So you want the reader to be puzzled ?

Kishimoto : Yes ! I want to write speeches to be remembered even If they don't like them. For exemple, Naruto is a ninja, but his outfit doesn't have anything to do with traditional ninjas.

How did you came up with this unique universe ?

Kishimoto : From the start, I was suppose to get far from the traditional ninjas, dressed in black and living in shadows.
This kind of thing has been seen countless time in mangas. I wanted them to be seen. Well, they're supposed to be hidden. But Naruto doesn't do that, he shows up in front of everyone, he gives his name to people ...
Unlike usual ninjas, he likes to be seen and noticed. Then his blond hairs and blue eyes make him seems like a foreigner, not what you would expect from a ninja.

This is kind of surprising, to say the least.

Kishimoto : It's the same for the context. I didn't wanted people to know where the story takes place. The ninjas wears vests with zippers.
In other worlds, I purposely went far, far away from any ninja stereotype. I just gave them sandals to look like the straw shoes of the old times.

I noticed this "international" kind of thing in Naruto. But I never noticed Naruto looked like a foreigner.

Kishimoto : Even with that, the manga bathes in a japanese atmosphere, with past and present. There are electric poles but there are wooden houses like in old times.
At the start, I was drawing a lot of strange things. Like Drinks Vending Machines. But when I put cars in the pilote, my editor told me "They can't have that, it's too convenient."
The firearms that rendered all Shurikens uninteresting were removed too. Little by little, objects that had no place in the story were removed.

When I listen to you, I feel like I'm listening to how foreigners see japan.

Kishimoto : Yes, I had that in mind from the start. In "Far East Of Eden", one of my favorite video game ever, the context seems like what the foreigners see in japan.
I always found that very interesting. I also added a lot of elements from Kabuki. In our everyday life, we don't see that kind of makeup or outfits, but this is a large part of traditional japan.
I wanted to add this spectacular side that gives impact to the picture.