Naruto: Boruto Makes Emotional Nod to Asuma, Third Hokage

With so much history backing it, Naruto has more than enough content for Boruto to reference. At times, the throwbacks can be sweet but others revel in their angst. So, audiences weren't too surprised when Mirai Sarutobi made them weepy with a special tribute of her own.

Over the weekend, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations put out a new episode, and it was there fans met up with Mirai. The jonin is seen preparing for a mission with Kakashi and Might Guy, but she has to do a few things before leaving town.

Not only does Mirai tell her mother Kurenai bye, but she does the same with her dad. The girl goes to Asuma's grave to pray and honor him. Before she heads out, Mirai goes to pray to her grandfather Hiruzen, and she wonders why exactly Asuma decided to name her what he did.

For fans, this emotional nod helped tie in Mirai's generation to the heroes presented back in Naruto. While the original series focused in on its titular lead and Team 7, other jonin ninjas like Asuma and Might Guy featured frequently. In fact, Asuma's death is often ranked as one of the most upsetting in Naruto, and the same can be said of the Third Hokage. Now, Mirai is making sure to bring their spirit to the new generation as heroes like Boruto never met the pair, and fans are definitely appreciating the effort.

So, did this throwback make you emotional? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which 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.

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