In the beginning, Naruto was a horribly sad child. The villagers shunned him completely for reasons beyond his understanding, and desperate for attention he pulled pranks, did bad things just so someone like Iruka would yell at him. He covered up his despair with cheeky grins and vandalism, even his invented technique where he transforms into a naked girl was developed with pranking in mind. He has no friends at this time, but he enjoys a rivalry with Sasuke, despite being underqualified. He demonstrates a lot of frustration because people are actively working against him, and no matter how hard he tries, he's being kept back and left behind. Because he spent a good deal of time when he was young crying, by the time he's twelve he's sworn off crying when sad things happen because crying doesn't fix anything.
When he learned of the demon fox, everything seemed to click into place, at least, he understood what the problem was at last, however when Iruka acknowledged him, he was happy. He responded by saving Iruka's life, in doing so earning the first step in his dream to be Hokage, his ninja headband. Buoyed by hope, and acceptance, he starts getting some good attention from Iruka which causes a dip in his misbehaviour. Becoming a ninja also forces him to work as a team with Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. Naruto takes being a ninja very seriously, and gets very frustrated when their missions consist of nonsense. He demonstrates his childishness and his desire to get better and prove himself when he demands a better mission from the Hokage. Unfortunately their C rank mission is actually an A rank mission, however his relationship with his peers improves, as does their impression of him. On the mission, Naruto is serious, he pulls his weight and most of all, they begin to work as a team. Through these experiences, his trouble around the village ceases completely. Naruto focuses his energy instead on improving his intelligence and his skill, because being able to work with and save his new friends takes precedence. He no longer feels the sting of being alone, and is genuinely happy where he is.
Naruto's focus and strength improves so much that when it comes to the Chuunin Exam, people can hardly believe he's the same idiot who was at the bottom of his class. Naruto not only uses his strength for himself, but he finds some of his peers to be insufferable, such as Neiji and goes to great lengths to ultimately defend Hinata's honour. Doing this earns him the respect of his peers who he accepts as his friends with a big smile and nothing against them in his heart. It's because of this when he meets Gaara, it's jarring just how jaded he could have become.
Although still childish and petulant when Kakashi refuses to train him, and he still pulls pranks on a few select people like Ebisu, meeting Jiraiya is a pivotal point in his development. Not only does Jiraiya break him of the desire to use his sexy transformation, he fixes the imbalance with his chakra and Naruto begins improving at an exponential rate. In doing his part in saving the village, Naruto earns the respect of the shinobi, a good subsection of allies in Konoha, but he also proves that having the demon fox inside him is not the same thing as being the demon fox.
Sasuke leaving the village, and leaving Naruto broken and nearly dead completely changed his life. Sakura begged him to bring Sasuke back and Naruto does not go back on his promises. He commits himself to what seems like a lifelong journey of trying to get Sasuke to come home and be friends with them again, instead of being lost to Orochimaru. When they face off at the Valley of the End, Naruto is more serious then he ever has been and their fight is violent and destructive. He does not feel anger towards Sasuke for that, he just wants to get him to come back. Naruto accepts that he's not strong enough to bring Sasuke back and with time to train, he leaves with Jiraiya.
When Naruto returns, he's completely changed. Physically of course, but mostly he's not the same hyperactive idiot that left Konoha. He's still cheerful, he's glad to see his friends and he appreciates the bonds he has with everyone, but he's much more serious about his training, he's just as invested in getting Sasuke. There are hints of his old ways, he plays a trick on Kakashi so he and Sakura can get the bells, but mostly his out of the box thinking is reserved for fighting and battles. He's learned to adapt that thought process. He has no interest in terrorizing the villagers any longer, however deep down he still feels resentment towards them. He stubbornly and childishly refuses to work with Sai who is not only rude, but is not Sasuke and should not be part of Team Seven in his opinion. He's determined and offended when anyone suggests that Sasuke needs to be replaced. However, Naruto's nature is friendly and he adapts to having Sai just as he originally adapted to being with Sasuke and they make a strong team together.
When Jiraiya is killed, Naruto is just shattered. It's the first time he's found crying because of something sad, and it drives him into a deep depression that lasts several days. It isn't like him to wallow, however when Shikamaru brings him out of it, he realizes that he's right. It's his job now to become the teacher, and he has to go forward and do what Jiraiya left for him. It was always Jiraiya's dream to end the cycle of hatred and revenge and Naruto is determined to do this, most notably with Sasuke. Although his goal is still to be Hokage, he will defend the village. Sasuke need not attack anyone else, and he feels it, if they fight all out they will both meet their end. Naruto is ready and willing to accept this fate, but he's forever an optimist, and he hopes Sasuke will come around instead.
In saving Konoha from Pain, Naruto becomes something of a little celebrity. The villagers that shunned him are suddenly welcoming him with open arms, and he's completely thrown off balance. He has spent a long time denying how much they hurt him and how much he hated that, but it's through the acceptance of this darker side of his personality that he grows into a more well rounded person. When he finds out they are fighting a war to protect him, he refuses to stand for it and charges in head first, and in doing that he becomes an important, key player.
At this point in canon, Naruto has matured into an excellent fighter. His strategies are average in complexity but he's got a strong willingness to work with his teammates. He believes in the good in people, as he just spent his time convincing Obito that he needs to stop fighting them and just take his punishment, before coming home. He's still excitable and cheerful, but not nearly as hyperactive. He always wants to be people's friends, because for a long time he didn't have any friends. He's still oboxious and rough around the edges, and he still drives Sasuke's crazy at every opportunity, usually inadvertantly. His determination is strong and his will of fire stronger. He will protect Konoha against anything and everything that would threaten it. He has a sense of humour and the odd pranking moment still appears, but usually to the people he likes. His loyalty is unquestionable, as he's the only one who was fighting for Sasuke's return in the end. He has a strong desire to see people happy and he will do anything he can to squash hatred when he sees it, willing to take it onto himself since that's about the only idea he has at the moment. Even the most unlikely candidates, like Kurama get the same treatment. He's not very good with his words, but a good fist fight can tell him all he needs to know. He's a strong believer that fighting someone in a good fair fight will allow them to sense how the other person truly feels.
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In the beginning, Naruto was a horribly sad child. The villagers shunned him completely for reasons beyond his understanding, and desperate for attention he pulled pranks, did bad things just so someone like Iruka would yell at him. He covered up his despair with cheeky grins and vandalism, even his invented technique where he transforms into a naked girl was developed with pranking in mind. He has no friends at this time, but he enjoys a rivalry with Sasuke, despite being underqualified. He demonstrates a lot of frustration because people are actively working against him, and no matter how hard he tries, he's being kept back and left behind. Because he spent a good deal of time when he was young crying, by the time he's twelve he's sworn off crying when sad things happen because crying doesn't fix anything.
When he learned of the demon fox, everything seemed to click into place, at least, he understood what the problem was at last, however when Iruka acknowledged him, he was happy. He responded by saving Iruka's life, in doing so earning the first step in his dream to be Hokage, his ninja headband. Buoyed by hope, and acceptance, he starts getting some good attention from Iruka which causes a dip in his misbehaviour. Becoming a ninja also forces him to work as a team with Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. Naruto takes being a ninja very seriously, and gets very frustrated when their missions consist of nonsense. He demonstrates his childishness and his desire to get better and prove himself when he demands a better mission from the Hokage. Unfortunately their C rank mission is actually an A rank mission, however his relationship with his peers improves, as does their impression of him. On the mission, Naruto is serious, he pulls his weight and most of all, they begin to work as a team. Through these experiences, his trouble around the village ceases completely. Naruto focuses his energy instead on improving his intelligence and his skill, because being able to work with and save his new friends takes precedence. He no longer feels the sting of being alone, and is genuinely happy where he is.
Naruto's focus and strength improves so much that when it comes to the Chuunin Exam, people can hardly believe he's the same idiot who was at the bottom of his class. Naruto not only uses his strength for himself, but he finds some of his peers to be insufferable, such as Neiji and goes to great lengths to ultimately defend Hinata's honour. Doing this earns him the respect of his peers who he accepts as his friends with a big smile and nothing against them in his heart. It's because of this when he meets Gaara, it's jarring just how jaded he could have become.
Although still childish and petulant when Kakashi refuses to train him, and he still pulls pranks on a few select people like Ebisu, meeting Jiraiya is a pivotal point in his development. Not only does Jiraiya break him of the desire to use his sexy transformation, he fixes the imbalance with his chakra and Naruto begins improving at an exponential rate. In doing his part in saving the village, Naruto earns the respect of the shinobi, a good subsection of allies in Konoha, but he also proves that having the demon fox inside him is not the same thing as being the demon fox.
Sasuke leaving the village, and leaving Naruto broken and nearly dead completely changed his life. Sakura begged him to bring Sasuke back and Naruto does not go back on his promises. He commits himself to what seems like a lifelong journey of trying to get Sasuke to come home and be friends with them again, instead of being lost to Orochimaru. When they face off at the Valley of the End, Naruto is more serious then he ever has been and their fight is violent and destructive. He does not feel anger towards Sasuke for that, he just wants to get him to come back. Naruto accepts that he's not strong enough to bring Sasuke back and with time to train, he leaves with Jiraiya.
When Naruto returns, he's completely changed. Physically of course, but mostly he's not the same hyperactive idiot that left Konoha. He's still cheerful, he's glad to see his friends and he appreciates the bonds he has with everyone, but he's much more serious about his training, he's just as invested in getting Sasuke. There are hints of his old ways, he plays a trick on Kakashi so he and Sakura can get the bells, but mostly his out of the box thinking is reserved for fighting and battles. He's learned to adapt that thought process. He has no interest in terrorizing the villagers any longer, however deep down he still feels resentment towards them. He stubbornly and childishly refuses to work with Sai who is not only rude, but is not Sasuke and should not be part of Team Seven in his opinion. He's determined and offended when anyone suggests that Sasuke needs to be replaced. However, Naruto's nature is friendly and he adapts to having Sai just as he originally adapted to being with Sasuke and they make a strong team together.
When Jiraiya is killed, Naruto is just shattered. It's the first time he's found crying because of something sad, and it drives him into a deep depression that lasts several days. It isn't like him to wallow, however when Shikamaru brings him out of it, he realizes that he's right. It's his job now to become the teacher, and he has to go forward and do what Jiraiya left for him. It was always Jiraiya's dream to end the cycle of hatred and revenge and Naruto is determined to do this, most notably with Sasuke. Although his goal is still to be Hokage, he will defend the village. Sasuke need not attack anyone else, and he feels it, if they fight all out they will both meet their end. Naruto is ready and willing to accept this fate, but he's forever an optimist, and he hopes Sasuke will come around instead.
In saving Konoha from Pain, Naruto becomes something of a little celebrity. The villagers that shunned him are suddenly welcoming him with open arms, and he's completely thrown off balance. He has spent a long time denying how much they hurt him and how much he hated that, but it's through the acceptance of this darker side of his personality that he grows into a more well rounded person. When he finds out they are fighting a war to protect him, he refuses to stand for it and charges in head first, and in doing that he becomes an important, key player.
At this point in canon, Naruto has matured into an excellent fighter. His strategies are average in complexity but he's got a strong willingness to work with his teammates. He believes in the good in people, as he just spent his time convincing Obito that he needs to stop fighting them and just take his punishment, before coming home. He's still excitable and cheerful, but not nearly as hyperactive. He always wants to be people's friends, because for a long time he didn't have any friends. He's still oboxious and rough around the edges, and he still drives Sasuke's crazy at every opportunity, usually inadvertantly. His determination is strong and his will of fire stronger. He will protect Konoha against anything and everything that would threaten it. He has a sense of humour and the odd pranking moment still appears, but usually to the people he likes. His loyalty is unquestionable, as he's the only one who was fighting for Sasuke's return in the end. He has a strong desire to see people happy and he will do anything he can to squash hatred when he sees it, willing to take it onto himself since that's about the only idea he has at the moment. Even the most unlikely candidates, like Kurama get the same treatment. He's not very good with his words, but a good fist fight can tell him all he needs to know. He's a strong believer that fighting someone in a good fair fight will allow them to sense how the other person truly feels.