#boruto and code

[solunaxo]

Does anybody want to talk about Chapter 15 of Boruto TWO blue vortex?

I AM SOOO DONE WITH CODE TAKING L'S.

code redemption arc is needed!

I favor code over kawaki anyday. Kawaki is such a brat to me and needs his ass beat ASAP. A good reality check if I'm being nice about it. Ugh! So frustrating lol.

[teamsasukes]

Was Itachi's forehead poke to Sasuke a sign of distancing himself and not wanting Sasuke to get involved, rather than just a mere sign of affection? I saw a few people talk about that and how it's weird that Sasuke does that to his family considering the original meaning.

yes, you've got an accurate handle on the original meaning of the Forehead Poke. fundamentally it is an expression of distance that itachi wields at times when he cannot be with sasuke. and it seems to be a throughline of his childhood: sasuke asks itachi to do something as mundane as train together but itachi continually refuses on account of his duties as a shinobi.

it is not a gesture devoid of love -- it's not as though itachi ever delights in dismissing sasuke (on the contrary, he is always regretful). but there's a cruelty in the uncertainty of it all: the most direct translation is "maybe next time", so itachi fails to provide even an assurance that they can, like, hang out next week or something. this chasm between them is then widened by itachi promising, on the night of the massacre, that he might allow a final battle between them if sasuke ever proves competent enough to bother fighting, leaving sasuke in protracted pursuit of the looming specter of his older brother.

this distance is really only bridged (barely) in their final scene when itachi lays bare the truth of his motives, his regrets (which are lacking, to put it mildly, but for sasuke this is nonetheless momentous), and his unconditional pride in and love for his little brother. the Forehead Poke is notably absent here because textually, the enforced distance wrt sasuke is framed as itachi's greatest wrong. (seriously, itachi says something to the effect of: i shouldn't have done All That because maybe you, my 7-year-old brother, could have brought change to our clan... thereby reducing inconvenience for konoha, of course. the paucity of virtue in massacring the uchiha doesn't really register for him even during this reconciliation, and it's deliberate... because the author doesn't see it as much of an issue either!)

anyway, it might seem odd for sasuke to repeat this gesture with sakura in chapter 699, then, particularly because it seems to be invoked in a manner identical to itachi in his neglect. kind of an odd way to signify a happy ending for these characters, right...?

well, it works for me solely because it is not identical! and naruto's english dub is my worst enemy. i would grab a couple of manga panel screenshots in the original japanese to prove it, but it's easier for me to just plug these scenes from the anime. here is an itachi Forehead Poke (0:51) and here is sakura seeing sasuke off at the konoha gate (0:33). there's a subtle but meaningful distinction in the phrasing: "mata kondo da" vs. "mata kondo na". which, in effect, alter the meaning from "maybe next time" to:

(there's an excellent tumblr post from years ago which performs a substantive analysis of the japanese in both contexts, but eludes me now. pls send if any of you have a link to it!)

so personally i adore its inclusion in chapter 699 specifically. it obviously carries a great deal of weight for sasuke and it's meaningful he chooses to express it to sakura specifically despite leaving the entire team behind -- in lots of ways, and more than any other character, i think for sasuke, sakura is the anti-itachi. (that would require another post to elucidate.) so not only is it an expression of regret at unintended distance, but, more crucially, it's a promise of return. i think it's incredibly sweet that sasuke can repurpose the gesture from something soul-rending to something hopeful.

(also deserving of another post lol but this scene also achieves a neat and, crucially, subversive callback to sakura's foundational insecurities... it's like poetry it rhymes)

all that said, i understand why it reads as something different once we are then given the context of chapter 700 and gaiden... i dislike both of these installments, primarily for the implication that distance becomes a love language, so to speak, between sasuke and sakura/sarada. these relationships are ruled by distance and sasuke accepts it. it's disappointing! his journey to learn about more of the world in chapter 699 jibed with the character's arc until that point. this does not.

my unpopular take is i think this has just about nothing to do with sakura or the sasusaku relationship and everything to do with authorial outlook on sasuke's actions in part 2. and for the record, i maintain that these crimes ultimately amount to very little -- violence and death are occupational hazards if one is a shinobi. konoha is also foregrounded by a cold calculus on the worth of human lives; i'm sure sasuke's indispensable role in saving the world outweighs the killing of a few samurai. i just think kishimoto needs sasuke to atone, somehow, forever, via endless service to the village. and he also cannot sensibly write a kakashi- or naruto-headed government that would impose any meaningful punishment, so sasuke is relegated to a state of permanent rootlessness in some dumbass quest. it's a sacrifice on his part, but contrived for a number of reasons, chief among them being that the sasuke we came to know in the original series would literally never internalize konoha's ideals in this manner. so even though the Forehead Poke in gaiden and boruto retains the elements of promise and anticipation of eventual reconciliation, it feels kind of... lame and weightless. there is a superficial signal at growth but materially, for the parties on the receiving end of the Forehead Poke, very little seems to change.

frankly, i think we are meant to view sasuke's love as noble (and sasuke himself as penitent, suggested by the ascetic quality of his life). sasuke is still doing things differently than itachi, insufficient though it may be: he is honest about the reason for his travels, he does not rush to dismiss sarada when she needs emotional support, his motives are selfless rather than selfish (sasuke guards against the threat of the otsutsuki; itachi... wanted sasuke to kill him, in no small part as a desperate ploy to end his own suffering, notwithstanding the subsequent damage that would be inflicted on his thoroughly traumatized little brother). gaiden is surprisingly candid about the distance as a source of distress for sarada, sakura, and even sasuke, but by the end everyone understands why it must be as it is. the state above all! (you'll notice even itachi's apology to sasuke held this precept intact... there is a reason the series closes with sasuke accepting his old hitai-ate.) it is admittedly vexing, considering the totality of evidence here, to see sasuke's nomadic status in boruto pinned on how much he hates his dumb bitch wife and not, you know. the shockingly bad politics underpinning the narrative.

i appreciate the attempts of sasuke enjoyers to explain his distance as natural aversion to konoha, but this isn't canonically backed by any interiority (which seems to be absent in boruto-era team 7 at large) and moreover it requires miscommunication between sasuke and sakura (or even naruto) so great as to be unbelievable. i've accepted that post-pt2 sasuke is an unfortunate victim of kishomoto's nationalist views. his weird takes on how a man like sasuke would behave in a loving relationship and likely desire for a continued revenue stream don't help either. yes i will weep forever...

TLDR: i think the Forehead Poke fits in chapter 699 precisely because it diverges from itachi's. i resent its recurrence suggesting distance from loved ones is an inevitable condition of sasuke's life to which he's stoically acquiescent.

[noroominyourdreams]

20 years later and orochimaru STILL won’t drop the skincare routine 💔 smh

[babypigeon1917]

Plot of the manga be likе:

[mugiwara-lucy]

I don't know which moment is more disrespectful 😆

[pevensiegiigi]

Boruto and Sarada in chapter 1 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.

My children look precious and divine, I love that their reunion is so dramatic. Ahahhaha Code was really wrong to go straight for the sun that illuminates Boruto's life, don't get too close to Sarada or you'll have to run for your life, either she finishes you herself or Boruto or both together. 🤧🤌🏻

[r0semultiverse]

Kawaki Homophobia Moments

[kyriolex]

Welp. It turns out Himawari isn't the only person who needs protection from haters

People are being absolutely abhorrently homophobic towards poor Mitsuki because he talks to Eida about love and apparently he says he loves Kawaki (Boruto)?

Though some are saying it's a mistranslation, even if it is, that STILL doesn't give people the excuse to be disgusting and be angry at even the POSSIBILITY that a male character in a Shonen could be Gay or anything other than Straight.

I'm utterly disgusted by the way people have been acting towards this chapter. The Homophobia AND Misogyny really jumped out. Nice to see the Fandom showing it's true colors 🙄

I don't know why anybody is surprised by Mitsuki's confession. He's spent the entire manga claiming Boruto is his sole purpose for existing and calling him the Sun to his Moon. He's said his goal is to spend the rest of his life by Boruto's side.

The anime even has Mitsuki tell his team not to assume someone's straight. (I don't remember the arc, just the line "He could also love a boy, you know.") The only way this boy could get more queer-coded would be if he started wearing a rainbow flag pin.

Homophobes are just mad that they got their plausible deniability taken away. Just because someone doesn't like the BoruMitsu ship doesn't mean they have to be hateful.

[thekingwhereitallends]

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has been not great. As a matter of fact, I am not excited about the release of new chapters.

I began working on a project; A fanfiction series called Boruto: Tenchijin. I have published 13 chapters on AO3 so far.

How it differs from BTBV manga?

It focuses not only on the protagonists but also side characters. Those anime-canon kids that you adore appear in the story but not to get disrespected and treated like irrelevant, flat characters. They are back to be fleshed out and have their moments of greatness.

There is actual fight scenes that don't feel like squash matches. Flashy destructive techniques return and the cast are versatile and powerful yet at the same time vulnerable and mortal. Even if one party suffers from defeat, they would not be deemed as weaklings as they'd already shown their capacity.

The lore-expanding and worldbuilding is not overlooked. There is an endless creation and compelling history events that needs to be explored.

Bonding is extremely important as it helps form a realistic story and add layers to characters. Your faves are allowed to fully express themselves in society and solitude alike.

If anyone is interested in reading my work, let me know in comment section. If i know there is some people who are intrigued by the concept, i will share the fanfic series on this platform as well.

[mandychob]

Me with Boruto (TBV) characters... 😌

[nemesyssty]

My goddess 🙂‍↕️💙🌙

[justaperson003]

[decaffeinatedcupcakekid]

As much as I find Boruto absolutely soulless, I do have to admit they did something right when they made Code. People clown on him for never winning a fight despite being hyped up as a main villain, and even now that it’s revealed that Sarada’s mangekyo literally rewrote reality so that he couldn’t win, I find the point I’m about to make a lot more solid.

Code is a tragic character. He was everything Kawaki was meant to be. He lived for his ‘god’ (Jigen) and worshiped the very ground he walked on because that man was everything to him. Jigen gave Code purpose, life, everything.

And yet, Jigen didn’t spare him a glance like an unfeeling god would. He only wanted Kawaki.

And Kawaki? He didn’t want that. He didn’t want what Code so desperately craved for. He had his God’s attention, even if that meant the cost of his life.

When Jigen died, Code wanted revenge, and so he needed allies. Then came Eida.

Eida, someone who he felt as though he truly loved. Eida, who was his first real connection after Jigen, hell, maybe his second connection in the world. And yet, he was nothing to her. Another unfeeling god that he hopelessly cared for.

He loses, again and again and again. Craving to finally hold something. Revenge or Eida. He wanted both. A companion, someone to look at him, and revenge for his god, the man who gave him everything.

Kawaki got both.

Code was never really anyone’s first choice.

And yet, he grits his teeth and bares it, never giving up despite literal destiny rewriting itself for him to lose.

A tragic character. A person who was dealt a shitty hand while Kawaki got everything he so desperately craved for and wanted more.

His character and depth can still be so good if dealt with correctly. I desperately hope the authors actually do something with this and not mess it up.

[velvetwyrms]

Yodo never grew out of her and her Uncle Kankuro's constant loud bantering and silly, childish roughhousing, which originally helped her adjust to her new life as the Kazekage's newly adopted charge.

(Based directly on the frankly outstanding fanfic Breaking The Cycle, which a close, old friend of mine wrote based on our shared headcanons years ago. This is also the fic that the entire askblog I'm making for the Sand Fam is based on, backstory-wise, and remains my favourite fanfic of all time. I would highly recommend even if, like me, you don't care for the Boruto series canon but want a more family-oriented fic. I still recommend it to people who haven't watched Naruto, and they've ended up loving it! <3)

[Please do not repost, reblogging stops my hours of work from dying in your likes, lets others enjoy this too and spreads the word of my work, e.g. the askblog currently in progress!]

[kurokawaia]

─── BORUTO MASTERLIST

Boruto | Uzumaki Boruto

currently nothing

Kawaki | Uzumaki Kawaki

Childhood lovers (sfw)

Omnipotence (sfw)

His Medic (sfw)

Mitsuki | Mitsuki

currently nothing

Code | Code

currently nothing

Daemon | Daemon

currently nothing

─── MASTER LIST

[itachis-eyes]

Sasuke Every Day Until He's Freed From Tree Prison: How's it feel, Code? Hm? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM???

October 20th, 2024

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Send me a Kofi maybe? :3