India, Aug. 31 -- F or a generation of anime fans, Naruto is more than just a Japanese series - its orange-clad ninja hero has become one of the genre's most recognisable global characters. Hayato Date, who directed Naruto and later Naruto: Shippuden, says Indian influences have also quietly found their way into the world he helped create. "Even though Naruto is Japanese through-and-through and it's about ninjas, in the scenery in the background, I do add Indian elements here and there," Date tells us during his first visit to India, where he attended Anime India Mumbai. While his packed schedule has kept him from exploring Mumbai, the filmmaker already has a few places on his list: "I want to go to Dhobi Ghat and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. I have come to explore more Indian stuff." Date, also known for directing Gensomaden Saiyuki (2000) and Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (2012), says the Naruto franchise's enduring global fandom still surprises him: "Even though it's being seen in 80+ countries, I have been busy with work and creating it. To see it having gone so big across the world, has been surprising. Even I want to know the secret of why it has worked everywhere." Does that popularity bring added responsibility for his future work? "I have already done my responsibility by making it," the 65-year-old says simply. And could an India collab be next? "If there's a chance... we could get some help from India, it would be great," he ends....