Konohmaru's fight against Matsuri in Boruto isn't about him (& that's what makes it so great)

Boruto Two Blue Vortex just released a new chapter, and the internet is already awash with excitement. Many fans have flocked to read the chapters, and there have been reactions to what went down in the latest chapters. Some fans have had strong things to say about the battles in Chapter 20 of Boruto Two Blue Vortex, while some have praised the overall direction.

A lot of praise is heaped on the new chapter, which is directed at Sarada. She finally used her Mangekyo Sharingan, and while the abilities remain unknown, they were seen repelling Ryu’s sand.

The parts of Chapter 20 that garnered the most negative comments were the ones that involved Matsuri and Konohamaru. Konohamaru's actions during the Sunagakure arc have been vexing to most fans, and his actions in the latest chapter worsened the perception of fans.

Some fans have praised Konohamaru’s actions in the latest chapter, with some going as fast as calling it a masterstroke by Ikemoto. These fans also say Konohamaru’s hesitation to finish off Matsuri is proof of the battle between desire and want, a theme that has been tackled in the entire Boruto saga.

Here’s how these claims hold merit, and why the conflict between Konohamaru and Matsuri might be the best part of Boruto Two Blue Vortex.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion and may contain spoilers.

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Why Konohamaru’s battle with Matsuri is one of the best parts of Boruto Two Blue Vortex

Konohamaru has felt like a passenger for much of Boruto Two Blue Vortex (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The main reason most fans were angry at Konohamaru was his flagrant disregard for orders. He was ordered by Konohamaru to acquiesce to the Shinju and become their friends. However, he bungled the entire plan over the simplest of things—a name! In the current chapter of Boruto Two Blue Vortex, Konohamaru redeems himself by lulling Matsuri into a false sense of safety, and launching a counterattack, when her guards are down.

While Konohamaru’s action may look downright idiotic to many fans of the series, his character’s struggle highlights the battle at the core of every ninja. A battle on their ideals versus the greater good.

Konohamaru is a Boy Scout who sticks to his ideals. When Konohamaru is instructed to pretend to be a friend of the Shinju, it is something he struggles to do. In the latest chapter, he breaks his ideals and even gets an opening which he uses to attack Matsuri, but the Boy Scout in him wins and he doesn’t finish her off.

Konohamaru tricks Matsuri but is unable to finish her off (Image via Shueisha)

Ikemoto uses this battle to question the ninja ideal and that’s the beauty of this battle. If the essence of ninja is interdependence, why is there so much brutality and betrayal involved? There are examples in Naruto Shippuden that show the brutality behind the ninja ideal: Itachi killing his entire clan to prevent war in Konoha and Zabuza staging a Coup D'etat to remove the bloodthirsty Mizukage.

Both Itachi and Zabuza were rogues for the entirety of their lives, but their actions were not made from evil, it was made to bring peace. The ninja world seems to like that cold-blooded approach of doing this and in some cases, it is celebrated.

On the other hand, when ninjas choose their ideals over the mission, it gets derided. The biggest example of this was in Naruto where Sakumo was bullied to suicide for choosing to save the lives of his comrades instead of completing the mission at hand.

Ikemoto tries to highlight this same struggle, but instead of the bullies coming from the series, they are replaced by the viewers. The viewers question Konohamaru’s self-worth and say the meanest things, all because Konohamaru refuses to see the Shinju as less than human beings.

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Final thoughts

The battle between Konohamaru and Matsuri also showed viewers a side of Shinju that has never been seen before. The Shinju are not just wild living things with a desire to consume people. They have emotions, and they can be felt by Jura and he can also experience what each of the Shinju is going through.

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