New arc returns to Naruto's childhood days

This year's 46th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is revealing on Monday the name of the new Naruto Shippūden arc that will premiere with the anime's 480th episode (or 700th if you include the episode count of the original Naruto TV anime series). The new arc is titled "Shōnen Jidai-hen" (Boyhood Arc), and it will return to Naruto's childhood days when the Nine-Tails was still sealed within him. The 480th episode will focus on Naruto and Hinata, and will air on October 20.

Anly will perform the series' new opening theme song "Kara no Kokoro" with the new arc, while the group Ayumikurikamaki will perform the ending theme song "Tabidachi no Uta" (Departure Song).

The anime recently aired an hour-long special on September 29 with episodes 476 and 477 that featured the "last battle" between Sasuke and Naruto. As of the episode that aired on October 6, the anime has covered up through the 698th chapter of Masashi Kishimoto's 700-chapter original manga.

A television anime adaptation of three Naruto Hiden/Shinden (Hidden Story/True Story) epilogue stories will premiere this winter. The television anime will adapt Takashi Yano's Naruto: Shikamaru's Story , Shō Hinata's Naruto - Konoha Hiden: Shūgen Biyori, and Shin Towasa's Naruto: Sasuke's Story - Sunrise novels.

Update: Corrected issue number of Weekly Shonen Jump.