Naruto, Vol. 44: Senjutsu Heir
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 mangaKarakuri("Mechanism").  Kishimoto decided to base his next story on traditional Japanese culture.  His first version ofNaruto, drawn in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted inWeekly Shonen Jumpin 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in Japan.