Naruto Creator Celebrates Kurama in Cute New Sketch

If there is one thing Naruto fans love, it is attention from Masashi Kishimoto. The series creator has been in and out of retirement since the main Naruto series closed, but he’s been busy as of late. With Boruto entering its second half, the Naruto IP has a lot on its hands, and Kishimoto is overseeing it all. And now, the artist has wound up fans with a special tribute to the Nine-Tailed Fox.

As you can see below, some new art from Kishimoto has gone live, and it is nothing short of adorable. The artwork focuses on a young Naruto shortly after graduating from the Academy, and he’s joined by a tiny version of Kurama.

Yes, the little fox here is none other than the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto. The young kit almost blends in with Naruto as the boy’s orange jumpsuit aligns with his coat. However, is is easy to separate the two once you notice Naruto is cuddling Kurama in his lap.

This new sketch by Kishimoto has the Naruto fandom in awe, and the story behind the artwork is just as touching. The art was done by Kishimoto to bolster publicity for UNESCO. The World Heritage Foundation has teamed with manga artists in the past to assist fundraising campaigns, so Kishimoto has joined the club. And if that means getting more art from the series creator, Naruto fans are all for it.

If you are not caught familiar with Kishimoto’s stunning work, you can find the mainline Naruto series just about anywhere. Viz Media handled the manga’s publication in the United States, and as for its anime, Naruto is streaming on Crunchyroll. So for more info on Naruto, you can read the story’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!”

What do you think about this latest artwork from Kishimoto? 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!