The Secrets Behind Momoshiki’s Takeover of Boruto: What Really Happened in Time Skip

Did Momoshiki actually take over Boruto against Code? Why wasn’t the servant of Isshiki able to kill Sasuke after he turned into a tree? Is Code hiding the fact that Momoshiki booed him for some unknown reasons? These are some questions that only a proper flashback chapter in Two Blue Vortex can provide answers for.

With the events of the last chapter teasing a possible takeover of Boruto’s body by Momoshiki, it’s now apparent that there is more to this flashback sequence than what was revealed. The questions mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg; the real deal is something that actually deserves a whole chapter. So today, we will go in-depth to understand what really happened in the fight between Boruto, Sasuke, and Code by taking hints from the newly introduced details.

It all began with the very first chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, where Code mentioned not seeing Boruto for over two years while he was missing from the village. This clearly meant that a battle had taken place in the time-skip period, after which Boruto had mysteriously disappeared. The following chapter of the Boruto manga gave us another hint of this battle by stating that Boruto was too helpless against Code and was forced to run away. Then we had a flashback sequence in Chapter 5: it shows Sasuke, after he destroyed Code’s eye, rushing to fight him and his Grimes. We are then transitioned to Boruto’s shocking reaction and the aftermath of the fight, where Sasuke has been turned into a tree.

Until now, everything has made proper sense. After Code and Sasuke rushed to fight each other, Boruto could have been surrounded by their Grimes, putting him in the worst possible situation. He must have then escaped, leaving Sasuke behind. After returning sometime later, he takes the sword from his master and pledges to bring him back. But here is where things get interesting. The transition between Boruto’s reaction to Sasuke’s self-destructive attempt to fight Code and the flash-forward where he can be seen taking Sasuke’s sword could hide a lot of events in between.

According to what was revealed in Chapter 15, Boruto says that it was during the Code fight that he used the Karma for the last time, and that’s when he felt something similar to Momoshiki’s takeover. Ever since then, in the wake of the “monster emergence,” Boruto has fully refrained from using the Karma seal. But one thing is clear: he used Karma that day, which is strange, considering that Code said Boruto ran away from the fight two years ago without doing anything. So, is Code lying, or is there something else being cooked here?

Boruto must have had an advantage after activating his Karma, but looking at how Code explained the situation, some things really don’t add up. Looking at the translation from the official Manga Plus website, there’s no mention of Boruto escaping the fight; rather, Code describes his helpless situation. Here’s what I think is going on here, and it makes perfect sense.

We know Code got his eye destroyed by Sasuke, even though he’s technically much stronger than him. In the hierarchy of power, Code is superior to Jigen. However, being stronger than someone doesn’t mean you automatically win the battle. You also have to have a good battle IQ. You can have all the strength in the world, but if you’re not skilled at using it effectively, then it doesn’t mean anything. Even though Code is stronger than Jigen, I still believe Jigen could beat Code because of his abilities and battle IQ. Code is not smart at all, so he can easily get outsmarted by someone like Sasuke—not to mention that even Shikamaru and Amado outsmarted him at different times.

Put, if you can’t beat them in strength, you’ve got to beat them using something else. So, maybe after Sasuke was attacked by a claw Grime, Code escaped to recover, leaving Boruto in the hands of the remaining claw Grimes. However, what Code fails to see is Boruto’s actions after losing his master. Boruto quickly realized that getting bitten by a claw Grime means getting forever stuck in a tree. So, after Code left the scene, he activated the Karma seal. Evidence for this can be seen in the panel where the dead claw Grimes lies around the tree of Sasuke. Only two of them have their tails or body parts cut off, while the others are simply lying there, likely after being knocked out. This could act as proof of Momoshiki’s emergence.

If Boruto had been bitten by the claw Grimes, it’s very likely that it would have triggered the end of this world since these beings are sourcing their powers from the Ten-Tails. Just a single bite from one of them could mean the death of Boruto and likely the cultivation of the chakra fruit. And that’s something Momoshiki would likely know, either by analyzing these Grimes or simply through his power of foresight. Even though Karma-activated Boruto would have been a lot stronger than these creatures, there was still a huge risk of him being devoured, which would fulfil Code’s plan and spoil Momoshiki’s motives. That’s likely when the Otsutsuki took over Boruto’s body, explaining the sensation he later described to Kawaki in Chapter 15 of the Boruto manga. Once Momoshiki took control of his body, he must have knocked down all the remaining Grimes. The fact that their bodies or tails were not cut in half strongly supports this possibility. The destroyed land in this panel can also be taken as a hint for Momoshiki’s emergence. He could have gone all out on the Grimes, and there may be even more of them whose corpses were not shown in this panel.

So, now that we have an answer to one of the big mysteries—why Code did not mention Momoshiki or the Karma while confronting Boruto—there is still more that could provide us with a huge hint for Momoshiki’s future role in the story. There was an opportunity missed by both the monster and Code, which was to destroy Sasuke’s body after he got turned into a tree.

Just think about it. Killing Sasuke was one of Code’s main motives after inheriting the will of Isshiki. He wanted to avenge his lord Otsutsuki’s death by killing not just Boruto and Kawaki but Sasuke and Naruto as well. So why did he leave this golden opportunity during the Sasuke fight? The destruction of Sasuke’s left eye gave him a stronger reason to kill him, but for some special reason, he decided to spare his life. Well, maybe it’s because he believes Sasuke turning into a tree is the equivalent of his death. After all, he must have seen Bug become motionless after turning into a tree as well.

For Code, getting bitten by a claw Grime was the equivalent of death, and maybe that’s why he escaped after Sasuke transformed into a tree. He must have been jubilant at completing his mission of exterminating one of Isshiki’s enemies. That’s why he fled the scene, since, in his eyes, killing Boruto was now easier than ever, as he was left without his comrades and supporters at this point.

Extending the plan of killing Boruto to a future date wasn’t a big deal for Code, as he now saw it as a small mission. But little did he know he would never be able to find Boruto, who would come back much stronger. So, the case of Code is pretty explainable: he assumed Sasuke was dead, and therefore, killing Boruto would now be a piece of cake. He escaped to heal himself and plan his next big move. But what about Momoshiki? Why didn’t he destroy the tree of Sasuke after he took control of Boruto’s body?

I have some theories to explain why Momoshiki didn’t take the chance to kill Sasuke, and I’d love to hear your takes as well, so don’t forget to comment below and help solve this huge mystery.

The simple explanation could be that Momoshiki also assumed Sasuke was dead based on his motionlessness. But that would be too plain and boring. Assuming Momoshiki would time out shortly after destroying the Grimes is also too predictable. The possibility, I believe, makes the most sense in this scenario has to do with Momoshiki’s foresight. We know he has a variant of prescience where he can see the fate of people, but with so many possible futures, the odds of Momoshiki’s prophetic future coming true are not very high. This is why his prediction of taking over Boruto after omnipotence failed.

However, Momoshiki also made a huge mistake along the way without realizing it, which could have derailed all his plans. The fact that he kept giving Boruto hints about his next moves and ultimate plan might have led to a series of events where he was unable to fulfil them. A similar analogy is the concept of the “evil eye” from the real world: we’re told not to reveal our goals to others, as their jealousy could sometimes manifest and lead to a bad twist of fate. Momoshiki was a victim of the same effect but in a more calculated way. The observations Boruto made after listening to Momoshiki made him realize that if he gave up, the whole world could collapse in a matter of days.

Now, the monster must have learned some hard lessons from his past mistakes. He’s now choosing to stay silent and “cook in private” to prevent Boruto from ruining his plans. But what does any of this have to do with Sasuke? Well, Momoshiki could have seen the fate of the Uchiha and, after realizing how his chakra is important to awakening his Shinju clone, he may have decided to leave the tree alone and enjoy the life of his vessel, which was getting more and more interesting. The fact that he emerged to stop the Grimes is proof that he will return whenever Boruto is in big trouble. So, Boruto activating the Karma seal in a future sequence may be a sign that Momoshiki is helping him out. He’s letting him use the Karma to fight Kawaki without the fear of takeover. By the time this scene appears in the Boruto manga, Boruto and Momoshiki may have reached a peaceful resolution.

I’ve written a blog on this topic where I discuss how they could unite to fight against the Otsutsuki clan, so be sure to check that out after reading this one!

There’s another explanation for why Momoshiki didn’t kill Sasuke after taking over Boruto, and it makes a lot of sense. It could be that Boruto escaped when he realized Momoshiki was trying to take over. The Karma may have helped him defeat the Grimes, but the fight likely exhausted him so much that Momoshiki was able to seize his nerves. It may have been a brief experience, but it left a permanent scar on Boruto’s life. The possibility of Momoshiki’s emergence shortly after using Karma became evident, explaining why Boruto never relied on the Karma seal afterwards. He wouldn’t always have the chance to escape to ensure the safety of his surroundings.

As for the flashback sequences, we could see the continuation of this one from Chapter 5 very soon, considering how it was referenced in Chapter 16 of the Boruto manga. My thoughts on the next flashback sequence are that we may see Momoshiki destroying the Grimes shortly after Boruto activates the Karma seal. Then we could see the Otsutsuki using his foresight ability to check on Sasuke’s fate, which would reveal the importance of the Shinju and the future they could bring. Momoshiki’s glimpse into the future would satisfy him, as all he needs to do now is remain silent—just as he has been for over a year. This mysterious silence is haunting Boruto, who cannot understand what happened to his inner demon.

One point that many might not have noticed is that neither Kashin Koji nor Momoshiki was able to see each other through their prescient abilities. There was no mention of the Otsutsuki from Koji’s perspective, meaning he couldn’t foresee a future where Momoshiki emerged. Likewise, the Otsutsuki never acknowledged Kashin Koji or his role in Boruto’s legacy. This suggests that wielders of the Shinju might not appear in each other’s foresight.

Not only that, but even Kurama’s rebirth was something neither Momoshiki nor Koji could anticipate. The Otsutsuki stated there was no way for the fox to pass down his powers, which seemed true at one point, as everyone believed Kurama was gone for good. However, with the eventual rebirth of the tailed beast inside Himawari, it became clear that events in the spirit world are beyond the reach of any Shinjutsu power, be it Rasengan or prescience. So, we can assume that if Momoshiki decides to speak with Boruto, not even Koji will be able to detect it. Yet Momoshiki is still playing it safe by not getting too involved with his vessel’s matters. His true plan could be something beyond imagination.