Recent battles have taken their toll on Naruto, but the latest chapter of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations reveals that the Hokage is still capable of one of his key abilities.
SPOILERS FOR BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS FOLLOW:
Fans have been left to wonder just how strong Naruto is now following the loss of Kurama during their battle with Isshiki Otsutsuki. The Nine-Tailed Fox that was initially a burden to Naruto during the early years of his life eventually became one of his greatest allies and sources of power: by tapping into the beast's near limitless reserves of chakra, the upbeat ninja was able to access powerful abilities and transformations, such as his most powerful form, Baryon Mode. In the latest chapter of the series, Naruto reveals to Shikimaru that he is still able to access his base Sage Mode, and moreover, he's actually learned how to stay in the form for a longer period than he could previously. The Hokage does not explain how he learned how to this, merely attributing the power to "the wisdom of age."
When Kurama died, many fans assumed that Naruto had lost access to the massive chakra reserves that he used for many of his trademark powers, such as his ability to create a thousand Shadow Clones, or to shift into powerful forms such as his Nine Tails Chakra Mode or Six Paths Sage Mode. The new chapter suggests that assumptions might have been premature, as Naruto may have access to more of his old powers than previously suggested. The ninja is last seen rushing to aid Boruto and Kawaki, suggesting that readers will soon be able to see Boruto's dad in battle once again and get a more accurate picture of how powerful the former-outcast still is.
The next chapter of the series will be released on Dec. 20.
Fans looking to relive Naruto's glory days can read Masashi Kishimoto's original manga series, which is available in its entirety in both print and digitial formats from VIZ Media. Kishimoto's manga series was adapted into two separate anime series, the original Naruto and its post-time skip continuation, Naruto Shippuden, which are both available for streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll and Funimation. The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations sequel manga and anime are both currently still on-going: new chapters are released on a monthly schedule by VIZ Media, while new episodes of the show can be streamed through Crunchyroll.
Source: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga, Chapter 64
