‘Naruto’ Makes An Emotional Third Hokage Throwback

Naruto has mastered the art of flashbacks, but the nods can vary in impact. For some fans, they’d rather the show move on from some overused flashbacks, but Boruto is being selective with its throwbacks. So, you can see why audiences were taken aback (but for real) when the Third Hokage showed up.

Recently, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations went live with its new episode, and it followed its leads as they dealt with the fallout of Mitsuki’s defection. Boruto is out searching for his friend with Sarada in tow, leaving Naruto to handle things within the village. However, Konohamaru seems to be dealing with the event in a rather different way.

Boruto checks in on the jounin as he overlooks the Leaf Village somberly before his cousin Mirai joins him. The younger girl prompts Konohamaru to talk through his feelings on Mitsuki and his parentage, and it leads to a recollection about Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“He killed our grandpa. I know it happened before I was born, and I only heard it from my mom,” Mirai says, throwing Konohamaru into a flashback.

The brief aside goes all the way back to Naruto when the original anime saw the Third Hokage fight Orochimaru in the ‘Chunin Exams’ arc. The epic clash showed fans what Hiruzen could do as a ninja, and it ended with the Third Hokage sacrificing his life to seal Orochimaru’s ability to use jutsu.

“Our grandfather gave his life to protect it,” Konohamaru says while looking out to the village.
“The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was respected by everyone in the village. He was an amazing shinobi.”

As it turns out, Mirai was curious whether Konohamaru hated Mitsuki after learning about his connection with Orochimaru, but that is not the case. Konohamaru says his brooding has to do with the fact he’s been benched from retrieving Mitsuki, but there are few things that can stop the boy once he gets an idea in mind. After all, Konohamaru is the top student of the village’s knuckle-headed Hokage. He isn’t one to give up so easily, so fans shouldn’t be surprised if he ups and leaves the Leaf to drag Mitsuki back before long.

So, did this aside get you feeling 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, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 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.