Versus Momoshiki Arc

In the anime, after completing a bodyguard mission, Boruto becomes frustrated as a pair of shinobi judge him for being the Hokage's son. Recalling that Naruto didn't turn up for his birthday party, he headed to the Ninjutsu Research Centre where Katasuke gave him a late birthday present. Returning home, Boruto promises Himawari that he'll make sure that Naruto comes home for her upcoming birthday. When the team gets their next mission, Konohamaru debriefs it before preparing to depart in a hour. While waiting, Boruto encounters Naruto, leading to him apologising for not coming home for his birthday the other day. Stating he doesn't care, Boruto made Naruto promise that he'll be home for Himiwari's. Travelling to their destination by train, the team is informed one of the robbers they were hired to capture was already imprisoned in the village. Learning that the criminals associates were all killed in the nearby mine, Team 7 ventured in to investigate, during which they are attacked by a White Zetsu. Using Konohamaru's strategy, the team eliminate the Zetsu. Going deeper into the Ōtsutsuki clan ruins, they discovered White Zetsu's decomposing, as well as a group of deceased Zetsu on fire, prompting Konohamaru into telling them this was the act of Sasuke. After Naruto was informed of the news, Konohamaru discussed the discovery with his clone, which annoyed Boruto that they were being left in the dark about the matter.

Several months after graduating, during a mission to catch a rampaging bear, Konohamaru tested his Kote. Boruto is very intrigued by the device. While later reporting the bear's successful capture to Naruto, Boruto brags that he could have completed the mission on his own. Naruto tried lecturing him on the importance of teamwork, which Boruto felt he has no right to do since they never spent time together. Rather than continue the argument, Boruto reminded Naruto that it was Himawari's birthday and warned him not to forget it before storming out. Sarada and Mitsuki track Boruto to a restaurant to give him an application for the next Chūnin Exams, which Konohamaru thinks they should enter. Boruto is uninterested despite the fact that they must all enter as a team and resumes playing his video game with Shikadai and Inojin, before running into Hinata and Himawari and returning home to celebrate his sisters birthday. Their celebration is cut short when Naruto's Shadow Clone disappeared, enraging Boruto that his father couldn't bother to come to Himawari's birthday.

Boruto showing Sasuke his Rasengan.

When he heard a knock on the front door, he opened it and swung a punch believing it was his father, but instead was Sasuke, who intercepted the attack. Looking for Naruto, Sasuke leaves. Shortly after, Boruto approaches him and asks for Sasuke to make him his student, which Sasuke accepts on the condition Boruto learned the Rasengan. Afterwards, Boruto went to Konohamaru's home and asked him to teach him the Rasengan, which Konohamaru eagerly agrees to. They started training the next day. He eventually learned to create a Rasengan on his own after several days of arduous training. He demonstrated it to Sasuke, who noted how small his Rasengan was. Boruto wrongly assumed this meant that Sasuke rejected him, so he borrowed the Kote from its inventor: Katasuke, so that he can instantly create normal-sized Rasengan. Boruto demonstrated "his" Rasengan to Sasuke again. Although Sasuke noticed the Kote, he said nothing and agrees to train Boruto, during which he learns shurikenjutsu and his father's background. After their training and wishing to stand out in the Chūnin Exams, Boruto was persuaded by Katsuke to illegally use a Kote during the matches.

On the day of the exams' first stage, the competing teams are given a true or false question. When Boruto and his team select their answer they are dumped into a pit, which Boruto, assuming this means they've failed, makes no effort to save himself from. Sarada and Mitsuki prevent him from falling into the ink at the bottom of the pit, which is the first stage's true objective and thus permits them to continue to the second stage. Naruto sends Boruto a congratulatory email when he hears the news; Boruto is upset that Naruto didn't send at least a shadow clone instead. Three days later during the second stage sometime later, the teams compete against each other in games of capture the flag. While Sarada and Mitsuki go off to capture the opposing team's flag, Boruto defends their own, believing he and his four shadow clones give him an advantage over the other team's three members. When the Three Senka Brothers make two shadow clones each, Boruto is quickly outnumbered and his flag is nearly captured. While initially reluctant, he eventually uses the Kote to perform a combination of elemental attacks to defeat them, allowing Boruto's team to continue to the finals. While Boruto recuperates at home later, Naruto visits him in person to state his pride in him and encourage him not to lose to Shikadai; Boruto remarks afterwards that Naruto's brief words could have been put in an email, but he is nevertheless moved to tears by his father coming to see him.

Boruto cheating against Shikadai.

On the day of the final exam, the competing genin are scheduled in a series of one-on-one tournament matches, with Boruto facing Yurui. Unable to engage him, Boruto used hit Koto to defeat Yurui. Afterwards, Boruto faced Shikadai, where after being caught by his shadow, he relied on using his Kote to pressure Shikadai into surrendering. While in the manga Naruto noticed Boruto cheating and subsequently disqualified him from the tournament, in the anime his cheating goes unnoticed, leading to him progressing to the finals against Sarada and Shinki. During the match, though he teamed up with Sarada against Shinki, their opponent managed to defeat Sarada, before Boruto relied on using his Kote to overpower Shinki's Iron Sand to win. Noticing Boruto's use of the tool, Naruto disqualified Boruto from the tournament and from being a ninja.

Lashing out at his father for his actions, the venue was attacked by Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki in their search for Naruto. Attacking Momoshiki in a panic with his Kote, all his techniques are absorbed, before Naruto returned to save him and regroup with Sarada and Sasuke. Momoshiki then launched a barrage of elemental techniques towards the group, which Naruto blocked with Kurama's assistance. Naruto instructed Sasuke to focus on protecting Boruto and Sarada while he engaged Momoshiki, during which Boruto calls out to him before losing consciousness from Momoshiki's large scale attack. Waking up in hospital, he learned that Naruto was captured, and runs to the Hokage's Office, where he puts on his father's old jacket and feels guilty for his attitude towards him. He is then approached by Sasuke, who invited Boruto to rescue his father. Accompanied with the Four Kage, the group departed through Sasuke's portal.

Boruto being branded by Momoshiki.

Upon arriving on Momoshiki's Planet, the Kage free Naruto and engage Kinshiki and Momoshiki. On seeing Boruto, Naruto tries to apologise for not being around more, but Boruto replies that it's okay, although he asks that Naruto start telling him about when he was younger instead of lecturing him. Naruto joins the battle and Momoshiki, despite absorbing Kinshiki to try and gain the upper-hand, is defeated. However, Katasuke arrives to lend assistance and attacks Momoshiki with the Kote, only to inadvertently rejuvenate him and allow him to capture the Kage. With encouragement from Sasuke, Boruto attacks Momoshiki with his small Rasengan, which forces him to release the Kage. Naruto is impressed that Boruto was able to learn the Rasengan and, still unable to move, adds his own chakra to Boruto's Rasengan, making it gigantic. Sasuke helps Boruto get a shadow clone close enough to Momoshiki to blind his Rinnegan with a kunai, preventing him from absorbing Boruto's Rasengan and thus leaving him unable to dodge it, killing Momoshiki. However upon investigating the remains of the God Tree, Momoshiki reappears before Boruto, freezing time for everybody but himself and Boruto to give Boruto a cryptic warning that someone who defeats a god ceases to be a normal person then gives him a seal on his palm. When Momoshiki fades away into mist, time resumes for everyone and they return to Konoha.

Boruto and Naruto reconcile.

In the anime, Boruto and Himawari shared a belated birthday dinner, with Naruto even appearing in person instead of sending a shadow clone. After Boruto punched Naruto, thinking it was a shadow clone, Naruto began scolding him, while Himawari asked for a piggy back ride. Hinata maintained order by threatening to throw the cake away. A few days later, Boruto's life sees many changes back home: he starts over with a non-hacked video game character, even though it makes the game more difficult; Naruto is home more often and Boruto is supportive of his gruelling work schedule; Boruto, despite being caught cheating in the Chūnin Exams, becomes a minor celebrity thanks to his role in helping with the previous crisis, doing the same kinds of interviews his father sometimes does. Boruto no longer has disdain for the Hokage title, though he still doesn't want to be Hokage. Instead, he decides to support Sarada in her dream of being Hokage, just as Sasuke supports Naruto. Mitsuki finds all the discussion about their parents interesting but insists that Naruto and Sasuke have nothing on his parent: Orochimaru. Sarada is at first shocked, and then ponders whether Orochimaru is Mitsuki's mother or father, while Boruto — becoming continuously more frustrated by Mitsuki and Sarada ignoring his question, demands to know who Orochimaru is. At some point, Boruto tells Sasuke about the seal on his palm, to which he warns Boruto to be on guard.