Boruto chapter 76, titled A Girl’s Sanctuary, focused predominantly upon Eida bonding with Sarada and Sumire as they talked about the cyborg’s feelings for Kawaki and about love in general. While conversing with Eida, the two shinobi realized that they were immune to her love charm, giving them an advantage over the two karma bearers who were under Daemon’s constant surveillance.
While chapter 76 proved to be expositional in terms of content, it leaves several clues suggesting that the upcoming chapter might signal the beginning of the next major battle in the series.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Boruto manga.
Clues left in Boruto chapter 76 suggest Boruto vs. Kawaki showdown and Code’s attack in chapter 77
Boruto’s vision
The first inkling of an impending disaster was foreshadowed in Boruto chapter 75 when Momoshiki revealed that Boruto and his own thoughts were leaking into each other’s consciousness as a side effect of the Otsutsuki using his genetic data to restore his vessel’s body. The side effects went beyond just their thoughts being linked, however, as the younger Uzumaki briefly manifested Momoshiki’s dojutsu and saw some fragmented glimpses of the future.
The vision depicted Konoha village in utter chaos, as Leaf shinobi seemed to be searching for someone trying to get away from the village. It is unclear if the vision was from Momoshiki’s perspective or from the viewpoint of an omnipresent observer, but the fragments revealed someone being accosted by Team 10.
An angry Shikadai used Shadow Binding jutsu and questioned if such an act was acceptable by someone he considered a friend, after which the scene changed abruptly to show Sarada calling out to Mitsuki, having located the fugitive. The vision then showed a similarly furious Mitsuki activating Sage Mode, followed by Kawaki in his activated karma form and blood-stained face, looking down at someone.
Boruto was reminded of the Otsutsuki’s prophecy, warning him that his blue eyes would take everything from him. The vision did not seem to be occurring in the distant future, since all the characters appeared the same as they do currently in the manga.
Kawaki’s reaction to Momoshiki’s presence
Momoshiki and Boruto’s thoughts continued to cross over in chapter 76 as well, attracting Kawaki’s attention. At the end of the chapter, the older karma-bearer finally confronted the younger Uzumaki and spoke directly to the Otsutsuki, demanding that the celestial villain come out instead of skulking around inside his vessel’s consciousness.
Momoshiki had anticipated Kawaki’s hostility, warning the younger Uzumaki in chapter 75 to make sure that no one, especially Kawaki, would be able to detect his active presence. It is very plausible that the Otsutsuki would either refuse to, or would be unable to take over his vessel’s body like he had done earlier, prompting Kawaki to attack the blond ninja.
An argument between the two karma-bearers might cause Sarada and the others to find out that Kawaki tried to kill Boruto during Code’s previous attack, making them hostile towards the older karma bearer in return. Shikadai and Mitsuki’s reactions in the younger Uzumaki’s vision further bolster this theory, while also suggesting Kawaki might try to escape from the Hidden Leaf village after the fiasco.
Shikamaru gets a delayed report from the Sensory Unit
Another possible threat in the upcoming chapter 77 might arise in the form of an attack on Konoha village by an army of the upgraded Ten Tails. Chapter 72 showed Eida parting ways with Code, after which the villain collected the Ten Tails from its hiding place and marked them with his Claw marks, vowing to destroy Kawaki and the Hidden Leaf.
Chapter 76 showed a frustrated Shikamaru reprimanding Team E for reporting late and asking what Nishi was doing. Nishi was previously introduced in the series as a sensory-type ninja, tasked with monitoring Kawaki after Isshiki’s death.
It would not be far-fetched to assume that the sensory team had detected some sort of breach or anomaly and were trying to relay the information to Shikamaru, who prioritized Sarada and Sumire’s revelation regarding their immunity to Eida’s love charm over Team E’s report.
Final thoughts
Fans were disappointed with the content of chapter 76, especially with chapter 75 being filled to the brim with new facts and critical information. For readers who have criticized the romantic angle dominating the latest chapter, the possibility of Kawaki and Boruto engaging in another fight in chapter 77 seems to be far more interesting. Code’s attack on Konoha would be an even more unpredictable development which would dramatically affect the plot of the series.