WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chapter 67 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, “Rift,” by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto, Mari Morimoto and Snir Aharon, now available in English from Viz Media.
One of the most intriguing arcs in the Naruto series was how Kurama, the Nine Tails Demon Fox, became a protagonist. Initially sealed into the would-be Hokage when he was born, Kurama manifested as an evil presence, goading Naruto to the dark side.
However, Naruto would show warmth and love, making it clear the fox would never be an outsider. They formed a sibling-like bond that paid major dividends as Naruto used Kurama's chakra to become a godlike shinobi, fending off many threats and uniting the free ninja world. Interestingly, Chapter 67 of the Boruto manga has now revealed a sinister remix of this arc -- which could redeem a longstanding villain.
What got Kurama to view Naruto differently was how the teen reminded him he didn't have to follow a set path. Humanity made it seem like all the Tailed Beasts would be destined to be WMDs, so they alienated them, imprisoning the creatures in hosts and condemning them as destroyers. It was a tragic side effect of the Sage of the Six Paths dying and leaving them alone in a cruel world.
Had Naruto not shown Kurama the light, he would have embarked down this path, programmed to think fighting mankind was his duty -- and more so, his ultimate purpose. This is a somewhat similar goal Momoshiki has been engrained with, sent by the Ōtsutsuki clan to raze Earth, turn the Ten Tails into the God Tree and drain its chakra all for himself. This extinction would level him up, destroy the planet and allow the alien to find another world to do the same.
However, a path to atonement may have been created with Momoshiki's failure to possess Boruto. Chapter 67 had him using up part of his DNA to ensure Boruto didn't die due to Kawaki's blows. Kawaki left Boruto near death, hoping the rewriting of the kid's body wouldn't be completed, thus Momoshiki wouldn't be reborn. But if Momoshiki left Boruto to die, his soul -- implanted in the boy due to the Karma mark -- would dissipate and he would've died too. As such, Momoshiki broke the reincarnation process to keep Boruto's body alive, and by extension, his own consciousness.
While Momoshiki can't ever be reborn in Boruto's body now, his ghost is still present, akin to when Kurama was alive in Naruto. Thus, if Momoshiki lives on in Boruto and appears to him alone, the boy could convince him on a second chance. Naruto is famous for talking to villains and getting them to switch, so it's easy to see Boruto doing the same, showing Momoshiki a better tomorrow.
This can break the vicious alien cycle where the likes of Momoshiki are conditioned to think they're predestined for war. By wanting to remove this cold disposition and lack of compassion, he would get to explore humanity through Boruto's eyes to see the family in and out of Konoha the boy holds dear.
In exchange, Boruto, whose body is fully Ōtsutsuki now, could tap into Momoshiki's chakra with his permission and become a near-invincible force just like Naruto. They'd be working together, but instead of a Tailed Beast, it'd be an alien with nowhere to go and using Boruto like a vessel.
It would make up for Kurama dying after the Isshiki war, with Momoshiki eventually deeming Earth his home and understanding he doesn't have to fall in line and be a monster like his kin. Once this synergy is completed, Momoshiki may end up making Boruto even more powerful than Kurama did for Naruto, which will help with villains like Code and the ever-shady cyborg, Eida, coming after the Hidden leaf.
