The epic ninja adventure that became a global phenomenon! Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He’s got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world’s greatest ninja! Naruto’s friends are tested as an attempt to overthrow Tsunade begins and they must all fight—or fall. Pain commences with the final destruction of Konoha, and Naruto and the Toads prepare to take him on in battle. Naruto inches ever closer to discovering Pain’s true identity, but is it worth it now that he’s morphing into the dreaded Nine Tails? Then, an unexpected confession reveals incredible secrets about his past as Naruto prepares for the ultimate battle with Pain. Can the chakra-challenged Naruto win when one misstep could spell disaster? Author/artist Masashi Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Like many kids, he was first inspired to become a manga artist in elementary school when he read Dragon Ball . After spending time in art college, he won the Hop Step Award for new manga artists with his story Karakuri . After considering various genres for his next project, Kishimoto decided on a story steeped in traditional Japanese culture. His first version of Naruto , drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in the world. The series would also spawn multiple anime series, movies, novels, video games and more. Having concluded the series in late 2014, Masashi Kishimoto has kept himself busy this year with the side story Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring and writing the story for the latest Naruto movie, Boruto: Naruto the Movie , both of which will focus on the title character's son, Boruto.