Warning: SPOILERS for Boruto chapter #75
Boruto reveals a whole new god-tier level of power that puts both ninjutsu and sage arts to shame: shinjutsu. Created by the strongest member of the Otsutsuki clan, Shibai, these techniques are akin to divine miracles, and everything that the shinobi of the world of Naruto ever developed is just a pale imitation of shinjutsu.
In Naruto and its sequel Boruto, shinobi are warriors and spies who can utilize a wide array of special techniques, called ninjutsu, that come from the mastery of chakra, the natural energy produced by the human body. A much rarer technique is senjutsu, or sage arts, which allows the user to mix their chakra with natural energy gathered from the environment. Chakra and its derived techniques were passed on to human beings by Hamura and Hagoromo Ohtsutsuki, the sons of Kaguya, a member of the Otsutsuki clan who arrived on Earth to harvest the planet’s Chakra Fruit and was defeated and sealed by her own sons.
Chakra and ninja techniques are thus a forbidden gift that Hamura and Hagoromo gave to humans, but originally only belonged to the alien Otsutsuki. Chapter #75 of Boruto just brought this one step further, revealing the existence of Otsutsuki Shibai, the only known member of that clan who managed to achieve their ultimate goal. By repeatedly harvesting and eating Chakra Fruits, Shibai ascended to true godhood. In the process, he developed godlike abilities that took the name of shinjutsu, which included incredible fears such as generating storms with a simple weave of his hands. After Shibai’s ascension, he left behind his mortal coils, whose DNA has then been used by Kara’s scientist Amado to implant some of these abilities into mortals, thus explaining the most broken abilities seen in Boruto.
Ninja Techniques Are Mere Imitations Of The Real “God-Tier”
While ninjutsu and senjutsu are also capable of incredible feats, including controlling the elements or the atmospheric weather, they all have precise requirements. Someone has to have the right amount and quality of chakra, and then to compose specific signs with their hands to activate the techniques. Senjutsu is even harder because to gather natural energy it is necessary to stand perfectly still for long periods of time. However, shinjutsu is completely different because it’s an innate ability that does not require any of that. The most shocking revelation is that ninjutsu itself, the foundation of shinobi’s life, is nothing more than an attempt to reproduce phenomena similar to shinjutsu, a pale imitation of something much bigger.
While this concept can feel very offensive to shinobi who have dedicated their lives to learning ninjutsu, it does make sense, because readers already knew that chakra and ninja arts came from the Otsutsuki, and even among that powerful clan there had to be different tiers of strength. Many of the most powerful techniques shown in Naruto and Boruto were already described as “god-tier”, but the revelation that there is an actual god, and that every ninja technique is just a pale imitation of his powers, will certainly upset the shinobi world for a long time.
The latest chapter of Boruto is available through Viz Media.
