Namikaze, Minato

波風ミナト

Minato Namikaze served as the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure and was the individual responsible for sealing the nine-tailed demon fox inside Naruto Uzumaki at the time of Naruto's birth. This act cost him his life. Before dying, he requested that the villagers not view Naruto as the monster within him, but rather as a hero; however, the villagers ignored this request. The name "Namikaze" translates literally as "Wave wind." The name "Minato" translates as "Harbor" or "Port."

Spoiler

Minato is said to be one of the greatest ninja Konoha has ever produced, possessing natural talent that had not been seen in many years. He specializes in using the Hiraishin no Jutsu, a technique created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, which essentially allowed him to teleport to any location using a special seal. By attaching the seal to a kunai or an enemy, Minato could teleport to the location of the seal unnoticed, allowing him to wipe out nearby opponents almost instantly. This ability led to his title as "Konoha's Yellow Flash," and it caused him to be seen as so dangerous that a flee-on-sight order was issued regarding him during the Third Ninja War. He also created the Rasengan, a technique that does not rely on hand seals but instead uses a concentration of spinning chakra in one's palm that causes immense damage to its victim on contact. Later in the series, it is revealed that the technique is actually incomplete. Minato had planned to add his own nature manipulation training to the Rasengan, making it even more powerful, but could not manage to do so prior to his death.

Spoiler

}