Say Goodbye to Naruto’s Best Couple as Their Romance Is Falling Apart

Naruto as a popular shonen manga has an unusually strong array of popular, as well as some unpopular, romantic pairings. But while the typical ships commonly discussed include central pairs like Naruto and Hinata, or Sasuke and Sakura, one of the best, most layered relationships may be in trouble. In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Ino Yamanaka’s hiding something from Sai.

Boruto Uzumaki was briefly taken into custody following the Divine Trees’ attack before he was aided in his escape in Two Blue Vortex chapter #14. This jailbreak was largely orchestrated by Eighth Hokage Shikamaru Nara, but moments before, it was revealed that Ino was letting him use her Mind Transfer jutsu to collude with Boruto, behind Sai’s back no less.

Sai Doesn’t Know What Ino Is Hiding in Boruto

“It’s Already Violating Five Regulations”

In the chapters leading up to the assault by Divine Tree Mamushi on the Hidden Leaf, Sai was present for a special investigation by elder Lord Kobu into Boruto’s escape from custody. While he initially had benign chatter with Shikamaru in moments up to and including chapter #25, he began showing suspicions of a possible mole by chapter #26.

Sai even investigates with the Sensory Unit to find out if Konohamaru, secretly a co-conspirator, only to find no trace in chapter #27. Unknowingly, Sai even saw Konohamaru react to Shikamaru’s secret communications (through Inojin, Sai’s son) that he let Boruto escape. Yet, Sai is still none the wiser, ultimately being ordered by Shikamaru to release Mitsuki amid Mamushi’s assault.

Sai has still not let go of these suspicions, and rightly so. Due to the Omnipotence affecting his mind, Kobu’s, and still much of Konoha’s, he believes Boruto to be a traitor possibly in league with the Divine Trees. But in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #14, Ino, meanwhile, confirms she let Shikamaru talk to Boruto multiple times.

Such a secret is a devastating one, especially since Sai understandably would see that as his wife communicating with a traitor. While Ino’s misgivings about it led to her soon backing out, and keeping it secret is part of the gig in the Sensory Unit, it’s inevitably a breach of trust between the two, unknowingly on opposing sides in this conspiracy.

Sai and Ino Are Naruto’s True Best Couple

Giving MinaKushi a Run for Their Money

Sai, who views Ino as much his savior as his wife, found the florist as his deepest ally facing prejudice due to his Root connections, thus the pairing term Flower and Root in Naruto. Ino is who ultimately pulled Sai back from his personal abyss, with their marriage giving him a surname to call his own.

Struggling with social cues for a litany of reasons during his introduction after the timeskip in Naruto, Sai commonly got himself into trouble when giving insulting nicknames, not filtering rudeness from his perceived truth. This led to him, having previously nicknamed Sakura “Ugly” and nearly insulting Choji, to call Ino “Gorgeous”, the opposite of what popped into his head.

While this largely innocent interaction is adorable in review, it’s not until the Shikamaru Hiden novel, corresponding with some of the final episodes of Naruto: Shippuden, where Sai’s connection with Ino grows downright romantic. It’s only thanks to Ino’s Mind Transfer jutsu that she’s able to pull Sai out of his pit of loneliness and despair.

It’s uncertain just whether Mikio Ikemoto will even explore this conflict. Sai and Ino are strong enough as a couple to probably withstand such a secret. But their trust could very reasonably be damaged, affecting an otherwise picture-perfect romance in the Naruto canon. If anything, it’s painfully ironic this latest issue was also caused by the Mind Transfer jutsu.