Naruto

This article refers to the anime/manga series by Masashi Kishimoto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, unpredictable, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all." -Wikipedia,

Naruto
Naruto is a manga/anime series that began in 1999. There are currently 28 volumes out in English and 41 in Japanese. There are currently 276 dubbed anime episodes out, although episodes 136 through 220 are fillers.

Naruto takes place mostly in a village called Konohagakure (the Village Hidden in the Leaves) or in the Land of Fire. Naruto, the title character, is a ninja for this village, along with his teammates Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and their mentor, Kakashi Hatake. Naruto dreams of becoming the leader of his village, the Hokage, but is continuously discouraged. The reason for this discouragement is because of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox (also called the Kyuubi).

Both the anime and the manga are divided into two parts, Part I and Part II. Part II takes place starting at volume 28 for the manga and episode 221 for the anime. It is referred to as Naruto: Shippūden (or Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles) and is after a time skip of 2 1/2 years.

Frequently Targeted Characters
Naruto's hyperness and childishness, Sasuke's dark, avenging personality and Gaara's tragic past make all three of them a very large target for romance Sues (although Sabaku no Gaara is not, technically, a main character).

Sakura is usually non-existant in these fics or portrayed as a cruel and violent girl.

The Bijū
There are nine tailed demons called the bijū in the Naruto Canon. The hosts (Naruto and Gaara included) are called Jinchūriki. Each demon has tails, starting from one all the way up to nine. There is no 10-tailed demon*, no matter what the Suethors may think.

* It now exists.