Naruto Novels to be Adapted into Manga

Naruto is getting a manga adaptation for two of its light novels.

The official Twitter account for Naruto announced that two new manga for Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendents and the Heavenly Stardust and Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls would both release in 2022 for Shueisha's online magazine, Shonen Jump +. Two illustrators were brought in for the adaptation. Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls will be illustrated by Sai Natsuo, who previously worked as the illustrator for Psycho-Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami. Meanwhile, Sasuke Retsuden will be illustrated by Kimura Shingo, a young artist who is mostly known for Medical Punch!! and Japonica.

Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls is a light novel written by Shou Hinata, set in the period between the end of Naruto: Shippuden and the beginning of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The story centers around Mirai Sarutobi, the cousin of Boruto's future sensei, Konohamaru Sarutobi. Fifteen years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, the entire Leaf village finds itself preoccupied with preparations for another Kage Summit. Kakashi and Gai, now both retired, decide to take this chance and head off on a well-deserved rest. Unwilling to let them leave without some security, Naruto assigns Mirai to the two as a bodyguard for the entirety of their vacation.

Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendents and the Heavenly Stardust takes on a comparatively more serious tone. Written by Jun Esaka, the story focuses on Sasuke Uchiha's infiltration of the Astronomy Research Institute in search of a cure for Naruto, who falls ill with a sickness that may eventually leave him completely unable to use chakra. Believing the Institute might have an answer, Sasuke disguises himself as one of its prisoners in order to save his friend.

Originally published in 1999, Naruto was a manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueishak's Shonen Jump Weekly magazine. An anime adaptation premiered in Japan in 2002 and concluded in 2007, with a grand total of 220 episodes. A sequel series titled Naruto: Shippuden began airing in 2007 and finished in 2017 with a whopping 500 episodes. Since its airing, Naruto has become one of the most successful manga and anime franchises in the industry's history, and was one of the big three names of the 2000s, along with Tite Kubo's Bleach and Eiichiro Oda's One Piece.

Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden is available for streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Funimation. The ongoing sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, is available on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The original manga is licensed by VIZ Media for digital and physical release.

Source: Twitter