Naruto Confirms Sasuke’s Return In Boruto

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 36, deepened the threat against Nartuo and Hidden Leaf by Kara, the mysterious organization started by Otsutsuki Clan member, Jigen. That threat came in the form of Jigen himself stepping out of the shadows to face Naruto in an epic duel, but the Hokage may have some key aid coming to his side, in the form of Sasuke!

Last we saw Sasuke, he was on a key mission, infiltrating Kara’s base in another dimension, using his Rinnegan. It was there that Sasuke learned of the connection between Kara and the Otsutsuki, when he discovered alters that reveal the clan members always pair off in sets. Sasuke realized to his horror that clan matriarch Kaguya Otsutsuki is just one half of the equation, as she had a male counterpart who is presumably the patriarch of the clan. And that man, is none other than Jigen!

The tease of Sasuke’s return is done in a truly cute way: in a cutaway scene from the main action, we see Sakura shopping at Yamanaka Flowers, buying an elaborate bouquet. Her friend Ino Yamanaka instantly recognized the purchase for the ritual it truly is: part of Sakura’s way of welcoming Sasuke home!

The girl talk gets a bit more serious, as Ino goes deep into how she would never be permitting of the kind of lifestyle Sasuke leads, coming and going as he pleases, often gone for long stretches. Sakura of course defends her husband – though not without admitting a little negative feeling of her own:

“Heh heh. I do get lonely at times, but… It’s plenty enough now that he comes home safe and sound, no matter how infrequently.”

On the plus side, Ino does admit that there is one advantage to Sakura and Sasuke’s relationship: As Ino puts it, Sakura gets to, “stay forever a girl in love.”

It’s a keen observation about the Uchiha romance on Ino’s part. Whereas normal marriages tend to lose luster when couples are in close proximity over long stretches of time, Sakura and Sasuke stay apart often enough to let absence make their hearts grow fonder. Boruto has a running dirty joke about what happens when Sasuke gets into town; Sakura has hinted that, in true ninja fashion, Sasuke has a penchant for sneaking in his wife’s window late at night to… strike, so to speak.

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Narutofollows 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.