Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #38!
Naruto is set to see the end of its ninja era, as fans have come to know it, with confirmation that the fate of the Hidden Leaf Village, and maybe the franchise itself, is about to change. Although Naruto signaled from the very beginning that it wasn’t a traditional ninja story, the series’ lore remained rooted in the shinobi folklore and Japan’s feudal era, drawing on clever tactical battles and tools and even basing certain plot points and characters on real-life ninja clans and historical myths.
Now, however, Naruto is completely transforming its world, dismantling the very structure of the ninja system through a political movement that, if it takes hold, will add significant depth to Masashi Kishimoto’s story.
Boruto is steadily broadening the series’ political landscape since, following the Fourth Great Ninja War, coexistence and international alliances among the nations fostered progress, both in the Hidden Leaf Village and elsewhere, ushering in a technological era characterized by scientific advancements and improved infrastructure. In this regard, chapter #38 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex confirmed that the Hidden Leaf Village could see its ninja forces dismantled, military strength that the nation’s leadership increasingly views as useless in a world that appears to be at peace.
Boruto Is Taking Naruto’s Ninja World in a Radical New Direction
Chapter 38 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex reveals that Kobu, a direct advisor to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, seeks to take control of the Hidden Leaf Village, with the ultimate goal of permanently dissolving the shinobi villages. While Kobu’s introduction in chapter #26 of the manga already hinted that the necessity of these villages was being questioned, potentially leading to budget cuts, Kashin Koji has now confirmed that Kobu plans to install a puppet regime in the Hidden Leaf.
This would include appointing Konohamaru Sarutobi as Hokage, though in name only. All of this is part of a broader objective, also mirrored in other nations, to redirect military spending toward other sectors, based on the argument that the modern world lacks sufficient threats to justify maintaining the current ninja system. It highlights how the world’s delicate balance is taken for granted and how those in the highest positions, having lived in peace and under protection in the latest years, have become so naive that they fail to grasp the dangers looming as a result of the Divine Trees.
Although Kashin Koji is primarily concerned with how they should deal with the Divine Trees, the series is hinting at a future in which the shinobi clans will inevitably see their standing diminished. Not only would many ninjas be disarmed and lose their livelihoods, but the very status of “ninja” could cease to exist.
Naruto Is Rediscovering the Historical Roots That Made Its Ninja World Iconic
Boruto is introducing a sort of antagonist who is the polar opposite of Danzo Shimura. Rather than seeking to uphold the ideology of the old ninja world (which Danzo took to an extreme), Kobu aims to establish a new, modern structure. Still, it remains to be seen whether he is acting under the daimyo’s orders or simply pursuing more power for himself.
Another possibility is that Boruto aims to explore how the development among ninja clans now appears to pose a significant threat to the daimyo’s authority. With Naruto out of the picture for the time being, those in power might seek to eliminate the ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village, preventing any chance of them uniting against the existing geopolitical structure, echoing, in a sense, the abolition of the feudal system in Japanese history.
That means Naruto‘s franchise could be building up its own version of Japan’s Meiji Restoration period, the era that marked the end of the samurai, bringing a complete shift in the dynamics between the ninja nations. Moreover, given that Boruto has foreshadowed the imminent destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village, purportedly at the hands of Kawaki, the story now introduces the possibility that this collapse could stem from the dismantling of the ninja system itself. Regardless, fans of the series have much to look forward to as they watch how the world of Naruto continues to evolve.
- Video Game(s)
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Naruto: Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (2003), Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, Naruto: Rise Of A Ninja, Naruto: The Broken Bond, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Naruto Shippuden Dragon Blade Chronicles, Naruto: Path Of The Ninja, Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
- Cast
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Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei
- Latest Film
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Boruto: Naruto the Movie
Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists’ children and returning faces.
