"Wherever light strikes, there are always shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace initiates wars and hatred is born to protect love. These are all nexuses, causal relationships that cannot be separated; normally that is. However, a world made up of only victors, peace, and love... such a world can be created too. If you allow all of us to collaborate, you can learn how."
— Obito Uchiha recruiting Nagato to the Akatsuki, Naruto
Ninja in the world of Naruto are trained to be intelligent, quick-witted, and willing to do what is necessary no matter the cost. The following characters exemplify these traits.
By order of introductory arc.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Original Manga & Anime
- "Land of Waves" Arc:
- Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, gained his title after killing over a hundred academy students, proceeding to climb through the ranks and become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Exiled with his apprentice Haku after a failed coup against the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, Zabuza fell into the employment of the smug businessman Gato to raise money to perform a second coup. Tasked with stopping the construction of a bridge, Zabuza accosted Team 7, nearly taking out their leader, Kakashi Hatake, before being defeated. Rescued by Haku and his death faked, Zabuza engaged Kakashi again a week later while letting Haku take care of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, keeping his opponent on the ropes by countering his Sharingan. With Haku's sacrifice, his own brutal defeat, Gato's betrayal, and Naruto's speech, Zabuza, despite being half-dead, fought his way through his former employer's henchmen to kill him, allowing himself to die to be with Haku. Despite being an antagonist to him, Zabuza inspired much of Naruto's own philosophy.
- Haku of the Yuki Clan was born into the Land of Water and an inheritor of the Ice Release. After killing his own father in self defense, the orphan child was adopted by the "Demon" of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, who raised Haku as a tool. Becoming a master assassin and Hunter Ninja, Haku would defect with Zabuza, dedicating himself to the Demon's goals. Saving Zabuza's life from Kakashi by faking his death, Haku arrives to face Naruto's team, a brilliant and strategic fighter who only does not kill Sasuke due to targeting nonvital spots upon him. When defeated, Haku even fools Naruto to go to Zabuza’s side, timing it so Kakashi kills Haku while allowing Zabuza a final strike on Kakashi, his legacy being such that Naruto is even able to breach Zabuza's hardened heart by telling him the true depth of Haku's feelings.
- "Chunin Exams" Arc:
- Ibiki Morino is the head of Konoha's interrogation unit and a master torturer so renowned that Kisame Hoshigaki killed his own Cipher Corps comrades rather than allow Ibiki to obtain information from them. Applying his talents to the Chuunin Exams, Ibiki crafts a masterpiece of psychological pressure for the students by forcing them to cheat on difficult questions and an unrevealed tenth question to first test the students' skill in spying. The tenth question is one where the students are given the choice between taking it or quitting with their team, the consequence being that they will never be able to be Shinobi should they fail. It turns out there is no tenth question and all who remain automatically pass, with Ibiki using his talents in psychology to test the students to see who has what it takes to be a Shinobi.
- Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, was the more pragmatic of the two Senju brothers and tried to strike a balance between the idealism of Hashirama Senju and the ruthlessness of Madara Uchiha. Inventing many jutsu for pragmatic purposes, such as the Flying Raijin, Shadow Clones and the Forbidden Edo Tensei, Tobirama perfected the art of striking swiftly and pragmatically, leading to him being able to mortally wound the skilled Izuna Uchiha in battle. After the village was founded, Tobirama would develop the Chunin Exams, ANBU corps and Ninja Academy while utilizing the Edo Tensei in the first ninja war as endless bombers, knowing the constructs could never be destroyed. Tobirama also gave the Uchiha clan the role of military police, partially to direct their energies into productive means, partially to keep an eye on them and swiftly deal with any new claimants to Madara's legacy. Upon his revival in the Fourth Great War, Tobirama proves himself a brilliant and intelligent fighter, able to perform intelligent strikes even on the Ten Tails Jinchuriki and is able to briefly match Madara himself, almost killing the mighty Uchiha with a hidden strike.
- "Search for Tsunade" Arc: Kisame Hoshigaki appears only as a "thug lost in the mist" but is in truth one of the most level and devoted members of Akatsuki. After defeating Killer Bee, Kisame uses a plan to fake his own death with a White Zetsu clone and infiltrates Bee's village of Hidden Cloud Village, gathering intelligence on the Allied Shinobi Forces. It is revealed later that Kisame was once tasked with eliminating traitors and potential captives in his home Hidden Mist Village, even luring his treacherous teacher to his death to claim his sword Samehada. When exposed, Kisame uses clever tactics to preserve the intelligence and eventually, realizing he is not "such a terrible man" after all, chooses to commit suicide rather than face capture, while using his last moments to rig the scroll with a trap that results in the intelligence finding its way to his superiors anyways, his death so impressive and touching that even the incredibly forgetful Might Guy, Kisame's supposed nemesis vows to remember Kisame for the rest of his life.
- "Sasuke Retrieval" Arc: Kidomaru of the East Gate, member of the Sound Four, is a calculating lover of games tasked by his lord Orochimaru alongside his comrades to bring Sasuke to the Sound Village at all costs. After spiriting Sasuke away and maneuvering past Leaf Village ninja, the Sound Four stop to rest, and Kidomaru possessed the wherewithal to set up webs that would alert him of oncoming enemies, which pays off when the Sasuke Retrieval Squad chases them. Trying to buy Tayuya and Sakon time, Kidomaru skillfully uses his webs to halt the squad but ultimately becomes a hard-fought enemy to Neji Hyuga. Throughout the fight, Kidomaru keeps his distance to ascertain the capabilities of the Byakugan and, through sheer analytical prowess, discovers the Kekkei Genkai's hidden weak spot and drives Neji to the brink of death.
- "The Kakashi Chronicles" Arc: Obito Uchiha, aka Tobi, is the true mastermind behind the Akatsuki who poses as Madara. Saved from death as a child by Madara himself and witnessing the death of his best friend and crush, Rin Nohara, Tobi plans to revive the Ten-Tails and use its power to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi in order to create a dream world where death does not exist. Starting by attacking the Hidden Leaf Village to gain control of the Nine-Tailed Fox, he uses the Akatsuki to capture Jinchuriki and drain them for the Tailed Beasts sealed within them, and committed numerous atrocities in order to recruit Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Tobi observes the Akatsuki's missions while pretending to be a useless idiot before eventually "revealing" himself as "Madara", in the process manipulating Itachi's brother Sasuke into joining his side and in the end declaring war on the Five Great Nations to gain control of the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails. After the real Madara is reanimated by Kabuto, Obito successfully revives the Ten-Tails and manipulates his former teammate, Kakashi, into destroying the seal that Madara implanted on his heart and becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Ultimately only stopped by his own change of heart, Obito joins the fight against Madara and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, even sacrificing himself to help stop them.
- "Invasion of Pain" Arc: Nagato, better known as the alias of "Pain", is the most visible leader of Akatsuki. Deciding that the world must known pain in order to know peace, Nagato has the Akatsuki corner the war market in time of peace with Akatsuki acting as mercenaries in order to strengthen his group and weaken the military power of the villages. Secretly leading a rebellion in his home village of the Rain, Nagato conceals his victory and projects an air of mystery and power so as to be seen as a god. Secretly plotting to merge all the Bijuu into a superweapon to terrify the world into peace, Nagato kills his former mentor Jiraiya and proceeds to attack Konohagakure with a series of ruthless, brilliant tactics that leave the village all but helpless against him. Finally facing Naruto, what truly saves the Leaf Village is Nagato acknowledging his former idealism and sacrificing himself to revive the villagers. With unmatched charisma and drive for his version of peace, Nagato remains one of the most memorable and driven villains in the series.
- "Five Kage Summit" Arc: Shisui Uchiha is a true prodigy of the Uchiha clan and one who views the village as primarily important. Shisui is a genius ANBU and assassin who once fell to envy and hate when he allowed a friend to die, awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan. In the days of the Uchiha coup, Shisui helps to train his best friend Itachi, deciding on a scheme to use his Mangekyo power Kotoamatsukami to control Itachi's father Fugaku and end the coup. When Danzo steals his eye, Shisui instead uses his suicide to awaken Itachi's own Mangekyo to ensure he can protect the village, dying silently to entrust the future to his friend.
- Sumire Kakei, real last name "Shigaraki", is a seemingly shy, sweet young lady who is really the successor of the ROOT ninja Tanuki Shigaraki and seeks revenge for her family's stigmatization by destroying the Hidden Leaf Village. Playing the innocent, Sumire infects others with negative emotions to harvest their chakra for her creature, the Nue, manipulating all around her and even using an attack to injure herself to deflect suspicion. Sumire manages to outwit and elude even other veteran ninja while summoning the Nue to destroy the village, only being stopped by Boruto Uzumaki helping her to realize how much she loved the mask she created and the friends she gained along the way.
- Ao was a former Hidden Mist Village Shinobi known as the "Byakugan Killer" for killing a Hyuga and taking his right eye as his own, concealing it beneath an eyepatch with which he used to foil the plots of both Tobi and Danzo. Sustaining critical injuries in the Fourth Shinobi World War, Ao retires as a Shinobi, secretly joining the organization Kara as one of its "Outers," befriending the inventor Katasuke while also manipulating him via genjutsu to give over vital technology for Kara's benefit. Utilizing scientific ninja tools to deadly effect and proving himself to still be a deadly warrior utilizing them, Ao ends up saving Boruto's life at cost of his own when the boy reaches him by using a final ninjutsu to proclaim his identity as a Shinobi at the very end.
- Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky: Kahyo, a member of the Armament Alliance of terrorists, is a grieving mother who lost her son due to no doctors being available thanks to the Fourth Shinobi World War. Sneaking aboard an airship with her brother Rahyo to free the Alliance's leader, Kahyo implants her powerful ice upon ninja and even Kakashi Hatake himself before the hijacking, using the hidden ice to kill and disable other shinobi while even matching wits and skills with Kakashi. Upon realizing Rahyo's extreme brutality, Kahyo sides against him and accepts her punishment to become warden of the notorious Blood Prison, but not before facing the Fourth Raikage in an exhibition match and out-maneuvering him before the watching Kages.
