Boruto Uzumaki had it all, friends, family, and a village that loved him. Now, Boruto’s life has been turned upside down thanks to a powerful new Jutsu, where everyone believes Kawaki is the son of Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki, and Boruto has been branded a traitor and on the run from the village he once called home. Years later, Boruto arrives in the Hidden Leaf Village, grown-up and ready to show the world his new skills, thanks to his training with his teacher, Sasuke.

Masashi Kishimoto kicked off the second arc using a similar formula from the first Naruto series by using a time skip to show how much has changed in Boruto’s life. Eida’s Shinjutsu called Omnipotence has manipulated the memories of everyone on the planet to how the user sees fit, benefiting Kawaki, making him the Hokage’s son and Boruto an outlaw. What’s even stranger is that Sasuke’s daughter Saruda and her friend Sumire weren’t affected by this Shinjutsu, it is a strange situation but Kishimoto has been known for introducing mysterious elements early on in his work, something well-known regarding his earlier work with Naruto. It was a clever idea for Shikamaru to take the place of Naruto as Hokage, he has always had that kind of potential to become a leader due to his keen intellect and his strategic skills.

Aside from getting up to speed for those who aren’t familiar with what led up to this second part, the story is incredible so far, blending in a story that focused primarily on ninjas and bringing in more elements of Science Fiction and a space opera that adds a sense of cosmic tragedy mixed with drama. The first part laid out a familiar nostalgic tone from the early days of Naruto, but it introduced more modern elements of society and technology. Two Blue Vortex raises the stakes for Boruto by finding a way to reverse what has happened to their memories and to save his friends and village from a new threat that has the power to transform into Human God Trees.

Finally, let’s discuss the artwork. Artist Mikio Ikemoto returns to illustrate the second arc and his art continues to amaze me. With the gang making their return after the time skip, their designs are brought up to date with an intriguing sense of fashion that compliments each character’s different personality, which includes the villains such as Code, Jura, and the Claw Grime. The action scenes are drawn well, offering dynamic detail in each panel, I do enjoy how Ikemoto’s linework is always so clean and detailed.

I have never read a series with so intricate a plot! Absolutely fantastic continuation of the Naruto series.