Oh man; it’s been a while since I talked about this one, hasn’t it? What chapter was it? 66?! 4 MONTHS AGO??!!! Oh man……. Well; I’m back at this again! This series is about to go on HIATUS, but I still wanted to talk about it- if for nothing more than to show the series love. It’s goin’ through a bit of a “Rough Patch,” you know. The anime’s back to Filler H#ll; the manga still lacking a credited writer(Kishimoto has still only been listed as “Supervisor/Creator”); and now THIS. Hopefully things will get better for it.
For now; let’s see if we can focus on the good. ‘Cause this chapter is REALLY GOOD! But it continues a “trend” with the guy we’re supposed to treat as the Overarching Villain- one that I feel is going to culminate in him becoming the Ultimate Meme, should this series ever become the “Heavy Hitter” its predecessor once was. In my DREAMS that’ll happen. Let’s just get to it. Boruto- Naruto Next Generation Chapter 71: “Hindrance.” Wonder who that’ll be……..?
REVIEW
The Story So Far
Last time we talked- Kawaki killed Boruto to stop Momoshiki. Naruto becomes a concerned parent while his other son faces off against the Ohtsusuki’s little zealot Code. Momoshiki appears to Boruto and uses the last 20% of his karma- the portion that would give him back his true body- to repair Boruto, saving his life. But that don’t mean he’s gone; his consciousness is still present, so he can still do the whole “Borushiki” gimmick when the time comes. Also Boruto is a Full Ohtsusuki.
Code flees- but manages to plant a claw mark on Shikamaru’s neck. So when he goes to confront Amado about giving Kawaki his karma back; Code leaps out. They saw that one coming, and planned accordingly. Ladies and gentlemen: Delta has returned to the story. But Eida comes to Konoha and makes every simp for her. Shikamaru bluffs his way into persuading Eida to their side, but Kawaki’s own questions for Amado force them to flee- stealing shifty little Amado while they’re at it. Code gets his full power back. And here we are. Read the full story here.
Chapter 71
Code is about to “free Amado from his suffering,” but being the tenacious roach he is; Amado proclaims that he wants a word with Eida- about Kawaki. So Code stops. He tells her that the boy is “the ‘Ace’ up his sleeve;” an important gambit in the event that he is either abandoned or betrayed by the Leaf Village. Code suggests they ignore his desperate plan, but Eida is curious, and tells Code to butt out. But he’s not listening anymore; he’s already forbidden from killing Kawaki, and that guys at the TOP of his sh!tlist. He’s killing Amado right this second.
So Eida sicks Daemon on him. Daemon restrains him, and Code’s own “Killing intent” is reflected right back at him. So he dips out and back in via his claw marks. Eida questions if he really meant to kill Daemon in that moment, but Code dismisses it as a “Faulty Accusation-” when she shot first. Eida reminds him that he will be killed if he’s deemed a “hindrance” to her goals, to which he questions what the h#ll she’s talking about. So Amado lays it out for him:
Do you still not understand, Code? Eida’s got an invitation from Konoha now. She already has an opportunity to get close to Kawaki. But if she keeps associating with you; she’ll ruin this chance. So how are you not a hinderance?
The Brilliant Scientist And Survival Specialst- Sanzu Amado
Naturally Code tries to off him after that roast. But Daemon reminds him of his “place” in this operation.
As that happens; we jump back to Konoha to see the aftermath of Code’s infiltration. Shikamaru explains Naruto and the others Eida’s ability and the existence of Daemon. Then we jump back to the lab. Code asks Eida to make Daemon calm down, but quite frankly- Eida’s done with him. He freed her from stasis, so she helped him get his limits redacted, but that’s where their partnership ends. He’s too “self-serving” for her taste. So she cuts him loose- much to the shock and sadness of Code. Daemon tells him that he’ll take care of Eida, but Code- under her spell- refuses to let her go. He’ll kill Daemon and become her only “Knight-“ or so he thinks.
Bug, seeing an opportunity to finally escape this entrapment, tells Code the secret to Daemon’s powers: His hands– he’s only able to reflect attacks when he’s touching you. Best case scenario: They take each other out, and he’ll be free. Worst case: Daemon wins, and he’s killed for that little stunt. And it’s looking like like it’s the latter, because it becomes increasingly clear that he can’t beat Daemon at this point. Even with his Limiter’s off. What a fre@kin’ waste.
Seeing as he can’t win; Code grabs Bug and escapes. But not before he gives Eida a chilling warning: “Once I devour the Chakra fruit; I’ll become a New Ohtsusuki, and your ability won’t affect me. That’s when I’ll finally know my true feelings toward you. Whether I want to love you- or kill you.” He and Bug leaving, leaving the siblings alone to continue talking with Amado. Eida commends Amado for separating she and Code so well, but warns him that he’ll be killed if he’s bluffing. But he’s not– Kawaki is indeed “the Ace Up His Sleeve.”
The way he explains it: No one in Konoha- not even Naruto- is able to stand up to Kawaki’s power. And he’ll only keep getting stronger from here on out. But Amado installed a shutdown command when he gave him back the Karma mark– much like the code he placed on Code’s limiters. To them- to Konoha and the other villages; he’s a bit of a “Wild Card,” which also makes him the Leaf’s top priority. Which is where he comes in as his “Handler.” He created a problem that only he can solve.
Eida asks why he never installed it in the first place, to which Amado responds that “Jigen wouldn’t let him.” Daemon interjects, saying that he can deal with Kawaki if necessary. Hearing this, Eida begins to think of Amado as “just as disposable” as Code. Amado kind of agrees with her; the command code is more of “Insurance” to keep his standing in the Village. He has a different goal that requires Kawaki to have the Karma. It’s a bit of a long story, and he’ll have to tell Konoha anyway. And Shikamaru’s suggestion was sound, so he suggest that they start going to Konoha soon.
We then catch up with Code and his reluctant minion Bug. The old man’s complaining about getting wrapped up in sh!t again, but Code has 1 thing on his mind: Kawaki. He always seems to get what Code wants- be it the position of Isshiki’s vessel, or Eida’s affections, or even just a proper Karma mark. So since he’s no longer trying to appease Eida; he’s going to make Kawaki pay. Thus bring Boruto- Naruto Next Generations Chapter 71 to a Foreboding END! Boruto Will Be On Break Next Month. Okay. Why not? Even Author’s writing Monthly series deserve a break.
Analysis
Sanzu Amado You Crazy Son Of A B!tch; you managed to pull off another death-defying conversation! He’s like a roach; he just won’t die! But just because he managed to talk down the siblings and enchant them away from Code- doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods just yet. Like Daemon said: He’s The Strongest Right Now. If Eida told him to, he would off Amado and there wouldn’t be thing the Leaf could do to stop them. But if they did, then they wouldn’t be allies to Konoha and Eida wouldn’t be able to slide into Kawaki’s DMs. That’s gonna be a “fun” trip back to the village………….
To speak on Daemon for a minute: The boy is strong. And Eida is hyping up that he has a few other hidden abilities that put him on another level- even stronger than Code without his limiters. Which we’ll get into in a minute. But yeah; it seems that he’s the strongest character in the series at the moment. But in knowing he just has to touch something; I think that Naruto and Sasuke might be able to work around that ability- if they go “balls to the walls.”
Another thing would be that ability of his. In his introduction- chapter 59; we see him reflect attacks from people that he wasn’t even facing– all while holding on to Code. So from this, we can gather that he just has to touch someone to reflect any attack………. right? Pages 37 and 38: He kicks a guy, and some tries to attack him when he lands. Not touching the guy he just knocked out anymore- and another guy gets his attack reflected. What the f*ck? Then again; Bug told us Daemon’s weakness. Who knows how right he was? For all we know, that information could have been wrong. Eida condemned him for it, but not in any meaningful way.
I suppose Daemon could have 2 conditions for activation. Maybe it’s also something of “looking at the enemy,” but then why didn’t Code’s attacks in this chapter get reflected back at him at that very moment? Something………. isn’t quite right…….. We’re gonna be learning some more about this little boy when they get to the Leaf; I imagine Shikamaru wants to know everything these 2 are capable of if they’re going to be living in Konoha.
And then you have Code. He JUST got his limiters off- and he just got b!tch made by a 10 year old. I’m assuming 10– he could be older. But that’s besides the point; Code is an underwhelming Villain. He’s said to be stronger than Isshiki now, but that clearly doesn’t matter when you have Daemon and a Kawaki who’s only going to get stronger now. And clearly; no one respects or fears him- Boruto’s lie about what happened that night was him essentially calling him a dumb@$$. That is how Boruto SEES Code: A dullard without a plan. Which he doesn’t even really HAVE. He just has a goal that he wants to reach because his DEAD “God” told him to.
It’s stuff like this- the lack of strength and fear of the character- that makes me think that Code isn’t the “Be All/ End All” villain of the story. But then who’s gonna be the “Big Bad” in the end? It’s gonna be Kawaki; that was telegraphed when this started. But I mean- until then. Who’s going to act as the Bad Guy until Kawaki switches up on the leaf? ‘Cause Code can’t hack it, and it doesn’t seem like he’s gonna be around for all that much longer. Hm………………………………………………! Amado.
Look: Amado’s a shifty, crafty, mysterious b@stard. That much we know. He’s nicer than Dr Gero, but he SO modified Eida and Daemon against their will; it’s the only reason that she and Daemon would want him dead in the first place. Helping Jigen “cultivate” vessels- experimentation on children and throwing away the ones who didn’t survive; cloning a dead man just so he can die to prove a point; the lies; threatening a kids life to get a place to stay; and probably so much more that I’m either forgetting or hasn’t been mentioned. All of this seems to be in service of this mysterious goal he has in mind; something that helps him to disregard these sacrifices. And it seems to have something to do with Kawaki and that Karma mark in particular.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that plan is, but it may be what leads to Kawaki flipping his sh!t. And whatever it is requires him to be the strongest he’s ever been. Meaning that restoring the Karma and implanting that command code probably weren’t the only things he did to Kawaki. And even what he says to Kawaki leads him down certain avenues that go to where he wants them to. Super sketchy. He obviously won’t tell Daemon and Eida his plan, but……… he’s told them enough. So now they have dirt on him to further get sway in Konoha. If he’s not careful; his plans may go up in smoke all because…………………… there’s a joke that I can make, but if this blog ever becomes “Main stream” I might get in trouble for it.
Conclusion
This was a Solid Chapter! I liked the fight; I like Daemon more(at the cost of liking Code less); and I’m liking how the story is flowing right now. Though I’m still waiting on that f*cking time skip they promised like 2 years ago. Oh well; it’s not like the content so far has been disappointing…….. at least not ALL of it. But it does give us stuff to look forward to in the future of the story.
Did you like the collage, by the way? That took a LOT of work to do!! Yet it was easier than when I do my other Big Collages. Weird. In any case; let me know your own thoughts in the comments. Until next time, everyone- Have A Magically Wonderful Day! Later!!
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