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The Hashirama Cell

EpisodeEp. 159

The 159th Boruto episode watches a mission spiral after a rampaging Anato bites into Mitsuki, seeding his body with a strange foreign matter. A local doctor named Yubina traces the wood fragment to a legendary bloodline and a black-market rumor tied to the Land of Silence.

Kanji: 柱間細胞
Ending Theme: Maybe I
Opening Theme: Starting and Growing
English Airdate: 2022-05-17
Japanese Airdate: 2020-08-02
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Summary

While Victor looks on, the Leaf team of Boruto, Konohamaru, Mitsuki, Sarada, and Mugino struggles to subdue a berserk Anato. Boruto hesitates to strike him hard because of a vow he made to Anato's wife Mia, which Mugino reads as weakness, so Konohamaru proposes a binding technique instead. Anato tears loose of the restraint and lashes out, and when Mitsuki pins him with a mass of snakes, one of the serpents rips away part of Anato's arm as he breaks the hold once more.

Victor's guards drive Anato back with their Scientific Ninja Tools, then their employer scolds them for the botched capture and sends the shinobi home, promising his company will look after the sick man. Boruto quietly pockets Anato's wedding ring, stung by how the mission fell apart. Not long after, Mitsuki notices his bitten arm has gone numb, and an odd substance begins creeping outward from the wound.

Mugino leads the group to a nearby physician, Yubina, who heals Boruto's hand with a rough grip and then studies Mitsuki, concluding an outside material has entered his body. Because Sarada has trained a little in Medical Ninjutsu, Yubina keeps her inside to assist while the rest wait beyond the door.

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Key Events

Yubina draws a splinter of wood out of Mitsuki and remarks that his unusual physiology is likely why he survived. She reveals the fragment was formed through Wood Release, which points back to the cells of Hashirama Senju. Mugino doubts a man like Anato could carry such genetic material, but Yubina produces a second patient, Kona, showing the same signs. She hopes Mitsuki's resistance can help her cure the stricken man, who was simply abandoned unconscious at her clinic.

Separately, Victor returns to a laboratory where Anato once worked, learns an item is still unaccounted for, and coldly orders Anato killed. A report also reaches him about a gap between the number of people sent out to search and the bodies later recovered.

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Notes

The chapter belongs to the Kara Actuation Arc and first screened in Japan on 2 August 2020, with the English broadcast following on 17 May 2022. Its opening theme is Starting and Growing and the closing theme is Maybe I. Yubina links the Hashirama-cell rumor to an illicit trade she has heard about, and both Mugino and Konohamaru grow uneasy because the only black market in the region operates out of the Land of Silence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hashirama Cell in Naruto?

The Hashirama Cell is a wood-based genetic material traced back to Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, and in this episode a splinter of it is pulled from Mitsuki's arm after he is bitten by a rampaging Anato.

What was special about the Hashirama cells found in this episode?

The physician Yubina reveals the fragment found in Mitsuki formed through Wood Release, and that a black market rumored to operate out of the Land of Silence has been trading in the rare cells, worrying Mugino and Konohamaru.

How does Mitsuki end up with Hashirama cells in his body?

Mitsuki is bitten by a berserk Anato during a mission to subdue him, and afterward a strange foreign substance begins creeping outward from the numbed wound on his arm.

Who treats Mitsuki after he is bitten?

Mugino leads the group to a local physician named Yubina, who draws a splinter of wood from Mitsuki's arm and concludes his unusual physiology is likely why he survived.

What does Victor do at the end of "The Hashirama Cell"?

Victor returns to a laboratory where Anato once worked, learns an item is still unaccounted for, and coldly orders Anato killed.

Sources & Information

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Naruto anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

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  • Game pages: official box art for the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm games, credited to Bandai Namco.
  • Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.

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