One of the most impactful emotional confrontations in the Naruto franchise was easily the climactic showdown between Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. It was perhaps the earliest foreshadowed fight, given Sasuke’s introduction heavily featured his desire to track down and kill the brother who massacred his clan. It’s a truly irreplaceable fight, and in the case of Naruto’s sequel, this fact remains unchanged, although a new spin on the fated battle between brothers.

In the case of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, while Sarada Uchiha is obviously an only child, she may still get her chance to clash with one bearing the chakra and gifts of the Uchiha clan’s strongest man. It’s not to say that Sarada is ever intended to fight Sasuke, but given the Divine Tree menace only narrowly stopped from overwhelming and massacring Konoha’s finest, it’s only a matter of time before she fights a certain other Shinju bearing her father’s chakra template. But while he may bear Sasuke’s raw power and techniques, this battle is likely not even intended to match the great Naruto fight, and for a pretty simple reason.

The Sasuke vs. Itachi Fight’s Successor Will Not Match the Original

The Divine Tree Hidari is hardly the most intense adversary of Boruto’s new villain group, making his eventual, necessary defeat to hardly feel like the complicated emotional roller coaster of Sasuke’s final battle with Itachi. Despite bearing Sasuke’s chakra, Hidari is hardly the same individual, instead being a relative extreme of his emotions, similarly to Matsuri’s acute romantic attachment to Konohamaru, or Mamushi’s unhinged attempt to consume his target, Eida. Hidari seems to take on Sasuke’s moodier qualities, while also being possibly faster than the iconic Uchiha and more durable, but lacking his honed abilities and specific Kekkei Genkai.

Hidari lacks Sasuke’s finesse with his jutsu, and perhaps most crucially, he doesn’t seem to have access to the Sharingan. While this isn’t exactly a dealbreaker, given Hidari innately has the Rinnegan and, again, access to some truly powerful ninjutsu and nature release, if anything, it could place him on unequal footing with Sarada. Given her recent awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan with deadly effect in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #20, Sarada is currently positioned to mop the floor with Hidari, making the comparison seem almost like an inverted version of the classic Naruto battle, with Sarada bearing almost Itachi-level advantages.

But beyond the technical aspects of powers available, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex still has the potential to reveal new unique abilities of Hidari’s. It’s unlikely, for instance, that his bodily transformations like blade arms from chapter #4 are the only skills in his arsenal, but for now, there’s not that same level of anticipation built over years. While fans have known for two years that Sarada is the perfect opponent for Hidari, this matchup has hardly exuded the same hatred Sasuke bore for Itachi which pushed him along in his earliest days of the series. However, in the defense of Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto, this could also be reasonably assumed as intentional.

Sarada’s Fight with Hidari Simply Has Different Stakes

While it’s easy sometimes to linger on the fact that the Boruto manga insistently reminded readers in its premiere that it’s the story of Boruto, not Naruto, the same can be said about Sarada’s journey and her next fated opponent. Defeating Hidari isn’t some sort of twisted goal of cathartic vengeance against someone she doesn’t truly understand; Sarada is a different person than her father, bearing wisdom and self-awareness which, while occasionally holding her back, prevents being consumed with hatred of her enemies. To Sarada, defeating Hidari is the direct path to saving Sasuke, and losing to him means the Divine Tree potentially evolving, awakening Sasuke and Sarada’s strongest characteristics, and becoming a true monster.

Sasuke has been out of commission for the entire story of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex up until this point, trapped in a tree much like the newly-freed Shinki, Moegi, and now possibly Bug in chapter #34. Freeing Sasuke means increasing the odds of restoring Boruto’s name, an absolutely crucial mission for Sarada ever since the Omnipotence Arc. He’s also, obviously, a massive potential ally to Konoha in bringing the fight to Jura. Given he’s now the only active Divine Tree aside from Jura, unless Mamushi’s Thorn Soul Bulb is recovered, Hidari stands in the way of Konoha’s biggest potential win since the start of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.

Boruto’s Spin on Sasuke vs. Itachi Will Be Glorious Nonetheless

While Sarada is unlikely to take on Hidari alone, the anime’s confirmed development for Part 2, alongside Studio Pierrot’s commitment to higher-quality seasonal installments, means this fight, and likely all other Boruto battles ahead, will be truly stunning to behold. This isn’t to say the animation quality of Naruto: Shippuden’s fights, including Sasuke vs. Itachi, and indeed, many of the other, far more mesmerizing fights of the series aren’t still gorgeous. Rather, there is simply far greater potential for visual polish to each of the upcoming fights in the next anime for Naruto’s franchise.

Looking at the output of the Naruto studio lately, with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Black Clover, and the continuously excellent Kingdom, the studio’s matured production model is clearly benefiting from more modest seasonal releases. While this certainly means fewer episodes overall, it also means no frustrating Boruto filler in the near future, and more time strictly dedicated to the crucial story, and fleshing out the rest to make Boruto’s world feel more alive. Sarada Uchiha has become a fairly magnificent character to follow since the time-skip, her Ohirume moment being one of the most visually striking displays of awesome, uninhibited might across the Boruto manga overall.

Given Hidari’s innate speed and unusual physical abilities, alongside classic skills like the Chidori matched up against Sarada’s own use of her father’s techniques including Fire and Lightning Release, it’s sure to be a colorful and kinetic fight ahead. While clearly risking greater injury to her eyes from overreliance on the Mangekyo Sharingan, it’s hard to imagine the Ohirume technique not featuring, especially should Sarada find a way to develop the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. But with both eyes awakened, Sarada could even awaken a true armored Uchiha classic in future Boruto: Two Blue Vortex installments, which would easily be the next-most anticipated moment for longtime Naruto fans.

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  First Film

  Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

  Latest Film

  Boruto: Naruto the Movie

  First TV Show

  Naruto

  Latest TV Show

  Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

  First Episode Air Date

  
  October 3, 2002
  

  Cast

  Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei

  Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists’ children and returning faces.

  
  

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  Writer

  Masashi Kishimoto

  Writers

  Masashi Kishimoto

  Penciler(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Inker(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Colorist(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Publisher(s)

  Viz Media

  Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.