Our Fathers' Example

The Nara family marks a day of remembrance for those killed in the Fourth Shinobi World War, and Shikadai is caught off guard to see his father at home for it. Crowds fill the village cemetery, where Tsunade speaks about how the peace they now enjoy was paid for by the fallen. She argues that a generation raised without war still deserves to hear what its survivors learned.

Seeking upkeep on his prosthetic arm, Ao stops by Katasuke's lab only to find the researcher absent. Mugino spots him and strikes up a conversation, eventually walking him to the graves. There Mugino discovers the connection between Ao and Katasuke, and at his urging Ao pays his respects while thinking back on how he managed to live.

Ao recalls years spent in a coma, waking to news that countless comrades had died, and a grueling recovery guided by Katasuke. Diminished from his former strength, he has given up the shinobi path entirely. Ino and Shikamaru, offering flowers, recognise him and come over. When Shikamaru asks whether Shikaku had genuinely trusted his plan against the Ten-Tails, Ao confesses he raised the same doubt with both Shikaku and Inoichi, and that each answered with pride and faith in their children. The two are deeply affected.

Prompted by Temari, Shikadai searches out his father, and Shikamaru chooses to take his son out to eat as they once did after training, quietly wondering what the boy absorbs from watching him. That night, Ao snatches a drifting leaf out of the air with his artificial hand.

This is the 178th entry in the Boruto anime, part of the Ao Arc. It first aired in Japan on 13 December 2020 and reached English audiences on 6 September 2022. The opening theme is Starting and Growing and the closing theme is Central.