WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 169, "A Joint Mission With the Sand," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Boruto anime has certainly made up for Kara's disappointing debut by having Deepa make such a powerful and scary impact. Not only has he killed Lightning shinobi and Haze shinobi, but he also beat down Team 7 and sent them back to Konoha knowing they're not ready for this level of warfare.
The shocking thing is, even as he and Victor argue over Kara's hierarchy, Deepa wants to continue the hunt as he enjoys taking lives. This is why it's so surprising when his latest battle with Konoha's new breed has the most unlikely outcome.
Sarada's training with Sasuke while Kakashi is trying to improve Boruto's game, leaving Kara's Joker free to find a mysterious relic. This is the chakra puppet Urashiki used in the fight at the Hidden Sand against Gaara's charges before the alien was defeated. Shikamaru's son, Shikadai, was a key part of that alliance, so he's been dispatched to reunite with Shinki, Araya and Yodo to find the item.
However, when Shikadai, Chōchō and Inojin first arrive, they stop at a restaurant for a pork bowl -- only to discover everyone dead. They believe it to be the person they saw on the way out, ironically Deepa, and a day later their worst fears are made a reality. After they pluck the puppet out of the sandy terrain, Deepa shows up and reveals he wants the item. He admits it's going to be a treat pummelling more Konoha ninjas and as he teases his powers, Shikadai realizes this is the same enemy who decimated Team 7.
They immediately engage the villain but Deepa uses his infinite projectile blast. Luckily, Shinki uses his Iron Sand technique to shield them, but Deepa simply increases his missile power. Araya and Yodo are knocked out cold while Chōchō's power roll fails as well. Deepa's body is made of an unbreakable metal so he knocks her aside, as well as Inojin who tries to attack from the sky using his eagle. Shikadai's shadow-grab doesn't work either, with Shinki's Iron Sand fist not even making Deepa flinch.
Ultimately, his blasts are too much for the kids, leaving them barely conscious. Deepa takes the puppet up and throws it on his back, but as he walks away, Shinki uses one last Iron Sand blast to destroy the relic. It shatters instantly leaving fans worried Deepa's about to kill the kids. Instead, he scoffs as he watches them pass out, disappearing as sand blows all over the place. It's a lesson to be remembered but still, we have no clue why he didn't kill them for destroying his prize. Victor did tell him not to cause a stir but he'd have been well within his rights. More so, killing them would have prevented the details from coming back to Naruto, Gaara and the shinobi alliance.
It's an odd choice as the Great Nations now have more info on Deepa, so it does seem like this is Deepa's way of leaving breadcrumbs and being insubordinate as he really hates how Kara's treated him like a pleb. That said, Naruto's council is still at a loss of how to hunt the assassin as he's such an unstoppable wildcard; one who's only found when it suits his agenda, whatever that may be.
