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Summary
Narutofeatures plenty of colorful characters in its cast, with occasional glimpses at their backstories. Some spinoffs published after the end of the series focus entirely on the supporting cast.Konoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollshas finally received an English release courtesy of VIZ Media. Taking place well after the Fourth Great Ninja War, with Kakashi no longer serving as Sixth Hokage, he and Might Guy get a chance for a vacation in the Land of Steam’s hot springs. In the process, they enlist the aid of Mirai Sarutobi as their guard, the granddaughter of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Mirai Sarutobi is the story’s focusas it explores her heritage and personal path to becoming a ninja she can be proud of. The journey brings other surprising appearances, but one of the best parts of thisNarutoside story ishaving Kakashi and Guy together for the duration.
InKonoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsvolume #1, Kakashi and Guy give Mirai the space to determine her future in theNarutouniverse.
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Konoha’s Story Gives Kakashi and Guy a Much-Needed Vacation
The Two Elite Shinobi Bicker Like a Married Couple
It’s no surprise that fans should be excited to check out thisNarutostory, mainly since it features Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, some ofthe best-designed and most belovedNarutocharacters ever. Their adventure, in this case, is essentially action-free, although Kakashi can fend off assassins thanks to his elevated role as a former Hokage. Still, savvy readers will enjoy plenty of moments, includingKakashi fulfilling his lifelong dreamto track down a tree featured in the film adaptation of his favorite adult novel, “Make-Out Paradise,” and a wheelchair-bound Guy showing he’s still got his youth.
Konoha’s Storyadapts Sho Hinata’s light novel written jointly with Masashi Kishimoto, with art by Natsuo Sai. ForBorutofans, this arc is a side story featured in episodes #106-111 ofBoruto: Naruto Next Generations.
Konoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollswill be available on June 14, 2025, courtesy of VIZ Media, based on theKonoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrollslight novel released in 2016. This collected edition was previously only available in Japan in 2022. Now,Narutofans in North America will see Kakashi and Guy’s stories bridging the gap betweenNaruto’sepilogue andBoruto.While they’re certainly a major draw to the story,the main character is incredibly compelling,with Mirai Sarutobi showcasing her talents and facing her insecurities in thisNarutospinoff.
Mirai Sarutobi Faces Pressures of an Elite Legacy
She May Need the Vacation More Than Kakashi or Guy
Mirai Sarutobi comes from a line of elite shinobi, with her father, Asuma, being one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, her grandfather, Hiruzen, being the Third Hokage, and her mother, Kurenai Sarutobi, an elite Jonin and leader of Team 8. Despite being a gifted shinobi,Mirai is continuously looked upon as Asuma’s daughter or Hiruzen’s granddaughter,which weighs on her throughout the story. InKonoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsvolume #1, she can leave Konoha and her guard duties serving Naruto on her escort mission to escape this pressure.
Due to this, despite Mirai being a gifted genjutsu user like her mother, Kurenai, she is often trapped in her thoughts,eventually charging recklessly into danger, as foreshadowed by Shikamaru’s words in chapter #1. However, in chapter #2, she reflects on her heritage, questioning her sense of agency and seeing herself as “a leaf carried by the wind” before departing to protect the Sixth Hokage on a secret mission. The mission is a boondoggle, as Mirai can let loose in the Land of Steam in thisNarutospinoff.
Mirai Sarutobi’s Naruto Spinoff Is Delightful Fanservice
Kakashi and Guy Help the Young Ninja Lower Her Guard
Between Shikamaru’s sage advice to the young chunin in chapter #2 and the reminder to readers that the Land of Steam was home to Hidan, Asuma’s killer inNaruto, there’s plenty of trivia to enjoy.Konoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsvolume #1 features the first six chapters of the fifteen-chapter limited series and takes plenty of time to please longtimeNarutoreaders. Perhaps the most entertaining instances include Mirai being discouraged from reading “Make-Out Paradise” despite wishing to know more, due to being “too young”.At the same time,Might Guy reveals his characteristically absurd exercise book.
For fans wondering what Guy’s up to after using the Eight Gates to fight Madara Uchiha landed him in a wheelchair, one of his ventures includes his self-editedLeap Out Youth! Twenty-Four Hours of Hot-Blooded Exercises!training book.
But the subtle tearjerker of this moment is how Mirai realizes that if her father were alive, he’d be enjoying himself with Kakashi and Guy, too. The story reminds readers that Mirai is like her parents, bearing Kurenai’s red eyes and genjutsu, Asuma’s Fire Release abilities and mannerisms while playing shogi, and more. Kakashi sees these traits in Mirai’s behavior in chapter #4 and invites her to loosen up, although this isn’t the end of the story in thisNarutospinoff.
An Adorable Romance Features in Konoha’s Story
The Land of Cats and Dogs
One of the prevailing topics inKonoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsvolume #1 is the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Steam, with a line drawn through the village streets separating two distinct hot springs. One is symbolized by dogs, and the other by cats in thisNarutospinoff,which sparks the surprise appearance of Kiba Inuzuka and his lover, Tamaki.The two join in the village’s heated yet childish debate about whether cats or dogs are better, while Mirai resorts to brokering peace.
Mirai does so by blending her mother and father’s talents endearingly. Still, it’s for naught as Guy interprets it as a genuine threat, attacking it and inadvertently breaking down barriers between the two hot springs. Still, Kiba and Tamaki stand to gain the most from this, as the unexpected tension during their couple’s getaway is assuaged, with this unexpected pair reconciling their differences.However, as the last chapters indicate, the story is far from over in this volume.
Naruto Spinoff Teases the Second Coming of a Classic Villain
A Deadly Cult’s Shadow Looms Over the Land of Steam
InKonoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsvolume #1, the true action is yet to begin, but it teases the appearance of other Jashin worshipers, a deadly cult. For those who may recall, Hidan, a member of Akatsuki who killed Asuma, was a Jashin cultist, andthisNarutospinoff teases an answer to the long-standing mystery of Hidan’s immortalitypowers. The villain, only teased for now, leads a cult of his own, but it’ll be an emotional and cathartic confrontation for Mirai Sarutobi.
Given that there are still nine chapters left, collectors will undoubtedly be pleased that they can get additional volumes in this limitedNarutospinoff series soon.Konoha’s Story: The Steam Ninja Scrollsis a delightful series with no shortage of fanservice, but it’s also a substantial examination of the complicated character of Mirai Sarutobi in theNarutouniverse.
