Warning: Spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 75The tragic opening scene that has been on the minds of every fan since the very first chapter (and episode) of Boruto just got revisited for the first time in a shocking way.
Due to the immensity of that opening scene, fans always wondered about the events leading up to the confrontation between Boruto and this so-called Kawaki. But after getting to know Kawaki's character after his introduction, everyone wonders about this scene for a very different reason. Just based on how the "vase" scenario wrapped up, it's impossible to see Boruto and Kawaki having a falling out, especially because of Kawaki's obsession with Boruto's father Naruto.
But readers have finally gotten a glimpse of a point in time that seems to precede the highly anticipated face-off in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 75 by creator and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto, artist Mikio Ikemoto and scriptwriter Ukyo Kodachi. It happens when Boruto appears to have a vision of the future mere moments after the thoughts of Momoshiki, who has been existing inside Boruto's mind for quite some time now, seems to overlap with Boruto's thoughts. In this vision, it appears as though Kawaki has just betrayed Boruto and his friends who could very well be in hot pursuit of him. Shikamaru's son Shikadai mentions how something that was done isn't what friends do while Orochimaru's son Mitsuki actually shows genuine emotion - that of hatred.
What does the vision mean?
Although Boruto's friends don't mention Kawaki's name, the fact that there is an image of Kawaki whose Karma seems to have progressed implies that Kawaki is the perpetrator of something. Although it's still astonishing to think that Kawaki could ever do something to betray his friends in Konoha, it at least pairs well with why Boruto and Kawaki would fight each other. Of course, whatever Kawaki did could be a misunderstanding. Both Kawaki and Boruto were actually involved in one of their own making not too long ago. They had agreed that should Boruto lose control of Momoshiki, Kawaki would kill him. Kawaki just lucked out that Boruto didn't die because that would have resulted in him getting hunted down similarly to how Boruto's friends are tracking him down now in Boruto's vision.
There's also the fact that Kawaki's Karma is essentially erasing who Kawaki is as a person so that whichever Ōtsutsuki marked him would be able to take over his body. Although Kawaki's Karma did somehow reappear after Jigen's death, it's unknown where it came from and who forced it on him. It's likely that Kawaki's new Karma has something to do with whatever he did in the vision. There are just still so many unknowns about Karma to know for sure, and it's very likely that Amado hasn't revealed everything he knows about the phenomenon, either, which reinforces the theory that Kawaki is being manipulated.
Regardless of whether it's another misunderstanding or if Kawaki is being controlled by his new Karma, Boruto's vision links directly to the series' opening scene, which is the first time that this has ever happened. That said, it's clear that the vision in question doesn't actually directly precede the infamous opening scene because Hokage Rock is still intact, and the opening scene shows both Boruto and Kawaki fighting on the remains of Konoha's iconic land formation. So some time will still have to pass before the opening scene can even happen, so Boruto's friends will therefore fail in catching him, allowing Kawaki to fight another day. What happens next - and even what happened before then - is now anyone's guess.