Byakugou no Jutsu — The Setup You Missed

Byakugou no Jutsu — The Setup You Missed

Hey everyone, I’m PlaneChemist5717. I often see people say that the conversation about Byakugou no Jutsu in Chapter 35 of the Boruto manga leads nowhere—that Ikemoto set it up but never followed through. That’s not true. The payoff for that scene actually comes much later, in Chapter 75. But before we talk about how 75 completes that setup, we first need to understand what Chapter 35 was really about. In that scene, Team 7 is searching for information about Karma, following every possible lead. Sarada immediately notices that Karma looks similar to the seal on her mother’s forehead. Naruto explains that the mark is a ninjutsu called Byakugou no Jutsu, though he doubts it has any real connection to Karma. Kawaki dismisses the resemblance as coincidence, saying it’s just a generic pattern not worth chasing. But then Mitsuki chimes in, noting that Byakugou no Jutsu is an ancient technique, and very little is known about it. Later, Sarada asks her mother, who tells her that the Fifth Hokage said the jutsu dates all the way back to the Sage of Six Paths era. Team 7 is unknowingly on the right track here. What’s being established in that moment is the relationship between Karma and ninjutsu itself. What they don’t yet know—but we learn much later—is that Karma is in fact a Shinjutsu. The big payoff comes in Chapter 75, during Amado’s interrogation. He reveals the existence of Shinjutsu and explains that ninjutsu originates from Shinjutsu—and that Karma is one of them. When you reread Chapter 35 with this in mind, it’s clear that Ikemoto was already foreshadowing this connection more than forty chapters earlier. So, if you’ve ever wondered what that Byakugou conversation was really setting up—this is it. If this kind of analysis interests you, I recently posted a full deep-dive titled 👉 Art Never Emerges in a Vacuum over on r/BorutoMangaEFC. The post explores how Shinobi techniques, science, and art all evolve from one another, connecting the manga’s worldbuilding to real creative principles. Come check it out if you enjoy exploring the deeper layers of the Boruto manga! (: