Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272

Kae Yukiwari Lives

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272 was not a particularly good episode. Not much happened, there weren’t any interesting twists, and there was no real action. But, at least we got confirmation that I was correct when I said I didn’t think Kae was dead.

You may have noticed that when Dark Hana stabbed Kae, there was no blood. We didn’t see any blood on her kunai and there were no drops of blood on the bridge. Boruto may be for kids, but it doesn’t usually shy away from showing blood in scenarios like this.

So, that was a major piece of evidence pointing toward Kae being alive. But, this makes me wonder what exactly Dark Hana did to make Kawaki think Kae was dead. We didn’t actually get to see it. It seems kind of odd that Kawaki wouldn’t have noticed something was off.

Kawaki and Himawari at the destroyed bridge from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272
Kawaki and Himawari at the destroyed bridge

Anyway, the next question was why Dark Hana would keep Kae alive. If she was the assassin the whole time, wouldn’t she have killed Kae earlier? And why would she kidnap Kae now instead of killing her when she had yet another chance? These are all good questions.

The answer came a bit later in the episode when Dark Hana told Kae she was going to use her as a hostage. Originally, Dark Hana’s mission was to assassinate Kae. But, the Land of Bamboo police arrested the minister who wanted Kae assassinated. So, the minister’s subordinates now want to use Kae to negotiate his release.

And, of course, by negotiate, I mean blackmail the royal family. Though, we should keep in mind that this doesn’t mean Kae would be set free in the end. Once the minister is free, they’d just end up killing Kae as they intended.

Tracking Hana and Kae

Once the students decided to rescue Kae, they had to find out where on the island she was. That’s easier said than done thanks to the groundwork Dark Hana put in before the kidnapping. The students can’t rely on Mimi’s dog or Neon’s drone.

However, that doesn’t mean the students are out of luck. They actually still have quite a few resources at their disposal. The best of these resources is Himawari’s Byakugan. But, unfortunately, she doesn’t have the stamina to use it effectively at the moment.

Still, we shouldn’t discount the Byakugan just because Himawari couldn’t use it here. It’s an extraordinary ability that’s also one of the most versatile around. The Byakugan is effective at offense, defense, and yes, even tracking. Think back to the original Naruto series. Hinata was a member of the tracking team because of her Byakugan.

Harika using her insects to search for Kae from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272
Harika using her insects to search for Kae

In addition to Himawari’s Byakugan, the students also have Harika’s insects. Now, Harika can’t yet use her insects to survey a large area. She can’t have them search a significant portion of the island for signs of Hana and Kae. But, she can still use them to search for clues.

And, let’s not forget that Shino was also on the tracking team with Hinata because of his insects. So, with Himawari and Harika, we have two-thirds of a tracking team. All that’s missing is Mimi with her dog. But, although Kikuchiyo is out of commission, the students have a replacement.

It turns out that Konashi’s nose is just as good as Kikuchiyo’s. At least, when it comes to sniffing out sweets. He was able to locate the trail of crumbs Kae left behind by scent. And, guess what. That makes him more useful than Sōsha and her newspaper.

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A Job for a Shinobi

My favorite part of Episode 272 was when Kawaki revealed that he’s actually a shinobi. He didn’t do it to brag and tell the students they weren’t up to the task. He did it to protect them because he knows fighting Hana will be dangerous.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that Kawaki has a lot of combat experience. Even before he was a Genin, he was fighting for his life within Kara. He knows how dangerous fighting an assassin is. And as the “adult” of the group, it’s his job to protect the students.

Also, once again, I have to bring up how I don’t understand how Kawaki’s going to “turn evil.” The person we see in Episode 1 is nothing like the person he is at this moment in time. I’m not convinced that Kodachi (and Kishimoto) planned out how Kawaki’s going to get to that point.

Kawaki telling the students he's a shinobi from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272
Kawaki telling the students he’s a shinobi

Something that surprised me was Eiki’s reaction to Kawaki revealing his forehead protector. I know that this was a serious situation. But, I would have expected Eiki to have more of a reaction considering the trouble he caused — and got into — in the past.

Kawaki revealing that he’s a shinobi would have been a great “I told you so” moment for Eiki. It wouldn’t make up for him destroying the set for the school festival play. But, it would be proof that he wasn’t making things up when he said Kawaki had a real forehead protector.

Finally, I need to mention Himawari sneaking off to help Kawaki. While I’m sure she’s going to be useful, Kawaki shouldn’t allow it. He has a duty to keep her out of harm’s way. He doesn’t need to let her play shinobi.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 272? Did you correctly predict that Kae was still alive? Do you think Himawari, Harika, and Mimi could be on a tracking team together as Genin? And how do you think Kawaki’s going to transition from hero of the children to destroyer of the Leaf Village? Let me know in the comments.

Now, I’m not saying this is going to happen in this arc. But, what if Himawari dies in the future and that’s what sets Kawaki off? They’ve become pretty close friends since Kawaki moved into the Uzumaki house.

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My review of Episode 273 is available now.

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