Huh.
Well, I don't think the countdown will end in a red herring, and I doubt that it will be a little announcement like a single sketch release or a single special episode. I've been wondering where they were going with the light novels, and obviously it's going to be this.
I bet they post a start date for a next-gen manga (plus an anime to follow after Naruto wraps up) then they start releasing next gen pics/ads/trailers to get fans ready for it. With pics and info ramping up as the old-gen light novels wind down.
This is based on nothing at all. Just that I don't see why they would do anything different than they already have. They know they have a built-in fanbase for both a manga and an anime, so why not continue?
And I don't think Kishimoto will be heavily involved. Just creative director or something. Since he's made so much noise about wanting to be finished with the series, I doubt that he'd completely flip-flop and come back for a storyline he didn't care about to begin with.