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Boruto is well-known for drawing parallels and reintroducing concepts from the Naruto franchise. Along with establishing the Otsutsuki clan members as major antagonists throughout the series, the manga also reintroduced the Ten-Tails, who Naruto fans are well-acquainted with due to its role in the Fourth Ninja War.
Many have pointed out major differences between the original depiction of this Tailed Beast compared to its portrayal in Boruto. The latest chapter of the Boruto manga helped shed some light on the presence of this creature, and by association, on Code’s potential as a major villain. This article explores these questions and how chapter 72 answered some of them.
Disclaimer: this article contains the author’s own interpretations and spoilers for the Boruto manga. All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners and Sportskeeda claims no ownership of the same.
How Boruto chapter 72 sheds light upon the basis of Code’s powers and the threat posed by the Ten-Tails
1) The nature of the Ten-Tails in Naruto vs. the Ten-Tails in Boruto
One of the first questions that fans asked about the new-era Ten-Tails was regarding its size. The Tailed Beast in Naruto, also referred to as the “Earth’s Ten-Tails,” was considerably larger than Jigen’s Tailed Beast and much more volatile. A major reason for this discrepancy in power levels can be explained by how Ten-Tails was created in the Boruto series.
The original Tailed Beast was created by collecting and fusing together the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts who were created after Hagoromo Otsutsuki split the Ten-Tails’ chakra into nine parts. The origin of Jigen’s Ten Tails is unknown, but it has been revealed in the Boruto series that Momoshiki used a portion of the Eight-Tailed Beast, Gyuki’s chakra to cultivate another God Tree on a different planet.
While the tree was apparently destroyed during his confrontation against the Five Kage, it is very likely that Jigen managed to transform it into the Ten-Tails form and moved it to a different location under Isshiki’s influence. The Ten-Tails is made of pure chakra, which explains why Jigen’s Tailed Beast, nourished by just a portion of the Eight-Tails’ chakra is much smaller than the Earth’s Ten-Tails.
Another reason for its inferior size and power might be because it resembles the Naruto Ten-Tails’ first form, which then further evolves into more powerful forms.
2) How Code’s power works
Code’s Claw Marks mimics Minato Namikaze’s transportation jutsu, requiring the target to be marked in advance for him to use his ability. But rather than transporting, Code’s ability allows him to create portals between two places designated by his Claw Marks. He can make people, and even individual parts of his body, interact through these portals between different places and even dimensions.
Boruto chapter 72 revealed that Code’s Claw Marks are created by mixing a small amount of iron from his body with physically-embodied chakra, making them half-chakra and half-matter. With the limiters on his power removed, Code gained greater control over his ability, capable of dispersing enough Claw Marks to completely cover the Ten Tails and cut it into smaller pieces.
3) Code’s control over the Ten-Tails
Code’s Claw Marks being half chakra and half material means they can partially fuse with the Ten-Tailed Beast. When Code used them to pinch off small pieces of the Ten-Tails “like molding clay,” each piece fused with the Claw Marks in a way that is reminiscent of how Black Zetsu fused with the White Zetsu and later, with Obito after he became the Ten-Tails’ jinchuuriki.
In the Naruto series, both Obito and Madara tried to control the Earth’s Ten-Tails by having two tendrils from its body connected to their necks. In Boruto, Code’s Claw Mark contains iron from his blood, which fuses with the creature to create a similar bond between them. Since Jigen’s Ten-Tails is much smaller and only partially developed, Code can easily control it without being psychologically overwhelmed.
4) The Ten-Tails’ new form
Boruto fans were both skeptical and fascinated by the Ten-Tails’ new humanoid form, many commenting that it looked like Frieza from the Dragon Ball series. The shape of the smaller clones were likely based on how Code manipulated his Claw Marks to cut and mold the pieces of chakra.
This is not the first time the Ten-Tails has been split apart into multiple pieces, however, the most notable instance being during the Fourth Ninja War. When the Shinobi Alliance Army began overpowering the Tailed Beast with the help of the reincarnated former Hokage, it began creating clones to protect its actual body.
Despite its huge size, he Tailed Beast was shown to be deceptively fast, so it stands to reason that its smaller clones would be faster. Boruto chapter 72 proves just that, with Code remarking that the humanoid clones were “smaller and more useful.”
5) How formidable is Code with the Ten-Tails army
The final question many have been asking concerns Code’s potential as a major villain. Even with his limiters, Code could overpower the now weakened Naruto and hold his own against Kawaki in his karma-mode to some extent. With the limiters removed, his skills and control have further increased, which gives him the power to control the Ten-Tails.
It is still unclear how much attacking power each clone has, but their ability to travel through Claw Marks already makes them harder to deal with. The only way to deal with the Claw Marks is to shrink them with Sukunahikona till they become unusable, but the Marks themselves can neither be erased or absorbed by karma, since it is not completely chakra.
Final thoughts:
In Boruto chapter 72, Amado insisted that Code’s battle power would suffer a major blow with Eida gone, but the Ten-Tails army raises new questions about the fate of Konoha in the series. While Eida has the power to enchant every member of the human race, excluding blood relatives and Otsutsuki, the issue of whether or not she can enchant the Ten-Tails remains debatable.
On one hand, the Tailed Beast does not have a will of its own, which makes it impossible for Eida to influence its intent. But its connection to Code acts as its will, so it remains to be seen if Eida’s enchantment works on them directly. No doubt, Code will try to avoid confronting Eida directly, but he might attack from a distance to prevent her ability from affecting him.
