. Naruto was not satisfied with this answer and vowed to break Tobi's mask.

Jinchūriki clashes

Naruto and B clash with the reincarnated jinchūriki.

B entered Tailed Beast Mode to clear the surrounding forest that was giving him and Naruto a disadvantage against the reincarnated jinchūriki. He then tried to seal the jinchūriki, but Tobi had them enter Version 2 forms to escape at the last second. The increased strength of the jinchūriki caused difficulties for Naruto and B. Tobi, taking advantage of the situation, nearly captured Naruto, but was blocked by the arrival of Kakashi and Guy. Their arrival balanced out the two sides, so Tobi had the Four-Tails and the Six-Tails enter Tailed Beast Modes as well. The Four-Tails captured Naruto in its mouth, allowing it to communicate with him. The Four-Tails, introducing itself with the name Son Gokū, was angered to be controlled by Tobi, but it doubted Naruto would be any better since humans had always sought to control it and its fellow tailed beasts. Naruto insisted he was different and Son Gokū, touched by his desire to help it, told him how to release it from Tobi's control. Naruto managed to break out of its mouth, locate the black receiver, and remove it.

Kurama teams up

Naruto and Kurama unite.

Son Gokū thanked Naruto for his help, but explained that it couldn't actually be saved, as it was still bound to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Before it was pulled back into the Demonic Statue, Son Gokū gave some of its chakra to Naruto and wished him luck. Tobi, having lost the use of one tailed beast, forced the others to enter Tailed Beast Modes so that the battle could be brought to an end. The Nine-Tails remarked that Naruto couldn't possibly win without its help. Naruto stated that he was not up for taking its chakra by force at the moment and that he would figure something out. However, Naruto's earlier determination to help Son Gokū moved the Nine-Tails, reminding it of the many selfless things Naruto had done during his life and the perseverance he always displayed. The Nine-Tails no longer wanted to oppose Naruto and instead offered to join him as a partner, asking only that Naruto call it by name: Kurama.

Seishin Sekai

Naruto meets the tailed beasts.

Naruto entered his own Tailed Beast Mode and went to save Kakashi and Guy, deflecting the other five beasts' Tailed Beast Balls. The Kurama avatar fought the beasts in close combat, forcing them to combine their Tailed Beast Balls into one against it. Kurama countered theirs with a single one of its own Tailed Beast Balls and Naruto then used the avatar's tails to grab and remove the beasts' black receivers. From the contact, Naruto was able to interface with the other beasts, who introduced themselves and, like Son Gokū, gave him portions of their chakra. Tobi recalled the beasts back into the Demonic Statue and, though irritated, remained confident in his eventual victory as he faced off with Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy. By the time night fell, however, Tobi was still unable to defeat them. A light eventually descended on the reincarnated jinchūriki that B had kept restrained, returning them to the afterlife and signalling that Itachi had finally defeated Kabuto.

Naruto destroys the mask of Tobi

Naruto destroys Tobi's mask.

With his options running out, Tobi deposited the Benihisago and the Kohaku no Jōhei (which contained portions of Kurama's chakra) into the Demonic Statue which, combined with a fragment of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki's, chakra he acquired previously, was enough to start the revival of the Ten-Tails. Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy started focusing on destroying it, but were constantly stopped by Tobi and his peculiar teleportation and intangibility abilities. From the fighting, however, Kakashi noticed that Tobi's abilities were seemingly linked to his own Kamui. To take advantage of this, Kakashi had one of Naruto's shadow clones attack Tobi and, just as the clone was about to be destroyed by one of Tobi's attacks, Kakashi used Kamui on it without Tobi noticing. Naruto then attacked with a Tailed Beast Ball, which Tobi escaped by retreating to Kamui's dimension. He found the clone waiting for him there and it destroyed his mask with a Rasengan.

When they saw his face, Guy and Kakashi recognised Tobi as their childhood friend, Obito Uchiha, whom they'd long thought dead. Obito declined to explain his actions to them and instead attacked, which attracted Madara, who escaped the release of the Impure World Reincarnation, to their location. Seeing Madara, Naruto asked what happened to the Kage, to which the elder Uchiha replied that they were in bad condition when he left them. From that and the conversation he overheard between Madara and Obito, particularly their manipulation of Nagato, Naruto attacked in a rage. Madara reflected him and then tried to capture him and B so that the Ten-Tails could be revived in its complete form. Naruto split his attention, he and B fighting Madara's wood dragon with their Tailed Beast Modes and one of his shadow clones trying to help Kakashi get over the revelation that Obito was alive.

Allied Forces Jutsu

Naruto with the Allied Shinobi Forces.

Obito tried to convince Naruto of the futility of resistance. Naruto insisted that protecting his comrades was always worthwhile, no matter how hopeless things may seem. His words brought Kakashi out of his slump, enabling him to start fighting Obito on his own, and energised Guy, who created an opening for Naruto and B to attack the Demonic Statue with a combined Tailed Beast Ball. The attack came too late, however, and the Ten-Tails was revived. Naruto, B, Kakashi, and Guy regrouped and coordinated an attack, but the Ten-Tails was too powerful and Madara and Obito, once they linked themselves to it, were able to deploy its powers effectively. Just before they could kill Naruto and the others, the combined remaining Allied Shinobi Forces arrived to help. Shikaku Nara, communicating to all of them from the Alliance's headquarters, staged an offensive to restrain the Ten-Tails. Although it failed, it was effective enough that Madara and Obito had the Ten-Tails destroy the distant headquarters, killing Shikaku and everyone else stationed there.

The Allies made individual attacks against the Ten-Tails, but none had any effect. At the same time, the Ten-Tails started raining wooden skewers all over the battlefield, killing many. When one was about to hit Naruto, Hinata shielded him with her body and Neji shielded her with his own. Dying, Neji collapsed on Naruto's shoulder, asking him to be more careful in the future since many lives, Hinata's particularly, now depend on his. With his last breath, he thanked Naruto for calling him a genius all those years ago. Naruto was deeply distraught by Neji's death, which Obito tried to use as an example of the needless death that resistance caused and that could be solved in the new world he wanted to create. Hinata brought Naruto back to his senses by reminding him of all the people who had given their lives to protect him and whose memories he would be insulting if he had given up now. As Naruto thanked her, he took her hand and coated her with some of Kurama's chakra.

Naruto powered the Alliance up

Naruto gives chakra to the Allied Shinobi Forces.

Naruto shared Kurama's chakra throughout the Allied Forces, increasing their strength and protecting them from harm. They all manoeuvred into a formation that Shikaku was able to communicate to them before he died and, taking the form of a bird in memory of Neji, successfully removed the Ten-Tails from Obito and Madara's control. Forced to fend for themselves, Obito sought out Naruto, criticising him for wasting his energy protecting others. Naruto replied that protecting them actually gave him strength, motivating everyone within earshot. They then sensed the Ten-Tails was about to attack, which Kakashi tried to stop with Kamui. Obito intercepted him and they teleported away, leaving the others to endure the Ten-Tails' Tenpenchii. Kurama's chakra protected everyone, but it faded in the aftermath; Naruto was left quite beaten up, requiring Sakura to heal him. When the Ten-Tails attacked with another Tailed Beast Ball, the Allies mustered what little defence they could. Before it could reach them, however, the Tailed Beast Ball was suddenly teleported away and Naruto's reincarnated father, Minato Namikaze, appeared at Naruto's side.

Team 7 Reunited

Team 7 reunites.

The First, Second, and Third Hokage arrived soon afterward and, along with Minato, erected a barrier around the Ten-Tails to confine it. Sasuke arrived shortly too, at whose request the previous Hokage were reincarnated by Orochimaru and who now opposed Obito and Madara. Their fellow Rookie Nine had set aside their differences with Sasuke for the time being and joined forces in launching an attack against the Ten-Tails' cruft. On Sai's advice, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all summoned their signature animals (Naruto calling on Gamakichi) in order to focus directly on the Ten-Tails itself. Naruto and Sasuke successfully damaged the Ten-Tails' arm with a combined Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero, but it merely removed the arm to prevent the flames of Sasuke's Amaterasu from spreading.

Before they could attack again, Obito returned, landing on top of the Ten-Tails head and seemingly about to use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to restore Madara to life. While everyone focused on stopping Obito, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the hand seals he was using were different from what Nagato used. Minato tried to cut Obito down, but discovered that it was too late as he sealed the Ten-Tails into his body, becoming its jinchūriki.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki

Main article: Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki

Shuriken hits Obito

Naruto and Sasuke attack Obito.

Obito used his new power to destroy the barrier, forcing the Hokage to put the energy they were using toward the barrier into the fight instead. Because they had immortal bodies, they launched the first attack so that the others could learn what they could about Obito's new abilities, but they were quickly defeated. Naruto and Sasuke engaged him as well, but were nearly killed, saved only by Naruto using his chakra arms to link to Minato so he could teleport them to safety. Just as before, Naruto and Sasuke combined their attacks, having Minato and the Second Hokage coordinate teleports so that the attack would connect. Obito's Truth-Seeking Balls dissipated much of the attack and the damage that he did incur was quickly regenerated.

Naruto attacks Obito anime

Naruto attacks Obito after discovering his weakness.

From the development and some of the previous exchanges, Minato concluded that Obito was able to neutralise ninjutsu. Gamakichi, wanting to make some final contribution to the fight before he was forced to return to Mount Myōboku, attacked with his Starch Syrup Gun. Minato took this opportunity to try and reason with Obito, reminding him of his former dream to become Hokage. Obito berated the title and those who had held it, as he had surpassed them. Naruto was insulted not only because that was a slight against his father, but also because he hadn't abandoned his dream of being Hokage like Obito had. The Second Hokage teleported him to Obito and he attacked with a Rasengan, which successfully damaged Obito; Naruto noticed that Gamakichi's attack wasn't neutralised and realised Obito was vulnerable to senjutsu.

Minato and Naruto bump fists

Kurama and its jinchūriki join forces.

With a weakness discovered, Obito trapped the Alliance in a barrier and began charging multiple Tailed Beast Balls that he would use to wipe out everyone within its confines. Minato noted that he wouldn't be able to teleport them all away in time, so Naruto came up with a different approach: he linked his chakra with Minato and remotely restored the Alliance's chakra cloaks, networking everyone in with Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, allowing him to teleport everyone out of the barrier. Minato did so and was afterwards very proud of his son, saying he wished they had more time to talk. Naruto replied that it was not necessary since he already met his mother and that she explained everything. Naruto and Minato each entered Tailed Beast Modes, with Naruto merging his with Sage Mode in order to imbue their shared Rasengan with senjutsu. The Second teleported them to Obito and they attacked, but he blocked it with his Truth-Seeking Balls.

Obito vs Titans

A senjutsu-enhanced Naruto and Sasuke attack Obito.

To move ahead with his plans, Obito created a replica of the God Tree, the first step in performing the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The tree started absorbing chakra from those nearby until they die, a fate that Naruto nearly succumbed to until he was saved by the Third Hokage. Obito pointed to the growing number of casualties as further evidence that Naruto should stop resisting, an argument that Naruto was increasingly having trouble ignoring. Sasuke, unmoved by Obito's words, used Susanoo to hack through the tree and then mocked Naruto for giving up. Naruto was reminded of his desire to not lose Sasuke or anyone else for that matter and, reinvigorated, joined Sasuke in the offensive. Although their senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo could compete with Obito, they were individually unable to defeat him. Obito continued trying to convince Naruto to stop, but he ignored him.

Obito is taken down

Naruto and Sasuke slash through Obito.

Sasuke then coated his Susanoo around Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode, granting the Kurama-avatar a sword and armour. Sensing that it was the final exchange, Obito created a sword and shield of his own out of Truth-Seeking Balls. Naruto created a Rasengan in each of the Kurama-avatar's tails, which his friends from Konoha guide in a coordinated assault to Obito's shield, destroying it. As soon as Naruto and Sasuke sliced through Obito with their sword, the tailed beasts then began to emerge from the Uchiha's body, giving Naruto and the combined Allied Shinobi Forces the opportunity to pull them out. The tug-of-war for the tailed beasts linked Naruto's consciousness with Obito's. Naruto reminded Obito of his earlier claim that he was nobody and set out to prove to him that he was Obito Uchiha, specifically the Obito Uchiha that Kakashi used to know. Naruto pointed out their similarities, how both were orphans and that, because of that, they wanted to be Hokage. Obito agreed that they were similar, but that was the reason why he has been trying so hard to convince Naruto that he was right, and insisted that the world he wanted to create was a better one because his vision of the future was clear, whereas the future of the current world was ambiguous. Naruto argued that was the point and that uncertainty, when faced with comrades, was worthwhile, and offered Obito his hand so that they might see what happened together.

Kurama extracted from Naruto

Kurama is extracted from Naruto by Madara.

The Allies successfully removed the tailed beasts from Obito and he fell to the ground, defeated. Minato and Kakashi insisted that Obito be left to them while Naruto and the rest of the Alliance should focus on Madara. They did so, joining forces with the First Hokage against him, but right before he could seal him, Madara put one final fail-safe into effect: he had Black Zetsu force Obito to revive him. Madara quickly neutralised the First, fended off Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai, and then went after the freed tailed beasts. Naruto entered Tailed Beast Mode and assisted them with fighting him off. They were initially successful, but when Madara reacquired one of his Rinnegan, he easily defeated them with Limbo: Border Jail, sealing them all back into the Demonic Statue, including B's Gyūki and Naruto's Kurama.

Obito Saving Naruto

Obito transfers his tailed beasts' chakra into Naruto.

The removal of Kurama from his body caused Naruto to pass out and placed his life in immediate danger. His Uzumaki heritage prevented him from dying instantly, but he required constant medical attention from Sakura in order to keep him alive. On the advice of Kurama right before it was extracted, Gaara took Naruto to Minato so that Minato's portion of Kurama's chakra could be sealed into him, saving him. Kakashi sent Naruto and Sakura to Kamui's dimension so that she could continue performing life support without interruption. Obito soon arrived to help her, having overcome both Black Zetsu and Madara in order to acquire Minato's half of Kurama and give it to Naruto, as his form of penance.

Naruto & Sasuke obtain Rikudo Power

Naruto and Sasuke accept Hagoromo's power.

While on the border of life and death, Naruto was met by the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. He explained his past conflicts with his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and the conflicts that emerged between his sons, Asura and Indra. His sons' conflict had continued through the centuries, with their chakra reincarnated every generation in new individuals to fight anew; Naruto was the current reincarnation of Asura, while Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra. Naruto was not greatly surprised, having sensed something like that when he met Sasuke during the Five Kage Summit. Because of Madara's aims for the world, Hagoromo asked that he and Sasuke join forces to stop him, a task he was only encouraged by from the tailed beasts' positive words concerning Naruto. He gave Naruto the Six Paths Yang Power, half his chakra and Six Paths Sage Mode to help him in this goal.

Madara Attacked

Naruto and Sasuke strike Madara.

When Naruto woke up, he had Obito send him back to the real world. There, he stopped Madara from killing Might Guy and used Hagoromo's power to stabilise Guy's life force from using the Eight Gates Released Formation. Surprised by Naruto's sudden increase in power, Madara was hit by Naruto's Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken, which was fueled by Son Gokū's chakra and instantly cut down the giant tree Obito created earlier. When Sasuke arrived, Naruto entered Six Paths Sage Mode and they started overwhelming Madara. Realising his window was closing, Madara went after Kakashi and took his Mangekyō Sharingan, using it to follow Obito. Sakura appeared shortly afterward, sent by Obito so Madara wouldn't kill her. She could do nothing about Kakashi's eye, so Naruto used Hagoromo's power to restore the one he lost years ago.

Clones vs Shadows

Naruto's clones facing Madara's clones.

Madara soon returned, now having both his Rinnegan and Black Zetsu in control of Obito's body. Naruto and Sasuke immediately resumed their attack, but Madara had an easier time with them. He rose into the sky, raining Chibaku Tensei on them to keep them busy while he projected the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world. While Naruto destroyed the remaining satellite-like constructs, Sasuke shielded him, Sakura, and Kakashi with Susanoo from the Infinite Tsukuyomi's gaze. He let them out once the illusion was finished casting and they emerged to find themselves alone, with the rest of the world being wrapped into Madara's God: Nativity of a World of Trees. As Madara confronted them and started explaining how he had saved the world, he was stabbed in the back by Black Zetsu. Black Zetsu then transferred to Madara's body from Obito's and forced him to absorb the world's chakra, converting him into a woman that Naruto and Sasuke recognised as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

Main article: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes Kaguya detected that Naruto and Sasuke as the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, and also that her son Hagoromo had given them the power to defeat her. Not wanting to further the damage the world that their fighting would cause, she shifted them all to one of her dimensions, placing them above a sea of lava. Sasuke summoned his hawk Garuda to save himself and Naruto, but ignored Naruto's pleas to save Sakura, Kakashi, and Obito too since only he and Naruto were vital to the fight. Kakashi was able to briefly stop their fall, but the heat burned the scroll he used to save them and it was only Naruto's sudden discovery that he was able to levitate that saved them from the lava. He left a shadow clone to hold onto them and engaged Kaguya, creating an opening for Sasuke to attack.

Kaguya Freezes Boys

Kaguya thwarts Naruto and Sasuke's sealing attempt.

Sasuke's attack failed and Naruto must save him from the lava. With their attacks ineffective and the environment such a hazard, Naruto and Sasuke discussed what to do. Kaguya appeared behind them and paralysed them, binding them with Black Zetsu while she started absorbing their chakra. Black Zetsu took the opportunity to expand on the history earlier given by Hagoromo, painting Kaguya as the victim of her sons, Hagoromo and Hamura. Black Zetsu had for centuries been manipulating others toward the outcome of reviving her, and only then had it finally succeeded. It encouraged them to bask in the embrace of their oblivion, but Naruto refused, breaking himself and Sasuke free. Needing to take drastic action, Naruto used his "ultimate" jutsu: Sexy: Reverse Harem Technique. Kaguya was so distracted that she was nearly sealed, but she recomposed herself in time to shift dimensions again, freezing Naruto and Sasuke in place.

Naruto Region Combo

Naruto overwhelms Kaguya with shadow clones.

Because Naruto and Sasuke were only a threat to her when together, Kaguya sent Sasuke to a different dimension while she focused on Naruto. While Kaguya manipulated the ice dimension against him, his shadow clone explained to Kakashi, Sakura, and the now-awake Obito that his and Sasuke's powers were both necessary to defeat her. Obito offered to use his Kamui to try and explore Kaguya's dimensions to find Sasuke. To give Obito an opening, Naruto used Naruto Region Combo to overwhelm Kaguya, forcing her to retreat to another dimension to get her bearings. When she did so, Obito infiltrated the dimension Kaguya went to with Sakura and the shadow clone. The shadow clone faced her so that she wouldn't notice them while they look for Sasuke. Kaguya returned to the ice dimension and resumed her fight with the army of Naruto's clones. He kept her preoccupied until Obito returned with Sasuke.

Naruto Attacks Kaguya

Naruto separates Black Zetsu from Kaguya.

Increasingly frustrated, Kaguya shifted them to another dimension with powerful gravity to immobilise Naruto and Sasuke while she attacked with her All-Killing Ash Bones. Kakashi and Obito used themselves to shield the attack, with Obito then using Kamui to protect Kakashi, leaving Obito unable to defend himself. Naruto tried to heal the damage to his body, but even Hagoromo's power couldn't save him. While Sasuke fought Kaguya, Obito thanked Naruto for reminding him of who he was and made him promise to become Hokage for both their sakes. Naruto agreed and Obito's body crumbled. Black Zetsu ridiculed Obito for living an insignificant life and dying an insignificant death. Enraged, Naruto severed Kaguya's arm, in the sleeve of which Black Zetsu had been hiding, and then pinned it to the ground with his Truth-Seeking Balls.

Kaguya's Defeat

Team 7 defeats Kaguya.

Naruto and his shadow clones attacked Kaguya with Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken. On impact, the tailed beasts' chakra within her began reacting and Kaguya started losing control of her form. She was able to reconfigure herself and prepared an Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball to destroy them. Kakashi interfered, using Susanoo (a last gift from Obito) to make an opening for Naruto and Sasuke. She tried to escape, but Sakura punched her to keep her in place, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to trigger Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei. The tailed beasts were removed from her, Madara was spat out, and she was entombed in her own dimension. Not wanting Black Zetsu to scheme for her release again, Naruto made a point to trap it with her but not before telling it that a spoiled brat like it has no right to compare itself with the men and women who truly shaped shinobi history.

Minato leaving Naruto

Minato wishes happy birthday to Naruto.

Team 7 wondered how they would return to their world. Sensing their need, Hagoromo combined the efforts of the dead Kage to summon them, the tailed beasts, and Madara back. Hagoromo thanked them for saving the world, as did the tailed beasts for saving them. Naruto happily greeted to his original Kurama, asking if it missed him, to which the flustered fox denied. After Madara died from his ordeal, Naruto met with Minato who, as day broke, wished him a happy seventeenth birthday. As Hagoromo returned Minato's and the souls of the other dead Kage to the Pure Land, Minato voiced his pride in Naruto and promised to tell Kushina everything about him. The other Kage also gave words of parting, which Naruto tearfully accepted.

With all threats gone, Hagoromo explained that the Infinite Tsukuyomi could be released if Naruto and Sasuke combine their chakra. Sasuke agreed to this, but first he wanted to kill the Kage and destroy the tailed beasts, believing both were inhibitive to world peace. When he was unwilling to back down from his threat, the tailed beasts moved in to stop Sasuke, but he captured each in their own Chibaku Tensei. Hagoromo recognised that as a continuation of Indra's feud with Asura, but lacked the time and power to do anything about it. Sakura tried to reason with Sasuke, but he knocked her out and left. Naruto followed after him, promising to Hagoromo that he would bring him around and finally end the centuries-long feud.

Naruto vs

Naruto and Sasuke begin their rematch at the Valley of the End.

Naruto and Sasuke ended up at the Valley of the End, where they fought years ago. Sasuke stated his willingness to bear the world's burdens by himself and live independently of the past, neither of which Naruto believed were possible, or at least wise. He tells Sasuke it's impossible to do everything alone like he plans to, pointing to the missteps Itachi made and their own successful teamwork against Kaguya. Sasuke replies that he only wants to remake a better world, one where he can, like Itachi before, be solely responsible for the difficult decisions that must be made so that nobody else needs to; this is what he believes a true "Hokage" to be. Naruto insists he will be Hokage, not Sasuke, because Sasuke is still going against what Itachi wanted for him and they start fighting.

Kurama vs Susanoo

Naruto and Sasuke's attacks collide.

After a brief exchange of blows reminiscent of their fight years ago, Naruto and Sasuke started trading punches with their Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo respectively. Sasuke chastised Naruto for not attacking with an intent to kill, but Naruto, like last time, was unwilling to do so, not wishing for either of them to go without the other. Naruto then clashed his Tailed Beast Ball with Sasuke's Susanoo-supported Chidori, producing a large explosion that does noticeable but not debilitating damage to their respective avatars. Each therefore powered up the avatars, Sasuke by channelling the captured tailed beasts into his Susanoo and Naruto by merging his avatar with the avatars of two shadow clones. The two met attacks once again, creating a giant explosion that stripped away their avatars and left them with too little chakra to use practically. They instead resorted to taijutsu, kicking and punching each other into the night.

Sasuke Vs Naruto

Naruto and Sasuke's final clash.

As the two battled near exhaustion, Kurama mustered enough chakra for Naruto to make one last attack, but Sasuke absorbed it. Having expected this, Naruto delivered a solid punch, finally irritating Sasuke over the endless repetition of their fight. Kurama gave the last of its chakra to Naruto, who used it to make a Rasengan to counter Sasuke's Chidori. Both woke up later to find that much of the Valley of the End had been destroyed, that they had each lost an arm, and that neither could move. Sasuke reflected that Naruto had been a constant obstacle to his goals, but that he was also the only person who never given up on him. Naruto's usual response that they were friends didn't convince Sasuke since it obviously went beyond, so Naruto elaborated that he experienced pain if he didn't have Sasuke. Sasuke was awed, knowing full well that Naruto had experienced various misfortunes in his life, smiled through all of them, yet would suffer without Sasuke.

Naruto & Sasuke Wounded

Naruto and Sasuke reconnect.

When they woke up the next day, Sasuke admitted defeat for the first time in his life, as he came to accept that Naruto was just as vital to him as he was to Naruto. Kakashi and Sakura eventually tracked them down and Sakura healed them, though she couldn't do anything about their missing arms. Once they were able to walk, they returned to where the Allied Shinobi Forces were all trapped still, dispelled the Infinite Tsukuyomi according to Hagoromo's instructions, and Sasuke released the tailed beasts. With the war over, Naruto returns to the village, where he attends a mass funeral for the participants of the war. In the anime, while recovering from his injuries, Gaara and A approach Naruto and thank him for his effort during the war. Shikamaru later brings Naruto to the Academy to meet with Iruka and Kakashi, who is considering on promoting Naruto as a jōnin. However, because he never got to retake the Chūnin Exams, Naruto has to complete two years worth of studies, much to his dismay. However, Naruto is cheered up as Iruka offers to help him.[152]

Blank Period

Parting Ways

Naruto and Sasuke part ways.

Months after the war, Sasuke was pardoned for his crimes on the good word of Naruto and Kakashi (who had been selected to become the Sixth Hokage). Just before Sasuke left Konoha to wander the world, he was met by Naruto, who returned to him his forehead protector.

Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky

Main article: Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky Nearly a year after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto and Sai were sent to the Land of Waves to capture Garyō, leader of the Ryūha Armament Alliance. Once they located the Alliance's hideout, Naruto launched an assault with multiple shadow clones; although he was still missing an arm, he had learned how to perform one-handed hand seals. He easily dealt with most of the Alliance's members, but was briefly stalled by the Ice Release of Garyō's bodyguard. Naruto distracted the bodyguard with a shadow clone for long enough to apprehend Garyō. Garyō tried to convince Naruto that the Alliance was doing good work by releasing the world from money's corruptive influence. Although sympathetic, Naruto couldn't abide their terrorist actions and escaped with Garyō on Sai's bird.

At some point within the next two months, Naruto received a prosthetic arm to replace the one he lost during the war. While eating at Ramen Ichiraku one day, he saw Kakashi walking by and asked him when he would officially take on the responsibilities of Hokage. He tried to convince Kakashi by listing the many shortcomings of Tsunade, unaware that she was standing behind him; she angrily knocked Naruto unconscious. Kakashi finally accepted the Hokage position shortly after the mission involving the Ryūha Armament Alliance and the Blood Prison. When Naruto learned about the mission, specifically that he was expressly forbidden from being informed about it at the time, Naruto started spreading rumours about Kakashi's relationship with the Blood Prison's new warden, Kahyō. Kakashi angrily attacked him and then bought him some ramen to apologise.

Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness

Main articles: Shikamaru Hiden (novel) and Shikamaru Hiden (anime) Naruto ran into Shikamaru early one morning and they discussed their heavy workloads for the Shinobi Union. Since Naruto's assignments were given to him by Shikamaru, he took the opportunity to complain. Shikamaru explained that Naruto, a prime candidate for an eventual Hokage position, needed to get used to it. Naruto later discussed what Shikamaru had said with Sakura, having sensed that there was something Shikamaru was keeping from him. Sakura reminded Naruto of all the work Shikamaru did to prepare Naruto for becoming Hokage and that it likely had something to do with that. Naruto was aware of all that Shikamaru did on his behalf, but wondered if he was worth Shikamaru's trouble.

A few days later, Naruto was approached by Temari, who was worried about Shikamaru's recent behaviour and now asked where he was. Naruto didn't know, and was troubled to find that neither did Chōji or Ino. He finally asked Kakashi, who admitted under pressure that Shikamaru was on a secret assignment to the Land of Silence. Naruto joined Temari's team of Suna ninja to go to the Land of Silence to provide assistance to Shikamaru. They interrogated the locals upon arrival and learned that Shikamaru had been captured by the Enlightened Ones. They attacked the prison where Shikamaru was being held and successfully freed him, enabling him to complete his mission by taking the country's leader, Gengo, into custody. Afterwards, Naruto demanded that Shikamaru never keep anything from him again, otherwise their future Hokage—advisor relationship would be very problematic. Shikamaru agreed and apologised. While Shikamaru returned to Konoha, Naruto and several other Konoha and Suna shinobi remain in the Land of Silence to help the country recover from Gengo's control.

The Last: Naruto the Movie

Main article: The Last: Naruto the Movie

Naruto vs puppets

Naruto vs. Toneri's puppets.

During the Rinne Festival, Naruto, being the hero of the village, was bombarded with gifts from various young Konoha residents. To distract Naruto from all the attention, Konohamaru invited him over to his grandfather's storage, where Naruto found a scarf that his mother had knitted for him before she passed. He happily began wearing the scarf around the village, treating it as a precious memento. Naruto attempted to discuss his new-found attention to Hinata over ramen, but it made her uncomfortable and ran away with embarrassment, much to his confusion and leading him to chase after her. While looking for her, Naruto stumbled across a horde of puppets trying to abduct Hinata. After he rescued her, they were notified that Hinata's sister Hanabi was kidnapped by Toneri Ōtsutsuki, and were assigned on a team to rescue her.

Kakashi informed the team of the imminent crashing of the moon onto the Earth, and asked that they do what they can to stop it in case Toneri was connected in any way. They followed Hanabi's trail and were led into a cave. While traveling through it, they were caught in genjutsu formed from their own memories. From seeing events of his own past and some of Hinata's, Naruto was reminded of her feelings for him and realised that he felt the same way. Sakura released them from the genjutsu and they continued with the mission. After the team encountered the Gatekeeper, Naruto noticed that Hinata was missing and left to find her, only to discover that she was in a conversation with a disguised Toneri who he quickly defeated. Hinata wouldn't share what she discussed with the puppet, so Naruto vowed not to let her out of his sight again. They continued through the cave and eventually arrived in the moon's interior, which the team then split up to investigate the surrounding settlement.

Naruto confesses to Hinata

Naruto confesses to Hinata.

After the team regrouped, Naruto watched Hinata as she repaired her ruined scarf. She expressed her concerns that she wasn't doing enough to save her sister, so Naruto reassured her and also told her how he felt. Toneri appeared before she could respond, prompting Hinata to give Naruto the scarf and departed with Toneri. Naruto chased after them, believing Hinata was being taken against her will. When Hinata did not deny Toneri's statement about them getting married, Naruto became too shocked to react. Toneri attacked him, destroying the scarf and leaving him badly injured. After three days of around-the-clock medical attention from Sakura, he woke up. Naruto was distraught, believing there was no reason to go on if Hinata had chosen Toneri. Sakura reassured him that Hinata couldn't really have feelings for Toneri as she loved Naruto too much, and had a reason for doing what she did. As his strength returned, Naruto vowed he would save Hinata and for her to wait for him.

Silver Wheel Reincarnation

Naruto fighting Toneri.

The team soon infiltrated Toneri's castle and after locating Hinata, Naruto went after her while the others rescued Hanabi. He arrived in time to interrupt Toneri's and Hinata's wedding ceremony. Toneri, who was controlling Hinata, had her attack Naruto, only for him to break his control and escape with her. Hinata led him to the Tenseigan that was controlling the moon's decent, which they individually tried to destroy to no success, but together they succeeded. After regrouping with the others, Hinata gave Naruto a piece of the scarf she knitted for him, which he graciously accepted. The team then attempted to flee the castle, but a furious Toneri appeared and separated the group, which gave him the opportunity to recapture Hinata. During their intense fight, Naruto managed to overcome Toneri's new power and overwhelm him by concentrating all his chakra into his fist and defeated him with a single punch, freeing Hinata in the process.

Naruto and Hinata kiss

Naruto and Hinata kiss.

Toneri tried one final attack, but was unable to control its power, leading to Naruto to intervene and save him from drifting out into space. Afterwards, Hinata informed Toneri of Hamura's actual decree and he, regretful about what he did, allowed the team to return home. As they were returning to Earth, Naruto reaffirmed his feelings for Hinata and stated that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, much to her happiness, and the two later shared their first kiss.

Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze

Main article: Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze While Naruto and Hinata were out on a date in Konoha, they ran into Sakura. Sensing that Sakura was overworking herself, they invited her to join them, but she declined.

One day, while Naruto was teaching a class of Academy students how to spar, he noticed Sakura, who was wandering around Konoha, looking distressed. Sensing that she needed a distraction, Naruto insisted that she help him, which took her mind off recent events. As thanks, Sakura informed Naruto of something she avoided telling him: there were rumours that Sasuke was trying to destroy Konoha. She didn't believe the rumours were true, but nobody had been able to get in touch with Sasuke to confirm. Naruto pointed out that Sasuke must not be worried by these rumours, otherwise he would respond to the messages he'd been sent. Sakura thought that was a good point and was put at ease.

When Naruto and Hinata later learned that Sakura had been kidnapped by Kido Tsumiki, they joined with Kakashi in going to rescue her. On finding her, however, they discovered that she had already defeated Kido. They congratulated her on her victory.

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding

Main articles: Konoha Hiden (novel) and Konoha Hiden (anime)

Hinata & Naruto

Naruto and Hinata preparing to be wed.

Naruto and Hinata decided to get married and invited their friends and family. Because his parents were dead, Naruto asked Iruka to attend as his father, which Iruka happily agreed to. On the day of the wedding, though, Naruto kept his real father in his thoughts, looking upon Minato's face on the Hokage Rock with admiration as he and Hinata were about to walk down the aisle.

Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise

Main articles: Sasuke Shinden (novel) and Sasuke Shinden (anime) Naruto appears in the novel.

New Era: Part I

Uzumaki Family

Naruto and Hinata raising their children.

Shortly after their wedding, Naruto and Hinata had a son, and two years later they had a daughter. In the anime, over the years, Naruto was constantly busy, leading to him not taking the Chūnin Exams. Despite being a genin, Naruto was selected to succeed Kakashi and become the Seventh Hokage.[153] On the day of his inauguration, Boruto accidentally destroyed Himawari's toy, leading to Naruto stepping in to defend his son from Himawari's Gentle Fist-strike, but ended up taking the blow instead, rendering him unconscious. He ended up missing his own inauguration, forcing Konohamaru to impersonate him during the ceremony.[154] As Hokage, he hosted a Kage Summit in Konoha, in which Sasuke and Sakura attended alongside the four Kage and their bodyguards. During the meeting, Sasuke reported that a threat greater than Kaguya may still exist somewhere, which Naruto and the other Kage decided to keep the information between themselves to avoid causing a panic.[155]

Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust

Main articles: Sasuke Retsuden and Sasuke Retsuden (manga) When Naruto became afflicted with an unknown illness, Sasuke decided to go to the Land of Redaku when learning of stories that the Sage of Six Paths had the same illness and found a cure there. Naruto tried to talk Sasuke out of it, but he ignored his pleas.

Ultimately, Sasuke, with the help of Sakura and Kakashi, were able to find the cure, polar particles. Upon recovering, Naruto thanks his friends for their efforts

Academy Entrance Arc

Main article: Academy Entrance Arc

Naruto welcoming Academy students

Naruto welcoming the Academy students.

In the anime, Naruto partakes in the entrance ceremony at the Academy, which leads to him being mortified after Boruto arrives and damages the Hokage Rock. After the incident, Naruto learns from the Kaminarimon Company president that Boruto is having a positive impact on his son, leading to Naruto smiling. Later, as a mysterious presence continues to cause people in the village to randomly attack the citizens, Naruto decides to begin an investigation, which uncovers that victims are having their chakra severely drained to the point of hospitalisation.

Naruto and Hiashi talk

Naruto and Hiashi discuss Boruto's training.

In the anime, as the mysterious attack began to happen throughout the village, Naruto's efforts to uncover the truth began to exhaust him and being insisted by Shikamaru to go home and rest. Upon arriving, he learned that Boruto was acting very strange recently. Once confronting his son about his new attitude, Boruto insisted that he had finally manifested his Byakugan, leading them to talk to Hiashi. Upon arriving at his household, Hiashi like Naruto had doubts that Boruto awakened the Byakugan. Deciding to test Boruto, Hanabi faces Boruto, which concluded that Boruto hadn't manifested the dōjutsu. Afterwards, Naruto talked with Hiashi about his grandchildren.

After assigning Sai to investigate the attacks in the village, he returned home late, and confided in Hinata about his ineptitude in interacting with his children, believing it to stem from his growing up without parents. Sometime later, Naruto saved civilians at the Konoha Purification Plant. As Boruto decided to check on his hospitalised friends, realising that his son was conducting his own investigation on the attacks, Naruto dragged Boruto to the surgery room, showing his son what was becoming of the victims of prolonged rampages. While hoping to sway Boruto into staying out of this matter, it only strengthened Boruto's resolve. Shino then appeared, encouraging Naruto to have faith in his son as the teacher himself was recently saved by Boruto's efforts. While still weary, Naruto decided to trust Shino's judgement.

While having dinner with his family and Mitsuki, Naruto abruptly departs to handle a matter involving strange chakra spreading across Konoha. Soon after, Sai discovered that the culprit behind these attacks was Sumire Kakei. Naruto learned from Kakashi that Sumire's intention was to unleash the Gozu Tennō on the village. Later, when Sai found Sumire, she unleashed the Nue. Naruto soon joined the unit to fend off the creature, but Kakashi warned Naruto to not get close, having realised that the endgame of this creature was to amass enough chakra to produce a powerful enough explosion to destroy the village. While the barrier team worked to keep the creature at bay, it suddenly teleported away. As Naruto attempted to find the creature with Sage Mode, Kakashi deduced that the creature worked differently from normal summonings, existing naturally in its own separate dimension.

Naruto meets up with Sasuke

Naruto meets up with Sasuke.

Upon Sumire turning herself in, Sai and Shikamaru notified him that it's due to Boruto appealing to Sumire's genuine love of her friends in the Academy, making Naruto relieved that decided to admit her in the first place. Later, he informs Boruto that while he must look to the welfare of the entire village and does not have absolute say, he promises to help Sumire. Ultimately, it was decided to pardon Sumire and let her return to the Academy. Later, Naruto sent a clone to meet up with Sasuke, giving him the research on the Gozu Tennō. Sasuke quickly deduced that this was an attempt on Danzō to recreate Kaguya's technique. Before Sasuke departs, he asks Naruto to apologise to Sakura for his continued absence, leading to Naruto feeling responsible for.

Sarada Uchiha Arc

Main article: Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring

Naruto and Boruto at Ichiraku Ramen

Naruto and Boruto having dinner at Ichiraku Ramen.

In the anime, when Himawari became sick due to a fever, Naruto hurried home worried about her in which Boruto pointed out that his Hokage cloak is inside out. When Naruto and Boruto began fighting over what Himawari should eat, Hinata became angry and kicked them both out of the house due to them being noisy. Naruto then invited Boruto to eat with him at Ramen Ichiraku to try to bond with him in which he accepted. As they ate, Naruto told his son about all the precious memories he had in the shop, such as being acknowledged by Iruka, hanging out with Team 7, and going on his first date with Hinata.

On the day of the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, Moegi Kazamatsuri and Udon Ise notify Naruto that Boruto had vandalised the Hokage Rock. Before Boruto could do any more damage, Naruto catches and stops him. Afterwards, he gives his son a lecture about how the whole village is his family. The ordeal leads to Naruto arriving late to the kage meeting, which he apologies for.[156]

As Boruto's graduation exam from the Academy was approaching, Naruto used a shadow clone to help him train. Meanwhile, the real Naruto received a report from Sasuke about a boy with the Sharingan. After he consulted with Kakashi about it, Naruto decided to accompany Sasuke to a meeting with Orochimaru, leaving behind a shadow clone to manage Konoha in his absence. He made a point to leave the village before Boruto could come to see him off, though he asked Shikamaru to apologise to Boruto on his behalf.

Naruto Protects Kids

Naruto protecting Sarada and Chōchō from Shin's attack.

While on his way to the rendezvous point, Naruto sensed that he was being followed by Sarada Uchiha and Chōchō Akimichi. He initially tried to ignore them, but eventually decided it would be better to confront them than to let them continue coming after him. When he arrived to speak with them, however, he found them being attacked by the same boy from Sasuke's report. Although he was pleased that they were able to hold their own against their attacker, Naruto decided to get personally involved when he saw the boy had a Mangekyō Sharingan. The boy could do nothing against Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, so he fled with a creature's space–time ninjutsu. Because the boy was apparently after Sarada, Naruto allowed them to come with him so that he could keep them safe.

Sarada & Naruto

Naruto comforts Sarada.

While having lunch, Naruto told Sarada about what her father was like growing up and then informed both Sarada and Chōchō in what ways they take after their parents. Sarada was not only interested to hear about Sasuke, but also found she got along quite well with Naruto. As they got close to where they were supposed to meet up with Sasuke, Sarada used the bathroom as an excuse to sneek away from Naruto and Chōchō so that she could see him first. Naruto followed, and, on arrival, was reprimanded by Sasuke for bringing children with him. Sarada explained that she came without permission, as she wanted to know if Sakura was her real mother. Sasuke ignored the question, which only upset her and caused her to storm out. Naruto tried to comfort her, but his assurances that Sasuke meant well did not improve her mood. Before he could continue, he sensed the boy's return and defended Sarada as the boy and his father, Shin Uchiha, attack. Sasuke assisted in fighting off Shin and his son, but Shin was able to manipulate Sasuke's sword and used it to stab Naruto. Naruto continued attacking Shin despite his injury, though tried to use being impaled by the sword to win sympathy; Kurama ridiculed Naruto for allowing himself to be stabbed at all, but assured him that it wouldn't kill him. Sakura suddenly arrived to lend assistance and landed a fatal blow on Shin, forcing Shin to escape and took Sakura with him. Unable to detect where Shin had taken Sakura, they continued to Orochimaru's lair. Orochimaru informed them that Shin was an old experiment of his that he since lost control of. Naruto noticed Sarada sneaking off with Suigetsu Hōzuki during Orochimaru's explanation and followed them, listening in as Suigetsu ran a DNA test that suggested Sarada's real mother was actually Karin.

Not knowing what the truth was, Naruto was upset first with Sasuke for the secret he has seemingly been keeping, but also with Suigetsu for getting involved. He approached Sarada to discuss it with her, but she lashed out at him, believing he had been a knowing participant in the lie that Sakura was her mother. When she tried to insist that having no blood relation to Sakura meant they weren't family, Naruto took a firm stance: he wasn't related to most of Konoha's villagers, yet he still considered them his family because they were important to him. In the same way, Sakura and Sarada were family because they were important to each other. Sarada realised how much she loved Sakura and decided she wanted to help rescue her. They reunited with the others and head out for Shin's hideout.

Shin Vs Naruto

Naruto facing a Shin clone.

Using Sasuke's Rinnegan, they were able to reach where Shin took Sakura, only to find Sakura faring fine on her own fighting him. With the numbers against him growing, Shin called in his sons (actually his clones) to assist, but they turned against him and killed him because he always mistreated them. The clones then turned their attention to Naruto and the others, which Naruto engaged with his own shadow clones. Because they were only children, he frightened them into surrendering by manifesting Kurama. After learning that Sakura indeed was her biological mother, Sarada reconciled with her parents, much to Naruto's happiness. Then, they all returned to Konoha, with Shin's clones being delivered to the Konoha Orphanage.

School Trip Arc

Main article: School Trip Arc In the anime, to improve relationships with other villages and symbolically show the warring era was over, Naruto set up an official class trip for the Academy to go to Kirigakure. Working out the details with Chōjūrō, he also got a tour guide for the class.

Graduation Exams Arc

Main article: Graduation Exams Arc

Naruto training Konoha-nin

Naruto training with Konoha-nin.

In the anime, as Academy classes began preparing for the graduation exams, the various students were interviewed about their future goals alongside a parent. Naruto however was unable to join his son as he was busy discussing matters with Orochimaru about his research on Danzō's old experiments. As Orochimaru delivered promising results to aid Sasuke in his own investigations, while Shikamaru voiced his still limited trust in Orochimaru, Naruto was more relaxed about Orochimaru roaming the village.

On Boruto's first day as a genin, Naruto managed to get some time to have breakfast with his family and see Boruto off to be assigned his team. After Boruto left, Shikamaru went to Naruto's house to collect him and inform him of his various duties for the day. Later on, Naruto was in a field testing a number of shinobi's skills in Barrier Ninjutsu to better protect the village with Mirai Sarutobi as his escort for the day. When Boruto and his teammates came to him, he was thinking that they want to change teams, but was pleasantly surprised when instead they want their team denomination to be changed to Team 7.

Genin Mission Arc

Main article: Genin Mission Arc In the anime, as the recently promoted genin began to prepare for their first missions, Naruto prepared to present them, as it was customary. While Boruto began bragging about how easy it will, Naruto sternly warned him not to be so cocky. He presented Team 7 with a D-rank mission to aid the Green Banks Village who were being attacked by bandits for their crops. Naruto stressed that the team show team-work to complete the mission.

Byakuya Gang Arc

Main article: Byakuya Gang Arc

Naruto Quelling Crowd

Naruto quelling the protest.

In the anime, when the Byakuya Gang began conducting heists throughout Konoha, their act of distributing their stolen wealth to the poor began gaining much support from many of the villagers, leading to a protest breaking out after the group fooled the villages into believing the Kaminarimon Company was corrupt. After shinobi determined that the leaders of the protest were being manipulated by genjutsu and freed them, Naruto and his clones appeared before the crowds and began quelling them with his speech. Straight after, Naruto headed towards the Land of Fire's border where he apprehended Gekkō, who had used the riots as a distraction to steal the Magnum Opus from the Ninjutsu Research Centre.

Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day

Main articles: Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day and Parent and Child Day Arc NOTE: In the anime, the events of this arc occur after the Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc.

Hima and Naruto playing

Naruto and Himawari spending Parent and Child Day together.

After announcing Parent and Child Day, Shikamaru took care of Naruto's paperwork, allowing him to spend time with Himawari. Despite being sleep deprived, Naruto accepted his daughter's wish and began searching for a Kurama doll with her. After being joined by Kiba during their unsuccessful search, he bought Himawari a Shukaku doll, to which she enjoyed. Later, with Himawari going to bed with Hinata, Naruto approached Boruto and apologised for not having spent any time during the holiday with his son. He gave Boruto a custom shuriken as a present and the two decided to spend the remainder of the evening training together.

Versus Momoshiki Arc

Main articles: Boruto: Naruto the Movie and Versus Momoshiki Arc In the anime, on the day of Boruto's birthday, work got in the way, making him unable to attend, instead only arriving home late at night with only a birthday present as an apology. Later, as more investigations to the workings of Kaguya continued, a third Ōtsutsuki clan ruin tied to her was found. Determined to find out all he could, Naruto prepared to investigate it personally. One the way out, Naruto was approached by his son, demanding that his father promised he would show up for Himawari's birthday that was coming up, which he did.

Naruto exhausted

Naruto exhausted from overusing his clones.

Later, Naruto remained busy with his Hokage duties and continued having a strained relationship with his son, Boruto. Konoha has grown into a large city under Naruto's leadership, although Naruto is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being Hokage, leading him to create shadow clones to tend to his family and the villagers. When Boruto and his team report to Naruto after a mission, Naruto asked his son to address him as "the Seventh" instead of "Dad," and reminded him of the importance of teamwork, which annoyed his son, as he believed that he could handle anything on his own. Boruto warned his father to be home for Himawari's birthday party or else he will never forgive him. Katasuke Tōno then entered his office, requesting permission from Naruto to allow participants of the upcoming Chūnin Exams to use his new invention, the Kote. However Naruto refused on the grounds that it did not show one's true abilities as a shinobi. Naruto was unable to make it to his daughter's birthday party and sent a shadow clone instead. However, the clone ended up disappearing and dropping the cake when Naruto became fatigued, which enraged Boruto and caused him to throw Naruto's old, tattered jacket out the window. Naruto felt guilty for letting his family down and Shikamaru told him to go home and rest. The jacket was found by Sasuke, who returned to Konoha to ask for help in deciphering a scroll he found in Kaguya's abandoned castle. They met in Naruto's office where Sasuke mentioned his meeting with Boruto and this leads to them making a bet on whether the nature of a shinobi has changed in regards to Boruto, to which Sasuke says it hasn't and Naruto says it has.

Naruto exposes Boruto

Naruto exposes Boruto's cheating at the Chūnin Exams.

Naruto wasn't surprised when Boruto won the first test but after being advised by Shikamaru to reach out to Boruto, Naruto congratulated him via email, much to Boruto's annoyance. While the scroll was being deciphered, Naruto sent a clone to meet up with Sasuke and asked him if it was true that he was training Boruto. Naruto said that perhaps Sasuke was right concerning the nature of shinobi remaining the same, to which Sasuke agrees. Naruto was nervous about the outcome of the second test but after learning Boruto passed, Naruto was overjoyed. Later, he met with Boruto in his bedroom and personally congratulated him and told him not to lose against Shikadai. Naruto offered a fist bump, but Boruto only smiled as he didn't want his father to discover the Kote he was wearing. For the third test, Naruto chose to sit with Hinata and Himawari rather than with the other Kage as they watched Boruto fight in the third round and finally against Shikadai Nara. Near the end, Naruto suspected something was wrong after Boruto won. In the anime, he did not realise anything was amiss until Boruto's next match in the finals when he defeated Shinki. He asked Hinata to use her Byakugan and she noticed Boruto wearing a Kote (in the anime he realised the truth on his own). Realising that Boruto was using the exam-forbidden tool to advance his techniques, a disappointed Naruto confronted him in the arena, ordered that Boruto be disqualified from the exam and took Boruto's forehead protector from him, suspending his ninja status. He told Boruto they would talk about this at home, but Boruto lashed out at him that Naruto doesn't know how to give him a lecture when he's never home.

Naruto Captured

Naruto captured by Momoshiki.

Suddenly, Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki appear and began attacking the arena. Naruto is knocked out of the arena by Momoshiki but he rushes back to defend his son when he is in danger and is shortly joined by Sasuke and Sarada. Sasuke informed Naruto that the two enemies are the new threat written about in the scroll. Naruto realises he is their target and demands to know what they want. After Momoshiki reveals he wanted Kaguya's chakra, and eventually Kurama's from the Seventh Hokage, Naruto and Sasuke combine Kurama and Susanoo to shield themselves and their children from the enemies' attacks. Naruto also dispatches shadow clones to protect civilians that hadn't managed to flee from the arena. Determined to protect his son and friends, Naruto ultimately decides to allow himself to be captured in Momoshiki's jutsu and asks Sasuke to take care of Boruto for him. Just before Naruto disappears, he looks over his shoulder and offers his son one last smile. Naruto was teleported to another dimension and bound by Momoshiki and Kinshiki to a God Tree. Naruto resisted as Momoshiki extracted half of Kurama's chakra from inside Naruto. The two debated the merits of instant strength and earned strength, causing Naruto to realise his own lack of effort in trying to understand Boruto, which is what drove him to cheat with the Shinobi Gauntlet. During the ordeal, Sasuke, Boruto, and the other Kage arrived to rescue him.

Kurama Vs Golem

Naruto and Sasuke fighting Momoshiki's techniques.

Naruto, surprised to see Boruto wearing his old jacket, told his son that it was like looking at one of his shadow clones. When he tried to apologise to Boruto for not being there for him, Boruto replied that it was alright and he just wants to hear more about Naruto's past. After the other Kage failed to defeat Kinshiki, and the latter was absorbed by Momoshiki, Naruto and Sasuke joined forces to fight him and initially gained the upper hand until Naruto was briefly imprisoned by boulders and Sasuke was severely burned by Momoshiki's Lava Release. Naruto became enraged upon seeing Sasuke injured but was relieved to find he was all right and still able to fight after being healed by Kurama's chakra. By once again combining Kurama and Susanoo, they managed to defeat Momoshiki and cut his lava creature in half, but Katasuke rushed in and began firing ninjutsu attacks from his Kote at Momoshiki, which he absorbed and used to attack Naruto and the others. Naruto is restrained by black rods while Momoshiki prepares to eliminate the rest of the Kage. When Boruto used his Vanishing Rasengan against Momoshiki to free his father and the other Kage, Naruto was greatly surprised to find that his son was able to use the Rasengan. As they prepare their final assault, Naruto helps Boruto to create a Parent and Child Rasengan, which Boruto himself unleashes upon Momoshiki and ultimately kills him.

Naruto and Boruto fist bump

Naruto and Boruto reconcile.

After the battle ends, Naruto sits with Sasuke and Naruto agrees Sasuke won their bet. Naruto proudly looked on at his son and stated that he would always be there to watch Boruto grow as his father. After returning home, Naruto posed for a photograph with Boruto, Sasuke, and the four other Kage. In the anime, Naruto hosted a shared birthday party for Boruto and Himawari as an apology for his actions during Himawari's actual birthday and brought home a cake for the family to eat. After Boruto punched Naruto, thinking it was a shadow clone, Naruto began scolding him, while Himawari asked for a piggy back ride. Hinata maintained order by threatening to throw the cake away. The next morning, as Boruto left to meet with his team and Naruto left to go to work, both wished each other to do their best and bumped fists with each other. While Boruto was giving a live interview on Konoha TV, Naruto watches it proudly from his desk.

Chōchō Arc

Main article: Chōchō Arc In the anime, when the two lead actors of a popular TV drama received a death threat, Naruto assigned Team 7 and Team 10 to protect them.

Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc

Main article: Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc In the anime, when two guards were attacked by unknown assailants, the village was put on lockdown. Naruto and his advisers then oversaw Ino probe Uō's mind for answers, learning that Mitsuki had left willingly with the attackers. When Naruto revealed to the others Mitsuki was in fact Orochimaru's son, much outrage followed, prompting Naruto to give his rational on why he accepted Mitsuki into Konoha. Later, Naruto was informed that Boruto and Sarada left the village to find Mitsuki, leading to him dispatching Team 10 to retrieve the pair. When Naruto learned that the attackers were on route to the Land of Earth, he contacted Kurotsuchi, who promised to investigate the matter herself and return the Konoha genin pursing Mitsuki. While discussing Mitsuki's apparent betrayal, Konohamaru insisted he be the one to bring his student back, which Naruto reluctantly agreed to. Naruto later attempted to contact Kurotsuchi, but was told she wasn't available, leading to him becoming suspicious something was happening in Iwagakure.

Ōnoki's Funeral

Naruto attending Ōnoki's funeral.

Later, Naruto's fears were proven correct when Shikadai contacted his father via phone, revealing that Iwagakure was taken over as part of a plan by Ōnoki. Knowing that they couldn't act hastily, Naruto talks with the other officials and decided that he would join Shikamaru in meeting with the other daimyō to get their support on engaging this personal matter. After getting approval, Naruto and an escort moved out, and allowed his son's peers to come with him. Upon arriving at the batted village, Naruto applauded Konohamaru's work during the Iwa's internal struggle. Naruto stayed in the village and attended Ōnoki's funeral, prompting him to say the Tsuchikage left behind a grand legacy and lesson about perseverance. After returning to the village, while personally applauding Boruto and Sarada for loyally supporting Mitsuki, whose own efforts were revealed to have saved Iwa, he still was reluctantly forced to strip the Team 7 genin of their shinobi status as punishment for deserting the village. Later, Kurotsuchi's gratitude and recommendation convinced Naruto to reinstate them.

Konohamaru's Love Arc

Main article: Konohamaru's Love Arc In the anime, due to Konohamaru spying on Asaki, a complaint was filed against him, prompting Naruto to place him under house arrest.

One-Tail Escort Arc

Main article: One-Tail Escort Arc

Biju Conference

Naruto meets with the tailed beasts to discuss Urashiki.

In the anime, after Sai delivered a sealed Shukaku in a tea kettle to Naruto as a result of Gaara being unable to protect it in the Land of Wind from Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, Shukaku explained it only made it to Konoha due to Boruto acting as a decoy against their pursuer. Informing Shikamaru he was going to the scene, Sasuke approached the pair and told him that wasn't necessary, as Sasuke had earlier protected Boruto and forced Urashiki to retreat. Three days later, Naruto and Gaara discussed the incident in his office. Afterwards, Naruto had a Shadow Clone see the Kazekage off at the Thunder Rail station. Some time later, Naruto brought Shukaku to his house until an official safe house was decided on. Later that evening, Naruto had a telepathic meeting with some of the other tailed beasts to discuss how to handle being targeted. As a result of guarding Shukaku, Naruto got to spend time with his family, before escorting Shukaku to his safe house.

Time Slip Arc

Main article: Time Slip Arc

Young Naruto and Boruto

A young Naruto and Boruto discussing Boruto's father.

In the anime, Naruto was notified that Urashiki was on the move again, being even more indiscriminate in his stealing of chakra. While pleased that all of the Five Great Shinobi Nations were on alert and willing to share all intel on Urashiki, Shikamaru voiced his concern about Mirai's sudden disappearance and also wondered what their enemy true goal was for gathering chakra. Later, Naruto decided to have the genin test new surveillance equipment designed to follow their location. During the field test, Urashiki was spotted in the area. This prompted most of the Konoha-nin in the village to engage, while Shikamaru stayed in the Hokage Office to help protect Naruto. Urashiki managed to get hold of a device that allowed him to travel into the past, prompting Sasuke and Boruto being sent back alongside him to the time period shortly after Sasuke's defection. A teenage Naruto and Jiraiya encountered the pair, who were disguising their identities and their occupations as travelling performers. As they were foreigners, Tsunade has Naruto and Jiraiya look over them. Spending time with Boruto, Naruto allowed him to sleep at his apartment, where Boruto vaguely talked about his father, speaking about both his feats and his flaws, where Naruto was intrigued to hear about, noting that Boruto enjoyed talking about his family, and inquired Boruto if he hated his father, to which Boruto denied.

Boruto training with Naruto

Naruto training with Boruto.

The day after cleaning up a bathhouse together, Urashiki targeted Naruto. Failing at extracting Kurama's chakra, Urashiki instead captured him and trapped Boruto, Sasuke and Jiraiya in a rock prison before retreating. Using a cave for a hideout, Urashiki forced Naruto's seal to emerge and used his chakra in an attempt to forcibly extract Kurama' chakra from within Naruto. Urashiki's actions caused Kurama's chakra to leak out, forcing Naruto to undergo his Version 1 transformation. Arriving to rescue Naruto, Boruto attempted to reason with his father, but Naruto had since completely lost his common sense and attacked Boruto. Jiraiya managed to subdue the Nine-Tails' chakra with a seal, and Sasuke forced Urashiki to retreat. Afterwards, Jiraiya offered to train Naruto and Boruto to prepare them for Urashiki. The following day, Naruto began working with Boruto to synchronise their chakra to create a new cooperation ninjutsu under Jiraiya's guidance. After Boruto left to clear his head, Sasuke approached Naruto with food from Jiraiya, and told Naruto about how "a friend" struggled for years to help him after he lost his way, but never gave up until finally succeeding, which renewed Naruto's conviction.

Continuing his training the next day, the pair were approached by Sakura, who had found Sasuke's note from the future, and questioned why it Sasuke's name on it before shortly leaving with an answer. Naruto and Boruto resumed their training, which ultimately left them exhausted. They were then approached again by Urashiki, who subdued the pair. Jiraiya and Sasuke joined the fight. Deciding the foe's newest technique was too dangerous, Sasuke tackled himself and Urashiki over the ledge and into a river to let his allies escape. While tending to Jiraiya's wounds, the group tried to figure out how to deal with Urashiki. Boruto realised that in the fight, the blood splattered on Urashiki was drying much faster than Boruto's. After engaging the foe again to test a theory, they concluded that Urashiki's technique lets him warp into the past by several seconds, giving him a pseudo-clairvoyance from his experiences. Urashiki attacked the Konoha-nin again, where Jiraiya contained everyone in his Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind. During which, Naruto unleashed a continued barrage of clones on Urashiki. While he easily countered the assault with his technique, Urashiki inadvertently poisoned himself from the acidic vapours of the great toad's belly far sooner than the Konoha-nin due to his repeated time-warp. Once Jiraiya released the summoning, Naruto and Boruto then proceeded to knockout Urashiki with a Rasengan assault.

The Last Battle, Urashiki

Naruto and Boruto facing Urashiki.

Enraged, Urashiki awoke and consumed all his accumulated chakra and his eyes, leading to him undergoing a transformation that strengthened him. Jiraiya and the two genin were quickly overwhelmed by Urashiki's continued assaults, even with the aid of the returning Sasuke. Urashiki deliberately held back on Naruto, hoping to anger him enough into unleashing the Nine-Tails' chakra. His efforts ultimately succeeded when Jiraiya took a hit that was intended for Naruto, triggering his transformation. Boruto, however, managed to reach Naruto and together were able to perfect their new collaboration technique. With the combined effort of Jiraiya and Sasuke, the two kids were able to plough through Urashiki's final attack and obliterate him. After the battle, both Naruto and Boruto lose consciousness due to their exhaustion. Days after Naruto and Boruto recovered at the Konoha hospital, he was upset to hear that Boruto and Sasuke would be leaving now that their mission was completed. Before they left, Naruto gave Boruto a gift. Sasuke used his Sharingan to erase everyone's memories of the events to preserve the timeline. On seeing the Sharingan, Naruto had what appeared to be a brief moment of recognising Sasuke before losing consciousness.

Upon the pair returning, Naruto was approached by Sasuke who explained the recent situation he and Boruto had. Naruto was amazed at such a tale. Later, while visiting Jiraiya's grave to pay his respect, he was approached by Boruto, who decided to share with Naruto the gift of special ramen given by his past self. Sometime later, Sumire was officially transferred to the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team. Naruto reached out to the Land of Iron and requested an exchange student to take Sumire's spot on Team 15. Shikamaru was concerned about his experimental move of mixing shinobi with samurai, but Naruto insisted it would help close the gap between the two. Later, Naruto attended his father-in-law's birthday, impressed by Boruto getting past his aversion mushy feelings to suggest a regular family photo.

Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil

Main article: Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil Naruto appears in this novel.

Mujina Bandits Arc

Main articles: Mujina Bandits Arc and Shikamaru Shinden In the anime, Naruto set up a mission for Team 7 to infiltrate Hōzuki Castle to verify the information about the Mujina Bandits offered by Kokuri in exchange for protection. After losing contact from Mujō, the prison warder who was working with Konohagakure, Naruto sent Sai and a team to investigate. Ultimately, the succeeded in returning "Kokuri" to the village to question him about the Mujina Bandits before letting the man go free.

At the Hokage building, Naruto hosted a Kage Summit, during which the Kage bickered about topics concerning Konoha, leading to Kurotsuchi demanding Konoha to disclose all of its confidential information as the village's proof to peace by the next summit, and said Iwagakure would leave the Five Great Shinobi Country alliance if they didn't. Afterwards the summit ended. Naruto was told then by Shikamaru that the reason why Kurotsuchi was acting that way was because she was being pressured by the Earth Daimyō to invade the Land of Flowers for the corps they had to offer and expressed sadness that Kurotsuchi didn't tell them as he believed that the Shinobi Union would have definitely aided her when it came to food scarcity and other issues and the potential of another war, remembering the casualties of the last war and not wanting to use and introduce the next generation to the horrors of war. Naruto found hope, however, when Shikamaru said they could negotiate with her so the invasion won't happen.[65]

Unfortunately, in the next Kage Summit, Naruto's revelation of Kurotsuchi's true intentions only cause Darui to angrily threaten to kill Kurotsuchi and to add things worse, Naruto and Sasuke's strength were used as a boon for Kurotsuchi's cause, as they had the power to take over the continent and the imbalance in strength between Konoha and the other villages were thus immense. Despite Naruto's attempts to ensure Konoha would not try to take over the world, Shikamaru responded by paralysing and threatening to crush Kurotsuchi's neck, much to Naruto's horror and fury. Quickly, Naruto used his chakra to break out of Shikamaru's shadow and angrily put Shikamaru in place before attempting to plea for peace but he could not sway Kurotsuchi or Darui, who made it clear they would go to war if the invasion were to occur. Furious over the outcome, Naruto angrily confronted Shikamaru when they walked home but was rebuffed by his friend, who told him to think with his head and start responding harshly enough.[65]

Several months after the Hōzuki Castle mission, Naruto discussed Katasuke being under mind control with Sai and Ibiki, and had them continue their investigation while Shikamaru handled Katasuki. Afterwards, Mirai Sarutobi informed Naruto that Team Konohamaru successfully captured the Mujina Bandits, much to his joy. As Shojoji was discussed, Naruto told everyone that they had to hurry up and handle the missing-nin.[157] Shikamaru then informed Naruto of his upcoming meeting with the Fire Daimyō Ikkyū Madoka, which Naruto had forgotten was later during the day. During which, he discussed financial matter with Ikkyū.[65]

Kara Actuation Arc

Main article: Kara Actuation Arc Later in the anime, Team 25 and Sasuke were sent to investigate the information extracted from the captured Shojoji about Kara's existence in Amegakure. Upon their return, they learned that Kara had long ago abandoned their facility in Amegakure and were performing biological experiments. They also learned that there were in fact civilians who sympathised with Kara and its goals. Naruto was concerned to learn that Amegakure was in shambles as it had yet to make any recovery since the Fourth Shinobi World War. He was determined to help the village.

Naruto learned that Victor, the president of the Land of Valleys' premiere medical and research company, was a member of Kara who somehow obtained a sample of the First Hokage's cells. Naruto was greatly concerned that Team 7 was defeated by two Inners. Upon seeing Boruto in treatment, he was certain that Boruto would be fine. Afterwards, Naruto discussed with his advisers on the next move. Shikamaru offered to use his connections in the Land of Valleys to get permission to investigate Victor's company. Three days later, it was approved for Naruto to send Mugino and Konohamaru to stealthily investigate. Later, Naruto sent Team 10 on a joint mission with Team Shinki to retrieve Urashiki's puppet. He later listened to Shikadai's report on the mission which greatly concerned and disturbed him.

After Boruto recovered from his new training, Naruto gave his son permission to return to the Land of Valleys to return the wedding ring of their recent client's husband to her. Following the defeat of Victor and his amoral experiments, Naruto received a report on the events. Upon Konohamaru and Mugino's return, Konoha leadership discussed how to handle Kara, having learned influential figures like Victor were associated with the organisation and finding evidence in their investigation that Kara had spies all around. While many considered closing off the gates to Konohagakure to stop the flow of information, Naruto was torn on this, valuing the new peace between the village and the rest of the world. After talking various officials in the village, and witnessing Boruto and his friends work on an experiment to improve wireless communications, Naruto decided to not close the gates as it would deter cooperation with the outside world, instead deciding to reinforce security.

Ao Arc

Main article: Ao Arc

Boruto vs

Naruto facing Boruto.

In the anime, Naruto attended the memorial service for the fallen people of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Later, Naruto joins his son in a sparring match at the Training Hall, to test out Katasuke's new invention that was fitted on his arm. During the match, Naruto defends himself from Boruto, and uses the invention to absorb his son's techniques, before defeating him with a single kick. Afterwards at the Hokage's office, Naruto informs Boruto of the technology he used against him, which angered Boruto. Before Naruto could explain himself, Sasuke arrives and interrupts their conversation, calming Boruto down by pointing out the need for them with the coming danger of enemies like the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

Naruto also admitted to knowing about Boruto's mark on his right palm, which was another reason Naruto approved the development of this advanced weaponry. While Boruto still insisted they should rely solely on ninjutsu like in the Chūnin Exams, Naruto noted that the Chūnin Exams were to test one's growth as a ninja, where as they are now in a battle for survival. Katasuke then arrived to retrieve his prototype, to which Naruto assigned Team Konohamaru a C-rank mission to escort the lead scientist back to the lab in Ryūben City. While Boruto stormed off in a huff, Naruto asked his genin team-mates to watch over him should anything happen with his mark.

As Konohamaru failed to report from his mission, Naruto contacted Boruto's team at the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team's lab, who were nearest to Konohamaru's last reported location. He instructed them to search the area but be careful and not recklessly engage any foes. While Shikamaru reminded him that Team Konohamaru were all very capable for their age, Naruto insisted that he was more concerned about the possibility of them running into the organisation Kara as Konohamaru's mission was to investigate a mysterious airship.

Kawaki Arc

Main article: Kawaki Arc When Team 7 returned with news of Mugino's demise at the hands of Ao, who was in leagues with Kara, they also revealed a boy with ties to Kara named Kawaki. In the anime, he was detained at the Advanced Technology Research Institute in Ryūtan City, prompting Naruto and Sai to go immediately and meet the boy. On the train ride, Sai noted that it was risky to take such a mysterious boy back to the village. Naruto understood Sai's fear, knowing that Kara's desire of the boy could lead to the village becoming a battlefield again. Upon arriving in the station, they learned that Kawaki escaped and was on a rampage. Before Naruto and Sai could act, they met with Boruto and Sumire, the latter insisted to not hurt Kawaki. She noted that Kawaki's rampage stemmed from emotional scars due to his troubled past. Taking Sumire's words to heart, Naruto stopped Kawaki's passively, subduing him until he tired himself out and collapsed.

Naruto Comforts Kawaki

Naruto comforts Kawaki.

Naruto decided he was most suitable to monitor Kawaki, and held a Kage Summit to discuss the situation. Following the unanimous agreement from other Kage with Naruto, he took the boy to his house, during which he foiled Kawaki's attempts at fleeing. There, Kawaki attempting to escape, but Naruto intimidated him into submission. His escape attempt resulted in Himawari's vase being destroyed. Naruto intervened when Boruto and Kawaki began fighting, and later overheard Kawaki speaking of his hardship as a result of his Kāma. Afterwards, Naruto took Kawaki to Yamanaka Flowers to pick a new vase, where he hugged Kawaki after he had a panic attack. Sometime later, Naruto and Boruto sparred; he defeated his son, even while Boruto used his Kāma. Naruto offered for Kawaki to try sparring with Boruto next time, but Kawaki declined as he couldn't use chakra, prompting Naruto to insist that all can learn to do so and that having strong rivals will help one in accomplishing great things.

Later, Boruto decided to take Kawaki's offer of learning what he knows about their Kāma. Deciding to do so through sparring, the two children quickly activated their respective marks. While Boruto kept up in hand-to-hand combat, Kawaki's usage of his modified body put Boruto on the defensive. Kawaki then launched a blast at Naruto with the intent of him absorbing it like previously, only for Boruto to instead damage his hand. Naruto called off the match and told the two to perform the Seal of Reconciliation. The event made their marks react and caused Boruto's hand to instantly heal. Before pushing the subject, Naruto was alerted of an intruder. Naruto told his son to take Himawari away while he stayed with Kawaki, certain that the intruder was after Kawaki. His assumption proved correct as they were quickly met by Delta. She demanded Naruto hand over Kawaki to her, and Kawaki confirmed her identity as an Inner from Kara. Naruto instructed Boruto to protect Himawari and Kawaki to protect himself.

Delta Vs Naruto

Naruto fighting Delta.

Fighting her, Naruto initially outperformed her with taijutsu, but she began making use of her shinobi-ware to launch sneak attacks and absorb his Rasengan. Naruto entered his Six Paths Sage Mode, but Delta was eventually able to stab him and pin him down. He tried to discern her motives for wanting Kawaki, but she saw through his deception, and noticed he was already healing, considering Naruto to be a monster as well. While Naruto was continually forced to hold back in fear of the spectators' safety, he continued to gradually wear down his foe, leading to Delta using her Destruction Beam against Naruto to combat his regenerative ability. Eventually, Delta targets Himawari, leading to Naruto blocking the attack with his body, but is uninjured as Kawaki sacrificed his right arm to block the attack. Enraged at her tactics, Naruto resumed the fight and quickly overwhelmed her. Naruto, having seen her return his Rasengan that she absorbed, deduces that there was a limit to how much chakra her eyes can absorb since the chakra or attack had to be stored somewhere in her body rather than dissipating and vanishing, prompting him to overpower and defeat Delta with his Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan. Defeated, Delta's body self-destructed, forcing Naruto to flee the vicinity with the children.

Naruto Training Kawaki

Naruto training Kawaki.

Later, when bringing Kawaki to Katasuke to repair Kawaki's arm, the scientist informed him that the technology in Kawaki's body was too advanced for him to handle. Finding an alternate solution, Naruto gave Kawaki one of his prosthetic arms and channelled some of his chakra into Kawaki to make it work. Shocked at how sincere Naruto was at being nice, Kawaki asked to learn ninjutsu, which Naruto agreed to and began training him. Quite a while after Delta's defeat, while Naruto and Kawaki were at his house, he notices Kawaki in distress, resulting in his Kāma creating a portal which Jigen emerged from. Wanting to take his son back, Naruto attempted to attack him but was repelled away and impaled by chakra draining rods. Activating his chakra mode, Naruto kicks Jigen away from Kawaki. Jigen then proceeded to activate his Kāma. Fearing for the Hokage's safety, with Jigen's power entirely above Delta's and capable of either killing or severely injuring Naruto, Kawaki stepped in and submitted, agreeing to back willingly with Jigen if he spared Naruto. While Jigen agreed to the terms, Naruto refused to comply. Jigen responded by teleporting himself and Naruto to another dimension.

Jigen vs Shinobi

Naruto and Sasuke facing Jigen.

As Jigen attempted to strand Naruto there, he was attacked and stopped by Sasuke. Being away from Konoha and free to fight with all their power, the pair engaged in battle with Jigen, leading to Sasuke deducing their opponent's fighting style involved shrinking himself and his rods. Pressuring Jigen, the Kara member taped into his Kāma and grew a horn. Upon seeing Jigen's development, Sasuke revealed how he resembled an unknown Ōtsutsuki member, and that Jigen had ties with a juvenile Ten-Tails. As Sasuke also revealed that Jigen's goal was to drain the entire planet of all its chakra, the two shinobi decided to fight with their full power. Despite their strong avatar forms and team-work, Jigen ploughed through their defences. As he swiftly wore down and pummelled his foes, he restrained the pair with rods and decided to keep Naruto alive because of Kurama in him while killing Sasuke due to his Rinnegan's Space-Time Ninjutsu. Accepting the truth, Naruto had his clones hold off Jigen while he convinced Sasuke to escape despite his friend's protests. Jigen revealed that he was after Boruto Uzumaki for his Kāma and sealed Naruto in a giant pot which he shrunk, leaving Naruto trapped within the foreign dimension. Afterwards, Boro stood guard over the pot, during which Boruto and Kawaki used their Kama to transport Naruto's unconscious body out before killing the Kara member.

Returning to Konoha, they were all taken to the hospital for treatment. As Naruto made a quick recovery, he was impressed to hear of the genin's work, and joked that rebellious genin seemed to still be a thing. In the anime, they discussed the recent events. Kawaki informed them that each member of Kara was modified with Shinobi-Ware, granting them abilities besides ninjutsu. After everyone else left, Shikamaru discussed with Naruto on how best to deal with Kawaki, as his Kāma acted as a direct path to Konoha at any time for Kara. Upon learning of Boro's cult, Naruto assigned Sai and Konohamaru to investigate, hoping to discover new information on the new whereabouts of Kara's Ten-Tails. They returned and reported Boro's scheme for getting new cultists and using them as subjects for Kara's Vessel experiments, as well as that despite her defeat to Naruto, Delta was somehow still active, having destroyed the cult's base.

Amado's Interrogation

Naruto interrogates Amado.

Later, Naruto was informed by Ino of Shikadai being taken hostage by Amado. Though he wished to speak to Shikamaru, he was glad to learn of Naruto's rescue, and revealed he wished to defect to Konoha, offering intel on Kara, Jigen, their Ten-Tails, and the Ōtsutsuki. After Naruto gave his word as Hokage to not go back on the deal provided his intel was good, Amado began explaining all he knew. He revealed that how the Ōtsutsuki have since before recorded history been travelling from planet to planet, harvesting its chakra for the sake of evolving itself while destroying the planet in the process, using the Ten-Tails for the process. He revealed that Jigen himself was turned into an Ōtsutsuki from being branded by his Kāma of Isshiki. Amado also revealed to have sabotaged the blimp to free Kawaki and likewise ensure that Sasuke would get the intel of Isshiki. Amado's glasses began beeping. His glasses were taken off, revealing a holographic projection of Jigen talking with his accomplice Koji Kashin intended to kill Jigen. As Naruto was intrigued by Koji's techniques and battle tactics, Amado insisted that Naruto accept his request to officially join Konohagakure with full amnesty and protection in order to hear more of his secrets, which Naruto agreed. Amado carried on his explanation, sharing what he knew of Jigen, the Ōtsutsuki, and Kāma. He stressed how a full rebirth of the Ōtsutsuki must be avoided, and claimed he'd teach them how to kill an Ōtsutsuki. When Jigen's death triggered Isshiki's resurrection in his body, Amado explained this also erased Kawaki's Kāma to avoid duplicates, leading Shikamaru to realise that without any remaining Kāma, Isshiki was vulnerable to a permanent death.

Naruto Meets Isshiki

Naruto halts Isshiki's search.

After Amado was officially made a citizen of Konohagakure, made aware of his rights and limitations, he warned them of Isshiki's immediate focus on rebranding Kawaki. He advised Naruto against taking the fight to Isshiki, and stressed that had to protect Kawaki against being rebranded. Naruto took his advice and ordered a civilian evacuation, as Isshiki would seek Kawaki in Konoha. Naruto was against Boruto staying to fight him, but where interrupted by an alert of Isshiki's arrival. Naruto ordered Boruto to join the evacuation as he went to confront Isshiki. Isshiki was surprised to see Naruto had escaped, but demanded for Kawaki. When Naruto refused, Isshiki began shrinking various targets in the village to destroy it. Naruto activated his Six Paths Sage Mode, but Isshiki easily overpowered him. Sasuke soon joined the fight, levelling the battlefield. He then launched his sword at Isshiki. As Isshiki attempted to shrink it, it was revealed to Boruto transformed. As Naruto was horrified by his son's arrival, Boruto activated his Kāma, teleporting himself and Isshiki to another dimension. Naruto and Sasuke followed through the latter's Rinnegan. As the Konoha-nin faced down Isshiki, he decided the best way to get Kawaki was to present Sasuke and Naruto's corpses to the village. The fight quickly resumed, with Naruto and Sasuke's team-work managing to push Isshiki on the defence as he began shrinking all their attacks. Quickly however, Isshiki demonstrated a new technique, manifesting and manipulating massive black cubes that separated the duo.

Naruto Overwhelming Isshiki

Naruto overwhelming Isshiki.

Realising he was running out of options, Kurama asked Naruto if he was really willing to sacrifice himself to stop Isshiki. Naruto confirmed it, and Kurama offered a last-ditch strategy which would have a high risk of death from using it. Accepting his duties as Hokage, Naruto faced Isshiki and took on a new form of Baryon Mode. Kurama explained to Naruto that the form is like nuclear fusion, consuming all their respective energy and that he must be careful not to make any unnecessary movements or thoughts. The new form baffled everyone with its sheer power. Naruto quickly began overwhelming Isshiki, constantly countering and dodging the foes various assaults. Soon after, the strain of Baryon Mode began catching up as Naruto began to tire. Kurama noted this form gradually drains away all life-forces, including Naruto's. However, it would also drain Isshiki's with each contact, meaning they just had to keep pressuring Isshiki until his already diminished lifespan ran out. As Isshiki began getting desperate, he took advantage of Naruto's chakra connection to Kawaki through the latter's prosthetic arm. From this, he teleported Kawaki to them with the goal of rebranding Kawaki before his time ran out. As Kawaki tried to escape Isshiki, he opted to use Kawaki's love for Naruto against him, assaulting the downed Hokage. Despite Naruto's insistence that Kawaki forget about him, Kawaki ultimately showed himself and attacked using the ninjutsu Naruto taught him. Isshiki easily negated it and branded Kawaki again, only for it to be revealed as a shadow clone.

Kurama's Life Fades Away

Naruto watches Kurama's life fade away.

Finally, Isshiki's time ran out and he crumbled to dust. Sasuke then asked Naruto about his new power, but before he could answer, Boruto, being controlled by Momoshiki, suddenly stabbed Sasuke's left eye. Naruto attempted to help fighting Momoshiki, but collapsed, feeling heavy as lead, and passed out. Inside his subconscious, Naruto had a final conversation with Kurama. He told the kitsune that he had no ill will to Kurama despite the loss of his parents. As Naruto was prepared to die and voiced his concerns for the village, Kurama revealed that Naruto would awake soon and fine, as it was Kurama's life that was gambled from using Baryon Mode. Kurama assured Naruto that it never actually lied to Naruto, but knew the Hokage wouldn't risk Kurama's own life so he hid the truth. As Kurama's life began to fade, it warned Naruto that he would lose all access to Kurama's chakra and abilities, meaning he would have to be more careful from now on. Naruto desperately reached out for Kurama before waking up to see Boruto, Sasuke, and Kawaki standing over him.

Naruto comforts Boruto

Naruto comforts Boruto over his Kāma.

With Sasuke's Rinnegan and Kawaki's Kāma gone, it was up to Boruto to use his mark to bring everyone back with aid from Kawaki. Upon returning to the village, Naruto was relieved. In the anime, shortly after returning, Naruto was examined by Sakura and Katasuke for any remaining traces of Kurama's essence and capacities. The tests found nothing, confirming that Kurama's death would considerably drop Naruto's abilities and fighting potential. Naruto admitted that Kurama's power had felt like cheating, and despite the void left behind, he chose not to wallow on it, believing that Kurama would make fun of him over it. Afterwards, Naruto received confirmation that Boruto's Kāma was accelerating, and decided to inform Boruto himself. He vowed to do everything in his power to save Boruto. When Kawaki returned his prosthetic hand, having his natural one restored by Amado, Naruto offered to make him a genin.

Chūnin Re-Examination Arc

Main article: Chūnin Re-Examination Arc

Chūnin Ceremony

Naruto attending the chūnin ceremony.

In the anime, Naruto had the Chūnin Exam that Momoshiki interrupted reorganised, as a way to boost morale and promote more capable chūnin. Naruto acted as a proctor during the second portion of the exams, evaluating the genin's abilities. During the final exam, Naruto invited Kawaki to attended, and watched the matches alongside Sai and Shikamaru. Commentating on the matches, Naruto and Shikamaru agreed that Boruto and Mitsuki would be disqualified for being late to their match. After the event, he asked Kawaki what he thought, leading to him expressing interest in becoming a genin. Later, after assigning Konohamaru and Mirai a mission, Naruto allowed Konohamaru students to assist him when Mirai returned to the village alone and injured. After Team 7 succeeded in their mission, Naruto hosted the promotion ceremony for the new chūnin, assigning them as captains of their teams.

As Naruto decided to test Kawaki for qualification as a shinobi, Shikamaru voiced his concerns, feeling that his modified body would be a prime target for enemies to go after. Naruto however insisted that for Kawaki to grow, he needed to experience the outside world and make friends who could protect him. Because Kawaki fared poorly in D-rank missions with different teams, lacking team-work, Shikamaru deemed him unfit for being a shinobi. He and Naruto agreed to assign him a C-rank escort mission with Team 10 as a final chance to qualify as a genin. Konohamaru arrived and handed him intel on a recently discovered dead body. They wondered about a connection with five other similar incidents in other countries. They determined there was a connection, as all of them were from the Land of Calm Seas. As Team 10 was escorting a client there, Naruto sent Team 7 as backup, as they were out in a mission nearby. At the end of the mission, Boruto reported to Naruto how the Calm Seas Daimyō was exploiting his people. While Naruto couldn't directly interfere, he could send a medical team as a form of aid relief. Later, Kawaki asked for another chance to prove himself, but Naruto revealed that based on Shikadai's report, he passed the exam, and would take missions as a genin under him.

Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc

Main article: Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc In the anime, the Land of Water faced a civil war against the Funato Clan. Team 5 and Team 7 accidentally found themselves caught in it. Aiding Kirigakure, the genin were able to help end the war peacefully. Upon the genin's return to Konohagakure, Naruto informed them of the aftermath from Chōjūrō. As Boruto asked about the fate of his new friend Ikada Funato, a ship-builder who was drawn to the war after his sister's death. Kawaki voiced that he deserved punishment as an enemy commander. Boruto insisted that Ikada was a good person and was key in ending the war. As Kawaki stormed off annoyed at Boruto, Naruto approached Boruto, commending him for his efforts in the war and sympathising with Boruto's new view. He encouraged Boruto to make up with Kawaki. Naruto soon after found the two boys instead coming to blows with each other. Naruto cheerfully watched the fight until the two collapsed against each other. Working off their aggression, the two put aside their differences. Naruto approached them, telling Boruto about Ikada's lenient punishment of surveillance under Kajiki's care. Naruto treated them to some ramen.

Uzumaki family's vacation

Naruto and his family on vacation.

Naruto later went on a family vacation to a hot spring inn that Himawari won in a raffle, sending Konohamaru in his place to the filming of the next Kagemasa movie where he was to make a guest appearance and use the Rasengan on the climax. At the inn, he and Hinata beat Boruto and Kawaki at ping-pong due to their superior team-work. Naruto later lost to Himawari at a card matching game, and assured Kawaki he was part of the family.

Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc

Main article: Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc In the anime, Naruto and Shikamaru assigned Kawaki a secret mission, to protect Princess Kae Yukiwari from the Land of Bamboo while she attended the Academy as an exchange student. They explained that Kae's father discovered an assassination plot targeting his daughter, and sent her there while he investigated the matter domestically, Kae herself unaware of the threat. Naruto picked Kawaki because of his lower profile with the public, and offered some advice on how to connect with the students. Naruto gave a speech during the opening ceremony, and was later pleased by Kawaki's report of having befriended Kae. He also felt that Kawaki had something to learn from attending the Academy, despite his advanced fighting skills.

Following a terrorist attack on the Academy that served as a diversion for an attempt on Kae's life, Konoha leadership learned that Kawaki didn't report the possibility of an attack, and removed him from the mission. Naruto told Kawaki to stay home until further notice. However, Kawaki later thwarted another attempt on Kae's life, and Naruto informed him that it allowed Batora to report his investigation and arrest the Land of Bamboo's minister as the mastermind behind the plot.

While reviewing background files, Hana Kaka was discovered to hail from the Land of Bamboo, leading to the full uncovering of the plot against Kae. After other conspirators were arrested by Sai and Team 25, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kawaki reported the events to Naruto. Naruto was amenable to Hana's wish to merely suppress her assassin personality in order to teach her to live for more than just her mission. Her wish to maybe one day be friends with it reminded him of his history with Kurama. Naruto was glad that Kawaki's time in the Academy helped him grow, and he was later pleased by how engrossed Himawari was with the Academy, despite still not having decided whether she wanted to be a shinobi or not.

Code's Assault Arc

Main article: Code's Assault Arc

Naruto Shikamaru and Sai discussing Code

Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru talking about Code's movements.

Later, Naruto and Shikamaru decided to indefinitely take Boruto off active-duty while deciding on how to deal with his Kāma, helping him pass time with various interviews from the media about his victory over Isshiki. After Amado finished restoring Kawaki's arm, he talked to Naruto about the remaining Kara-threats including their Ten-Tails seed as well as Code, who would inevitably seek out and kill all who were responsible for Isshiki's death. Hearing such a threat, Naruto requested Shikamaru to set up a Kage Summit. During the Kage meeting, they discussed Code, Amado's trustworthiness, and the issue of Momoshiki taking over Boruto, to which Naruto swore to handle it should the need arise. He later approached Amado to deal with Boruto's Kāma. He provided him with pills he developed as a means to defeat Jigen. As the Byakugan originates with the Ōtsutsuki, he theorised that weakening it might interfere with the Kāma's progress. As Boruto was given the pills and explained the nature of them, Naruto was horrified at how recklessly Boruto decided to take them. Later, Naruto and Konohamaru watched the Team 7 and Kawaki training together.

Naruto declares Kawaki his son

Naruto declares that Kawaki is his son.

Later, Naruto found Kawaki moping about his lack of acceptance in the village. Naruto brought him back home, where a welcome dinner party was held for Kawaki. Naruto and his family made it clear that he was welcomed to stay as long as he desired. Naruto further insisted that this was the very reason he became Hokage. While Kawaki was taking magazines out to the trash, Naruto dozed off on the dinner table. When Boruto discovered Kawaki's ruse to avoid surveillance, he exposed it to Naruto, who confirmed it with Nishi as Kawaki released his shadow clone. He notified Ino and Shikamaru of the development, and was against Boruto leaving to find Kawaki, as he was under surveillance for the same reason and returned to discussing the search with Ino. When Ino determined it was futile to search through sensing, Naruto thought back to Boruto's words and searched for him, and confirmed with Nishi he was nowhere nearby.

Naruto Rescuing Kawaki

Naruto rescues Kawaki.

Using Sage Mode, Naruto was able to locate Boruto and Kawaki, alongside an unknown individual. Hinata attempted to join him, but he stressed she had to take care of Himawari if something happened to him. As Naruto left two shadow clones on standby to store up more senjutsu chakra, Shikamaru arrived, refusing to let Naruto leave the village against the threat without him since the Hokage now no longer had Kurama for additional power. Shikamaru reminded Naruto that he cannot maintain Sage Mode for long anymore, but Naruto insisted that he can maintain it longer on his own drawing from years of experience. They arrive in time to save Kawaki from having his arm broken by Momoshiki, who had taken over Boruto again. Naruto checked on Kawaki, who begged him to flee, fearing his death. Naruto refused to abandon anyone. Code took Shikamaru hostage, who in turn told Naruto to ignore him and attack. Momoshiki decided to help Code killing Naruto, who was also a problem for him, and attacked with an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan. He was surprised to see Kawaki absorbing the jutsu with a new Kāma.

Naruto continued to watch in disbelief as Kawaki began attacking Momoshiki with no restraint, displaying Isshiki's jutsu in the process. Eventually, Naruto intervened, as Kawaki's attacked would have killed Boruto. He tried to reason with Kawaki, who remained committed to killing Momoshiki. Boruto managed to hold back Momoshiki's personality for a moment, and pushed Naruto out of the way, allowing Kawaki to strike through his chest. Code opted to leave and released Shikamaru. While Kawaki was overwhelming Code, he pulled Daemon through the Claw Mark of his face, reflecting Kawaki's attack and knocking him out before leaving. Shikamaru tried to snap Naruto out of his stupor, and began to consider how to deal with Kawaki, arguing with Naruto, who still wanted to support Kawaki. He was stunned when Boruto woke up, his injuries completely healed.

Omnipotence Arc

Main article: Omnipotence Arc After everyone returned to the village, Naruto kept watch over Kawaki as Shikamaru had Sumire examine him. They and Ibiki discussed how to handle Kawaki, and Naruto intended to have a long talk with Kawaki when he wakes up. Sumire noticed the heavy atmosphere around Naruto and asked Shikamaru about it. He claimed Naruto was just exhausted from almost being killed.

When Kawaki woke up, he asked Naruto if he'd condemn him for killing Boruto. Naruto revealed Boruto was fine because of his Kāma. He added was grateful that Kawaki was there, otherwise they might all have died, and that Boruto felt the same. As Naruto reassured him that he belonged in Konoha and was family, Ino alerted him of Code and Ada's invasion. Naruto feigned a previous appointment and left after confirming that Boruto was fine to a startled Sumire. After Code and Ada left taking Amado with them, Naruto listened as Shikamaru explained Ada's alluring ability and speculated on the other cyborg that Code employed in his battle the previous night. When Kawaki acted callous when considering Amado's possible death and deriding Shikamaru, Naruto censored him.

As Shikamaru briefed Team 7 on their new surveillance mission living with Ada and Daemon, Naruto discussed it with Sasuke, explaining how Shikamaru managed to covertly control Boruto and Kawaki into acting more cautiously by entrusting them with responsibility in the form of a mission. When Naruto noticed Sasuke noticing something, Sasuke dismissed it. After Ada and Daemon departed for their new home, Naruto joined Shikamaru in getting Amado to share everything he was still keeping secret. He listened as Amado explained the shinjutsu nature of Ada's and Daemon's abilities, their origins in Shibai Ōtsutsuki's remains, and Amado's goal of using Kawaki's Kāma to resurrect his daughter Akebi. When Shikamaru asked Ada to confirm Amado's claims with her Senrigan, Naruto found it a bit excessive. He was satisfied with Amado's goal, and decided he wouldn't interfere in his matters with Kawaki if it didn't endanger Konoha. Naruto agreed to Ada's request to call it a day, as they had just arrived in the village.

While preparing for dinner with Hinata, they were joined by Kawaki, who asked Naruto not to inform the sensors of his presence. Naruto listened as Kawaki reiterated how much he changed because of Naruto, and how he came to think that shinobi and good people like Naruto would be the first to die in any conflict with Ōtsutsuki. When Kawaki said he'd eliminate all the Ōtsutsuki to protect Naruto, including Boruto, Naruto refused to let Kawaki do this. Not wanting to hurt Naruto, nor let him get in the way, Kawaki sent Naruto and Hinata away with Daikokuten, where they'd be suspended in time, unable to think, and requiring no air or sustenance.

New Era: Part II

Boruto's Return Arc

Main article: Boruto's Return Arc Three years later, Kawaki visited the unconscious Naruto and Hinata.

Flashforward

In the wake of Konoha's destruction four years after the Ōtsutsuki attack on the village, Kawaki tells Boruto that he will send him to where he sent the Seventh Hokage.

In Other Media

Movies

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Main article: Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow Team 7 is dispatched to the Land of Snow to protect the lead actress Koyuki Kazahana, during the shooting of the new Princess Gale movie.

Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel

Main article: Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru are sent to track and bring a ferret back to its owner. However, when the group is attacked by mysterious soldiers, they embark on to something big.

Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

Main article: Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom Naruto, Sakura, Rock Lee and Kakashi are assigned to protect the future prince of the Land of the Moon, Hikaru Tsuki.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie

Main article: Naruto Shippūden the Movie Naruto is assigned to protect the priestess Shion, who starts having visions of his death.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds

Main article: Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds A group of ninja from the Land of the Sky launched a surprise attack on Konoha and to stop this new threat, Naruto and Sasuke join forces.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Will of Fire

Main article: Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire Team Kakashi works together to stop Kakashi from sacrificing himself to stop a world war.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Lost Tower

Main article: Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Lost Tower Naruto is sent on a mission to stop Mukade. However, during the mission Naruto is sent 20 years into the past.

Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison

Main article: Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison Naruto gets framed for the attempted assassination of the Raikage. In his subsequent attempts to break out of the prison, he gradually discovers the prison's dark secrets.

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie

Main article: Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie Naruto and Sakura end up in an alternate reality in a test version of Project Eye of the Moon Plan where Naruto never lost his parents and many characters have different personalities.

Video Games

Main article: List of video games As the main character of the series, Naruto is a playable character in every Naruto video game. As the series has progressed, Naruto has become playable in various forms, often with different move-sets for each. New video game-exclusive forms are also available at times, such as a version of Naruto wearing Might Guy's jump suit, a version wearing Son Gokū's Turtle School Uniform, Naruto from Shippū! Konoha Gakuen Den!, and "Mecha-Naruto." The video games also put some extra emphasis on his taijutsu; most of the time Naruto in the past fights akin to a brawler; while in his incarnation from The Last: Naruto the Movie, he instead fights more like a hand-to-hand boxer.

Live Spectacle Naruto

Main article: Live Spectacle Naruto Koudai Matsuoka plays as Naruto in this stage play adaption.

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 Gokū 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.

FIRST NARUTO

The first version of Naruto that Masashi Kishimoto drew.

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 colouring 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 Shōnen 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 an interview with the U.S. Shōnen Jump, Kishimoto stated that his childhood was like that of Naruto's years while he was enrolled in the Academy).

Naruto Appearances

Naruto's appearances throughout the series.

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 complemented Naruto's character, and served as a verbal tic that showed him to be something of a brat. Throughout the beginning of the English anime, 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

Springtime of Youth
The Springtime of Youth wiki has an article about this topic:
  • Spiral patterns are a recurring theme in Naruto, especially in relation to the character of Naruto Uzumaki himself. The name "Naruto" is short for "narutomaki" (なると巻き), a kind of kamaboko with a pink spiral design in the middle that is used as a topping for ramen, which is Naruto's favourite food. His family name "Uzumaki" can mean "whirlpool" or "maelstrom." His full name is also a reference to the Naruto whirlpools (鳴門の渦潮, Naruto no uzushio), named after the city in the Tokushima Prefecture in Japan. In addition, Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, is a relative to the Uzumaki clan from Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools, who used the spiral pattern as both their clan and village symbol.
  • According to the databook(s):
    • Naruto's hobbies are pulling pranks and watering plants.
    • Naruto wishes to fight Sasuke Uchiha, the Third Hokage,[1] and members of Akatsuki.[2][4]
    • Naruto's favourite foods are Ichiraku ramen and red bean soup. His least favourite are fresh vegetables, which others, especially Kakashi (barring Hinata) have attempted to make him eat with little success in other material.
    • 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 favourite phrase is "a large serving of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet" (味噌チャーシュー大盛り, miso chāshū ōmori).
  • According to character trivia from Boruto: Naruto Next Generations:
    • His attributes are: 120 in perception, 160 in dexterity, 170 in negotiations, 110 in strength, 90 in intelligence, and unknown in chakra.
    • He was also given a skill rating in these particular areas:
      • Evasion: ★★★★★
      • Unarmed Hand-to-hand Fighting: ★★★★☆
      • Manners: ★★☆☆☆
  • According to Hyō no Sho, while in the Academy, Naruto had an A in positivity, a B taijutsu, and an F in ninjutsu, genjutsu, cooperation, and classroom attitude.
  • October 10, 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.
  • Naruto consistently ranked in the top two (taking first place twice) in the first five official Shōnen Jump character popularity polls. However, in the sixth character poll, he was ranked fourth. According to the third databook character poll, which adds up all the votes from the first six polls, Naruto took second place. In the most recent poll, Naruto regained his status and reached first.
    • Naruto is one of four characters to have always stayed in the top ten of every character popularity poll.
  • Naruto is the fourth known jinchūriki known to have survived the extraction of a tailed beast, along with Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Kushina Uzumaki, and Obito Uchiha.[74]
  • Naruto's mother was nicknamed the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" while his father was famed as the "Yellow Flash." Naruto's appropriate self-styled title of "Konoha's Orange Hokage" refers to the fact that the colour orange is a mixture of red and yellow.
  • When Naruto first became a genin, while using his Sexy Technique, his settei reveals that he is 160cm tall.
  • Kishimoto's various concept art of Naruto for The Last: Naruto the Movie showed that his height had gone through various changes: first 170cm, then 173cm, and finally 180cm.
  • Despite Naruto being a user of the Truth-Seeking Balls and gaining Hagoromo's power, both of which contain Yin-Yang Release, Yin Release is not listed as one of his natures in the fourth databook.[5]
  • Eiichiro Oda, author of One Piece, stated that his character Sanji's name was originally going to be Naruto, but changed it because the Naruto series was about to become serialised and wanted to avoid confusion.
    • Naruto makes an undetailed background appearance on the cover page of the 766th chapter of One Piece, where the person behind Nami (who is wearing a changpao with the Konoha symbol) is implied to be Naruto. Also, both main characters are seen eating each others' respective favourite foods, as Naruto is eating meat, and Monkey D. Luffy is eating ramen. Additionally, this chapter was released on the same week as the release of the final two Naruto manga chapters.
    • In the 700th chapter of the Naruto manga, the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates appears on the forehead protector of Naruto's statue as part of Boruto's graffiti.
  • While Naruto was initially the shortest of the Konoha 11, he ultimately becomes second tallest, after Shino.
  • In the original manga pilot, Naruto was actually a demon fox and lived his life as a human boy and the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked the village was his father.
  • Although he was never raised by Minato, Naruto seemingly inherited his father's fighting style of almost never relying on hand seals, with the exception of his signature technique.
  • In the anime, Naruto is a lightweight drinker.[158]

Quotes

See also: Dattebayo and Believe It

  • (To Kakashi) "And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!"[159]
  • (To Ibiki) "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You're not gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!"[160]
  • (To Neji) "I'm not gonna run away, I never go back on my word! That's my nindō: my ninja way!"[161]
  • (To Gaara) "It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling; I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you! They saved me from myself. They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends."[162]
  • (To Pain) "Just give up… on trying to make me give up!"[163]
  • (To Nagato, reciting a line from Jiraiya's first book) "Then I will break that curse. If there's such thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!"[39]
  • (To Sasuke) "If you attack Konoha, I will have to fight you… So save up your hatred and take it all on me, I'm the only one who can take it! It's the only thing I can do! I will shoulder your hatred and die with you! Because I'm your friend!"[164]
  • (To his mother) "Don't apologise… I had a lot of hard times growing up as a jinchūriki, but I never blamed you or Dad. I couldn't understand what a parent's love was like because you guys were never there… so I could only guess… But now I know… I live because you and Dad gave your lives for me and filled me up with love before the Nine-Tails was inside me! So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your son!"[165]
  • (To Kurama) "You're not the monster fox anymore. You're one of my teammates from Konoha… Kurama."[166]
  • (To Obito) "Quit it with your stupid reasoning! I meant to say that I'll stand any pain for my friends!! I'm not gonna give up on them!! It might just be me being selfish, but… not having my friends here… is the most painful thing for me!! Period!!!!"[167]
  • (About Hinata) "Hinata… This big idiot finally understands… The real meaning of the scarf you gave to me when you went with Toneri… I know now, from the scarf you painstakingly knitted and took so long to finish, that your love can't be unravelled so easily… Wait for me… This whole time, you always loved me for the way I am… Now, as a man, there's something I must tell you… Hinata, I swear I will save you!"[21]
  • (To Hinata) "Hinata… Do you remember that lesson in class? The one with, "If the end of the world came, who would you spend your last day with?" I couldn't write anyone's name down. I didn't know my parents, and I didn't have any friends… But now, I know exactly whom I'd choose. I want to be with you. Now and forever, until I die… I want to be with you, Hinata!"[21]
  • (To his son) "Boruto… with what I do now, all the people in this village are like a family. So there will be times that you won't be able to have me as a father all to yourself. I know this must be hard for you… but you must learn to endure it. You're a shinobi too, aren't you?"[168]
  • (To the village) "However, I believe there are many who are dissatisfied. This village is still undergoing development. And during all this, there are those who are facing hard and demanding times. But I don't agree with that. Changing the things before us, a little by little, even one thing at a time, will make the world a better place. I want Konohagakure to be a place where people smile and enjoy their lives. Will you lend me your strength? Let's change Konohagakure together!"[169]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Rin no Sho, pages 30-36
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tō no Sho, pages 28-35
  3. Shō no Sho, page 6
  4. 4.0 4.1 Sha no Sho, pages 24-32
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jin no Sho, pages 28-35
  6. Retsu no Sho, pages 10-11
  7. Zai no Sho, page 27
  8. Naruto chapter 24, pages 10, 18
  9. 9.0 9.1 Naruto chapter 437, page 7
  10. Naruto chapter 450, page 2
  11. Naruto chapter 491, page 5
  12. Naruto chapter 498, page 17
  13. Naruto chapter 700
  14. Naruto chapter 382, pages 9-11
  15. Naruto chapter 500
  16. Naruto chapter 501
  17. Naruto chapter 503, pages 17-18
  18. Naruto chapter 440, page 5
  19. Naruto chapter 2, pages 13-14
  20. The Last: Naruto the Movie novelisation
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 The Last: Naruto the Movie
  22. Naruto chapter 485, page 14
  23. Naruto chapter 487, page 2
  24. Naruto chapter 648, page 5
  25. 25.0 25.1 Naruto chapter 409, page 11
  26. Naruto chapter 645, pages 2-3
  27. Naruto chapter 98, pages 8-14
  28. Naruto chapter 440, page 13
  29. Naruto chapter 535, pages 2-5
  30. Naruto chapter 37, page 7
  31. Naruto chapter 641, page 3
  32. Naruto chapter 286, page 16
  33. Naruto chapter 262, pages 12-13
  34. Naruto chapter 693, pages 12-13
  35. Naruto chapter 4, page 6
  36. Naruto chapter 462, page 14
  37. Naruto chapter 617, page 19
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 Boruto: Naruto the Movie
  39. 39.0 39.1 Naruto chapter 448, page 2
  40. Naruto chapter 647, pages 14-19
  41. Naruto chapter 649, pages 14-17
  42. Naruto chapter 98, pages 13-14
  43. Naruto chapter 700+4, page 10
  44. Boruto episode 10
  45. Naruto chapter 700+8
  46. Boruto chapter 67, page 25-27
  47. Naruto chapter 492
  48. Naruto chapter 493
  49. Naruto chapter 495
  50. Naruto chapter 144, page 4
  51. Naruto chapter 498, page 8
  52. Naruto chapter 558, page 13
  53. Naruto chapter 9, pages 10-11
  54. Naruto chapter 245, page 12
  55. Naruto chapter 248, page 12
  56. Naruto chapter 168
  57. Naruto chapter 455, page 9
  58. Naruto chapter 555, pages 11-15
  59. Naruto chapter 572
  60. Naruto chapter 675, page 3
  61. Naruto chapter 698
  62. Naruto chapter 699, page 15
  63. Boruto episode 2
  64. Boruto episode 12
  65. 65.0 65.1 65.2 65.3 65.4 Shikamaru Shinden novel
  66. Naruto chapter 671
  67. 67.0 67.1 Naruto chapter 315, page 11
  68. Naruto chapter 488, page 8
  69. Naruto chapter 90, pages 4-8
  70. Naruto chapter 698
  71. Naruto chapter 617, page 5
  72. Kakashi Hiden
  73. Naruto chapter 611, page 2
  74. 74.0 74.1 Naruto chapter 661, pages 1, 12
  75. Naruto chapter 259, pages 8-11
  76. 76.0 76.1 Boruto chapter 26
  77. Boruto episode 38
  78. 78.0 78.1 Boruto episode 65
  79. 79.0 79.1 79.2 Boruto chapter 33
  80. Naruto chapter 77, pages 3-4
  81. Naruto chapter 104, pages 16-17
  82. Naruto chapter 75, pages 11-13
  83. Naruto chapter 288, page 7
  84. Naruto chapter 433, page 5
  85. Naruto chapter 452
  86. Naruto chapter 697
  87. Boruto chapter 32
  88. Boruto episode 200
  89. 89.0 89.1 Boruto chapter 16, page 37
  90. Naruto chapter 617, page 5
  91. Naruto chapter 697, page 6
  92. Naruto chapter 610, page 8
  93. Naruto chapter 649, pages 7-8
  94. Naruto chapter 651, pages 7-9
  95. Naruto chapter 671, page 12
  96. Naruto chapter 692, page 4
  97. Shikamaru Hiden
  98. Boruto episode 216
  99. Boruto chapter 52
  100. Boruto chapter 55
  101. Naruto chapter 259, page 1-2
  102. Naruto chapter 499, pages 12-15
  103. Naruto: Shippūden episode 91
  104. Naruto: Shippūden episode 63
  105. Boruto episode 65
  106. Boruto episode 204
  107. Naruto chapter 366, page 4
  108. Naruto chapter 339, pages 9-10
  109. Naruto chapter 460, page 6
  110. Naruto: Shippūden episode 476
  111. Naruto chapter 698, page 4
  112. Naruto episode 194
  113. Boruto episode 135
  114. Fourth Databook, page 310
  115. Fourth Databook, page 226
  116. Boruto episode 159
  117. Naruto chapter 418, page 6
  118. Naruto chapter 430, pages 17-18
  119. Naruto chapter 431, page 6
  120. Naruto chapter 431, page 12-17
  121. Naruto chapter 535, pages 7-8
  122. Naruto chapter 535, page 3
  123. Naruto chapter 64, page 32
  124. Naruto chapter 695, page 4
  125. Naruto chapter 673, page 2
  126. Fourth Databook
  127. Naruto chapter 695
  128. Naruto chapter 696, pages 14-15
  129. Naruto chapter 697, page 1
  130. Naruto: Shippūden episode 478
  131. Naruto chapter 314, page 12
  132. Naruto chapter 156, page 16
  133. Naruto chapter 642, page 12
  134. Fourth Databook, pages 309-310
  135. Sakura Hiden
  136. The Last: Naruto the Movie
  137. Naruto chapter 433, page 14
  138. Naruto chapter 565, pages 12-14
  139. Naruto chapter 598, pages 12-15
  140. Naruto chapter 682, pages 6-8
  141. Naruto chapter 555, page 9-15
  142. Naruto: Shippūden episode 187
  143. Naruto: Shippūden episode 188
  144. Naruto: Shippūden episode 409
  145. Naruto chapter 403, pages 2-10
  146. Naruto: Shippūden episodes 303-305
  147. Naruto: Shippūden episodes 309-310
  148. Naruto: Shippūden episode 313
  149. Naruto: Shippūden episode 314
  150. Naruto: Shippūden episode 315
  151. Naruto: Shippūden episode 320
  152. Naruto: Shippūden episode 479
  153. Boruto episode 48
  154. The Day Naruto Became Hokage
  155. Naruto chapter 700+5, pages 9-11
  156. Naruto chapter 700
  157. Boruto chapter 11
  158. Boruto episode 18
  159. Naruto chapter 4, page 6
  160. Naruto chapter 43, pages 16-17
  161. Naruto chapter 103, page 3
  162. Naruto chapter 138, pages 14-16
  163. Naruto chapter 442, pages 16-17
  164. Naruto chapter 486, pages 13-14
  165. Naruto chapter 504, pages 15-17
  166. Naruto chapter 570, pages 16-17
  167. Naruto chapter 628, pages 9-10
  168. Naruto chapter 700, page 16
  169. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 46