Since both the manga and anime adaption for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations the question has been when will we get to the point where we see the series open with a 16-year-old Boruto Uzumaki facing off against Kawaki in the ruins of Konoha. That is the scene the entire series started with but it was never clear when that would be a point in the future we would reach. Now with the most recent chapters of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations it appears that Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto are extremely close to getting us to where the story needs to be at to reach that point in the manga.
Before I get into things further be warned that I’ll be talking about the events of the last few chapters of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations up to the most recent release of Chapter 78. If you are an anime-only watcher this will heavily spoil what is going on with the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which recently started the Code’s Assault Arc. These manga chapters take place directly after what happens in the Code’s Assault Arc.
With that warning out of the way, in the most recent chapters, Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto have gotten us closer to Boruto finally reaching the point a time jump is highly possible. This became most obvious as Chapter 77 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations ended with Kawaki creating a portal to lock Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki in another dimension.
Now for those not aware of the most recent events in Boruto, because there was no other vessel to resurrect himself through Momoshiki was forced to use the remaining Kāma data to resurrect Boruto after Kawaki killed him. This meant that Momoshiki permanently resided in Boruto, something Boruto saw as a win. Though he and Boruto are one we’ve seen how Momoshiki continues to take in information he is learning through Boruto’s interactions with Kawaki, Ada, Amado, and others.
Because of how obvious it was that Boruto was communicating with Momoshiki to him Kawaki called out Boruto. This led Kawaki to come to the decision that because of how he was created and possessing the Kāma power it was his job alone to destroy the Otsutsuki Clan. This means by extension also once again killing Boruto since Momoshiki resided within Boruto.
This is a decision he said directly to Naruto and Hinata who he came to see as a family to the point of seeing them as parents. Because of that family bond, Kawaki made the decision to completely take Naruto and Hinata out of the equation for their own safety by locking them in another dimension using his Kama powers.
This brings us to the newly released Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 78 which had Boruto, Sasuke, and other Konoha ninjas dealing with Kawaki after his actions against Naruto and Hinata. During this confrontation Kawaki admitted what his goals are and the fact that Naruto and Hinata are locked in a dimension where time does not move.
With this revelation we may have gotten the answer to the question the very first chapter and episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations created. That is: What happened to Naruto? The only thing that was known as that four years in the future when Konoha’s destruction happens Naruto was no longer around. The way Kawaki said this when he and Boruto prepared for their final battle it appeared as though this implied Naruto was killed.
But now with the developments of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 77 and Chapter 78 there may be another way to look at what Kawaki said to Boruto in the flash forward. Because Kawaki never outright said he was going to kill Boruto. What Kawaki said was “I’ll send you where I sent the Seventh Hokage…..Boruto.”
Now with what we see go down in the last two chapters of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations we very well may have clarification why Naruto isn’t around to help defend Konoha alongside his son. That is because the dimension Kawaki sent Naruto and Hinata is going to be the permanent status quo for both characters for the next four years in the Naruto Universe. And without the Seventh Hokage and the hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War, it leaves Konoha extremely susceptible to the downfall we see in the flash forward when the older Boruto and Kawaki face off.
Along with this, there is the question of whether Kawaki will still intend to kill Boruto in their final face-off. Because Kawaki is clear in that he intends to send Boruto where Naruto is if he goes against him. That could mean that whatever happens in the next four years in the Naruto Universe could change Kawaki’s attitude from killing Boruto as part of his plans to destroy the Otsutsuki Clan to once again seeing Boruto as a family member like Naruto and Hinata as he wishes not to see as part of his body count to wipe out the shinobi society.
Adding another wildcard to the situation is that this also brings to question where Boruto will go now that this happens. Because we once again see that Momoshiki still can exert control over Boruto’s body whenever he desires. This happened in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 78 as Momoshiki uses Kama to control Boruto’s body and provide Kawaki an opening to escape capture by Sasuke, Shikamaru, and other Konoha ninjas.
This is certainly a major development. What makes it even more important is that because of the callbacks to the first chapter’s flash forward, we are reminded of how different Boruto’s Kama markings are at the age of 16 years old to his present-day 12-year-old self. Boruto’s Kama markings appear much sharper and cleaner compared to when Momoshiki takes over his body as they take on a more detailed ritual circle look. This all further clues us into how because of Naruto being taken out of the equation Boruto along with Sasuke and the others will take the next four years up to the point of the flash forward to better understand Kama and the Otsutsuki Clan.
There is much more that takes place in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 78 that can be talked about. That includes Sarada Uchiha and the rest of Boruto’s friends finally getting involved in what is going on after they’ve been a non-factor in the story for a long time. Now that they know everything Boruto and Kawaki have been up to maybe Kishimoto and Ikemoto will finally work to build up their characters. They certainly need it as Sarada, Mitsuki, Shikadai, and the rest of Boruto’s friends have a lot of catching up to do as there is a massive power gap between them and the villains of this series that continues to get bigger.
With all that in mind, this is certainly an exciting time for fans of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations series. We are finally getting close to a time jump that could lead us to the events of flash forward that started this entire series. How long Kishimoto and Ikemoto take to get us there is a question best left for another day.
