The Outcast

Haunted by a nightmare in which Jigen wipes out Konoha, Kawaki grows withdrawn and quietly writes a note announcing his departure to Naruto. He turns down Boruto's offer to train, fearing the way their linked Kāma keep reshaping their bodies. His mood shifts when he catches Himawari slipping out to feed a battered, scarred wolf she has named Jaggy, an animal that snarls at him yet trusts her completely. Recognizing himself in the creature, Kawaki helps her gather food and, for the moment, throws away the note he wrote.

The next day the wolf is missing from its den, and Kawaki spots bear tracks nearby before Himawari finds Jaggy dead. Comforting her, he argues that the wolf's pale coat made it a target and that its solitude actually shielded its pack from danger. After they bury the animal, Kawaki heads for the village gates, only for Boruto, who has read the discarded note, to confront him. Kawaki insists he must go because Jigen reached the village through him, and he accuses Boruto's family of blunting his instincts. Shikamaru then arrives, having tracked him by surveillance, and pins him with the Shadow Imitation Technique. Though he once objected to keeping Kawaki around, Shikamaru upholds Naruto's decision and tells him he already belongs. Kawaki rejoins Himawari at the grave, and the two agree to return now and then so the wolf is never left alone.

Episode 209 of the Boruto series is part of the Kawaki Arc. It reached Japan on August 1, 2021, and English audiences on January 10, 2023, with Reckless as its opening and Who are you? as its ending. The broadcast had first been slated for July 25, 2021, but was pushed back to make room for coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics.