Naruto Reveals One of Shikamaru's Best Plans Yet
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has revealed Shikamaru Nara's best laid plan in the manga yet with the newest chapter of the series! Shikamaru has been one of the key characters in the sequel series ever since it was revealed that Naruto had made him his right hand advisor. Fans have seen how his strategies for the village have helped Naruto to escape some major jams over the course of the series so far, but the recent arcs have seen him taking on a more action focused role now that the options to fight against invading forces have been limited more than ever.
The newest chapter of the series brings Shikamaru back to the action once more as it was teased that Code was planning something quite deadly for him at the end of the previous chapter. Code had left a claw mark on Shikamaru's back with the intention of using it to sneak into the Hidden Leaf Village, and when he does it in the newest chapter, Shikamaru reveals that he knew about that mark all along and was readying himself for a major plan to take down Code when the former Kara member made his move.
Chapter 68 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations brings the fight back to the Hidden Leaf Village as Boruto and the others are recovering following the fight against Code. It's revealed that Code had been using the claw mark left on Shikamaru's next to listen to all of their conversations for the opportunity to strike, and he soon takes that chance when Shikamaru goes to confront Amado all by himself. When Code suddenly pops out of the claw mark, Shikamaru reveals that he had planned for such a thing.
When Ino tries to send in reinforcements, Shikamaru tells her to wait as he knew Code would be popping up when he and Amado were alone. Using this time, Shikamaru catches Code with a Shadow Possession Jutsu, and it's revealed that his real plan was to use Amado's new version of Delta to attack Code while he held him down. Unfortunately, this plan is still not enough as Code gets some unforeseen help from Eida as the chapter comes to an end.
It's yet to be revealed as to whether or not Shikamaru has a plan to counter this somehow, but just this chapter alone shows just how many steps ahead he really is when it counts. It's going to be that much more necessary in the future of the series, but what do you think? How do you feel about Shikamaru taking on a more active role like this? What do you think it means for his role in the series going forward? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!