Naruto Releases First-Look at Sasuke & Sakura Manga

2022 marks a big anniversary year for Naruto, and the franchise is finding new ways to celebrate the Hidden Leaf as such. As the anime celebrates 20 years, everything from the manga to its video games is dropping surprises on fans. Soon, one of those gifts will go live a Naruto spin-off manga is coming, and we've gotten our first look at the series. 

The update comes courtesy of Shonen Jump as its issue this weekend posted a promo for Sasuke Retsuden. As you can see in the promo below, the popular novel is getting a manga adaptation, and it will be live on October 23rd.

What Is the Spin-Off?

For curious about this new story, well – you should know the story itself is not that new. The whole spin-off arc came to light in 2019 by writer Jun Esaka. With art by Masashi Kishimoto, Sasuke Retsuden was a light novel originally, and fans began begging for a manga adaptation. After all, the side story is a dream for fans of Sasuke and Sakura, but those pleas went unheard until recently.

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Now, Sasuke Retsuden is getting an overdue adaptation, and it will go live later this month. The story will follow Sasuke during a period in the Hidden Leaf once he's married to Sakura but before Naruto becomes the Hokage. When his best friend becomes ill, Sasuke is forced to go on a wild hunt for a cure that leads him to dark secrets about his bloodline. With Sakura at this side, the pair must tackle some wild foes to save their teammate, and the spin-off is widely considered one of Naruto's best to date.

What do you make of this manga's first look? Are you ready to check out Sasuke's spin-off with Sakura? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.