Naruto, Vol. 3

{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Arial;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue0;} \viewkind4\uc1\pard\lang2057\f0\fs20 Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief, and sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuki and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure!\f1 \par \par \cf1\f0 Zabuza, the ninja assassin, was stopped from his first try at killing Tazuna the bridgebuilder - but Zabuza still lives! While the ninjas recover from their injuries, Kakashi puts Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura on a strict training regimen to protect Tazuna's family - including Tazuna's embittered grandson Inari - and prepare for Zabuza's next attack. But the next time won't be as easy, because joining Zabuza is his apprentice, Haku. And as the bridge comes closer to completion, our heroes must be willing to die - or kill - to protect the ones they love.\cf0\f1 \par }

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.