I've been on a serious Naruto bender these past few months, and now I'm heading back to the new generation of the Hidden Leaf with Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. Set shortly before the events of Boruto: Naruto the Movie, Scarlet Spring stars Uchiha Sarada, daughter of Sasuke and Sakura, in her quest to understand her family's history. This being Naruto, we get a new enemy, lots of drama and even more action!

The story opens in the Hidden Leaf with Sarada and her classmates getting ready to take their Ninja Academy Exam. Yet while the rest of the class is either panicking, bragging or pretending that they're too cool to care, Sarada just can't get into the spirit. Growing up in peacetime with a loving (if temperamental) mother and an absent father have left the young Uchiha feeling less than enthusiastic about her parents' generation and their legacy.

Sarada opts to consult Naruto, the current Hokage. Since he is the closest person to Sasuke besides Sakura herself. She figures that he can give her the answers she needs about her family and her past. Yet as luck and the plot would have it, her timing couldn't have been worse—a mysterious boy with Sharingan enters the scene and tries to abduct her. Sarada finds herself swept into the REAL ninja world and on a crash course towards finally meeting her father.

Personality wise, Sarada is a bit caustic (gee, wonder where she gets that from?). Growing up's tough for everyone, especially someone whose father is a legend, but is never there. Although it's sad to see her struggle, the story doesn't get too depressing thanks to her hilarious best friend, Akimichi Cho-Cho, who's convinced that her father Choji is hiding a terrible secret...

Seriously, she is a riot! Despite looking EXACTLY like Choji and Karui, she's convinced that her birth-parents are elsewhere. And what better way to find them than by asking every last adult she meets if they sired her?

On the flip-side, we've got some REALLY creepy villains who are planning to recreate Akatsuki in the new era. And how do they choose to honor a group so anti-war it tried to turn all humans into conflict-free zombies? Why, by starting a new war! There's not much I can say about them without spoiling a large chunk of the plot, but suffice to say, these guys manage to stand out among the various other villains through their sheer UUUUUGH factor.

Since Scarlet Spring has both Naruto and Sasuke wielding the same powers they had at the end of the main story line, you can bet that they'll be bringing several awesome fights to the table. Again, I can't go into too much detail since the self-titled "Neo Akatsuki" are at the center of half the plot... But yes, we do get Naruto and Sasuke in a back-to-back brawl. And yes, it is awesome.

I love me a well-built world and while Naruto's has always been one of the most fun to play in, the bits set after the main series bring some of the best material to the table. I just can't get enough of seeing the consequences—mostly positive—of the choices the various characters made. Who married who. What their kids look like. How well they're adjusting to this new world where the Five Nations aren't declaring war on each other every couple decades and Tailed Beasts aren't at risk of rampaging whenever their Jinchuriki has a bad day. The backdrops show that technology alone has progressed by leaps and bounds—maybe this is just what happens when the national defense doesn't take up 90% of the Hidden Leaf's budget?

In case you're wondering, no, you do not need to read this before seeing Boruto to enjoy the movie. But you also don't need to see Boruto to enjoy Scarlet Spring. A few lines foreshadow events to come, but if you came to see cute ninja babies and butt-kicking Ninja dads, then you won't leave disappointed.

But seriously, watch Boruto. It's an epic flick.

You can follow Boruto and Sarada's adventures by picking up this volume, right here! 

by Chris Turner