Did Naruto Really Become A Genin Hokage?

If you know one thing about Naruto, it probably has to do with its hero's career goals. The blond-haired ninja has never shied away from his dream of becoming Hokage, and fans knew he'd get there one day. By the time Naruto ended, Masashi Kishimoto gave his hero the job he worked so hard to nab, but there is one thing audiences may not realize.

You know, because Naruto really did become the first-ever Genin Hokage.

In the past, Kishimoto has been asked how Naruto grew once his story ended. When the manga creator ended his series, Naruto was back in the Leaf Village after he defeated Kaguya with Sasuke at his side. There was never any mention of him gaining the Chunin or even Jounin rank before being inaugurated as the Hokage. According to Kishimoto, that oversight happened since Naruto never ranked past his Genin status.

During a preview interview with Cinema Today, Naruto's creator revealed the little secret to fans. When he was asked if Naruto took the Jounin exam, Kishimoto said he never reached that point.

"Naruto didn't become a jounin. He became Hokage as a genin," the artist explained. Kishimoto even went on to say Sasuke never upped his ninja rank after he gave up his rogue status.

"Sasuke is not a jounin or chuunin either, but rather, since he left the village, he is a nukenin. That's enough for them," Kishimoto said. "But I thought that having him suddenly go from genin to Hokage would be amusing and Naruto-like."

For those of you unfamiliar with Naruto, the series began in 1997 when Masashi Kishimoto did his first one-shot of the series. Shueisha agreed to serialize the story in Weekly Shonen Jump starting in 1999, and it became a quick success. The manga ran until 2014 and accrued 72 volumes over its lengthy run. Naruto has since become one of the industry's most famous franchises, and its global popularity rocketed when Pierrot licensed Naruto for an anime.

Can you believe Naruto became Hokage as a Genin? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!