Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-3279282-20141010221910/@comment-945885-20141011155118

Wow, thanks for reposting this. It's honestly one of the more interesting interviews he's done.

I always had a strong hunch that Kishimoto had taken inspiration from The Kōga Ninja Scrolls, and here's the confirmation that he read it for research shortly before serialization.

And to think Gaara was originally inspired by Fūma Kotarō. The red hair makes a lot more sense.