Temari

Temari is generally overbearing, if not crude, toward those around her, rarely afraid to speak her mind. Temari does have a caring side, however, and is not above showing concern for others. She seems to value peace, as she questioned the reasoning of starting a war with Konoha. It is shown in Part I during the Chunin Exams that the one person she is afraid of is Gaara. When Gaara and Kankurō were fighting she showed a light, happy, mood to make sure Gaara didn't hurt her or Kankurō. In Part II, Temari acts as a liaison between Sunagakure and Konoha to prepare for the next Chunin Exams. Like Kankurō, her relations with Gaara have greatly improved, although she isn't as close as the two brothers. When Gaara was captured by Akatsuki, Temari hurried back to the village to save her brother, and when Kankurō was poisoned, she watched over him until he was ready to move himself.

Many of Temari's appearances are associated with Shikamaru Nara. Though they were opponents during the Chūnin Exams, they came to each others' aid at different points in Part I. When Naruto returned to Konoha at the start of Part II and saw the two of them walking together, he asked them if they were on a date, which both of them denied. Despite her usual tough demeanor, she has a tendency to show a softer nature around Shikamaru. Some examples include showing sympathy for him after his father scolded him for questioning if he should be a ninja after the Sasuke rescue mission failed. Later, after Shikamaru had escorted her to the Konoha gates near the beginning of Part II, she told him that he should take his duties more seriously, and to quickly become a Jōnin like herself.For actual combat, she uses her giant Giant Folding Fan (鉄扇, tessen) that, in addition to serving as a makeshift club, can be used to glide upon in order to intimidate her foes. Inscribed on her fan are three purple circles spaced equally across its length, which she calls "stars" ("moons" in the English dub). As she opens the fan to reveal each star in sequence, the fan's power increases greatly.

Once all three moons are revealed, Temari can create slicing whirlwinds that she can guide with her chakra. Her winds allow her to attack from afar and alter the battlefield to her liking. Temari can also summon Kamatari, a one-eyed weasel summoned with her fan. Kamatari serves to aid her in battle, particularly by creating strong gusts of wind to attack her opponents, which Temari can then mold into attacks of her own. Temari can also summon her Giant Folding Fan by using a scroll. After the timeskip, Temari is shown to have far greater control of the winds she creates with her fan. She demonstrates the ability to slice through multiple points on a Samurai's armor without injuring the man inside.

Gaara

Gaara is the son of the Fourth Kazekage, and the younger brother of Temari and Kankuro. Before Gaara's birth, his father ordered Chiyo to seal the One-Tailed Shukaku within him, in hopes that Gaara would become the ultimate weapon for Suna. Because a sacrifice was needed, Gaara's mother, Karura, was used. Before she died, Karura cursed Sunagakure, hoping Gaara would avenge her death. Gaara was trained by his father, but raised mainly by his maternal uncle, Yashamara.Because of the power of Shukaku, the villagers of Suna hated and feared Gaara, seeing him only for the monster sealed within him. For a time, Yashamaru seemed to be the only person who cared about Gaara. When Gaara would mistakenly harm others due to the subconscious abilities granted to him by Shukaku, Yashamaru would be the only one who understood that Gaara hadn't intended to harm anyone. Gaara's father, however, did not see Gaara in the same light, and viewed Gaara's frequent attacks upon villagers as a result of a failed experiment that was a threat to Suna.Because of the danger Gaara imposed, his father began sending assassins to kill him, though when all attempts were met with failure, the Kazekage requested Yashamaru to kill Gaara. As a result, Yashamaru tried to assassinate Gaara, only to fail just as those before him. Gaara dealt a lethal blow to him. But when Gaara realized that it was Yashamaru, he was horrified, and screamed, before bursting into tears. Although Gaara tried to dismiss Yashamaru's attack as an order of the Kazekage, Yashamaru corrected him, by saying that he had willingly accepted the mission. Having never truly loved Gaara, Yashamaru hoped that killing Gaara would avenge the death of his sister, who had named Gaara after the phrase "a self-loving carnage" (我を愛する修羅, Ware wo ai suru shura), a sign of her intense hatred for Suna, not as love for her son. In the last ditch effort to kill Gaara, Yashamaru detonated a number of exploding tags covering his body, asking Gaara to "please die". Using his sand, Gaara survived the blast, and lost the only person he thought had cared for him. Since this incident, Gaara became an aloof and cruel person who would kill anyone to prove his existence and to obtain recognition from the village.

Sakura Haruno

During her early years in the Ninja Academy, Sakura was frequently bullied by others due to her large forehead (Ino's nickname for her was "billboard head"). To try and combat this, Sakura used her bangs to hide her forehead, fueling the other kids' teasing by indicating she was sensitive about it. Ino Yamanaka, realizing this, helped Sakura by giving her a ribbon that she used as a way of drawing attention to the cuter features of her forehead, which helped Sakura overcome her insecurity. The two became good friends and Sakura grew more confident, developing her own unique personality under Ino's guidance. Despite this, Sakura felt that she was living in Ino's shadow and longed to prove herself as Ino's equal. Later, when the two girls eventually realized that they were both infatuated with Sasuke, Sakura ended their friendship so that they could properly compete for Sasuke's love, thus beginning a bitter rivalry between the two.At the start of the series, Sakura had a deep infatuation for Sasuke Uchiha, rooted primarily in his good looks, cunning, cool attitude, and prodigious talents. For that reason, many of Sakura's early appearances are dedicated to her continuing efforts to win his affection. As the story progresses, she begins to recognize that Sasuke is a real person with imperfections, and develops a more sincere desire to be there for him. Sakura also becomes concerned that Sasuke will someday abandon her and the rest of Konoha in his quest for power. When her fears come true at the end of Part I, Sakura does all that she can to stop Sasuke from leaving, such as professing her love for him and offering to join him. Though touched by her words, they do not stop Sasuke from leaving from Konoha.

Since then, Sakura has made her personal goal to bring Sasuke home.

Kiba Inuzuka

At a very young age, Akamaru was given to Kiba by his mother, Tsume Inuzuka, and both of them became the best of friends. Before entering the Ninja Academy, Kiba and Akamaru played a lot together, causing Tsume to get angry because they weren't training enough. During Kiba's time at the academy, he often cut class with Akamaru, stating that he wasn't suited to sit still at a desk, or otherwise getting into trouble, along with Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Naruto Uzumaki. Together, these four would skip class and go to the practice hall (not to practice). They thought that it was fun to also test the patience of Iruka Umino, their Chūnin-sensei. At some time in the past, Kiba knew his father; but because of his mother's attitude, Tsume scared him away, leaving him just with her and his sister Hana Inuzuka. Despite this, Kiba stays in a close relationship with his sister and mother.Kiba is often short-tempered and impulsive (in stark contrast to his teammates Shino and Hinata), and can be prone to making mistakes when he becomes agitated in battle. The fact that he enjoys combat, as well as a habit of showing a joyful smile when facing a particularly strong opponent, indicates that he is willing to risk his life for a mission, and is rather bloodthirsty. He deeply cares for Akamaru, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect him. And, despite his rather gruff attitude, many of Kiba's actions reveal that he is very close to his older sister, Hana Inuzuka, and remains fiercely loyal to the Inuzuka clan.

Tenten

Tenten strongly believes that female ninja can be as strong as male ninja. Tenten's personal dream is to become as strong as Tsunade. She can be quite fierce sometimes, especially with Lee, violently shaking him whenever he is left unconscious. Tenten also has shown a strong distaste for weakness or being overly dependent on other people. Despite this, she is not above showing a softer side when it comes to her teammates. She holds great respect for her teammate Neji and often helps him train.Tenten has brown eyes and long brown hair gathered in Chinese buns. During Part I, Tenten wears a pink sleeveless blouse and dark green pants. Her appearance is a reference to the Chinese culture. In Part II, her outfit changes from a pink blouse to a white one and red pants instead of green. The shuriken holster and the bandage on her left leg is removed and wears black fingerless gloves; everything is still a reference to the Chinese culture. She holds a giant scroll on her back that she uses when fighting.

In the manga, during her first appearance her blouse was blue instead of pink which in later chapters, changed to her common Part I outfit. Her scrolls have also changed color from red and yellow to green and yellow.

Neji Hyuga

Neji was born with an unmarked forehead, but when his cousin Hinata, the main branch's heir, turned three years old, he was branded with the Hyuga Main Family's Juinjutsu by his uncle Hiashi. All branch members carry this curse mark, as it is a symbol that one lives only to serve the main branch. Neji's father Hizashi was well aware of Neji's natural talent, and he was frustrated that despite Neji's skill, Neji still carried the fate of a servant. Hizashi openly showed his anger; consequently, he was punished through Hiashi's activation of his curse seal. Around this time, the Leaf and Cloud Villages had signed an alliance treaty. However, that treaty only served as a ticket into Konoha and a lowering of Konoha's guard so the Head Cloud ninja could abduct Hinata and steal the secrets of the Byakugan. The attempt failed, though, as Hiashi intervened and killed the man in his tracks.

When word of the murder reached the Hidden Cloud Village, they demanded Hiashi's body as compensation (as his body would hold the Byakugan as well). The Hidden Leaf Village was prepared to comply to this request until Hizashi stepped in and offered to give himself up instead. Due to him being bound by the Hyuga Main Family's Juinjutsu when he dies, the Byakugan will be sealed away. Hizashi made this sacrifice willingly in order to protect his brother, family, and village. However, Neji came to believe that the main branch had forced him to do so. This misconception became the primary basis of his grudge against the main branch and of his concrete view on one's unalterable fate.

A year before the start of the series, Neji graduated at the top of his class, and was placed in Team Guy, with Might Guy as the Jōnin leader, and Rock Lee and Tenten as his teammates. After officially being promoted to Genin, Neji declined to reveal his dream, and laughed at Rock Lee for claiming that he could become a great ninja with just taijutsu. During their first year in Team Guy, Lee challenged Neji many times, but always lost. Guy decided to have his team wait a year before taking the Chunin Exams, in order to ensure that they were prepared. At some point before his first Chūnin Exam, his animosity towards the main branch became apparent to Guy, who made him promise not to let the issue influence his feelings during the Chūnin Exams.

Hinata Hyūga

Hinata is the eldest child of the Hyūga clan's leader, Hiashi Hyuga . As a child, Hinata was regularly seen as being rather shy. As the eldest child, it was her birthright to become the next heir to the Hyūga clan's main house. She was regularly put through grueling training by her father. One night, while still a child, she was kidnapped by ahead ninja from the land of lightning . Her father killed the head ninja to save her, which ultimately resulted in the death of Hinata's uncle, Hizashi Hyuga.

Despite the sacrifice that went into saving her, Hinata's father eventually deemed her a lost cause that was weaker than her sister, Hanabi Hyuga. When she was assigned to Kurenai Yuhi, he told her that he was unconcerned that she might die on a mission, saying that he had no use for a weak heir, and began concentrating on Hanabi. Hiashi then left Hinata in Kurenai's care.

Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto was born as the son of the Fourth Hokage,Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki. Before his birth, they had decided to name him after the main character in Jiraiya's first book, hoping their son would be as great a ninja as the character was. This made Jiraiya Naruto's godfather. Soon after his birth, however, the Nine-tailed demon fox attacked Konoha. To save the village, Minato engaged the Nine-Tails in combat and sacrificed his life bysealing it within Naruto, believing his son would someday have use for it. Naruto was left to grow up knowing nothing of his parents, receiving only his mother's last name since the Third Hokage felt that it was best that nobody knew that he was related to the Fourth Hokage.Before Minato died, he asked that the villagers of Konoha view Naruto as a hero who had helped defeat the Nine-Tails. However, only a few of the villagers honored his request, while most instead resented him for containing the monster that had destroyed their home. In light of this, the Third Hokage decreed that nobody should ever speak of the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto, hoping that their children would not resent him as they did. The children, however, followed their parents' lead, despite not knowing why. Iruka Umino would be one of the few exceptions. Despite losing his parents to the Nine-Tails, Iruka was always compassionate to Naruto's plight. For this, Naruto came to view Iruka as the father-figure he never had.