Naruto began as an underdog story set in a very particular context: competition between several teams and the members composing them. By the Fourth Great Ninja War, its plot-relevant teams and supporting characters dwindled to a mere handful—not the case, however, for Naruto‘s legendary Team 10. From its earliest moments to the triumphant generation-spanning strategies in the series’ finale, Team 10 retained an untouchable relevance.
There’s really no argument that Boruto’s first half did this monumental team pretty dirty. But Two Blue Vortex has set them on a brand new trajectory, and things are likely to just get better from here. With Boruto’s second season just on the horizon, fans are ready to dig into the long-awaited Two Blue Vortex time-skip—here’s how that time-skip has changed things for Naruto‘s best team, plus how things might turn out for them in the future.
Team 10 and the Legendary Fixture of Ino-Shika-Cho
As the original Naruto plays out, Team 10’s core dynamic becomes foundational to Naruto’s lore writ large. Team 10 grounds Naruto’s narrative within its own prehistory: maybe you’ve already realized that formation Ino-Shika-Cho’s 17-generation lifetime stretches far beyond the institution of the Konoha village itself—but if you haven’t, it’ll come as quite a shock.
Team 10 brought a strange coherence to Naruto’s team compositions, which otherwise, frankly, feel entirely arbitrary. Even the apparent logic behind putting Naruto and Sasuke on the same team (beyond “letting them balance each other out”) only becomes clear long after that establishing information is relevant. They play off of each other and provide a general critical grounding logic to first-time Naruto watchers.
Team 10 as a unit and the members as individuals would all come to play important parts in Naruto early on. Shikamaru grew from a fan-favorite slacker into a genius strategist; Ino was a force to be reckoned with, thanks to her intimidating and rare mind-based jutsu; Choji’s battle against Jirobo during ’02 Naruto’s “Sasuke Recovery Mission” arc was nothing short of legendary. Tying that all together is Asuma Sarutobi, a brilliant leader whose death prompted a masterpiece Naruto episode. Naruto’s Ino-Shika-Cho felt important from the start, and only became more important in its second phase, where most other supporting characters fell to the wayside.
Boruto Regrettably Lost the Plot With Team 10
Early on in Boruto’s run, one contingent of fans had already become upset with the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho (Shikadai, Inojin, and Chocho) and their lackluster plot presence; another would respond that they’re just young, and that Naruto’s own Team 10 didn’t shine so much at the outset, either. But in Borutoit’s still different: Boruto starts with a Chunin Exam, but Team 10 doesn’t receive nearly the same level of build-up and fanfare as Naruto‘s iteration. In other words, Boruto decisively walks back their importance, a trend that has been maintained.
To be clear, in Borutoneither Naruto’s nor Boruto’s generation of Team 10 lives up to the standard that Naruto built. For Naruto’s generation, every member is there, with Ino and Shikamaru playing particularly large roles while in regular contact; however, there never comes a situation where they work together as Ino-Shika-Cho. Boruto’s generation, on the other hand, is constantly seen together (under the guiding hand of Moegi), but the manga canon rarely ever shows them actually working or training together.
In essence, Boruto’s problem is that it massively walked back Team 10’s importance altogether, both new and old. It’s not as if Team 10 is unique in that respect—Boruto sidelining concepts and characters from Naruto is a tale as old as time. But it’s fair to say that if you establish a certain formation to be lore-critical, you have to make it stand out from there on. Or, at the very least, you have to make your intentions clear by establishing the new Team 10’s potential. After a long wait, there are some signals Boruto might be taking that route.
Two Blue Vortex Indicates Ino-Shika-Cho Could Rise Again
Two Blue Vortex is the real game-changer for Boruto’s iteration of Ino-Shika-Cho. They’ve been receiving attention from Jura ever since Chapter 9, when he noted their coordination after the trio saved Himawari. Even the latest chapters, as of the time of writing, have seen Jura expressing further interest in Ino-Shika-Cho; in Chapter 19, he goes so far as to say Ino-Shika-Cho is unpredictable precisely because of love.
At the center of Ino-Shika-Cho’s future importance, though, is Himawari. After Eida’s Omnipotence turns the world against Boruto and swaps his identity with Kawaki, Himawari is one of the few people to show some (faulty) immunity. In a critical moment in Two Blue Vortex‘s very first chapter, Himawari confesses to Ino-Shika-Cho that she believes others are wrong about Boruto, and she even seems to win them over (however impermanent Omnipotence’s effects might make her impact on them).
That’s not to mention Himawari’s massive buff after becoming Kurama’s vessel, which makes her an even more valuable asset to the team as they find their footing—and a major target for Jura. Both sides of Himawari’s alliance with Team 10 stand to benefit massively—Himawari has already proven her value by saving Inojin’s life, and vice versa. It’s likely that the four will play a major role in overpowering the Divine Trees, shutting down the existential threat of the Ten-Tails, or even just restoring Boruto’s good name.
Of course, after that, things veer into speculation. How exactly Team 10 will grow in Two Blue Vortex is yet to be seen, but what’s clear is that they’re on a better trajectory than ever before. Let us know what you’re expecting from this Naruto staple in the comments!
Finally, if remembering Shikamaru’s breathtaking episode in Shippuden has you nostalgic for other great Shippuden episodes, click through to our list of the best Naruto Shippuden episodes below!
