Twenty-six Naruto light novels, the first nine written by Masatoshi Kusakabe, have been published in Japan.[118] Of these, the first two have been released in English in North America. The first adapted novel, Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood (2002), retells a Team 7 mission in which they encounter the assassins Zabuza and Haku;[119][120] the second, Naruto: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (2003) was based on the second OVA of the anime.[121][122]Viz has also published 16 chapter bookswritten by Tracey West with illustrations from the manga. Unlike the series, these books were aimed at children ages seven to ten.[123]
Thirteen original novels have appeared in Japan;[118] eleven of these are part of a series, and the other two are independent novels unconnected to the series. The first independent novel, titledNaruto: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja (2009), is presented as an in-universe novel written by Naruto's master Jiraiya. It follows the adventures of a fictionalshinobi named Naruto Musasabi, who served as Naruto's namesake.[124] The other independent novel, Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled(2012), is set shortly after Sasuke's fight with Itachi.[125]
Itachi Shinden, which consists of two novels, and Sasuke Shinden, a single novel, both appeared in 2015, and both were adapted into anime arcs in Naruto: Shippuden in 2016, titled Naruto Shippūden: Itachi Shinden-hen: Hikari to Yami and Book of Sunriserespectively.[126][127] Hiden is a series of six light novels published in 2015 that explores the stories of various characters after the ending of the manga.[128]
