Latest Boruto Episode Raises Major Question About Jiraiya

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has finally completed its Time Travel Arc, which gave Boruto the opportunity to go back in time and connect with the younger version of Naruto, at a pivotal moment in Hidden Leaf’s history. That mission saw Boruto and Sasuke have to team up with Young Naruto and Jiraiya, to battle the threat of Urashiki Otsutsuki. During the course of those multiple battles, Boruto and Sasuke were forced to reveal more and more hints about their true origins – and Jiraiya was seemingly starting to connect all the dots. The ending of Boruto‘s Time Travel Arc kept that answer vague, leaving fans with one major looming question:

Did Jiraiya know the truth about Boruto and Sasuke’s true identities?

As Boruto learned firsthand: Jiraiya earns his reputation as “The Pervy Sage” with his silly unscrupulous behavior – but that facade belies Jiraiya’s well-earned rep as one of the legendary Sannin. The Pervy Sage was never really the slouch he appeared be, and from the moment that Boruto and Sasuke arrived in the past, it was clear that Jiraiya was keeping a close, discerning eye on him. It was later all but confirmed that Jiraiya knew the truth, as he outright called Sasuke by name after a harrowing encounter with Urashiki. Sure, Jiraiya quickly played it off, given how impossible that situation would be (airquotes), but deep down Sasuke (and we, the audience) knew that the Toad Sage was always enough to recognize when the impossible had become truth, however unlikely.

…Which brings us to the ending of Boruto‘s Time Travel Arc. When the battle is all over and done, Jiraiya comes to Sasuke with the request to erase he and Naruto’s memories of the encounter with Urashiki, Boruto and Sasuke. That request in and of itself is strong proof that Jiraiya knew the truth – but it’s not concrete proof. Jiraiya had seen Sasuke in battle, and therefore knew he had techniques like the Sharingan at his disposal – and ergo, might have the necessary Genjutsu that goes with it. But that still leaves the question of why Jiraiya wanted to forget, which is more indication that he knew the truth about his visitors from the future

So why forget? Well, if he pieced together the truth, Jiraiya would also be wise enough to know that knowledge of the future could end up destroying the timeline. Based on what he’d seen, Jiraiya would know that Naurto ends up in a life better than his master could’ve hoped for, surrounded by family and friends. Being the mentor that he is, Jiraiya wouldn’t threaten that for Naruto – no matter what it meant for his own fate.

That just makes us love the Pervy Sage all the more!

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.