Mathew Warren

Mathew "Matt" Warren is the central character and main protagonist of Naruto: The Lost Soldier. A descendant of Shinobi, he is a resident of Roaring Falls and a sixth-grader at C.S. Parkman Middle School. He is a Genin on Team Kakashi, teamed with Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno under Kakashi Hatake.

Background
There are conflicting accounts on Matt's history. According to him, he was born in Roaring Falls, Wisconsin and has lived there his whole life. Prior to the start of the series he had no knowledge of the Shinobi World. However, it has been implied by Tsunade that he was once a resident of the Village Hidden in the Leaves and at some point got separated from them. This view seems to be held by many other residents of the Hidden Leaf, as several Shinobi have referred to a plan enacted by the Hidden Leaf that involved sending Matt away. It has been stated that he was sent away because he possesses immense power that has the potential to throw the Shinobi World into war. Because of this, several residents of the Hidden Leaf who were familiar with the plan were reluctant to breach it and bring Matt back to the Village.

Appearance
Matt is a young man with a slender build and skinny stature. He has short-trimmed, dusty-brown hair and brown eyes, and there is a small scar on the left side of his mouth. Initially, he wears a red t-shirt and black gym shorts. After arriving in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he retains the red shirt while switching to dark-blue jeans.

Personality
Matt has a rather introverted demeanor. He does not have many friends, and he makes an effort not to stand out in school. This appears to be something he somewhat regrets, as he ponders it frequently, even to the point of not having a challenging history to compare to his peers. Matt is very observant and intuitive, sighting Saisho Teki as the latter was running reconnaissance in the former's neighborhood. He knew without doubt that Saisho did not live in Matt's neighborhood and knew that his presence there was suspicious. Matt enjoys where he lives in Roaring Falls and attending Parkman Middle School, contrary to other people his age, due to the fact that it is a quiet place where little happens, and he is able to do his school work without interruption. Matt also seems to have very keen instincts; as soon as he was approached by Saisho, Matt immediately grew suspicious, sensing that Saisho was a threat. When under duress, Matt has been shown to be very cynical, responding with sarcasm to both friend and foe.

Matt is not above anger, as he verbally confronted Tsunade when she told him that he could not return home. He ignored his gut instinct that she should not be crossed and was ready to escalate the situation until Shizune stepped in. He takes a great deal of concern towards his mother's emotional well-being; his very first question upon arriving to the Village Hidden in the Leaves is rather she knows he is safe. It was also at Shizune's suggestion that he not give his mother extra worry by exposing himself to danger that he was finally convinced to stay in the Hidden Leaf. He shows empathy towards those around him, sympathizing with Sakura when they discussed Sasuke Uchiha defecting from the Hidden Leaf.

Having been initially opposed to being in the Hidden Leaf, in the same vain he also found some of their customs unorthodox, such as Shinobi uniform. He finds the custom of Shinobi adorning Headbands to be absurd. However, he eventually grows to enjoy the Leaf Village and the many cultural differences that it has to offer. By his first few days in the Village, he could be found in shops and libraries, asking questions of employees and learning new things. As Matt's time in the Hidden Leaf grows, he begins to willingly assimilate to Shinobi culture, striving to succeed in his training. He also remarks on the fact that the other Villagers that do not know him seem to avoid him.

Matt's history of spending his days alone in school with few friends has developed a strong desire to prove himself. This resulted in his refusal to surrender a losing battle due to his perceived notions of the spectators' expectations for him to give in and his unwillingness to live up to them. During his fight with Hinata Hyuga, this persisted after having sustained brutal injury and being unable to summon his Chakra. He refused to back down, and despite any reservations he had, he continued to stand, even when faced with the possibility of being killed.

When learning the battle tactics of a Shinobi, Matt is quick to be hard on himself, feeling he is not making much progress. This may be a direct contrast to how he is actually doing, as Kakashi told him that he had a knack for Taijutsu. Matt is shown to be unwilling to give up on something, even if he wants to, as was such when Kakashi was teaching him. Matt is reluctant to be involved with conflict, preferring to avoid paths that lead to a fight. However, when he does face an opponent, he faces the challenge with quick wits and sharp senses. He has shown considerable emotional resilience when it comes to combat; after being mortally wounded at the hands of the Demon Brothers, he was able to take the occurrence in stride and continue his mission. However, in spite of this, he has been hesitant to see more combat. When Kakashi approached the subject of the Chunin Selection Exams with him, Matt was hesitant to want to participate. He was not convinced when Kakashi told him that the dangers he would face in the Exams would not be as severe as when fighting the Demon Brothers.

Matt was severely emotionally traumatized after unintentionally killing Masuta Tatsumaki. He was overcome with panic and eventually wanted to leave the Shinobi World altogether. This resulted in a verbal altercation with Naruto, who, along with Sakura, worked to convince him to stay. Matt took great distaste with the Shinobi ideals of simply moving on after having taken someone's life. Eventually, his teammates managed to convince him to stay for a night to consider everything, however, he was unable to sleep that night, seeing Masuta's corpse whenever he closed his eyes.

Abilities
Matt's career as a Shinobi has just begun, and therefore he is quite a ways behind his peers in the Hidden Leaf. He has since undertaken training overseen by Kakashi. Beginning in the area of Taijutsu, Matt's hand-to-hand combat skills have increased dramatically, garnering praise from Kakashi after only a few hours of practice. The same is true for weaponry, as Matt mastered the use of both kunai and shuriken in moments. His Ninjutsu has developed at an astonishing pace as well, having mastered the Clone Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu in a fraction of the time that it should normally take. Kakashi remarked that it normally takes a Shinobi weeks to produce any effect when first attempting a Jutsu, meanwhile Matt was able to see results by his second try. While he has seen little combat, he has shown quick reflexes and a natural affinity for navigating a battlefield.

Ninjutsu
Matt's Primary Chakra Nature is Fire. He was given a scroll by Kakashi that contained many Fire Style Jutsu. Matt has worked diligently to learn new abilities, and has so far acquired multiple techniques from the scroll. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu was the first above-E-Rank Jutsu Matt learned, and he compliments this with Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu and Fire Style: Dragon Darts. His skill in Fire Style Ninjutsu caused a team to retreat from battle in fear of him. He has superb mastery of his E-Rank Jutsu for distraction and evasion tactics. He can be seen using Clones to distract an enemy and leave them open for one of his more powerful Fire Style Jutsu.

Season One
As Matt leaves his house and approaches his bus stop for school, he spots Saisho Teki walking away from him. Matt, not recognizing him as a resident of the neighborhood, wonders who Saisho is and what he is doing there. The bus arrives, and as Matt begins his day as school, he puts Saisho out of his mind. When he walks home, Saisho approaches him and demands that Matt come with him. Matt immediately refuses and backs away, but Saisho tells him he will not get away. Kakashi Hatake then arrives and intervenes, but is shocked to realize that it is Saisho. Saisho states that Kakashi must not be very strong, and without moving he severely injures the man. As ANBU Team Ichi arrives on the scene, the Team Captain tells Kakashi to take Matt and leave while they fight Saisho. Kakashi eventually agrees, and he and Matt escape. As they feel a large shockwave from the battle, Kakashi transports Matt to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Matt is in awe at the Village, but he then asks Kakashi several questions, including what he is. Kakashi states that he is a Shinobi, but that he will explain more once they are inside the Village. As they walk through the Hidden Leaf, they arrive at a mansion where Kakashi prepares to bring Matt in to meet the Hokage. As they arrive in Tsunade's office, Tsunade introduces herself to him and welcomes him to the Village. She gives Matt the opportunity to ask questions, his first being rather his mother knows he is safe. They discuss Saisho Teki and why he is after Matt. Tsunade believes Saisho was attempting to recruit Matt, and when Matt states there would be no reason for this, Tsunade and Kakashi tell him he is a Shinobi. Tsunade explains the basics of a Shinobi to Matt, telling him he was separated from the Village at some point. Matt tells her this is wrong as he has lived in Roaring Falls his whole life. Tsunade then posits that he is descended from Shinobi who immigrated from the Village, stating that this is a common occurrence.

Tsunade and her assistant, Shizune, tell Matt about the Shinobi World. As Matt processes all of this information, he then thanks them all for saving him before asking if he will now return to Roaring Falls. Tsunade and Kakashi explain to him that they cannot let him go back home, as it will leave him vulnerable to Saisho again. Matt objects to this, eventually building to a verbal confrontation between him and Tsunade. Shizune alleviates the situation, telling him not to give his mother extra worry by leaving himself in danger by returning home where Saisho can get to him easily. Matt finally relents, and he and Tsunade reconcile. Kakashi then shows him to his residence on the Village. Leaving Matt alone to rest for the night, Kakashi goes to the emergency room.

The next day, Kakashi comes to see Matt after being discharged, and the two go to the forest just outside the Hidden Leaf. Kakashi begins training Matt, and the two start with Taijutsu. While Matt initially feels he is making little progress, Kakashi tells him that he is doing very well. Matt asks about Kakashi, who tells him about his team and the other Shinobi that he leads. As the two prepare to continue, Kakashi tells Matt to attack him with everything he has. The two battle, and when Matt is able to keep pace with Kakashi as well as evade a lethal attack, Kakashi concludes Matt's Taijutsu training. The two meet the next day to discuss weaponry, and they work with both kunai and shuriken. Matt masters these easily, and the two then move onto Ninjutsu.

Kakashi briefly explains Ninjutsu and the role that Chakra plays in them. He then demonstrates the Clone Jutsu to Matt, who easily masters it. They then proceed to the Substitution Jutsu, which Matt quickly masters as well. They then proceed to the Transformation Jutsu, which Matt struggles with. After finally completing the technique, Kakashi uses Chakra Paper to determine that Matt's Primary Chakra Nature is Fire. Kakashi then hands him a scroll detailing Fire Jutsu and concludes their training. He tells Matt to go forth on his own, learning from the scroll and determining his own battle style.

The next day, Matt immediately begins learning from the scroll, and while he initially struggles, he eventually masters the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. He then learns Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu as well. While he begins work on [[Fire Style: Dragon Darts, he does not successfully complete the technique during his allotted training time. During this time, he also explores the Village and picks up materials for learning Japanese. After his training time is over, Kakashi officially promotes him to a Genin, giving him a Headband. He brings Matt to Tsunade's office and introduces him to Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. Both of them greet Matt kindly, welcoming him as an official member of Team Kakashi. Tsunade assigns them their first mission as a team: they are to travel to the Leaf's allied Villages and gather participant counts for the upcoming Chunin Selection Exams.

The team departs to begin their mission, but as they are getting ready to leave the Village, they are stopped by Shizune, who informs them that Sasuke Uchiha has been spotted. Team Kakashi's mission changes to going to the Village Hidden in the Waterfall to search for Sasuke. The four of them set out, traveling for the entire day. When night falls, and they set up camp, Matt demonstrates his Fire Style Jutsu. Sakura witnesses this and is bothered, but doesn't initially state why. Later, she reveals that Sasuke also new Fire Style Jutsu; she is concerned that with Matt's arrival, everyone will forget about Sasuke. Matt counters this, saying that if Sakura continues to search, people will see this and want to help. This eases Sakura's concerns. The next day, Team Kakashi moves into the Land of Waterfalls, eventually coming to the entrance of the Hidden Waterfall.

The entrance, taking the form of a passage in a pond inside a cave, leads Team Kakashi to the Village, where they meet Shibuki. Shibuki tells them that Sasuke has been spotted lurking around the Great Tree. Team Kakashi searches the Great Tree, as well as the Hidden Waterfall and the territory beyond, but they are unable to locate Sasuke. Shibuki, however, is satisfied that Sasuke's absence eliminates the possibility of him being a threat. Team Kakashi then resumes its original mission and collects the Hidden Waterfall's participants for the upcoming Chunin Selection Exams. After departing from the Hidden Waterfall, they begin traveling throughout the Shinobi World. They visit the Village Hidden in the Stone and meet the Tsuchikage Onoki]. Afterwards, they travel to the [[Village Hidden in the Grass and the Village Hidden in the Rain. Eventually they arrive at the Village Hidden in the Sand where they are met by Gaara.

Gaara introduces himself to Matt, and he states that when he heard Team Kakashi was coming to the Hidden Sand, he wanted to be the one to meet them. After acquiring the Hidden Sand's participants for the Exams, Team Kakashi depart from the Sand. As they travel, Kakashi explains that Gaara was once used by the Hidden Sand as a weapon in a plot to destroy the Hidden Leaf. Because of this, the Leaf wishes to be much more careful about who participates in the Exams, thus the need for the mission they are on. The four travel back through the Land of Fire to the coast and take a boat to the Land of Water. They arrive at the Village Hidden in the Mist and meet with the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi. She invites them in for dinner, but when Kakashi declines, she is offended. Team Kakashi departs, but as they are leaving the Hidden Mist, they are attacked by the Demon Brothers.

Meizu and Gozu attack Kakashi while clones of each of them surround Matt, Naruto, and Sakura. All members of Team Kakashi begin fighting, and while Matt battles valiantly against the Meizu and Gozu clones, he is quickly overpowered. He sustains serious injury, and poison on the Demon Brothers' weapons incapacitates him. As Meizu and Gozu prepare to finish him, Naruto intervenes and pins the Water Clones. Matt is quickly losing his health while the other Genin are unable to help him. Kakashi defeats the original Meizu and Gozu before arriving at Matt's side. He orders Sakura to return to the Hidden Mist and find a hospital while he and Naruto carry Matt. Matt is eventually submitted to a hospital in the Hidden Mist for treatment.

He later wakes in the hospital and is visited by Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. The rest of Team Kakashi is relieved to see that he is okay, and Matt laments holding them up with his injury. Mei Terumi then arrives, apologizing to them all for intentionally setting them up to be ambushed by the Demon Brothers. Kakashi accepts her apology, but declines her invitation to continue to recover in the Hidden Mist. The team leaves the Land of Water by boat and arrives in the Land of Lightning. They travel to the Village Hidden in the Clouds and meet the Raikage A Yotsuki. A, who is none the happier to be providing them with his Village's candidates for the Exams, gives them the information before suggesting that they leave. Team Kakashi travels back to the Land of Fire, eventually returning to the Hidden Leaf. The four of them split off, and Matt returns back to his home to rest and recover.

The next day, Matt goes to his backyard and resumes practicing the Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu, still making little progress with the technique. Kakashi arrives at his house, wishing to speak with him. The two talk about the upcoming Chunin Selection Exams and Matt's potential participation in them. Matt is reluctant to put himself at risk after nearly dying at the hands of Meizu and Gozu. Kakashi tells him that he can choose to participate or not, as his participation will be independent of Naruto's and Sakura's eligibility. Kakashi tells him to think it over and talk to Naruto and Sakura about it, as they have taken the Exams before and can provide some insight. Kakashi takes his leave, and Matt considers his life as a Shinobi while continuing to practice the Dragon Flame Jutsu. He eventually comes to the conclusion that the Shinobi are not such bad people before passing out.

After he wakes up, Naruto and Sakura arrive at his place and invite him out to eat. Matt tells them that he wants to participate in the Exams, making Naruto happy, even though Matt is still somewhat tentative about the idea. A month passes by, and they arrive at the Hidden Leaf's Shinobi Academy, turning in their paperwork and reporting to the First Exam. Here they meet the Genin of Team Kurenai. Kiba Inuzuka greets Matt and introduces him to his dog Akamaru as well as Hinata Hyuga and Shino Aburame. After wishing Matt luck in the Exams, he walks away. At that moment, Ibiki Morino arrives in the classroom along with several other Shinobi and announces the start of the Exams. Ibiki explains to them that each team must find pieces of intel that will lead them to a spot they must arrive at within the time limit in order to pass the Exam.

Ibiki informs them that the first piece of intel is in the classroom, and he departs, thus beginning the Exam. Team Kakashi at first struggles to locate the piece of intel, watching several other teams progress through the Exam. Finally, Matt notices shadows from the Academy's roof cast down into the grounds, and they arrive to the rooftop to find the intel pieces. They eventually decode the intel and locate all other pieces, arriving at the designated location. Here, they meet Ibiki, who tells them that they have passed the First Exam. Matt is stunned by this, and meanwhile Sakura asks Ibiki to explain the Exam to her. Ibiki elaborates that the First Exam was about solving a problem using only skills and resources immediately available. Anko Mitarashi then enters the café, severely damaging it in the process.

After bantering with Naruto, Anko introduces herself calmly to Matt, who is appalled at what he is witnessing. Anko briefly explains that the Second Exam will be the same as what Naruto and Sakura have experienced in the past, and therefore they can explain it to Matt. Later on, Team Kakashi meets with the other passing teams at the Forest of Death. They are given one of two types of scrolls and must battle the other teams for the other type and reach the tower at the center of the forest in order to pass the Exam. The Second Exam starts, and Team Kakashi is immediately confronted by Team Todoki. Todoki Jikyogu declares battle with Team Kakashi despite both teams possessing the same scrolls. Shikuri Hagemo attacks first, and while Sakura fights her, Matt and Naruto face off with Todoki and Kento Gansha.

Todoki and Kento work together to repel Matt's and Naruto's attacks, and as Sakura is beaten back by Shikuri, the three Leaf Genin find themselves cornered. Todoki threatens to kill them for their scroll if they don't surrender it. Matt, Naruto, and Sakura make a stand, and as Matt attacks Kento with his Fire Style, the Rain Genin becomes scared. After witnessing Sakura's immense strength, the three Rain Genin surrender their scroll and retreat. As it is the same scroll they already have, this is hardly considered a win. A day later, they are confronted by Team Masuta who has them surrounded. The two teams fight, and as Naruto and Sakura fight Jisashi Tenoke and Tagaki Shizukuta, Matt battles Masuta Tatsumaki. As the two fight, Masuta commends Matt for his abilities, and their fight lasts after their teams finish. As their fight continues, Matt uses Fire Style: Dragon Darts and accidentally kills Masuta.

All members of Teams Kakashi and Masuta are horrified at what has happened, and while Sakura tries to heal Masuta, she is unsuccessful. Masuta's team give their scroll to Team Kakashi before taking Masuta's body to return him to the Hidden Sand. Team Kakashi is left in the wake of what has just transpired, and Matt is steadily overcome with panic. He wants to leave the Shinobi World altogether, and Naruto and Sakura try to talk him down. Matt and Naruto get into a verbal altercation, with Matt finding distaste with Naruto's ideals of simply moving on after accidentally killing Masuta. Sakura intervenes, convincing Matt to take one night to rest and figure out what to do. The next day, Matt is missing. Sakura finds him after having not slept the previous night. Matt confides in her, and Sakura tells him that she does not think that he is a bad person.

Sakura tells Matt that he should work to move forward, and she finally convinces him to come back with her and Naruto. The three of them arrive at the tower, where they open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, thus bringing forth Kakashi. The four of them briefly discuss the Second Exam, with Matt holding back about the events with Masuta. Kakashi explains to them that they may have to participate in a Preliminary to trim the number of candidates who participate in the Third Exam. As the Second Exam comes to an end, this Preliminary ends up becoming a reality, and eight teams gather in an arena in the tower. Tsunade is there as well, as well as several other Shinobi. As the Preliminary Exam begins, Matt and the rest of Team Kakashi observe each match.

In the second fight, Matt battles Hinata Hyuga. Hinata's superior skill with Taijutsu and the Gentle Fist overpowers Matt. She suggests that he surrender for his own safety, but when Matt refuses, she activates her Byakugan. She attacks him with Gentle Fist Art: Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms, wreaking havoc on his Chakra System. Matt, left unable to fight, refuses to stand down, prompting Hinata to surrender to keep from killing him. Matt is declared the winner of the match, and Kakashi helps him back to the stands to rejoin the spectators.