Summary
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The recentBorutochapters saw quite a deadly incursion between Konoha and Suna agents against the powerful Shinju, with Konohamaru Sarutobi in an especially tricky situation with an irate Matsuri threatening to “consume” him out of her jealousy towards the captured Moegi Kazamatsuri. Just as Matsuri is about to land a fatal strike when Konohamaru is saved - this time by none other than the fugitive Boruto Uzumaki.
While all’s well for the Team 7 Captain, Boruto’s appearance is a symptom of a larger problem concerning the Third Hokage’s grandson. Considering the kind of fame Kakashi Hatake had achieved despite merely being the Team 7 Captain in Naruto’s time, Konohamaru’s relegation in the sidelines is exacerbated by Boruto’s recent rescue. What exactly is going on?
A Quick Recap
What Were They Doing With The Shinju, Again?
When Shikamaru tasked Team 7 as well as the Sand’s Araya and Yodo with the task of locating the Shinju in the Land of the Wind, they managed to cross paths with Matsuri and Ryu - Human God Trees based on the trapped Moegi and Shinki, respectively. When the two Shinju tell the ni ja that they were looking for Boruto, Sarada puts up an act that they were also looking for the youngster and they ought to team up - something the Shinju accept.
This putsthe Human God Treesright in the hands of Shikamaru’s ulterior motive, which is to actually kill them and destroy their bulb - effectively freeing the captive templates. While Konohamaru is assigned to lure Matsuri away, the youngsters were tasked to handle Ryu. And unfortunately for them, the Shinju were one step ahead: Jura already warned Ryu of a potential deception - meaning he’s more than prepared to fight Sarada’s troupe.
Boruto Saves Konohamaru: A Deadly Kind Of Jealousy
Matsuri Is About To Kill Konohamaru Out Of Sheer Jealousy
Meanwhile, Konohamaru and Matsuri spend some alone time discussing their search.Matsuri is evidently flustered, something that also made things somewhat awkward with Konohamaru. When Matsuri starts calling him Konohamaru-chan, the jonin politely asked the Shinju to stop adding the honorific. And when Konohamaru explained this is because only people close to others can call them “-chan,” Matsuri angrily implies he might be referring to Moegi.
Konohamaru’s hesitation to elaborate angers Matsuri, prompting her to escalate into violence. She ponders what could happen if she actually consumed Konohamaru, being her prime target. It’s heavily implied that Matsuri became extremely jealous of Moegi and Konohamaru, despite necer having any interactions with the jonin. Before Matsuri could make any fatal moves, Boruto slices Matsuri to bits just as fast as he had arrived.
Boruto Is Who Konohamaru Should Have been
Boruto Tries To Save The Day At The Risk Of Everything Else
When Boruto asks Kashin Koji if the Shinju-favored match-up is an essential component in this timeline to defeat Jura (as perhis Ten Directions), Koji asks the youngster not to intervene. And even if Koji said rushing to the fight means giving his position to Jura, Boruto does so anyway. As everyone expected, the chapter ended with Jura alerted to Boruto’s presence - potentially pushing them to a confrontation Jura specifically said they haven’t prepared for.
This attitude of Boruto’s is precisely what he received from Naruto - a willingness to rush head-on to danger. Saving Konohamaru demonstrates Boruto’s stubbornness, but also removing any opportunity from Naruto’s apprentice to at least showcase his growth. Perhaps the growing frustration towards Konohamaru’s uselessness is precisely because how his younger self is just as heroic as Boruto, and seeing the Third’s grandson become a mentor in need of savingby his own pupilfeels somewhat of a disservice to the character.
It’s Not Like Konohamaru Was A Slouch
He Was One Of The Few Minds Who Improved The Rasengan, After All
The Rasengan has always been an Uzumaki affair, especially when Minato perfected the technique by copying Tailed-Beast Bombs. Jiraiya may have mastered it and Kakashi may have created the Chidori out of it, butthe Rasengan has become synonymous with Naruto’s character with its different variations. This is exactly why it was so awesome to see Boruto breathe new life into the technique with his Compression Rasengan (Wind), Vanishing Rasengan (Lightning), and evenTwo Blue Vortex’s Uzuhiko.
Boruto isn’t the only other person in the modern era who mastered the Rasengan, however, as Naruto first taught it to Konohamaru. Proving his mettle as the Third’s grandson, even Konohamaru manages to improve on the Rasengan - specifically by turning it into a more defensive jutsu called the Spiralling Barrier. It’s a disservice to Konohamaru for the Rasen-Barrier to only appear in a few panels as a defensive measure, as this removes the technique from the fact that this is the first time the Rasengan has been altered for a more defensive setup. This technique demonstrates Konohamaru’s genius, but perhaps genius has no room in a world where robots and aliens coexist.
The Matsuri Angle Could Have Been Character Development
Konohamaru’s Love Life Could Extend The Sarutobi Bloodline
Bloodlines are an important affair inNarutolore, making it quite surprising for Konohamaru’s to get glossed over - especially when he had come from the same blood of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the only other person aside from legendary Hashirama Senju to ever been called the God of Shinobi. The anime tries to give Konohamaru somewhat of a romance arc in a short acting stint, but this just demonstrated the mentor’s gentlemanly manners. It’s his recent interactions with Matsuri that implied Konohamaru and Moegi may have had a much deeper friendship.
Konohamaru resisting Matsuri’s advances with a mix of gentlemanliness and overall concern towards Moegi would have held great insights to his character had Boruto not intervened. What would Konohamaru have done if his life was on the line, especially when Matsuri is practically a carbon copy of Moegi sans the memories? Konohamaru’s hesitation to kill Matsuri for the mission would have also been an angle to explore, but Boruto solves his mentor’s problem for him by stopping the situation altogether.
Yet Another Demonstration Of A Bigger Problem
Everyone Else Is Out Of Their Element
Power-scaling has always been a focal point of discussions in theNarutofandom, especially in theBorutoera where everyone and their grandmother somehow hasties to the Otsutsukiin some form or fashion. And somehow, everyone else who was somewhat teased to become a future powerhouse in the future has been reduced to someone in need of rescue because whatever training they received proved insufficient to modern threats. Boruto inTwo Blue Vortexconstantly demonstrates that everyone else is out of their element when dealing with the Otsutsuki, and this is a big problem for the franchise.
Everyone else with ties to the Otsutsuki is reserved to relevancy - Boruto, Kawaki, Ada, Daemon, Koji, the Shinju - while everyone else is cannon-fodder. This isn’t just a problem demonstrated through Konohamaru, but also to other ninja following traditionalNaruto-era power-scaling:
Even “classic” elements like Sarada awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan and Himawari becoming a Jinchuriki still needed to have direct ties to the Otsutsuki before reentering the picture. Unfortunately, Boruto’s constant interference with non-Otsutsuki-affiliated cast is just a constant reminder that any semblance of pastNarutolore is slowly losing relevancy in favor of aliens and cybernetics.
