Naruto Reveals Sasuke’s Biggest Gift to Boruto

The Naruto Saga has reached a milestone moment that helps fill-in a key details of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations! The now-infamous opening flash-forward sequence of Teenage Boruto battling Teenage Kawaki had the ominous detail of Teenage Boruto sporting Sasuke’s iconic ninja headband as part of his outfit. Ever since then, Naruto fans have been speculating about whether or not Boruto had taken the headband to memorialize Sasuke after his death. Well, in Boruto Chapter 69 we find out how Boruto came to permanently own Sasuke’s headband – and whether or not the circumstances were as tragic as some thought! 

(WARNING: Boruto Chapter 69 SPOILERS Follow!) 

In Boruto Chapter 69, there are two distinct storylines that play out: First, there’s the cliffhanger ending from Chapter 68, which saw Kara’s deadly cyborgs Code and Eida launch a sneak attack on Hidden Leaf Village and Naruto’s forces – only to have the tables turned on them! Shikamaru used former Kara scientist Amado to lure Code in, so that Hidden Leaf could trap and stop him, once and for all! To that end, Shikamaru had Amado reprogram Kara “Inner” Delta into a cyborg fighting on Hidden Leaf’s side. However, neither Shikamaru nor Amado ever figured on Eida tagging along for the attack!

While Shikamaru and Amado’s plan goes sideways, Boruto and Kawaki are both busy getting some surrogate fatherly advice. Kawaki has to sit down for a talk with Naruto, who lets the boy know that all is well after Kawaki had to make the call to kill Boruto in order to stop Momoshiki’s rampage using Boruto’s body as his vessel. Kawaki’s place in Hidden Leaf is now dependent on that secret never getting out. 

While Kawaki gets time with Naruto, Boruto takes a moment to talk with his master, Sasuke. Sasuke and Boruto find a perch looking out over Hidden Leaf, where Sasuke makes the monumental move of… apologizing to Boruto. Sasuke (and Boruto’s Team 7 friends) feels guilty for not aiding Boruto against both Code and Momoshiki in the previous battle. Sasuke is also remorseful that he wasn’t there to step up and make the hard choice that Kawaki had to (killing Boruto), as Sasuke vowed to be the one to do it, and also knew how Kawaki may now be forever looked at and hated in the village – like Sasuke. 

Boruto admits that having Sasuke’s headband helped him push through and fight harder, but is ready to return to the memento to his master; instead, Sasuke tells Boruto, “If it’s so helpful, it’s fine. You hold on to it.” Boruto is overjoyed, telling the “Old Man” that “I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life!” 

While on the one hand, the interaction between Sasuke and Boruto is wholesome and heartwarming, it’s hard not to notice that it also seems like a big death flag may have still been planted over Sasuke. The “Shadow Hokage” says that in giving Boruto his headband, “I might be the one having to show his resolve next.” 

So now we know that Boruto did not inherit Sasuke’s headband through any tragic means – but it’s also made clear that the headband’s legacy could still be steeped in tragedy by the time Teenage Boruto is wearing it…

New Boruto chapters are Free to read online!