Naruto Recreates Iconic Jiraiya Scene in New Manga

Naruto has been around for decades, but even after all these years, its emotional moments will make the biggest fans cry. From quiet reunions to triumphant victories, Naruto is good at making fans cry. Of course, some scenes made us weep more than others, and Jiraiya was responsible for one of the worst. And now, it seems the creator of Naruto just referenced the heart-breaking moment in his new manga.

The whole thing came to light this week when Naruto released a new one-shot under Masashi Kishimoto. It was there the creator explored more of Minato’s past. The character won the special after fans voted for Minato in a global poll, but little did they know Jiraiya would pop up here to make them all cry.

As you can see here, Naruto: The Whorl Within the Spiral shows Minato as he and Kushina seem to cement their love for one another. It all begins with a fight against two bijuu, and things escalate when Minato sees their power. The encounter prompts Minato to create the Rasengan in a bid to protect Kushina from her peers, and Jiraiya is the one who helps Minato out.

Of course, Jiraiya is proud of his student when he perfects the move, so how does he celebrate? The sannin decides to gift Minato and himself a cool popsicle. It seems Jiraiya has always been obsessed with the treat, and he got Minato into them as well. Naruto went on to inherit a love for the frozen treat, but when we saw Jiraiya give him a popsicle in the anime, it was far from joyful.

After a hard day of training, Jiraiya gives Naruto a popsicle and lets the kid rest. This is the last time Jiraiya sees his pupil before taking a mission to the Hidden Rain. It is there he died by the hands of Pain, leaving Naruto’s last memory of Jiraiya at their impromptu picnic. Since then, popsicles have been a point of trauma in Naruto, so its return in this manga one shot did not go unnoticed.

If you have not read the new Naruto one-shot, you can find the manga on the Shonen Jump app. As for the anime, Naruto is streaming everywhere from Hulu to Crunchyroll and Netflix. So for more details on the series, you can find Naruto’s official synopsis below:

“Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fearsome threat. A nine-tailed fox spirit claimed the life of the village leader, the Hokage, and many others. Today, the village is at peace and a troublemaking kid named Naruto is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated. The adventure begins now!”

Did you catch this Naruto manga nod…? Does the series need to release more of these prequels or…? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!