Matsuri’s Transformation and Konohamaru’s Fate

Chapter 17 still has many fascinating topics to discuss, especially Kawaki Koji’s scenarios and many other things. Speculations upon speculations make discussions about the Boruto storyline even more intriguing. But today, there’s an analysis and theory regarding Matsuri, whose personality suddenly changed 100% after seeing Konohamaru directly.

Many Boruto fans have questioned why Matsuri didn’t devour Konohamaru, even though it was the perfect moment. Yet, for some reason, this was beyond everyone’s expectations. Moreover, this behavior is opposite to the other Shinju. For example, Hidari, when he saw Sarada for the first time, his instincts remained consistent with his nature as a Divine Tree human. From the beginning, even when seeing his daughter for the first time, Hidari behaved entirely like a newborn monster baby. His intentions didn’t waver, and he immediately wanted to eat Sarada according to his primal instincts.

However, Matsuri, who had already declared that she would eat Konohamaru, ended up not doing so. When she saw her target, she didn’t even show any instinct to attack. As Matsuri failed to display that primal nature, what exactly happened? Could it be that Matsuri won’t be able to eat Konohamaru because of her love for him? And most importantly, will Konohamaru be like Naruto? Could he act out of compassion even though Shikamaru initially warned him not to let emotions get involved when dealing with Matsuri?

What if Konohamaru’s kind-hearted nature, inspired by Naruto, comes into play? This remains an uncertain possibility. However, fundamentally, Konohamaru’s personality and character differ from Shikamaru’s. As Naruto’s first student, Konohamaru has always upheld the principles by which Naruto lived. In other words, as someone who sees Naruto as a role model, Konohamaru will likely act and behave similarly to him. This means there could be significant consequences due to Konohamaru’s compassion toward Matsuri.

If we assume and conclude this based on Konohamaru’s Naruto-inspired nature, does this theory seem reasonable? On the other hand, Mitsuki will likely work the hardest on this mission. After all, Mitsuki is an artificial human who isn’t bound by emotions. In this situation, his only emotional conflict revolves around his son, which is Boruto. However, after the conclusion of the battle between Boruto and Mitsuki in Chapter 8 of the Boruto manga, it became evident that Mitsuki’s confusion about his son has been resolved. It’s Boruto now.

The emotional turmoil has shifted to Konohamaru and Sarada. Despite Shikamaru’s warning to Konohamaru not to get emotionally attached to Matsuri, Konohamaru’s nature as someone who prioritizes feelings above all else may lead him to act impulsively. This recklessness could eventually transform love into hatred. You know the opposite of love is hatred. Someone who loves profoundly but is betrayed can turn that love into hatred.

Do you know why Kashin Koji says Matsuri will be defeated after defeating Ryu? The reason is that Matsuri has a much more terrible power than Ryu. Her love betrayed by Konohamaru will awaken Matsuri’s true power. Remember, Matsuri doesn’t know about love yet. How could someone who has not known love suddenly feel betrayed by someone she likes? A betrayal that begins with a sense of love—plus it is the first time as a Divine Tree human—will trigger Matsuri’s anger and power, which is so great.

It makes sense why Koji made a strategy where Ryu is the Shinju to beat first. And, of course, the choice of why it should be Ryu is not without reason. And, of course, Matsuri can be said to be stronger than Ryu. But behind all this, the worst-case scenario for Konohamaru is that he could be eaten by Matsuri or even killed by her.

If Konohamaru is killed, it might trigger the awakening of Sarada’s Susanoo. However, could a character like Konohamaru be written off, following the fate of his predecessors like Hiruzen and Asuma? And, of course, would this event trigger the awakening of Sarada’s Sharingan abilities? If Sarada truly cares for and cherishes Konohamaru as her sensei and as family, such an outcome seems unlikely. However, if the opposite were true, I admit it wouldn’t change anything about Sarada’s Sharingan awakening, even if something terrible happened to her sensei Konohamaru.

That being said, it’s still possible that Konohamaru might follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. Up to this point, Konohamaru has nearly faced the same fate as them, but Boruto has always managed to stop those tragic events from happening. Will Boruto stop the worst from happening this time, or will he follow Kashin Koji’s advice to stay in hiding? If Boruto stays away,

Momoshiki will soon get a chance to appear. After all, according to Koji’s words, if Boruto comes to the battlefield to help Sarada and the others, it will trigger Jura to come. If Boruto forces himself against Jura, then one of the ways is the power of Karma. But what do you think? Is it impossible for Momoshiki tose if Boruto forces himself against Jura by ng Karma? And, of course, does the appearance of Momoshiki mean that the Jougan will soon awaken?

However, for now, the focus should be on Kawaki first. Kawaki will likely be the most highlighted character in this arc. There’s a possibility that Kawaki’s limiter removal is intentionally designed to stop Momoshiki from taking over Boruto’s body shortly. Once Kawaki’s limiter is lifted, Boruto’s new power might finally emerge. Thus, Masashi Kishimoto’s decision to awaken the Jougan at the end of the story is a well-thought-out choice.

But, of course, as fans, all we can do is speculate and theorize. No matter how good the analyses and theories we come up with are, it all depends on Masashi. And besides, when rereading the Blue Vortex manga Chapter 17, the scene of Kashin Koji asking A for help to see the state of Sunagakure can be guessed. The point is that Matsuri and Ryu suspect Kashin Koji’s existence, so Koji can’t use his toad again to lurk in Sunagakure. That is why Kashin Koji asked A to help spy on what was happening there.

This also confirms that Kashin Koji deliberately used this plan so that Boruto could not help his friends. So far, we know that Koji is the one who brought Boruto’s medals through a toad. If Koji stops using his toad in Sunagakure, then Boruto can’t come if his friends need his help. But something is interesting here. We were shown Mitsuki discovering one of the medals used by Boruto to perform the Hirashin technique. Is that medal the one brought by Kashin Koji, or did Mitsuki deliberately carry the medal so Boruto could go to their location anytime he wanted?

This sounds very interesting. The medal Mitsuki found could signal that Boruto will not follow Kashin Koji’s instructions because he might use the medal Mitsuki found to reach his friend’s location. However, there’s something we need to consider. How would Boruto know the shape of the medal Mitsuki carries if it’s the medal brought by Kashin Koji? Koji would typically inform Boruto about the shape of the medal his toad was carrying. That means Boruto shouldn’t know the shape of Mitsuki’s medal if it came from Kashin Koji.

But it would be a different story if the medal turned out to be one that Boruto intentionally gave to Mitsuki. If something terrible happens, Boruto could come to help his friends who are in danger.

The conclusion of this discussion concerns Konohamaru. If Konohamaru had a wise attitude and showed compassion to everyone without exception, like Naruto, then it would have been highly likely that Konohamaru would have ignored Shikamaru’s orders. Second, if Matsuri ends up being betrayed by her first love, her true power may be revealed, triggered by a woman’s heartbreak. Matsuri would fully showcase her real strength.

Lastly, regarding the medal: if the medal Mitsuki found belongs to Boruto, how can Boruto teleport if he doesn’t even know what shape the medal is? For this last point, I’d love to hear your opinions.

And maybe that’s all we have to discuss this time about some theories and analyses in Chapter 17, Wild Beast Cubs.