Earth.
Shino. Chouji. Tenten. Gai.
Earth is dependable. Earth is solid. Earth is strong.
Shino's constant stoicism sometimes annoys his teammates, but it is also a great comfort to them. No matter how badly things are going wrong, how much longer the mission is going to last, or how much blood they've lost, Shino is calm and objective and never lets panic get in the way of making the best decision for the team. He is capable, and won't allow his abilities to suffer because of a 'bad day', not if his team needs him.
Chouji is the one whom his teammates truly need. Shikamaru is a genius, their greatest weapon, and Asuma is experienced, their voice of wisdom, and Ino is decisive, their motivation. But sometimes Shikamaru gets things wrong, and sometimes Asuma doesn't know what the hell is going on, and sometimes Ino doesn't know what to do. When that happens, they turn to Chouji: the one who always supports, always praises, and always believes.
For the most part, Tenten has stopped doubting herself. Her team is one of the best in Konoha, and all of its members are geniuses in their own ways, except for her. That's fine. Tenten is who she is, and it might take longer for her to get there, but she's going to get there, and in the meantime she will mediate. She will calm/push/criticise Lee, criticise/calm/push Gai, push/criticise/calm Neji. Tenten is whatever her team needs her to be, and that keeps all of them sane... and that way things are better for everyone.
Gai is a lot more perceptive than he lets on. He is also one of the most compassionate men in Konoha. This is why he forced Kakashi into friendship, trained Lee to be Neji's equal, if not his superior, encouraged Tenten to feel secure in herself, and showed Neji what it is to have faith in others. He has a gift for reading others and seeing what they are missing, and what strengths are there, what strengths are hidden, and what support they need. And, being Gai, he will do whatever it takes to guide them to their true potential.
An Earth affinity must always be wary of an unwillingness to change and adapt.
Wind.
Naruto. Asuma.
Wind is unstoppable. Wind is unpredictable. Wind is true.
Naruto is Konoha's most surprising ninja, and quite probably the most surprising ninja in the world. He is also determined - he never gives up, no matter what, and if he can't take the direct path to success, well, Naruto is going to forge his own path and not even he will know where he is going, but he will achieve his goal in the end anyway. He does things differently, which is why he succeeded in befriending Sasuke where others had failed, and why he now can't give up on him.
Asuma never had a real goal in life. He wanted to be recognised for something other than his father, but he had no idea what, and he wanted to be strong, but what for and how much were things that he didn't think about. Young Asuma was a hurricane: wild, raging, destructive, impossible to stop and determinedly creating his own path, no matter who he hurt in the process. In the eye of the storm was his potential: strong, warm, kind, loyal, guiding, brotherly... and when the storm died down, he became calmer, easygoing, accepting, and everything his father had hoped he could be.
Those of a Wind affinity need to have control, or they will hurt the people they care for most.
Lightning.
Kakashi. Sasuke. Neji. Ino.
Lightning is unforgettable. Lightning is dominating. Lightning is pure.
Kakashi refuses to teach anything that he doesn't believe. Many people believe that he adopted Obito's ideals out of guilt, but he knows that this isn't true. His friend would mean nothing to him in that case. Obito changed everything for Kakashi. He made him stronger, shaped the legend he was to become, and taught him how to care again, shaping the man he is now. With Obito's way of looking at the world, Kakashi keeps seeing things differently, keeps learning, and this is why he still misses his friend like he died yesterday - because it feels like he's still alive, showing Kakashi all the truths he's trying not to see.
Sasuke has made a bigger impact on his peers than any other of the Konoha 12 and their teachers. Everyone has an opinion on him, no matter what that is, and nobody can forget him, even if they go months without seeing the remnants of Team 7. As long as Naruto and Sakura continue to follow him - and they will until he is dead - then the rest of them are determined to follow as well. Sasuke has a way of inspiring people, good or bad, and a heart so closed that it invites people to try and enter. He is an avenger now, just as he was a little brother before, because he doesn't know what else to be. Sasuke is single-minded, and that is not always a good thing.
Neji was born to lead others. It doesn't matter that he was born into the branch family, not given the way he is treated by his uncle and cousins and his own ability. If Naruto had not changed his mind, Neji would have led others according to Fate as he saw it. It's a good thing, though, that Naruto shattered those beliefs, because now Neji can use what he was born with: the ability to believe, and the ability to see, and the ability to guide. He's showing Hinata what she can do, showing Gai how he can help further, showing Tenten how she can be stronger, showing Lee how he can win, showing himself how he can do better. And he's succeeding.
Ino is the only reason her team works. Now Shikamaru is motivated, and Chouji is chasing him instead of following him, and Ino doesn't need to do anything but yell at them until they do it right. But in the old days, when they'd only just become a team, she was the only reason they met up for training each day, and worked; and she was the one who made Asuma play shogi with Shikamaru, because he should; and she was the one who made them take their first C-rank, because they could. Even now, Ino is the one that reminds Shikamaru they can't plan for everything, and he one who assures Chouji that they'll always need him, and the one who makes sure they get things done.
Be careful that your Lightning affinity doesn't blind you to other ways and choices.
Fire.
Sakura. Kurenai. Shikamaru. Kiba.
Fire is bright. Fire is warm. Fire is giving.
Sakura is the only one of Sasuke's fangirls to truly love him. This is partly because she is the only who had a chance to get to know him, but also because she was willing to get to know him, instead of trying to change him into the persona she at first wanted him to be. Sakura was willing to give Sasuke everything, if it would make him happy, and she didn't even want anything in return. Sasuke had not had that kind of unconditional love since his family died. It's the reason he left her behind alive, and the reason Sakura can't bring herself to give up on him.
Kurenai is a remarkable woman. She is one of Konoha's best genjutsu users, a capable jonin and leader. At the same time, she is a nurturing soul, the ideal mother. Her team is one of the closest-knit ones in Konoha, due solely to the fact that she treats them more like family than subordinates. She knows how to teach them to be strong, and how to comfort them when their strength fails. This is a lesson she passes on to Asuma, and it's the reason their child doesn't really miss their father; after all, having Team 10 and Team 8 for family is enough of a handful for any child.
Despite his laziness, Shikamaru is willing to help out any friend in need, no matter how far he has to go. He is content to watch the clouds alone, but the invitation is always open for his friends to join him, and they often do, when they just need to be peaceful for a while. Asuma's teachings resonate so strongly in Shikamaru not just because the man is like an older brother to him, but because the foundations of them are already there.
Kiba is an open book. He wears his heart on his sleeve and makes no effort to hide it. He doesn't see any problem in crying when you need to, and is kind of disturbed that people take it as a sign of weakness. Kiba accepts, no matter what, because you love people for what they are, not what you'd like them to be. As far as he is concerned, there's nothing wrong with caring or showing that you do. This is why Shino used to piss him off so much - why he refused to let his team be distant. And when Kiba cares, he's so honest about it that nobody can help but care back.
A Fire affinity means intensity - but become too intense, and you will burn the people who get too close to you.
Water.
Hinata. Lee. Sai.
Water is adaptable. Water is unbreakable. Water is essential.
Hinata was seen as weak by her clan. She did not become the warrior her clan wanted to shape her into, but her own person: caring, loving, hopeful. Though she was always put down, she did not give up, and did not conform. Hinata is the glue that holds her team together. She is the one who quietens Kiba, brings Shino out of his shell and reaches out to Kurenai, all in the same gesture. Her family no longer considers her weak, but she's beyond caring about that, though she does appreciate it. She continues to be her own person, with her own place in the world, and desperately needed in ways she does not understand.
Lee is always trying to do his best. This is not only a philosophy he inherited from Gai, but the very way he has lived his life. The one time Lee thought about giving up, he just got back up again, something stronger and fiercer than before. He has adopted his sensei's beliefs, but is gradually moulding them to his own life and his own dreams and his own mind. Lee was okay when Neji was only his rival, but he much prefers it now that Neji is his friend. And through all of this, at his core, Lee remains the exact same person he was the day he was born.
He doesn't know it, but Sai is one of ROOT's biggest failures. Danzo is no fool - the conditioning he forces his soldiers through is supposed to be permanent. They are not supposed to change, not supposed to grow, not supposed to feel. Sai has never stopped doing any of these three. He changed when he met his 'brother'. He grew up when his brother died. He cheered, and grieved, and eventually he met Naruto, who taught him that this was all okay.
Someone of Water affinity is not always safe. Like the sea, they shift, and can slide into a place too deep to escape from.
Earth. Water. Lightning. Earth. A team that's well grounded, with someone to find the way, and someone to always keep them going.
Fire. Earth. Water. Fire. A team with close bonds, with someone to support them, and someone to ensure they stick together, even when everyone is changing.
Wind. Lightning. Earth. Fire. Mismatched. Different. A team that cares, a team that will always be together, a team that will always work, a team that will never forget.
Lightning. Wind. Fire. Lightning. They can't forget. They can't give up. They don't want to give up. They don't know what they're going to do about it. A team that is broken. A team that is searching.
Water. To make them a team until they find him again.
A/N: I'm not sure, really. This is halfway between a theory and a pattern... I think? I found this really interesting to write, though. Also, all but three of these are pure guesswork on my part. Comments would be loved!