“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” Manga Issue 67 Review: Rift

Boruto manga chapter 67, titled ‘Rift’, brought a huge change for the titular character. Also, Code needs to rethink his strategy to achieve his goals.

I mean, did anyone in the Boruto fandom really think that Boruto had actually died in the previous chapter? While I wasn’t sure how Boruto was going to be resurrected, I knew he wasn’t going to remain dead. ‘Rift’ showed Momoshiki stepping in to give Boruto life again.

In my opinion, the explanation made sense. At least 82% of Momoshiki’s DNA had been extracted. Momoshiki just needed the remaining 18% to be extracted to resurrect himself by using Boruto’s body as his vessel. However, with Boruto being fatally wounded, Momoshiki had to change his plans.

It’s revealed that Momoshiki used the remaining 18% to regrow the cells needed for Boruto’s injured heart and lungs. Also, Boruto’s body was now 100% Otsutsuki because it was Momoshiki’s DNA that was used as the base to manipulate the 18% to resuscitate Boruto.

Being 100% Otsutsuki meant that Boruto’s body was ready to be fed to the Ten-Tails. However, it also meant that Momoshiki couldn’t use Boruto’s body to resurrect himself anymore. Not only that, but this was (apparently) a one-time deal. If Boruto experienced a fatal injury again, Momoshiki won’t be able to help him.

We also got an answer to whether or not Boruto getting attacked by Kawaki was linked to Momoshiki’s prophecy about Boruto’s blue eyes one day taking everything away from him. ‘Rift’ showed that things had only started to grow worse for Boruto. The big tests were yet to come for our young hero!

Now, I don’t know about you, but if Momoshiki had already seen Boruto’s future (or at least, an outline of it), didn’t he already know that he wouldn’t be able to use Boruto’s body to resurrect himself in the first place? Shouldn’t Momoshiki have tried to place the Karma Mark on someone else instead of Boruto? Hmmm.

Anyway, with both Boruto and Kawaki getting immense powerups due to gaining access to their Karma Marks, here’s hoping Salad and Mitsuki get some power boosts, too. Salad and Mistuki are way too weak compared to Boruto and Kawaki right now. It’s disappointing.

‘Rift’ also had Kawaki vs Code. It was clear that Code (who still had limiters placed on him) had no chance of defeating Kawaki. I enjoyed their fight. It was over for Code the moment Kawaki began shrinking Code’s Claw Marks so he couldn’t retreat. Kawaki’s serious about ending anyone who poses a threat to Naruto.

In my opinion, the title of the current manga chapter was about the rift present between Eida and Code. Even though Eida said she had no intentions of coming between Code and his goals, she had to put her foot down concerning Kawaki’s wellbeing. Code wasn’t to harm Kawaki or even think of feeding him to the Ten-Tails. She even used her brother Daemon to threaten Code.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of the dynamic between Eida and Code. Will Code be able to find a way to break free of Eida’s influence on him?

With Boruto “dying” in the previous manga chapter, of course, ‘Rift’ had to include emotionally heavy panels featuring Naruto. In my opinion, the emotional moments were handled quite well. Naruto asking Shikamaru if it was all a dream, as he held his son’s lifeless body in his arms, made sense. And while I understood where Naruto was coming from, due to him being the Hokage, I was expecting a stronger resolve from him. For some reason (possibly due to plot convenience), Naruto didn’t have it in him to leave Boruto’s body and aid Kawaki in subduing Code. Even Shikamaru grew frustrated by Naruto’s inaction.

Other than that, with Code having retreated by using Daemon as a shield against Kawaki (that was kind of a funny moment), the current manga chapter had Shikamaru and Naruto share some heated words over what to do with Kawaki. As far as Shikamaru’s concerned, he’s worried about Kawaki’s stubbornness when it came to his goals. Yes, Kawaki’s goal was to protect Naruto. But Shikamaru called out the lack of emotion Kawaki displayed when dealing a killing blow to Boruto.

As someone who likes it when the Naruto/Boruto franchise deals with politics, I’m looking forward to seeing how Shikamaru and Naruto will continue to butt heads over how to handle someone like Kawaki. The rest of the Kages will have something to say, too.

What did you think of ‘Rift’? Do you think Code placed a hidden Claw Mark on Shikamaru to gain access to the Hidden Leaf Village?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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