Masashi Kishimoto has a new Naruto manga in the works, and Team 7 will return in a four-episode crossover anime with Ninkū. Both projects were unveiled at the Naruto panel at New York Comic Con on 10 October, with more manga details due at Jump Festa in December.
The official announcement confirms that Kishimoto is drawing the manga and that production on Naruto x Ninkū is underway. Neither project has a release date yet, so this is a first look at what’s coming rather than an imminent launch.
Kishimoto’s new manga gets a first tease
IGN reports that the manga is titled Shadow Rising. The official event recap doesn’t name it, instead describing it as a new Naruto manga drawn by Kishimoto. That leaves the title dependent on the outlet’s reporting for now.
The official recap offers more detail about the teaser’s imagery. It shows the stone faces of the six previous Hokage above the Hidden Leaf Village, with the seventh face under construction. Naruto appears holding the Hokage hat, alongside scenes of Kakashi smiling, Sasuke standing, and Sakura looking at a baby. The sequence ends with Naruto and Sasuke clashing.
Those images give fans something to pick over, but the announcement doesn’t explain the plot or publication format. It also doesn’t say how long the manga will run. A familiar cast and a brief confrontation aren’t enough to establish whether this is a short story or a longer series.
The next confirmed information window is the Naruto Jump Super Stage at Jump Festa 2027. Despite the event’s name, it takes place on 19-20 December 2026 at Makuhari Messe in Japan.
Naruto meets one of his creator’s biggest influences
Naruto x Ninkū has a clearer outline. Kakashi sends Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura on a mission, appointing Naruto acting leader because he can’t join them. The trio then gets lost in another world and meets Fūsuke, the protagonist of Ninkū.
Both Kishimoto and Ninkū creator Koji Kiriyama supervise all four episodes. IGN also identifies Noriyuki Abe as director and Tetsuya Nishio as character designer and chief animation director.
The pairing has a creative connection beyond bringing two ninja franchises together. In his message shared in the official recap, Kishimoto credits Ninkū as a major influence on Naruto and describes the crossover as fulfilling his wish to continue Kiriyama’s work. The story turns that influence into an on-screen meeting between the characters.
The announcement doesn’t identify a streaming platform or regional release arrangements. UAE viewers don’t yet have a confirmed service or premiere date to plan around.
The live-action film remains a separate project
The panel also included a message from live-action Naruto director Destin Daniel Cretton, who said the team was working on the film and would share more soon. His update followed the worldwide casting search for Team 7 announced earlier this year.
It didn’t reveal a cast or release date. Tbreak previously covered Charles Melton’s reported talks to play Kakashi, but the panel message doesn’t confirm that casting. For now, the manga, four-part crossover anime, and Hollywood adaptation remain distinct projects with different levels of detail available.
