Naruto's Sasuke Gets the True Sequel He Deserves In Stunning New Manga (2024)

Naruto fans continue to have the good fortune of additional stories fleshing out its many supporting characters. Sasuke Uchiha is getting a new spinoff manga in print, Sasuke's Story: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust. The limited series follows an adult Sasuke leaving Konoha to investigate the illness of the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki. However, Sasuke soon finds out that his wife, Sakura, has joined him and that his investigations of a mysterious observatory mean infiltrating its prison to uncover a remedy for Naruto.

Sasuke's Story: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust strictly focuses on Sasuke's perspective as he takes a subtle, grounded approach while following the Sage of Six Paths' trail. It turns out that this story, including the illness plaguing Naruto, once afflicted Hagoromo Otsutsuki, so Sasuke's journey in this limited series also brings along plenty of Naruto lore.

For Sasuke fans, the first print volume of this collection, localized by VIZ Media, is the newest Naruto spinoff manga available in the West, featuring writing by Masashi Kishimoto and Jun Esake and art by Shingo Kimura.

Sasuke's Naruto Spinoff Story Strips Him of His Advantages

The Uchiha Clan Genius Must Use His Wits in the Absence of His Powers

While Sasuke doesn't outright lose his greatest powers, such as access to the Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes, Sasuke's Story: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust puts his shrewd intellect on display. This includes smaller instances like using his Earth release jutsu to conjure up gems to wager for Cee-lo rounds, genjutsu to escape sticky situations, and more. Still, Sasuke is powerless in the face of the series' antagonist. With genjutsu essentially being ocular jutsu, Sasuke's abilities in this Naruto story are severely hampered by an enigmatic adversary with a glass eye.

The result is a tense and grounded arc where Sasuke must cooperate with his fellow prisoners. Still, they can only get him so far without matching his shinobi abilities in the remote Land of Redaku. Fortunately, a pleasant surprise addition joins Sasuke as his wife, Sakura, secretly joins the infiltration mission. The result is a blend of thriller and romance tropes mixed with touches of ninja combat, as Sasuke tackles deadly menaces such as the deadly guard beast Meno, resembling an exceptionally resilient velociraptor, and more in this Naruto spinoff manga.

Sasuke's Sequel Manga Features Charming Romance

Sakura Remembers Sasuke is Quite the Charmer

The running theme of this story is Sasuke's relationship with Sakura, something that's rather understated for the Naruto fandom, but there are numerous vital gestures readers will appreciate. Sasuke has multiple exchanges with Jiji, a prisoner who finds Sasuke alluring, warning Sasuke to be more affectionate to his wife, lest others will continue to make advances on her. Instead of taking a more brutish, jealous position, Sasuke calmly and characteristically makes a sweet, wholesome gesture in this first volume of Sasuke's Story that'll be a hit with Naruto fans.

For Sakura fans wanting to see her seize more agency in this storyline, this Naruto spinoff is an excellent opportunity to see her remind Sasuke of his combat disadvantages and how vital she is. Given her more limited role, especially in the anime, this is a good moment, although seeing Sakura in action will have to wait for the next volume. But the story serves as a refresher for the pair, rekindling their romance. Sasuke's romantic gestures have a ripple effect, allowing them to return home, where Sasuke realizes the lesson he's learned about being a present father and husband.

Boruto Anime Fans May Have Seen Sasuke's Story

An Exciting Interlude Before the Code's Assault Arc

Boruto anime viewers may recognize this story as the Sasuke Retsuden Arc. While it's not technically focused on the main plot, it's also not filler, arguably an essential showcase of Sasuke and Sakura's marriage. The arc features numerous surprises, including the mysterious Tatar with ties to the Sage of Six Paths and even some prehistoric terrors awaiting Sasuke and Sakura. Still, the tragic romance that gets told in tandem with Sasuke and Sakura's rekindling is among the many reasons romance fans can surprisingly find immense enjoyment in the Naruto franchise.

This Naruto side story manga is the first of two volumes that readers can enjoy at their own pace, but it'll quickly become a page-turner with how well it renders its central characters. More spinoffs and sequel manga collections are also coming soon, including the first volume of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex and another sequel story featuring Mirai Sarutobi. For Naruto fans craving adventures with its many iconic supporting characters and an underappreciated new generation of ninjas, there is plenty to enjoy alongside Sasuke's Story.

Naruto (2002)

TV-PG

Animation

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

Naruto is an action-adventure anime series based on the manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The titular Naruto Uzumaki is a fearsome Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside him, which once wreaked havoc on his village. Shunned by his community yet determined to earn their respect, Naruto dreams of becoming the greatest ninja, the Hokage. This series follows his journey through the Ninja Academy as he continues to train and grow, hoping to prove himself to his peers- and himself.

Cast

Junko Takeuchi , Noriaki Sugiyama , Chie Nakamura , Kazuhiko Inoue , Hidekatsu Shibata

Release Date

October 3, 2002

Seasons

4

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

Franchise(s)

Naruto

Writers

Masashi Kishimoto

Directors

Hayato Date

Showrunner

Masashi Kishimoto

Main Genre

Animation

Creator(s)

Masashi Kishimoto