WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 190, "Escape," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
When Konohamaru tried to keep Team 7 safe from Kawaki in the Boruto anime, what stood out to all of them was the chakra levels and overall power the teen runaway packed. As he passed out, they had no clue if he was a friend or a weapon sent by Kara to wipe the village out.
Now, in Episode 190, Kawaki's being studied at a lab in Ryutan. But when he tries to escape, none of that incredible power helps him from getting absolutely decimated by Konoha's most dangerous pet: Nue.
Nue's quite a feat of scientific engineering -- a creature that came into existence way before Katasuke's scientific progress in the free shinobi world. This creature, a mix of tiger, monkey, snake and tanuki, is a war dog created years ago by Danzo from the cells of Hashirama, the First Hokage. Danzo's Root program made it a weapon of mass destruction, able to use chakra bombs and teleportation to wreak havoc.
Thankfully, Root was wiped out and Boruto was able to offer its owner, Sumire, a path to redemption. Boruto knew firsthand the damage Nue does when rampaging, so Sumire's acceptance came as a relief. Luckily, since then, with Sumire finding warmth, love and a sense of family in Konoha, Nue has similarly turned into a cute, fluffy bundle of joy. That changes, though, when Kawaki tries to bust out in the latest episode.
The brazen Kawaki dupes Sumire into leaking an escape route and after tricking Team 7 and Co. with an alleged pee break, he makes a dash for it instead. He doesn't want Konoha studying his physiology. Sumire pursues, feeling guilty, but tells Nue to stay behind. It's an empath and will react to Kawaki's chakra, as well his own reaction to an environment he doesn't know, turning the creature aggressive.
When she corners him in the stairwell, though, he shows no remorse, easily beating her up because he's way stronger than she is. However, Nue arrives and starts morphing into a bigger form. It then rushes Kawaki and bites down into his hand, damaging it. Sumire calls it off, causing conflicting emotions in the beast. If not for this, it'd have gone for the jugular and killed him. But Kawaki does get something good out of the assault: as it crushes his hand in this berserker mode, it breaks his cuffs.
This allows a petrified Kawaki to flee -- something we're not accustomed to seeing -- in a state of shock. Clearly, he's never felt such raw, unfettered, animalistic chakra before. Nue can't even pursue him as Sumire doesn't want it finishing the job, so Kawaki scampers off thanking his luck. This rabid display reminds fans that despite its domestication, Nue can still be deadly when triggered, especially if Sumire is endangered.
