Boruto Finally Explains Its Mysterious Series Opening - Screen Rant

Spoilers ahead for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 72!

Fans have finally received the first concrete clue that could explain why - in Boruto's flashforward opening - the titular shinobi is shown facing off against his friend Kawaki. The battle has been the major mystery of the franchise's new era, adding a dark pall to its central bond as fans look for the cracks that predict it inevitable demise.

Fans were deeply confused by the moment when it first appeared, as Boruto was shown battling a random character who had apparently played a major role in bringing about the end of the shinobi and destroying Konoha and Hokage Rock. Of course, that confusion only deepened when Kawaki became an important ally to Boruto. Boruto and Kawaki's friendship is so pure and heartwarming that no one could ever fathom how Kawaki could ever betray his friend... until now.

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A new development hints that Boruto himself might actually be the villain, as revealed in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 72 by creator and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto, artist Mikio Ikemoto and script writer Ukyo Kodachi. When responding to Shikamuru's summoning of Naruto and Team 7, Boruto is confronted by the mysterious Momoshiki who foretells that when Boruto inevitably falls into despair and loses the will to live, he will take over his body and live Boruto's life.

Knowing who Boruto and Kawaki are now, their fight at the very beginning of the manga seems extremely uncharacteristic, while Kawaki taking on Momoshiki makes far more sense. While the moment presents Boruto as heroic, everything he and Kawaki say in the opening is blatantly ambiguous. Boruto never explains what it is Kawaki did that went too far, or the choice Kawaki made that Boruto protests wasn't his only option.

Kawaki never says where he sent Naruto, either, and readers are automatically assuming that the shinobi are a force for good in the future. Moreover, when Momoshiki threatens Boruto in chapter 72, he doesn't say that he is going to take over Boruto's body. Momoshiki uses odd language. He says that he will live "Uzumaki Boruto's life for you." This could mean that Momoshiki essentially plans to live as a shinobi like Boruto and will manipulate what the shinobi stand for.

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While the theory prompted by Boruto chapter 72 is quite out there, perhaps the biggest thing going for it is that it's still more feasible than Kawaki suddenly reaching a place where he does something terrible to Naruto, destroys the one place where he's felt at home, and betrays Boruto.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 72 is available to read now from Viz Media.