Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-34938099-20180729104842/@comment-5085906-20180825191648

^no, they were illustrated by Kishimoto, but I'm not aware of any statement where he claimed the novels were meant to be an extension of the manga. Plus, there are several disrepancies with the actual canon and some honestly infuriating plot points, such as Shisui, a charavter hyped to be Kage level, being done in by an Aburame insect user.