Naruto Sets Up a Dangerous Plan to Rid Boruto of Karma

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga is now done with the epic and thrilling Isshiki Otsutsuki arc, and is setting the stage for what comes next. The battle with Isshiki caused both Naruto and Sasuke to lose their respective biggest powers (Kurama and the Rinnegan), and now Hidden Leaf is vulnerable like it’s never been before. Boruto and his new pal Kawaki are now feeling the pressure to step up and use their respective Otsutuski powers to protect the village. The one big problem is that Boruto is still marked for possession by Momoshiki Otsutuki – but Kawaki reveals a plan to finally get rid of Boruto’s Karma mark!

Warning: Boruto Chapter 56 SPOILERS Follow!

As stated, the latest chapter of Boruto is all about stage-setting. Boruto’s possession by Momoshiki during the battle with Isshiki has changed his life completely. He can’t be trusted to go on missions for fear of losing control, so Team 7 is grounded. Boruto is a celebrity after saving Hidden Leaf from Isshiki – but it’s all an act. The village can’t know there’s a monster inside him, lest he ends up an outcast like Naruto was in his youth. All in all, the shinobi are trying to keep the public calmed and unaware of just how precarious things are.

Only Kawaki seems able to truly reach and connect with Boruto at this time. As the boys sit atop the monument to Hidden Leaf’s Hokage leaders (where we already know they will one day ferociously battle each other), Kawaki reveals a plan to help Boruto escape his fate with Karma: by marking his own vessel.

Kawaki and Boruto theorize that their respective transformations into Otsutsuki give them similar abilities as the alien villains. If so, they can mark their own “vessels” with Karma seals, and resurrect themselves in those new bodies. It’s basically a game of swap-body: Momoshiki will take Boruto’s body and push out his consciousness, but Boruto’s essence will have a new body as a safety net. There’s just one big practical and ethical catch: how do you find a person who is both capable of being a Karma vessel, and deserves to be possessed?

Kawaki has the answer to both questions: Code, Kara’s final inner and Isshiki’s back-up plan as the imperfect vessel. Code can hold the Karma mark and could theoretically hold Boruto’s essence even if he couldn’t hold Isshiki’s. Of course, that’s easier said than done: Code is revealed to be Kara’s most powerful cyborg, and he’s already amassing a clan of equally lethal cyborgs, that even Isshiki was wary of unleashing. To call Boruto and Kawaki’s resurrection plans a longshot would be an understatement.

Boruto releases new manga chapters free online, monthly. The anime series is currently running its version of the Kara Arc.