i have DL'ed the entire manga to date (just in case the show gets licensed) and each week, i read the manga right up to each episode's end.

however, my preference is to watch the anime. i personally enjoy watching the action in motion rathering than reading the manga. the voices and music adds so much more to the experience of naruto. im shure the manga won't ruin the story, but the rest of the experiences and surprises would definitely be diminished.

i know many ppl out there would just jump ahead read the manga just to know what happens next. if u dont believe that naruto fans are impatient, simply look at some of the posts of fans that are suffering from this holiday wait just for the anime, its just one week. im certain others have their reasons, i bet some ppl prollly don't know there's a manga, but this is my preference.