Naruto is an action shonen anime series, and many of its characters identify strongly with being a combat-ready ninja, such as the martial artist Rock Lee, who stakes everything on his taijutsu. Bloodthirsty villains such as Hidan, Kisame, and Hanzo also love to employ violence, but other Naruto characters feel differently.
Some Naruto ninja and supporting characters dislike violence and oppose war. They want a peaceful world where war is a thing of the past, and some of them will actively fight to create that world. These violence-averse Naruto characters aren't necessarily pacifists, since some of them actually fight often in the anime. But they also hold the conviction that violence causes more problems than it solves.
10 Gaara Was Always A Peace-Loving Person Deep Down
When Gaara made his debut in the chunin exam story arc, he outwardly loved violence and found validation in killing others. Gaara even said so at one point, but in reality, he was just coping with his intense inner pain. What he actually longed for was peace and love.
After Gaara's redemption, he showed his true personality as a tough but fair young man who wishes to inspire, protect, and lead the people whom he loves. Gaara is still willing to fight, but he prefers diplomacy and understanding over senseless violence, which impressed his fellow Kage during their summit.
9 Kaguya Otsutsuki Wants Her "Children" To Get Along In Peace
The almighty Kaguya Otsutsuki may have been a final boss battle for the reunited Team 7 in Naruto Shippuden, but despite Kaguya's role in the story, she favors peace over war. Kaguya isn't a conquerer or a warlord, but rather, a stern yet well-meaning mother.
Kaguya is the mother of all chakra and jutsu, and she sees all that in terms of food, not violence. Kaguya will only reluctantly enter battle so she can get her many "children" to get along and put the world back the way she wanted it. Having to fight, or witnessing violence, might even reduce Kaguya to tears.
8 Chiyo Is Comfortable With Her Retirement
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Chiyo is an elderly woman living in the Hidden Sand village. She was never a pacifist, nor does she oppose war on principle, but she is also reluctant to return to the battlefield. Chiyo is simply done with violence and ninjutsu, seeking to spend her final years in peace and quiet.
Chiyo hoped she would never need her deadly puppet-based jutsu again, but when Sasori returned, she had little choice. Chiyo joined forces with the Leaf chunin Sakura Haruno to put an end to Sasori's rampage once and for all then gave her life to restore Gaara's own.
7 Inari Was Upset When Violence Harmed His Homeland
The young boy Inari never had any good experiences with violence and conflict. His homeland, the Land of Waves, suffered when the suit-wearing villain Gato muscled in and took over with his armed thugs. Inari's much older friend Kaiza tried to fight back, only to lose his life.
This tragic loss made Inari a bitter defeatist who hated heroes and villains alike. In Inari's eyes, violence always caused grief and pain, and the boy had a point. However, violence was necessary on Team 7's part to defeat Gato, and Inari later accepted that fact and viewed Naruto as a hero.
6 Itachi Uchiha Secretly Despises Violence
The anti-villain Itachi Uchiha was introduced as a violent monster, responsible for his clan's demise. In truth, Itachi is a pacifistic kuudere who shaped his fighting style around avoiding violence. This is why Itachi makes such heavy use of genjutsu to bloodlessly defeat or drive away his enemies.
Itachi was also highly reluctant to kill his own family, but he had his orders, and his beloved home village was at stake. With a heavy heart, Itachi carried out those orders and wiped out the Uchihas, but he couldn't kill Sasuke. Itachi outwardly rationalized this as leaving Sasuke alive as a potential challenger in the future.
5 Jiraiya Died For His Dream Of Peace
One of Naruto's best mentors, Jiraiya the toad sage, seemed reckless and violent at first. Jiraiya was quick to use force on his enemies, including his use of the Rasengan, but he doesn't love fighting. Jiraiya views violence and ninjutsu as necessary evils to fight for his true cause - world peace.
Jiraiya dreamed of peace decades ago and taught it to the three Rain orphans. Later, Jiraiya passed on that dream to Naruto Uzumaki, aiming to end the cycle of hatred and violence once and for all. Jiraiya died for that dream, and Naruto finished the job when he spoke to Nagato in person.
4 Hinata Hyuga Favors Love Over War
The lovable dandere Hinaga Hyuga isn't quite a true pacifist, seeing how she trained hard in her clan's dojo to learn the Gentle Fist. Then again, Hinata is a naturally kind person who identifies much more as a lover than a fighter. Like Jiraiya and Itachi, Hinata views violence as a necessary evil at best.
Hinata gained the courage to fight for real after Naruto spoke some encouraging words to her, and she fought bravely in the war. Even so, Hinata was only doing her duty as a formal Leaf shinobi, and she didn't actually enjoy any of the fighting. She greatly preferred the peace that followed Madara's defeat.
3 Shikamaru Wants To Float Like A Peaceful Cloud
The famously lazy Shikamaru Nara isn't afraid of a fight, and he doesn't openly share Jiraiya's dream of world peace. Still, while Shikamaru is a brilliant squad leader, he enjoys peace and quiet much more, watching the clouds pass by and envying their carefree "lives."
Shikamaru's idea of conflict is a game of shogi, a nonviolent hobby that challenges the mind without harming anyone. Rock Lee may practice his kicks for fun and Tenten may enjoy throwing shuriken, but for Shikamaru, the best hobbies are peaceful and quiet.
2 Jugo Would Rather Meditate In The Forest
The rogue Sasuke Uchiha recruited the powerful Jugo to fight with him, but unlike Sasuke and Suigetsu, Jugo didn't like violence or bloodshed. He was a naturally pacifistic young man whose gentle soul didn't match his burly appearance or his terrifying curse powers.
Jugo is like a less heroic Bruce Banner, a mild-mannered fellow who has a monstrous alter ego that sometimes takes over. Jugo may be powerful, but his true desire is to stay far away from the battlefield and meditate with the animals deep in a peaceful forest.
1 Kushina Uzumaki Wanted A Family, Not Battlefield Honor
Naruto's redhead mother Kushina was liable to lose her temper and whack someone on the head, but otherwise, she didn't like violence. Growing up, Kushina respected and feared Kurama's power, and she never glorified war or power for any reason.
Kushina was happiest with her lover, Minato Namikaze, and identified less as a shinobi and more as a loving wife and mother-to-be. If Kushina had lived, she might have passed on this attitude to her son. But even without Kushina around, Naruto grew up as a champion of peace, something Kushina would have been proud of.