WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chapter 65 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, “Karma Power,” by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto, Mari Morimoto and Snir Aharon, now available in English from Viz Media.
Since defecting from Kara, Amado has not been the most trustful of individuals in Boruto. He's had a few shady moments, with Sumire and Shikamaru very cynical of his allegiance. They've seen how Amado used Koji Kashin to help weaken Isshiki, willing to sacrifice a colleague, plus they can't buy into someone who's built bio-weapons and messed with kids' bodies such as Kawaki. Still, Naruto has given him the benefit of the doubt, offering asylum in Konoha, but come Chapter 65 of the manga, it's clear the Hokage should not trust the scientist.
Amado has always cut a sinister figure, not sharing intel until the right time, using it as bargaining chips rather than acting out of compassion or empathy. It's why the Hidden Leaf council sees him as selfish -- except Naruto, who's glad he's helping stymie Boruto's possession by Momoshiki, and Katasuke, who's blinded by Amado's genius.
But that came to a grinding halt when Momoshiki emerged in the Konoha forest, ready to damage Naruto, Shikamaru and Code so he could kidnap Kawaki. The alien's taken over Boruto's body as he wants to sacrifice Kawaki to the Ten Tails to get the ultimate chakra fruit, but just as he's about to unleash a Giant Rasengan and blow Naruto to bits (the leader doesn't have Kurama to protect him anymore), Kawaki rushes in.
Shockingly, he absorbed the blast and as the smoke cleared, Kawaki is seen with a new Karma mark and his body transformed. The scary thing is, it seems like he and Amado worked this plan up a while back, tying into a previous offer the scientist made. He secretly wanted Kawaki to take a new Karma, which would allow him to use all the alien power in his body without worrying about Isshiki taking him over.
The villain was dead but Kawaki was scared of this power, and all the hurt the mark brought in the past as it made him a mere vessel for Isshiki to be reincarnated in. Konoha's council didn't know much about it and it seemed like Kawaki spurned the offer, but this bombshell confirms Amado did secretly alter him one more time. Sumire is now observing Amado -- ironically distracted in Konoha as Sai was plotting tactics to go help Naruto -- realizing Amado has been quietly going rogue.
After all, Naruto would never have green-lit this, with Amado's voiceover suggesting he and Kawaki discussed a covert plan. Kawaki has been shown throughout Boruto wanting to protect Naruto at all costs, as he's the only dad the teen has ever known, but it's unclear what part of his body or soul will be corrupted by this -- and if he could turn on Konoha.
Amado will have to answer for this once the battle settles. Kawaki's mind could be fractured beyond repair, because the mark was always meant to mess with the host's mental state. This has also raised flags that tie into a recent precursor story in the Boruto anime, where rogues kidnapped Amado and demanded he work for them, threatening to kill him if he didn't.
Luckily Boruto and Mitsuki rescued him by beating the gang up, which led to them bonding with Amado. But fans are suspicious how convenient this was, with current speculation being that the scientist set this up to gain Boruto's confidence after he rebuked the criminals. Amado's endgame with Kawaki remains a mystery for now, leaving everyone curious over his ulterior agenda.
