Naruto, Volume 1: The Tests of the Ninja

Series Description: Growing up in a village of ninja, Uzumaki Naruto had no idea he was shunned because inside him was the spirit of the demon fox who destroyed their village over a decade ago When his corrupt teacher Mizuki tricks him into stealing a secret scroll, Naruto learns the truth. But he's still determined to be the greatest ninja ever. But is determination enough against his powerful enemies and the forces inside him? Naruto must pass the difficult test to enter the Ninja Academy; deal with his rival, Konohamaru; and learn to get along with his new classmates, Sasuke and Sakura. Assigned to a three-person team, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura must survive a brutal test against their upper-level ninja instructor, Kakashi. Only two can pass -- will Naruto be one of them?

Author/artist Masashi Kishimoto was born in 1974 in rural Okayama Prefecture, Japan. After spending time in art college, he won the Hop Step Award for new manga artists with his manga Karakuri (Mechanism). Kishimoto decided to base his next story on traditional Japanese culture. His first version of Naruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in Japan.