The manga Naruto: Konoha’s Story – The Steam Ninja Scrolls is based on the light novel released in 2018, the first of a few planned novels covering tales within the Naruto Universe. Mirai Sarutobi -- the daughter of Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yūhi -- stars as the spinoff's lead and adventures alongside an aged Kakashi Hatake and wheelchair-bound Might Guy. With the recently released manga chapters covering the novel, the nostalgia of a true Naruto adventure flew off the page, revealing a serious difference in protagonist quality when comparing Mirai and Boruto Uzumaki.
The reception of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has been tenuous, with the manga taking a notably differing path than its predecessor. Having a sequel change direction is not an inherently negative decision, as there is a risk of repeating a similar story. However, many of the lessons learned and concluding aspects from Naruto have been discarded due to the need to create a greater and higher-stakes threat to the Naruto world that Boruto must overcome. This storyline has made Boruto far less popular than his father, with his motivations being relatively uninteresting. Mirai, on the other hand, has a pre-set backstory that the Naruto world is highly familiar with.
Mirai Sarutobi’s Motivation in Naruto: Konoha's Story
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Mirai’s personality is immediately explored through her internal dialogue and desires. During the original series' conflict, her father, Asuma, was slain by the Akatsuki member Hidan. This loss of her parental figure is a staple of Naruto heroes in the story. Naruto’s mother and father were killed by the Nine-Tails just after he was born, Sasuke Uchiha’s parents were killed by his brother Itachi, while Gaara’s father, Rasa, was betrayed and killed by Orochimaru.
The importance of this in regard to Naruto is the effect it has on the hero's motivations. Mirai is shown to be affected by the loss of her father, but her bubbly and motivated personality reflects a far more engaging dynamic to explore compared to dismantling Naruto through his son Boruto. Mirai has clearly come to terms with the loss, but her view on who her father was and his relationships reveals her authentic complexity. Secondly, the switch from the Uzumaki clan to the Sarutobi offers an entirely new direction within the ninja world, without the necessity to overcompensate the stakes by forcefully progressing Boruto’s power beyond that of his father's.
Konoha's Story Provides a Window Into Boruto's Missed Potential
Naruto was popular not only for its characters, but its ninja conflict and world-building. In fact, it has been argued that the inclusion of more Dragon Ball Z battle structures took away from the wide variety of carefully-planned ninja duels, not always focused on power but on intelligence and deceit. Boruto has completely leaned into the explosive, overpowered techniques from the starting line, immediately taking away from the lessons learned through skill and preparation that Mirai had the chance to explore.
While Mirai herself is far more fun, interesting and relatable in comparison to Boruto, this is complemented by the story she is enveloped in. By refocusing the story on a ninja in an expansive ninja world -- instead of a vessel for an alien race in a ninja world -- Mirai feels as if she brings Naruto back to its roots. She expels a feeling of nostalgia through her connection to Asuma and the former ninja world fans once knew. She also has an interesting connection with characters like Kakashi and Guy that are never really explored by Boruto, as he shared a similar student/teacher vibe that his father did. This change opens more enjoyable doors when following Mirai over Boruto.
Boruto has certainly adapted the standard protagonist expectation, and his role within the story is vastly different to that of Naruto in the original; but the quickly growing power and lack of motivation was detrimental to his likability. Mirai may share a similar trope to Naruto, yet her handling of the situation is significantly different without being unrealistic. The idea of following a member of the Sarutobi clan back into the ninja world fans once knew and loved could have been a fantastically fun adventure. For now, Naruto fans will have the Konoha's Story manga to enjoy.