Boruto Finally Meets Neji in New Manga Spin-off

If there is one thing fans of Boruto have always wanted, it is for its lead to meet one of Naruto’s friends who passed long ago. Naruto has certainly had its fair share of deaths over its tenure, but there are some that impacted Naruto more than others. At the end of the Great Ninja War, it goes without saying that Neji’s death took a toll on the boy, but one spin-off series has united the fallen hero with Boruto at last.

The moment comes from Boruto SD as the spin-off manga includes funny what-if scenes from the mainline series. In a special chapter, Boruto is tossed back into time, and it is the boy meets Gai’s team with Neji in tow.

The moment takes place during the Naruto Shippuden era as you can tell by the uniforms here. Rock Lee is shown sparring with Boruto at one point, and it seems the boy wasn’t expecting the encounter. But before long, Neji shows up and Boruto gets an introduction to his uncle at last.

Of course, Neji doesn’t know the boy is his nephew, so he treats Boruto as a hostile. It seems like Boruto tried to introduce himself to Neji, but the Hyuga was in no mood to listen to lies.

“Stop joking about that! Naruto and Hinata-sama married,” Neji asked after Boruto attempted to spell out his lineage.

While this encounter was certainly tense, there is no denying that Boruto is excited to meet Neji. Fans are certain the older ninja would feel the same if he had gotten some forewarning about his nephew’s time-traveling roots. But as we all know, this spin-off moment will simply stay on the side as Neji’s life was cut short in the main series.

What do you make of this much-awaited meeting? Did you ever expect this union to happen? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.