The anime television series is based on the 1999–2014 manga series. It follows a young orphan ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The first anime series aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 220 episodes from October 2002 to February 2007. The second series, a direct sequel titled. Both anime series were animated by Pierrot, produced by Aniplex, and licensed by Viz Media in North America.