Though there's already editions of the series in Japan that are further along than Naruto: Ninja Council 3, D3 Publisher's keeping with the characters and the storyline that's already established for the US audiences -- the anime series is several jumps ahead of what we get, and these guys don't want to ruin any surprises or reveals.
Naruto: Ninja Council 3, developed by Aspect, is a brawler/fighter hybrid where players romp through more than sixty different missions of kick, punch, and jumping action. Some missions are a simple matter of defeating the onslaught of enemies, others require more specific criteria: in one mission, for example, you'll have to try and get a gigantic boulder from the bottom of the game map to the top...all the while trying to avoid getting hit and keeping the enemies from punching the massive rock back down to the ground.
The game's got a pretty cool level of customization. On top of the 27 different characters that players can unlock and control, these characters can also be customized with special attacks snagged from other characters. This customization comes in handy when you're playing in the multiplayer mode -- two to four players can enter the arena in three different game modes, and it's hard to shake the feeling that the designers lifted inspiration from Smash Bros. And that's not a bad thing.
D3 Publisher's getting Naruto: Ninja Council 3 for release this May. Hit the media link for screenshots of the English version in action, and watch for more on the game as we get closer to its release.