Nara-chan no Sekai

Out of all the shinobi countries of the world of Naruto, the five most powerful are allowed to call their leaders by the Kage (Shadow) title. These five individuals are called the "Five Kage," they are Watershadow (Mizukage), Fireshadow (Hokage), Windshadow (Kazekage) , Earthshadow (Tsuchikage) and Lightningshadow (Raikage). The Kage are the leaders of their respective hidden villages and the ninja which inhabit their country. They are depicted below. Warning! The listing of these Kage go through the most recent chapters of the manga. So you may see Kage who have yet to appear in your viewing of the anime.






KONOHA NO SATO :

-Shodai Hokage (First) 


Hashirama Senju  


-Nidaime Hokage (Second)

Tobirama Senju


-Sandaime Hokage (Third)

Sarutobi Hiruzen


-Yondaime Hokage (Fourth)

Minato Namikaze


-Godaime Hokage (Fifth)


Namakuji Tsunade










-Rokudaime Hokage (Sixth) (Temporary)

Simura Danzou

Taijutsu techniques are the body and hand to hand skills of the ninja. Taijutsu techniques do not require hand seals. Instead the ninja will train their body in different forms of fighting. A ninja can also use their inherent Bloodline abilities when doing Taijutsu techniques. Clans such as Hyuuga can utilize their ability to see the inner chakra channels of their opponent and then stop the flow, or utilize the Kaiten technique to form a protective barrier by releasing chakra from their body.

Physical Information
Age: 17
Sex: Male
Birthday: 07/03
Bloodtype: O
Height: 172.1 cm
Weight: 54.2 kg
Bloodline: Byakugan Eye

Ninja Information
Registration ID: 012587
Hidden Village: Leaf
Rank: Jounin
Team: Might Guy, TenTen, Rock Lee

Advancement Data
Academy Grad Age: 12
Chuunin Exam Age: 15
Jounin Age: ?
Jutsu: Byakugan, Hakke Hasangeki, Hakke Hyakunijuuhachishou, Hakke Kuushou, Hakke Rokujuuyonshou, Hakkeshou Kaiten, Juuken

Missions Completed
D-Rank: 26
C-Rank: 19
B-Rank: 4
A-Rank: 11
S-Rank: 2


First Manga Appearance: Chapter 36
First Anime Appearance: Episode 21
Name Meaning: Hyuuga=Towards the sun, Neji=Screw
Character Study: Cold and analytical, Neji was initially introduced as of the barriers Naruto had to face to gain acceptance in the village. Neji was on bad terms with his clan but changed his outlook on life after fighting Naruto, becoming one of many fundamentally changed by interacting with him. His bloodline and natural skill helped him become one of the few Genin to eventually reach Jounin.


Hyuuga Neji is hailed as the genius of the Hyuuga clan, and was the top graduate of his class. This young ninja is from the Hyuuga branch family; however he has obtained many of the skills only taught to the main family line. Neji grew up with hatred for the main family of the Hyuuga house. His resentment stemmed from his past, causing him to have a strong destiny complex. Neji became a ninja, and was teamed with TenTen and Rock Lee along with their Jounin sensei Might Guy. Neji has a longstanding rivalry with Rock Lee, with many words exchanged between the two young men.

      Neji also bears a curse sealing mark, which all branch family members of the Hyuuga house have. This mark allows the Hyuuga main house to control the branch family, when activated the seal causes pain and kills the bearer of the mark by destroying their brain. At the same time, the Byakugan bloodline is also removed from their bodies, which helps keep the family’s bloodline secrets safe.

      Neji’s father, Hizashi, was a twin brother to the heir of the main house, Hiashi. However, the clan stated that since Hizashi was born later than his older brother, he would be placed in the branch family. He and those in the branch family would serve only to protect the main family.

      At the same time, Kumo and Konoha were also at the end of a long war. The two sides were ready to sign a peace treaty between them. However, on the night of the peace treaty, Kumo’s best ninja tried to kidnap Hyuuga Hinata, but was caught and killed by her father Hiashi. The implications of his death would have started another war, unless Kumo was given the body of the one who killed their ninja. The attempted kidnapping of Hinata was overlooked in all of this as the Kumo demanded recompense. Only the body of Hiashi would decided pacify them.

     The elders of the Hyuuga clan did not want to give up the head of the house. It was decided that his twin brother, Hizashi, was to be killed instead. Due to this event, Neji became cynical and began to resent the Hyuuga clan’s system, and that the branch house would always be sacrificing their lives for the main house. This outlook would later be changed after Neji received word of the truth from his uncle.

      However, before discovering the true events and the whole story of his father’s death, Neji’s anger had followed him as he grew in life. Neji eventually entered the Ninja Academy and graduated at age 12. He was then placed on a team with Lee and TenTen under Might Guy. Over the following year they would take on several missions and Guy would offer his Taijutsu secrets to his students. Only Lee took him up on his offer though. A year after graduating Guy entered his team into the Chuunin Exam. By this point the three Genin worked well together and were eager to prove their skills against the rest of the competition. Before the opening test he would be introduced to Sasuke. Sasuke, was like himself a prodigy of a powerful Konoha bloodline, and he was eager to test his abilities.


       Neji and his team would breeze past the opening test of the Exam and then enter the second test. During this time Lee split off from the group and came to the aid of Sakura and her teammates. Neji and TenTen would go in search for him. When they found an injured Lee being harassed by the Sound Genin, Neji dissuaded them from going further. Before he could say more though he witnessed the newly curse sealed Sasuke rise and defeat them. He would note Sasuke's new ominous chakra and successfully finish out the test with his team.

      In the third round prelims Neji would face his cousin Hinata in a match to decide who moved on in the exams. Neji would use the Juuken style to easily parry Hinata's own Juuken strikes. This "soft fist" damaged the internal organs and cut off the chakra pathways of their target. While both exchanged strikes, only Neji's proved effective. Neji expressed his contempt for the main house, due to their declaring the branch house members inferior. He declared that Hinata’s own inferiority was destined and that a loser would always be such, angering Naruto greatly. Hinata was knocked down multiple times, but each time, thanks to Naruto’s encouragement she got back up. Neji grew frustrated and charged to finish her. If not for the Jounin in attendance stopping him, he would have killed Hinata in the fight. This battle and Neji’s attitude towards his cousin would draw the fury of Naruto who promised to defeat Neji for his attitude on "dropouts".

      Naruto and Neji were then chosen to face off in the next round of the Chuunin exams. In this battle, Neji would use a wide array of Hyuuga main house techniques, surprising his uncle Hiashi. Neji and Naruto would engage in an intense battle, and the two would verbally spar about Neji’s past, revealing the Hyuuga family’s dissention. After Neji uses his Juuken style to close Naruto’s chakra holes, Naruto then released his Kyuubi chakra allowing him to continue in the fight. Neji however held an upper hand by using his Hakke Rokujuuyonshou to ward off many of Naruto’s attacks.

     Neji seemed victorious in his fight with Naruto, however Naruto had Neji fooled by using Kage Bunshin. While the real Naruto hid underground, Neji would knock a fake Naruto out. Neji would become overconfident giving his destiny speech to Naruto once again. In this instance however, the real Naruto surfaced and put the finishing blow on Neji, allowing Naruto to win the fight.

      After the Chuunin exams, Hiashi would help shed some light about the death of Neji’s father. After watching Neji’s performance against Naruto, he was convinced that Neji was ready to hear the real story. It turns out that Hizashi had volunteered himself to be killed in order to protect his brother. The reasoning was that Hiashi’s body would give up the secrets of the Byakugan, however, if the cursed seal on Hizashi was activated, the Byakugan would also be wiped out as well. Hizashi had chosen this path in order to protect his village and his family as well. He desired to finally break free and choose his own path for once. After this, Neji’s attitude and hatred for the main house lessened.


        Neji would join Naruto, Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru in their mission to retrieve Sasuke from Sound. Neji would square off against Sound Four ninja Kidoumaru. Neji was put at a great disadvantage as Kidoumaru rained in attack after attack from a great distance. Kidoumaru was even able to find the Byakugan’s blind spot, an area just above the upper back. Neji pushed himself to live up to the ideal of what other ninja saw the Hyuuga as, the best of the best, and the greatest clan in Konoha. Neji seemed to be in a precarious predicament, but after realizing that he still had hope and disregarding destiny altogether, he mustered up his strength and was able to defeat Kidoumaru by sacrificing his body to finally take out his opponent. After receiving attack upon attack, Neji was nearly killed, and would have died if not for the aid of medical ninja who arrived shortly later.

        Over the following years Neji would continue to develop his skills. He and his teammates would eventually pass the Chuunin Exam. Neji himself would also be promoted to Jounin. Neji became more streamlined with the Hyuuga look during this period; donning robes instead of his usual jacket. He would also appear to better accept the Hyuuga "destiny," and found inner peace. He returned to his team with Lee, Ten-ten, and Guy, and assist Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi when they tried to save Gaara from the Akatsuki. The team rushed to aid Gaara and was stopped by Hoshigaki Kisame, or rather, Kisame in a host sacrificial body. Though Neji, Lee and TenTen were captured, Guy would defeat the fake Kisame.

     When they eventually located Akatsuki's cave base, they found it sealed off. Neji located the seals with his Byakugan and told his team where they were so they could remove them. When they removed the seals, the team saw a clone of themselves rise from the earth to combat them. The clones were soon defeated and the team left in pursuit of the fleeing Deidara. When they caught up to the Akatsuki member, they prevented his escape from Naruto's wrath. Deidara, really an explosive clone, moved to kill himself and Neji quickly realized that Deidara was about to explode. He yelled for everyone to flee but Kakashi was able to remove the clone before it caused a catastrophic explosion. Soon thereafter Neji and his team returned to Konoha.

Physical Information
Age: 31
Sex: Female
Birthday: 06/11
Bloodtype: AB
Height: 169.1 cm
Weight: 54.4 kg

Ninja Information
Registration ID: 010881
Hidden Village: Leaf
Rank: Jounin
Team: 8 - Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba + Akamaru

Advancement Data
Academy Grad Age: 9
Chuunin Exam Age: 13
Jutsu: Jubaku Satsu, Kurenai's Flower Petal Escape (Unnamed), Kurenai's Flower Petal Dissolve (Unnamed)

Missions Completed
D-Rank: 152
C-Rank: 158
B-Rank: 235
A-Rank: 138
S-Rank: 14

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 34
First Anime Appearance: Episode 20
Name Meaning: Yuuhi=Setting sun, Kurenai=Crimson
Character Study: Kurenai remains a largely unexplored Jounin master. Her relationship with Asuma eventually results in her losing her lover, but not before they conceive a child together. Looking to honor his master and look out for the next generation, Shikamaru has promised to train Kurenai's child.

 Yuuhi Kurenai is the teacher of Team 8, consisting of Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata. Upon taking her pupils on, she was a recently-promoted Jounin herself, dubbed a rookie by her peers. She was shown acquiring Hinata in a flashback, wearing a distinctly different outfit as her father virtually disowned Hinata and gave her to Kurenai’s care. Kurenai’s outfit was also completely red in an early episode of the anime, possibly being an animation error. All subsequent anime appearances have given her a single red sleeve and white patterned bandages.

      Kurenai, alongside the rest of Team 8, has suffered a lack of exposure save for the anime-exclusive episodes. In the Chuunin Exams, she provided commentary about the fights, but was not shown actively defending the village. It is highly unlikely that she fell asleep from Kabuto’s mass Genjutsu considering her talent in that field. Kurenai’s actual Genjutsu abilities would not be showcased until a later episode. During the Akatsuki infiltration of Konoha, Kakashi semi-jokingly asked if there was any chemistry between her and Sarutobi Asuma from the amount of time they spent together. Kurenai blushed and explained that she was running an errand for sweets for Anko, indicating the two were just friends. Kakashi had them then track Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame. While Asuma kept Kisame busy, Kurenai displayed the ability to entrap both of the intruders in a simultaneous Genjutsu, placing them under the illusion that a tree was ensnaring them.


 
     As Kurenai emerged from the bark ready to kill, Itachi used his Sharingan to reverse the effects, where Kurenai found herself unable to move as the same tree was now pinning her in place. Biting her lip to the point it bled to negate the effects, she was still dispatched by Itachi and then, on Kakashi’s command, rendered helpless as Itachi’s Mangekyou Sharingan threatened them all with a Genjutsu more powerful than they had ever experienced. However, as Guy arrived to lead the counterattack, she stood and prepared to go at them again, forcing their retreat. Aside from a brief appearance at the end of the manga, this would be Kurenai’s last moment in the spotlight until the second part.



       The anime-exclusive episodes offered Kurenai little more than the treatment she received in the manga. She and Asuma were both trampled as the traitorous Mizuki led a prison break from a correctional facility for ninja-criminals. Outnumbered by several hundred, Kurenai was hospitalized. However, her Genjutsu abilities were once again showcased in a short story arc involving a former pupil of hers named Kurama Yakumo, the monstrous Idou (a psychological term for part of the psyche) and a decision made with the Third Hokage to seal it. Kurenai discovered that Yakumo had a part of her subconscious that manifested itself as a twisted version of Yakumo and abused her amazingly strong powers of Genjutsu to satisfy the murderous intent it held.

     Kurenai, under great resentment, sealed up the Idou along with a large deal of Yakumo’s power in a ceremony greatly resembling Kakashi’s with Sasuke, inking various charms and seals around her. Several years later, Kurenai made another resentful decision to abandon her team and deal with Yakumo once more as her power was seeping out again. Throughout the incident, Kurenai showed an almost motherly side of herself trying to protect Yakumo from her innermost dark self, even going as far as entering an illusionary world where any Genjutsu damage would become permanent if desired by the Idou and risking the loss of everything below her neck. It was her words that finally motivated Yakumo to muster the strength to fight and defeat it.

       Kurenai’s role in part 2 of the manga has also been small so far, looking concerned at several points when Asuma was fighting. When Asuma falls in battle, she feels a sudden shock as if hit by a premonition. Shikamaru himself would later give Kurenai the bad news. She and the rest of Konoha would then gather to honor the fallen ninja. Shikamaru would get revenge for his Team and Kurenai, neutralizing Hidan by blowing him up and burying him deep in the earth. Shikamaru would return and find Kurenai at Asuma's grave. He explained how Asuma always looked out for him and he in turn would look out for her son. We then learn that Kurenai is pregnant and wearing a ring. During Naruto's time away Kurenai and Asuma took their relationship to the next level and became engaged. Though she had lost her love, she would soon have a new Sarutobi in her life.

     The pairing of Asuma and Kurenai by fans was a firm favorite, with the two cited being together and quickly denied with blushing even in the manga. Their eventual marriage carried out Kishimoto's hint that there would be romance in the second part of the series. On a trivial note, Kurenai is one of the few kunoichi that uses cosmetics and makeup in a regular manner, with purple eye shadow and dark red lipstick. In conjunction with her striking two-tone red eyes, it might be possible she uses this to draw attention to herself and trap the enemy in Genjutsu more effectively.



 

Physical Information
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Birthday: 07/07
Bloodtype: B
Height: 169.1 cm
Weight: 52.5 kg

Ninja Information
Registration ID: 012620
Hidden Village: Leaf
Rank: Chuunin
Team: 8 - Yuuhi Kurenai, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino

Advancement Data
Academy Grad Age: 12
Chuunin Exam Age: 14
Jutsu: Akamaru {Dainamikku Maakingu}, Kiba {Shikyaku, Tsuuga}, Akamaru+Kiba {Garouga, Gatsuuga, Inuzuka Ryuu Chinjuu Konbi Henge: Soutou Rou, Juujin Bunshin}

Missions Completed
D-Rank: 21
C-Rank: 19
B-Rank: 8
A-Rank: 2
S-Rank: 0

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 34
First Anime Appearance: Episode 1
Name Meaning: Inu=Dog zuka=A small hill, Kiba="Fang", Aka=Red maru=Boys name
Character Study: Sometimes aloof and hot-tempered, Kiba provided Naruto his first challenge in the Chuunin Exam. Kiba lost but grew to respect Naruto from the point on, offering to help him return Sasuke to the village. Over the years both Kiba and Akamaru would grow in both skills and size.

  Kiba Inuzuka is a member of Team 8, alongside Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, watched over by Yuuhi Kurenai. He is rarely seen, if ever, without his lifelong companion, Akamaru.

     The Inuzuka family have close relations with canines. They share some traits with them too, as indicated by Kiba’s unique sense of smell. Because of this ability, he forms an integral part of Team 8’s tracking specialty with Hinata’s vision and Shino’s homing abilities. Akamaru is also sensitive to chakra, adding another edge to their detection skills. It was Akamaru’s sensitivity that first alerted them to danger when the team had a close brush with the Sand siblings in the Chuunin exam, where they witnessed a small demonstration of Gaara’s fearsome power. Akamaru literally hid as Gaara wiped out a trio of Rain participants single-handedly. Luckily, they remained undiscovered as Gaara looked for more targets and finally calmed down.

       Due to the nature of the Chuunin exams, all three were entered into the preliminaries to half the number of winners. Kiba was drawn against Naruto Uzumaki, to both their confidence. Kiba remembered how poor Naruto was in the academy. Facing Naruto with Akamaru by his side he felt a win was a sure thing. Despite flooring Naruto with a beast mimicking style of Taijutsu that made him bleed from the mouth, Naruto rose. Kiba then created a cloud of smoke and used the lack of sight along with Akamaru to keep the advantage to himself. However, Naruto once again stole the advantage back and used a combination of Kage Bunshin and Henge to fool Kiba and capture Akamaru. Insulted, Kiba fed Akamaru a pill that turns his fur red and increases his strength. The two then used a combination technique that makes them both into feral-looking versions of Kiba that boast enhanced speed and strength, double-teaming Naruto with wild scratches and bites, culiminating into a spinning drill attack. Kiba’s confidence only increased after the attack, causing him to taunt that he would be more likely to be Hokage before Naruto.

     However, Naruto’s determination caused him to stand again. Irritated, Kiba and Akamaru proceeded to shred him up even more, throwing more smoke bombs to prevent his escape. However, they halted their assault as Naruto masked himself as one of them. Kiba’s sense of smell proved superior, however, causing him to lash out at the fake. However, the hit clone changed into Akamaru. Instantly, Kiba slammed an even more savage hit into the other, who also slide away and transformed into Akamaru. The first Akamaru then transformed back into Naruto and attacked Kiba, now Akamaru was out of the match entirely thanks to Kiba.

       Kiba resumed his solo assault, becoming fiercer and drawing more blood as revenge for making him hit his own dog, wounding Naruto and severely turning the tide of the match in his own favor. Naruto repeatedly threatened a new move, but Kiba would rush in to finish him off before he can by slipping in for an attack on his blind side. However, Naruto’s nervousness caused him to lose control of his bodily functions inadvertently. Kiba is forced to stagger back, revolted at the smell from his ultra-sensitive nose. Naruto then put him away with an imitation of Sasuke’s own copy of Lee, eliminating Kiba.

     Later, Kiba attended the finals as a spectator, watching over Hinata due to her injuries from her battle with Neji. Her condition worsened, causing an ANBU member to heal her. As Kiba went to thank him, Akamaru began barking, recognizing the ANBU member as someone they had met before. Before Akamaru could be any more specific about his identity, the ANBU member silenced them both to prevent them revealing he was Kabuto. They remained out cold for the duration of the failed invasion.

      Kiba was later added to an impromptu team in a desperation mission to retrieve Sasuke, with him and Akamaru leading the way for their tracking abilities. During the mission, he ended up taking on Sakon, the strongest of Orochimaru’s active bodyguards. Debuting a new technique that transformed himself and Akamaru into a gigantic two-headed lupine beast, he landed a direct hit on Sakon, literally splitting him in half. However, thanks to the power bestowed on Sakon that allowed him to attack in tandem with his conjoined brother, Ukon, they survived and continued to attack. Summoning an equally large gate as a barrier, which they referred to as "Orochimaru’s strongest defense", they were surprised when even though it stopped the beast, it had been dented. Worse still, Akamaru had taken the worst damage, leaving Kiba without a partner.

     Things declined again when Ukon’s demonic face sprouted from Kiba’s shoulder, as he explained their power to manipulate flesh and that while he had merged into Kiba, he would simply tear him apart at a cellular level. In desperation, Kiba drove his kunai into his own abdomen, realizing that sharing the same body would cause damage to Ukon too, forcing him out and allowing Kiba to take Akamaru to escape. The twins pursued Kiba until they cornered him, where assistance luckily arrived in the form of another double-team from Kankurou, who saved Kiba’s life by trapping Ukon (with Sakon in his body) inside a puppet and impaling him. Both Kiba and Akamaru would recover fully from their wounds, mostly due to the care of Kiba’s sister, Hana, an expert in dog care.

      Kiba would feature in a number of anime-exclusive episodes, living up to his usual character as a hot-headed and energetic foil for Naruto. One episode covered his relationship with Akamaru, who had been mutated by a bio-attack of Konoha, the results of which made him much larger in size and more savage. Although the events of the manga occurred first, this would prove ironic as his first appearance in part 2 showed Akamaru to have grown to around 5 times his previous size, enough for Kiba to ride comfortably on his back. Aside from his re-introduction that showed their changes in appearance, neither Kiba nor Akamaru have had another appearance in the manga to date, much to the annoyance of fans of Team 8, which has been proven to be the most underused team in canon.


 

Physical Information
Age: 16
Sex: Female
Birthday: 12/27
Bloodtype: A
Height: 160 cm
Weight: 45 kg
Bloodline: Byakugan Eye

Ninja Information
Registration ID: 012612
Hidden Village: Leaf
Rank: Chuunin
Team: 8 - Yuuhi Kurenai, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba + Akamaru

Advancement Data
Academy Grad Age: 12
Chuunin Exam Age: 14
Jutsu: Byakugan, Juuken Ryuu, Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou

Missions Completed
D-Rank: 10
C-Rank: 14
B-Rank: 8
A-Rank: 1
S-Rank: 0

First Manga Appearance: Chapter 34
First Anime Appearance: Episode 1
Name Meaning: Hyuuga=Towards the sun, Hinata=Sunny place
Character Study: Hinata’s main role has been as a quiet supporter for Naruto, acknowledging him long before many others in village did. Her character is that of a timid and shy wallflower, who goes to almost obsessive lengths to follow him around. She is popular among fans, cited as being cute. Naruto and Hinata, while defying a lot of logic and being unlikely to happen, is among the most popular fan pairings despite Naruto not showing interest in her. He does acknowledge her strengths and abilities, which in the end may be enough for her.

 Hyuuga Hinata is a member of the main house of the Hyuuga clan, a noble family living in Konoha. Her first appearance in the series marks her as shy, timid and meek, which changes very little throughout. Hinata is assigned to the 3-man team number 8, comprising of herself, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba, watched by Jounin sensei Yuuhi Kurenai. With her bloodline’s special ability, the Byakugan or White Eye, she can see far off into the distance and through objects, complimenting Kiba’s sense of smell and Shino’s homing abilities.


     Hinata is first introduced gazing at Naruto, making it known she looks at him with admiration but is too shy to say anything. This becomes a running joke later on, where the mere sight of Naruto can cause her to become paralyzed or faint. Hinata was successfully entered into and participated in the Chuunin Exam, proceeding to the preliminaries for the third round. During their time in the forest of death, she and her team had a near miss with Gaara’s team, witnessing the terrifying power he commanded. It was during the preliminaries that she took her time in the spotlight as the random matches pitted her against her cousin, Neji.

        Neji more proficient at using the Byakugan and the Hyuuga-developed fighting style that used it. Before the match began, he noticed her body language and encouraged her to give up, telling her she wasn’t fit to be a ninja. The two engaged in a stunning hand-to-hand battle of the Juuken Ryuu (Gentle Fist) style, channelling chakra into their hands and along the body’s inner chakra pathways, causing internal damage. Despite their impressive fight, Neji was clearly the better fighter. During the battle, Neji expressed his contempt for the main house, due to him being a branch house member and considered inferior despite his skill. He also declared that Hinata’s inferiority was destined and that a loser would always be such, angering Naruto. Hinata was knocked down multiple times, but each time, thanks to Naruto’s encouragement to beat Neji and make him eat his words, she got back up. Her sensei Kurenai was surprised by Hinata's drive, thinking over how she lacked self-worth and how her lack of confidence led her to fail missions in the past.

     The final straw came when Neji decided to put Hinata down for good with a blow that would have certainly been fatal. Before he could strike, most of the sensei jumped in to stop him. Outraged, Neji further taunted Hinata about how she was receiving mercy because of the preferential treatment the main house received. Despite his attack being stopped, Hinata collapsed anyway, coughing up blood and needing medical attention. It was on her blood that Naruto swore to defeat Neji for his attitude on "dropouts".

      Hinata recovered over the following month. Shortly before the start of the third Chuunin test, she went to the Genin training area to think over her past and her self worth. There she met Naruto, who was unsure of himself before his upcoming battle with Neji. Hinata reassured Naruto that even though he made mistakes he never let them get the better of him. He always pushed to make himself better and he inspired her to never give up as well. This heartened Naruto and he let her know that though he thought she was weird before, he now knows he likes someone like her. Hinata was stunned by the news and stared blankly into space where Naruto had once been. She then left to watch the finals of the exam with Kiba. Hinata was still not fully healed and she began coughing again when Neji began to tell Naruto of their family's past. Kabuto, posing as an ANBU member offered to help her. He used his medical techniques to heal her, why he offered this help is unknown.

     It was during this time we learned of the history of the Hyuuga and how the branch house members are branded with the sealing mark on their foreheads. It was the attempted kidnapping of Hinata by a Cloud ninja which lead to the eventual death of Neji's father Hizashi. Hinata's father Hiashi saved her by killing the Cloud ninja, and Cloud sought recompense for their dead ninja by asking for Hiashi's dead body in return. Hizashi chose to volunteer instead, much to his brother's dismay, all to go against the fate of the branch family. Back at the Chuunin Exam, Hinata remained unconscious during the invasion and from this point onwards, became less involved into the story to the point that her appearances were usually watching Naruto while hidden and silently supporting him.

        Hinata enjoyed a much bigger role in the anime-only episodes, where she invented a new jutsu which combined the techniques Neji knew that she lacked, pioneering the Shugo Hakke Rokujyuyonshou, or Guardian Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand. Often paired up with and put in embarrassing situations with Naruto yet never developing their relationship, it was mostly fanservice for the popular coupling. She briefly returned in the manga, but only for a moment where upon catching sight of Naruto, she performed her signature fainting. 




 

Physical Information
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Birthday: 09/22
Bloodtype: AB
Height: 170.0 cm
Weight: 53.4 kg

Ninja Information
Registration ID: 012611
Hidden Village: Leaf
Rank: Chuunin
Team: 10 - Akimichi Chouji, Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma

Advancement Data
Academy Grad Age: 12
Chuunin Exam Age: 12
Jutsu: Kage Kubi Shibari, Kage Mane, Kage Nui, Kage Mane Shuriken, Kage Yose
Weapons: Asuma's chakra imbuing knives

Missions Completed
D-Rank: 8
C-Rank: 3
B-Rank: 9
A-Rank: 19
S-Rank: 0


First Manga Appearance: Chapter 34
First Anime Appearance: Episode 1
Name Meaning: Nara (Prefecture), Shika=Deer, Maru=Boys name
Note: Shikamaru, takes the part of the Deer in the Hanafuda "Ino(Boar), Shika(Deer), Chou(Butterfly)" card combo hand.
Character Study: One of the most analytical minds in the series, Shikamaru relies on his brains rather than an extensive or powerful jutsu repertoire. It's this mind that helps him become the first Chuunin among his age group and one of the few Leaf to take out an Akatsuki member one on one.

 Nara Shikamaru is a member of Team 10, along with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji, watched by Asuma Sarutobi.

     Shikamaru is chronically lazy, refusing to even pick up a pencil to take a test because he found it so boring. He has a catchphrase of sorts, "Mendoukusei" which is frequently translated into English as variants of "This sucks…" or "What a drag!", furthering his frustrations with many situations. Being from the Nara family, he is able to use his shadow in a special manner. The shadow will move across the ground as though another light source were present, even altering shape completely, until it touches the shadow of another person. For around 5 minutes or so, the victim will lose control of most of their body, only able to speak on their own. Otherwise, their every movement will match Shikamaru, allowing him to control them. Shikamaru would rather relax and look at the clouds, than expend any energy doing school work. His general desire is to marry, make a good living and be able to retire, successful and happy with himself and die before his wife.

      Shikamaru was on hand to delay the Sound Trio in the Chuunin exams, stopping Dosu Kinuta from interfering for a brief time. While his technique wasn’t entirely effective, it bought enough time for more help to arrive. Later, in the preliminaries, he used it once again when he was randomly selected against another of the Sound Trio, Kin Tsuchi. Shikamaru captured her with his shadow and drew a shuriken, forcing Kin to do the same. After flinging it, neither had a choice about avoiding it. However, Shikamaru was in the open while Kin was near a wall. As he bended backwards to avoid it, Kin copied the movement and drove her head into the wall behind her, knocking herself out. The sneaky action earned Shikamaru a spot in the finals and the chance at Chuunin promotion.

      Upon reaching the finals, Shikamaru was placed against a kunoichi from the Hidden Sand Village, Temari. Temari was, like him, a keen analyst and had an extremely powerful attack, blasting gusts of cutting wind at him from out of his shadow’s reach. The battle was more of a war of wits than violence, with Shikamaru first using the shadow coming from the stadium’s walls to add to the length his own shadow could stretch, forcing Temari to second-guess her range. Still in control, Temari battered him with more wind, forcing him to retreat. Hiding, Shikamaru took up a kneeling stance. At this point, spectators assumed he was preparing for a jutsu to counterattack. However, his teacher knew better.

      Shikamaru’s laziness hides his true strength, an IQ that reaches over 200 and a way of thinking that places him ahead of someone else, easily allowing him to set up traps. With Temari now confident in her range being safe, he once again extended his shadow, removing his jacket and forehead protector to make a parachute that floated towards Temari, allowing him to lengthen his shadow once more, forcing Temari to once more reassess the situation. However, as she prepared for her own final move, she suddenly found herself bound by his shadow… thinking two steps ahead, Shikamaru had been using his attempts to lengthen his shadow to effectively lure Temari over to a hole in the ground that had been created earlier in the finals. The darkness provided by the tunnel leading into it allowed him to sneak the shadow behind her. With his checkmate in place, Shikamaru then raised his hand… and gave up. Realizing that he was only able to hold Temari with the shadow for a tiny length of time longer, it would be better to cut his losses instead of risk being helpless and close up to her. It was this action that would later see him promoted to Chuunin as someone who would not endanger his charges for the sake of a mission.

      When the invasion occurred, the mass-sleep spell Kabuto had cast was cancelled, but due to his laziness, he feigned sleep to avoid being dragged into combat, much to the annoyance of Sakura. When Kakashi summoned a dog, Pakkun, to assist them in tracking, Shikamaru was "encouraged" to go along by permission to touch his paw-pads. When Shikamaru was not swayed, the dog tried another method and succeeded by biting him. As they chased Gaara and Sasuke, they noticed that they were being tracked. Shikamaru’s intellect once again helped as he gathered a bundle of sticks and used them to leave a red herring by mimicking Pakkun’s paw prints and buying time. Although it didn’t throw them off for long, Shikamaru decided he would buy more time by sacrificing himself, holding the pursuers with his shadows until he was no longer able to bind them. When everything looked bleak, Asuma appeared to save his life.



       The aftermath of the incident saw Shikamaru being promoted to Chuunin, but with a different outlook on Temari, not as a female but as a respected analyst. His leadership would be tested shortly later when an impromptu team was formed to return Sasuke. Arranging a formation based on everyone’s special skills, he managed to follow the Sound Four and outwit their main powerhouse, Jiroubou, by faking the desire to save his own skin and discovering the weak point of the prison he made. Shortly later, he was separated from the group and put into a one-on-one scenario with the illusion specialist, Tayuya.

      Tayuya’s main strength was her flute, which could be used to summon and control a trio of vicious chakra ogres. The ogres were capable of releasing phantasmal parasites from their mouths which ate away at a person, though incorporeal. With no way to overpower the entities, Shikamaru once again out-thought his opponent by setting up a 9-step sequence, much like a Rube-Goldberg mechanism, to capture all three of the ogres with his shadow. Tayuya was astounded, thinking he had figured out what the notes of her melody did. Shikamaru corrected her, saying that he was watching how the movements of her ogres corresponded with her fingers on the flute. With her ogres no longer being an option, Tayuya pushed herself further and fully activated her cursed seal and trapped Shikamaru in a torturous illusion.



       As Shikamaru sat in a state of shock, Tayuya approached him ready to kill him, picking up a weapon. However, Shikamaru had already broken the illusion by dislocating his finger, waiting for her to walk closer because she had previously boasted that the only weapon she needed was her flute. Now she was in range, he began to his lethal variation of his jutsu, trying to make his shadow reach her neck and strangle her. At the same time, she was about to stab him, forcing him to split his efforts between killing her and using his shadow to hold her hand back. Just as his strength wore off, Temari appeared on official orders to assist him, summoning a kamaitachi (a mythical weasel associated with sickles, that cuts using wind and was responsible for one of her jutsu names) to cut down the forest around Tayuya. Her crushed corpse was seen in the rubble, increasing Shikamaru’s admiration for Temari.

     However, after the mission, Shikamaru grieved upon hearing two of his subordinates Chouji and Neji, one a close friend, had been critically wounded. Temari, followed by his father, gave him the words he needed to hear instead of what he wanted to. He made a tearful promise that next time; he’d do a better job.

     One of Shikamaru’s roles in the anime-exclusive episodes was taking his team-mates out on their second mission since the rescue attempt, successfully detaining the Legendary Stupid Brothers long enough for Tsunade to arrive. Since their level of physical strength was not too far below Tsunade’s, it took a combined effort of physical, magical and even mental restraint from the whole team to delay their rampage.

        Shikamaru was shown very early in Part 2 of the manga, now given an official position as a Chuunin Examiner. He was also to meet with Temari, who was eventually given the counterpart of his position in her own village, meaning the two met for official business while arranging the new Chuunin Exam. When Naruto was being "attacked" by Sai, Shikamaru displayed a new offensive skill, allowing him to raise his shadow from the ground as a solid object and use it as a fast-moving piercing tentacle.



      Shikamaru next battled Akatsuki’s team of Hidan and Kakuzu, two people that boasted near-immortality, yet he came to understand the weaknesses of Hidan and exploit them multiple times. However, he could not stop Hidan from using his divine curse to kill his team leader Sarutobi Asuma. Shikamaru began smoking to honor his fallen sensei and planned to not give it up until he was avenged. He also took ownership of Asuma's chakra absorbing knives. These knives allowed Shikamaru to imbue his shadow chakra into a "pin" which could stick into his opponent's shadow and bind them. He used these new skills and other preparations alongside his teammates when they sought revenge again Hidan and Kakuzu. After tracking them down, Shikamaru himself would get his chance, going one on one with the skilled Hidan in a rematch.

     Shikamaru led Hidan away from the others. There he carefully played out his trap, using all the knowledge he gained from Asuma's battle to ensure he didn't share the same fate. Ignoring Hidan's boasts, Shikamaru managed to bind Hidan and cover him in explosive tags. Then using Asuma's lighter and cigarette's he lit one. Shikamaru then imagined the smoke coalescing into Asuma, who congratulated him and passed his Will of Fire on to the young man. Shikamaru coldly stated that Hidan dug his own grave when he killed his sensei. He then flicked the lit cigarette which struck the explosive tags, blowing Hidan to pieces. Shikamaru returned to Konoha and spoke with Kurenai, telling her how Asuma was always there for him, like he would be there for her baby. The pregnant Kurenai thanked him, as she and Asuma were married. Shikamaru would make sure her baby was looked after like Asuma watched over him.

        Shikamaru relates heavily with Chouji, to the point that the two can be considered the best of friends after Shikamaru overlooked Chouji’s weight as a child. While Shikamaru initially dislikes women, mostly thanks to the bossy and bratty attitude that Ino shows and the petty squabbles Sakura gets into (alongside his mother’s temper), he is gradually dropping his prejudices after a word from his father and his mutual respect for Temari. Temari is also paired with him frequently by fans, citing their shared analytical skills and respect, now strengthened by their frequent liaisons on official business. However, the two have rarely shown any intimacy towards each other and are, as far as Kishimoto has drawn, little more than mutual admirers of one another. Shikamaru’s popularity among fans is also immense ranking high in many polls.