Mitsuki vs. Ryu: Unveiling the True Strength of Mitsuki in Chapter 15

A mighty battle has begun! Chapter 15 has revealed everything. Shinki, as the son of Kazekage Gaara, who has become a tree, has now determined his target and who he will devour—and it is his father, Kazekage Gaara. Before the reveal of Shinki, who has become Shinju, I admit that we had guessed his target and prey. Some thought it would be Boruto or Kawaki. Perhaps some chose Boruto because he seemed like the most reasonable target as a rival and the son of a Kazekage. Besides, we assumed if Gaara were the target, it would feel less relevant, as he is from a different generation. The expectation was for Boruto characters to be further developed, so it would make sense if some of the shinobi targeted were from the Boruto era, not the Naruto era. However, all those theories have been broken and finally revealed in Chapter 15: Gaara is the target. This outcome was beyond our expectations.

If we’re talking about Ryu devouring Gaara, I’m genuinely worried about this situation. After all, Gaara is currently sealed by Shinki’s Jutsu; no one can remove the protective seal except Shinki himself. Even though Ryu has declared that he will free Gaara from the seal and devour him, the next chapter will likely introduce a new scenario where we might see a Kazekage Gaara Rescue Mission soon. Given Gaara’s status as the strongest Kazekage in Sunagakure Village, it is unlikely that the sealed Gaara in Orochimaru’s headquarters will be unprotected. In the coming chapter, Konoha and Sunagakure Shinobi will monitor and guard that place. Although Shikamaru and Kankuro’s communication has not led to a decision on direct assistance, I’m confident that Chapter 16 will feature Shinobi assigned to guard Gaara’s seal temporarily.

Suppose we were to guess who might be sent to protect Gaara, Mitsuki seems like a plausible choice. However, considering the situation in Konoha, certain powerful shinobi are currently a priority to be protected within the village. For example, Sarada is being targeted by Hidari, which could make it problematic if she were assigned outside the village. In addition, threats exist within the village, as foes with Claw Mark abilities can easily bypass defenses. So, Sarada may not be the right choice. As for Himawari, while there’s speculation she could be assigned the task, her current circumstances make it unlikely; Jura also targets her. If Konohamaru were chosen, though, his current condition and pursuit by Matsuri make would make him equally unsuitable.

Thus, it makes sense that these characters would be protected by Konoha and not permitted to leave the village. Then, the most logical person for the mission might seem to be Kawaki. Still, his primary focus is protecting Konoha Village, especially since he knows Himawari is a Shinju target. Kawaki would likely disregard any orders from Shikamaru to protect another village, focusing solely on the village’s safety. This leaves Mitsuki as the most probable candidate to be sent to Sunagakure alongside the Ino-Shikadai Team. If this turns out to be true, we may see a rematch between Mitsuki and Shinki, allowing Kishimoto and Mikio to resolve the unresolved tension between Mitsuki and Shinki.

The main topic in this blog is not just about who will assist Sunagakure but also about who will emerge victorious in the battle if Mitsuki faces Ryu. Shinki, as we know, has previously fought against an Ōtsutsuki. Urashiki’s power is inconsistent; sometimes, he appears formidable, and other times he seems weak. Nonetheless, thanks to Urashiki, we’ve seen Shinki’s true strength. In his battle with Urashiki, Shinki’s Iron Sand was immune to Urashiki’s chakra-pulling fishing hook, which even breached the defenses of several other strong shinobi. Shinki manipulates his iron sand using the magnetic element, and a Kekkei Genkai combines wind and earth elements. During the Chūnin Exams, we saw Shinki using lightning elemental abilities to strengthen his iron sand attacks. However, if someone possesses a stronger lightning element, Shinki’s iron sand defense can be breached, as demonstrated by Boruto and Mitsuki during the exams.

We also know Shinki can mark his opponent using iron sand, making his other iron sand attacks track his opponent wherever they go. He even can shape his iron sand into his eyes, allowing him to monitor the battlefield like CCTV. Shinki has many jutsu and impressive abilities, including puppet control and object-sealing techniques. In conclusion, Shinki already had various jutsu before becoming Shinju. So far, the newly evolved Shinju has shown only two of the many abilities of the chakra they wield. Hence, it’s unclear if they’re limited in jutsu usage during battles or can access all the abilities of their manifested bodies.

 We will now talk about Mitsuki’s true strength. Many fans are quite disappointed with the battle between Mitsuki and Boruto in Chapter 7. The reason is that Mitsuki’s Sage Mode didn’t display many new powers. However, I still believe Mitsuki didn’t unleash his full potential and abilities just to fight Boruto. After all, Mitsuki’s response and reaction to anger didn’t truly indicate that he saw Boruto as an enemy. In the end, Mitsuki recognized that Boruto was like a son to him. In conclusion, Mitsuki’s potential abilities have yet to be fully revealed, but when he faces Ryu, that may be the right moment to showcase his true strength.

Considering Mitsuki’s techniques and abilities, does he have a chance of defeating Ryu? It will be difficult for Mitsuki to win against Ryu right now. Even if he uses all of his abilities or a more perfected version of Sage Mode, Mitsuki likely stands no chance against Ryu. The reason is that Shinju is simply too overpowered. So far, Shinju’s abilities appear almost equivalent to Boruto’s in speed and strength. The Shinju’s attack speed rivals Boruto’s movement speed, which was evident during Mamushi’s fight against Boruto. Boruto continually used Rasengan to evade Mamushi’s fast attacks. If Mitsuki were in Boruto’s position, he would unlikely dodge attacks as effectively. One approach for Mitsuki would be to rely on the durability of his Sage Mode snakes. However, whether his snakes could withstand each attack from Shinju remains unclear.

Seeing how Boruto could sever Mitsuki’s snakes by infusing his sword with lightning-elemental chakra, it’s likely that Mitsuki’s snakes are vulnerable to lightning-element attacks. Shinki also wields lightning-elemental power, so if Ryu fights Mitsuki, he could dismantle Mitsuki’s Sage Mode snake defense. Characters like Mitsuki typically need to face defeat first to grow stronger. Boruto, as a much stronger character, is currently on a different level than Mitsuki, so it makes sense that Boruto could still defeat Hidari in Chapter 12.

What do you think? Could Mitsuki win his first fight against Ryu? If Boruto were to come to his aid, Mitsuki could potentially win. Boruto and Kashin Koji’s hideout is near Sunagakure Village, so Boruto might foresee Mitsuki’s defeat by Ryu and attempt to change that fate. With Boruto’s assistance, Mitsuki might gain the confidence to believe that Boruto is truly like a son to him.

In conclusion, these are our current predictions and theories about Mitsuki and Ryu’s battle.