The Promise of Hidari

As the second arc of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex (TBV) ends, the full picture of the role the Shinju will play is finally coming into focus. The arcs of Matsrui and Ryu both explored different types of love. Matsuri, and her human counterpart Moegi, delved into the dangers of undisclosed romantic love for both her and her target, Konohamaru. Jealousy, confusion, possessiveness, and hesitation all played a role in Matsuri's failed attempt to consume Konohamaru and his failed attempts to destroy her.

Ryu's time in TBV was shorter, but no less significant. Shinki sacrificed himself his life against his father's wishes to protect his father rather than believing in his teammates the way Gaara did, who placed his faith in the importance of the promise of the old generation rather than the old. The Shinju that mirrored his human self also venerated his elders, but when he teamed up with Sarada and Mitsuki, he began acting like a kid, wanting to fit in. But we soon learn that his behavior was exactly that—an act. Just like Shinki, he has no faith in his teammates and dies because he underestimates them.

However, the humans in TBV follow a path that is counter to the one the Shinju are on, forced to follow by the weaknesses of their counterparts. Whereas Matsuri and Konohamaru were mired in confusion about their feelings for one another, Sarada finds power and resolve through clarity, finally willing to admit to both herself and Sumire that she has feelings for Boruto. Unlike Matsuri's conflict with Moegi over Konohamaru's feelings for her, Sarada and Sumire find peace with each other in honesty.

While Shinki underestimated his teammates, putting his faith only in his father, it's the younger generation who is able to save both him and Gaara. He infused Araya's blade with his chakra, allowing him to be able to manipulate iron sand to some extent, a measure he took to help them "protect father better." He wasn't thinking of his teammates at the time, but in their battle, we can clearly see that his teammates have always been thinking of each other, Araya protecting Yodo, Yodo protecting Shinki, and Shinki thinking only of his father. But through their resolve and sacrifice, they're able to set the stage for Ryu's death and Shinki's freedom.

At present, the remaining Shinju are: Jura, who seeks to understand love itself through consuming Naruto; Mamushi, an obsessive stalker who is determined to give Eida a taste of her own medicine; Hidari, Sasuke's counterpart who is determined to consume is own daughter. While each has their own potential for riveting story arcs, Hidari holds a unique promise for long-time fans of the series.

What Are We?

When the Shinju are first introduced in chapter 4 of TBV, Hidari is the only one who doesn't speak. In fact, the first words only come after Jura declares that each of them should follow their instincts and announce a target they want to consume. Hidari responds: I have just one question. What exactly are we?

Jura responds that his questions are "growing pains, which arise from the manifestation of your ego." However, Hidari stays silent, leading Jura to tell him, "[Your target] will lead to the formation of your identity." Yet again, Hidari fails to respond, letting Mamushi declare his target instead.

Why was Hidari silent? Because Jura was answering the wrong question. Hidari did not ask, "Who am I?" Instead, he asked, "What are we?" referring to the Shinju as a collective group, not himself as an individual. While the other Shinju are seeking to understand themselves each individually, Hidari struggles with this idea because his concerns are about the collective and their relationships to one another.

Jura, earlier in the conversation, already explained what they are "biologically speaking"—a divine tree that maintains a single existence while splitting into multiple parts, each with their own consciousness. Thus, Hidari isn't inquiring into his individual nature or their biological nature; he's asking what they are to one another. Thus, he reflects on his own nature, seeking the answer to the question that plagues him and coming up with the answer that his target is Sarada, the person who can inform him about family.

Who Are You?

Hidari's name means left in Japanese, referring to the arm Sasuke lost in his battle with Naruto. Hidari is Sasuke physically whole but empty of all the attachments he formed. In losing that fight and conceding to Naruto, he was able to regain his clan through Sarada, return to his village, support his friend, reunite with Sakura. Hidari is a distinct individual from Sasuke, exemplified by his personality traits. During Boruto's training with his master, he tells Sasuke not to joke and Sasuke responds that he never jokes, yet Hidari is full of deadpan humor, much to Jura's amusement.

In Hidari's first encounter with Sarada in TBV, we see their encounter in Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (Scarlet Spring) turned on its head. In Scarlet Spring, Sasuke doesn't recognize Sarada and assumes she's an enemy imposter, thrusting his sword into the wall, hand raised as though he's about to attack her with Chidori. The moment he realizes who she his, his stance softens, his hand reaching out before he pulls back. In TBV, Hidari, the imposter, immediately recognizes who Sarada is and raises his hand to attack her because of her identity, not hesitating as he has no memory of who she is to him.

Upon seeing Hidari use Chidori, Sarada recognizes it as a jutsu that belongs to her and her father, an ability passed down through time spent together rather than biology and asks, "Who are you?". But Hidari looks at Sarada and focuses on her eyes, seeing only their biological connection rather than their past.

Hidari turns Sarada question back on her. "Who am I? I'm trying to figure that out. That's why I came to Konoha... I have no idea who I am. But somehow, the one thing I did know from the get-go is you, Uchiha Sarada. So I ask you, who are you? And what will I gain if I devour you?"

What Will I Gain?

Hidari is on a quest to understand who he is in relations to others. When Jura couldn't give him a satisfactory answer, he looks inwardly and finds Sarada, his closest family member. In devouring her, he won't just receive information about his own identity. He'll be consuming the culmination of the entire Uchiha clan by eating the only existing biological member left of their family.

The pattern we've seen thus far in TBV is humans being confronted with their own weaknesses and ignorance though the Shinju, Konohamaru's repressed feelings for Moegi, the neglect Shinki exhibited toward Araya and Yodo. We're already getting hints of what the dynamic between Mamushi and Eida will be, an all-seeing, all-knowing girl who no one can harm out of love for her being targeted by a monster who can breakdown all her defenses, fueled by Bug's complex feelings of both hatred and enchantment with her.

The dynamic between Hidari and Sarada is the perfect setup to continue this plot structure, Hidari's questions about his own identity forcing Sarada to confront her family's past. From Koji's visions of a changed future, we know that their coming confrontation will replay parts of the final battle between Itachi and Sasuke. It's not a question of whether Sarada will learn more about her place in the Uchiha clan through Hidari targeting her but what form will this exploration take? Will it force her to confront her family's past, her feelings toward her father and mother in the present, or what she hopes the Uchiha clan to be in the future once she's the only remaining member?

While Boruto is Sasuke's number-one student, Sarada is his only daughter. While it's likely they'll work together to free him—because only Boruto and Koji know where Sasuke's tree is located—it seems clear from how TBV has been using the Shinju to further character development that the coming Hidari arc will focus on Sarada and her family, forcing her to ask the same questions of her identity that Hidari is asking as well.