Naruto is one of the most successful manga and anime franchises of the past decade, so it won't be all that surprising if a new rumor about a Naruto spin-off anime turns out to be true.
The homepage for the Jump Special Anime Festa (via Kotaku) was recently updated to include a list of anime screening at the festival. Among those anime was Baruto, the son of Naruto and the current star of a manga spin-off series. There is no Baruto anime officially in the works right now, but the character's appearance on the festival page seems to hint that fans can expect to hear something later this year. The Jump Special Anime Festa begins in Tokyo in November, though it is possible news about the Baruto anime, if it is indeed real, could come sooner.
Of course, a Baruto anime would hardly be surprising. The Naruto manga series is now finished, and though the Naruto anime series is still going (with hundreds upon hundreds of episodes under its belt), the end is, at long last, in sight for the series. It would make sense, then, that a successor series to the wildly-popular show would be in the works. After all, rarely does a smash hit show or anime simply end. Once the Naruto anime is finished, Baruto would be the perfect replacement.
When combined with the ongoing Baruto manga and the already-released Baruto anime movie, it seems like a sure bet that Baruto will get his own series soon.
In related news, the creator of Naruto, Mashashi Kishimoto, sounds like he will be ready to reveal his next project sometime later this year. Details on the creator's new series are still slim at this point, but Kishimoto has confirmed that it is sci-fi in nature and that he has already conducted research for it. Last but not least, fans of the Naruto anime recently got a surprise in the form of a flashback episode that, at long last, revealed the true face of series staple Kakashi, after hundreds of episodes with the character's face hidden behind a mask. The episode sees Naruto and friends hiring a photographer to get a glimpse of Kakashi's real face. Needless to say, the reveal didn't go exactly how Naruto and his friends would have liked, as Kakashi brilliantly turns the tables. You can read more about the big reveal here.
