When Eida performed her reality swap in the Boruto series, most of Konoha fell for the charm. The enchantment had them thinking Boruto was the one who killed Naruto and Hinata, not realizing Kawaki locked the Hokage and his wife away in a secret dimension. It’s left Boruto on the run with Sasuke, hoping he doesn’t have to fight or kill anyone from the Hidden Leaf.
Interestingly, Boruto has gone on hiatus, with a time jump in place for when the property restarts. It has many curious about what level he’ll be at, what Kawaki will have the Konoha-nin doing, and how Sasuke will handle this mentorship. However, while the skip will advance the plot for many members of the story fans are familiar with, it will be doing one character a major disservice.
Boruto’s Sumire Won’t Have Nuanced Time to Shine
This is none other than Sumire, the girl who’s crushing on Boruto and who forms that love triangle with Sarada. Ironically, both teens are mysteriously impervious to Eida’s spell, which makes it seem like they’d be rogues immediately working to help Boruto. Sarada’s already convinced her dad to help the boy, so this carves out the perfect opportunity for Sumire to focus on winning over the scientists in Katasuke and Amado — or to convince Shikamaru and the juniors of the truth.
However, a time jump will nullify the time Sumire can prove to be an asset. Sumire will continue to be underdeveloped as someone working for Boruto’s betterment on the inside. It’s a bad move because she was once sent to Konoha as a weapon, but she redeemed herself and began helping the village. Thus, it makes sense that she works as a spy to help Boruto and get Kawaki to see the light. After all, Kawaki ordered Eida to cast the spell, which would have shown Sumire’s selflessness, willingness to sacrifice herself, and love for Boruto. Having it right in the aftermath also capitalizes on the emotional connection and overall momentum, with Boruto feeling as isolated as ever.
Boruto’s Sumire Won’t Feel Like a Soulmate
Admittedly, Boruto has taken to the idea of Sumire being his soulmate, especially knowing Sumire didn’t have the best family life. It’s drawn a lot of compassion and empathy from him, creating a stream of maturity. Sadly, the reality warp hit right when he and Sumire were making strides and really bonding. So, to keep them apart and not have her meeting him covertly at this time — his lowest — would further diminish that romantic bond. The timing’s off, letting shippers down who think now’s the chance to have her risking it all, showing him what she’s feeling.
This would naturally have Boruto gravitate toward Sumire, but fans will now have to infer. Filling in the blanks via the imagination isn’t necessarily bad, but not for characters who don’t get much time. Sumire’s one of those, so it’s tough to assume what happens in between to create the space of love and endearment. There’ll be big gaps and projections in terms of Boruto’s sentimentality when the series restarts.
This time skip will do Sumire an injustice when she really could have done with some exposition. By continuing the story immediately, she’d have established herself as one of Boruto’s true norths. Instead, the creative path nods to errors made with Naruto and Hinata, who barely had time together. That’s why fans thought it was rushed and forced when they hooked up and got married. Hopefully, there’s something better in line for Sumire. Because ultimately, Sumire’s set to come off very undercooked and feel like nothing more than a secondary pawn in Boruto’s future, with the Sarada-Sasuke combo poised to take her shine.
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