The episodes of the anime series Naruto: Shippuden are directed by Hayato Date and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo. They are based on Part II of the Naruto manga series by Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto: Shippuden is a continuation of the Naruto manga series by Kishimoto, and continues the same storyline after the passing of two and a half years in the fictional Naruto universe. The episodes began airing on February 15, 2007 and have all been shown on TV Tokyo in Japan