Naruto has had many of his most consequential life events covered by the original Naruto manga as well as his current circumstances in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. But once the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, beyond some nice details covered by interquel stories of various characters reconciling or even falling in love, there's an enormous chunk of time between this period and the time Naruto becomes Hokage. This time, known affectionately as Naruto's blank period, which is the majority of a roughly 15-year gap, appears to be the basis for Shadow Rising.
Naruto: Shadow Rising Adapts The Franchise's Blank Period On The Timeline
Naruto in his prime has never been fully realized beyond small installments like The Last: Naruto the Movie and his various feats in the Boruto series. Given the presence of Sakura cradling baby Sarada, as well as the title Shadow Rising as a likely nod to Naruto's rise to Kage, or Shadow, for Konoha, Naruto: Shadow Rising will likely start with Naruto at roughly 21 years of age, or at least contain substantial moments from that period. It means wholesome scenes of the Konoha 11 welcoming the next generation, while Kakashi Hatake still fully has the reins as Lord Sixth Hokage.
The glimpse of Naruto donning the Hokage hat can understandably be confusing, as it's the only incongruous hint of a starting point that'd upend canon depending on its interpretation. But again, given the series seems to be focused on Naruto's journey to becoming Hokage, and just how he managed to stay Genin, as backed by official databooks and Boruto canon, this could merely be the projected endpoint of the series. This also gives Kishimoto the chance to put more clarity into exactly when Naruto becomes Hokage, which has been estimated to be anywhere between 27 and roughly 32 years of age, with even that figure fluctuating.
The point is, this series will finally nail down the Blank Period with absolute clarity, and give a definitive answer to Naruto's timeline leading into Boruto. Barring some fringe theories about this being a way to delegitimize Boruto canon, which is extremely unlikely given Kishimoto has put his trust in Ikemoto, this leaves several years of Naruto canon to be adapted. It'll be interesting to see just whether Kishimoto has conceived enough material to make this a particularly long ongoing manga, or if it's a limited series, but it's already a blockbuster engagement for which Shueisha will surely roll out the red carpet.
Big Questions Remain About Shadow Rising's Plot
Nailing down a timeline, being the Blank Period between the events leading to Naruto's epilogue, as well as the events leading into Boruto, still leaves the question of the story. There's very little known about what'll happen in Naruto: Shadow Rising beyond a spectacular-looking fight between Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha.
Given the two formally buried the hatchet, this isn't likely to bear anywhere near the gravitas of their final battle at the Valley of the End, although some of the expanded light novel context, like Sakura Hiden, have set the precedent for other Sasuke-related conflicts such as being briefly framed for a conspiracy to attack Konoha. But the notion of the two in their prime, duking it out, is thrilling nonetheless, and a solid tease from Kishimoto himself.
However, beyond the various Hiden stories not given more expansive treatments, such as for Kakashi, Sakura, Gaara, or the Akatsuki, there's still plenty of uncharted territory available. That's with or without events like Kakashi's rediscovery of his Will of Fire, Sakura helping heal the many wounded from the Fourth Great Ninja War, Gaara's time as a young Kazekage (and ideally still with his old haircut) and much more. The world is entering an unprecedented period of peace, but not without its extremist threats, as Naruto: Shadow Rising appears ready to unveil it in greater detail.
Video Game(s)
Naruto: Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (2003), Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Naruto: Rise Of A Ninja, Naruto: The Broken Bond, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Naruto Shippuden Dragon Blade Chronicles, Naruto: Path Of The Ninja, Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Cast
Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
Latest Film
Boruto: Naruto the Movie
English (US) ·