The new Boruto manga has been a bit lackluster to say the least. It had a lot of promise but the story of the monthly manga repeats the Boruto movie almost to a T.
However, Chapter 3 goes in depth with some of the newer ninja and we get closer to the end of this f irst arc .
SPOILER ALERT! If you don’t want to read what happens in Chapter 3 of the Boruto manga, turn back now.
Chapter 3 begins with Kankurou and Gaara on a train to Konoha. Kankurou tells three young ninja if they are ready for the upcoming Chunin Exams.
There’s a masked genin who is quick to answer, a kunoichi who ignores Kankuro and just sings to herself and a cloaked boy with face markings who just stays silent.
This boy’s name is Shinki and It’s revealed that he is Gaara’s son. Gaara tells him that they shouldn’t worry about him but to worry about their rivals from the other villages. Shinki says they will be no problem.
In Konoha, we see a boy who looks like Rock Lee doing one-armed push ups as he talks to himself. He says that he can’t get nervous or all his training would be for naught.
Boruto and Sasuke are next as Sasuke applauds Boruto on being able to bend the shuriken. Sasuke then asks for the young man to hit the third target while bending it around the final tree. Boruto asks how could he possibly do that and Sasuke easily throws two shuriken and has them ricochet off each other to hit their targets.
Sasuke goes on to say that there are many other ways to do things and that Boruto needs to learn to think on his own and not ask for help all the time. Boruto says he knows, with a scowl and we next see him in his room.
Boruto opens the desk to see the ninjutsu machine given to him by the scientist in Chapter 2. Boruto looks at it and thinks to what the scientist told him, but he doesn’t look confident about using it.
The next day, the Chunin exams begin as all the participants gather in Konoha for the first exam.
Sai is the proctor and asks a true or false question with each team going to either the true or false side of an area. The question is from Volume 5 of a book. Sarada says she only read up to Volume 4 so she asks Boruto, which answer would Sasuke choose and she will choose the opposite because she wants to become Hokage.
Boruto says Sasuke would choose False so the team goes to the True side.
Once everyone has decided, the proctor says that the side with the wrong answer will become pitch black and eliminated.
It’s revealed that both answers were wrong and the ground beneath both sides crumbles. The ninja fall into the pits with a black tar at the bottom of it.
Shinki uses his sand jutsu to save him and his teammates. Boruto begins to panic when Sarada uses her kunai to grab Boruto as Mitsuki stretches his arms to grab the ledge.
Shikadai’s team also survives thanks to his Shadow Possession Jutsu.
Once everyone is out of the pits, Sai explains that those who merely accepted failure/defeat don’t deserve to be Chunin and that’s why they are eliminated.
Back in Naruto’s office, Shikamaru informs the Hokage that Boruto and his team passed the first test and Naruto doesn’t seem too interested. Shikamaru asks if there is still problems in his family and Naruto tells him to shut up. Shikamaru admits he shouldn’t be talking about this sort of thing but tells the Hokage that maybe he should talk to Boruto.
In Boruto’s room, Boruto lies down on his bed looking at the device when he gets an email. It’s from Naruto, who congratulates him on passing.
Boruto grins before saying that his father is shitty because he couldn’t even bother to send a Shadow Clone.
Sasuke continues to train Boruto who is having trouble with the shuriken training. Boruto complains that it’s not fair that he doesn’t have Uchiha blood, which is why Sarada does well in this technique.
The elder Uchiha responds by making Shadow Clones and says that if it’s true, then Boruto should be able to make a lot of Shadow Clones like his father. However, Boruto can only do four Shadow Clones.
The second exam begins as a game of capture the flag. Boruto uses his Shadow Clones to protect his team’s flags while on another rooftop, Shikadai uses his Shadow Possession Jutsu to stop a team of Hidden Grass Ninja.
There are some unknown teams that make it through while Shinki’s team defeats Metal Lee’s team and all that remains is Boruto’s team.
Boruto tells Sarada and Mitsuki to go and catch the other team’s flag. He can stand guard by himself. A ninja from the Hidden Mist appears before Boruto with two Shadow Clones. He then makes more and outnumbers Boruto.
Sarada and Mitsuki sense the danger and Mitsuki goes back to help Boruto while Sarada keeps moving forward. Boruto has his hands full with the other ninja until his Shadow Clones are destroyed and he’s left alone.
The Hidden Mist ninja and his two clones go after the flag and Boruto looks on in shock as he thinks about Naruto’s email when he uses the device to summon a giant Water Justu and then follows it up with a Lightning Jutsu to defeat the Hidden Mist ninja.
Boruto tells Sarada to get the flags and she uses her Sharingan to find the flag amidst the genjutsu. She grabs it and Boruto’s team advances.
However, one of the scientist’s workers calls in to say that Boruto used the device and it has been recorded.
And that’s the end of Chapter 3. While the story continues to follow the script of the Boruto movie we are learning more about the other next-gen ninja like the Sand Village team.
But let us know in the comments what you liked about this chapter and what you hope to see in the future.
