Boruto Just Gave [Spoiler] a Death Sentence - And It's Naruto's Fault

As Boruto: Two Blue Vortex continues, Konoha is finding itself more vulnerable than ever. The Hidden Leaf has been attacked many times before in the Naruto era. But it had the likes of Naruto and Sasuke there to protect it. Even when the Boruto series began, Naruto, Sasuke and Boruto teamed up to fend off Momoshiki and Kinshiki.

Unfortunately, none of these heroes are around to stave off invasion. As a result, the Divine Trees (aka the God Trees) have made their move. It results in one of the younger heroes being given a death sentence in the eighth chapter. And it's all due to that person being linked to Naruto's DNA.

Boruto's Jūra Finds Naruto's Identical Bijuu Chakra in Himawari

Naruto Has Accidentally Cursed His Daughter

Jūra wants to devour Naruto, so he can absorb, not just the Hokage's physical power, but his mental strength. Whether it be knowledge, resolve and fortitude, Jūra can tell that he needs to eat Naruto. It connects to Jūra being a God Tree that evolved from Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's chakra, as well as the Ten Tails Beast. Isshiki was very familiar with Naruto and able to sense his every move. In fact, Isshiki picked up on the hero's very fabric, which makes Jūra a scarier upgrade.

As a result, Jūra, as this Isshiki 'clone,' comes to the Hidden Leaf: rabid, hungry and determined to bag his prize. He admits that there is someone with Bijuu chakra in them. This is the essence of a Tailed Beast, which can only be stored in Jinchūrikis or vessels like Naruto. Many assumed Jūra would be cornering Kawaki and getting Kawaki to open the secret dimension he hid Naruto and Hinata away in.

However, when Jūra tracks the identical signature down, it's not Naruto. Instead, Jūra comes face to face with Naruto's daughter, Himawari. He is stumped. Even his aide, Hidari, is confused as he realizes his leader is lost due to this case of mistaken identity. Nonetheless, this ordeal puts Himawari in grave danger because the immature, petulant Jūra may well go for the shortcut and decide to devour her.

The timing is awful as Konoha is lacking heavy hitters. Kakashi is older and not at his best. Sarada is still fine-tuning her Sharingan and inexperienced with her Uchiha abilities. It will require her mother, Sakura, to step up as Sasuke has been devoured by a God Tree miles away from the village. It hints at an enticing battle that may bring the younger Konoha-nin in, as well as Naruto's allies, such as Shikamaru and Ino.

Those who are hoping to be Hokage someday, such as Konohamaru and Mirai, can enter the fray as well. But these God Trees have the power of the Ōtsutsuki aliens. The fact they dispatched Kawaki with ease reiterates that only a god-level shinobi can stop them. Alas, none are in the village, portending a dark fate for a Himawari who has barely started her own training.

Two Blue Vortex Confirms Himawari's Immense Power

Himawari Could Be the Franchise's Great Big Hope

It's expected that a parent will imprint on their kids. This is the concept of franchise's Kekkei genkai, which allows certain bloodlines to perfect special techniques. The Naruto and Boruto-Verse, though, has not really dissected genetics and hereditary issues with Naruto's children before -- probably so it could keep swerves and plot twists like this close to the chest.

Fans have suspected that Himawari has immense power, from the way she sometimes scares her family, and from how she was able to ward off Eida's brother, Daemon. Daemon's Ōtsutsuki-linked talents didn't work on Himawari, which had some theorizing that maybe, as Hinata is part of the Hyūga clan, something secret was passed down to Himawari.

The Hyūgas did descend from the Ōtsutsuki-human hybrids, which even teased that maybe the title of Two Blue Vortex was about Himawari being a second Chosen One with her blue eyes. Speculation aside, Jūra's mistake is concrete proof that Himawari is essentially a Naruto copy. Coincidentally, when Jūra fought Boruto, he didn't pick up that duplicate energy -- aka the strongest chakra in the franchise.

Naruto had the power of the Sage of the Six Paths; he reincarnated from Kaguya's son (Ashura); and at one point, he housed, not just Kurama, but all the Tailed Beasts. That is a lot of remnant chakra that could have been passed down. It would seem it skipped Boruto. Going to Himawari would feel organic to the narrative and track, though, as the Hyūga women are said to have more potential.

On top of that, the franchise never dissected what exactly it meant to be born to a Jinchūriki, other than that kid could be a host someday. Kushina had Kurama (the Nine Tails Demon Fox) in her when she made Naruto, while Naruto had Kurama in him when he fathered Boruto and then, Himawari. Boruto only had the capacity to have more chakra, but not necessarily Naruto's. And certainly, not Kurama's.

But clearly, a human like Himawari can replicate Naruto's exact power and chakra signature without having a Tailed Beast. This is quite remarkable and augurs well for Himawari's future, as she needs to be better developed with more screen-time on the page and in the anime. Once she survives this invasion, of course.

Could Boruto Resurrect Kurama?

The Nine Tails Demon Fox Is a Fan-Favorite Folks Would Love Back

The Two Blue Vortex series is already setting up a nuanced, interesting direction for Himawari to go in. That is, Kurama's rebirth. Remember, Kurama died when Naruto battled Isshiki. The fox's energy (made of the purest chakra around) dissipated after Naruto activated his Baryon mode. But as science enthusiasts would emphasize, energy cannot be destroyed.

It can, however, be converted from one form to the other, or stored in another receptacle. From what Jūra is picking up, that may well be Kurama's energy in Himawari manifesting. Kurama, or a new manifestation of the fox, could indeed be dormant in Himawari after having split off.

Minato, himself, did absorb the dark half of Kurama and later, his spirit gave it to Naruto once his son and Kurama began trusting each other. Now, having Kurama being reborn in Himawari would tie into the sibling bond Naruto had with Kurama. Hopefully, rather than brothers-in-arms, the new fox will be female.

In general, the fox in Japanese culture takes on female form. Plus, the Boruto series needs to give its women a lot more attention. They have been placed on the back-burner, repeating errors in terms of diversity and representation that the Naruto series made. But Himawari having her own potential Kurama would be a massive step forward to inclusivity, and a progressive move that fans would welcome, as everyone loves how cute but feisty she can be.

On top of that, flipping the script and having the new fox be inexperienced and learning along the way would be an invigorating, fresh arc for a new generation of fans to grow up to. This plays on the theme of legacy for all the Beast hosts and addresses the notion that they can never die. It invites further provocative conversation about whether parents are dooming their kids.

Are they, ultimately, taking choice and agency away in a lottery that may well see their children have this energy they never asked for from birth. Ultimately, this creates an alluring mystique and intense unpredictability. Himawari is getting a boost in terms of identity and individuality, setting the stage for Boruto to subvert expectations of those who thought Naruto's son would be the ninja messiah of the new era.