WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 187, "Karma," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
One of the biggest surprises in Boruto is how quickly the shinobi world has evolved using scientific ninja tools. Naruto's Konoha, especially, is pushing technology -- making it clear they believe this is the path towards progress by sharing their advancements and research with other nations, and even going as far as entertaining Orochimaru's experiments.
But, in the current anime arc, as more of Team 7 is attempting to use these tools to recover Kara's lost Vessel, it's become clear that Konoha's scientists are totally out of control.
Konoha's leader of the Scientific Ninja Weapons Team, Katasuke, has to accept the lion's share of the blame for this because, while he means well, there are just too many weapons of mass destruction being made on his watch. He's got a jutsu-absorbing war-suit, which Ao used to attack them (killing Mugino in the process), not to mention his data was stolen and appropriated by Kara to make robotic puppets. This is also what the terrorists harnessed to create cyber-shinobi out of their own Inner Members and the deadly drones Ao used in battle.
This suggests that other nations could have such intel and may even be cooking up weapons of their own. But even just in Konoha, Naruto's cyborg hand can also absorb chakra like Momoshiki, Boruto's chakra-saber can mimic the Chidori blade and we also saw Katasuke's understudy in Akita building weapons like gliders, grenades and many other items that could create super-soldiers.
However, with the right weapon from Katasuke's arsenal, a ninja could become more than just another shinobi: they could gain abilities that put them on par with even Naruto or Sasuke -- after all, something like a powerful chakra-absorbing arm can be replicated. It's weird to think this is happening with little to no oversight because, as much as this tech's helping out, it can definitely be detrimental, especially in that they can make things too easy. Boruto tried to cheat with scientific ninja tools during the Chunnin Exams, which all the proof Konoha needs that they can breed a lazier generation.
We know it's all about conserving as much chakra as possible, but if this technology becomes widespread, shinobi could become overly reliant on it and forsake the things that Naruto's generation achieved using ninjutsu, taijutsu and their inherent abilities.
Simply put, the easy way out is not always the way to take and, while science can accentuate warriors and complement missions, Katasuke is putting them out at a ridiculous pace and framing them as a substitute. If this mentality sinks in, the quality of the shinobi military will diminish and the mystical prowess of the old days will be lost.
If the tools become too prominent, they could become a liability -- and scientific ninja tools already have so many flaws that Naruto's council are ignoring, all because Katasuke's wowing them with flashy weapons. It's why Kakashi hasn't embraced it as much -- as he's a purist. Hopefully, Konoha follows his lead and starts balancing things a bit better.
