Extra details about the divine tree

Part of what the Boruto fandom has been asking for for a few months now has been a flashback of sorts to some training between Boruto and Sasuke during the timeskip. If it’s an arc they’re looking for, it remains to be seen if that’ll be honored, but the closest we’ve got is the opening pages of chapter 5, released a few hours ago. Last time on Two Blue Vortex, Boruto displayed his prowess as the third ever shinobi in history to learn and use the Flying Raijin Technique.

Using the technique, he traveled to the Ten Tails’ dimension, but discovered that it was gone from its restraints and he and Code were surrounded by four intelligent claw grime humanoids. Boruto expected to twist Code’s arm into a truce, but the deceitful Ohtsutsuki hopeful nearly left him to die. Guided by a mechanical summoning toad, Boruto escaped to safety and towards a few familiar faces: one long thought defeated and one in a coma.

This month’s chapter began with a quick flashback. Sasuke initially doubted his memory, repeating that he was doing this for Sarada, not for Boruto, but by the time Boruto had finished his training, he was beginning to imitate the Uchiha patriarch in attire and even hair.

He always did say he wanted to be like Sasuke, even if these straits were forced upon him.

Since debuting in August of 2023, Boruto’s timeskip seems to have delivered on its new threats. The Chekhov’s gun is getting used so often, it might be time to clean the barrel. In this instance, Code’s claw grimes have another sequence to them. The previous four chapters show that whenever they bite someone, the victim of the bite turns into a tree. In chronological order, we’ve had four victims of a claw grime’s bite:

1. Bug
2. Sasuke
3. Unnamed Leaf Shinobi
4. Moegi

Not only that, a claw grime replica is created in their stead. They inherit the appearance of the host, but maintain the original desires of the Ohtsutsuki, which is to consume enough chakra to bear a fruit-bearing tree, just as it was revealed in the Fourth Shinobi War all those years ago. Good grief, Madara’s influence and meddling still scar the shinobi world after all this time. In this case, the sentient trees have expressed desirable targets of their own:

1. The unnamed Leaf Jounin clone wants to devour Naruto.
2. Moegi’s clone wants to hunt Konohamaru.
3. Sasuke’s clone wants to make a beeline for Sarada.
4. and the clone of Bug wants to target Eida herself.

Meanwhile, Sumire and Amado discuss Boruto’s return and response to Code’s attack on the Leaf. Amado explains that the Karma acts as a storehouse for one’s DNA and since he’s trying to revive his daughter, Akebi, he needs a Karma seal with her memories to revive her as he remembers. Prior to the Shinjutsu event pre-timeskip, Kawaki would’ve been the only person of interest since Amado remembers implanting that DNA in his Karma.

If it was Kawaki who fled the village after scarring Boruto, and practically orphaning him and Himawari, I could imagine Shikamaru as Hokage dispatching ANBU shinobi teams to track him down if not designating a special unit of the ANBU to handle that, similar to the Hidden Mist’s Tracker Ninja. But post-Shinjutsu event, this doesn’t happen. False memories or not, Amado can tell that he was the one who modified Kawaki’s body as shown in the flashbacks across Boruto Part I, but has no definitive way to prove it. And let’s be real, this is the same universe where the whole village conflated their annoyance with Naruto with their hatred at the Nine Tailed Fox, almost no one being able to tell that he looked just like the Fourth Hokage. I made the connection when he was featured in Ultimate Ninja 3, and that game came out when I was 9 years old. Back then, it was a theory not yet proved fact in the manga.

Thankfully for Amado’s endeavors, Kawaki doesn’t pose any flight risk, so he’s got his target right where he wants him. But as a “son” of a former Hokage, the Leaf government won’t make it easy. Kawaki’s and Boruto’s roles are switched, but Amado’s prior employment in Kara makes him far from trustworthy, especially in Shikamaru’s eyes. And Kawaki’s attitude and history with the scientist pretty much leave that move off the table for Amado. He’ll probably have to get to him when he’s incapacitated. How he’ll get to that point also remains to be seen, but as a scientist, he’s patient enough to observe the results with all the data on hand. Amado’s patience is matched with a Bodhisattva — you think another minute will faze him?

The chapter closes off with Sumire and Sarada discussing what Sumire learned from Amado and a heartfelt reunion between the young Uchiha and the exile.

From what I’ve gathered this chapter, the claw grimes are more dangerous than Code himself. Forgive me for power-scaling, but the grimes are a cut above Code, and the divine trees created from their victims might turn out worse when they get their chance to shine. I do have a flowchart of sorts to showcase the direction of the claw grimes: Claw grime bites human -> human turns into tree -> divine tree clone emerges -> divine tree clone hungers for chakra… and I have to leave it as such until the next chapter launches in January, though for reasons I’ll explain on New Year’s Eve, that may not be feasible for me.

Until then I leave you with some questions for thought: What happens if a divine tree bites a specific person? A Jinchuriki? Someone with vast chakra reserves like Kisame? What else do they inherit from their hosts? And since the divine tree clones aren’t loyal to Code, what happens if they get to him or someone like Eida, who has a Senrigan and access to Shinjutsu? Time will tell, but I hope I’ll be able take notes and write about it all by then.

Before I close off, here’s some wholesome from the latest Two Blue Vortex chapter for the holidays.