#being scolded and bullied despite attempts to Be Good and earn Approval

[faunabel]

apparently i also put tolerate it by taylor swift on my playlist for vene....... i also see it. perhaps in a looser sort of way.

[lovelahela]

❛ high road ❜ ─ mother of the year.

⇢ entry for choices march challenge ! @choicesmarchchallenge

⇢ pairing: hailey young + astra young, thomas mendez x mc (hailey young)

⇢ genre: fluff, humour

⇢ prompt: high road ++ kindness

⇢ description: in which astra is paired up with ajax for a school project and seeks life lessons from her mother on how to deal with it.

⇢ word count: 1597

⇢ notes: i’m going to try my best to participate at least every other day if not every day for the rest of the month in hope of spreading positivity during these difficult times. i really do hope i'll manage to put a smile on someone's face and these dark moments just a little bit easier.

if you want to be put on my moty tag list, tell me!

❛ it's my way or the high way! ❜

❛ that... is not what i meant when i told you to take the high road, sweetie. ❜

Soft laughter and the aromatic scent that insinuated the presence of baked goods in the outdated oven filled the quaint apartment on a sunny Sunday afternoon. A brunette with a petite frame struggled against the hold of a noticeably taller and broader man wearing the goofiest grin on his handsome face. Hailey shrieked in surprise when Thomas smeared the coccoa filled batter across her rosy cheeks.

"You've crossed a line! THIS MEANS WAR!" She emitted a surprisingly powerful battlecry for such a small woman, shocking her captor into released her from his arms. He stared at her for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before he burst into laughter so genuine that Hailey's feigned angry expression softened into one of admiration and awe.

Thomas braced himself against the counter and his shoulders and entire body shook as sounds of joy interrupted the short period of silence. A small smile stretched her small, plump lips and eyes the colour of rich soil sparkled with fondness. Once his laughter died down, he coughed awkwardly upon noticing her staring and their closeness, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uh — you have a pretty strong battlecry for someone so tiny." He grinned yet again, a playful glint in his steel blue-gray eyes.

Hailey whacked his shoulder jokingly. "Rude! I'm not that short, for a Korean woman."

"Emphasis on the for a Korean part." She poked his ribs, receiving a surprised yelp as a response. He raised his arms defensively. "Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing. Wouldn't wanna lose you — people of your stature are in short supply."

Hailey gasped, but couldn't fight the wide smile that practically stretched from ear to ear. "You did not!"

"You're right, I didn't." He looked at her with a wicked expression. "I wouldn't dare insult you — you're a little intimidating — and yet very good at small talk!"

She squealed in mocked offense and slapped his rather muscular arm multiple times, ignoring the fact that he showed little to no reaction to her attempted physical attacks. "You're just jealous you'd never be able to measure up to someone as amazing as me!"

Thomas cackled evilly at her choice of words. "You know what, Hailey Bear? You're right. I might need to knock myself down a few inches. Maybe lower my expectations a little bit."

At that point, she couldn't fight the giggles that bubbled out of her lips against her will. "I walked myself into that one!" Her laughter bounced off the words, chaotic and jovial, but like a melody to his ears. While he appeared distracted with her, she seized the opportunity to smear batter across his cheeks in retaliation. He gasped, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"Traitor!" He lunged at her menacingly, and with a surprised squeal, Hailey attempted to flee from impending doom. However, he was too fast for her, and grabbed her arm with a satisfied "aha!"

Without realizing his own strength, he pulled her body up against his own, suddenly putting mere centimetres between their faces. Granted, she had to tilt her head upwards to fully look him in his widened eyes — which she realized were rather gorgeous up close. His lips were parted, shocked by the sudden turn of events, and his breathing was laboured as his heart hammered against his ribcage.

A fuzzy feeling that, as much as she hated to admit it, only ever showed up around the adorable yet dorky lawyer settled in Hailey's stomach. Blood rushed to her already reddened cheeks and ears as she tried to ignore the feeling of her chest pressed against hers. They were either too shocked to move, or they didn't want to — maybe a little bit of both.

The sound of a door being flung open snapped them back into reality, and they sprung apart from each other. The two dissolved into a fit of embarased coughs, each avoiding the other's gaze. Two small girls shuffled into the living room, oblivious to the tension between their parents. Luz, Thomas's fiesty daughter with lovely, curly hair had her arms crossed across her chest defiantly with a determined look on her adorably scrunched up face. However, Hailey's daughter Astraea, whose messy bangs shielded her eyes shamefully and gloomily, had her shoulders slumped in defeat. Hailey's motherly instincts kicked in almost immediately, completely forgetting her previous interactions with Thomas.

She rushed forward and kneeled down, gently placing her hands on her petite child's shoulders. A frown distorted her gentle features. "Hey, hey, what's wrong, sweetie?"

Though her voice was calm, it was laced with concern. Thomas furrowed his eyebrows worriedly and glanced at Luz for an explanation.

"Astra's still sad that she got partnered with that buttface August for our science project."

"Luz! Language!"

"Hey! You weren't supposed to tell!" Astraea pouted at her best friend's betrayal, bottom lip quivering inconspicuously. Hailey almost didn't notice it.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Rocket?" The corners of Astraea's lips quirked upwards at the use of the nickname her mother and her beloved neighbour Levi began calling her, but the smile faded as quickly as it came.

"I didn't want you to talk to the teachers, or anything. People will think I'm a snitch — and snitches get stitches," she whimpered, ashamed of keeping it a secret from her mother.

"That — that assbutt will get stitches if he doesn't watch out!" yelled Luz angrily.

Hailey bit down her laugh when Thomas choked on thin air behind her, imagining the horrified look on his face. "WHERE ARE YOU LEARNING THOSE WORDS?"

"Look, August may be a little mean — " she ignored the scoff from Luz, knowing she couldn't truly express what she thought about that little twerp " — but he wouldn't risk failing to bully you. If he tries to annoy or tease you, just take the high road. Do you know what that means?"

Astraea thought back to the time she heard her mother use a similar phrase when talking to someone on the phone, and scrunched up her face in determination with an exaggerated nod. "Yep! Thanks, mom!"

Hailey ruffled her daughter's shoulder-blade-length, jet black hair and fixed the bangs so she could see her beautiful irises, a warm brown with specks of a soft blue you could spot if you looked hard enough. After her messy divorce with her ex-husband Guy Ledford, those blue specks reminded her of his despicable eyes until Astraea made them her own.

Once the duo rushed back into Astra's bedroom, Hailey stood up and absentmindedly turned to face Thomas. Nervous butterflies ate at her insides as memories of their exchanged flooded her mind.

"I — Uh — We — "

" I mean — Um — We could — "

Upon accepting that neither of them could formulate a full, coherent sentence, they let out a single cough simultaneously and resumed their baking activities, subtly smiling to themselves despite their flaming cheeks.

The following day, Hailey drived to Bernhardt academy, anxious about seeing how Astraea handled her day with the pompous child that made her put up with incessant teasing and occasional bullying. Her blood boiled whenever she thought of him and his mother, Vanessa Blackwood, who had been throwing comments with underlying hints of racism and homophobia at her. Although his twin brother Ajax was more bearable, he was too meek.

The students began filing out of the school and ran into their parents' waiting arms. Hailey stood on her tiptoes, her eyes scanning the crowd of little ones to find her own. Finally, she spotted Astraea walking out in a fast pace, arguing with a familiar boy while clutching her books against her chest in a knuckle-whitening grip. Hailey frowned at the sight of the two bickering heatedly and waited for them to get closer to listen to their conversation. Luz and Thomas walked up beside her.

"Everything okay, Hails?" asked Thomas gently, his arm around his child's shoulder. Said child cracked her knuckles menacingly while glaring at the bully walking beside her approaching best friend. "Time to kick some butt!"

He sighed, but decided against scolding her for the time being.

"You're wrong! That would be totally uncool! We should build an airplane!" argued August relentlessly as his brother trailed behind him nervously.

Finally, Astraea whirled around and glared at him fiercly, very red-faced and teeth clenched.

"For the last time, the theme isn't aerodynamics!" The volume of her voice heightened with each uttered word, drawing the fleeting attention of near parents and children. Hailey gaped at the sight of her sweet little daughter snapping at someone, and despite the proud feeling that welled up inside of her, she warned her like any other responsible adult would do, in theory. "Astra! Inside voices!"

Even August appeared shocked at her outburst. "You can't talk to me like that!"

"Yes, I... I can!" Her voice and resolve wavered at his equally furious and intimidating gaze, worrying her mother. However, she squared her shoulders and retorted confidently. "It's... It's my way or the high way!"

No one spoke for the following seconds, unsure of what to say at her uncharacteristic choice of words. Upon processing the context behind them, Hailey snorted, earning a look of disapproval from Thomas while Luz whooped in approval at Astraea's decision to stand up for herself aggressively.

She cracked an involuntary smile, beaming proudly at her daughter. "That... is not what I meant when I told you to take the high road, sweetie."

[blog-emtech-blog]

Naruto Series

Naruto (NARUTO -ナルト-) is a manga by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime TV series adaptation. Its main character, Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for approval and recognition, as well as to become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.

The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's Shōnen Jump magazine. VIZ Media publishes a translated version in the American Shonen Jump, and is currently within a few volumes of the Japanese publication. Naruto has become VIZ Media's best-selling manga series

Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto) is a shinobi of Konohagakure. 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).

Contents

A newborn Naruto 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 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, escorted 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 from the Nine-Tails.

With Minato gone, Tobi captured Kushina and released the Nine-Tails from her, using it to devastate Konoha.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. Since the Nine-Tails' chakrawas too immense to seal 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, 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.[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 surround 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 meets Hinata.

On the day of his enrolment in the Ninja Academy - 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 affections for him began from that moment onwards.

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 class-mate Sasuke Uchiha and tried to befriend him, since he was alone as well. Jealous of Sasuke's skills and popularity, however, 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 equalNaruto 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 is characterised 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 excited or frustrated. Though he responds best to competition and is not afraid to ask for assistance, Naruto is relatively naive, simple, and slow to understand principles or situations. He often requires an oversimplified analogy in order to grasp explanations,[25] and can even forget some concepts that he himself noted earlier if he is too emotional.[26] Naruto is aware of his faults, and admits he acts strong to mask his embarrassment and frustration about them. Despite his naivety, Naruto can be quite observant, picking up on things others miss and retaining information casually gathered through conversation.

Growing up as an orphan who suffered years of hatred and social isolation by Konoha's villagers 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, as he stopped referring to Lee as "Bushy Brows" and calls him by his name; he has picky eating habits of ramen, his favourite food; he has a perverted side that manifests as uses of the Sexy Technique or attempts to peep into women's baths;[32] he didn't understand the real meaning of "love" and believes that loving and/or being loved by someone and ramen are both the same. Despite his quirks and the criticism they earn him, 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. He is thus able to build 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. Naruto deeply cherishes these bonds and will go to great lengths to protect them, best seen with Sasuke after his defection from Konoha. Naruto's time at the Falls of Truth revealed that a part of him hated the villagers for ostracising him, only to admire him after he saved them during Pain's Assault. This allowed Kurama to manipulate Naruto's rage until he confronted it and learned to let it go, becoming greater than what he suffered.[35]

Naruto promises Sakura to return Sasuke to Konoha.

Another of Naruto's prominent traits is his desire for acknowledgement; his pranks around the village were for people to notice, or at least scold, him. Therefore, he dreamed of one day becoming Konoha's Hokage, the epitome of acknowledgement and respect from everyone in the village.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 how big the obstacle is or how long it takes to complete it. This guides him in many aspects of life besides a battle, such as his promise to Sakura of bringing Sasuke back to Konoha. Over time, his goal to be Hokage grew from a desire for acknowledgement to a desire to help and protect the people close to him, which Tobi attributed to the Will of Fire. His nindō is reinforced by his understanding that shinobi were meant to endure through hardships.[38] His belief in hard work and perseverance made him detest people who would use insincere shortcuts to achieve their goals, as he disqualified his son from the Chūnin Exams for using the banned and unfair Kote, and expressed disgust at Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki for their reliance on harvesting from Chakra Fruits to lazily gain power.[39]

After the death of his master Jiraiya, talking to his father Minato and listening to Nagato's tragic story, Naruto grew to understand the cycle of hatred and vowed to break it in order to bring real peace to the world.[40] 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 reincarnatedItachi 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.[41][42]

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 largely oblivious to Hinata's feelings for him and even considered her "weird" because of her shyness around him. However, things 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.[43] In Part II, as Hinata becomes willing to risk her life to protect Naruto, he in turn sees her as a strong person despite his speechlessness at her love confession. Naruto did grow to love Hinata subconsciously, but he was never able to consciously realise 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 always 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.

As an adult, Naruto becomes wiser and more mature, though he retains some of his negligence for honourifics.[44] Although he finally achieves his dream of becoming Hokage, its many tasks not only overwhelm Naruto at times, but often leave him unable to spend time with his family, particularly upsetting his son Boruto. He admits that part of this stems from not having grown up with a father himself, making it difficult for him to know how to interact properly with his own children, mostly with his son.[45] Naruto is also more responsible in his duties as Hokage and as a father: he forbids use of the Kote in the Chūnin Exams as it diminishes a shinobi's true potential; he is disappointed by Boruto's cheating in the exams and even removes his forehead protector in front of the audience after lecturing him. Nevertheless, Naruto deeply 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.[39] He in fact adopts Hiruzen's philosophy that everyone in the village is his family, believing that true relationships are made up of love rather than blood relations.[46] 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.[39]

Appearance

According to Jiraiya, Naruto strongly resembles his father:[47] he has blond, spiky hair and blue eyes, while inheriting the shape of his mother's eyes and face.[48] His trademark characteristic 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.[49] Naruto was rather short for his age during Part I,[50] though he grew to be taller than Sakura in Part II.[51] Naruto originally wore green goggles on his forehead, though he discards them upon becoming a genin.

Naruto in Part II (left) and in Part I (right) respectively.

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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,[52] 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 in The Last: Naruto the Movie.

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Naruto loses his right arm after the Fourth Shinobi World War, though it is later replaced by a fully maneouverable prosthetic arm made of Hashirama Senju's cells, wrapped completely in bandages. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto grew taller again, 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 Boruto: Naruto Next Generations), black pants and sandals. He occasionally wears the traditional Hokage headpiece, but has stopped wearing a forehead protector.

Abilities

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

Naruto was an inept student in the Academy, failing to graduate three times before becoming a shinobi. Through sheer determination, however, his skills rapidly improved in Part I by defeating strong shinobi such as Neji Hyūga, Gaara, and Kabuto Yakushi, earning acknowledgement from the Sannin for his potential.[53] Under Jiraiya's tutelage for two-and-a-half years and his training at Mount Myōboku, Naruto became strong enough to fight and defeat members of Akatsuki, which ultimately earned him praise from the Konoha villagers as a hero of Hokage-material.[54] Although the Fourth Shinobi World War was initially meant for his protection at most of the Kages' behest, Naruto's eventual and required participation led to the defeat of many of the reincarnated Kage[55] and tailed beasts.[56] He also could defeat opponents who threatened the fate of the shinobi world, such as Sasuke, Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, Kaguya and Toneri Ōtsutsuki. Others believed Naruto had surpassed the previous Hokage and was the central force in winning the war.[57][58][59] In fact, by adulthood, his prowess earned him the position as the Seventh Hokage, achieving his long-time goal, and is regarded as the strongest shinobi in history, with Sasuke being the only one capable of matching him.

Chakra and Physical Prowess

Naruto sharing Kurama's chakra through physical contact.

As an Uzumaki, and a reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki,[62] Naruto has massive reserves of strong chakra, estimated as being at least four times greater than Kakashi's, and described by Karin as "bright and warm."[63][64] He initially struggled with controlling his chakra properly, which was offset by his large reserves.[65] Naruto's reserves were so large, he could fight for three and a half days of constant battle against several powerfulopponents, only getting exhausted by the end of his battle with his rival Sasuke Uchiha, and even then he had the reserves to fight Sasuke to a standstill and eventually defeat him.[66] Naruto's control improved greatly over time: he could transfer his chakra to others,[67] and perform one-handed hand seals.[68] He later received chakra from all of the other tailed beasts, and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, which increased his reserves even further. Naruto's powerful life force grants him an extreme longevity, healing power, stamina, and vitality,[69] and this allowed him to survive the extraction of a tailed beast for a while.[70] These traits are all augmentedafter he receives a prosthetic forearm made from Hashirama's cells.

Naruto attacking Gaara with his Naruto Uzumaki Two Thousand Combo.

While naturally a short-range fighter, Naruto wasn't very adept at taijutsu in Part I, as he required unpredictable attacks to surprise combat experts like Kiba Inuzuka and Neji.[71][72] He often utilised shadow clones or Kurama's chakra to engage and overwhelm his enemies in combat; with the former, he created techniques such as the Naruto Uzumaki Combo and its stronger versions.[73] Although these tactics resume in Part II, Naruto becomes more adept at taijutsu due to Jiraiya's training.[74] After his tutelage under Fukasaku, he was capable fending off a pair of skilled kenjustu users on his own.[75][76][77] Two years after the war, Naruto's taijutsu improved to such an extent, that he could defeat dozens of opponents without requiring shadow clones or enhancements.[21]

Naruto also learned how to counter genjutsu from Jiraiya, but had limited skill in using it.[78] Once he had earned the cooperation of Kurama, his tailed beast partner, this would no longer be an issue.

Jinchūriki Transformations

Main articles: Jinchūriki Forms and Nine-Tails Chakra Mode

Naruto's Version 1 form.

As the jinchūriki of Kurama's Yang half, Naruto had access to a massive chakra reserve, which was at least a hundredfold greater than Kakashi's.[63] Due to his Uzumaki lineage, and being Kurama's jinchūriki his entire life, Naruto's chakra had more effectively mixed with the fox's,[79] which allowed him to perform several chakra-taxing techniques. While accessing Kurama's chakra, typically through sheer rage, enhanced Naruto's abilities, the fox's negative influence made Naruto more aggressive and feral. This gave him uncontrolled access to the Version 1 and Version 2 forms, and he would need Kurama's power to be suppressed through various methods to regain control. These drawbacks caused Naruto to rely on his own strength instead of Kurama's, until he proved capable of controlling it completely. By the time he became the jinchūriki of Kurama's Yin half, he could access his Version 1 form without the initial drawbacks.[80]

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

Realising he could not avoid using Kurama's power, Naruto sought to learn how to control it with help from Killer B, the jinchūriki of Gyūki, and unexpectedly, his own mother, Kushina. Upon succeeding and taking most of Kurama's chakra, Naruto attained Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which greatly increased his physical parameters. As he didn't yet 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 learnt the fox's true name, their new-found friendship granted Naruto access to Kurama Mode, which further increased his physical parameters. Two years later, he could isolate the form to one hand, either to enhance his strength, or to block attacks.

Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode.

Failing to transform into a replica of Kurama at first, Naruto soon achieved a Tailed Beast Mode in the unique form of a transparent chakra shroud. In it, he could create Tailed Beast Balls and revitalise the life forces of any who entered the shroud,[81][82] heal severe burns,[83] or have them temporarily don chakra-cloaks.[84] After he became the jinchūriki of Kurama's complete self, Naruto was capable of manifesting the demon fox outside himself for a period akin to summoning, allowing both to fight as separate entities. Naruto had also received chakra from the other tailed beasts during the Fourth Shinobi World War,[85] which made him a human pillar for the power of Ten Tails.[86] This allowed him to access their unique abilities himself, or infuse them into his Rasengan and its variants. With an infusion of all nine different tailed beasts' respective chakra inside of him, Naruto has become a medium to connect all the tailed beasts to communicate with each other.[87]

Ninjutsu

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 his instructors. During his shinobi career, he learnt new ninjutsu from Jiraiya, able to summoning toads from Mount Myōboku to assist him in battle, and use them to crush enemies from above. He became skilled in shurikenjutsu, able to throw weapons quickly and with precision,[88] barrage an enemy using shadow clones,[89] or as Hokage, cross blades with Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki.[39] Naruto's repertoire expanded to fūinjutsu upon receiving Gerotora near the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War.[90]

Naruto sensing and fighting Madara's shadows.

Naruto could also sense chakra, but only through his enhanced modes. He could identify chakra signatures from vast distances in Sage Mode,[91]detect negative emotions in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, and empower his sensory abilities to the highest possible level in Six Paths Sage Mode,[92]which allowed him to sense the invisible shadows of Limbo. In the anime, Jiraiya introduced Naruto to cooperation ninjutsu, where two or more people combine their techniques to create an even more powerful one.[93] 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.

Shadow Clone Technique

Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

See also: Images of Naruto using Shadow Clone TechniqueNaruto's first trademark technique was the Shadow Clone Technique. In the Academy, Naruto was unable to perform most of the basic techniques taught, including a basic Clone Technique. However, when Iruka risked his life to save Naruto, he overcame this by performing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, effectively conquering his inability to create a clone. From that point on, Naruto's skill with the Shadow Clone Technique blossomed to great heights. As a ninja with unusually high chakra reserves, Naruto could use this technique, as well as its advanced version, to create hundreds of shadow clones and retain a decent amount of chakra in each one with relative ease.[94] He could use them to outnumber or deceive his enemies in combat, manoeuvre himself in mid-air, transform into weapons, scout an area, or test an opponent's abilities.[95] During his elemental-affinity training in Part II, Naruto learnt that the user of the Shadow Clone technique would receive all of the knowledge and experience that the shadow clones had gained once they had dispersed. This method allowed him to drastically speed up his training, as he could in effect 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 various simultaneous tasks throughout the village daily, although he does have a tendency to overexert himself, leaving him exhausted afterwards.

Rasengan

Naruto using the Rasengan.

See also: Images of Naruto using RasenganNaruto's second trademark technique was the Rasengan, a one-handed technique created by his father. Due to his poor chakra control, Naruto often used a shadow clone to form the spherical shape while he provided the chakra. Over time, Naruto's improved skill allows him to produce larger versions of the Rasengan, perform it faster,[96] and even have his shadow clones make their own Rasengan. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he learned to use the Rasengan and its variants without the aid of any shadow clones or transformations, and could even form one in both hands simultaneously.[97] He also increased the size of his standard Rasengan, making it noticeably larger.[98][99][100]Naruto had also shown the ability to release the Rasengan as an energy wave,[21] or as a projectile in the anime.[101] Using senjutsu or Kurama's chakra, Naruto could create more powerful and elaboratevariations of the Rasengan; using the latter, he even developed the Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball, performing it in a similar manner to the Rasengan.

Nature Transformation

Naruto and his shadow clones create a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.

Naruto's natural affinity is Wind Release, which he learned from Asuma Sarutobi to flow into his weapons to increase their offensive might.[102]Using shadow clones, he was able to complete difficult task of adding his elemental nature to the Rasengan, something his father had not been able to complete before his death. One shadow clone helped form the Rasengan, while the other provided the Wind chakra, which produced the Wind Release: Rasengan and the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. The latter, when used as a melee attack, inflicts cellular damage on both the enemy and Naruto. 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 accomplish while using Sage Mode or Kurama's chakra, which removed the negative side-effect to himself. He also created different-sized variations, and could even use two Rasenshurikensimultaneously.

Via Six Paths Senjutsu, Naruto can utilise all five nature transformations, as well as Yin–Yang Release.[103] He could make perfect use of the latter to revitalise life-forces, heal whomever he touches, and restore missing organs.[104] With chakra from the tailed beasts, Naruto could also use the kekkei genkai of Shukaku's Magnet Release, Son Gokū's Lava Release, and Kokuō's Boil Release. While mainly relying on Wind Release as a genin, as Hokage, Naruto expanded his fighting style to include Earth Release, which he utilises in the form of sturdy earth walls.[105]

Senjutsu

Naruto's Sage Mode.

After Jiraiya's death, Naruto was trained in senjutsu at Mount Myōboku, requiring his high chakra reserves. Unlike Jiraiya, he was able to perfectly balance natural energy with his chakra, and enter Sage Mode, symbolised by the orange pigmentation around his eyes. Using Sage Mode made Naruto's techniques stronger, enhanced his physical parameters,[106][107][108] and allowed him to utilise the Frog Katataijutsu style.[109] 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. Once they disperse, the natural energy they absorb would transfer to the original, allowing him to use Sage Mode for 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.[110]

Naruto learned how 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.

Six Paths Sage Mode

Main article: Six Paths Sage Mode

Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode.

With the power given to him by Hagoromo, Naruto gained access to the Six Paths Sage Mode (六道仙人モード, Rikudō Sennin Mōdo).[5] In this mode, his eyes become yellow and his pupils take on a cross-like shape — without manifesting the orange pigmentation around his eyes present in Sage Mode. Naruto could also don a new chakra cloak, similar to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which he could access instantly and maintain much longer than Sage Mode.[111] Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode cloak changed several times throughout his later years. Naruto's physical attributes and techniques are further augmented,[112][113][114] to the point where he could dodge attacks at the speed of light. The mode granted him flight and immunity from Truth-Seeking Balls.

Naruto's Asura Kurama Mode.

Naruto also manifested nine Truth-Seeking Balls, composed of all five basic natures, Yin–Yang Release, and Six Paths Sage Chakra. He could mould the balls into staves and platforms, fire them as projectiles, convert them into Tailed Beast Balls to create Tailed Beast Ball Rasenshuriken, or transfer them to his shadow clones. Naruto also retained use of his Tailed Beast Mode avatar of Kurama, which rivalled Sasuke's Complete Body — Susanoo in size and power.[115] Using shadow clones, he could create and combine three Kurama avatars into a single construct with three faces and six arms, similar to Asura's.[116] This state allowed Naruto to infuse two massive Rasenshuriken with natural energy.[117]

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 battle. He was a remarkable tactile learner, able to learn better through executing a task rather than understanding the theory of it.[118][25] Once they see him in action, even the likes of the Second Hokage revise their thoughts about Naruto's intellect and instinct in battle.[119] After meeting Hagoromo, Naruto gained the innate ability to grasp the nature of chakra and comprehend all universal things,[120] allowing him to quickly master the new powers he received. By adulthood he had became a capable teacher during the blank period, instructing students at Konoha's Ninja Academy and training them to become ninja.[121][122]

Naruto's most famous mental skill lies in his ability to deceive his opponents, as he made effective use of even the most simple techniques to trick the deadliest of opponents.[123] He could formulate multi-step plans or backup plans in the thick of battle,[124] and act quickly even when given new information.[125] His strategies typically involved shadow clones. He could direct his opponent's attentions towards one of his clones to disguise his own movements, transform his clones into objects or other individuals for surprise attacks, and could 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 random, completely useless supplementary techniques at powerful opponents and successfully created a decent opening for a counterattack.[126] Naruto is rather observant, able to notice details others may overlook and subsequently take advantage of them to overcome his opponents.