Naruto's ability to learn through study is somewhat limited due to his average intelligence, something he got from his mother. When he applies himself to physical training and experience however, he is able to learn highly advanced techniques in a much shorter period of time, the most prominents examples are his senjutsu and jinchūriki training.
Naruto can also be quite innovative, using his clones to master advanced techniques. Examples of this include a two-man Rasengan, three-man Rasenshuriken, using clones to perform senjutsu and using chakra arms to perform the Tailed Beast Rasengan.
He apparently was taught some skill and knowledge on fūinjutsu from Jiraiya, as he knew how to use the seal's keyafter receiving Gerotora, and resealed Kurama after he separated it from its chakra.[126] Jiraiya had left Naruto with the key to help him complete an as of yet unknown technique which he, Naruto, and Minato have been working on, but never finished. Naruto stated that he was ready to complete it.
Although Naruto's intelligence is greatly downplayed for most of the series, his skills in deception and strategy are actually extremely high. According to Kakashi, this is all thanks to his cunning and imagination as a former prankster, which allows him to fool perceptive and dangerous jōnin-level shinobi like Zabuza Momochi in Part I and even defeat S-rank ninja such as Kakuzu and Pain in Part II. He also possesses the ability to formulate complex plans in the midst of battle. Naruto's strategies typically involve shadow clones; either directing his opponent's attentions towards one of his clones to disguise his own movements, transforming them into various shapes such as shuriken, to allow for surprise attacks, or making himself seem predictable by creating a pattern, just to surprise them by breaking it (examples being when Naruto fooled Neji and Kakuzu into thinking the shadow clone, furthest away from danger, was the real him, or variations using the Shadow Shuriken Technique).
His deceptive skills were first best displayed in Team 7's first battle against Zabuza; he came up with the strategy to disguise himself as a fūma shuriken in order to free Kakashi from Zabuza's Water Prison Technique. During the preliminaries of the Chūnin Exams, Naruto was even able to get around Kiba's sensitive nose by fooling him visually. In the anime Hoshigakure Arc, he deduced the weakness of the Mysterious Peacock Method, that while the user is manipulating such large quantities of chakra, they pay less attention to their surroundings, which allowed Naruto to easily sneak up on Natsuhi and land a blow (something that according to Akahoshi had never been done before). These skills were shown to have increased exponentially by the time of his battle with Pain, allowing him to prevail through an elaborate and highly unpredictable array of back-up plans, such as transforming his clones to mimic the environment. He also used the Shadow Shuriken Technique and the Transformation Technique to turn himself into aRasenshuriken to temporarily neutralise the Preta Path while his real Rasenshuriken went to attack the Deva Path, while a clone attacked the Naraka Path from above with a Sage Technique: Spiralling Serial Spheres. When Naruto caught his second wind against Kurama to bypass its hatred completely, he systematically used the Sage Art: Many Ultra-Big Ball Spiralling Serial Spheres, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and his mother's chakra chains to push Kurama's chakra out of its body from a safe distance to absorb it into his own body. During his fight with the reincarnated Third Raikage, knowing the speed of the Raikage is great, he tricks the Raikage into dodging the first Rasenshuriken, his true intentions being to use Kurama's chakra arm to redirect it and throw it at him from behind. Even after the second attempt fails, Naruto still has the where-with-all to attack the Kage with a third at point blank range before he can even get decent footing to dodge. After speaking with Gyūki about its battle with the Third Raikage, he deduced that the latter injured himself with his own technique and used this to his advantage by slamming a Rasengan to the side of his arm forcing the Raikage to impale himself with his own technique. When he learned the location of the chakra receivers on Tobi's Six Paths of Pain, he immediately formed a plan to eliminate them. Testing it out on Rōshi, he nearly destroyed the chakra receiver if not for Han's interference.[123] He then forms a two-fold plan to release Son Gokū from Tobi's control by attacking from the outside in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, pulling the receiver, while having a shadow clone in Sage Mode inside Son Gokū trying to push it out.[124]When he learned that Kakashi and Tobi's Kamui's were connected, he formed a plan to send one of his clones into the other dimension which enabled him to destroy Tobi's mask.[125]
Learning Capabilities
Naruto in Sage Mode.
With the strength of his chakra being so high, Naruto's training was able to expand to include the same senjutsu arts of his late sensei Jiraiya. He learned this in Mount Myōboku, showing an even higher aptitude for it than Jiraiya and ultimately learning how to perfectly enter Sage Mode. In order to achieve this, Naruto had to learn to sense and then gather the natural energy around him and perfectly balance it with his own chakra. Once mastered, Naruto was able to perfect the Rasenshuriken, so that he could throw it, and learn Frog Kata: a taijutsu style that uses the natural energy around the user to enhance the range and the potency of their attacks. In Sage Mode, Naruto's overall physical abilities are dramatically enhanced to the point where he could throw entities much larger than himself with little to no effort, including the Animal Path's Giant Rhino and Kurama.[108][109] He can even shatter sharp objects with his bare hands, such as the Deva Path's chakra disruption blades, with relative ease. Using Frog Kata in the anime, he was able to completely overpower the Nine-Tailed Naruto Clone, even stripping him of his "Version 2" cloak with each of his punches.[110] His durability increased to the point where he could fall on a bed of spikes and not even be damaged, as well as surviving the Giant Rhino's charge despite it tearing up the land behind him with its impact. His speed increases to the point where he was able to intercept a charging Asura Path, which had been using its chakra boots to attack Tsunade, create a Rasengan and slam it down before it could even react, showing him covering a considerable distance in a short amount of time.[111] Also while in Sage Mode, Naruto gains a sensory ability to detect and identify other people's chakra even from very long distances away. This enabled him to be able to gain a sense of what was going on during the Fourth Shinobi World War, on battlefields a considerable distance away.[112] He also attempted to use this mode to gauge the power of the Ten-Tails, only to find out that it was immeasurable.[113] His sensing abilities have also enabled him to predict the movements of his enemies for easy retaliation.[81] With his sensing abilities, he could pinpoint the chakra receivers that were on Tobi's tailed beastSix Paths of Pain.[114]
However, Naruto had two flaws in his senjutsu training: To mould natural energy, the user must remain absolutely still, something one cannot do while in combat; and because of Kurama, Shima and Fukasaku were unable to fusewith Naruto to mould it for him. To counter this, Naruto had to leave two shadow clones in a safe place to mould the natural energy for him. Once he depleted his current amount of senjutsu chakra, he would dispel one of the clones and use the natural energy it had gathered to re-enter Sage Mode. However, this method limits the maximum number of shadow clones that Naruto can create to five. Any more would interfere with the focus of the clones' gathering natural energy. However, this limit in shadow clones ceases should Naruto decide to go all out during a fight and forget having any clones store natural energy for him.[115][116][117] Naruto has also stated that it is possible to lengthen the time he is in Sage Mode.[118] He now can enter Sage Mode in just a few seconds.[119][120][121][122]
Intelligence
Naruto using the Wind Release: Rasengan.
After failing to bring Sasuke back to Konoha for the second time, Naruto went through elemental training where he discovered that he had an affinity for Wind Release. By incorporating his wind affinity with the Rasengan, which was originally intended to be combined with an element, he greatly increased the technique's power and range. The wind nature compliments a fighter like Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match for short-range fighters. By focusing his wind chakra, Naruto can go as far as cutting objects with just his chakra. During his training to use his Wind Release, Asuma Sarutobi taught him how to channel it through his weapons.
Naruto had learned nature transformation to upgrade his Rasengan, which he achieved with the Wind Release: Rasengan and then took it even further by creating the Rasenshuriken, combining peak levels of both shape and nature manipulation originally deemed impossible without natural talent or instinct. The Rasenshuriken was capable of slicing into the victim and cutting them at a cellular level faster than a Sharingan can see it. However, it caused similar damage to his own arm, as it was still a hand-held technique, despite its name. After his senjutsu training, he completed the Rasenshuriken. He could increase its power and attack radius, to the point where he could completely shred the Human Path to pieces leaving only a portion of its body behind.[107] When thrown, the Rasenshuriken becomes Naruto's quickest attack with its speed being so great that it could cross an entire mountain range in a single second, and explode with enough force to fill up nearly half that area. In the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto can also create a miniature Rasenshuriken, using two small chakra arms on his forefinger.
Collaboration Techniques
Naruto and Gamatatsu using their Wind Release: Toad Gun.
Collaboration Techniques entail techniques that are comprised of at least two or more techniques that, when initiated with the right timing, one will feed into each other to become a technique of greater power than the sum of its parts. Naruto was introduced to the subject by Jiraiya in the anime, in order for him to synchronise with a toad, and develop a collaboration technique. Naruto eventually managed to synchronise with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu developing the Wind Release: Toad Gun, and the stronger Wind Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet. The stronger version had enough power to temporarily knock out theThree-Tails. Naruto has also done collaboration techniques with bothGamabunta and Yamato.
Naruto using the Rasengan.
Created by the Fourth Hokage and taught to him by Jiraiya, the Rasengan is Naruto's second and strongest signature technique. While the Rasengan is a one-handed technique, Naruto required the use of two to form it due to his poor chakra control, thus using a clone to form the "shell" of the sphere. Despite this, Naruto has used the Rasengan effectively in almost every one of his fights after mastering it. The Rasengan holds an advantage over its counterpart, the Chidori, in only requiring chakra control to form, while the Chidori uses so much chakra that it can only be used a few times a day. Naruto has mastered the Rasengan to a degree that he can do it almost instantaneously.[100] He is now able to create larger Rasengan without the use of natural energy or Kurama's chakra.[101] After obtaining Tailed Beast ModeNaruto is able to perform the Rasengan without a clone,[102] as well as being able to form and wield aRasenshuriken in each hand.[103]
Due to the unique nature of the Rasengan in Naruto movies, Naruto creates a new type of Rasengan, often facilitated by a character in the movie, or a unique property present in the movie.
Nature Transformation
Naruto using the Wind Release: Rasengan.
After failing to bring Sasuke back to Konoha for the second time, Naruto went through elemental training where he discovered that he had an affinity for Wind Release. By incorporating his wind affinity with the Rasengan, which was originally intended to be combined with an element, he greatly increased the technique's power and range. The wind nature compliments a fighter like Naruto, as the wind nature is a great match for short-range fighters. By focusing his wind chakra, Naruto can go as far as cutting objects with just his chakra. During his training to use his Wind Release, Asuma Sarutobi taught him how to channel it through his weapons.
Naruto had learned nature transformation to upgrade his Rasengan, which he achieved with the Wind Release: Rasengan and then took it even further by creating the Rasenshuriken, combining peak levels of both shape and nature manipulation originally deemed impossible without natural talent or instinct. The Rasenshuriken was capable of slicing into the victim and cutting them at a cellular level faster than a Sharingan can see it. However, it caused similar damage to his own arm, as it was still a hand-held technique, despite its name. After his senjutsu training, he completed the Rasenshuriken. He could increase its power and attack radius, to the point where he could completely shred the Human Path to pieces leaving only a portion of its body behind.[107] When thrown, the Rasenshuriken becomes Naruto's quickest attack with its speed being so great that it could cross an entire mountain range in a single second, and explode with enough force to fill up nearly half that area. In the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto can also create a miniature Rasenshuriken, using two small chakra arms on his forefinger.
Collaboration Techniques
Naruto using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Although Naruto had trouble with the Clone Technique at the start of the series, he quickly learned how to use jōnin-level techniques, like the Shadow Clone Technique and its large-scale version. The technique would become his first signature technique, one of the two foundations of his ninjutsu, and later, the base of his training skills. The Shadow Clone Technique takes advantage of the massive chakra reserve Naruto possesses due to him being Kurama's jinchūriki. Naruto is able to create upwards of a thousand clones,[94] and retain a decent amount of chakra in each of them. Because of this, Naruto can use his shadow clones for virtually anything, from straight combat to speed training. After the timeskip, Kakashi has noted that Naruto's timing with the technique has improved drastically.[95]
Initially, Naruto would create a multitude of clones to overwhelm his opponents. Other times, however, he would employ the use of the Transformation Technique to change the appearance of these clones to catch his target off guard. By Part II, Naruto learned that whatever his shadow clones learn, he, the original, would also learn. By using this, he is able to learn techniques that would usually take months or years in days, which speeds up his training greatly. Naruto takes advantage of this often, using shadow clones to determine his opponents' abilities, to determine how many clones he will really need to defeat them instead of simply wasting chakra on thousands of clones.[96] In the anime, Naruto is shown to use the larger-scale version on multiple occasions to form human chains, for both offensive and supplementary reasons.
Despite the risks of Naruto's chakra being drained faster by Kurama whenever he uses the Shadow Clone Technique while in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto did use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to scatter throughout the battlefield, although he didn't create as many as he normally does.[97][98] His relationship with Kurama has improved since them, allowing Naruto to create clones in Tailed Beast Mode without having his chakra drained. Naruto also uses his shadow clones in a more innovative way so that he can access his various modes such as Sage Mode and the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode along with their respective abilities simultaneously through his clones.[79][99]
Summoning Technique
Naruto using the Summoning Technique.
Naruto was first taught how to use the Summoning Technique by Jiraiya. After allowing Naruto to sign the summoning contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya took Naruto through the execution of the technique in order to provide Naruto with allies in future battles. Additionally, Jiraiya's other motivation to teaching Naruto how to summon was to help Naruto to realise and take advantage of Kurama's chakra.
The type of toads that Naruto can summon at any time is proportional to his chakra and skill, as when he first started out he could only summon tadpoles. At first, Naruto had a hard time getting any specific toad, as he summoned either Gamakichi or Gamatatsu. When he used Kurama's chakra, or when he was truly motivated, Naruto was able to summon the toad boss, Gamabunta. Naruto is also capable of summoning Gamahiro to use Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique.
Naruto fighting Kiba.
Naruto has always been at least passable in taijutsu, ever since the Academy where he received a B in that class. Throughout Part I, his taijutsu slowly improved, where it was first showcased in his battle with Kiba Inuzuka in theChūnin Exams preliminaries where he was able to hold his own and avoid multiple slash attacks from Kiba and Akamaru's Four Legs Technique without the aid of his shadow clones and then defeat him with Naruto Uzumaki Combo. A testament to his skill with taijutsu was shown when Naruto was fighting against Neji Hyūga's Gentle Fist techniques in the Chūnin Exams, where he got into striking distance using only hand-to-hand combat. After the time skip, Naruto's taijutsu improved greatly under the tutelage of Jiraiya where he could hold his own in hand-to-hand against several shinobi skilled in taijutsu such as Kakashi Hatake, Yamato, and the Deva Path, he could even disarm adept kenjutsu users such as Karui. Throughout the series, Naruto's taijutsu continually improved, eventually learning theFrog Kata style from Fukasaku. In Sage Mode, he was able to beat the Deva Path twice in taijutsu, the first time sending it flying back with a roundhouse kick and the second time disarming it of its chakra disruption blade and sending it crashing into a boulder with a single kick. After deducing the weakness of the Third Raikage, he was able to use his sensory and Frog Kata skills to outmanoeuvre the former and turn his own attack against him.[81] While in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he was also able to block several of A's immensely strong punches despite being intercepted several times,[82] and he could even hold his own against a skilled Sharingan user like Itachi Uchiha in a taijutsu fight.[83]
Naruto shattering stone with his raw strength.
On top of his taijutsu skills, Naruto has shown a high level of physical strength. During the Chūnin Exams, he stopped a charge from one of Orochimaru's giant snakes albeit while using Kurama's chakra. During his senjutsu training in Part II, he was able to budge one of the huge statues without using the special oil. After the training, he could shatter stone with his raw strength, as seen when he escaped from the petrified Preta Path after it absorbed too much of his senjutsu chakra. His strength is increased to such a point in Sage Mode where he can toss not only the Animal Path's Giant Rhino after stopping its charge, but Kurama itself. He can also shatter sharp objects with his bare hands, such as the Deva Path's chakra disruption blades, with relative ease. In Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto becomes strong enough to push a fully formed Tailed Beast Ball through a multiple layered barrier with just one arm,[84] neutralise White Zetsu with a single kick despite their durability,[85] and, in collaboration with B in his full Eight-Tails form, he could also knock down Tobi's Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with an uppercut.[86]
Naruto outpacing A in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Naruto has also displayed impressive speed over the time skip as well. When confronting Sasuke after the Five Kage Summit, he saved Sakura from her own poisoned kunai which Sasuke wielded to stab her and received only a shallow cut in exchange.[87] With the help of his shadow clones, Naruto was then able to restrain Kakashi while charging up a Rasengan, meeting Sasuke's Chidoricharge and equalling it.[88] While he's in Sage Mode, Naruto's speed increases greatly to the point where he could intercept the Asura Path, which was using its chakra boots before Nagato could complete his sentence or attack Tsunade. He was even able to avoid the Third Raikage's Nukite at near point blank range and retaliate with a Rasengan after meeting his charge. Naruto's speed is so great in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, that Killer B even had trouble determining if he had used the Body Flicker Technique when attacking Kisame,[89] he could even surpass the speed of a fully chargedA, who was noted to be the fastest shinobi in the world since Minato's death,[90] and was also able to outright blitz the Third Raikage with a Rasenshuriken before the immensely fast shinobi had any chance to turn around.[91] In Tailed Beast Mode, Naruto's speed and strength are enhanced greatly to such an extent that he was able to deflect five Tailed Beast Balls by simply moving past them, and also to the point where Kakashi mistook him for his sensei.[92] With the help of a shadow clone, he could even move fast enough to two different locations of a battlefield, while at the same time, destroying Madara Uchiha's wooden dragon in the process.[93]
