Naruto Chapter 1 Characterization notes:
A. Opens on Naruto defacing the Hokage monument and laughing to himself. Before we meet Naruto properly we meet villages who call him a 'young devil', and a crowd of detractors. Naruto easily mouths off to them, calling them out for not being able to do as he does, until Iruka shows up.
B. For this, Naruto is tied up in front of the class and is flippant in response to Iruka's scolding, getting him on the bad side of the rest of his class (again, Naruto being positioned opposite a crowd of people who dislike him and are very willing to tell him). Instead of doing the assignment Naruto plays another joke at Iruka's expense and is scolded.
Notes: Naruto is introduced through a disregard for rules and for public opinion. He isn't phased by being thought poorly of by the masses and from Iruka's perspective he puts little to no effort into his school work despite an exam he's already failed twice coming up. Naruto does not respond well to being scolded, it doesn't encourage him to work harder or try different methods at this point, at most he attempts to embarrass Iruka with a prank rather than rise to the scolding. He is positioned twice in conflict with a crowd, one of his peers (other students who had to do extra work due to his behavior) and one of adults (who were upset at his insulting the Hokage by painting on the monument).
A. Naruto isn't phased by having to clean the paint as he has no one to go back to. Iruka pities this and motives Naruto by offering to take him out for ramen when he's done cleaning. Despite Naruto's disregard for the Hokage's monument he does hold them in high regard, calling them the 'best shinobi in the village' and aiming to be one, the best Hokage, so he will earn respect. He also asks to wear Iruka's headband despite having not yet earned it.
B. The test happens and for the second time we see Naruto worry, the clone jutsu isn't his strongest technique. Despite this he loudly proclaims he will create a perfect copy and utterly fails. Iruka offers him no mercy despite Mizuki saying Naruto should pass anyway.
C. Naruto sits alone watching his classmates who passed. Some of them notably with their families, and some adults who seem to know about his secret.
Notes: Now we get vulnerability from Naruto. He lacks a family to go home to and thrives moreso off positive reinforcement, like the ramen. Unlike later on Naruto doesn't seem to have an issue with short cuts at the moment, seeing as he brightens when Mizuki suggests he pass without being able to perform a clone and mildly in him asking Iruka for a headband he hasn't earned the right to wear. This time he positions himself in opposition to a crowd of peers and adults who mostly ignore him. We also get, through the swing and later him walking off, his tendency to want to be alone when he's genuinely upset.
A. Mizuki, who has already positioned himself as an ally due to trying to offer Naruto leniency, follows him and tries to give Naruto some insight into Iruka. Naruto is focused on how he wanted to graduate though, and Mizuki offers him a solution. Naruto's desperation to pass leads him to following Mizuki's advice, his pranks escalating to breaking into the Hokage's office and taking a scroll.
B. The village go after Naruto, but Iruka finds him first and finds that Naruto has trained to the point of exhaustion. Iruka's surprise at finding Naruto like this speaks to his perception of Naruto up until now. Naruto is surprised by Mizuki attacking Iruka which shows he isn't accustomed to violence yet, he doesn't know how to react to being attacked in a serious way. He also hears Mizuki out about the decree and the Nine-tails. As he realizes the extent of his isolation Naruto panics, memories flashing in front of him of his loneliness, this is only broken when Iruka selflessly risks his life to put himself between Naruto and an attack. He tries talking to Naruto, who still doesn't get it and runs off.
C. Once again Naruto runs off when he's upset. He doesn't have a strong reaction to Mizuki saying they're alike in seeking power, but breaks down when he thinks Iruka might hate him, growing smaller in the panel and then the last part of his line being shown in black. This changes when Iruka gives Naruto the acknowledgement he craves, an admission that brings Naruto to tears and gives him the strength to stand up to Mizuki. Never again will Naruto be alone, as he summons his own crowd of clones to fight with him.
Notes:
Naruto doesn't grow based on criticism at this point, he grows when he gets positive comments or a promise of rewards. For criticism he seems to let it slide off him. This is something Mizuki uses to lure Naruto into trusting him though he only planned on using Naruto.
Naruto uses arrogance and bluster to disguise his insecurity, his comments before failing the clone technique put his confidence in front of a crowd that is yelling at him in a new light.
Naruto doesn't let Mizuki's comments get to him until they're a cause to believe he can't be loved, by Iruka or the village.
At this point, Naruto doesn't have issues skirting the rules to get things he wants but doesn't push it to the point of cheating/willfully going against the village.
From Iruka's insights, Naruto does not put effort into his studies and instead puts effort into things like pranks that can get him easier short term attention, this is reinforced when he learns the shadow clones in a few hours despite struggling with the clone technique with only the scroll as a teacher. He later goes on to train harder and put more effort into learning, but this is likely true at this point. Maybe related to motivation, seeing as Iruka did not bond with Naruto as a student up until this chapter and doesn't seem to fully understand how to motivate him and Naruto isn't very self motivated as far as his studies go. (ditching class right before an exam to do graffiti). This point I'm shaky about given Naruto is a very good self-motivated learner later, but he might just be missing motivation right now since his academy days are marked by perpetual failure.
Iruka points out that Naruto already has a lot of empathy for people due to his failures, though this isn't demonstrated well as Naruto doesn't fully understand Iruka at this point and focuses more on his own goals than a desire to understand why Iruka failed him or why he pushes Naruto so hard. This isn't incorrect on the whole though. On the whole this makes sense for the tone of the chapter.
Naruto likes to be alone when he's upset, choosing to go off on his own when he doesn't graduate and at the 9-tails reveal.
Naruto tends to speak in more fragmented ways when he's excited like "Wait'll I show you. i never dreamed....some of the shinobi arts are so amazing!!!" and he sometimes will think and then finish his thought aloud.
Naruto uses the sexy jutsu on Iruka as potentially a revenge prank for making the class do extra work and against Hiruzen to take the scroll, the uses are relatively different so not drawing conclusions about his creation of or when he finds it practical to use the technique. He does respect Hiruzen to some degree given his respect for the Hokage title and acknowledgement that Hiruzen is 'the best shinobi in the village' to inherit it, and he at least wants Iruka to have a good opinion of him given his despair at the thought that Iruka dislikes him later, though his use of the technique on both could be a sign that he views them as less of an authority than say Kakashi (he doesn't use it during the bell test) though I'm not certain either way. In the end the reason he uses the sexy jutsu on Hiruzen was to cut the time it'd take to show him making a plan to steal the scroll in a humorous way, but it is worth noting characterization wise. Idk, might have to think on that point.
Naruto is bold enough to do things other shinobi don't, like, on one hand, yes it's weird he was able to get the scroll at all given his level and how guarded the thing should be seeing as it can release the nine-tails, but the idea works within the chapter. Naruto says the reason he can deface the monument is he does thinks so low no one else would think to do them. So him trying to just directly take the scroll the way he does, after being caught by the Hokage? Yeah that suits what he said, he's bold enough to do it and that's why he can. He also back talks authority figures like his teachers and adults, and doesn't seem to think they're above him by any stretch.
