Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 30 Review

Cover

Ikemoto continues with his pattern of putting the Shinju (with the sole exception of Matsuri) on a black background, corresponding to their abilities. For Jura, we had text, Hidari lightening, Ryu with his iron sand. Mamushi's background is fascinating in that it's a blur of all the other original Shinju colors, the yellow, green, and pink swirling behind him, a representation of his will to see all of the Shinju evolve through his consumption of Eida. It's noteworthy that the two colors that comprise the title are of the two other remaining Shinju, Hidari and Jura.

Mamushi is by far the most outwardly monstrous of all the Shinju. His legs jut out like one of Koji's toads, his grotesque feet lacking any sort of fashionable aesthetic. The long flowing garment with its furry top barely obscures the swimsuit-like covering beneath it, only covering the barest of essentials (that is, if a sentient tree humanoid would have said essentials in the first place). There's something to his manner of dress that's reminiscent of a creepy boss on a work trip calling you to his hotel room while wearing only his robe, covering everything while somehow menacingly hinting about what lies beneath it.

While the other Shinju are replications of beautiful people (and one Ten-Tails who apparently was the Cillian Murphy of the Otsutsuki seed catalogue), Mamushi maintained the grotesque parts of Bug's appearance including his bald head, beard, and neglected dental care. Even though he's taller than real Bug has been, Mamushi often chooses to squat when not moving, taking him back down to his originator's diminutive size. In this character, Ikemoto has gathered so many physical characteristics that are associated with insecure masculinity, shortness, baldness, unkempt facial hair. While he's muscular compared to Bug, his form pales when put up against Hidari, Jura, or Ryu (RIS--Rest In Shinki). There's no low-hanging pants displaying washboard abs, no hands that the book girlies would write home about of a tree could get around to wearing a dress shirt for the sole purpose of rolling up the cuffs.

This monstrous appearance is amplified by his ability to replicate, which we see on the cover, one monster becoming many. As I've said in other posts, there's something about Mamushi that feels like a troll army arriving in your comments, the more that appear, the stupider they become. He's the embodiment of mob mentality, driven (in this case) by a desire to find and consume a beautiful girl, controlling her abilities and body, making them his own.

The title made me smile—All Them Nuisances. I think we're supposed to read it in Bug's uneducated parlance, he speaking through the page to refer to the humans the chapter addresses. But those humans are dealing with their own nuisances as well, which we'll soon discuss.

Daddy's Little Girl

The chapter opens after ChoCho has just squished a handful of Mamushi like fleas. Unforunately, similar to fleas, these Shinju also appear pretty resistant to being squashed. To defend the members of Team 10 who are with her, Hima immediately activates her Kurama abilities, forming a beast bomb capable of destroying the village block all around them. ChoCho is quick to point out that this is a terrible idea and, thanks to some quick thinking by Shikadai, disaster is averted and the Mamushi who they were attacking are defeated.

I want to take a moment here to pause on Himawari's unwise choice to deploy the nuclear option within Konoha. I think what occurs makes logical sense. First, we know that she has to tap into her emotions to activate Kurama. It took her seeing Inojin (almost) die for her to use his abilities the first time. Here, she's finding herself in a similar situation, facing down a Shinju who is about to attack the team who took her under their wing yet again. She knows their power, having had first-hand experience eating dirt when she went up against Jura. She's relying on the thing she knows how to do, utilizing brute strength to get the job done.

I think this is also a good place to recognize the position in which Hima finds herself: unlike Naruto, she hasn't had mentors to help her control her emotions or any deceased family members hanging out inside her head, giving her advice on how to utilize him. There's no measured Kakashi, no restraining Captain Yamato, no rapping Killer Bee. Just as she's been living on her own, she's been dealing with her powers on her own, the only individual giving her guidance a contrary fox who seems to take a sink-or-swim approach to her education. While Team 10 has taken her under their wing, she has no official sensei like Konohamaru or Moegi, no authoritative voice of reason. Similar to Kawaki and Boruto, she finds herself with tremendous power, power great enough that she has to defend the older people who should have been the ones protecting her. And like her older brothers, she jumps in to protect them without thinking too much. Afterall, Kawaki did get his arm blown off to save her, Boruto did put himself in front of a decimating blast to protect Konohamaru and his teammates. These huge, occasionally unwise, shows of strength are their family thing.

And she doesn't get off scot-free, either. Shikadai gives both her and readers a warning, a glimpse into a possible future: "Sorry's not good enough. We're not always gonna be around to support you. And there's no taking back something like that."

This isn't just a warning about her village-destroying abilities, but about her own behavior as well. If she gets separated from older, more experienced people, they're not going to be able to save her if she gets herself in too deep.

Big Trouble in Little Konoha

Back in the interrogation room, Sai informs Kobu that the village has been invaded by both Mamushi and Boruto, suggesting that the Daimyo's representative move his pompous ass to a safer location during the battle. Oh, incalculable risk from the Shinju? Consider me unbothered is his response.

Despite the greatest efforts from the members of Shikamaru's secret ops, their individual elimination strategy seems to be failing as the number of Mamushi roaming Konoha's streets near the hundreds. Sarada in Sector B North, with Delta as support (because all the other members of Team 7 are stuck with Kobu), witnesses a swarm of them roaming into her area. She's ready to take them on, but Shikamaru robs us of seeing her chidori their asses, telling everyone they're about to change strategies. Unless confronted, the Mamushi hoard appear to be only interested in finding Eida (and harassing a single woman, as seen below)

Ikemoto once again employs the oft-used plot device (maybe a little too oft-used at this point) of interrupting the conversation right when it's getting to the important part when Lord Kobu summons Shikamaru to his interrogation marathon.

Shikamaru: Uh... I'm kinda in the middle of something

Kobu: I, too, am in the middle of something—your interrogation.

Shikamaru: Yeah, this isn't really a good time.

Kobu: Both your time and the villages will be much worse if you don't get your ass in front of me ASAP.

As if that wasn't enough, the cops finally catch up with Boruto, catching him in the middle of trying to figure out why the ops's commander seems distracted. Their "I got him!" lasts about five seconds when the one who trapped him picks up Boruto's upgraded lowjacked sword and immediate drops it, allowing Boruto to use his Flying Raijin jutsu to teleport it. Before flying away, he suggests that the shinobi stay away from Mamushi because he's talented enough that it'd be a shame to see him die.

After one last status update, Shikamaru informs the team he's going to be AFK for a bit while he speaks with Kobu, giving Inojin the choice of relaying information to him verbally or taking over running the mission himself (something our young blond Yamanaka might regret not doing in a few minutes). While everyone else is still connected by Mind Transfer jutsu, Koji pulls a "here, take this toad with you" to Shikamaru, which leave Boruto pensively side-eyeing the viewer.

A Conspiracy of Two

As soon as Shikamaru is gone, Koji tells Inojin to release the Mind Transmission Formation because he needs to employ another jutsu.

Kobu is turning up the heat on Shikamaru. You have to give it to the guy, he is right about what's going on in Konoha. There's a vast conspiracy, starting in the Hokage's Office, to aid the traitor who is responsible for the disappearance of Lord Seventh, Naruto Uzumaki. Under Omnipotence, it really, really, really isn't a good look. Just as he's about to put the thumbscrews to our interim Hokage, Shikadai performs a Mind Transfer jutsu via Koji's toad, taking over the chamberlain's mind, a ploy that might have been slightly more successful if Inojin didn't yell "DAD!" through Kobu's mouth the moment Sai tried to rouse him. (Man, shinobi kids these days...)

Inojin tries to cover it up... not particularly effectively, then acts as though Lord Kobu was simply overcome by interrogating Konohamaru and Mitsuki, needing a breath of fresh air... alone... with no guards... just him... the outdoors... and the battle raging outside.

Inojin: Uh... Isn't this kind of dangerous?

Koji: Yes, exactly! You catch on fast!

While Inojin takes Kobu's body on his danger stroll, Shikamaru tries to get back to coordinating the battle, but is stopped by Sai who immediately recognized his son's ability in the other man's eyes and needs to know that the Hokage has gotten Inojin into. (Way to piss off the head of your elite special forces while running a second elite special force under his nose without notifying him about it.)

Inojin: Ah, you're right. The air is nice all the way up here.

Koji: Yes, now could you do a little jumpy-jumpy for me?

Inojin: What?

Koji: You know, bungee jump without the bungee? It's not like anyone is gonna miss this guy and his dumb haircut.

Inojin: Hey, I have a dumb haircut, too, damn it!

Instead of pulling out the dictionary and explaining to the younger ninja that shinobi really are supposed to do sneaky, subterfugey, covert things like killing public officials, Koji takes matters into his own hands once a Mamushi shows up and asks for Eida, blasting it with an attack from the toad who'd relocated itself to Kobu/Inojin's shoulder. Thus antagonized, a sextet of Mamushi prepare to attack as the chapter ends.

Conclusions, Thoughts, and Questions

Holy cliffhangers, batman!

• While killing Kobu solves the current obstacle in the middle of their battle, there's the potential for it to cause additional trouble in the future, both between the daimyo and the village and within Hokage Tower as well. Not to mention that Boruto doesn't seem particularly pleased with it, either.
• Kobu could die next chapter, or he could be saved. Maybe by Sai, not wanting his son tied up in manipulating a public official. Maybe by Boruto, not wanting another member of his Academy class to carry the same weight he has on his shoulders after Yodo's death.
• Going back through Inojin's interactions with Koji, it seems as though he's been grooming him for this moment, treating him well, letting him in on little secrets, seeming like the adult in the room when compared to Boruto's petulance. But, if he can act, I'm not sure if Boruto would let someone else put themselves in the position he's been in throughout this story.
• If Boruto does save Kobu, that opens up an entire other can of worms of Kobu's death was key for securing the best possible future. Though it could also be that Shikamaru being in charge for this battle is the important part, and Koji is simply clearing one opposing game piece off the board.
• Konohamaru and Mitsuki appear absent by the time Shikamaru arrives to meet with Kobu, so I hope they're on their way to support Sarada.
• I am sad we missed out on the opportunity to see Boruto interact with Hima and Team 10.
• Being that both Amado and Sumire were read into the special op and are probably watching the proceeding invasion through Eida's eyes, I'm assuming that sooner or later we'll get a flash to them.
• On the subject of people who aren't in the secret op, I wonder what the fallout is going to be between Sai and Shikamaru. When he tried to conclude Kobu's interviews early, I thought Sai had figured out that something was going on and was on Shikamaru's side, but I'm not sure if that'll hold up now that his son is involved.
• The Volume 7 cover properly teased me before showing me a chapter with no Kawaki. *smiling tear emoji here*
• I feel similarly now as I did mid-battle during the Sand Arc. Lots of cool things are happening, but every chapter leaves me hungry for more rather than feeding that ache for speculation and theories that dwells in my soul. However, this is gonna be a banger of an arc to binge read.
• At this point, I don't think we're going to get Mamushi confronting Eida until Chapter 32 or 33. There are too many things in action right now, even if we know from Koji's visions that this will result in a Daemon-Mamushi conflict. We need to resolve the assassination (for now, attempted assassination), Sai's confrontation with Shikamaru, the next phase of their attack plan. I expect us to see more from the greater cast of characters before the danger closes in on Mamushi's target. I'm guessing this battle is going to be at least two volumes long.

That's it! Happy Boruto Tuesday! Same time, same place, next month on the 19th!

(Hopefully, I'll have at least one fun blog dropping for you between now and then.)