One of the fan-favorites, Naruto tells the story of a young ninja and his journey towards accomplishing his dreams. Along with Naruto's journey, the anime series also gives a taste of the ninja life that has its ups and downs. Since the road to becoming a ninja is a tough one with the omnipresent troubles and enemies, death is inevitable to many.
During the first few episodes of the Naruto series, many characters were killed, especially during the Chunin exams. The death of these characters established the platform to create Naruto into the main protagonist that everyone needed.
10 Haku
Orphaned at a young age, Haku was a dedicated follower of Zabuza Momochi, who accepted Haku and trained him to be a strong Shinobi. Haku was abandoned by his father and villagers because of his Kekkai Genkai, through which he could manipulate water and create ice spikes.
During Zabuza's second fight with Kakashi in Season 1 Episode 18, Haku sacrificed himself by acting as a human shield against Kakashi's Lightening Cutter. Even though Haku was severely injured after his fight with Naruto, he wished to sacrifice his life out of loyalty and love towards Zabuza.
9 Gato
As one of the main antagonists of the Land of the Waves arc, Gato was a corrupt businessman who also trafficked drugs. Gato had hired Zabuza and Haku to assassinate Tazuna, the master bridge builder from the Land of Waves. After Zabuto was defeated by Kakashi for the first time, Gato had warned Zabuza that he would be kicked out if any mistake was made again.
When Zabuza was severely injured after fighting Kakashi for the second time, Gato arrived with his men to kill Zabuza so that he would not have to pay him for his services. However, Zabuza got enraged when Gato kicked Haku's dead body, and Zabuza ended up beheading Gato with a kunai.
8 Zabuza Momochi
A rogue ninja from Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi was an Anbu or assassin who wished to kill the Fourth Mizukage. However, after a failed first attempt, Zabuza started working for Gato to save enough funds for a second attempt. On his mission to kill Tazuna, Zabuza encountered Kakashi and engaged in a battle with him. Before he could be killed by Kakashi, Haku came in disguised as a hunter-nin and saved Zabuza.
However, during his second battle with Kakashi, Zabuza ended up highly injured but was again saved by Haku as he sacrificed himself to Kakashi's Lightening Cutter. After killing Gato, Zabuza passed out near Haku's body, hoping to be reunited with him in the afterworld.
7 Shiore
Shiore was a genin from Kusagakure who participated in the Chunin exams with his team held at Konohagakure. His attire when he first arrived for the exams resembled Orochimaru, but he did not have any bandages around his calves and ankles.
Although Shiore was killed off by Orochimaru before the exams, his death was revealed later when his corpse was found by Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, and Mozuku. Orochimaru had taken Shiore's guise to participate in the Chunin exams to assess Sasuke's abilities and strengths.
6 Rasa
Rasa was the fourth Kazekage and the father of Gaara, a shinobi of Sunagakure. To save his own village from extinction, Rasa focused on increasing the quality of the ninjas in his village. Because of this, he also sealed Shukaku within his youngest son, Gaara that resulted in the death of his wife during childbirth.
Rasa was murdered by Orochimaru before the finals of the Chunin exams. To bring up the resources of his village, Rasa had joined hands with Orochimaru to attack Konoha. However, Orochimaru assassinated Rasa and assumed his identity to pose as the Kazekage.
5 Dosu
A loyal follower of Orochimaru, Dosu participated in the Chunin exams to help Orochimaru obtain his goals. However, since Dosu was portrayed as a smart and logical ninja, he was soon able to deduce that Orochimaru wished to possess Sasuke and that Dosu and his team were just pawns in the game. During the Chunin exams, Dosu vowed to kill Sasuke.
Dosu was killed by Gaara after he challenged him to ensure Sasuke's survival till the end. While Dosu planned to keep Sasuke alive till the end so that he could challenge and kill him, it was not accomplished since Gaara killed Dosu.
4 Hayate
Hayate was introduced as one of the proctors during the final rounds of the Chunin exams in the first season of the Naruto series. While he appeared to be of poor health, Hayate was a strong ninja and was even assigned to investigate Kabuto Yakushi, a spy of Orochimaru.
Hayate was killed by Baki after he overheard Kabuto and Baki's conversation regarding Sungakure and Otogakure's plan to invade Konoha. During the battle between Hayate and Baki, Hayate used his Dance of the Crescent Moon technique but it turned out to be too shallow. In the end, Baki used his Blade of Wind technique to kill Hayate.
3 Kin And Zaku
Kin and Zaku were introduced as members of Team Dosu during the Chunin exams. Loyal to Orochimaru, Kin and Zaku were sent to the exams to test Sasuke's skills so that Orochimaru could estimate Sasuke's strength. Both Kin and Zaku performed well during the Chunin exams, however they were soon defeated in the individual battles by other ninjas.
Even though Kin and Zaku were faithful followers of Orochimaru, they were sacrificed by him to summon the souls of the First and Second Hokage during the invasion of the Konoha village.
2 Hiruzen
As the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, Hiruzen was a powerful ninja and a former teacher of Orochimaru, one of the main antagonists of the Naruto series. Popular for his kind and thoughtful nature, Hiruzen peacefully led the village, and his death was the source of sorrow for many.
During the invasion of Konoha, Hiruzen came face to face with his former student, Orochimaru. While preventing Orochimaru from destroying the village, Hiruzen was killed as he tried to seal Orochimaru's arms. Hiruzen's affection for Orochimaru could still be seen when he died, since he hoped that he would meet Orochimaru again in the next life.
1 Jirobo
Jirobo was introduced as one of the members of the Sound Four, who were Orochimaru's bodyguards. Originally a prisoner of Orochimaru, Jirobo was rained to protect Orochimaru and carry out his ordeals. Jirobo was a calm and arrogant ninja with exceptional strength. He participated in the assassination of Shiore's team and the Fourth Kazekage.
During the Sasuke Recovery Mission, Jirobo faced Naruto, and the team sent to rescue and bring Sasuke to Konoha. While Jirobo's victory seemed certain, Choji ended up channeling all of his chakras and defeated Jirobo, ultimately killing him.