While the world anxiously awaited the return of Boruto from hiatus, there was a buzz within fandom that the time skip is just what the series needed to raise it to a level of quality that compares with its parent series Naruto. However, before talk of Part 2's quality can even be considered, there are a number of unanswered, confusing, or forgotten storylines, from Part 1 that need to be resolved.
Indeed, a failure to adequately address these sub-plots will significantly degrade the effect and impact of the overall story regardless of how amazing Part 2 might be. Below are ten of the most pressing storylines that were left hanging in Part 1 and need to be addressed in Part 2 before any meaningful resolution of the conflict between Boruto and Kawaki can be obtained.
10 Kara's Cyborgs
The villains in Boruto are very different from those in Naruto, as many of them are cyborgs or rely on some sort of technological augmentation thanks to the expertise of Amado. The problem is that these turned out to be the strongest characters in the series, as shown by Eida and Daemon absurd, Otsutsuki-based power. Eida and Daemon weren't the only cyborgs Amado constructed for Kara, there is also Delta, who was then revealed to be a clone of his daughter and was so strong that she even gave Naruto a fight for his money. Their abilities beg a further and deeper exploration in Part 2.
9 Naruto and Hinata's Return
The whole "identity switch" storyline between Boruto and Kawaki began in Chapter #77. At the time, Kawaki visited Naruto's home to discuss his safety but subsequently trapped him and Hinata in another dimension. It was their disappearances that helped set up the village's scapegoating of Boruto after Kawaki used Eida's Omnipotence. However, if they returned, Naruto and Hinata would expose Kawaki as they were in another dimension when Omnipotence triggered, and thus were probably spared by its effect. Kawaki will be then faced with the conundrum of his keeping the adoptive father whom he worships prisoner or admit his own treachery.
8 Sumire's Role
While Sumire headlined a complete story arc in the animated series, she has largely been confined to the sidelines in the manga. Other than the fact that she is the only other person besides Sarada who is able to resist Eida's charms, she has not been relevant. However, as revealed in the anime, Sumire is a very powerful shinobi who has command of a yokai named Nue. Like Sarada she also seems to have some romantic interest in Boruto, who is now being hunted. It would seem she is in a perfect position to do something to help him out. This is especially true considering the fact that in the anime, when the whole village rallied against Sumire, Boruto stepped up to protect her.
7 Code's War
Prior to the time skip, Code was holed up in an old, off-the-grid Kara base plotting his revenge against Kawaki, Boruto, and Konoha. Hyped by his vision of Isshiki's spirit, in which the former lead Otsutsuki on Earth told him he could achieve God-like powers if he killed either Kawaki or Boruto, Code amassed an army of chakra-powered soldiers created from Ten-Tails' body. Since he despises both Kawaki and Boruto, it does not seem Code will take a side in their fight, but he still has to play a prominent role in the story, as seen in Code's disappointing debut in Part 2.
6 Amado's Machinations
From his debut in Chapter #26, Amado Sanzu, Kara's chief scientist and the person responsible for giving Delta, Kawaki, Eida, and Code their powers, has always been a mysterious figure. Long thought to be the real main villain of Boruto, that belief changed with his defection to Konoha and his revelation of working with Isshiki only to find a way to resurrect his daughter. Still, something is still off about Amado, as it seems unlikely that a man as smart, secretive, and manipulative as him would not have a way to overcome Eida's charms, which he created in the first place. It will be interesting to find out what other secrets Amado is hiding.
5 Sarada's involvement
It is apparent from Boruto: Two Blue Vortex's first chapter that Sarada will play a larger role in the story going forward. At the end of Part 1 Sarada convinced her father Sasuke to side with Boruto, and also unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan. The problem is that in Part 1, Sarada was also depicted as having an important role in the story initially, only for her to be sidelined for large sections. Even when she "reappeared", she was only a minor influence on the larger storyline. As with Sumire, her potential impact on the story going forward could similarly be wasted if her involvement is not taken seriously.
4 Kashin Koji's Return
Koji was one of the more interesting characters of Part 1, mainly because he was a clone of the popular Naruto character Jiraiya. However, his somewhat sudden disappearance after attempting to assassinate Jigen/Isshiki has been a mystery ever since, and one largely forgotten as the story began to focus more on the Boruto-Kawaki-Code story. However, for a character with such potential to affect the story, to never be heard from again is not only a waste of the fans' time but it also damages the story's development. Hopefully, Koji will also make a comeback in Two Blue Vortex.
3 Momoshiki's Influence
Boruto is now more Otsutsuki than Uzumaki due to Momoshiki's DNA rewriting his now. The Otsutsuki is now an element of Boruto's consciousness - popping up at times to give advice, criticize, or just make an observation. In other words, he and Boruto are permanently bound to one another. As he said himself, it is in Momoshiki's absolute interest to keep Boruto healthy, happy, and alive. However, it's strange that he seems to have been caught off-guard by Eida and Kawaki's power play. Moreover, Boruto has had three years to train, which means he could have found away to keep Momoshiki's influence in check. Considering that this was the entire reason why Kawaki betrayed Boruto, it will be interesting to see what solution the young Uzumaki found for this problem.
2 Eida's Remorse
In the very last pages of Chapter #80, Eida met with Boruto and Sasuke, and confessed her concerns about her involvement in turning the community against Boruto. While she admitted there is no way to reverse her powers, she did agree to let Boruto and Sasuke hide away for as long as necessary for their preparation to take on Kawaki. Considering how much she has confessed to loving Kawaki, this seems to be a fairly treacherous move on her part. In the first chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Eida also seems to be helping Sumire and Sarada in figuring out how Omnipotence works, which is surprising because any action they take would be against her declared great love, Kawaki. Eida's eventual treachery could play a big role in the story.
1 The Otsutsuki's Shadow
The one element that has overshadowed nearly everything in the Boruto story has been the Otsutsuki clan. Kishimoto finally provided a fairly detailed background on the Otsutsuki and what they want to accomplish here on Earth. The Otsutsuki's machinations are the whole reason behind the Boruto versus Kawaki fight that seems to be the main plot of Two Blue Vortex. This means that the oversized, over-the-top presence of these powerful aliens is not over yet, despite many fans finding it controversial. The Otsutsuki are the element that connects Boruto, Kawaki, and Code, so it will be interesting to see how big of a part they will play, even now that they are reduced to mere shadows.
The return of Boruto to its regular publication schedule is surely exciting news for fans. Indeed, in part 2, the story will finally get to the fight between Boruto and Kawaki over a demolished Konoha Village shown in the first chapter's flash forward. Despite the buzz, however, before Boruto: Two Blue Vortex needs to properly address and resolve more than a few lingering Boruto Part 1 storylines.
