5 Point Discussions – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 74: “The Enemy, Ino-Shika-Cho!”

Team 7 comes up against Team 10, who’s adamant to bring them back to Konoha Village! Will Boruto and Sarada’s journey end before it’s even begun? Remember, if you like this article and 5 Point Discussions, please share it on Facebook or Twitter! It really helps. And if you’ve got any comments or questions, please hit me up @SageShinigami.

1. Realistically, this was probably the worst case scenario Team 7 could’ve dealt with.  At least, assuming since it’s the Hokage’s son they weren’t going to send like, an Anbu squadron or something. It’s bad enough having to deal with a complete squad and their jonin while they’re down to less than half strength. It’s worse when the team sent after them has the best teamwork of all the other genin squadrons.
Boruto and Shikadai briefly talk it out, with Boruto trying to convince Shikadai to let him find Mitsuki…but Shikadai isn’t really having it. The both of them have been marked for desertion after leaving the village while it was on maximum security, and they currently offer the duo’s best hope for being brought back without suffering harm. Of course, there’s no way things come to an end so quickly, and so we get one of our three battles of the episode.  Boruto and Sarada actually hold their own a lot better than I would’ve expected–with Sarada fighting off Moegi using her Sharingan, while Boruto fends off the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Still, they’re outnumbered two to one, so it’s not a surprise when the two of them beat a hasty retreat.

2. In case anyone thought it was an accident Team 10 was organized to go after Boruto and Sarada, Shikamaru dispels that notion this episode. After his wife Temari points out how difficult it is for friends to fight one another, Shikamaru note that’s basically the point. Logically, both sides would hold back to avoid inflicting any real harm, but since Shikadai had the full support of his teammates and boss, it was meant to result in an easy win. This was a brief part of the episode but it still felt important, as it showed how much Shikamaru trusts his son and his ability to think tactically.

3. Despite Moegi technically being the “head” of Team 10, Shikadai has somehow become the defacto leader. You could argue that’s only happening for this mission because who could know Boruto better than Shikadai, but it seems more likely Moegi has the maturity to recognize Shikadai’s tactical abilities as a member of the Nara family, and that it’d be stupid not to use them. Plus, since she’s leading a trio that’s been around in some form for generations, it’s probably best not to mess up the team’s chemistry and let one of the trio lead the rest.  It’s still funny to watch though, as she’s basically taking orders from her subordinate…and even funnier is he winds up being right, using his intimate knowledge of Boruto’s usual strategems to both track him easily and shut him down in battle.

4. A team up feels like the only logical conclusion that could’ve come from this episode. After a second encounter with Team 10 that ends even worse than their first, for a moment it looks like Boruto and Sarada’s journey to find Mitsuki is over. They’re only saved when Shikadai notices the snake Mitsuki left behind to leave Boruto a message. With this, he realizes there’s a good chance there’s more to the situation with Mitsuki than meets the eye, and decides he’s interested enough in the mystery of what’s happened to start working alongside Team 7. Since Cho-Cho didn’t want to fight her best friend Sarada anyway, she joins them as well, and Inojin comes along to complete the Ino-Shika-Cho team…and avoid getting yelled at by Moegi.
This is about the best Boruto and Sarada both could’ve hoped for–with neither Mitsuki or Konohamaru by their side they were extremely ill-equipped to keep pushing forward in this journey. At the same time, this series’ willingness to pull away from the three-member team structure that was common for much of Naruto feels like a major plus. Generally in the original series it was mostly about Team 7…and who wanted to fight them. Here the show benefits from the ability to shake up what we’re used to, fleshing out characters we otherwise wouldn’t see much of.

5. Speaking of Moegi, everyone involved gets lucky she gets pulled away very early on. She’s present for the first encounter, but she’s forced to split away from the team when the group spots two pair of Boruto and Sarada heading in different directions. She unfortunately tracks down the clones, but before she can join back up with her squad she gets distracted by a hooded Suigetsu. The two battle just long enough for Shikadai to change his mind, leaving Moegi returning to an apology letter from her team. Man, how’s she avoid getting fired for this?
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.