Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji

Personality for Asuma

Asuma was typically a laid-back individual, and did not get himself involved in things unless absolutely necessary, as seen when he decided not to help save Hinata Hyūga during her fight in the Chūnin Exams. He was a heavy smoker, but, despite this, he would abruptly break the habit under certain circumstances, such as when his father died or learned that Kurenai was pregnant. Not always seeing eye to eye with his father, Asuma later came to respect his father's role as Hokage: referring to him as a great father, and was proud to have been born into the Sarutobi clan. Despite Asuma's very blunt personality, often calling his students what they were unreservedly, a "glutton" (Chōji), a "loud mouth" (Ino), and a "slacker" (Shikamaru), he had a very good relationship with all three. He often took them to Yakiniku Q for lunch and dinner where more often than not Chōji would eat too much and Asuma had to pay more and apologise emphatically to the owner. To help them overcome their underachieving natures, he attempted to use bribery and outright trickery to manipulate them into doing what he wanted. This was seen most with Chōji, who Asuma was frequently able to entice into action with the promise of food and even Shikamaru whom he had to use games like shōgi on to assess his skill level. Out of his students, Asuma spent the most time with and was closest to Shikamaru. Asuma and Shikamaru often played shōgi or Go in their free time, though Asuma was never able to beat Shikamaru. It was Asuma who first discovered that the lazy Shikamaru was actually a genius, with an I.Q. over 200.

Appearance for Asuma

Asuma was a tall man, with brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair, and a beard. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up halfway, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector. He also wore a sash that had the kanji for "Fire" (火) marked on it around his waist, a pair of black bangles, and bandages wrapped around the arms of his sleeves. As a genin, he wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a blue and black collar over chain-mail armour, along with a simple white vest, a pair of black pants, and a white belt. In the anime, it was shown that while he was a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he wore a simple long sleeved shirt with bandages on the arms, pants, that sash denoting he was a guardian and a jacket with a fur collar. He also had his trench knives with him at that point.

Personality for Shikamaru

Shikamaru is naturally a lazy person and his inclination is to do as little work as possible. As an Academy student and even during his early career as a genin, Shikamaru is able to get away with this, spending his days sleeping, watching the clouds, or playing games of shōgi and Go. Even when told by many that he could be a great Hokage, he stated that he didn't want to deal with such responsibilities. His goal is to live unremarkably, free of anything of noticeably good or bad, and then to die just as unremarkably as he lived. When he is faced with the potential for conflict or commitment, he responds first by saying, "how troublesome," and then by trying to find some way out of it, either by pretending to be indisposed or even outright saying that he doesn't want to do whatever it is. Although Shikamaru describes himself as "the number one coward", he has a strong moral compass and dedication to his friends. It is these qualities that earned Chōji Akimichi's friendship, as Shikamaru was one of the first people to look past his weight and find value in who he naturally was. It is also these qualities that force Shikamaru to move away from his lazy pursuits, as he finds himself volunteering to do work or to sacrifice himself if it will in some way benefit his allies. Such selflessness, once displayed during the Konoha Crush, exacerbates his "troublesome" situations: he is given the responsibility of leading his friends into battle, for which reason he does everything that he can to keep them safe, for which reason he is given even more responsibility over even more of his friends, and so on. He still clings to his lazy origins as much as he can; even if he can't spend his entire day being idle, he at least avoids having long-term goals or confessing any particular pleasure in the duties he's assigned.

Appearance for Shikamaru

Shikamaru has narrow brown eyes and a typical expression suggesting he is either bored or irritated. He has shoulder length black hair tied in a spiky ponytail. During Part I, he wears a short-sleeved grey jacket with green-edged sleeves and the rudimentary Nara clan symbol on the back, under which is a green-lined mesh armour T-shirt. He also wears brown pants, a pair of his clan's traditional silver hoop earrings, and wears his blue forehead protector around his left arm. When he becomes a chūnin, he adds a flak jacket over this usual clothing. In Part II, he trades most of his personalised wardrobe for the standard Konoha-nin outfit, the only customisations being green-lined mesh armour on his wrists and ankles and the plate of his forehead protector sewn into his left sleeve. He also replaces the hoop earrings for studs, a gift from Asuma Sarutobi. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Shikamaru's attire remains largely the same as in Part II, with the flak jacket being updated with Konoha's new design. He also wears taller sandals that reach more past his calves. In adulthood, Shikamaru finally abandons the normal infantry's attire, instead wearing a cream-coloured coat and black pants very similar to what his father, Shikaku, used to wear. He also grows a short goatee and wears brown gloves while no longer having the earrings or studs in his ears. He also has a necklace that he wears, one that appears to be an enlarged size of the earrings or studs he wore during his time as a jōnin. Overall, he is noted to greatly resemble his father. Three years after Boruto left Konoha, Shikamaru wore a dark, button-down shirt with a turtleneck and light pants. As the Eighth Hokage, similar to Naruto during his reign, Shikamaru wears a light cape with high collars that has a dark flame pattern around the hem, held together by a rope.

Personality for Choji

Chōji is a very kind, polite, and caring person. These characteristics are said to be his greatest strength by both his father Chōza and his former teacher Asuma Sarutobi while his greatest weakness was his lack of self-confidence. He is easily motivated by the prospect of food, and becomes highly agitated when somebody calls him "fat" (he refers to himself as "big-boned" and "chubby"). Asuma would say that he is just "pleasantly plump". However, he does not hide his love for food, and his near constant hunger is also an annoyance to his teammates, as eating often comes before other necessities such as stealth and teamwork. Food can also make him over-react about silly things, such as who gets the last chip, or when Akamaru tried to take his chips, and he refuses to let anyone else eat the last chip in the bag, even in battle-situation. Chōji also tends to eat a lot when he's angry. Since Part II of the series, however, his eating habits are more controlled and no longer interfere with his duties as a shinobi. Chōji has a long-standing friendship with Shikamaru. The two have complete trust in each other, with Shikamaru being one of the few people to look past Chōji's lack of athleticism, and see that he had a kind heart; recognising Chōji's true strength. Because of this, Chōji has unwavering faith and loyalty to Shikamaru and, if necessary, would give his life for him, which nearly happened during his battle with Jirōbō. Chōji also cares deeply for his mentor, Asuma, and had a difficult time in fighting him during the Fourth Shinobi World War, due to not wanting to hurt his own teacher, even when Asuma called Chōji "fat" in an attempt to anger him.

Appearance

Like other Akimichi, Chōji has a rotund build and markings on his cheeks in the form of swirls. He has spiky, light brown hair that sticks upward in Part I and grows to waist-length in Part II. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Chōji cuts his hair short and sports a goatee, both of which grow further when he becomes an adult, with his hair slicked back and braided. During Part I, Chōji donned a green, short-sleeved haori with a long, white scarf over a light-green shirt (white in the anime), with the kanji for "food" (食, shoku) on it. He also wore black shorts, hoop earrings, and bandages around his legs and forearms. His blue forehead protector was styled in a manner that allowed two tufts of hair to poke out at each side. In Part II, Chōji sports a red suit with plated armour on his torso, arms, and upper legs, having the same kanji for "food" (食, shoku) on the front. He switches to a standard red forehead protector and replaces his hoop earrings with studs, a gift from Asuma Sarutobi. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he wears the standard Konoha flak jacket over his outfit. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Chōji's overall appearance slims down somewhat, being more plump as he considers himself. His outfit is mostly the same, but he wears larger wrist-guards and his boots reach his calves.[12] Years later, Chōji's attire consists of elements from Parts I and II: a green haori over chest plate armour, brown pants with a red belt, bandages around his arms, and black sandals. He seems to have stopped wearing a forehead protector.

Personality for Ino

From a young age, Ino has been a confident, bold, and outspoken girl who had a mild-temper and occasionally lashed out at others if their personal habits bothered her. At the same time, she was by nature very friendly and loyal to her allies, usually more motivated than her team-mates, and tended to take charge of them, a characteristic she would later pass on to her son, Inojin. Shikamaru, despite finding most girls "troublesome", typically offers no resistance to Ino's forceful behaviour, being unwilling to deal with her reaction if things don't happen her way. She is also prideful in her appearance and often tries to lose weight by dieting in the hopes that it will make her more attractive to boys; she even jokingly suggests that Chōji should do the same to attract girls. Ino is quite knowledgeable about different types and meanings of flowers, sometimes making analogies to them when talking. Despite her assertiveness and uppity demeanour, Ino is a compassionate and kind person at heart, having been raised to embody the meaning of the bush clover: a blunt, candid love who treasures the bonds with her friends.

Appearance

Ino is a fair-skinned woman of average height with light blue eyes (green in the manga) and long, platinum blonde hair with bangs framing the right side of her face. As a young child, her hair was short. In the beginning of Part I, her hair grew to hip-length and is tied into a high ponytail. During the Chūnin Exams, Ino cropped her hair to shoulder-length, often keeping it up in a bun. By Part II, her hair grew back to hip-length ponytail with her bangs became thicker, hiding most of her right eye. In the Blank Period, her hair is hung loosely and extends to her calves; as an adult, her hairstyle returns to its shape in Part II, but her ponytail reaches her upper-back and sports a black clip. Ino regularly wears a purple outfit consisting of a high-collared blouse and matching apron skirt. In Part I, she sports this attire with bandages on her abdomen and legs, small hoop-earrings, her forehead protector worn as a belt, and for a time, white arm warmers. In Part II, Ino's outfit is slightly more revealing as she discards her forehead protector and bandages while exposing her midriff and wears mesh armour on her thighs, elbows and knees. She also replaces her hoop earrings with studs, a gift from Asuma, and sports a red hair clip on her left temple. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Ino dons the standard Konoha infantry flak jacket and assorted clothing. In the Blank Period, she wears a longer skirt that reaches her ankles, high-heeled sandals and pink lipstick. As an adult, Ino wears her purple outfit again exposing her midriff with one mesh warmer on her left arm and open-toed sandals. She also dons the standard Konoha uniform while on missions.

Abilities for ino

As a genin, Ino was noted to be a kunoichi with the potential to become the strongest member of the Yamanaka clan. During the time-skip, she becomes a chūnin, and her improved skills ultimately earned further praise from her father in the Fourth Shinobi World War. Around the era of the Seventh Hokage, Ino's talents made her the head of the Konoha Barrier Team. Many shinobi in the village and of her own clan look up to her. In the anime, she also works in the Analysis Team as an interrogator.

Chakra and Physical Prowess for Ino

While a genin, Ino showed to be skilled at chakra control, as seen when she used her own cut hair to bind a target. In Part II, her chakra control improved greatly, having been made a medical-nin, and being chosen to help seal the Three-Tails. She could also transfer her chakra to others. Although Ino rarely uses taijutsu, she has proven to be skilled enough in her battle against Sakura during the Chūnin Exams, and against a reincarnated Asuma in the Fourth Shinobi World War, a proficient taijutsu user himself. Ino has also shown to have strength and speed, able to tackle Chōji (with increased weight from his enlarged arm) away from Asuma's Wind Release: Dust Cloud Technique. Two years after the war, while usually positioned near the back lines during close-ranged combat situations, her taijutsu has improved enough to support Sai in defeating multiple amounts of enemies.

Abilities for Shikamaru

Despite his poor grades in Academy, Shikamaru's potential quickly showed itself, as demonstrated when he was the only member of his graduating class to become a chūnin during Part I. Despite being a newly made chūnin, he could hold his own against jōnin-level opponents like Tayuya of the Sound Four. In Part II, he could defeat Hidan of Akatsuki after leading the latter to a trap. His skills led to him being offered a position as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the anime, being made deputy-commander of the Fourth Division and chief-strategist of the entire Allied Shinobi Forces, as well as the right-hand man of the Seventh Hokage years later. For years, since childhood, he has been told he possessed qualities befitting the Hokage by Asuma Sarutobi, Temari, and Boruto Uzumaki, and became selected as the Eighth Hokage, thereby being recognised as one of Konoha's greatest ninja.

Ninjutsu for Shikamaru

Shikamaru's nature transformations include Yin Release, which he commonly uses to perform his hiden techniques, as well as Fire and Earth Release. In the anime, he has shown to be able to use fūinjutsu, as seen when he tried to seal Kakuzu's lightning technique into a scroll, and when he unsealed water from a scroll to use as a medium to electrocute Kakuzu. He is also able to use the Flying Swallow, and can create clones of himself, either by flowing chakra into his shadow and shape them, or by using the Shadow Clone Technique.

Abilities for Choji

Chōji's low self-confidence belied his great strength; he became agitated to fight an opponent mainly if they insulted him or his friends. It was during these instances that he proved to very strong, enough to defeat the Sound Four member, Jirōbō. His father Chōza, Shikamaru, and Asuma Sarutobi all believe that Chōji's greatest strength is his kindness and concern for his friends, which the latter states could someday make him stronger than anyone. Chōji helps fight members of Akatsuki such as Kakuzu and Pain, though his self-confidence reaches its peak during the Fourth Shinobi World War: Chōza states Chōji is now worthy of being the Akimichi clan's sixteenth head, every ally and foe on the battlefield become astonished at his display of strength, and he defeats the reincarnated Kakuzu and Hizashi Hyūga.

NinjutsuAkimichi Clan Techniques for Choji

As an Akimichi, Chōji converts the calories he consumes into chakra, hence his husky physique and frequent eating habits. He uses the chakra he stores to perform the body-expanding Multi-Size Technique, allowing him to use the Human Bullet Tank to run down his opponents. He can increase the damage by wrapping spikes around his body, using either kunai or, in Part II, his long hair after he sharpens it. Chōji can expand other parts of his body to enhance his physical strikes, grab and crush targets, or make himself gigantic to smash them from above. The Three Coloured Pills, when eaten, convert Chōji's own body fat into chakra, increasing his physical attributes and facilitating the use of his clan's more advanced techniques. After consuming the red pill, the large amount of chakra manifests into two massive butterfly wings on Chōji's back, making his power a hundredfold. Taking each pill damages Chōji's body, with the red pill not only emaciating the user's body, but also causing eventual death. Therefore, the pills are considered a last resort to use. However, Chōji survived thanks to the Nara clan's medical book and Tsunade's medical expertise. He overcomes these issues by Part II, using his own chakra to perform his clan's techniques without consuming the pills. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he becomes able to form the butterfly wings on his own, bypassing the pills' dangerous side effects.

Abilities for Asuma

Asuma was a highly talented, well respected jōnin of village, gaining praise from Shikaku Nara of being a great shinobi who is not easy to take down. He established a great record in military prowess — something many upcoming shinobi greatly admired. His abilities earned him a position into the Twelve Guardian Ninja — an elite hand-picked team which served to protect the Land of Fire's daimyō — a role which later earned him a bounty of 35,000,000 ryō. He could effortlessly take down nine Oto-nin during the Konoha Crush, noted to have been chūnin-level or above, and was able to compete against Hidan, a powerful member of the Akatsuki, while also protecting his team.

Physical Prowess for Asuma

Asuma was hailed as Konoha's foremost skilled ninja in close-ranged melee combat. His battle style revolved mainly around taijutsu, combined with his special trench knives to create a melee-type fighting style. These knives are made of a special metal that is capable of easily being infused with chakra. With his Flying Swallow, he could extend the blades with his chakra to injure an enemy several feet out of the blade's physical range, as well as increase the cutting power of the blades to the point of easily slicing through trees, rocks, and even metal. He was also physically strong enough to block Kisame Hoshigaki's Samehada using his trench knives.