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Naruto's Masashi Kishimoto Partners with Illustrator Akira Ōkubo to Launch Samurai 8 Manga (Updated with Video)

A stage presentation at the Jump Festa '19 event on Sunday revealed that Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto is partnering with manga artist Akira Ōkubo for a new manga titled Samurai 8: Hachimaruden. The manga will debut in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in spring 2019. Kishimoto is in charge of the original work, and Ōkubo is drawing the manga.

The presentation streamed a promotional video for the new manga.

Naruto voice actress Junko Takeuchi read a comment from Kishimoto during the presentation, which stated that the new manga will combine his love for Japanese culture and clothing, and science-fiction.

Kishimoto confirmed in October 2015 that he was working on plans for his next manga, a science-fiction story. Afterward, in an interview in Shueisha's Jump Giga magazine in August 2016, Kishimoto reiterated that he was already planning his next project, and that he had already done research for it. In December 2017, Kishimoto teased his new work with a planned 2018 debut, and shared several layout art sequences.

Hiroyuki Nakano, editor-in-chief of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, confirmed in March that the new work will be a serialization as opposed to a one-shot.

Kishimoto ended his main Naruto manga after 15 years of serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in November 2014. He then wrote the one-volume sequel manga Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. Kishimoto also worked on the script and character designs, and served as the chief production supervisor on the Boruto -Naruto the Movie- film sequel.

Mikie Ikemoto and Ukyō Kodachi launched a sequel manga to Naruto titled Boruto in Weekly Shonen Jump in May 2016. Kishimoto is supervising the series. The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations television anime then premiered in April 2017.

Sources: Jump Festa '19 livestream, Shonen Jump's YouTube account