| editNaoki Nara | |||
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| (Nara Naoki, 奈良直樹)
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| Appears in | Anime, Manga, Movie | ||
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| Birthdate |  July 4
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| Gender |  Male
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| Blood type | B | ||
| Classification | "Spy-nin" is not in the list (ANBU, Celestial Beast, Chakravartin, Cooking-nin, Cyborg, Daimyō, Heavenly Sovereign, Hunter-nin, Jinchūriki, Legendary Creature, ...) of allowed values for the "Classification" property. Spy-nin | ||
| Affiliation |  Konohagakure
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| Clan |  Nara Clan
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| Ninja Registration | 174895 | ||
| Academy Grad. Age | 9 | ||
| Chūnin Prom. Age | 10 | ||
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| This article, Naoki Nara, is property of Lady Kirei. |
Naoki Nara (Nara Naoki, 奈良直樹) is a shinobi of Konohagakure's Nara clan. Due to his repetitive use of Fire Release: Fire Shadow Stage Technique in collaboration with other clan jutsu for creative attacks and distractions, he earned the moniker Kage Houken (シャドーフィレ こぶし, Shadows' Fire Fist). After the Fourth Shinobi World War, he asked for permission to be relieved from active duty, and travels the world, away from the Hidden Countries, becoming known as the "Kage Inshi" (いんし, Shadow Hermit).
Background[]
Naoki as a baby with his mother, Megami
Naoki was born into the Nara clan to Yūdai and Megami. As he grew older, it quickly became apparent that Naoki mostly lacked the standard Nara laziness and was always reading scrolls or trying to learn as well as master new jutsu, something that inspired pride yet puzzled his parents.
At the tender age of nine, Naoki graduated from the Academy, placed in a squad with fraternal twins, Daiki and Riku Harada under Chōukichi Nakamura. He was later informed by his aunt on the same day that his mother and father were KIA; the older woman was surprised but saddened to note he didn't shed any tears.
Later that week, Naoki met up with his teammates and Sensei at their training ground. Chōukichi's test to see if they were Genin-criteria was an improved game of "Tag", the rule simply being to catch him before noon with any method they preferred, but if they didn't manage this, he'd send them back to the Academy for rudimentary training. His declaration had the desired effect as the twins immediately went on the offensive, relying on each other and completely abandoning Naoki.
With his keen intellect, the Nara deduced the fact that without all three of them working together and using their individual skills, they had no chance of catching their teacher, but the older boys refused to listen or cooperate with him which resulted in several hours of a fruitless chase; Chōukichi berated them all, claiming that teamwork was the foundation of a successful squad and without each other to depend and rely on, they either failed at best or died by enemy hands at worst.
The twins loudly proclaimed that they understood that fact and tried to blame Naoki for not participating in the chase and "proving his worth", the youngest member of the squad rebuked their claims, mocking them for being too gung-ho and lacking the necessary attitude and training to be shinobi, a statement that nearly earned him a beating had not Chōukichi intervened, harshly reprimanding them but ultimately decided to give them another chance.
Naoki as a Genin
Fifteen minutes afterward, the twins awkwardly apologized for abandoning him and asked for a chance to make amends, although dubious, Naoki agreed. Chōukichi sprung from his hiding place, having not really ever left at all, and congratulated them on showing the signs of being more than just brats, much to their chagrin, and told them that they'd passed.
The details are a bit sketchy about how exactly Daiki and Riku were KIA on an even sketchier mission, but it served to be the breaking point for Chōukichi who later fell into depression and committed suicide while Naoki threw himself into mission after mission until Shikaku and the Sandaime stepped in and forced him to take a temporarily relieve from his duties a few weeks after he became chūnin.
Although equal parts disquieted and incensed, Naoki took the time off to re-evaluate his goals and dreams, what he wanted out of life and when he came back on active duty, he appeared to have made a complete one-eighty personality change with kinder and sloth-like behavior.
Personality[]
Naoki is a difficult person to understand, whether in simple day-to-day, mundane interactions or while on the battlefield. During missions with others, he maintains a professional, if not impersonal, attitude, preferring not to become emotionally attached, if at all, possible. Despite this clinical and anti-social behavior, he will never endanger his comrades' lives needlessly or ask them to do anything he's unwilling to do himself first, this trait likely appeared after the death of his teammates and Sensei, he bears survivor's guilt that he's the only living member of his former squad, attempting to make amends for his mistakes by often shouldering the responsibility for anything that goes wrong despite logically understanding there was nothing he could do and it wasn't his fault.
He has few real ties to the Nara clan beyond his aunt, uncle and cousin. He's different than the members of his family who are generally lazy and unmotivated despite being incredibly intelligent, preferring to work hard on whatever task he's given whether important or not, and he's considered a prodigy due to his mastery of clan techniques, striving to perfect his style in every way. After achieving the rank of chūnin, Naoki adopted the facade of kindness, acting more like his clansmen in a sloth-like manner.
Appearance[]
Naoki has neck length, thick curly black hair, his bangs often getting into his hazel brown eyes, porcelain skin, and often dresses in black pants, black ninja sandals, a button up shirt with the Nara clan design on the back, and a black Konoha flak jacket or his Chūnin vest in Part I of the series.
In Part II of the series, his hair has gotten a bit longer and more unruly, mainly kept in a ponytail. He has gotten taller and filled out with a bit of muscle; while not on duty, he can be seen in a black trench coat, a silver cross draped around his neck, black pants with a heavy silver belt buckle, and a dark blue shirt.
While on duty, Naoki wears black clothing and grey chest armor, metal arm guards and gloves, ninja sandals with spikes, three ninja pouches on his back-waist and a signature spiral tattoo on his shoulder, a black cloak over his standard uniforms, he carries a sword, which is usually strapped to his back with a white tiger face mask.
Abilities[]
Naoki is an extremely skilled shinobi. This claim is proven true with the fact that despite being a year or two older than the Konoha 11, he achieved chūnin rank only a year after graduating from the Academy and even further when he joined ANBU; a remarkable feat.
Taijutsu[]
Naoki prefers mid and long range combat but can fight close range. He is capable of getting in close, delivering punishing blows with astonishing force despite his, at first glance, disarming appearance. Well versed with the human body, he is able to use senbon needles with deadly accuracy to stun his prey or trapping them with his wire strings before cutting them apart with his Chakra Blade or Fūma Shuriken.
Hapkido[]
He utilizes several styles of combat, most prominently being Hapkido which is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks; it contains both long and close range fighting techniques, utilizing jumping kicks and percussive hand strikes at longer ranges and pressure point strikes, joint locks, or throws at closer fighting distances and emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, as well as control of the opponent. Naoki prefers this style because it maintains a wide range of tactics which focus on escaping and regaining footing or finishing a downed opponent.
Judo[]
The second style of combat he commonly uses is Judo where its most prominent feature is where the objective is to either throw or takedown an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke. There are three basic categories of waza (技?, techniques) in judo: nage-waza (投げ技?, throwing techniques), katame-waza (固技?, grappling techniques) and atemi-waza (当て身技?, striking techniques).
- The Nage ura no kata (投げ技裏の形?) is a judo kata that, like the Go no sen no kata and Kaeshi no kata, focuses on counter-attacks to throwing techniques.
Uki otoshi countered by Tai otoshi Seoinage countered by Yoko guruma Kata guruma countered by Sumi gaeshi Tai otoshi countered by Kotsuri goshi Obi otoshi countered by O guruma Okuriashi harai countered by Tsubame gaeshi Kouchi gari countered by Hiza Guruma Ouchi gari countered by Ouchi gaeshi Sasae tsurikomi ashi countered by Sumi otoshi Uchi mata countered by Tai otoshi Hane goshi countered by Kari gaeshi Harai goshi countered by Ushiro goshi Han goshi countered by Utsuri goshi Uki goshi countered by Yoko wakare O goshi countered by Ippon seoinage
Aikido[]
Naoki's lesser known and utilized style of combat is Aikido which is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. This requires very little physical strength, as the aikidōka (aikido practitioner) "leads" the attacker's momentum using entering and turning movements. The techniques are completed with various throws or joint locks.
- Initial Attacks: Aikido techniques are usually a defense against an attack, so students must learn to deliver various types of attacks to be able to practice aikido with a partner.
Front-of-the-head strike: a vertical knifehand strike to the head. In training, this is usually directed at the forehead or the crown for safety, but more dangerous versions of this attack target the bridge of the nose and the maxillary sinus. Side-of-the-head strike: a diagonal knifehand strike to the side of the head or neck. Chest thrust: a punch to the torso. Specific targets include the chest, abdomen, and solar plexus. Same as "middle-level thrust", and "direct thrust". Face thrust: a punch to the face. Same as "upper-level thrust".
- Basic Techniques: The following are a sample of the basic or widely practiced throws and pins.
First technique: by using one hand on the elbow and one hand near the wrist which leverages attacker to the ground. This grip applies pressure into the ulnar nerve at the wrist.
Second technique: a pronating wristlock that torques the arm and applies painful nerve pressure.
Third technique: a rotational wristlock that directs upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder.
Fourth technique: a shoulder control similar to ikkyō, but with both hands gripping the forearm. The knuckles (from the palm side) are applied to the recipient's radial nerve against the periosteum of the forearm bone.
Fifth technique: visually similar to ikkyō, but with an inverted grip of the wrist, medial rotation of the arm and shoulder, and downward pressure on the elbow. Common in knife and other weapon take-aways.
Four-direction throw: The hand is folded back past the shoulder, locking the shoulder joint.
Forearm return: a supinating wristlock-throw that stretches the extensor digitorum.
Breath throw: a loosely used term for various types of mechanically unrelated techniques, although they generally do not use joint locks like other techniques.
Entering throw: throws in which nage moves through the space occupied by uke. The classic form superficially resembles a "clothesline" technique.
Heaven-and-earth throw: Sweeps one hand low ("earth") and the other high ("heaven"), which unbalances attacker so that he or she easily topples over.
Hip throw: Aikido's version of the hip throw. Naoki hips lower than those of attacker, then flips he or she over the resultant fulcrum.
Figure-ten throw: a throw that locks the arms against each other
Rotary throw: Sweeps the arm back until it locks the shoulder joint, then uses forward pressure to throw.
Ninjutsu[]
Nara Clan Techniques[]
Naoki is highly proficient with the Nara's clan techniques though he primarily uses Fire Release: Fire Shadow Stage Technique. He was later seen using the Shadow Imitation Technique for mundane things like capturing Tora, Madame Shijimi's cat while on a D-rank mission or stopping a child from falling down some stairs.
However, he does know how to utilize the Shadow–Neck Binding Technique, as seen in a flashback where he threatens to break an enemy nin's neck and does so without remorse. He is able to successfully use the Shadow Sewing Technique while having his hands in his pockets and the Shadow Gathering Technique in succession with Black Lily to bring his targets in close.
Nature Transformation[]
Naoki possesses the Earth Release and Fire Release nature transformations and has shown adequate talent in using both in order to cause the maximum amount of damage to his adversaries. He's quite accomplished with using earth chains to hold his target in place before creating a wall of flame to incinerate them.
Genjutsu[]
Although Naoki uses Genjutsu less often, he has also shown some skill in the area. He is able to use low-level techniques, decipher high-level techniques and has advanced knowledge of their working and can dispel genjutsu. He is also able to simultaneously affect multiple opponents with his techniques and could revert the effects of genjutsu to the caster.
Naoki has only been seen using two or three Genjutsu techniques, his favorite being the Demonic Illusion: Bloody Dream and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique in rapid succession on an enemy with debilitating effects, leaving them vulnerable so that he can kill them easier.
Bukijutsu[]
Naoki is a highly-skilled user in a large variety of weapons such as Fūma shuriken, wire strings, senbon, wakizashi and others. Due to his ANBU background, he is especially proficient in kenjutsu. His weapon-skills are also very adaptable; the Nara is able to shift between weapons with relatively fast speed and ease until he finds the one required for the situation.
By using the Chakra Flow skill, he is able to amplify an ordinary katana and wakizashi into a blade of flames due to his natural Fire affinity, incinerating anything which it comes into direct contact with and spreading around the area like sentient wild fire, the flames only becoming bigger, wilder and more difficult to contain the more chakra is added to the technique.
Stats[]
| Databook | Ninjutsu | Taijutsu | Genjutsu | Intelligence | Strength | Speed | Stamina | Hand seals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part I | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 27.5 |
| Part II | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 28.5 |
Part I[]
Introduction Arc[]
Naoki often acted as an Academy instructor when he wasn't actively taking on missions and worked alongside Iruka and Mizuki. After Naruto defaced the Hokage Monument with graffiti, he was one of the few shinobi who didn't give chase and even found the orange clad ninja's antics amusing, if a tad troublesome. When Naruto was supposed to transform into Iruka, but instead turned into a naked girl, Naoki was reading an Anatomy book and barely looked up when Iruka suffered from a massive nosebleed.
He helped Naruto clean the Hokage Monument despite his fellow chūnin's reluctance and offered to take Naruto (and indirectly, Iruka) out eat whenever they were free, he ate ramen with the duo that night and learned that Naruto wanted to be Hokage. The following day, Naruto failed the exams after producing a single, sickly looking clone, and he concluded that the blonde simply had too much chakra and overloaded the technique, a fact he intended to bring up with Iruka but the Sandaime called the older Chūnin away.
Naoki received a summon like many other shinobi and was informed that Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Sealing, he was a bit stunned since it was out of character and it didn't seem to be a prank. Still, he dutifully went searching for the blonde, hoping to catch him before the others did; after a few fruitless hours of searching, he finally found the blonde and was startled to realize that he'd managed to learn a technique but that was the least of his concerns when Naruto told him the bogus story Mizuki had concocted about a make-up exam, quickly deducing he'd been used as a scapegoat.
Before he had the chance to inform the blonde prankster or better yet, get him to the Hokage as the older man should be immediately informed of the traitor, Mizuki appeared on the scene and nearly severed him in half with a Fūma Shuriken; it was only by a hair's breath that Naoki managed to evade the large weapon, knocking Naruto out of the way.
The silver haired traitor mocked them about how easily they fell for his deception, calling them fool and ordering Naruto to hand over the scroll. Naoki rebuked Mizuki, saying he overestimated his own power and cautioned Naruto not to hand over the scroll, even as he prepared to use the Shadow Imitation technique — that is until the former Academy instructor called Naruto a demon and revealed his status as a jinchūriki, jailor of the Kyūbi no Yoko, causing the blonde to run off with the scroll.
Due to the fact that Naoki didn't immediately run after Naruto, Mizuki believed he'd planted doubt in the Nara's heart and said it was only natural to be afraid of demons. The teen curtly called him an idiot before catching his shadow in the Shadow Imitation technique and used the Demonic Illusion: Bloody Dream jutsu on him as Iruka finally appeared, he gave the Chūnin a quick run down on the events that occurred and cautioned the teacher to go after Naruto as he knew him best.
After the Scroll was recovered and both Iruka as well as Naruto were debriefed, the Sandaime called Naoki in for his report, notably in private. Keeping his thoughts to himself on that little tidbit, Naoki verbally recounted his report while keeping up his poker face as Sarutobi queried if he could be trusted with Konoha's greatest secret, with Naruto's secret and the Nara answered positively with no hesitation.
Land of Waves Arc[]
Naoki was sent to Kirigakure as a potential mole in order to gain information about the rebellion uprising due to the Yondaime Mizukage's startling discrimination against Kekkai Genkai-users. He rendezvoused with Mei Terumi and Ao in the Land of Waves, posing as a clanless, no-name Kiri orphan who wanted to help the rebels take the Mizukage down and it seemed that there were talks of him being accepted into the group before he received an order from the Sandaime to meet Kakashi and his squad for back-up as they'd been attacked by Zabuza Momochi. After burning the message, Naoki used his personal summon, the Shiroi Tora, to track his wayward comrade and genin team, arriving at Tazuna's house later in the evening.
Seeing Kakashi out of commission, and the genin trio woefully under-prepared to be dealing with a dangerous man like Zabuza, Naoki asked the silver haired jōnin permission to teach his squad and although surprised, the cyclops ninja agreed. The following day, the genin were told that Zabuza wasn't dead and he likely had an accomplice in the faux hunter, ignoring Tazuna's panicked denials then explained that Naoki would be a temporary teacher while he was on the mend. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were all skeptical in their own way of Naoki's skill, the Nara noted this but didn't say anything, instead telling them to meet him an area a bit away from Tazuna's house as they'd be training immediately before leaving; Kakashi chided them for once again failing to see "underneath the underneath".
The shadow using Chūnin immediately engaged the younger teens upon their arrival, resorting to simple Taijutsu to defeat Sakura, a low-level Genjutsu on Naruto and entered a battle of attrition with Sasuke, relying on his more insidious jutsu to overpower the Uchiha's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and beat him with a well-placed punch to the throat after getting inside his guard. As they lay exhausted, humiliated and humbled, Naoki coldly informed them that they were little more than brats that didn't deserve their headbands and would die by Zabuza's hand if they didn't get serious; scoffing in derision as he laid out their flaws without sparing anyone's feelings.
He ran the three ragged with his training regime consisting of Tree Walking and Water Walking that later progressed to spars in the trees and on the water, a crash course in strategic thinking, adjusting Naruto's brawler style into something a bit more acceptable, as well as demonstrating the use of one handed handseals. With Naruto's overzealous nature to train himself into exhaustion, Naoki had taken to discreetly chaperoning him, thus was how he inadvertently met Haku and mentally concluded with the herbs the older boy was gathering that he was Zabuza's accomplice and Haku knew that he'd found out his identity, however, the Chūnin jokingly invited the effeminate boy out on a date after his true gender was revealed, grossing Naruto out but earning a chuckle from Haku before he left without a response. Once Kakashi was up and functional at the end of the week, he informed the silver haired man about his suspicions pertaining Haku being the fake Hunter-nin and the lazy Jōnin had agreed with his suspicions to a degree, nonchalantly commenting that "his cute little Genin" were taking things a bit more seriously, and were notably stronger, Naoki wryly asked if he wanted an apology but the older man merely gave his trademark eye-smile.
During the battle on the bridge, Naoki initially received orders to protect the bridge builder with Sakura and could only look on helplessly as Haku attacked Naruto and Sasuke via his Kekkai Genkai, but when Naruto minisculely tapped into the Kyūbi's power, everything suddenly became startlingly clear about Zabuza's motives, why the murderous missing-nin hadn't killed the bridge workers, simply incapacitated, the swordsman was apart of the rebellion or trying to get into the group as he'd been doing.
As he came to this conclusion, he only had a few precious seconds to use his Shadow Endgame technique to restrain Haku as the fake Hunter tried to interrupt Kakashi and Zabuza's fight, luckily neither were horribly injured as Gatō appeared with a mob of lackeys, revealing that he never intended to pay Zabuza, prompting the former Kiri nin to call a truce and they killed Gatō, along with his hired muscle. Afterward, since his primary mission was a failure and his side mission was complete, Naoki decided to head back to the village, but not before giving Haku a short lecture and kiss on the cheek with a wink.
Chūnin Exam Arc[]
Naoki's seen placing a bouquet of flowers in front of the Memorial Stone, not saying anything for several minutes before apologizing to his parents and teammates before bowing and leaving the area. He disagreed with the Sensei's of the Rookie Nine nominating their Genin for the Chūnin Exams, commenting that they were a bit too green to be entering the competition and that it pushed the limits of shinobi and kunoichi; he personally felt that none of them had matured enough to fully understand what being a ninja entailed, further backing up Iruka's claims.
Kakashi pointed out that Naoki was in the same age group as the nominees and had battled stronger ninja and overcame challenges that fully grown adults would have fled from, something that quieted most of the hesitant shinobi, much to the Nara's dismay. Naoki later made an appearance in the written portion of the exams, posing as one of the examiners who was watching for cheaters and embarrassedly hushed Naruto when he leapt out of his seat, loudly asking what the older teen was doing there, grumbling that he'd been tricked by a fellow colleague in a bet to be his stand-in.
Again, he made an appearance in the final part of the Exams, making a bet with Asuma that Shikamaru would either lose the fight against Temari or forfeit, as that was his cousin's nature. He later collected his winning's from the chain smoking man and muttered about buying some pocky with his money, half heartedly wondering if he should split the funds with his younger cousin since he technically helped him.
Invasion of Konoha Arc[]
Naoki pretended to fall asleep due to the effects of the Genjutsu around the stadium before taking out an Oto nin who tried to assassinate him while he was defenseless, smacking Shikamaru upside the head and telling him to get serious moments before engaging a group of Oto nin trying to stop civilians from fleeing to safety; he let them have a few laughs at his expense before coldly reprimanding them.
He used the Shadow Imitation Technique to capture the small group before using Fire Release: Fire Shadow Stage Technique in quick succession to elongate his shadow and capture six approaching Suna nin, he released their shadows abruptly, launching a Fūma Shuriken at them, taking out five in the first attack, and manipulating the shuriken with wire string to rebound and take out the rest before they could launch a counter-strike. He later attended the Third's funeral.
Decapitating a Snake Arc[]
Naoki visits Sasuke in the hospital, taking note that the Uchiha is even more surly than usual. He makes a joke and prompts the younger boy to cheer up, that next time, they won't let Itachi get away and bring the rogue Konoha nin to justice, something that surprises the avenger and validates his suspicions about the Curse Mark being a source of temptation for Sasuke. He concludes that leaving Konoha isn't the way to gain the power he seeks, and hadn't he already taken on high ranked shinobi by working with his comrades, leaving on that note for him to mull over.
He was having a three way shogi match with his uncle and cousin (as well as spectacularly losing) later that evening when a Clan member informed him that the last Uchiha wished to have an audience with him. Naoki went to go see what was up with the younger ravenette, only to be shocked when Sasuke dropped to his knees and explained that the Sound Four had accosted him and all but threatened him to abandon Konoha which alarmed the older teen even more because apparently there was a rat hiding in Konoha or security was simply lax, which he doubted on the latter. Alerting his uncle to what was going on, the Chūnin and Jōnin Commander then took Sasuke to Lady Fifth, filling her in on the details with Sasuke giving information on how they looked and about their own Curse Seals.
Due to the state of devastation Konoha was in, Tsunade couldn't possibly send out any higher level ninjas and thus a hasty team was put together: Inuzuka Kiba, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyūga Neji, Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Naoki, the oldest of the squad being given the temporary title of Jōnin in order to oversee the safe evacuation of the team when confronting the hostile nin, something which Shikaku extremely disapproved of but didn't outright challenge the woman on.
Sasuke, as bait, would seem like he was willingly leaving Konoha and at the opportune moment, Naoki and his teammates were to if at all possible, eliminate the hostiles and return home; the operation was set in motion immediately. Things, however, quickly went to hell in a hand-basket as Tayuya, Jirobo, Sakon, Ukon and Kidōmaru were of equal skill as their chosen opponents, and things went from bad to worse when Kimimaro appeared on the scene, and he outclassed the other Sound nin by far.
None of Naoki's strategies were enough to fully hold the last Kaguya down for long and even with Naruto and later, Sasuke (when he emerged from the container he was stuffed in) or Lee were enough to put the terminally ill teenager down, Gaara arriving and using his sand jutsu admittedly saved their lives. Naoki was disappointed in himself and doubted his skill as a shinobi when he realized how critically injured most of his comrades, sans Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto, were.
However, after a stern talking to from his uncle, Naoki resolved to do better, train harder and prove that one day he'd be worthy to take on the title of Jōnin, a statement that made Shikaku smile. Seeing that his cousin was taking the reality of being a ninja and all the dangers that came with a bit less gracefully, Naoki sent Temari away as she was making Shikamaru feel worse in his opinion; for a few minutes he said nothing before giving him a much needed talk about regrets and struggles, he said nothing as his cousin cried.
Pre-Shippūden Filler Arcs[]
Naoki spent several months intensely training in his Clan arts, once again focusing on honing his jutsu repertoire, during the day when he wasn't taking missions or while having dinner with the family, he and his cousin/and or uncle, had a shogi match to further enhance his tactical prowess. Often times he could be seen helping the hospital staff by gathering herbs, delivering lunch trays and such to patients, sparring with Sasuke and Kakashi or getting private Taijutsu lessons from Maito Gai as he felt he was lacking in the physical department and could stand to have a bit more muscle.
Nearing December of the first year that Naruto spent away from Konoha, the Chūnin petitioned for the right to take the Jōnin Exams, but was ultimately rejected. Not immediately put off as he would have been before gaining a bit more maturity, Naoki instead took on more missions and added a few more jutsu to his arsenal, going on a few high ranked missions with other squads and received a few one-on-one lessons from Shikaku. Tsunade made him Konoha's liaison several days after Christmas and he was sent to Wave in order to negotiate trading routes.
Part II[]
Kazekage Rescue Arc[]
Naoki didn't make an actual appearance. However, he was briefly mentioned by Kakashi to have been the only one in his generation to be promoted into the ANBU division, something that visibly distressed Naruto.
Invasion of Pain Arc[]
Naoki and several ANBU were charged with protecting Lady Fifth. When Pain attacked and basically reduced Konoha to a crater, he was one of the lucky few who managed to avoid being killed and did not need to be revived.
Shinobi World War Arc[]
When the war began, Naoki was placed in the First Division. He received help from Ino, Shikamaru and Chōji when he and Darui were fighting Kinkaku, assisting Shikamaru in restraining him with his shadow so that Ino could use her Mind Body Switch Technique, leading to Kinkaku's capture within the Kohaku no Jōhei.
After the Ten Tails escaped the hole it'd been trapped in and HQ was destroyed, Naoki felt an inexplicable sadness overcome him momentarily although he didn't receive word that his uncle was deceased until later; he shed only one tear.
Post Shinobi World War Arc[]
Roleplays[]
The Clashing Will of Konoha Nobles[]
Fight! The Blue Flash vs The Shadow Hermit[]
Rampage! Junjohenkō vs Shukaku![]
Movies[]
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow[]
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom[]
Trivia[]
- Naoki likes sweets such as pocky and chocolate
- From Japanese 直 (nao) "honest, straight" and 樹 (ki) "tree". Naoki means honest tree.
Quotes[]
(To Naruto) "Do you think the world stops just because of one person suffering? Enough with the troublesome and long speeches though, one day I'll treat you to some yakiniku. Eating ramen all the time isn't healthy!"
(To Oto nin during the the Invasion) "Man, what a pain. You're going to die anyway, so sit there quietly and wait for your turn."
(To Team Seven) "Naruto, you run your mouth too much and rely on the tactic of brute force to get the job done, use your head a little more. The Kage Būnshin is meant for more than just spamming clones. Sakura, you're blind, deaf and dumb to anything other than Sasuke but right now, you're on a mission and he is not your priority, your overwhelming incompetence in anything except book smarts is a hindrance. Sasuke, either lose the superiority complex or tone it down, as proven just moments ago, you are not invincible. Remember this kiddies: everything has a weakness. Anybody can be beaten."
(To Haku) "You're really cute, even for a boy. We should go out."
(To Haku) "The line between being a loyalist and a fanatic is often blurred."
(To Sasuke) "Snakes are often cunning and treacherous, Sasuke. While it looks good now to abandon your home and go on these quests to find power, in the end, you just lose yourself even more during the journey."
(To Shikamaru) “Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.”
