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A mystery Naruto countdown page has recently appeared on Weekly Shonen Jump magazine’s website, but scant details are leaving fans guessing as to what exactly it means!

The page in question features the title “Next Generation” followed by the countdown clock and the words “Will be ……” below it, against an illustrated backdrop of silhouetted characters that presumably are Naruto’s son Boruto and his friends.

▼ Here’s the countdown page, with the Naruto logo in the lower right hand corner.

Naruto clock

The countdown is set to end around 3:30 p.m. on December 19, and as there’s no other information available on the page, fans are speculating wildly on what will happen when the clock reaches zero. Some are saying that it could be an announcement for a new manga serialization or anime arc with Boruto as the main character or even a new feature-length movie.

The response on the Japanese Internet seems to be positive for the most part, with many fans genuinely saying that they would love to read more of the manga that finished its 15-year run in Weekly Shonen Jump about a year ago.

However, some have voiced sympathy for  Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the series, saying that he is being overworked by Shueisha, the publishing giant behind Weekly Shonen Jump. The artist has already expressed his wish to rest for a while after finishing Naruto’s weekly serialization.

But where there’s demand, there’s money to be made, and Naruto simply may be too lucrative a franchise for Shueisha to let go of just yet, especially with a whole new generation of ninjas for Kishimoto to write about. What fan, after all, wouldn’t want to know what happens to Naruto and Hinata’s children, right?

Well, we’ll certainly be waiting in anticipation to see what happens on December 19, because whatever the countdown is for, we’re always ready for some more ninja magic from Kishimoto-sensei!

Source: Weekly Shone Jump Countdown to the Next Generation site via My Game News Flash Jin
Top image: Amazon Japan (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert image: Weekly Shone Jump Countdown to the Next Generation site