Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #78 of BorutoSasuke finally steps back into action in the latest chapter of Boruto, but it's too already too late. Not even the intervention of the powerful Uchiha was enough to stop Kawaki from getting away after betraying Konoha, which proves that Sasuke should have taken a more active role from the beginning.
In chapter #78 of Boruto, Kawaki suddenly strikes at the protagonist, after imprisoning both Naruto and Hinata in the Daikokuten dimension. Taken aback by this betrayal, Boruto has trouble fighting back, and he gets hit while defending Sarada from a lethal strike. Right when the situation seems desperate, the Konoha shinobi arrive, including Shikamaru, Mitsuki, and Sasuke, who steps in to save his disciple and his daughter from Kawaki. However, due to Momoshiki's sudden awakening inside Boruto's body, Kawaki manages to get away.
Boruto Has Taken Sasuke Out Of The Action For Too Long
Sasuke's presence in Boruto has always been fluctuating. He was involved in the big battles against Kinshiki and Momoshiki first, and then against Isshiki, but he was also absent in very important moments. Most notably, Sasuke was not present during Code's invasion, which ended with Boruto's death and resurrection at the hands of Kawaki. When later Code came back to abduct Amado and unlock his true power, Sasuke was in the village but he failed to intervene in that crisis, leading to Code regaining his full strength.
One possible explanation for Sasuke's recent lack of impact in the story is that, for most of Boruto, Sasuke and Naruto stole the scene from the younger generation of shinobi who are supposed to be the protagonists. This led to the de-powering of both characters (Sasuke lost his Rinnegan while Naruto lost Kurama), but it also created some issues concerning Sasuke, who is supposed to be Boruto's mentor. Sasuke even promised that he would kill Boruto if Momoshiki took over, but he simply was not there when it happened, to Kawaki had to do it. Sasuke's conspicuous absences are usually explained by his missions outside the village, but this excuse got stale pretty quickly.
Sasuke Finally Gets Involved Again In Boruto, But It's Too Late
Luckily, chapter #78 of Boruto gives Sasuke at least one cool moment by having him suddenly arrive at the battlefield and point his sword at Kawaki. However, it was clearly too late, and once again Sasuke failed to have any major impact on the story. Fans of the franchise are clearly hoping to get more of Sasuke, especially after the recent success of his spinoff series, Sasuke's Story, so it's great to see him step back into action in Boruto, even if it failed to accomplish anything.
The latest chapter of Boruto is available from Viz Media.