WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 64, “Control,” by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto, Mari Morimoto, and Snir Aharon, now available in English on Viz Media.
In the series Boruto, one of the biggest problems crawling since the time of Naruto it is the fact that women have been relegated to the background. Sakura and Ino, for example, were hardly used, apart from some Hail Mary, despite their abilities. Now, they are more housewives than anything else, with Sasuke, the Hokage, and other men taking the bulk of the leadership roles. Sadly, the manga follows this path, neglecting women, and in the process, robs Naruto of the perfect companion on the field.
It occurs when Naruto perceives Boruto and Kawaki in the Konoha forest. His sensory equipment failed to pin down Kawaki’s chakra, but now, Naruto knows that his son is close to Kawaki and begins to track him. He asks Ino and Shikamaru’s team to fix it as well, activating his Sage Mode.
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The problem is that Naruto refuses Hinata’s request to join the hunt. She demands to go find her boy, but Naruto explains why she can’t go. It is dangerous in their eyes, but Hinata has faced the Akatsuki as well as many Ōtsutsuki warriors in her time. Even in the movies of Naruto, proved to be a capable fighter and a true representative of the Hyūga clan, so Hinata would have been ideal to fight against Code.
Given that he has the Byakugan, which the Ōtsutsuki clan also has, it could have been the trump card to neutralize Code, as no one can pick up his teleportation abilities. However, Hinata has a third eye in that regard so it is a very untapped potential. The series has already turned his father Hiashi into a fun-loving father and not the military strategist of yesteryear, while his sister, Hanabi, is another supporting actor who helps train future students.
Thus, Hinata’s emotional investment would certainly have unleashed the power that Naruto and the boy fear, but with their anger trained on the right goals. For Shikamaru to step in on loyalty and mention that she should stay home also feels very intrusive.
We understand that they want her in Konoha to protect Himawari (Naruto’s daughter), but in this case, a rare exception can be made. They have to trust her and respect her, especially since she complements Naruto so well on the field. It is unfortunate, as Hinata would have more action capacity this way and a greater share in saving the Hidden Blade, but unfortunately, she is considered a B-class character who has to stay on the sidelines instead of protecting her. his family as always promised.
It would have been such a nuanced arc to show how both of them have matured and how they could work together to save the ones they truly love, but in the end it’s regressive as Naruto doesn’t see the path to victory with her by his side.