Naruto Uzumaki is the main character in the series. In the Naruto series, he is 12 years old and has ambitions of becoming Hokage, a title delegated to the leader of the Hidden Leaf village. Naruto's parents were killed when he was a young child due to the powerful nine-tailed demon fox that now resides in him. If awakened, the demon fox has the power to create natural disasters. Naruto must harness the demon within him to one day become the Hokage.
Sasuke Uchiha is a member of the Squad 7 ninja team (as is Naruto). Also 12 years old in the Naruto series, Sasuke is seen as one of Naruto's greatest rivals who later becomes one of his sworn enemies. Sasuke's main desire is to kill his brother, Itachi Uchiha, who was responsible for killing the rest of his family. He faces his brother in the series and loses, forcing him to leave the group and join a criminal organization that promises to give him more power.
Sakura Haruno is the series's female lead character and is also a part of the Team 7 ninja group. Like Naruto and Sasuke, she also began the series as a 12-year-old. Although Naruto has a significant crush on her, Sakura falls in love with Sasuke early on in the series. When he defects Team 7 and becomes involved in criminal activity, Sakura attempts desperately to save him. Sakura then becomes a powerful ninja through her training and is said to possess the power of 10 men.
Ino Yamanaka is a childhood friend of Sakura who becomes the only female member of Team 10. Upon finding out that they both adore Sasuke, they both compete with one another, and even engage in a fight. Later in the series, they reconcile, while still remaining rivals. Ino specializes in using mind-altering techniques. She can enter the consciousness of nearby people and gains control over their body.