“Boruto: Two Blue Vortex” Manga Issue 6 Review: Three Years

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga issue 6, titled ‘Three Years’, continued to close the walls around Kawaki as Shikamaru realized that his memories might have been altered.

‘Three Years’ ended up being more of a setup chapter as it allowed readers a bit of a breather to develop the plot while laying the groundwork for a much-anticipated battle between former comrades. The issue opened with Shikamaru talking to the village elders about Boruto. According to the elders (who were annoying during the Naruto era as well), it didn’t matter if Boruto was responsible for chasing Code away from Konoha. Boruto was believed to be responsible for killing Naruto Uzumaki as well as threatening Kawaki’s life. He had to be killed to prove to the rest of the territories that Konoha wasn’t weak.

I liked how Shikamaru ignored what the Konoha Council said to him. It was a very Shikamaru thing to do. We all know he’s way smarter than those two elders and whatever type of advisors the Feudal Lord surrounded himself with. Shikamaru was going to do what he considered the best option to protect Konoha.

With Shikamaru having been appointed Hokage after Naruto’s presumed death, the fandom had been wondering why his face wasn’t next to the rest of the Hokage’s on the mountain. It’s been three years, after all. The current chapter provided the answer by stating that Shikamaru had yet to officially assume the role of Hokage. His hesitance made sense for someone who while incredibly smart was also quite lazy. Also, I think it might also have to do with Shikamaru feeling deep down that Naruto was still alive somewhere.

‘Three Years’ had Shikamaru ponder the reality around him. Amado’s confession from the previous chapter finally prompted Shikamaru to reevaluate the situation. I liked the scene where he asked Ino’s help to connect him with Boruto. Ino realizing something was up with Shikamaru’s behavior was handled well. The two grew up together as teammates. Of course, they were aware of each other’s little tells. Not only that, they trusted each other with their lives. That’s why it made sense for Ino to create a private connection between herself, Shikamaru, and Boruto even if it meant she could get into trouble with the rest of the Sensory Team as private connections weren’t allowed even if the Hokage asked for one.

While I liked seeing Shikamaru reach out to Boruto to set the record straight about his true identity, the scene did make me question a particular narrative thread related to being an Otsutsuki. Boruto and Kawaki having the ability to hide their chakra signatures from the Sensory Team due to possessing Otsutsuki DNA has been a big deal throughout the story.

So, due to Boruto hiding his chakra signature upon his return to Konoha, how did Ino manage to not only pinpoint his location but also establish a mental link with him? Hmmm. At this point, I have no other choice but to chalk this up to plot convenience as well as a very glaring plot hole when it comes to what we know about how the Sensory Unit operates.

With Shikamaru agreeing to help Boruto in any way he could as Hokage, I’m looking forward to seeing what Konoha’s genius mind has planned to finally confront Kawaki and Eida with the truth.

The chapter also spent some time showcasing a conversation with Boruto, Salad, and Sumire. Our young hero told the two concerned girls about the Ten-Tails mutating into awakened Claw Grimes. We didn’t get an explanation about how such a thing was even possible but according to Boruto it likely had to do with Code possessing an incomplete Karma Mark. Boruto also told Salad about Sasuke turning into a tree and how he vowed to avenge his master as well as save everyone.

A particular moment that still has the fandom talking was Salad blushing after hugging Boruto in the previous chapter. There was an awkward silence between the two and Sumire had to step in to prompt a conversation. Said hug has given a whole lot of fodder to Boruto/Salad shippers.

I feel for the Boruto/Sumire shippers. I really do.

Having said that, on a more personal note, I don’t care about which ship sails all the way to become endgame. I will be okay with Boruto ending up with either character as long as the narrative gives Salad and Sumire more to do instead of being mere love interests. 

Coming to another important conversation, with Boruto telling some of what he’s been through to Salad and Sumire, we had Eida tell Kawaki about the awakened Claw Grimes having particular targets in mind, including Eida. Daemon brought up a good point about how long Kawaki was hoping to keep the lie going. People were sure to question Kawaki’s true identity if the awakened Claw Grimes showed up in Konoha looking for Naruto.

I want to feel bad for Kawaki but I can’t. The dude really messed things up for himself in a major way because he thought he was the only one capable of protecting Naruto and eliminating the Otsutsuki threat. With Kawaki being pushed toward being a cornered animal, I’m interested in seeing how he will lash out when his Omnipotence-related lie gets caught.

As for the much-anticipated battle, it’s time for Mitsuki vs Boruto!

Mitsuki’s clearly blood lusted and he won’t rest until he’s managed to kill Boruto. The way he knocked Kawaki out and decided to go after Boruto by himself demonstrated how serious he was. I think at this point Mitsuki’s not above putting his life on the line if it meant Boruto’s demise.

‘Three Years’ showed Boruto being able to counter a couple of Sage Mode Mitsuki attacks. Boruto finally used Purple Lightning in the manga (we have seen him perform said powerful Jutsu in the anime). We also got to see Boruto fly. I have to say, kudos to Sage Mode Mitsuki for being fast enough to give chase to a flying Boruto.

With Boruto stating that he was going to be a little rough with Mitsuki, I can’t wait to see their showdown in chapter 7. Their fight will give us a better idea of how much Mitsuki’s improved during the timeskip. I don’t expect him to be able to defeat Boruto (who has been shown to be stronger than White Karma Mark Code). However, with Mistuki being intelligent on the battlefield, I think he will have a bunch of nasty tricks up his sleeve to give Boruto a tough time.

I’m expecting a whole lot of emotions surfacing as the two former teammates throw punches. Mitsuki’s always been all up in his feelings when it comes to Boruto. That’s why I can’t wait to see how Mitsuki will react when he finally realizes that his memories have been altered and how he was manipulated into killing Boruto (basically, the love of his life. Ha!).

What did you think of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga issue 6 ‘Three Years’?

Do you think defeating Mitsuki will be easy for Boruto?

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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