Most anime fans considerNarutoa source of good morals and lessons. The titular hero’s adventures are filled with daily life teachings as he tries to save the Ninja World from its systemic issues. The lessons he undergoes as he develops as a young man can be applied to anyone, and implement value in the tasks of daily life. From the importance of loyalty to one’s dearest friends through thick and thin to an elder’s obligation to protect the next generation’s children, Masashi Kishimoto’s manga has helped millions of readers improve both their literary comprehension and as people.
Yet, recently, fans seem to have forgotten one ofNaruto’s most significant tenets: remaining true to oneself and one’s ideals. After chapter #18 of theBoruto: Two Blue Vortexmanga series, fans heavily criticized Konohamaru fortaking the Seventh Hokage’s lessons to heart. Hiruzen’s grandson is a perfect example of the kind of ninja Naruto wished to see in the world, not a failure.
Konohamaru Would Have Made Naruto Proud
The Seventh Would Have Acted in a Similar Manner
When theNarutoseries began, one of the primary traits of the protagonist introduced was his unwillingness to be a ninja like all the others. The young man was never one to follow the rules, hide his emotions, or act heartlessly. At first, his attitude could have been attributed to child-like innocence or teenage rebellion, yet as he grew older, this became one of his most ingrained beliefs. For Naruto, staying true to oneself was as important as breathing, and he was willing to fight againstthe most powerful and influential ninjas in the worldto uphold his ideals.
Even during the harshest of times, the protagonist never wavered in his beliefs, as proven by his begging the Kages to forgive Sasuke during episode #200 of theShippudenanime. A regular ninja would have understood that attacking the leaders of the Hidden Villages was a crime punishable by death and would have abandoned their friend. Another great example of this is seen in episode #282 when Naruto directly disobeyed the orders of the Kage and tried to sneak into the battlefield to fight Obito and Madara. He was more concerned about bringing peace than protecting his life.
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Being one of Naruto’s oldest students, Konohamaru will understandably have a similar belief system to his mentor, as often happens with thebest teachers' rising pupils.Boruto’s teacher is not someone who hides his emotions or pretends to be a cold calculative ninja. He is beloved by his students and the village for his honesty and kindness, being one of the few characters who perfectly understand Naruto’s sentiments. As such, it makes sense that, when confronted with Matsuri’s insistence, he was not willing to let the issue go.
Konohamaru Is Not Responsible for Matsuri’s Reaction
He Tried To Remain Civil and Understanding
One of the main complaints fans have raised after Konohamaru’s words angered Matsuri inBoruto: Two Blue Vortexchapters #18 and #19 is that they believe he should have just allowed her to call him by Moegi’s nickname. What these criticisms fail to consider is that Konohamaru is in no way attempting to anger the Divine Tree. His mission was, according to Shikamaru, to befriend the creatures and betray them. While it is unlikely that he would have ever been able to accomplish the second portion, as he has never been a heartless killer, Konohamaru was actively trying to accomplish the first goal.
Allowing Matsuri to make him uncomfortable would also have been prejudicial to the mission as she would have noticed he was not being genuine to her. Moreover, the fact that the Divine Tree looks, sounds, and acts like Moegi would have been enough to perturb any regular ninja. Konohamaru, instead of outright rejecting her and saving himself the trauma of pretending to befriend the creature who took his loved one from him, remained cordial. In any other case, his words would have been considered a polite request.
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The issue does not come from Konohamaru’s petition but rather from Matsuri’s inability to control her emotions. The Divine Tree, being controlled bythe love born from Moegi and Konohamaru’s romance, was unable to react calmly when the man tried to remain friends. Naruto’s pupil had no way of knowing that Matsuri would try to attack him after only asking her to be more respectful of his wishes. This is further proved in chapter #19 when the woman begins blaming him for the love she felt instead of trying to understand her emotions.
Being Cold and Manipulative Has Never Been the Way
Naruto Proved Trust and Cooperation Help to Create a Better World
As theNarutofranchise has progressed, it has become clear to the characters and audiences alike that the old ninja system was never a good idea that could withstand the test of time. For centuries, allies, friends, and family would betray and kill each other to gain power. The world of the series was in such a dire state that even after the Hidden Villages were created to stop conflicts between clans, there had already beenseveral Great Ninja Warsbefore the series even began. Naruto had to fight against the entire system to prove to everyone that hatred and fear were not the solution.
His ideals of peace and cooperation are what helped the series progress and become a better, more advanced society. Naruto’s willingness to forgive his enemies, help former rivals, and aid anyone in need has undoubtedly improved the lives of most people in the series. Going back to his ideals, as Shikamaru was suggesting, would only bring back the pain and suffering that the old system caused for decades.
Sending Konohamaru was the First Mistake
Shikamaru Should Have Never Sent Someone Close to Moegi
Many of Konohamaru’s harshest critics have failed to acknowledge that the first mistake of the mission was not committed by Naruto’s pupil but by Shikamaru. The Eighth Hokage knows Konohamaru well enough to predict that he, like Naruto, would react poorly after hearing his plan to betray the Divine Trees. As such, he was most likely aware that the Third’s grandson was not a right fit to try and betray Matsuri, an identical clone of his crush, Moegi.
The fact that Eida and Kashin Koji did not react worriedly about the situation during chapter #19 proves that they might have been aware of this development and still chose to use him as a sacrifice.
As one of the few true geniuses in the series, Shikamaru failed to account for Konohamaru’s emotions in his plan, a mistake that could cause the death of the man. Worst of all, since the Eighth is receiving orders directly from Kashin Koji, the possibility of him sending Boruto’s teacher, even knowing he could fail, cannot be discarded. The fact that Eida and Kashin Koji did not react worriedly about the situation during chapter #19 proves that they might have been aware of this development and still chose to use him as a sacrifice.
The fight against Matsuri is still far from over, andBoruto: Two Blue Vortexchapter #20 could reveal the reason why Konohamaru was selected. Nonetheless, the fact that he is staying true to his ideals proves that he is a characterNarutofans should celebrate rather than condemn.
