‘Boruto’ Sees the Return of Curse Seals

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is seemingly planting the roots for its next big arc centered around the return Jugo to the series, but Jugo’s return isn’t the only interesting aspect of the latest episode. Along with a return of Jugo, the latest episode of the series also sees a return of curse seals to the series. Which means Boruto and the others have a strange new mystery on their hands.

There is currently no confirmation of whether or not Orochimaru is connected to these new curse seals, but these new seals also operate in a much different fashion than fans have seen before.

In Episode 98 of the series, Boruto’s Team 7 (along with Team 15) head to a village on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village to investigate what’s been aggravating the nearby wildlife. Upon arrival, Boruto and the others fight off a flock of angry birds. When one of the birds injure a villager, the villager suddenly falls ill. It’s revealed that this has been common in the village, and many people have become afflicted with a strange disease.

This strange disease covers the villagers’ bodies with a curse seal, and when the curse seal is activated the villagers go berserk and attack those around them. There’s a strange connection between the return of curse seals and Jugo within the series, and this is further emphasized by Jugo’s current struggle to keep himself from transforming.

At one point in the episode, Jugo pins down one of the attacking villagers. The villager’s curse seal disappears, but Jugo’s body begins undergoing his Sage Transformation despite his efforts to stop it. Jugo’s presence in this village has thrown the entire ecosystem of the village into wack. There’s also the fact that Jugo’s curse seal power seems to be going berserk as well as something is keeping him from having full control of it.

Hopefully more about the nature of these new curse seals and Jugo’s return will be revealed as the series continues exploring this new arc. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.