Arc to focus on pasts of 2 characters in each episode

This year's 47th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is revealing more information on Monday about the new "Shōnen Jidai-hen" (Boyhood Arc) of the Naruto Shippūden anime series, which premiered with the anime's 480th episode (or 700th if you include the episode count of the original Naruto TV anime series) on Thursday.

Thursday's episode focused on Naruto and Hinata. Subsequent episodes will focus on:

Episode 481 on October 27: Sasuke and Sakura

Episode 482 on November 3: Gaara and Shikamaru

Episode 483 on November 10: Jiraiya and Kakashi

Each episode will focus on the characters when they were children.

Anly is performing the series' new opening theme song "Kara no Kokoro" with the new arc, while the group Ayumikurikamaki are performing 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 13, the anime has covered up through the 699th chapter of Masashi Kishimoto's 700-chapter original manga.