Boruto and Kawaki’s Path to Awakening Divine Powers

I finally figured out how Boruto, and surprisingly Kawaki too, got in touch with the cells of Shibai. All the mysteries can now be solved, from Boruto’s horn resembling the Ōtsutsuki God to the awakening of Shibai’s eye. As we know from Chapter 13 of Boruto Two Blue Vortex, Boruto was also modified with the cells of Shibai, but he failed to awaken the Shinjutsu.

Even though this revelation may seem irrelevant, something that connects all the dots too well happened in the past. In the fight between Boruto and Team 7, Mitsuki used his snake to absorb blood from Boruto’s body to create antibodies for his virus. He injected that blood into Boruto and Kawaki, making them immune to Boruto’s extraordinary power. With the reveal of the cyborg possessing the DNA of Shibai, it can be concluded that those divine cells were transferred to Boruto and Kawaki as well.

Mitsuki was the medium through which Shibai’s cells were implanted in Boruto. This explains many things—starting with the horn on Borushiki’s head, which debuted minutes after this incident. We discovered the truth behind Borushiki’s horn resembling Shibai instead of Momoshiki. The cells of Shibai that Mitsuki unknowingly transferred from Boruto’s body must have resonated so well with him that he appeared similar to Shibai in his Ōtsutsuki form.

I believe that once Boruto awakens the most anticipated power, the Jougan, this setup will explain how he awakened the Shinjutsu, even though he was never modified with Shinjutsu. Now, here is something even more mind-blowing: remember the resemblance between Mitsuki and Toneri and how everyone thought Orochimaru may have used cells from the Moon or the Ōtsutsuki to create Mitsuki? Even though those theories didn’t come true, we now know the reason behind Mitsuki and Toneri’s resemblance.

In the anime, Toneri was the one who made a prophecy about the Jougan’s awakening and its vital role in the distant future. Meanwhile, in the manga’s canon content, Mitsuki was the one who laid the foundation for the Jougan’s awakening by implanting Boruto with Shibai’s cells, which he took from Boruto. This means Mitsuki indirectly saved the world and is unaware of it.

But we shouldn’t forget that even Kawaki was given the DNA of Boruto, meaning he could also tap into the Shinjutsu of Shibai. So, maybe the “bad” Kawaki from the future could transcend his limits thanks to the cells of Shibai that Mitsuki implanted in him. The greater good, however, was done to Boruto, who will sooner or later awaken the power of the Jouganthe dōjutsu that he used to fight Kawaki when everything started to fall apart.

Suppose you’ve been a long-term reader of my website. In that case, you might know that Boruto’s legacy was inspired by Kakuro, a famous warrior from Japanese history who lost one of his eyes during the Great Gosan’an War but continued to fight. After thinking about it for a while, I believe that the timing of Boruto’s Jougan awakening has been cleverly foreshadowed. They first introduced a superhero in the story named Kagemasa, then revealed that the real-life legend of this name shared many similarities with Boruto.

The most significant detail is that Kagemasa was 60 years old when he lost one of his eyes in the war. Boruto is currently 15 years old, which means he could awaken the Jougan at age 16, around the time of the future destruction. The Kawaki fight seems to be at least a year away, and considering the Kagemasa foreshadowing, Boruto would fight his biggest battle at age 16, where he would have to give his best—hence why he is seen with the Jougan in the future sequence.

Here’s where things get interesting: it has been over a year since Two Blue Vortex started, and surprisingly, all the manga events since then have taken place on the same day. Everything—from Code’s attack, Boruto’s return, the Shinju’s attack, and the recent tragedy—happened on the same day. There is still a long way to go for the story to cover a full year of events. We may not reach the point of Konoha’s destruction anytime soon, as there is a lot more to unfold, much of it unpredictable. A mini time-skip is also plausible, considering how far we are from the prologue sequence.

Now, let’s talk about the benevolence of Shibai Ōtsutsuki and why he’s protecting Boruto by divinely intervening in his life. I think Shibai may be aware of all the people who possess his DNA, and since Boruto’s purpose is to save his planet, Shibai gives him a plot-armour-like power-up, intervening in his destiny to prevent his death. But this intervention only guarantees Boruto’s safety, not that of his allies. Boruto will likely remain alive until the very end of the story. It’s even possible that everyone else could die, leaving him as the last person alive, where he might meet the one who gave him the godly eye. However, predicting that is just headcanon at this point.

Let’s focus on what matters: how will the cells of Shibai shape the destiny of Boruto and Kawaki? Considering the Jougan is a Shinjutsu (since the Sharingan also falls under the same category), Kawaki is bound to unlock some divine ability from Shibai Ōtsutsuki. But the question remains: what could it be? In a recent blog, I discussed the possibility of the Kokugan belonging to Shibai and Jigen modifying himself with those cells to unlock its powers.

But assuming Amado’s take on the backstory of Kaguya and Isshiki was accurate, it would make sense for Kawaki to have obtained his Kokugan from Shibai Ōtsutsuki, likely through Isshiki, since he was modified with his Kama. This means another divine ability from Shibai is about to be unlocked by Kawaki. Even if the Kokugan is an outcome of Shibai’s cells—whether implanted by Mitsuki or Amado—it would explain how Kawaki can use this dōjutsu independently of the Karma seal, unlike Boruto, who activates his Karma whenever his Byakugan manifests.

Kawaki can unlock more of Shibai’s powers. Shibai was able to unlock multiple abilities, so the same could happen with Kawaki. The Kokugan could be his visual power, while another ability might manifest without dōjutsu. Additionally, suppose Amado implanted Shibai’s cells in Kawaki as part of the Kara operation. In that case, Mitsuki’s snake might have doubled down on the cells in him, increasing the likelihood of Kawaki awakening something big.

A fun fact about Isshiki is that he was close to achieving divinity, and the Kokugan might be an eye Ōtsutsuki unlocks when they are near godhood. Shibai had it, too, which is why this speculation makes so much sense. Kawaki receives divine cells more than once, and the Ōtsutsuki, who gave him Karma, being close to godhood, hints at him unlocking more divine powers.

This explains Isshiki’s desperation to be revived and how he spent centuries in patience for this endeavour. Kawaki’s journey, however, may not involve patience but rather a series of self-realization. An emotional outburst has triggered every on-screen Shinjutsu awakening. For Kashin Koji, it was the realization that his role was over. For Eida, it was her desperate need to help Kawaki. When Kawaki undergoes a similar feeling, he will likely awaken a new Shinjutsu. He’s already been in a similar situation, where he regained the Karma seal, so something similar happening again is not out of the question.

For many reasons, it’s clear that Kawaki will go through self-realization sooner or later, mainly because of the powerlessness that has kept him from protecting the Leaf and the Hokage. Just like last time, when Kawaki’s awakening of Karma saved Naruto’s life, the awakening of his new Shinjutsu will save him from falling into the trap of worthlessness.

You may have noticed the outfit change Kawaki underwent in the flash-forward. This new dress code is full of symbolic meanings many might not have picked up on. Firstly, his present attire, which was foreshadowed in the very first cover of the story, doesn’t necessarily symbolize much about his character. It reflects his life as a fortunate child, unbothered by anything as long as the people he loves are safe.

In the first chapter of Two Blue Vortex, he is shown calmly gazing at Naruto and Hinata’s bodies in his timeless dimension. This gesture symbolizes his satisfaction in knowing his most precious people are safe, even though the village is in trouble.

In Chapter 6 of the manga, he was caught off guard by Daemon’s theory about him being exposed by the Shinju while they were searching for Naruto. Though that didn’t happen, it must have left a mark on Kawaki’s heart. He must be doubting.

 His power and the possibility of losing to these new enemies must haunt him every night. That’s how his long-awaited character development will begin. He will obtain a new outfit that he chooses himself to match his purpose and ideology.

Right now, his clothes may be chosen by Eida, but sooner or later, he will follow in the footsteps of a stubborn Mugino, whom he used to hate the most. As they say, “You become what you hate.” Kawaki’s future outfit, symbolizing Jigen’s attire, shows where he’s destined to end up. Just like Jigen went to any lengths to achieve his goals, his vessel will follow a similar path with like-minded ideologies.

When Kawaki thought the shinobi world was unsuitable for his beloved Hokage, he set out to destroy it. But looking at the power difference between him and Boruto at present, those realizations likely not only changed his outfit to resemble Jigen’s but also awakened a new Shinjutsu that amplified his power. This new omnipotent ability, which I believe Kawaki could reveal, must be the creative force of cosmic order.

In a symbolic sense, the wheel represents cosmic law and order, which underpins existence. By turning the wheel, the Buddha set a new era of spiritual awakening and understanding in motion. Kawaki gaining the Shinjutsu to physically change the state of the shinobi world—a power attributed to the divine—is a huge possibility.

Please find out how Boruto awakens his Shinjutsu.