WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations #36, by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto and Ukyo Kodachi, on sale now.

Fans knew from the moment Jigen and his Kara terrorist organization were introduced into the Boruto franchise that Naruto would have to face off against him. Once Jigen was revealed to have links to Kaguya's clan, this was set up to be the showdown to define the future of all shinobi.

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We braced for this battle and, surprisingly, Jigen arrives without notice in the latest chapter of the manga. But as prepared as Naruto is, the Hokage of Konoha finds his first fist fight with the warlord doesn't go according to plan.

Jigen was last seen in a space-time pocket, where Sasuke began to decipher his alien heritage and other dark secrets. This issue now sharply cuts to Kawaki and Boruto discovering their Karma marks have been activated in Konoha for an unknown reason. They can tell it's not like other times when they used the mark to power up for sparring; this time, it's something much more sinister. We learn Kawaki's mark is actually a tracker and a portal, allowing Jigen to teleport directly into Naruto's home.

The Hokage is booted out his living room when he opposes Jigen, who didn't actually come to fight. He simply wants to take Kawaki, his vessel, back to their lair. However, boy doesn't want to go, and Naruto won't allow the abduction to occur. When Jigen accepts they'll have to brawl, he emits chakra rods to pin down Naruto. It's the same kind of rods the Sage of the Six Paths used to pin down the Tailed Beasts, so automatically, Naruto knows Jigen's power set is off the charts.

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He quickly has to activate Kurama (his Nine Tails Fox) inside him and go into Sage Mode, but again, Jigen is a handful. Naruto only gets the upper hand when Kawaki's monster form emerges and he distracts his "father," allowing Naruto to kick Jigen into the wall. However, this blow -- the first Naruto strikes -- upsets Jigen to the point he finally breaks and grows angry, something we haven't really seen in the story so far. He's very emotional as he decides to engage Naruto and teach him not to interfere in family business.

The chapter ends there, but it clearly shows Jigen is superior to the Hokage, and about to unleash even more of his abilities. Granted, Naruto has been holding back, as they're in the heart of the village. However, he reveals through inner-monologue he's never faced a weapon of mass destruction like this with such a chakra level; not even when he took on Madara, Sasuke and Kaguya in their prime.

We all feared Jigen would be too much to handle once Sasuke connected him to Kaguya's people, and it's coming to pass. With these chakra rods he could nullify Kurama and Naruto's Sage Mode, and they might even allow the villain to kill Naruto, whose main strength comes from this life essence. With that in mind, Sasuke might have to jump over from his spy mission, and quickly.

If they begin to fight and cut loose, Konoha might once more be destroyed from the inside, so the onus is on Naruto to lure Jigen away from his home, and from Kawaki as well. Jigen's general, Koji Kashin, might also be a wildcard, as he seems to have been planted inside Kara for a mission of his own, so there is a chance he could join Naruto in the fight.

Boruto #37 will be released on Aug. 20.

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