Konohamaru Rizzes Up A Tree Lady? Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 17 Spoilers!

In the previous Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter, we learn how Boruto discovered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu by himself, creating a unique variant of it, and we see Kashin Koji advising Shikamaru to send Konohamaru, Sarada and Mitsuki to the Hidden Sand to save Gaara and Shinki while warning Shikamaru not to provoke Jura in the event he visits a library in the Leaf.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 17 is titled, “Newborn Wild Beast”

This chapter has 45 pages.

The cover page features Araya and Yodo, Shinki’s teammates.

The chapter begins with a flashback of Sumire’s words from last chapter regarding how Sarada seems to have disregarded her feelings for Boruto by hugging him when they reunited, all happening in front of Sumire.

We return to the scene with Matsuri and Ryu that have caught one of Kashin Koji’s Scientific Ninja Tool frogs.

Matsuri notes that Boruto dropped the frog here, so the pair intend to use this as a way to find Boruto.

It is noted that they are following what the “trees” are saying and considering they are partly-tree as well, its likely that the plants can communicate, at least from the perspective of the sentient Shinju.

Ryu is surprised that Matsuri acknowledged trees are in the desert but Matsuri says that there are trees everywhere, even underground.

The pair are observed by the Sand and Leaf teams, with Yodo remarking that Matsuri is a Sensory-Type, which makes them all worry that she will eventually find them here.

Sarada is still distracted by Sumire’s words from last chapter.

Yodo asks if defeating Ryu and taking his “thorn soul” will save Shinki and Konohamaru says that is the trick based on all the intel they have.

It is here that we see Sneak Peek 2, where Araya and Yodo bicker due to Yodo being overprotective of his teammate.

Yodo and Araya Bicker. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 17 Sneak Peek 2

After Konohamaru asked them to stay focused, Mitsuki remarks that he is not sure if the plan is feasible.

Suddenly, Konohamaru and the team come down and introduce themselves before the sentient God Trees

This confuses Ryu, who asks Matsuri what they should do about this situation.

Konohamaru then gets a flashback to how Shikamaru planned out everything

Shikamaru tells Konohamaru that the source of his intel is highly classified and that as Hokage, only Shikamaru gets to decide if the intel is trustworthy or not, as well as what to reveal or not to anyone without clearance.

Shikamaru explains the nature of the sentient God Trees, having specific targets (Hidari with Sarada, Matsuri with Konohamaru) but Shikamaru speculates that they are not actually evil and thus Konahamaru should “tame them like children”, to get along with them.

This is where we get the chapter title, that the Shinju are actually like babies and it is the world and the responses of other humans that teaches them what to do.

This situation reminds me of Meruem and the Chimera Ants from Hunter x Hunter, who are by nature enemies because they eat humans to evolve and thus displace the human order.

However, the Shinju are all beings who were “just born yesterday” and are trying to live with humanity.

This is an interesting approach since Ikemoto designs his antagonists to be the opposite of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto villains.

While Naruto villains are sympathetic and rational beings who have backstories to explain their actions to the audience, Boruto villains do not, precisely because Ikemoto designed Isshiki and Kara to be irrational beings that cannot be communicated with.

The sentient Shinju originally follow this mold of irrational villain but precisely because they literally lack human reason that the audience must question whether it is even right to fight against them, rather than let them live out their lives.

Innocence is a theme in anime and manga that is ripe for deconstruction, to help audiences realize that innocence is where danger is strongest, both the inability for the innocent to defend but also for innocence to make them oblivious or unaffected by their negative actions.

This is how the original Peter Pan story worked, that Peter Pan is so innocent that he is oblivious to the consequences of his immature, reckless actions that hurt others, especially his Lost Boys.

Just like Chairman Isaac Netero in Hunter x Hunter, even if the Shinju have the potential to become good, Shikamaru thinks that they cannot take this risk and must kill them before the thought of maturity ever reaches them, before they can no longer be controlled.

This makes Shikamaru move just like Danzo, both characters aiming for a preemptive defense just like how the USA launched the War on Terror after 9/11, for example.

However, Shikamaru applies a bit more self-awareness as he tells Konohamaru that these are heartless means but that the shinobi must keep their guard up against the Shinju in any unlikely event, to always be prepared for the worst.

Shikamaru acknowledges that he is not Naruto, who would be totally against such a ruthless, Danzo-like measure, but Shikamaru believes this is the only way to preserve humanity against “monsters that goes beyond common sense.”

We cut to the present where Konohamaru’s team, without the Sand duo, and the Shinju introduce each other.

Ryu notices that Matsuri has been acting strange ever since Konohamaru appeared.

Matsuri blushes around Konohamaru, which could be Moegi’s residual feelings for him at work.

Although the Shinju declare certain people their targets, half of them do so without full awareness.

Hidari lacks a sense of identity but chooses Sarada without realizing this is Sasuke being a father while Matsuri is experiencing Moegi’s hidden longing for Konohamaru.

Since the two groups share the same goal of finding Boruto (who, keep in mind, is still a rogue ninja in the eyes of the Leaf and Sand), Ryu suggests that they team up, which Matsuri, the senior of the two Shinju, agrees with.

Mitsuki sees a metal object that could be one of he weapons Boruto uses to warp around with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Konohamaru suggests that the merged groups split up and as they do, Konohamaru gets close to Matsuri.

To Konohamaru, Matsuri looks unwell and Matsuri is surprised that she cannot breathe.

Sarada tells Ryu that she found more traces of Boruto in her spot and Mitsuki tells him that they will introduce Ryu to the Sand duo.

Ryu expresses how he is glad that the Leaf Ninja are nice “just like how he has been told”.

Perhaps Jura worded it in a more “pragmatic way” but Ryu is a baby at this stage so he took it literally.

Ryu notes that Jura respects the Leaf, likely for their culture, and Sarada in particular, likely for her power and lineage.

Ryu was initially ready to kill her but remarks that it was more worthwhile to talk to her instead, which scared Sarada at first.

We return to Konohamaru, who recalls his conversation with Shikamaru from before.

Shikamaru reveals why Konohamaru was selected for the mission: because Matsuri has romantic feelings for the latter.

Konohamaru is shocked by this but Shikamaru reminds him to be heartless and to control the situation with this advantage.

In the present, Konohamaru tells Matsuri to sit down and relax but Matsuri expresses confusion, pointing out that her feelings or Moegi, her original self, is “not the real one” but Konohamaru assures her that her feelings are natural, which would make Matsuri softer around him, awkward as it is for Konohamaru himself.

Does he realize Moegi actually likes him now?

Both Sarada and Konohamaru might experience guilt betraying the innocent feelings of the two dangerous beings.

This is like Sarada and Sumire trying to befriend Eida in the previous story but the targets lack maturity.

Will the Shinju change? And if they gain their own personhood, what becomes of their original selves still trapped in trees? What a moral dilemma that the manga might not have the maturity or time to handle delicately.

Meanwhile, Boruto and Kashin Koji converse with an observing Eida, who is talking from her mansion in the Leaf, and they ask Eida to monitor the Sand situation.

Eida asks Koji about the status of Bug’s Shinju copy, Mamushi. Do recall that Mamushi is the only one of the sentient God Trees that was able to perceive Eida and declared her his prey.

Boruto confirms that Mamushi is still in the hideout (or at least he should be).

With the Leaf and Sand teams keeping Ryu and Matsuri occupied, the Shinju have all been split up.

Hidari is not mentioned here though.

Boruto asks if Konohamaru and Sarada’s teams will fail but Koji assures Boruto that it is unlikely they will fail.

Boruto is still not assured so he asks for more details.

Koji scolds Boruto, telling him that he is not acting alone and that he and Himawari should stay put or else Jura will kill Boruto for good this time.

Meanwhile the Leaf Sensory Teams detect the presence of Jura but Shikamaru tells them not to move and to ignore him.

Shikamaru also orders them not to evacuate the civilians or to touch him.

Here we have the original Sneak Peek posted last December 14, 2024, where Jura buys a book from a local bookstore.

Jura Visits the Library! Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 17 Sneak Peek!

We even see Jura…pay for the books.

The villain even promises to pay for the books in full as he has only given a downpayment.

The shopkeeper shows his appreciation, as he was told prior by the 8th Hokage.

Wow, Jura has even more manners than Isshiki.

Does Ikemoto have a thing for antagonists who have good manners?

Later, Amado gets a visit from Kawaki but then Kawaki activates his Scientific Ninaj Tool arm to restrain Amada as he forces the scientist to remove the limiters placed on Kawaki so he can gain full power.

This is an inverse of how Code threatened Amado in the previous story and is payoff from Chapter 15 of Two Blue Vortex where Boruto tells Kawaki about Amado’s secret plans for him.

All the Shinju are preoccupied, which means there is a waiting game now to determine what becomes of the future.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 18 will be released on January 21, 2025.

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