#boruto analysis

[sourinartt]

kishimoto is really doing everything to get sns into boruto.

the characters now act like sasuke/naruto did and they celebrate and ship it but there are still people who deny sns

sarada is doing everything possible so that no one attacks boruto, and even though people tell her that she can't protect a "traitor" in that way, she still continues to protect him. for people, this is really the peak of romance and it is "clear to the tongue that sarada likes boruto." but if naruto does the same to sasuke, he is simply a madman

there's also a new pair of lovers, who, despite being enemies and in love, have to kill each other. why don't they do it? for love. but if naruto/sasuke is doing this throughout the entire manga, is it simply a very "strong" friendship or are they brothers and you are a fetishist

They are stealing tropes like the moon and the sun and this is what Boruto says to Mizuki and there are people who could even see that this seemed more like a very loving act

also since memorable times Kishimoto is making boruto like a son of Narusasunaru, naruto gets into an argument with sasuke about whether boruto has his appearance or sasuke's. (even though sasuke didn't give birth to him) In the end, Sasuke ends up taking better care of him and even calms the anger that Bort had towards his father and they all end up fighting as a family against villains.

And if we talk about appearance, nh is crazy about this topic, they bring up an interview where Kishimoto talks about bort's appearance where he only talks about his hair. and all so the world knows that boruto is hnt's son, but this doesn't even matter to Kishimoto. not when it's the same one who emphasizes that boruto looks like his father, with a sasuke-like personality, then makes boruto be called "uchiha kid" and then sasuke talks about how boruto still resembles his father

An interview is nothing when your own creator has always been known to contradict himself almost always, manga is where he has time to reflect, think and draw and kishimoto just made boruto a sns kid and other characters can see that.

It's funny how when they run out of ideas to continue with the manga, they take a step back to take sns as inspiration...

he will never surpass them....

[watermelonsloth]

So... Sarada's Timeskip Design

First some positives:

The design works in both Haruno(choker, red) and Uchiha(earrings, black) elements. Even though they are few, I prefer it over the complete absence of both like we got in her last manga design

I like the somewhat unique choice in headband placement

The outfit is pretty fashionable and I can easily picture a teenager wearing it

Her earrings are a nice touch

Her haircut is really cute

Now the negatives(oh god are there negatives). I can't shorten this to simple bullet points so I hope you like the paragraph format. First, the obvious:

It Doesn't Look Practical In The Least

She's wearing big-ass heels, her leg warmers are loose enough to get caught under her feet, her shorts(the bottom half of her romper?) are short enough to give her a wedgie, she has pretty much no leg protection, the shuriken holster attached to her leg without bandages looks uncomfortable, the belt is completely useless, her jacket is baggy and unzipped and begging to fall off, her sleeves look like they'd get in the way during combat, her glasses feel noticeably fragile, and what woman in their right mind would wear a strapless bra into combat? (I can only let the last one slide because it's two men who're working on this manga) If not for the metal plate, shuriken holster, and open-toed shoes, I wouldn't even think she was a ninja(or from the Naruto franchise, for that matter). Lack of practicality doesn't tend to bother me since this is fantasy and every character wearing maximum practicality outfits would get boring, but Sarada looks like they didn't even make an attempt at making her look combat ready. Still, all of this would be fine if not for my next point.

This Doesn't Look Like Something Sarada Would Wear

If impracticality was in character or served a narrative purpose, it would be a point in the designs favor. Except, Sarada isn't the type of character to wear something so impractical. In the manga, she's the character that takes being a ninja the most seriously, she's one of the few with clear goals, and she's the resident team leader and smart one. What part of her design tells us any of that? Yes, manga Sarada is weirdly flirtatious. But that aspect of her personality already contradicts her otherwise disinterest in boys and romance, it doesn't mesh well with her portrayal in the anime(which is also supposed to be canon), it's already an inconsistent part of her personality, and there's already been so many complaints about it(even in Japan from what I can tell) that you'd think that Ikemoto wouldn't continue with it.

Why Does It Invoke So Much Akatsuki?

This might just be me, but I think the design has too many nods to the Akatsuki. The oversized jacket, the fabric around the bottom of her leg, and the black, red, and white/silver color scheme in similar ratios. I'm not saying you'll confuse her for an Akatsuki member by any means and there were certainly more things they could've done to make her resemble the Akatsuki if that was their goal. What I'm saying is that if I were trying to make nods towards the former villain organization in a character's design, I'd use similar design elements.

The worst part is that this was entirely avoidable. Even ignoring that they could've scrapped the more impractical aspects of her design to avoid this, her color palette didn't even have to be this way. Red isn't the only color that can invoke connections to Sakura; shades of pink, light green, and white are also colors of Sakura. Black isn't even the most common color that Uchiha's wear, shades of dark purple and blue are. Purples and blues would've also been a better nod to Sasuke. Maybe they wanted her to wear "Uchiha colors," but, once again, those aren't really Uchiha colors. Black is, but red has only appeared in Madara's armor, the sharingan, and the clan crest and white has also only appeared in the clan crest(I don't even remember an Uchiha that ever wore silver). If you wanna argue that Sarada's color is red, then I ask why wouldn't they just keep red as her primary color instead of making it an accent? Her last manga design had black and white as accents, I don't think keeping her color palette the same would've bothered anyone. I know that Kishimoto added black to Naruto's design to help make him look more mature, but Sarada's design doesn't invoke "mature" anyways and it certainly isn't a more mature version of her last design because, much like the majority of the two blue vortex designs, it looks nothing like her last design. It's even worse than when they started adding too much black to Naruto's design because now it reminds people(or at least me) of an organization that I doubt she's meant to be affiliated with. But who knows? Maybe like the metal plate of her headband being on an easily removeable jacket, this is all foreshadowing to something.

I don't blame anyone for thinking this is a nitpick, but it bothers me and I wanted to express it.

Conclusion

Sarada's design is the worst for the same reasons her last design was the worst plus it looking too much like she took inspiration from the Akatsuki's wardrobe. Forget needing a second draft, this design needs to be scrapped and replaced. Maybe the anime will find a way to fix it, maybe it won't. Only time will tell and it'll hopefully tell us good news.

(Side note: why is she constantly drawn with her feet pointed inwards? it makes her look insecure.)

[appleyass123]

And then Sarada finally asks the question we've all been wondering, "Are you and mom's feelings truly connected?" and man, Sasuke just looks so tired, he even pauses before he says yes, he does not think their hearts are connected and when Sarada asks how he can be so sure he then says it's because they have her.

Yes, I am aware this meant to be a cute and sweet moment but the way Sasuke looks so tired just...GAH! Sasuke is basically saying the only reason he and Sakura are together is because of Sarada, she is the glue keeping them together and look at Sakura, she isn't so sure herself!

And the dinner scene doesn't look any better, Sasuke still looks hella miserable and even Sakura too, she is having this fake smile on her face just so Sarada doesn't get upset!

Then, finally the ending, Sasuke has to leave again and Sarada asks Sasuke if he will leave again and he doesn't answer and just hugs Sarada, he neither denies it and just says he doesn't like seeing Sarada sad

Even Sakura looks defeated, she can't do anything about this and can only just accept her fate!

And then he pokes her forehead

The symbol of lies and distance, he's doing just what Itachi is doing and Sakura can't do anything about this. and then Sakura hands Sasuke his bento and then leans then to have a kiss. This is most likely a call back from Sarada's question if she kissed Sasuke or not and instead of a poke she wants a kiss to prove to Sarada that they are indeed in love but Sasuke probably realized it and blows her off!

And the fact that Sakura says "AGAIN?!" shows that this isn't the first time Sasuke has denied Sakura affection.

Yup, this is SasuSaku in Naruto Gaiden everyone...

I will never understand how most people think that Sasuke loves Sakura when this is how he treats her, and the fact it's their daughter who points out how "odd" their relationship is shows just how TERRIBLE it is! You know you need to improve your marriage if your own CHILD says that your marriage is bad!

And keep in mind that Sarada still doesn't believe that Sakura is her real mother because she never finds out that the umbilical cord was Sakura's and still probably thinks that Karin is her mother but no longer cares about it due to Naruto's statement about love being important and not blood!

Anyways, this took me FOREVER to complete and is probably the longest analysis I have done! But I had fun with it and I hope you are satisfied with this LONG analysis!

Part 1

[ydsurluvhsm]

sasuke uchiha deserves to be loved out loud (´•̥﹏•̥`) ♡

✧.・゜✿・。.☆ﾟ.･｡ﾟ༓☾☼✩.･｡ﾟ☁︎*.☽✩˚｡⋆✲ﾟ｡⋆*

why is it that when sasuke is angry people call him heartless, but when itachi is silent they call him tragic. why is it that sasuke screams for help with blood on his hands and everyone looks away, but when itachi bleeds quietly, people build him altars. i’m not saying one deserves less love, i’m saying sasuke deserved more. more kindness, more grace, more forgiveness. he was a child. a boy who loved his big brother so hard he shaped his whole world around him. and when that world shattered, no one helped him pick up the pieces. so he held the shards in his hands and bled alone.

you don’t understand how devastating it is that sasuke’s entire childhood was a prologue to his pain. he was a prodigy, yes. but also soft. also kind. also eager. he looked up to itachi like he hung the stars in the sky. and when the stars fell, they crushed him. people say sasuke was obsessed with revenge, but it wasn’t about killing. it was about understanding. about making the pain make sense. about proving to himself that love hadn’t been a lie. he didn’t want to destroy itachi. he wanted him to see him. to hurt the way sasuke hurt.

and then he did. and it broke him again. and still—he kept moving. he never got to fall apart. he had to rewire his entire heart and carry on. and he kept losing people. kept losing himself. kept searching for a version of the world that didn’t hurt so much. he tried the path of light and the path of darkness and found peace in the middle of the ruins. it was messy. it was violent. it was lonely. but it was his choice. that’s why sasuke is so important to me—he chose to come back. not because someone redeemed him. but because he did.

it makes me so emotional that people still talk about naruto as the one who saved him when sasuke had been crawling toward the light on his own for so long. he just needed someone to say “i see you.” naruto didn’t save him. naruto waited for him. and sasuke came back. scarred, burned, bleeding—but alive. more alive than he had been in years. when he smiled after the final battle… i felt that in my bones. that little sliver of peace he never thought he’d get. he smiled like he forgot how and just remembered again. like the world was finally quiet inside his head.

boruto sasuke is probably the most heartbreaking version of him. like... the way he tries to be a father when no one taught him how. the way he mentors boruto with patience and grace despite having grown up without any of it. the way he watches over the village from the shadows—not to atone, but because he cares. he still thinks the only way he can protect people is by staying away from them. he doesn’t want to hurt anyone again. and it’s so painful because all i want is for him to be held. to be told “you’ve done enough.” but he never stops. he loves in silence. in exile. in scars.

and the way he treats sarada… oh my god. you can tell he wants to give her the world but he’s terrified he’ll taint it. like he doesn’t think he deserves to stand in the light anymore so he just watches from the edges. she reaches for him and he flinches because he doesn’t know how to be wanted without being feared. but he tries. he tries. he shows up when it counts. even when he’s bleeding. even when he’s broken. he shows up. that’s love. and it’s the kind of love that costs him everything. but he gives it anyway. because he’s sasuke.

he is not emotionless. he is not selfish. he is a boy whose heart was shattered so many times he forgot what it sounded like when it beat softly. but it still does. it always did. he never stopped feeling. he just got better at hiding it. but if you look close, you see it—in the way he protects, the way he hesitates, the way he listens. he’s all bruised silence and trembling hope. he is grief with a heartbeat. and he still keeps walking forward. still believes he can do better. he’s the kind of character who lets himself be hated if it means someone else gets to live in peace. and if that’s not heroic, idk what is.

sasuke uchiha is the most painfully beautiful character i’ve ever known. he is everything people misunderstood about teenage anger and survivor’s guilt and broken love. he is a mirror of the worst the world can do to a child and the best that child can still become. he’s proof that pain doesn’t make you a monster. it makes you real. and i will never stop loving him for that. ( ´•̥̥̥ ω •̥̥̥` ) ♡

✧.・゜✿・。.☆ﾟ.･｡ﾟ༓☾☼✩.･｡ﾟ☁︎*.☽✩˚｡⋆✲ﾟ｡⋆*

(♡°▽°♡): just a lil reminder: sasuke is my broken boy, but we have to talk about how he’s not the best husband or father. his trauma impacts every relationship he has, and that’s why he struggles to connect with sakura and their daughter in the way they deserve. i love sakura so much, but honestly, sasusaku makes me really uncomfortable. sakura deserves someone who sees her as the amazing, strong person she is, not as second best. also, sakura is a huge victim of comphet—she’s been pushed into a straight relationship with sasuke when it’s clear they don’t have the chemistry that should be there. comphet forces women to conform to a heteronormative narrative, even if it’s not what they want, and sakura deserves someone who truly understands her. (*≧▽≦)

[srs-deep-dives]

Minato & Kushina: A "Deep Dive" Analysis (Section B, Part I)

In our first section we explored Minato and Kushina's love and endurance. In this section we will consider their dream of Hokage and impact on the wider plot.

(Section B) Minato and Kushina as drivers in the world narrative

Note that I said their dream of Hokage, not Minato’s dream of Hokage. Not because they both want to become Hokage, but because, as we established, Hokage is intertwined with their marriage.

(B) I. Minato and Kushina as the image of Hokageship

Chronologically, the first words uttered by both Minato and Kushina concern becoming Hokage. But while similar on the surface, their utterances spring from contrasting motives.

Minato wants to be respected by the village. Kushina wants to not be snubbed. Each is seeking to be acknowledged, but a different form of acknowledgement.

Minato is a once-in-a-generation genius. He will graduate the Academy at 10. He will set the record for the highest ever score on the chūnin written exam. He will be honing the Flying Raijin by the time he is 15-16, by which time Kurama will think of him in respect to the greatest shinobi who ever lived. From this, one can sum that Minato is destined to become Hokage. Yet at the same time, paradoxically, his birth sets him apart.

The non-mention of other Namikazes implies that he is not from a ninja family – or, that he is from a ninja family with no reputation. Either way, Minato is a genius born in an underdog background, and thus has the complete freedom to pursue the Hokage path. And that path he himself has chosen out of desire to be the leader and light of Konoha, his favorite phrase per the databook being 火の影は里を照らす (“the fire’s shadow illuminates the village”).

What is Minato’s sought “respect” then? To be relied upon as THE shinobi who illuminates the village. For Kushina this is not the case. She simply wants to be SOMEbody.

[As we noted last section, with her motive in these screens, Kushina is never, ever shown pursuing Hokageship. So let us bury all distortions of her as a 'girl boss' who 'had her dream stolen by' the man she loves. And let us bury the demeaning of Minato along with it as some 'male wife' who 'fulfilled his girl's dream because she couldn't.' To the fans who insist that Kushina's character was diminished through Minato becoming Hokage, I leave one question: is it a shame and disgrace for a wife to uplift and support her husband?]

Brought to Konoha from a foreign land, Kushina just wants to fit in. But opposite to prodigy-from-nobody-clan Minato, her bloodline has her shackled to a destiny of rejection.

Which brings us to another thing that Kushina’s hair symbolizes: her ‘otherness.’ We’ve seen this motif with other characters before. Sakura is teased for her big forehead and Hinata is called “Byakugan Monster” for her eyes. Sakura’s source of misery becomes her source of prowess: she hones the Byakugo Seal on that forehead, and it becomes her trump card through which she saves hundreds during the War. Bullied for her “weird, freaky eyes,” Hinata likewise improves her use of the Byakugan, eventually proving her worth as the Hyūga heiress.

Kushina is teased when really, as we’ve observed, her “ugly” “lustrous” hair implicates beauty and strength. But in contrast to Sakura and Hinata, Kushina stands up to her bullies in her own strength (Sakura gains confidence through Ino’s compassion, and Hinata from Naruto). And this contrast is immensely important for, as we’ve established, Kushina’s endurance is the core of Minato’s drive.

Kushina’s endurance, recall, is the reason Minato fell in love with her, and why he calls her the one “that made [him] the Fourth Hokage” (as we'll examine shortly). And Minato’s love is the thing that enables Kushina to overcome fate; to live a life of happiness despite being a jinchūriki. For while Kushina’s endurance draws Minato toward her, it results in her being further set apart as the 'other.' She defends herself; Minato reveres her more; their peers despise her more. The divide between Kushina and their generation grows, held in the title they give her: “Red-hot Habanero.”

She cannot escape her destiny of loneliness. She is doomed for being the jinchūriki; doomed for being a red-haired Uzumaki; and doomed for kicking back through her own efforts. Yet her efforts draw Minato to her, setting Minato apart from their peers in parallel.

What is the importance of this parallel divide? We will get to that shortly. But first there some details to note on Minato's otherness (his distinction from their peers).

Minato as the “Yellow Flash” is directly tied to a Hokage (it is his use and adaptation of Tobirama’s Flying Raijin that earns him fame and fear). Put short, Minato’s earning of Konoha’s respect is already bound to Hokageship: he is, in will, genius and prowess, walking in his forerunners’ footsteps.

Furtherly significant is Kurama’s comparing of Minato to Hashirama. Gaiden opens with Minato escaping Bijū Bombs with the Raijin – a homage to Tobirama. It ends with Minato smiling in front of the rock faces where his own will be beside Hiruzen’s. And framed within these scenes is Kurama’s remark grouping him with Hokage ("A most powerful shinobi ranking alongside First Hokage Hashirama... Unbelievable!").

The Yellow Flash rapidly gains renown in the other nations – to the point of him earning a ‘flee-on-site’ reputation. Feats so formidable that the Tsuchikage accepts a peace treaty, bringing an end to the war with Iwa (episode: The Mask that Hides the Heart).

So Minato in legacy of Second Hokage earns respect within and outside Konoha. And “in his own style” he earns “a most powerful shinobi ranking alongside [First Hokage].” In the Fourth War, the resurrected Tobirama will acknowledge Minato as having surpassed him. Furthermore, Minato modifies his jutsu to create new subsidiary jutsu.

Minato has been, through his whole ninja career, gaining the repute to achieve Hokageship.

Academy-Minato begins walking this road. Hokage-Minato ends the road by accrediting it all to Kushina. Recall our panels back in post one from the chapter Thank You:

There is a slight variation in the anime’s account from “your” man to “a” man (for Japanese has no indirect articles and omits pronouns in conversation). In addition, anime-Minato makes this statement over an image we’ve seen before: his genin-self holding genin-Kushina in his arms the day he'd rescued her. This shot, in addition to the dialogue, is framed from Minato’s viewpoint, inferring that he sees this event and resulting bond with Kushina as the statement’s fruition.

The day Kushina fell for him, in other words – the day (from which) she became his woman – was the very day (from which) she in Minato's own view “made him a man.” What transpired up to that moment? He had been watching her endure. And now he has stepped in to be her strength in a battle that is beyond her.

The differing English translations both capture the essence of Minato’s words. He could not have become Hokage without Kushina – without her ‘making him a man’ who self-sacrificially loves, leads, protects and provides. And he could not have become Hokage without her ‘making him her man’ – without her deciding to be his wife; to selflessly love, support and build him up, bringing out his best. Furthermore, birthing their child, Kushina makes Minato a father. Mirroring this as Hokage, he is the patriarch of the village.

Now onto the importance of the 'otherness' divide: Kushina symbolically ‘qualifies’ Minato to become Hokage through their distinctions from their peers. And these qualifications are reached through two ‘tests,’ if you will, which each center around him saving her.

The first test is our mentioned genin rescue, where Kushina embodies the outsider. Here she is the lowest-esteemed villager, the foreigner shunned by the village. Minato alone notices the trail of her hair she left behind and saves her. Minato alone tells her that she is “one of [them].” He proves that he is devoted to protecting EVERYONE in his village, in a conflict between Konoha and Kumo – a fight between villages.

Most importantly of all, it is in this moment that he wins Kushina’s acknowledgement. The acknowledgement of the hardest-to-win-over villager, the acknowledgement of the outskirt 'other.'

The second test is the teenage rescue, where Kushina is the jinchūriki. Here she represents Konoha’s balance of power in the world. If a village loses its bijū it is vulnerable to destruction by the other nations. Protecting Kushina thus means – in the village context – everything, and is the ultimate test of Minato’s physical, mental and intellectual worthiness. Simply put, all together, it is a test of his own endurance.

Rescue One is the test of acknowledgement, and Rescue Two is the test of endurance. The two qualities underpinning the entirety of one's enablement to become Hokage.

So what have we then? While Minato brings Kushina to breaking the shackles of her destiny, Kushina brings Minato to fulfilling his destiny.

We also see the monumental impact of Kushina’s sealing jutsu. On the night of their deaths, Minato uses two to save the village: the Eight Sign Seal and the Reaper Death Seal. Both of these techniques are Uzumaki clan jutsu taught to Minato by Kushina.

In other words, Kushina indirectly gives Minato the means of saving the village.

[The Reaper Death Seal was designed by Uzumaki to be used by Uzumaki. The caster sacrifices his or her chakra to the Reaper in proportion to the chakra being sealed. If cast by an Uzumaki then – with chakra reserves exceeding an enemy's – that Uzumaki need not die. That Minato sealed half of Kurama away at the cost of his life is a testament to just how much of a powerhouse he is!]

The Reaper Death Seal has even further ties to Hokageship – Hiruzen using it to seal his Edo-forerunners during the Konoha Crush arc. Though it was taught by Kushina, it is known as one of Minato’s signature jutsu, Hiruzen calls it his own “trump jutsu,” and it – literally – unites the first four Hokage in death (the spirits of each, after Hiruzen’s sealing, being trapped in the Reaper’s belly).

So we've examined ‘Hokage’ in relation to Minato and Kushina's oneness. The next post will explore their dream behind the Hokage image.

Section B, Part II here.

[mayaketu]

Character analysis: Naruto vs Boruto’s forgiving natures

Naruto is a kind person. But a lot of people interpret all of his actions to being foolishly kind, when Naruto really is just a traumatized & principled character that empathizes with people based off that.

Both are traumatized & principled, but have different traumas driving their actions.

Let’s examine Naruto first:

Notice, Naruto does not decide to be understanding until he draws a connection between himself and his opponent being victims of child abuse. Naruto never tried to empathize with Orochimaru, Danzo or Madara, nor had much of a negative reaction to their demise at all. Naruto also knew all 3 of them had repeatedly committed the worst sin- abused children. His biggest trauma.

Naruto hasn’t been advocating for people to escape consequences, he wanted people to atone because he understood that they were traumatized as children & never got the guidance that saved Naruto from going down their exact path. He wasn’t rly being gullible (he had nothing to lose by the time he tried talk-no-jutsu lol), kind or even forgiving- he decided no matter how difficult to stick to his principles he learned from Jiraiya. To try to stop the cycle of hatred by having people atone rather than to punish them through revenge.

Naruto’s biggest flaw though, is that he is overly blinded by his abandonment trauma- he feels he has to “save” people who went through child abuse like he did. He projects too much of his own feelings onto them- when they are their own people who won’t necessarily turn around as easily as Naruto did- which is why he lost his arm to sasuke who wouldn’t relent until beaten into submission. & (temporarily) lost his life to kawaki.

In psych terms, Naruto is trying to reinforce to himself that he was always worthy of being saved, which is what drives him to go as far as he does. It’s not really his kindness, or passion but his trauma is the way Naruto deeply connects to others.

Episode 10 of boruto NNG. This convo is not in the manga but it’s clear from the manga as well that this is how Naruto feels:

This is why Naruto struggled so much to connect with Boruto. Boruto wasn’t an abused child- thats why it seemed Naruto didn’t “care” about Boruto and Himawari as much as Kawaki. His bio kids were the first people very close to him without significant trauma for him to build a relationship on. Hima was still pretty young, & not as outspoken as boruto, so we didnt see that dynamic as much with her.

Boruto is still early in his story & has a lot more to learn. So this is as of chapter 14 of TBV.

Boruto’s current analysis:

Boruto has spent his whole life building healthy connections unlike Naruto, yet seems to have the same desire to “save” even the most “irredeemable” people. There are 2 reasons why.

Reason 1, For Boruto he is able to forgive kawaki because he understands that he’s not in a position to judge him. Boruto recognizes that he is a threat because of momoshiki, and blames & hates himself for everyone being endangered, not kawaki who is actually protecting them in his own twisted way. & now, feeling the pain of abandonment, he also empathizes with kawaki, thus forgiving him. This is how BORUTO sees it right now.

He’s also trying to make the right choices he knows ADULT Naruto would make, but adult Naruto has confronted his self hatred & knows not to take or blame everything on himself. Boruto hasn’t learned that yet, he’s willing to accept help when it’s dire, but still believes the overall burden is his alone. He has also been mainly taught by Sasuke, who still hasn’t overcome his own self hatred as much as Naruto has & desire to handle everything alone.

*boruto has actually been struggling with self hatred since getting caught cheating, that’s why he irrationally hated all ninja tech- it’s from the shame of being exposed. Self hatred is a huge underlying part of his character I could expand on later; I’m focusing on this comparison to Naruto here.

Boruto is blinded by his self hatred in the same way Naruto is blinded by his abandonment trauma. That’s why some of their actions seem so irrational, they are fueled by trauma. & These blind spots are where they both make their most costly mistakes.

That’s why he naively defied Koji’s order to escape and instead released code. He knows from Naruto he can’t do everything alone, but he lacks the wisdom to understand when/how to apply it. He should’ve relied on Koji’s advice rather than trying to plan on his own which led to a huge mistake. Code is still loose.

Reason 2, Boruto’s will is to be shadow hokage. To bear burdens for the sake of the village and people he loves. Part of bearing the burden is swallowing your pride for the greater good, which he learned from Sasuke. He’s not being kind or forgiving by saving Code. He wanted to kill the shinju ASAP before they could evolve further and needed his help.

Same with asking to train Kawaki. Kawaki’s fate is tied to both Naruto/Hinata, the EARTH & boruto’s fates. Outside of any emotional reasons, he literally cannot afford to let Kawaki die + kawaki’s unique abilities (shrinking claw marks particularly) are instrumental in defeating the shinju. & Especially now that the shinju are growing in number and in other villages, boruto cannot always be there to protect kawaki. Kawaki needs to get stronger fast for the sake of the planet.

I’m interested in the larger convo between boruto and kawaki and training him, but we’ll have to see once chapter 15 officially drops.

[wegog]

You know it's pretty amazing that Himawari works so hard and wants to become more powerful not because she's wild to do revenge... The girl's obvious very thoughtful. So, it seems to me all these years she has been analyzing everything that had happend with her parents and brothers. Yes, right now she know Boruto as Kawaki. Her memories about Kawaki ironically help her to believe in Boruto, they're very unusual circumstances...

My main point here - Himawari, being a traumatized child, who lost her parents and a brother, could turn into a cruel, bloodthirsty kunoichi. But she chose to take her heart warm and her mind cold at the same time! Hima just took all pain of losing her family and has transformed it into strenth to continue to protect every important person in her life

[primnroses]

— Sakura Haruno/Uchiha in the Naruto novels:

The information presented in this post has been checked and revised. My aim is not to hate or to discredit any of the characters mentioned. Please read about me for further information.

This post will contain evidence in picture format directly from the novels published by Shueisha in 2015 - 2019. 

This informative post will explain the roles that Sakura Haruno/Sakura Uchiha has fulfilled in each novel. Please consider that I will be giving a summary of each novel, so if you want to read the full work you can purchase each novel online or your local bookstore. Remember that due to Tumblr's image limit, I won't be able to upload every screenshot from the novels.

This meta is crossposted in AO3. Please read here for the complete information.

I give my permission to use or share this thread with informative purposes as long as you credit me.

I do not support the anime or the work of Studio Pierrot in regards to Naruto because I consider it over exaggerated and beyond biased. Furthermore, these fillers include some actions that these characters are unable to do in the canon according to official sources and they also generate unnecessary debate.

Please, take this into consideration.

The Naruto light novels are a series of light novel projects launched by Shueisha and VJump that tell the story of one or more characters who are commonly used as protagonists. Each novel explores a story set between chapter 699 of Naruto and an uncertain point in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. 

The novels are written by different authors and all illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, who is also credited as the creator. Each novel occupies a space within the official Naruto timeline. 

Complete timeline of Naruto and Boruto.

The Naruto novels are often overlooked and surrounded in mystery as some of them never received a proper and fair adaptation into the anime, with only a few making their way into Naruto Shippūden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations with a much shortened version of the full work and omitting key characters from each. 

Despite light novels making their way into many universes in the world on animanga as one of the methods to flesh out blank parts of the story or characters, many fans reject the written format.

Usually, non-readers who have had access to information about their contents, more than once find incomplete or erroneous summaries or explanations. Some of these novels have also not been translated to English, which contributes to the lack of public knowledge about them outside Japan or the correct version of the story.

Many others consider that these novels are not canon and reject them despite being officially part of the universe because they’re not written by Masashi Kishimoto, instead being written by people affiliated with the franchise whose story has been approved by the editorial. 

Although people are free to believe what they want, without novels, a lot of material from the anime wouldn’t exist, as well as any potential sequel. The only projects written by Masashi Kishimoto are Naruto, Naruto Gaiden and Boruto: Naruto the Movie, as well as the recent prequel Minato Gaiden. 

Nonetheless, Masashi Kishimoto does offer his ideas and is in contact with the many writers and illustrators that write content for the franchise. 

Despite differences of opinions, all novels are canon, although the concept of “canon” doesn’t exist in Japan. Novels, as well as mangas and other movies are all written to follow the original work of Naruto, so they are all a spin-off. 

A spin-off is a piece of media created based on an earlier work or an original work to act as its prequel or sequel. For example, Naruto Gaiden is a spin-off of Naruto despite being written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto himself, as it’s all Boruto material and the light novels. 

A spin-off isn’t the same as filler. 

The Naruto novels are divided in four installments: 

Naruto Hiden (NARUTO -ナルト- 秘伝) published in 2015.

Naruto Shinden (NARUTO -ナルト- 真伝) published in 2015.

Naruto Shinden (NARUTO -ナルト- ナルト新伝) published in 2018.

Naruto Retsuden (NARUTO -ナルト- 烈伝) published in 2019.

Sakura Haruno/Sakura Uchiha is mentioned in almost every novel and plays a big role in the majority of them. 

Naruto Hiden (NARUTO -ナルト- 秘伝) is a series released in 2015 that was part of the first Naruto Project in commemoration of the manga’s 15th anniversary. The project has six different novels released between February and July of 2015 written by different authors.

The time chosen for the stories lies between Naruto chapter 699 and 700, a period known as Blank Period.

The Blank Period is the official young adulthood era of Naruto. It’s one of the fan favorite periods and it contains some of the most popular and preferred designs of the main characters. Because Naruto suffered an abrupt timeskip of 15 years from chapter 699 to 700, many fans aren’t privy to what happens in that time frame, so the novels offer a very interesting perspective into the lives of the main characters.

The Hiden novels contain six stories about some of the most beloved characters: Kakashi Hiden, Shikamaru Hiden, Sakura Hiden, Konoha Hiden, Gaara Hiden and Akatsuki Hiden, all published in chronological order. 

Two of these were adapted by Studio Pierrot.

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KAKASHI HIDEN:

Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky (カカシ秘伝 氷天の雷) or Kakashi's Story: Lightning in the Frozen Sky is a novel written by Akira Higashiyama and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on February 4th, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Kakashi’s Story was the first novel to be published. It focuses on Kakashi Hatake, the jōnin leader of Team 7 and former ANBU currently preparing to assume his new Hokage title. He takes the role of protagonist where he goes on one last mission before being appointed Konoha’s Sixth Hokage.

The summary reads:

“A year has passed since the Fourth Great Ninja War, and Kakashi’s appointment as Hokage blooms. But first he heads to the Land of Waves for a dangerous mission rescuing hostages from a top-secret airship. There he confronts a ninja whose heart is frozen by tragedy.

Having lost both his friend’s eye and his greatest abilities, can Kakashi protect anyone from his cold-hearted foe? What is the true meaning of the Will of Fire gained in the distant heavens? Kakashi finds these answers and more as he enters a ninja ninja era.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include his friend Might Guy, Tsunade, his students Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno and their classmates Sai, Team 10, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Team 3 who participate in the mission, and the main villains Rahyō, Kahyō and Garyō.

SAKURA HARUNO IN KAKASHI HIDEN:

Months after Sasuke left for his journey of redemption and in the wake of a new Hokage, Kakashi asked Tsunade to keep her title as leader while he prepared his last mission as a shinobi: overseeing the security of the Tobishachimaru, an airship developed by Tazuna and Inari in the Land of Waves. Meanwhile, other Konoha shinobi guarded Hozuki Castle (Blood Prison) after the previous guard, Mui, had passed away.

However, the airship was hijacked by the Ryūha Armament Alliance, who delivered a message to Konoha about their intentions with the Tobishachimaru. Tsunade then contacted Shikamaru, who was in charge of guarding Hozuki Castle, and informed him of the situation. She instructed Sakura to put together a team of medical-ninja and head to Hozuki Castle in case they needed to shoot the airship. 

At the castle, Sakura saw the Ryūha Armament Alliance descending from the airship to infiltrate the prison. She watched the roof of Hozuki Castle along with Sai, Rock Lee and Chōji. Later, as the Tobishachimaru glided to the ground, Sakura and her comrades rushed to put the prisoners to safety. 

After putting everyone to safety, Sakura and Tsunade rushed to treat any injured.

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SHIKAMARU HIDEN:

Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness (シカマル秘伝 闇の黙に浮ぶ雲) or Shikamaru’s Story: A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Dark is a novel written by Takashi Yano and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on March 4th, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Shikamaru’s Story was the second novel to be published. It focuses on Shikamaru Nara, the heir of the Nara Clan and a jōnin member of Team 10 that is currently preparing himself to become Naruto’s advisor. He takes the role of protagonist where it explores one of his most dangerous missions as captain.

The summary reads:

“Two Years after the Great Ninja War, Shikamaru spends his days racing around, hands full as one of Konoha’s key protectors. Then one day a large number of ninja from every region are reported missing. Even Sai disappears. And the place where the missing shinobi end up is the mysterious empire, the Land of Silence.

As a ninja, as an adult, to protect all that he is responsible for, Shikamaru must do battle with the shadow of a new generation.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include his teammates Chōji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka, his classmates Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno and their allies from Sunagakure Temari and Gaara who participate in the mission, his two ANBU teammates Rō and Soku, and the main villain Gengo.

SAKURA HARUNO IN SHIKAMARU HIDEN:

Two years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, several Konoha shinobi mysteriously went missing, including Sai, amidst peaceful times. Kakashi sent Shikamaru on a mission to the Land of Silence to investigate with two of the best ANBU experts on infiltrations with him. 

Some time before the mission, Shikamaru was pensive, at one time remembering when he almost died at the hands of the Ten Tails and his desire to become Naruto's advisor while Sakura treated his injuries in the battlefield. When Shikamaru arrived at the Land of Silence, Sai and several shinobi had been put under genjutsu.

One day while visiting Sakura at her workplace, Naruto voiced his concern about Sai’s sudden disappearance from Konoha and Shikamaru’s suspicious behavior. She discussed it with Naruto, but Sakura reminded him that Shikamaru and Sai are powerful shinobi and they would ask for his help in case they needed it.

Some time later, Sakura arrived at the Land of Silence with Naruto, Chōji and Ino, where she saved Temari from a direct attack from Sai by sending him away with her taijutsu. She removed the kunai plunged in Temari’s abdomen and quickly treated her wound. As Chōji held Sai, Ino used Mind Body Switch to free Sai from the genjutsu while Sakura and Chōji joined forces to protect her body by fighting the other incoming enemy. 

Inside Sai, there was a warm chakra inside of him that belonged to Sakura and Team 7.

By the end of the mission, Sakura healed Shikamaru’s wounds and stayed behind with Naruto in the Land of Silence to wrap up and tend to other people.

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 489 to 493 in 2017. Despite being part of the mission to rescue Shikamaru, Sakura was completely erased from the adaptation.

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SAKURA HIDEN:

Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze (サクラ秘伝 思恋、春風にのせて) or Sakura's Story: Love Riding the Spring Breeze is a novel written by Tomohito Ōsaki and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on April 3rd, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Sakura’s Story was the third novel to be published. It focuses on Sakura Haruno, the Fifth Hokage’s student turned the world’s best medical-ninja and a jōnin member of Team 7 that is currently on her path to innovate Konoha’s medical branch. As the former main female character, she takes the role of protagonist and fights one of her most powerful battles.

The summary reads:

“The Great Ninja War did not only harm adults, but left many damaged children behind. Medical ninja Sakura travels the land, opening clinics dedicated to healing children of the mental trauma they experienced. She learns of a series of attacks against Konoha, and her investigation leads to an impossible conclusion: Sasuke is the terrorist mastermind behind them all! 

Using her skills and her heart, Sakura strives to clear Sasuke's name and bring the real perpetrator to justice.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include her teammates Naruto Uzumaki and Sai, Kakashi Hatake, Ino Yamanaka and Tsunade who support Sakura with her project, and the main villains Kido Tsumiki and Magire.

SAKURA HARUNO IN SAKURA HIDEN:

Because this is Sakura’s novel, she appears throughout it and all the plot points are centered around her, so rather than giving a summary of her role in the story, I’ll try to explain some of the most important aspects. 

Months after Hanabi’s rescue mission to the Moon, Sakura attended a meeting at Konoha Hospital to review reports about her new Children’s Therapy Center, a new hospital ward to assess children’s hearts and minds that she had established six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War, a new revolutionary concept that had proved a success in Konoha. Days later, Kakashi summoned her to his office to inform her that, guided by Gaara’s interest in her Therapy Center, Sunagakure was seeking to follow the same path. She began preparing a trip to Sunagakure accompanied by Ino to help their Medical Corps establish a similar center at their own hospital, where Sakura delivered a speech about the results obtained in Konoha and solved any inquiry they might have about the project.

In Sunagakure, Sakura and Ino learned from Gaara that Sasuke had been plotting an attack against Konoha and Sunagakure. Back in Konoha, they were informed that Sai had been investigating an attack against the Fire daimyō and one of the advisors, with whom Kakashi had recently met to allocate funds on Sakura’s center, per the Hokage’s orders. All eyes pointed to a coup organized by a former ANBU Root, Kido Tsumiki, and his accomplice, the medical-ninja Magire. In the meantime, Sakura pondered about the idea of Sasuke trying to plot against Konoha, but Naruto convinced her that it couldn’t possibly be him. Both friends became teachers at the Ninja Academy for the day.

Sakura learned about Sasuke’s recent whereabouts from Kakashi, but both believed that it must have been an impostor imitating Sasuke’s chakra to carry out a plan. In a meeting with Tsunade, Sakura theorized if it was possible to take DNA from Sasuke and draw out his chakra to impersonate him. At the Hokage office, after Sakura explained her theory to Kakashi and Ino, Sai believed that Kido might have used Magire’s medical knowledge to replicate Sasuke’s chakra. Kakashi appointed Sakura, Sai and Ino to form a team, which Ino called “Ino-Saku-Sai.”

During one of her rounds, Sakura found herself in a genjutsu that she couldn’t dispel in time, which gave Kido a chance to kidnap her. She woke up bound and unable to knead chakra in Kido’s hideout. He told Sakura that he planned to use her to lure Sasuke to Konoha due to the nature of their relationship, also planning to kill Sakura before him to develop his Sharingan and replicate it to use it as a weapon. In order to buy time to regain strength, Sakura interrogated Kido and he confessed that he was using Sasuke and Naruto’s DNA to make synthetic weapons to sell them to villages. After his confession, Sakura used her strength to break herself free. Outside the facility where she was kept captive, she found Sai and Ino.

After beating several ANBU, Sakura suggested she fought Kido and his Tailed Beast chakra alone, while Sai and Ino joined forces against Magire. Kido used his synthetic Tailed Beast drug to draw nine tails in order to defeat Sakura as a Pseudo-jinchūriki, but using Creation Rebirth and her previous knowledge of how bijū cloaks heal damage, she defeated him with a jutsu of her own that applied the principles of medical ninjutsu to her advantage in battle: by killing the cells that healed themselves by over-replication, Sakura managed to stop Kido’s regeneration and defeated him with a powerful blow.

After his defeat, Kido confessed that he came from a poor family and couldn’t afford medication to help his sick father, but his father preferred to give up his medication so he could send Kido to the Ninja Academy. Decades after his father’s passing, Kido wondered about how different his life would have been if they had money. Sakura was hopeful that her new center would help children in need and prevent cases like Kido’s. Days later, Sakura was summoned by Sunagakure to deliver another speech.

At the end of the novel, a long time had passed and Sasuke returned to Konoha.

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KONOHA HIDEN:

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding (木ノ葉秘伝 祝言日和) is a novel written by Shō Hinata and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on May 1st, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Konoha’s Story was the fourth novel to be published. It focuses on several characters from Konoha, narrating the adventures of pairs of Konoha 12 shinobi in their quest to find the perfect wedding gift for Naruto and Hinata. Each pair is the protagonist of a chapter.

The summary reads:

“In Konohagakure, there was an announcement of a certain special mission by the Sixth Hokage Kakashi. It was a confidential mission that Naruto and Hinata could not know about at all: “The people who are attending the wedding ceremony of Naruto and Hinata are to bring celebratory gifts”. 

And so, the shinobi of Konohagakure raise the curtain on a mission to procure the items. Lee was even thinking about it while running several laps around the spacious village. Then, Neji appeared in a dream. Tenten was worried about the ninja weaponry in her hands. At once, she began training in throwing kunai. Shikamaru and Chōji held a tactical meeting over barbecue. There, Temari appeared. Sakura and Ino bumped into one another at a general store. For some reason, a cooking showdown began. Ichiraku's Teuchi, Naruto's former teacher Iruka, and Hinata's teammates, Shino and Kiba… What celebratory gifts did everyone choose?”

The main pairs include Rock Lee and Tenten with Might Guy, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi with Temari, Naruto Uzumaki and Teuchi, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka and Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka with Tamaki, Iruka Umino and Kakashi Hatake.

SAKURA HARUNO IN KONOHA HIDEN:

While looking for the perfect unique gift, Sakura found a beautiful photo frame she was sure nobody could copy. As she reached for it, Ino reached for the frame at the same time and both tried to seize the object from each other’s hands. With her strength, Sakura took the photo frame from Ino’s hands, which prompted a loud and heated discussion that got both kicked out of the store.

Pointing out that she could only use force to her advantage, Ino tried to manipulate her friend into thinking the photo frame was ugly, but Sakura was confident that those tactics wouldn’t work on her anymore now that she had surpassed her former rival in everything. As a response, Ino claimed that if there was one thing she could beat her at was in femininity, the opposite of the brutality Sakura offered, like cooking and being a good wife. Sakura felt insulted by the accusation and challenged Ino to a cooking competition with Chōji as judge. 

They decided to cook Soldier Pills, a mass of preserved transportable balls of nutrients to use on missions. Sakura ultimately made soldier pills using Ino’s favorite food, and Ino did the same. During the competition, Chōji was so overwhelmed by the taste that he fainted, so Sakura and Ino tasted each other’s plates and called it a draw. Then, they decided to get a joint wedding present. 

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 494 to 500 in 2017. Despite being a more accurate representation compared to other works, a lot of material and lines were erased.

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GAARA HIDEN:

Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage (我愛羅秘伝 砂塵幻想) is a novel written by Ukyō Kodachi and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on June 4th, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Gaara’s Story was the fifth novel to be published. It focuses on Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage and current Kazekage who is approached by the village’s elders in order to produce an heir that would continue the family’s tradition. He takes the role of protagonist and it explores Suna’s political state.

The summary reads (taken from the Japanese as this novel was never translated to English):

“The Ninja Alliance has overcome the danger posed by the moon, but for one of its most prominent members, the trouble is far from over. Gaara, Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, is summoned by one of the elders. Now that he has turned 20, they insist he take steps toward finding a suitable marriage partner. Meanwhile, intrigue surrounds Kankuro, as the stability of the village begins to crumble. Politics, blood ties, and fate intertwine as the man famous for his solitary nature strives to protect this new era.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include his siblings Temari and Kankurō, his former sensei Baki, several Sunagakure officials and Shikamaru Nara.

SAKURA HARUNO IN GAARA HIDEN:

Sakura doesn’t participate in the affairs happening in Sunagakure, but Gaara mentioned her a few times when talking about a shinobi’s skillset.

Gaara remembered that shinobi villages were founded by several shinobi clans filled with hidden techniques and Kekkei Genkai whose power were revered, but there were times where coming from a good family or bloodline didn’t mean becoming an outstanding shinobi. Gaara thought about Sakura, a kunoichi with a regular civilian background that had surpassed others by hard work and pure strength. He also compared the difference between the taijutsu level of a medical-ninja with his own, a shinobi sent to the frontlines, and recalled that Sakura was the exception of the rule, managing to be both a medical-ninja and a battle-type.

He also revealed that Sakura was one of the few shinobi who taught him about love and became his pillars.

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AKATSUKI HIDEN:

Akatsuki Hiden: Evil Flowers in Full Bloom (暁秘伝 咲き乱れる悪の華) is a novel written by Shin Towada and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on July 3rd, 2015. The book is one of the six novels written for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where different authors explored the “hidden” stories of some of the most popular characters including the Gaara, Shikamaru Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno and two books about individual stories of the Konoha 12 and Akatsuki. 

Akatsuki’s Story was the sixth and last novel to be published. It focuses on the many missions the Akatsuki members went on before the start of Naruto.

The summary reads (taken from the Japanese as this novel was never translated to English):

“During his travels, Sasuke Uchiha meets a boy whose family was murdered by Akatsuki. Clad in dark cloaks covered with red clouds, this group of gifted ninja killed, stole, and destroyed. Selfishness, to protect loved ones, money, religion, art, peace, hope...the motives of its members could not have been more varied. As a new age dawns for shinobi, light is shed on the true story of these ninja renowned for their darkness.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Sasuke Uchiha, the Akatsuki members, and the brothers Ōmitsu and Komitsu.

SAKURA HARUNO IN AKATSUKI HIDEN:

While remembering his days as a shinobi of Konoha, Sasuke thought of Sakura and how much love she made him feel.

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THE LAST: NARUTO THE MOVIE:

The Last: Naruto the Movie is a novel written by Maruo Kyozuka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on December 8th, 2014. The book is the written adaptation of the movie The Last: Naruto the Movie, also written by Maruo Kyozuka, for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where the official Fourth Databook and the Blank Period’s databook were released.

The Last: Naruto the Movie novelization was the first novel to be published about the Blank Period. The story revolved around Toneri Ōtsutsuki, a descendant of the branch family of Hamura Ōtsutsuki, who kidnapped Hanabi Hyūga and Konoha is sent on a rescue mission to the moon. It takes place shortly after the events of Shikamaru Hiden and before Sakura Hiden.

The summary reads (taken from the Japanese as this novel was never translated to English):

“The moon begins to collapse and meteorites rain down on Earth! As the last day of the Earth approaches, in the Hidden Leaf, Hanabi is kidnapped by Ōtsutsuki Toneri, and Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru and Hinata embark on a mission to rescue her.”

Some of the main characters of the novel include Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sai, Shikamaru Nara and Hinata Hyūga, as well as supporting characters Kakashi Hatake and Konoha shinobi, Hanabi Hyūga, and the main villain Toneri Ōtsutsuki.

SAKURA HARUNO IN THE LAST: NARUTO THE MOVIE NOVEL:

The novel isn’t very different from the movie, but there are things that are explained more thoroughly than in the movie, where things happened sometimes for plot convenience rather than having a logical explanation (that the novel explains or removes because in the movie it makes no sense). I’ll explain the parts where the novel offers insight about Sakura’s role.

After learning from Hiashi that Hanabi had been kidnapped, Kakashi chose Sakura, Sai and Shikamaru as the original lineup to rescue Hanabi. Shikamaru thought that Sakura was needed for her medical ninjutsu, ideally following the norm that every team should have at least one reliable medical-ninja, but had doubts about Hinata and Naruto 

When the team fell for Toneri’s genjutsu Sakura dreamt about her closest friends, Tsunade, Sasuke, Ino and Naruto. She identified inconsistencies common in genjutsu like blurry vision, and dispelled the illusion.

While healing Naruto, Sakura mentioned that his heartbeat was weak after having his chakra drained by Toneri. 

(In reality, a jinchūriki’s chakra can’t be absorbed that quickly. It took the full members of the Akatsuki several days to extract Shukaku from Gaara, just as it took Momoshiki a long time to partially absorb the power of Kurama with Rinnesharingan. In reality, it would take Sakura a while to replenish, although she has quicker options like her seal and Katsuyu.)

While working, Shikamaru offered Sakura to take a break before she lost consciousness, which is the prelude of Naruto finding her later resting after saving his life. The following day, Sakura was still not at full strength but decided to join the rescue team. Shikamaru mentioned she was a great kunoichi.

It was Sakura who had put Hanabi’s eyes back in place and healed her completely.

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SASUKE SHINDEN (2015):

Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise (サスケ真伝 来光篇) or Sasuke’s Story: Book of Sunrise is a novel written by Shin Towada and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on November 4th, 2015. The book is one of the three novels written for the Naruto Project.

Sasuke’s Story was the third novel to be published. It focuses on Sasuke Uchiha, the last member of the Uchiha Clan and a rogue ninja member of Team 7 who possesses both the Mangekyō Sharingan and Rinnegan that is currently traveling the world. He takes the role of protagonist where it explores one of his adventures as a traveler.

The summary reads:

“The Great Ninja War has ended, but to untangle the mystery that remains,Sasuke sets out on a journey-a journey that he hopes will allow him to atone for his sins. During his travels, those ninja faithful to the avenger Sasuke bring about tragedy. Meanwhile danger closes in on the villages of Konoha, Kiri, and Kumo, where red eyes burn with hatred. What is the future Sasuke staresdown?”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include his teammates Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, Sai, Kakashi Hatake, several other Konoha shinobi, his two companions Chino and Nowaki, his former master Orochimaru and Team Taka.

SAKURA HARUNO IN SASUKE SHINDEN:

A few months after the incident on the Moon, Sakura and Naruto questioned the disappearance of several Konoha citizens along with Sai. Shortly after, an explosion near the A-Un gate alerted the trio and they headed to the place with Team 10 following behind them. They found ninja from the Barrier Team fighting the missing Konoha citizen, one of which was a regular customer at the Yamanaka flowershop. Noticing the irregular pattern, Sakura and Shikamaru realized the intruders were Konoha shinobi that had been placed under a genjutsu that forced their bodies to explode upon contact. 

Even though they managed to take one down, it wasn’t an efficient remedy because the foreign chakra inside them would start manifesting inside their bodies if it wasn’t removed, so Aoba Yamashiro tried reading the mind of one of the fallen intruders to find a solution. While delving into their mind, Aoba fell into a genjutsu trap placed inside them. Sakura pointed it out to Ino so she could free him with Mind Body Switch, resulting in both shinobi being exhausted from the effort of dispelling the illusion. Sai sent them to Konoha Hospital to get immediate treatment from Sakura.

In a facility outside Konoha, Sakura was tasked with leading the investigation of the mysterious genjutsu to find a way to remove the foreign chakra from their bodies. She had asked Hinata to use her Byakugan to locate where the foreign chakra was located (even though Sakura has a medical ninjutsu technique to sense chakra inside the body) and test a theory. Using the Byakugan to locate the foreign chakra, Sakura used her medical ninjutsu and managed to find a cure to treat the patients. Now free from any potential genjutsu trap, Aoba read the intruder’s mind for a second time and discovered that they were under the Dark Thunder, a group Sasuke had been after.

Some time later, after clearing the Arena, C, the Raikage's assistant, informed Sasuke that the Konoha medical-ninja were on their way to treat the people affected by Chino’s Ketsuryugan. Sasuke believed Sakura was among those. 

Sakura and her medical team travelled to Kumogakure and Kirigakure and treated everybody that had been affected by the Ketsuryugan. When she returned, Naruto visited her and told her about what Chino had confessed to him about Sasuke. She recalled that the Uchiha Clan used to be Konoha’s Military Police Force and Naruto let Sasuke know that both considered him like the police running after the bad guys.

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 484 to 488 in 2017. The adaptation shortened Konoha’s role in the pursuit of the Dark Thunder and Sakura’s scenes as well. This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 484 to 488 in 2017. The adaptation shortened Konoha’s role in the pursuit of the Dark Thunder and Sakura’s scenes as well.

The Boruto novels is a project of individual series set after Boruto: Naruto the Movie but disconnected from the plot of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, so the novels official bear the Naruto seal on them despite being set in their adult era.

The Shinden and Retsuden novels tell the stories of some of the most beloved characters in their adult lives and are all published in chronological order. 

Two of these were adapted by Studio Pierrot.

BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE NOVEL:

Boruto: Naruto the Movie is a novel written by Ukyō Kodachi and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on August 10th, 2015. The book is the written adaptation of the movie Boruto: Naruto the Movie, written by Masashi Kishimoto in collaboration with Ukyō Kodachi, for the 15th anniversary of Naruto dubbed Naruto Project, where the official Naruto Gaiden and the Boruto era’s databook were released.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie novelization was the first novel to be published about the parent era of Naruto. The story revolved around Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto’s son, who develops a disdain for the Hokage title and makes it his mission to show his powers to his father during the Chūnin Exams. It takes place weeks after the events of Naruto Gaiden.

The summary reads (taken from the Japanese as this novel was never translated to English):

“The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, runs the Hidden Leaf Village. His son, Boruto, works as a genin with Sarada and Mitsuki everyday. He wants to surpass his father, Naruto, the hero of the village…! Boruto applies to become an apprentice to his father’s friend, Sasuke…?!”

Some of the main characters of the novel include Boruto Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha, Mitsuki, Shikadai Nara, Inojin Yamanaka, Chōchō Akimichi, Metal Lee, Shinki and others, as well Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Sai Yamanaka and Hinata Uzumaki, and the main villain Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE NOVEL:

The novel isn’t very different from the movie and Sakura’s role doesn’t really differ from that of the movie’s or even the anime’s, but she does get special mentions about her position in the village or her status.

As members of the same team, Sarada maintained a rivalry with Boruto because her dream was to become Hokage. Due to this, Boruto was acclaimed for being the famed Naruto’s son, while Sarada was acclaimed for being the daughter of the famed Sasuke and Sakura, so she couldn’t lose to Boruto. 

Later on, as Boruto expressed his anger that Naruto kept prioritizing his job over his family, he remarked that Sakura was a suitable Hokage replacement. 

When Momoshiki and Kinshiki attacked Konoha, one of the people Sakura saved from the falling piece of debris was Sarada. When Sasuke saved Sarada from another piece of debris, he took her to Sakura along with Mitsuki, telling his wife that the enemies were the same ones he had told her about. Shikamaru also mentioned that Konoha didn’t send more powerful shinobi because some needed to stay in case something happened. Jonin were also in charge of Konoha, with Sakura being one of them.

In the epilogue scene, when Sakura is sitting on the rooftop with Sasuke, it’s mentioned he offered her a smile he showed anyone but his wife.

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BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS:

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are six novels written by Ukyō Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction from May 2017 to January 2018. 

Because these books have never had an English adaptation and they haven’t been properly promoted as the rest of Naruto novels, it’s hard to find translations. However, they received anime adaptations from episode 1 to 37 where Sakura makes some appearances. 

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KONOHA SHINDEN: STEAM NINJA SCROLLS:

Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls (木ノ葉新伝 湯煙忍法帖) or Konoha’s Story: Steam Ninja Scrolls is a novel written by Shō Hinata and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on August 4th, 2016. The book is one of the four novels written for the Naruto Light Novel Project’s Naruto Shinden (2018).

Konoha’s Story was the first novel to be published. It focuses on Mirai Sarutobi, Asuma and Kurenai Sarutobi’s daughter and a chūnin that is currently on a mission escorting the Sixth Hokage and Might Guy. She takes the role of protagonist where it explores some of her adventures. It takes place during the events of Naruto Gaiden and before Boruto: Naruto the Movie.

The summary reads (taken from the Japanese as this novel was never translated to English):

“A new era in which the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, rules the Hidden Leaf Village. Retired Kakashi, Might Guy who is pursuing eternal youth, and the chūnin Sarutobi Mirai who is assigned to guard them, head to the hot springs of the Land of Hot Springs! From parent to child… from master to disciple… a heartwarming story of bonds that connects the feelings of the new generation.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, Tenten, Kiba Inuzuka, Chōji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Temari, Tatsumi and the main villains Ryūki and the Jashin cult.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN KONOHA SHINDEN (2018):

The epilogue of Naruto Gaiden is written in the last chapter with Kakashi on the phone with Naruto telling him about Shin Uchiha and Sasuke’s return to Sakura and Sarada.

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 106 to 111 in 2019. It also received a manga adaptation from October 2022 to May 2023 in a bi-weekly format. Sakura appears in chapter 14 described as one of the most successful Konoha shinobi.

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NARUTO SHINDEN: PARENT AND CHILD DAY:

Naruto Shinden: Parent and Child Day (ナルト新伝 親子の日) or Naruto’s Story: Family Day is a novel written by Mirei Miyamoto and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on May 2nd, 2018. The book is one of the four novels written for the Naruto Light Novel Project’s Naruto Shinden (2018).

Naruto’s Story was the second novel to be published. It focuses on several parents from Konoha and their lives as family. Each pair is the protagonist of a chapter.

The summary reads:

“To celebrate Family Day, Konohagakure village's new holiday, Naruto and his daughter Himawari are on the hunt for an elusive must-have item. Hinata wants to make the day memorable for her family, Hiashi, Hanabi and Boruto. Even Sasuke makes special time with his daughter Sarada and his wife Sakura! At the end of the day, will Family Day be a success?”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Naruto Uzumaki and Himawari Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi, Hinata Uzumaki and Hanabi Hyūga, Sakura Uchiha, Sarada Uchiha as well as other Konoha shinobi.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN NARUTO SHINDEN:

As Sasuke arrived in Konoha to visit his family, the house that Sakura told him she had built for the family was gone. Sarada found him looking at the materials left while the house was in the process of being rebuilt, and reminded him of the temporary apartment they were occupying where they had enjoyed dinner after defeating Shin Uchiha. On their way, Sarada told Sasuke about the new Parent and Child Day.

As Sasuke struggled to please his daughter’s wishes, he arrived home to his wife. Sakura offered him tea and to cut his hair. She could tell that Sasuke was frustrated after a failed holiday spent with his daughter even though Sasuke didn’t offer any details about it. To encourage him, Sakura recommended him to act naturally with Sarada, as she doesn’t really know Sasuke from everyday life, but admired him nonetheless because he was a special shinobi stronger and cooler than other fathers in Konoha. Sakura compared their father-daughter relationship with Sasuke’s desire to spend time with his own father, Fugaku, when he was young. Sasuke also learned from his wife that their daughter dreamt of becoming Hokage.

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 93 to 95 in 2019. Sakura’s scenes don’t differ much from the novel except some dialogues and situations such as Sasuke’s haircut. 

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SASUKE SHINDEN: TEACHER’S STAR PUPIL:

Sasuke Shinden: Parent and Child Day (ナルト- サスケ新伝 師弟の星) or Sasuke’s Story: Star Pupil is a novel written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on June 4th, 2018. The book is one of the four novels written for the Naruto Light Novel Project’s Naruto Shinden (2018).

Naruto’s Story was the third novel to be published. Sasuke Uchiha, former Team 7 member and patriarch of the Uchiha Clan and Konoha’s Supporting Hokage that is currently replacing Konohamaru as the new Team 7 leader. He takes the role of protagonist where it explores his new role as a sensei.

The summary reads:

“Sasuke is given the task of training Team Seven, and Boruto is delighted. But he also has trouble accepting his master’s teachings. Then pop star Himeno Lily jumps in with a mission for them, challenging what it means to be master and student. And what does this mean for the future of the ninja?”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Boruto Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha and Mitsuki, Konohamaru Sarutobi, as well as other Konoha shinobi, Lily Himeno and the main villain, the Purple Moon Religion.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN SASUKE SHINDEN (2018):

When Sarada worried that her father might leave on a mission abruptly, Sasuke reassured her that he talks a lot with Sakura late at night so she’s informed of all his missions.

Later on, Lily Himeno, a famous idol from the Land of Fire, recognized Sarada to be Sakura Haruno’s daughter, who is famed for being a student of the Fifth Hokage.

Just as Sasuke was preparing to leave on another mission, Sarada teased him saying he had lipstick on his mouth. Sasuke cleaned the area to find it clean, and Sarada reminded him that Sakura didn’t wear lipstick.

Naruto Retsuden (NARUTO -ナルト- 烈伝) is a trilogy released in 2019. The project has three different novels released between June and October of 2019 written by Jun Esaka. The time chosen for the stories lies after Boruto: Naruto the Movie.

It contains: Kakashi Retsuden, Sasuke Retsuden and Naruto Retsuden, all published in chronological order. 

One of these was adapted by Studio Pierrot.

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KAKASHI RETSUDEN:

Kakashi Retsuden: The Sixth Hokage and the Failure Boy (カカシ烈伝　六代目火影と落ちこぼれの少年) or Kakashi Retsuden: The Sixth Hokage and the Failed Prince is a novel written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on June 4th, 2019. 

Kakashi Retsuden was the first novel to be published. It focuses on Kakashi Hatake, the Sixth Hokage, who now retired, assumes his role as a bridge between Konoha and the Land of Redaku to discover information about the Sage of the Sixth Paths. He takes the role of protagonist where he goes on a long term mission during his resting days.

The summary reads:

“When Kakashi sets off on a mission to the lush land of Redaku, he encounters its people suffering from a severe drought. The prince of Redaku can bring water to the land, but he has left his royal home for another village. When Kakashi locates the prince, he discovers a more elaborate plot long in the works that involves the fates of both Redaku and Konoha.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Redaku’s Prime Minister, Nanara, Margo, Hakubi Shin, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Uchiha.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN KAKASHI RETSUDEN:

While researching in palace’s library, Kakashi found a book that could contain clues about the Sage of the Sixth Paths and sent it to Konoha for studying. He said that if they used Sakura or Shikamaru’s help they would be able to decipher the contents.

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SASUKE RETSUDEN:

Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust (サスケ烈伝　うちはの末裔と天球の星屑) or Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust is a novel written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on August 2nd, 2019. 

Sasuke Retsuden was the second novel to be published. It focuses on Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, the strongest married couple of Konoha who embark on a long term mission together in the Land of Redaku to discover information about the Sage of the Sixth Paths. They take the role of protagonist where they investigate the Astronomy Research Institute and defeat its leader.

The summary reads:

“Uchiha Sasuke heads for an astronomical observatory, far from the Land of Fire. There, he syncs up with Sakura, and together they dive into an undercover investigation in search of traces of the Sage of Six Paths! They discover a plan that goes beyond life and death, and a battle that will test this husband-and-wife team till death do they part.”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Zansul, Jiji, Ganno, Penjira, Menō, Fandal, Shikamaru Nara and Kakashi Hatake.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN SASUKE RETSUDEN:

Because this is Sakura’s novel, she appears throughout it and all the plot points are centered around her, so rather than giving a summary of her role in the story, I’ll try to explain some of the most important aspects. 

After deciding she would also travel to the Land of Redaku, Sakura saved Sasuke from Menō, the prison’s guard lizard, whose claws were laced with some mysterious potent poison that Sasuke couldn’t resist. When Sasuke woke up, Sakura informed him that she infiltrated the Astronomy Research Institute as its new doctor to aid him in his mission, much to Sasuke’s persistence that she returned home ahead of the dangerous task. During the mission, both needed to hide their marital status from the staff and prisoners, although they told Jiji, one of Sasuke’s cellmates.

Sakura decided to look for more information about the polar particles in the archives using Penjira’s love for gambling to obtain the key to the basement. Initially, Sasuke wanted to use genjutsu on Penjira, but Sakura stopped him, using her intellect and memory to force each round of Hoshinarabe into a draw and exhausting her rival, which earns her the key. On their way to the basement, Sasuke crafted a ring made from his own chakra to lure men away and Sakura used a sensory jutsu to search for traps and map the area, and she found a secret room accessible from Zansul’s office. Among the archives, they found the map that would lead them to the polar particles, a map drawn by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki himself containing images of animals similar to Hoshinarabe. Sakura compared them to an astronomical map and took the it to her office to decipher the code behind the illustrations.

The following day, Sasuke told Sakura that the animals from the map were the Tailed Beasts. In turn, she managed to sneak into Zansul’s office to discover he had an appointment with a messenger from Redaku’s Prime Minister. When Sakura escorted the messenger, she knocked him down and used transformation jutsu to impersonate him, while Sasuke transformed into his cane. Once inside, Sakura stalls Zansul long enough for Sasuke to gather clues inside his secret room. He found chickens inside.

Days later, after receiving a message from Kakashi informing of Nagare village, Sakura rushed to tell Sasuke but started a conversation with Ganno instead, who, upon seeing her ring, guessed Sasuke was her husband by the brief description she had made of him and Sasuke’s longing for the plum blossoms to bloom. When they finally met, Sakura informed Sasuke that the animals also represented hand seals and could be the clue to obtaining the polar particles. At the lake, Sakura and Sasuke have a private conversation about their relationship and their family. Then, after Sakura successfully used the hand seals to reveal the polar particles, an explosion took place in the prison and dragons invaded the place. 

Sakura rushed to the prison to evacuate the prisoners and on her way she’s stabbed by Jiji using Menō’s secret poison, revealing his collaboration with Zansul in the process. Unable to move or knead chakra, she was trapped under the rubble after the prison collapsed. Sasuke found Sakura using the chakra from her ring and removed the poison from her body, and then she resumed fighting the dragons to buy time for the prisoners to escape. Jiji arrived at Sakura's location and she lured him to a trap she had prepared. Jiji confesses that he wanted to use Edo Tensei to revive his lover, Margo, who had died back in Redaku; however, Margo was alive. One of the last dragons moved to attack Sakura but Jiji took the blow for her, and he’s later healed by Sakura.

Back in Konoha with the polar particles, Sakura met Ino for tea after a successful long mission. They spoke about their families until Ino noticed the ring on Sakura’s finger. Ino comments about how Sakura will always remain a girl in love even after years of marriage. Back home, Sarada cooked dinner for the family. Shikamaru rang the bell and brought some reports about the polar particles and Zansul’s immune eyes. Both agreed that they would make progress about Naruto’s condition. 

This novel received an anime adaptation from episodes 282 to 286 in 2023. The adaptation shortened many details from the novel and Sakura’s scenes as well. It also received a manga adaptation from October 2022 to April 2023 in a bi-weekly format. The manga is a perfect way to enjoy the details of the novel without major changes.

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NARUTO RETSUDEN:

Naruto Retsuden: Naruto Uzumaki and the Spiral Destiny (ナルト烈伝　うずまきナルトと螺旋の天命) or Naruto Retsuden: Naruto Uzumaki and the Spiral Destiny is a novel written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto published by Jump J Books and edited by VIZ Media: SJ Fiction on October 4th, 2019.

This novel is the bridge between Kakashi Retsuden and Sasuke Retsuden. 

Naruto Retsuden was the third novel to be published. It focuses on Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage and jinchūriki of the Nine Tails currently suffering from an unknown disease that blocks his chakra pathway system. They take the role of protagonist where it explores Naruto’s life inside Konoha and his frustrations.

The summary reads:

“When Naruto is no longer able to use chakra, the shinobi of Konoha come together to help him. Even Orochimaru offers to assist with scientific ninja tools. While directing the people around him with all the dynamic ferocity of a mighty whirlpool, Naruto stands tall, facing this trial with an unbreakable spirit!”

Some of the supporting characters of the novel include Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara and Kakashi Hatake, Orochimaru, Hinata Uzumaki, Yamato, Ino Yamanaka and Chōji Akimichi, Chihare Amano, Furie Kanhen and other Konoha shinobi.

SAKURA UCHIHA IN NARUTO RETSUDEN:

In the Land of Stairs, Sakura became part of Naruto’s Hokage Guard Team along with the rest of Team 7 and Shikamaru. She took down one of the clones made by Yanaru Aze, an assassin hired to kill Naruto. 

Some time later, Naruto began complaining about his inability to knead chakra and sudden dizziness. He met in a secret location provided by a close friend of Sakura, Tami, whom she had saved during Pain’s attack, with his teammates and Shikamaru. They all agreed to follow Kurama’s guidance to investigate Hagomoro Ōtsutsuki’s whereabouts in the Land of Redaku much to Naruto’s opposition, who considered that the most important people of Konoha shouldn’t interfere in his personal affairs. After Kakashi and Sasuke left for Redaku, Sakura found Naruto passed out on the Hokage Rock and informed him that she had made an accurate diagnosis after studying his medical analysis. Sakura then decided to follow Sasuke to Redaku. 

After Kakashi and the Uchiha’s long term missions, the polar particles that Sakura and Sasuke obtained from the Astronomy Research Institute had been destroyed by Naruto. Back in their secret location, the pillars and Chihare discussed a way to reach the celestial body to access the other half of the polar particles. In order to reach it, Team 7 would need to climb up a pillar and open the meteorite. 

The next day, Sakura picked Naruto up riding the motorbike they would use to climb the pillar. Sakura would be in charge of maintaining the team on track with her chakra control. During their ascent, they encountered some stormy clouds and the men became separated from the pillar for a brief moment while hanging by a kunai attached to the road, Naruto worried that Sakura might have been knocked out, but Sasuke reassured him that she would be back soon, and in that moment Sakura picked them up and went back on track. Unfortunately, Team 7 made it to the celestial body too late, so Sasuke had to sacrifice himself to destroy it in order to free the particles. Sakura kissed Sasuke and threw the headband hanging on Sasuke’s coat to use Amenotejikara. 

On their way down, Gaara and Kurotsuchi aided Yamato and Kakashi with their rock pillar. Several pieces of it started falling over Konoha, but Temari blew them away with her Folding Fan. Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba, Karui and Kankuro also joined Temari. 

Several days later, Sakura watched the fireworks from the recent festival while drinking with Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi. 

If you want to read some of the passages from each novel, please read on AO3.

[sourinartt]

I'm sorry but the fact that himawari is now a jinchuriki is nonsense, a lack of respect towards the jinchurikis. and also shows how boruto squeezed every last drop of the original work to gain fame

There isn't even a big context as to why he now has Kurama and it's also contradictory, in the manga it's supposed that if Kurama returned to the world he would be reborn not in a body like a vessel If not as just one, apart. And now, as if nothing had happened, he is reborn in this girl because he is interested? and he gives no explanation, he always assumes it's because of that or someone else and gets nowhere

All this is due to fanservice, hnt's powers lead to nothing and nothing better than squeezing naruto's powers that are better known

boruto is fucked up, sorry, there's nothing original about them, not even the martians from Jurassic Park

Can we also talk about how the latter got her ass kicked, didn't inspire any fear or respect in the villain, and had to be saved by her brother? and yet her fans put her on top and say she's better than naruto lol

although I will give her my pity, she is just learning the use of kurama

(well...kurama is a hard effort and naruto and Kushina could handle him)

[watermelonsloth]

Hiruzen and Danzo are more complicated than people give them credit for

It says it all in the title.

Hiruzen and Danzo are among the most hated characters in all of Naruto, and I’m not entirely removed from that crowd of haters. They’re probably among the easiest characters you can argue are just bad people. Or, at minimum, people who did horrendous, unjustifiable things (or allowed them to happen in Hiruzen’s case). However, I think that because people hate them so much, no one wants to take a closer look at their characters and the more complicated/human reasons why they make the choices they do.

Hiruzen is spineless and that’s a hill I’ll die on, but he’s spineless in one of these most sympathetic and realistic ways I’ve seen depicted in media. Specifically, he’s the walking talking representation of the fallibility of compassion. Hiruzen cares about so many people so deeply that he would rather stand by and let people get hurt than to hurt them himself. He ignores the fact Danzo keeps trying to kill him because he knows he’ll likely have to execute him as retribution and he doesn’t want to kill his best friend, he turns a blind eye to Orochimaru’s dark side because he doesn’t want to fight/kill his student, Tsunade isn’t labeled a rogue ninja because he doesn’t want to put a bounty on his student/mentor’s granddaughter’s head, he let the Hizashi situation and Uchiha Massacre happen because he didn’t want to risk subjecting his people to the horrors of war that he experienced, and he died because he couldn’t bring himself to go all out against his mentors (even if they were reanimated and emotionless versions) or student.

I’m not defending Hiruzen’s actions or lack thereof. Obviously, this is a deeply flawed way to go about life, especially as a leader of a country where you have to regularly make difficult trolly-problem decisions. But Hiruzen is meant to be a deeply flawed individual. He’s like the family of an abuser that refuses to properly step in to stop the abuse because they love the abuser and don’t want to face the idea that the abuser is a bad person. I’m not saying Hiruzen is a good person or in the right, I’m just saying he’s realistic.

If Hiruzen is “the few over the many”, then Danzo is “the many over the few” with a sprinkle of “the ends always justify the means”. Danzo is, at his core, someone who is always trying to do what’s best for the village. He turned Hanzo against the Akatsuki to keep the group from gaining too much power and becoming another threat to Konoha (keeping in mind that Amegakure is adjacent to the Land of Fire), he pushed for the Uchiha Massacre to keep a civil war from breaking out, he killed the messenger toad to keep Naruto away from Konoha and the nine tails out of Pain’s grasp. He created ROOT to make sure that Konoha had a back up fighting force that was highly trained, wouldn’t turn against the village, and were willing to do what even ninja wouldn’t. Even Danzo’s choice to essentially turn on the village by trying to kill Hiruzen was motivated by him trying to do what he thought was best for the village. After all, he knew better than anyone how bad of a Hokage Hiruzen was.

A lot of people oversimplify Danzo into “the selfish, corrupt asshole”—and while I can agree that he’s selfish and corrupt, he’s selfish and corrupt in very specific ways. The corruption is the most obvious and easiest to explain. Danzo is willing to do anything he thinks will benefit the village; that includes working with bad people and using backhanded tactics. As for his selfishness, it stems from one specific thing: Tobirama telling Hiruzen to become Hokage over him.

For a while I was confused why Danzo got a flashback flashbacked to this scene before he died. Now, I think I’ve settled on it being because the scene was at the core of Danzo’s character and greatest character flaws because it was also his greatest regret. It’s pretty clear that Danzo wants to become Hokage and it’s implied that he’s had this dream for a long while. However, Tobirama—his mentor, the former Hokage, and one of the people to define what it meant to be Hokage—chose Hiruzen over him. Because Hiruzen was willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades while Danzo, who knew he should’ve done the same, was too cowardly to offer himself up.

Then he never really grows out of that cowardice. Instead, he looks down on Hiruzen to cope with his own sense of inferiority, gives himself body modifications to become a stronger ninja more capable of defending the village, and obtains as much political power as he can. He remains a coward who prefers letting other people take the fall over fighting his own battles (setting up Hanzo to fight the Akatsuki, asking Orochimaru to kill Hiruzen, ordering Itachi to kill the Uchiha clan, etc.) right up until he uselessly “sacrifices” himself right before he was going to die anyways.

Most of Danzo’s selfish actions come down to him not being able to accept his failure at becoming Hokage while also refusing to learn from his mentor’s final lesson.

I honestly think that Naruto has some of the best representation of bad people simply because it consistently acknowledges two things about bad people: 1. People who do bad things usually do them because they grew up being taught that doing bad things were okay or necessary to survive (being abused, societal normalization, never being punished, early exposure to things like domestic violence, etc.) and 2. Even if they don’t necessarily think they’re good people, the large majority of people don’t think they’re bad or evil. Both Hiruzen and Danzo were raised by a generation haunted by war only to be thrust into two world wars themselves (one at a young age and one when they were older). This left them both traumatized and willing to do anything to avoid experiencing it again. And even if they acknowledge that they’ve made mistakes, they still don’t (seem to) see themselves as bad people, only people who are committing the lesser of two evils.

[anime97-99]

PARALLELS: Fate is an Endless Cycle

I might do more parallel analyses from Naruto or Boruto later, but for now, I will focus on analyzing Sarada, Boruto, and Kawaki. We all know Kishimoto (and his pupil Ikemoto) loves to recycle his work!!

The New Konoha’s Sun and Shadow

Sarada and Naruto

1. Shared Goal of Becoming Hokage

• Both Sarada and Naruto are united in their ambition to become Hokage, driven by their desire to protect their loved ones and lead their village with strength and compassion. Sarada, in particular, mirrors Naruto’s growth, learning to balance leadership and care for others while staying true to her ideals of protection and justice. Naruto’s dream was born from loneliness, but for Sarada, it represents both responsibility and love for her village, similar to how Naruto’s ideals evolved from his yearning to be recognized and valued.

2. Symbol of the Sun

• Sarada embodies the sun, just like Naruto, both in terms of personality and in her Mangekyo Sharingan, which has a design resembling the sun. This is a fitting parallel as both characters shine brightly as beacons of hope for their communities. For Naruto, the sun represented his unyielding spirit and optimism, while for Sarada, it symbolizes the warmth and strength she strives to provide for others, illuminating the path ahead, no matter the obstacles.

3. Friendship and Loyalty

• Sarada’s loyalty to Boruto mirrors Naruto’s undying commitment to Sasuke, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Sarada refuses to “sell” Boruto out, reflecting Naruto’s declaration during the Pain arc that he would never abandon Sasuke. Both Sarada and Naruto share an unwavering belief in their friends, no matter how difficult the journey. Sarada, like Naruto, also faces the challenge of standing by those she cares about, even when they make mistakes or become misunderstood by others.

4. Protective Actions

• Sarada, like Naruto, creates a technique specifically to protect those she holds dear. Boruto. This mirrors Naruto’s own journey, where he developed a technique to protect Sasuke especially, his friends and the village. Both characters are driven by an innate need to protect others, even at the cost of their own safety, highlighting their deep commitment to those they love.

5. Belief in Others

• Sarada, much like Naruto, never gives up on the people she cares about, even when others have written them off. Just as Naruto continued to believe in Sasuke, Sarada is the only one who still believes in Boruto when others doubt him. This parallels Naruto’s core belief that people can change, and it reinforces their shared understanding that love and trust can overcome any obstacle, no matter how difficult.

6. Foundation of Love

• The driving force behind both Sarada’s and Naruto’s ambitions is love. Whether for their village, their friends, or their ideals. Sarada’s desire to become Hokage is rooted in her love for the people she wants to protect, much like Naruto’s dream was founded on the love and desire to form meaningful bonds with others. Their journeys are both fueled by a deep sense of connection to others, with love acting as the central foundation for their actions and decisions.

7. Naivety and Struggles with Emotions

• Sarada, like Naruto, struggles with understanding the emotions of others at times. This isn’t due to malice or being hypocritical, but because of her inexperience and naivety in navigating complex emotional landscapes. Sarada, much like Naruto in his early years, can be somewhat impulsive and unaware of the emotional impact her actions have on others. This makes her relatable, as both characters exhibit a certain “carelessness” when it comes to reading and understanding others, echoing Naruto’s own challenges with the same thing early in his journey.

They don’t fully understand their own feelings for Boruto and Sasuke. The difference is that Yodo actively questions Sarada about her feelings, making her reflect on them, while Naruto never had someone to do that for him. This left his emotions unresolved.

In The Last, his first open conversation about romance takes place with Sakura. As I mentioned in my long Naruto analysis post, Naruto does understand Love, but he does not understand the different Kinds of Love. He likely measured his feelings by quantity. He really liked Sakura, who was bullied too and admired her strength (probably since she was a girl and he liked her as a person he thought that she would be his girlfriend since every man married a girl they “liked”) (Sakura, in The Last, also said that kid Naruto probably liked her because he didn’t want to lose to Sasuke, which implies how unaware Naruto is of his own feelings), and cared deeply for Sasuke, his closest bond and best friend. However, he wasn’t sure if that bond was purely platonic or romantic because he simply didn’t understand the difference and guided himself with what he saw as common.

As a result, when thinking of Sasuke, he assumed it would feel like a brotherly connection because of how personal it was. Yet, in Boruto, he denies the idea of Sasuke and him having a brotherly relationship but does not specify what it actually is, this is because he has matured and probably realized a deep secret about himself, but he still tries to push and deny it.

This journey of self-discovery follows a person’s life and how is shaped by hardships, good moments, and bonds. Naruto never had someone who could explain to him why people marry (thought many of them at that time were probably arranged marriages) or date. That is why he told Sakura that he liked her the same way he liked others, even desserts, which only added to her confusion.

As Eida said… The Drama!!😱 Love, whether romantic or not, is hard to understand. But judging by Daemon’s reaction, it now feels like they are implying the romantic kind. So, is Mitsuki starting to develop romantic feelings for Boruto?? Or just friendship??

Maybe he is confused about who Boruto is since he doesn’t remember, and his feelings for his “Sun” is causing that Eida’s powers are becoming less and less effectived to him. Since he is thinking more about Boruto than Eida. It feels that he still doesn’t fully understand his feelings.

Boruto and Sasuke

1. Symbol of the Moon

• Boruto is intrinsically tied to the moon, just as Sasuke is. Sasuke’s eyes, particularly his left Sharingan, are special, while Boruto’s unique right eye, the Jougan (Pure Eye), signifies his connection to Sasuke. Both characters bear the weight of special eyes that mark them as important figures in the world of shinobi. Boruto’s eye, like Sasuke’s, are a reflection of his growing potential, and their connection mirrors the bond between the moon and the sun, two different forces that are still intrinsically linked.

2. Fighting Style

• Boruto has adopted the Uchiha fighting style, which is a direct nod to Sasuke. He chooses a sword as his weapon of choice, reminiscent of Sasuke’s iconic sword and his battle techniques. This shows Boruto’s natural affinity for Uchiha methods and highlights how he, despite his differing personality, follows in Sasuke’s footsteps. This adoption of the Uchiha style also signifies that Boruto is not only linked to Sasuke in terms of his eyes but also in the way he approaches combat.

3. Serpent Summoning

• Like Sasuke, Boruto forms a contract with snakes. This parallel is clear, as Sasuke is famous for using snakes in battle, whether for combat, transportation, or summoning them for various purposes. Boruto’s affinity for the snake summons (Garaga) reflects the same bond Sasuke had with them, reinforcing the shared connection between them. Thought Sasuke later chose a hawk, Garuda.

4. Appearance

• Boruto’s resemblance to Sasuke is striking, both in terms of physical appearance and clothing style. While they aren’t blood relatives, the visual parallels are hard to ignore. Boruto shares many traits with Sasuke, such as the dark, spiky hair and sharp features, reinforcing their connection. This resemblance isn’t just superficial but also symbolic of the deeper ties between them, signifying that Boruto is, in many ways, Sasuke’s spiritual successor.

5. Criminal Reputation

• Boruto, due to Eida’s influence, is seen as a “criminal” or a troublemaker by some, despite his good intentions. This mirrors Sasuke’s own reputation as an outcast, labeled a “criminal” by the village during his vengeful path. However, unlike Sasuke, Boruto’s actions are not driven by revenge but by the pressure of wanting to be recognize by his father (cough-Sasuke’s daddy issues-cough) and his desire to be taken seriously. The influence of Eida’s power adds complexity to Boruto’s situation, as it creates a distorted view of his character. This highlights the burden of perception, much like Sasuke’s struggles with his own reputation. Boruto is hunted by the village mirrors how Sasuke was pursued by Konoha after leaving and Sarada and Naruto are the only one who still believed in them respectively.

Also…👀

And a funny one!! The beef!!🤣 Reminds you of a kid’s grudge about a black haired kid acting cool?!

I recently read an analysis on Twitter comparing Sarada and Obito. While the parallels are valid, especially with Boruto saving Sarada and getting his eye cut similar to Kakashi, there are still stronger connections between Obito and Naruto. After all, in Shippuden, Obito was directly compared to Naruto. Sarada’s ideology mirrors Naruto’s, as she wants to protect the village, sees the citizens as family, and believes in love and bonds.

Some also draw comparisons between Sarada and Boruto’s relationship with Sasuke and Sakura or Obito and Rin. However, I don’t see those as strongly. It’s true that Rin once said she would support Obito as Hokage, but she didn’t love him romantically, her feelings were for Kakashi. In that sense, she parallels Sakura in the Naruto manga, though her character and the decisions she makes are still different. It feels like fans try to deny the parallels between Sasuke and Naruto because of what they may imply.

I also wanted to point out that Naruto isn’t the only parallel to Obito, since Sasuke’s Rin is Naruto.

🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥🍜🍥

A Cycle of Sacrifice

Kawaki and Boruto vs. Sasuke/Itachi and Kurama/Naruto

1. Kawaki

• Kawaki’s extreme views on peace and his willingness to sacrifice everything for what he believes in directly parallel Sasuke’s early ideologies. Both Kawaki and Sasuke share a complex relationship with sacrifice, they are willing to go to great lengths to bring about a change, even at the expense of their own happiness or lives. However, unlike Sasuke, Kawaki’s approach is reckless and more openly driven by hatred and revenge, showing a more volatile path. Kawaki’s path is one of destruction and rebirth, much like Sasuke’s, but Kawaki’s potential to change remains more uncertain.

At the same time, his sacrifice feels really in line with Itachi’s!!

Or even Kurama when he didn’t accept Naruto!! Kurama hated humans, especially the Uzumaki. Similarly, Kawaki hates the Otsutsuki, yet Naruto is an Uzumaki and Boruto has Otsutsuki DNA. In Two Blue Vortex, he is even called Boruto Otsutsuki!!

2. Boruto

• Boruto shares many qualities with Itachi, especially in terms of his belief in the importance of bonds and the value of love. While Boruto mirrors Sasuke in terms of eye power and fighting style, he lacks Sasuke’s vengeful drive. Instead, like Itachi, Boruto seeks to understand and protect those he cares about, even if it means enduring hardship. Boruto’s approach is one of growth, adaptability, and emotional maturity, he’s willing to learn from his mistakes, much like Itachi did in his own tragic way.

Unlike Sasuke, who initially struggled to see the importance of bonds, Boruto embraces them, making him more aligned with Itachi’s belief in protecting his loved ones at all costs, even if it means bearing the weight of painful sacrifices and wanting to save his brother from it.

Boruto’s actions are driven by self-sacrifice and protection, which mirrors Itachi’s choices. His internal struggles with destiny and bonds reflect Itachi’s philosophical and emotional conflicts. Unlike Sasuke’s quest for revenge, Boruto’s maturity emphasizes preserving relationships and legacy. His empathetic nature and reflective decisions highlight an Itachi-like commitment to those he loves. Ultimately, Boruto embodies a blend of strength and emotional depth that aligns more with Itachi’s protective ideology than Sasuke’s path.

However, there's also a shared belief in Naruto's will to protect bonds, which Sasuke notices, this is part of why he decides to help him.

Boruto and Kawaki’s bond is often compared to that of brothers, with their rivalry and deep connection growing over time. But Naruto once said his relationship with Sasuke was different. He didn’t see Sasuke as a brother in the usual way. For Sasuke, Itachi was his true brother, and their bond was built on sacrifices and painful choices.

Naruto, however, saw Kurama, as his “brother.” What began as an enemy turned into a deep, sibling-like relationship. So while Boruto and Kawaki might have a more typical brotherly bond, Naruto and Sasuke’s connection was unique, shaped by their own struggles and unexpected bonds.

[descendant-of-truth]

So, these two pages from chapter 88 have been causing a lot of confusion due to inconsistent translations, and I've decided to set the record straight as best I can with the knowledge at my disposal.

Starting with the first page, this is where Mitsuki says that he and Eida are similar. In the next panel, he says: 「どうしてカワキを好きなのか。。。その理由が自分で分からない」

This is the first point where fan translations and the official VIZ translation differ. Fans generally seemed to agree that he's saying he doesn't understand why Eida loves Kawaki, while the official version has him say that he doesn't understand why he himself loves Kawaki.

And unfortunately, both of those are understandable translations. The first part of the sentence contains no indication of whether he's talking about himself or Eida; the most literal translation I can do is "Why is Kawaki loved... that reason, [I/you] don't understand."

The reason it's "I/you" is because he uses the word 自分 (jibun), which depending on context, can be equivalent to either "my" or "your." It's not really the same deal as 僕 (boku), Mitsuki's primary first-person indicator, which makes it extremely annoying to translate.

So, which is it? Well, as vague as it is, my best guess is actually based on the dialogue of the second page.

Thankfully, this one is much easier to answer. In the largest panel, Eida says: 「あたし達。。。超恋バナしてるね」

The conversation around this line seemed to be, "she clearly said they're talking about romantic love!" "No, she's just using a slang term akin to 'girl talk,' so she only means that they're bonding!" And guess what? They're both right!

I consulted a friend of mine who speaks Japanese natively on Eida's word choice, and he said that while "girl talk" is closer on the basis of it being a casual/slang term, it's gender-neutral and is more about people "talking about their love."

In other words, "we're both chatting about love" or "we're having a love talk" would probably be the most accurate ways to translate it.

At this point, I want to bring attention to Daemon and Mitsuki's reactions to what Eida just said:

Daemon is flabbergasted, only able to say "Huh...?" while Mitsuki blushes for a second, then turns away and says "Well... I guess it didn't matter."

What exactly would Daemon be surprised about, if not the implication that Mitsuki loves someone who isn't Eida (and a guy, no less)? Why would he be showing that surprise now, instead of when Mitsuki allegedly announced that he loved Kawaki a few pages ago?

Likewise, while Mitsuki blushing around Eida isn't unusual, he actually spent the vast majority of this conversation remarkably composed. He only blushed for a single panel when he first noticed Eida was in the area, so having it come back after he's basically called out for being in love (real love, as it was already established that they both knew his feelings for Eida are fabricated) is a very deliberate choice.

While Mitsuki doesn't always emote very much, we can assume he was taken a little off-guard here - and again, if he was already confident enough in his love for Kawaki, why this reaction? Why all the talk before now about how he wasn't sure he'd know what romance felt like without Eida's ability?

The only conclusion I can make is that, in the first page, he's not saying "I don't know why I love Kawaki" like in the VIZ translation. It's much more likely that he's saying "I don't know why you love Kawaki." That's the only way that Mitsuki's feelings for Kawaki can be treated as a reveal, to both Daemon and himself.

And given that his love for Kawaki stems from his love for Boruto, due to the memory swap... yeah, if his side of Mitsuboru wasn't canon before, I think it's safe to say that it is now. Now excuse me while I go be extremely sane and normal about this information

[antisasukeretsudenantisasusaku]

Sakura’s love to Sasuke is not real.

If Sasuke was fat like Choji,if Sasuke had an ugly face like Lee,if Sasuke was unfortunate looking and stupid like Naruto,if Sasuke had a common,not eye catching at all, appearance like Shikamaru,Sakura would have never bothered paying attention to Sasuke.

Sakura does not know if Sasuke needs glasses (Naruto knows that he doesn’t): Sakura does not know something so obvious and so basic about Sasuke like an everyday use of glasses, and Sasusaku fans are delusional to insist that Sakura “knows Sasuke inside out and understands him perfectly”.

If Sasuke wasn’t hot, talented and popular, Sakura would have never even bothered to talk to him and would ignore him with disgust like she did to Lee and Naruto.

[nejihyugaisgod]

“hinata never abused Kawaki!” And the same hinatafans cry about “hinata being abused by hiashi”

First of all,this is such an old loser—at 29 it is embarrassing to post anything related to teen & kid media, especially such shitty takes.

Where were hinata’s “motherly reflexes” when Otsusuki attacked?

“Naruto!” thinks hinata when Boruto is in the same fucking spot as Naruto is.

how is hinata NOT worried about Boruto at all? Not a single thought!

why is hinata not thinking about Boruto? Boruto is a 12 years old genin who failed chunin exam and Naruto is the strongest shinobi on the planet.

how come hinata did grab himawari but didn’t even concern herself with at least a though about Boruto?

why hinata thinks that she can send a 12 years old son of her, a weak genin to fight god like powerful aliens who beat her ass and Naruto’s too like five minutes ago?

[srs-deep-dives]

Minato & Kushina: A Deep Dive Analysis (Masterlist)

If you are viewing this as a reblog, please click here for the up-to-date version

Section A: Minato and Kushina as each other's anchors

Part I - Kushina as Minato's anchor

Part II - Minato as Kushina's anchor

Part III - Minato and Kushina as unified anchors

Section B: Minato and Kushina as drivers in the world narrative

Part I - Minato and Kushina as the image of Hokageship

Part II - Minato and Kushina as types

Part III to come.

[ari-is-green]

Adult Shizuma would be a lot like Remmick from Sinners I feel.

Downplaying himself to manipulate others, using a lot of emotional manipulation towards people and constantly taunting them to lower their guard so he can strike. All while having a twisted desire do belong and prove himself better than them.

Also if we are going with the KisaIta child route and giving him a MS that can mind control people - the end circle with him just messing with the others under his hive-mind, a false sense of praise and a self fabricated acceptance.

I may have looked up too deep into this but I feel this truth in my bones.