The main character of the series, the all shining light of positivity, the hard working knuckle head that just doesn't quit.
In a nutshell, Naruto was largely ignored and downplayed by most of his village early on in the series. He sought to prove everyone wrong, especially his teammate Sasuke Uchiha, who notoriously called him a "loser." Soon, with the help of Kakashi, Jiraiya but largely through self motivation, Naruto began to climb the ladder of epicness to become respectably powerful.
Sasuke, after being badly beat by his brother, became envious of Naruto's power and beat him by a pinch. Jiraiya, hardened from experience, advised Naruto not to bother chasing Sasuke. Naruto, however, put a spin on what was a somber ending to part one. He made it his personal goal to one day "rescue Sasuke from the darkness."
Over the two and a half year break, Naruto didn't learn shit. Jiraiya is a terrible teacher with no girlfriend. During Penor Arc, it also became clear that Naruto faced some challenges with self composure; the seal restraining the Kyuubi was weak.
There were, nevertheless, positiives. Naruto learned FRS, strengthened his bond with Kakakshi, pwned Kakuzu and changed Sai's world view with personality.
Drastic change happened when Nagato killed Jiraiya. Depressed, Naruto was cheered up by his sensei Iruka. He went on to fight Nagato and met his father, who strengthened the seal and confirmed what most of us already knew.
Ultimately, the fundamentals of his character never changed. Naruto's resolve to find peace inspired Nagato to once again believe in the greater good of people. When he won, the ENTIRE VILLAGE was there to cheer for him. Quite a few villagers also proclaimed that he should be the new Hokage. And they aren't the only people who think that. Raikage A saw parallels between Naruto and his epic dad.
Naruto went on to learn RSM, met his mother and now considers Killer Bee his uncle.
Our hero now finds himself fighting the man who killed both of his parents. He's made friends with Kurama, a demon moved by Naruto's resolve to fight hate. With Tobi clearly on his heels, Naruto's bigger challenges only seem to fall harder.