Kawaki

is a genin who was raised by Kara to be the future vessel for Isshiki Ōtsutsuki and the key to the fulfilment of their greatest wish. After being brought to Konohagakure by Team 7, he is taken in by Naruto Uzumaki who adopted him as his own. He ultimately develops a bond with his new family, especially Boruto, while working with them to solve the mystery of the Kāma.

Background
As a child, he lived alone with his drunken, abusive father, Kokatsu. In the anime, he was forced to chop wood for a living in order to buy alcohol for Kokatsu. One day, a goldfish merchant invited him to a goldfish show that he was holding the next day after Kawaki had shown interest in the goldfish. Later, his father noticed the invitation in his pocket and punished Kawaki for interacting with strangers by forbidding him dinner. The next day, Kawaki was beaten by two boys until the goldfish merchant saved him and offered him a job by helping him sell goldfish in other villages. Kawaki hurried home after noticing the crack in the glass of his father's alcohol. Giving nothing but broken glass, Kawaki was locked in a room by Kokatsu.

Shortly after, Jigen arrived to propose buying him with a large sum of money. Not wanting to leave his home, Kawaki promised his father that he could do more work to earn money but was knocked unconscious when Kokatsu smashed an empty bottle on his head. Upon taking custody of the boy, Jigen told Kawaki that the suffering he endured was over and there was nothing to fear, as he was his new father. As Kawaki and Jigen took the only tunnel out of the village, the seemingly friendly merchant from before revealed himself as a child trafficker, hoping to take Kawaki for himself. After Kawaki had waited outside the tunnel for the two to settle who would take the boy, Jigen came out, claiming the man had "gladly withdrawn".

When he was first brought to Kara, Jigen took Kawaki to Amado's laboratory, telling him that he would give Kawaki a gift when they truly become parent and child. As part of a ritual, Kawaki was one of fifteen Ōtsutsuki vessel candidates that were placed in artificial wombs connected by tubes to jars of fluid, through which Jigen attempted to transfer his Kāma to them. The first thirteen children all died, however, Jigen succeeded with Kawaki, one of his last attempts. Kawaki later awoke with a Kāma branded on his left hand. Despite Jigen's promise of safety, Kawaki would later describe his life from then on to be a living hell.

Sometime after the Ōtsutsuki ritual, Kawaki was attacked by Code, who was so jealous that he alone proved viable as Isshiki's vessel that he came to openly hate Kawaki, making it clear that if he wasn't a vessel, he'd kill Kawaki with his own hands. In the anime, a terrified Kawaki tried to escape the Kara hideout but ran into Garō, another survivor from Jigen's vessel experiments. Garō marvelled at the fact that unlike him, Kawaki didn't seem to suffer any major injuries. Garō tried to get him to come with him stating he could teach him along of things, however Kawaki wanted to leave and asked where the exit was. Enraged, Garō started strangling the boy, who in self-defence activated his Kāma, and blasted Garō in the face, severely burning his head and destroying his chin, for which he claims to have apologised.

He would constantly be put through gruelling training, all so he'd master the Kāma and become a perfect vessel for Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, as Jigen wanted. During it, he would constantly berate Kawaki as only having value as a vessel for the Kāma and would strike the boy whenever he questioned him. Kawaki eventually also underwent extensive body modification.

Personality
Stemming from his harsh childhood, Kawaki is shown to be aggressive and vulgar to people he dislikes or opposes. At the same time, despite his efforts to distance himself from others, he was not completely heartless. He showed sympathy for weak and injured animals, and refused to let innocent children get hurt. Also, he can remain calm and collected when questioning strangers, such as when Kawaki listened to Konohamaru Sarutobi's explanation about himself and his team. When not letting his temper get the best of him, Kawaki is shown to be very observant and pragmatic, easily reading the flow of battle before him and how best to react. Likewise, he is capable of seeing through deceptions and quickly formulating a cunning thought-out plan. Mitsuki considers him reliably effective in conveying his feelings, even if done in an aggressive manner.

Due to the massive suffering he has endured while forced to be a vessel of the Kara, which he described as being a living hell, he would gladly die than be stuck in said hell for the rest of his life. He has even shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, as simply seeing dripping roots of plants serves as a reminder of his struggles and has left him panting in horror. He appears to loathe himself for what he has become over the years he spent with Kara, stating that he would learn the Shadow Clone Technique just so he could beat himself up to vent out.

Kawaki is known to hold grudges, especially towards Kara, becoming highly alert and aggressive when facing off against members of the group. He particularly resents Jigen for what he deemed as a violation of his promises of safety, as shown by how he quickly erupted into a rage while unconscious upon being reminded of Jigen's adoption of him and later on when he showed clear resentment while describing Jigen's experiment. However, while appearing to be confident in his ability to defeat the Outers, he knows better than to believe than he could possibly come out on top against any of the Inners, knowing of their completely monstrous might, and has shown fear of them, sweating in the presence of Delta and expressing brief but great shock that Naruto could be more powerful than even Jigen, who he knew full well was the strongest member of Kara. Even though he deeply loathed Jigen and believed that with Naruto protecting him he was safe, Kawaki remained terrified of him as Jigen's arrival through the Kāma he forced on Kawaki caused him genuine horror and fear not just for himself but for Naruto and after seeing Naruto struggling against the far weaker Delta and then being overtaken with ease by his adopted father, when Jigen attacked Konoha to retrieve him and was about to engage Naruto, Kawaki instantly surrendered, believing a fight between the two of them could end in Naruto's defeat and death.

This fear, however, at least after his change due to his time in Konoha, is not at the level where he would just allow himself to be defeated without putting up a fight, as he attempted to attack Jigen even though he knew how futile it would be for him to fight his adopted father, who he had always lost to in their spars, and despite being effortlessly restrained, he still did not bother to defend Naruto and insult Jigen, and later on despite describing Boro as being even worse in some ways than Jigen, he challenged him to save Naruto along with the rest of Team 7. His hatred for Jigen (and later Isshiki) was so powerful that he openly relished in seeing Isshiki's impending death, even stepping on his crumbling remains while insulting him. Being used by Isshiki made him detest the rest of the Ōtsutsuki clan as well, as he expressed his hatred for Momoshiki's similar mindset. Kawaki's hatred for Kara also led him to be unsympathetic for his fellow Vessel experiment, Code, as he suggested for Boruto to turn Code into his vessel to prevent Momoshiki from destroying his individuality.

Due to his harsh childhood, he is a stranger to simple joys like pastries, as he is openly amazed at their flavour and it seem that he considers anything new that he eats as delicious. Likewise, he enjoys sightseeing, amazed by seeing the ocean for the first time. He is also constantly on guard, instinctively attacking a child for bumping into him without hesitation, although he claims he was only interested in scaring the child to show him the harshness of life. In the anime, he dislikes travelling by boat as he suffers from seasickness. Despite his gruff exterior, small children tend to like him.

Kawaki also seems to possess a dry sense of humour, as shown when Kawaki mocked Garō for his part in disfiguring his jaw in the past. He is also shown to be quite ruthless, fully capable of killing anyone who either opposes or angers him. In addition, Kawaki is also antisocial, showing little to no respect for others and being openly blunt and rude in his decision and opinion, although he does have some manners, as he is shown to be not above apologising when he does something wrong even if he initially believed it to be unnecessary, as shown by how he apologised, even if half-heartedly, on how he broke the flower vase Himawari gifted to Hinata after seeing how much it hurt her. In addition, he is not above fixing his mistakes if necessary, as although begrudgingly, Kawaki was willing to buy another vase to make Boruto agree to work with him, nor has his heart completely been closed off, according to Kurama, as Naruto's advice against self-hatred did, even if bitterly, change his decision to learn how to use Shadow Clones to beat himself up and even cause him to try to fix the broken vase and he even came to appreciate his relationship with Naruto and his family, risking his life to save Himawari, although he insisted that it was for self-preservation on needing to keep the Hokage alive.

Over time with his new life in Konohagakure, Kawaki began opening up to others, apparently enjoying the game Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls and showing an interest in learning ninjutsu. In the anime, his neglectful upbringing made him eager to be accepted, he gets nervous in being part of social events and will take advice from others quite literally. He became noticeably more responsible in tasks placed on him and relatively more calm and respectful. This change in nature largely came from Naruto, who would continuously show such patience and compassion to the boy. Also stemming from this, Kawaki came to respect the Seventh Hokage, apparently even seeing him as a father-figure, as he offered to trade an extremely rare Fourth Hokage card for a Seventh Hokage card, hoping to learn more about Naruto. Later, in learning about how he shared kinship with Naruto, both having such trouble childhoods yet Naruto was able to rise beyond it to find joy, Kawaki came to deeply admire Naruto and driven to learn from his example. He also became noticeably more reasonable, lashing out less, even while under house arrest. Even more, he becomes infuriated with Jigen after the latter insulted Naruto, ordering him to never speak ill of Naruto. He also later came to respect Boruto, happy when Boruto openly considered him a brother. In the anime, he also showed to enjoy the company of others, admitting to their strengths.

His newfound loyalty towards his surrogate family was even willing to sacrifice his freedom to ensure their survival. Even more, he without hesitation left to Jigen's alternate dimension to help Naruto. When facing Isshiki, Kawaki openly voiced he'd rather be dead than live in a world without Naruto, viewing himself proudly as his student. In the anime, he even desires to become a shinobi to further emulate Naruto. Despite his newfound loyalty to Naruto, he remained distant and uncertain of what path to take, refusing to let people get close. Following a test to become a genin, Kawaki came to understand the responsibilities that come with being a shinobi, determined to better himself.

However, Kawaki retained a problematic nature, feeling that once things reach a certain point, while not liking to do so, he must handle things void of emotional attachment. Due to his upbringing, Kawaki has shown a remarkable lack of empathy for others. Though he is deeply devoted towards protecting Naruto, he does not extend that empathy towards others, even other members of Konoha. He was openly unconcerned about saving Shikamaru's life when he was being held hostage by Code, as well Amado's fate believing he will be killed by Code when Code kidnapped him. Kawaki also showed no remorse when trying to kill Boruto when he was possessed by Momoshiki despite Naruto's pleas, and did not hesitate when he nearly killed Boruto, something which disturbed Shikamaru. He would even go so far as to admit that he felt disappointed when he'd failed to kill Boruto, causing Hinata to slap him in disgust. Kawaki also show to be completely indifferent toward romance, ignoring Ada's crush on him.

Having reoriented his entire world view around Naruto, he decided to, for the sake of protecting the Hokage, he would use his Ōtsutsuki powers to wipe all Ōtsutsuki out, including Boruto. However, he acknowledges that his actions are morally wrong and dislikes the idea of betraying those he considers family. Owning up to his moral dilemma, he made the point of informing Naruto of a new goal and sent him away with a rift to stop him from interfering with killing Boruto. Even more, Kawaki was fully aware and prepared for Naruto to hate him and even promised to allow himself to be killed by him after finishing Boruto to ensure that the Ōtsutsuki threat would be dealt with once and for all.

Since regaining his Kāma, Kawaki has became more callous, unbothered by Shikamaru's interest in Amado's motivations and agitated him as he believes that Code will kill him, earning himself Naruto's admonishment. He also grew more hostile towards any person or circumstance that would threaten Naruto's life, coming to believe that all who want something from him are scum and that good people like Naruto are the first to die. When his and Boruto's personal history were swapped in the world's memory, Kawaki took advantage of the situation to make it seem like Boruto killed Naruto, so no one would hinder his efforts to kill Boruto. Despite this, Boruto has emphasised that Kawaki's actions come not from malice or selfishness, but his own personal view of justice brought on by his harsh background.

Appearance
Kawaki is a young man with grey eyes and bushy black hair, the sides of which are shaven and blond in colour. As noted by Ino, despite his gruff demeanour, he is very handsome. Additionally, he has a tattoo of the Roman numeral Ⅸ under his left eye, a pair of piercings on his right eyebrow, and stud earrings. Kawaki wears a green shirt with a blue sleeveless vest jacket with grey stripe patterns on the collar and dark pants with a studded belt. He had an Isshiki's Kāma on the palm of his left hand in the shape of a diamond, which spread across the left half of his face, chest, and arm, glowing red upon activation. With Isshiki's resurrection through Jigen, the original Kāma was erased, later on reapplied by Amado, with the same appearance as before.

During the battle between Naruto and Delta, Kawaki lost his right forearm. It was replaced by an advanced prosthetic that was powered by Naruto's chakra. After Isshiki's defeat, Amado was able to restore Kawaki's full anatomy with a replacement arm cultivated from Kawaki's own cells. In the anime, after officially becoming a genin, he was given a Konoha forehead protector with a black strap that he wore loosely around his neck.

Later on in his life, Kawaki is seen wearing a violet infinity scarf and belt, white overalls with his chest exposed, and a black vest trench coat.

Abilities
Kawaki is a remarkably powerful fighter, having been brutally trained in armed and unarmed combat by Jigen to master his various enhancements. With the power he wields, Kawaki easily destroyed dozens of formidable robotic puppets, and Inners of Kara have openly praised his might. Upon inheriting Isshiki's abilities, nobody in Konoha, including the Seventh Hokage, is thought to be able to oppose his power. Kawaki was hypothesised to be an incredible shinobi if he could learn to use ninjutsu along with his previous abilities,

Kāma
Kawaki possesses the Kāma of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, which he was originally branded with to be his new vessel. Having proved compatible with the mark, Kawaki's body has gradually been genetically rewritten into Isshiki's likeness. With it, he can absorb ninjutsu, and open portals to other dimensions. As the mark continued to advance, Kawaki began subconsciously accessing a transformed state, manifesting a small horn on the left side of his head. Kawaki's contact with Boruto, who bears Momoshiki's Kāma, created a resonance that accelerated the takeover rate of both vessels. By the improper resurrection of Isshiki, Kawaki's being has mostly been written into Isshiki's likeness. The forced resurrection of Isshiki also erased Kawaki's Kāma.

Later, Amado reapplied the Kāma, now functioning only as a weapon with Ishiki's soul gone. Soon after, the Kāma advanced enough for Kawaki to access Isshiki's dōjutsu and various techniques. Through such, he can use Sukunahikona to shrink and return to normal size himself or any nonliving matter. He can use Daikokuten to store items in a pocket dimension and summon them to himself. He no longer requires aid to create rifts. This restored Kāma contains data about Amado's daughter Akebi, which Amado hopes can properly resurrect her if applied to a cloned body once it matures enough.

Body Modifications
Kawaki's body is significantly modified at a cellular level with microscopic Shinobi-Ware implanted by Amado. It constantly alters his physiology throughout his circulatory and nervous systems, transforming him into a living scientific ninja tool and granting him unique superhuman abilities similar to a kekkei genkai. Katasuke Tōno deems the modifications as advanced as the prosthetic arm designed for Naruto Uzumaki, if not more so. He also noted that unlike Mitsuki, who is a genetically engineered synthetic human using organic technology, Kawaki is a natural human transformed into something else using inorganic technology. Amado also installed a shutdown command activated by his voice to force Kawaki into stasis.

His body tissue can undergo advanced cellular repair, able to regenerate lost anatomy and heal at an accelerated rate, able to mend his injuries in minutes. It can also instantly undergo sclerosis or malacia to harden, soften, and expand. This allows him to transform his limbs and weaponise them; these growths can even be shed and thrown as projectiles, enabling him to produce a myriad of tools and weapons for battle including sharp blades or stretching tendrils. He can also produce a powerful shockwave from his body, either as a focus blast or in all directions, even the ground below him. In the anime, he has some resistance to mind control and a heightened resistance to fire.

When Kawaki lost his right arm to Delta's Destruction Beam, he was given a prosthetic replacement by Katasuke. It siphons trivial amounts of chakra from Naruto to function and does not operate when Naruto sleeps or falls unconscious. Furthermore, Kawaki's modified body seems to be rejecting this replacement prosthetic due to the difference in the complexity of the technologies made them ultimately incompatible. After Isshiki's death, Amado restored Kawaki's proper arm.

Physical Prowess
Kawaki specialises in close-range hand-to-hand combat. His style is shown to be very nimble and coordinated, flipping about to evade enemy attacks and using the environment to launch himself at the opponent. Upon which, he is able to seamlessly unleash a barrage of strikes from each of his limbs. He is also very resilient. While already being tired beforehand, he was able to endure Garō's savage assault and continue fighting effectively despite his battered state. He has considerable raw strength, able to defeat most opponents with a single punch, and likewise can hold up a massive wooden beam on his own. Kawaki is later shown to be proficient in using a bō, able to match Boruto's swordsmanship.

Ninjutsu
Since living in Konohagakure and taking an interest in ninjutsu, he began learning it from the Seventh Hokage. This included chakra manipulation and shurikenjutsu, to which he showed a noticeable talent for, mastering the basics in a short period of time. He is also able to perform more advanced techniques with a single hand, including Fire Release and the Shadow Clone Technique. He also demonstrated great ingenuity, using the limited skill he has acquired for clever deceptions. Kawaki instinctively learned the Ōtsutsuki ability to hide his chakra signature.

Ao Arc
Upon reaching Phase 3 as the "Vessel" for Kara's plans, Jigen had wanted to test Kawaki's powers on the surface. Overhearing Jigen and Amado discussing this, Victor had offered to them to transport him using his high tech stealth blimp. When the blimp that was transporting Kawaki crashed in the Land of Fire near the border, he left the scene, resulting in some of Kara's autonomous puppets pursuing him. After travelling a fair distance away from the crash, he defeated all the pursing puppets before falling unconscious.

Kawaki Arc
Upon his body being discovered by Team 7, the shinobi discovered he had an identical mark to Boruto Uzumaki's. When both their seals began to hurt, Kawaki was dreaming of his first time meeting Jigen, leading to him abruptly waking up and destroying the area within his vicinity. Questioning who the team were, Konohamaru identified himself, and asked for information regarding the crash. Refusing to provide information and wanting to be left alone, Boruto revealed to Kawaki he also had Kāma, resulting in Kawaki believing they were pursuers from Kara. As they tried to correct him, Garō made his presence known, announcing his intentions of recovering Kawaki. Launching another attack, Kawaki dodged and began fighting while modifying his body, despite his weakened state. Upon Garō managing to subdue Kawaki, his Kāma activated and strengthened him, leading to Kawaki destroying Garō'a prosthetic arm. Walking towards Garō and absorbing his blast, Kawaki impales him with his modified arm, before killing the Outer with a shock wave. To his surprise, Boruto instinctively activated his mark to absorb the shock wave and protect his team. This made Kawaki more convinced than ever that they were with Kara.

Kawaki told Boruto to tell Jigen if he pursued him, the mountain of corpses would increase. Their conversation was cut short as smoke emerged from his body, leading to Kawaki collapsing and being examined by the shinobi. Ultimately, the Konona-nin decided to bring him to meet with the Seventh Hokage. In the anime, Kawaki was brought to the Advanced Technology Research Institute in Ryūtan City, where he was detained until further notice. Attempting to escape, he acquired some Scientific Ninja Tools to aid his breakout, during which he was severely injured by Nue. Fleeing to a nearby village, he was pursued by Sumire Kakei. Upon her finding him, Sumire realised the deep emotional scars Kawaki had from his childhood, able to relate. Soon after the pair were attacked by police, forcing Kawaki to flee and fight his way out. Intercepted by Naruto, who learned from Sumire that Kawaki was just scared for his life. Naruto proceeded to passively hold Kawaki off until he collapsed from exhaustion. When Kawaki awoke, he found himself in the Konoha Hospital surrounded by the Konoha shinobi. Learning that he was in Konoha, Kawaki attempted to flee out of the room's window, but was restrained by Shikamaru Nara. Afterwards, Naruto introduced himself as the Hokage. Later, after an agreement between the five Kage, it was decided for Kawaki to remain unrestrained within Konoha while Naruto watched over him.

Naruto escorted Kawaki through the village to his house, during which he fled for not wanting to be used. To his shock, Naruto effortlessly caught up and blocked his path, prompting Kawaki to continue going to the Hokage's house. There, he attempted to flee again, but in the process destroyed a vase, leading to Naruto asserting his prowess and intimidating Kawaki into submission. When Boruto discovered Kawaki would be living with his family, he begrudgingly apologised before introducing himself. Later, after the frustrated boys fought each other, Kawaki revealed how he obtained his Kāma, and suggested they work together to remove their markings. Telling Boruto he'll replace the vase, Naruto took him to get a replacement. On their way, he met Sarada Uchiha. In the anime, they also met her with Chōchō at a pastry shop. There, Kawaki was treated to a snack, amazed at such flavors he never had before. Soon, Kawaki was brought to Yamanaka Flowers. At the flower shop, Kawaki met Ino Yamanaka, to whom Naruto had entrusted to sense the enemies after him. There, he also had a panic attack after flower roots reminded him of Jigen's experiment. Seeing how traumatised Kawaki was, Naruto gave him a comforting hug, insisting that it was fine. In the anime, while treating Kawaki to lunch, he insists to Kawaki that sharing experiences with other is a great way to connect with people. Upon returning to the Uzumaki house with a new vase and flowers, Boruto rejected the new vase and instead gave him glue to repair the broken one, much to Kawaki's anger.

Later, while watching Boruto and Naruto spar, Kawaki insisted Boruto try using Kāma, prompting him to activate his to activate Boruto's. The mutual respect and support between the two after the match concluded surprised Kawaki, remembering his own harsh experience with father-figures. Later, Naruto offered for Kawaki to try sparring with Boruto next time. Kawaki declined as he couldn't use chakra and though Naruto insisted that all can learn to do so as chakra exists in all people, Kawaki only stated he would like learning to use a shadow clone solely so he could beat himself up to feel better when frustrated. Knowing the feeling of having nothing and no one, Naruto insisted that self-hatred would solve nothing and that with friends, he could change for the better despite Kawaki believing it to be a complete lie. Afterwards, Kawaki bitterly decided to repair the broken vase. While struggling to fix the vase, Boruto decided to take Kawaki's offer of learning what he knows about their Kāma. Deciding to do so through sparring, the two quickly activated their respective marks. Kawaki then launched a blast at Boruto with the intent of him absorbing it like previously, only for Boruto to instead damage his hand. Naruto called off the match and told the two to perform the Seal of Reconciliation. The event made their marks react. While Boruto saw a vision, Kawaki insisted he saw nothing when asked about it.

As Naruto was alerted by Ino of an intruder, he informed the kids that an intruder was approaching them. The group was soon approached by Delta, who demanded Kawaki to be handed over. Informing Naruto that she was an Inner and how much of a threat she was, Naruto instructed Kawaki to protect himself while he engaged her in battle. Throughout the fight, Kawaki attempted to calm Boruto, explaining how Naruto was controlling the flow of the fight, leading it away from them by going on the defensive so he could go all out. Delta eventually unleashed eye beams that Kawaki noted to be designed to overcome regeneration abilities. When Delta attempted to use Himawari to get Naruto on the path of her eye beams, Kawaki shielded him from the beam, rationalising it as them being good as dead if Naruto had been hit, and considering him and Boruto even regarding Himawari's vase. While the battle continued, Naruto overcame Delta's absorption ability and immobilised her body with his Rasengan, before she self-destructed.

Following the battle, Kawaki was brought to Katasuke to repair his arm. When the scientist informed him that the technology in Kawaki's body was too advanced for him to handle, Naruto gave Kawaki one of his prosthetic arms that he powered with his chakra. Shocked at how sincere Naruto was at being nice, Kawaki asked to learn about ninjutsu, which Naruto agreed to and began training him. Proceeding this, Kawaki trained in ninjutsu and continued repairing the vase, as well as spent time with Boruto and his peers, during which he opened a Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls and got a Fourth Hokage card, which he traded for Boruto's Seventh Hokage card. While Naruto slept and Kawaki discovered he was missing the last piece of the vase he constructed, Kurama manifested its head to warn Kawaki not to wander off from Naruto. While shocked, Kurama explained its role in watching over him, and corrected certain misconceptions Kawaki had about Naruto. Kawaki was moved to hear how Naruto's past was filled with such similar hardships and loneliness to Kawaki's. Moved by how much Naruto was able to overcome, Kawaki wondered if he could become someone like Naruto. Later, Kawaki impressed onlookers with his grasp over the basics of chakra control. When conversation turned to Kāma, Kawaki admitted Jigen was the one responsible for giving it to him, and that they would inevitably have to fight him. Boruto stood with Kawaki, even calling him his brother in support.

Later at home with Naruto, after giving up on finding the last piece of the vase, Kawaki's Kāma unexpectedly created a portal from which Jigen emerged. Aiming at taking Kawaki back with him, he pushed Naruto away, leading to Kawaki attempting to attack Jigen but was subdued. Having talked down on the Hokage, Kawaki sprouted a horn in anger, during which Naruto kicked Jigen away. Seeing Jigen powering up in order to fight the Hokage, Kawaki pleaded with Jigen to not harm the Hokage if he came with him. Agreeing to his terms, Naruto intervenes, prompting Jigen to use Space–Time Ninjutsu to remove the Hokage and himself from the situation, much to Kawaki's horror. Joined by Sarada, she questioned Kawaki what happened, during which his prosthetic arm suddenly snapped off, horrifying Kawaki as he realised Jigen had eliminated Naruto. As Boruto and Mitsuki arrived, asking what happened, Kawaki explained the situation. Finding himself subdued by Shikamaru, the jōnin voiced his distrust of Kawaki, while his team encased the area with a barrier. Interrogating Kawaki about the recent events, Boruto vouched for Kawaki. As Kawaki continued to think about all he experienced in Naruto's care, he realised Naruto was alive when his prosthetic arm reactivated. By synchronising his Kāma with Boruto's, they were able to produce the same rift Jigen had did earlier. While Shikamaru refused to let anyone enter the rift, Kawaki used his Kāma to escape Shikamaru's technique while he and the genin entered the rift to find Naruto.

On the other side, they arrived in a large rocky terrain, where they met Boro. As the children prepared to fight the Inner member, Boro quickly displayed his might, forcing them on the defensive as Boruto and Kawaki used their Kāma to absorb the foe's techniques. When Boro sapped their strength with his mist technique, the combined effort of Mitsuki and Sarada gave the team an opening to retreat. Analysing Boro's mist, Sarada determined it was a virus, prompting Mitsuki to administer and cure the team with antibodies and Kawaki agreeing with Mitsuki in making her team leader. After she created an opening to attack Boro, Kawaki amplified Boruto's Rasengan with his Kāma, destroying much of Boro's upper body before he regenerated. Rushing at Naruto, Kawaki broke formation to protect Naruto, leading to Boro attacking Kawaki with shuriken. Battered from the trap, Boruto and Mitsuki battled off Boro with their various attacks, while Kawaki explained to Sarada the true nature behind Boro's limitless regeneration. Noting that they had to destroy the special core implanted inside Boro, Kawaki joined in assaulting Boro while Sarada searched for the object. Eventually, she succeeded and struck at it with her Chidori. Successfully removing the core, Boro's body began mutating without its stabiliser. Despite Boro's vulnerable state, Kawaki insisted that he was too dangerous to approach and should focus on the Hokage. Believing they could use their Kāma to create a rift like they did to reach this dimension to free Naruto, Kawaki and Boruto focused on the seal, proving successful as the unconscious Hokage was released. While the kids checked on Naruto, Boro composed himself enough to turn his rage on the kids, knocking out Mitsuki and Kawaki. Kawaki recovered just as Boruto defeated Boro, having involuntarily manifested Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki's will with the power of his Kāma.

After the team returned to Konoha with Naruto, they were all taken to the hospital for treatment. In the anime, Kawaki joined the Team 7 and the Konoha officials in discussing the events against Boro. Kawaki explained that each member of Kara was augmented with various types of Shinobi-Ware, giving them abilities besides ninjutsu. Afterwards, Kawaki talked with Boruto about his brief metamorphosis into Momoshiki, noting that he recently underwent a similar thing against Jigen. Later, Kawaki was put through various tests, where Katasuke Tōno determined that his body was rejecting the prosthetic arm due to its incompatible nature with Kawaki's chakra and nano-tech and continued usage of the arm was causing him great pain. He took it in stride, rejecting an offer for painkiller medication and insisting that his body wouldn't give in so easily. Boruto informed him that Naruto had made a full recovery. In the anime, as Kawaki's new friends continued to help cheer him up from recent events with snacks and games, he was surprised to see that Sumire was so close to them despite having left shinobi work. Hearing how much the child shinobi were all so determined to aid each other, Kawaki ultimately accepted Sumire's earlier offer for some painkillers. After being released from the hospital, Kawaki decided it would be best to leave the village as his Kāma would only endanger everyone. Before he could, he found himself helping Himawari to care for an injured and lone white wolf. Despite the girl's efforts, the wolf was ultimately killed by a bear. Soon after, Kawaki made his way to the village gate, where he was intercepted by Boruto who found Kawaki's farewell note early. Between the words of support from Boruto and the insistence that Konoha always looks out for its own, which now includes Kawaki, Kawaki decided to stay.

Later, Shikadai was taken prisoner by Amado, who wished to speak to Shikamaru. Kawaki confirmed Amado's identity, recognising his voice. When Amado was brought in for questioning regarding his wish to defect to Konohagakure, Kawaki watched his interrogation. He confirmed Amado's high standing in the organisation, and the danger he put himself in merely by leaving headquarters. Kawaki was surprised to learn that Amado and Koji conspired against Jigen, and were responsible for the airship crash that allowed him to escape. When Amado has his glasses removed to project the meeting between Koji and Jigen, Kawaki watched. Kawaki kept on listening to Amado's explanation of his and Koji's goal to kill Jigen, his nature as an imperfect vessel of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, and Kawaki's own nature as Isshiki's intended perfect vessel. As Jigen got closer to death, Sasuke wondered if that meant Isshiki would resurrect into Kawaki's body. Kawaki rushed to attack Amado, but was stopped by Sasuke. Amado clarified the situation, explaining that unlike Jigen, Kawaki's Kāma hasn't yet fully extracted Isshiki's data into his body, and that upon death, a Kāma will automatically resurrect the Ōtsutsuki who implanted it regardless of their will. As Jigen was killed, Isshiki was forcibly reborn in him, even if he was a dead body of an imperfect vessel. This also triggered Kawaki's Kāma, which raged for a moment before disappearing, leaving Kawaki unconscious. Amado explained that Isshiki's resurrection was unstable and would seek out Kawaki again to rebrand him. Soon afterwards, they were alerted that Isshiki had arrived in the village. While Sasuke and Naruto went to engage Isshiki, an unconscious Kawaki was taken to an underground facility for protection.

Kawaki dreamed of Jigen's words before waking up. He was surprised to see his Kāma had disappeared, and Amado explained the situation to him. Shikamaru told him he was free from being Isshiki's vessel, but Kawaki pointed out Isshiki still wished to rebrand him. Amado remained optimistic, as they didn't require beating Isshiki, only stopping him from applying a new Kāma until Jigen's body gave out. Kawaki was concerned with learning that Boruto had joined the fight against Isshiki, but Amado pointed out Boruto had his own value to add to the fight, intriguing everyone. Amado explained that Boruto, as a wielder of a Kāma, was invaluable to Isshiki. As the God Tree can only reach full maturity by sacrificing an Ōtsutsuki, once Boruto was fully transformed by his mark, Isshiki could sacrifice Boruto instead of himself. Kawaki was furious at Amado's calm demeanour, demanding to know how much of this he planned for. Amado insisted that he only made the best choices available to him. As the Konoha-nin managed to calm Kawaki down, Amado offhandedly asked Kawaki if he is more furious at his powerlessness, or no longer having a purpose without his Kāma. Kawaki remained silent.

As Amado was intrigued by Kawaki's prosthetic arm, he noted that he could easily restore Kawaki's original arm. Kawaki noticed that the chakra in his arm was diminishing, meaning Naruto was in danger. Suddenly, a rift engulfed him. He found himself in Isshiki's dimension, dragged there through the chakra connection between his prosthetic arm and Naruto's chakra. Isshiki turned to rebrand him. As Kawaki tried to escape Isshiki, he opted to use Kawaki's love for Naruto against him, assaulting the downed Hokage. Kawaki ultimately showed himself and attacked using the ninjutsu Naruto taught him. Isshiki easily overpowered it and branded Kawaki again, smugly declaring his victory, only to see the mark disappear. As the horrified Isshiki asked how this was possible, Kawaki was revealed to be only a shadow clone, making him insufficient to receive a Kāma. Finally, Isshiki's time ran out and he crumbled to dust, where Kawaki proudly stomped out the remains.

As Kawaki turned his attention to Naruto and check on his condition, Boruto suddenly assaulted Sasuke, stabbing his Rinnegan, now under Momoshiki's control. Thinking back to his many talks and arguments with Boruto, Kawaki called out to him and attacked Momoshiki. Momoshiki noticed that Kawaki's Kāma had extracted enough to make him mostly Ōtsutsuki, so he decided to sacrifice Kawaki to cultivate a God Tree. Sasuke explained to Kawaki what he deduced about chakra expenditure and Momoshiki's surfacing, and they decide to replenish Boruto's chakra for his personality to resurface. Momoshiki incapacitated Sasuke with a Vanishing Rasengan and moved to leave with Kawaki. Kawaki attempted to self-immolate, forcing Momoshiki to absorb it, which was enough for Boruto to resurface and regain control. As he fell exhausted, Boruto apologised for the trouble, and Kawaki apologised back.

Kawaki was alerted to Naruto suddenly losing consciousness. Upon checking on the Hokage, he soon awoke, revealing that usage of the Baryon Mode against Isshiki came at the cost of Kurama dying inside him, voiding Naruto of the kitsune's chakra and powers. With Sasuke's Rinnegan and Kawaki's Kāma both gone, it was up to Boruto to use his mark to bring everyone back. Boruto struggled in fear of Momoshiki re-emerging. This prompted Kawaki to speak bluntly to Boruto, insisting that they will find a way to free Boruto from his burden, but they must first return home. Ultimately, Boruto was able to access a rift, letting everyone return to Konoha. Boruto proclaimed he felt empowered when alongside Kawaki, who mocked Boruto for his sappiness. In the anime, Naruto's reduced chakra levels made him unable to properly charge Kawaki's prosthetic arm. Later, he was approached by Sumire for help. Ultimately, Kawaki's arm was restored by Amado. After returning the prosthetic arm to Naruto, he offered Kawaki the chance to become a genin. Kawaki said he would think about it.

Chūnin Re-Examination Arc
In the anime, following Isshiki's attack, Naruto hosted another Chūnin Exam. Pleased with passing the first, written exam, Boruto bought Kawaki some taiyaki. Kawaki found it strange, and Himawari warned him against snacking before dinner, which he ignored. The following day, after Boruto and the rest of his team made it to the final round and decided to train, Kawaki passed on his offer to train with him and Mitsuki, telling Boruto to not embarrass himself.

The day of the finals, Naruto invited Kawaki to watch the matches, feeling he was spending too much time at home. Kawaki initially refused, but changed his mind after Naruto pointed out he could see many different jutsu in use, and watched the matches from the stands. By the second match, he began getting bored. He noticed the arrival of Team Shinki. He left after Shinki kept staring at him, so Shinki followed him out of the arena. Shinki introduced himself to Kawaki, and told him he should watch the next match, between Sarada and Chōchō. Angered at being told what to do, he grabbed Shinki by the collar, but Shinki pulled him off with his Iron Sand. He went back inside, and reiterated Kawaki should watch the match. Kawaki returned as well, and after Sarada's victory, Shinki asked him if it was a match worth watching. Returning home after the matches were done, Naruto asked what he thought of it. He replied everyone looked too desperate to win, but that wouldn't be bad to start as a genin.

Later, Kawaki was tested for qualification as a shinobi by going various D-Rank missions with different teams. However, he constantly either went overboard or simply showed no interest, instead more concerned on his personal shinobi training and keeping distance from others. While trying to figure out what he wanted, he stumbled upon Sarada, who insisted that the best way to grow is by working with others. Ultimately, Shikamaru and Naruto assigned Kawaki a C-Rank escort mission alongside Team 10 as a final chance to earn shinobi qualifications. His lack of interest and initiative put off the client, Mozuku. During the mission, they were attacked by assassins who were after the medicine Mozuku had with him. After defeating one of them, Mozuku revealed his true circumstances. While Shikadai ordered everyone to return to Konoha to care for the injured Chōchō, Kawaki chose to ignore it and went ahead with Mozuku. Catching up with Kurobane, they were caught in his drying fog. Kawaki was able to see through his tactic and landed his attack, clearing the fog. However, Kurobane was able to launch a sneak attack, which fatally injured Mozuku when he protected Kawaki. Shikadai and Boruto arrived, allowing him to properly defeat Kurobane. Mozuku used his last moments to beg Kawaki to deliver the medicine to his teacher. With Boruto and Shikadai dealing with other enemies as they reached the checkpoint, Kawaki did as he promised. Back at Konoha, Shikadai took him to the cemetery and explained that as team-mates, they share the good and the bad that comes with missions. Later, he asked Naruto for another chance to prove himself. Naruto told him that based on Shikadai's report, he proved himself worthy of being a shinobi, and proclaimed him a genin. Kawaki vowed to get stronger and to not repeat his mistakes.

Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc
In the anime, after Kawaki officially joined Team 7 as a genin, they were assigned to escort Katasuke to a ceremony in Kirigakure, for the unveiling of new advanced power plants. They were also ordered to covertly investigate rumours of a terrorist threat posed to the event. On their way there, Kawaki marvelled at seeing the ocean for the first time, but quickly became seasick on the boat. After recovering, he joined his team-mates at the ceremony's venue in time to encourage Boruto to visit Kagura. When an airship crashed due to a terrorist attack, Kawaki protected his group from shrapnel and debris. Boruto later revealed to him that the attack was a diversion for a prison breakout. Team 7 procured a boat to go check on Team 5, who were on a mission in an area that was being taken over by the Funato Clan. Kagura joined them, having recruited Buntan Kurosuki, Hebiichigo, and Kyohō Fuefuki, and Kawaki complained about having to go at sea again. His seasickness caused him to expose them when a Funato boat was inspecting theirs, so Kawaki threw the Funato pirates overboard. After Sarada and Mitsuki went scout Dotō Island, a massive structure approached their boat.

Realising it was a fortress ship, Kagura instructed Kawaki to investigate it along Boruto and Buntan. Discovering that Tenma Funato was in control of the fortress, Buntan explained who he was to Boruto and Kawaki. As they moved around, Buntan killed Funato soldiers, though Kawaki understood her kill or be killed attitude. Concerned about Kawaki's seasickness messing up her opportunity to reduce her prison sentence, she cured it. Upon further investigation, they discovered a massive, long-range, scientific ninja tool Chakra Cannon. After Boruto managed to radio Kagura to warn him about the cannon, they learned that Sarada's group was on the fortress's path, requiring them to destroy the cannon themselves. They used Kagura's distraction to get closer to the cannon, and were soon joined by Kagura's group. Before they could decide how to destroy the cannon, Tenma arrived and attacked them. After Kagura had to knock Kyohō out after he went in a rage, Kawaki joined Kagura in fighting Tenma, holding him in place and preventing him from ordering to stop the cannon after Boruto aimed it at the fortress. They all left in a lifeboat and were rescued by Sarada's group before heading back to Kirigakure.

The following morning, Taiki was discovered to have been murdered with a heavy weapon, suspicion falling over Kyohō, who was trying to clean blood off Kabutowari, and had recently gone through a rage he had no memory of. Kawaki partnered with Denki to search the ship. A witness claimed to have seen Kyohō going to Taiki's quarters at night, but noticing discrepancies in the testimony and suspicious of how quickly word of the murder spread, Kawaki set up a trap, faking Kyohō's death. When the culprit, Kobanza, exposed himself, he was chased to the engine room, where he killed himself to destroy the ship's engine. Eventually, they were discovered by master shipbuilder, Kajiki. Unable repair the engine, Kajiki instead towed the ship back to his port for proper repairs. As everyone else either helped with repairs or decided to contact Kirigakure to update the situation, Kawaki decided to merely stroll the island. During which, Mitsuki, who had taken an interest in Kawaki, began following him around, much to Kawaki's annoyance. Later, Kawaki was approached by Kagura, who recognised the influence Boruto had on Kawaki. He confided to Kawaki that he could relate to how Boruto helped him break free from his troubled past. Kawaki remained quiet about it as Sarada arrived with a report from Kirigakure.

Later, Team 7 discussed how to proceed given their original mission, Kawaki thinking they should defer to Konoha leadership. At night, the Funato clan attacked the island. Kawaki was able to resist their mind control leeches. By morning, the attack had been repelled, and Kawaki joined in investigating it. Deciphering the message, they discovered the sea battle was a distraction to launch a sneak attack on Kirigakure. Kagura took them to his childhood village, which was on the Funato's route to Kirigakure, to intercept their forces. While helping reinforce the village's defences, the small children took a liking to Kawaki.

The next day as preparations were completed, they learned the Funato had sent scouts ahead. Most of the villagers were evacuated and hidden, but three children were missing, including one who was wearing Kawaki's Konoha forehead protector, which would tip the scounts of their presence. He aided Kagura in getting to the children before the scouts. After learning that Hebiichigo had deserted them after Kagura removed the swordsmen's cursed seals, Kawaki was concerned about their dwindling numbers as Kagura allowed Buntan and Kyohō to go after her.

As group finished preparing their traps in the ravine, Kawaki was pessimistic about the swordsmen. When the Funato arrived, their scouts foiled their traps, having launched a counterattack of their own. Despite the backup from the returning swordsmen, Funamushi's Water Release: Furious Roaring Tornado took advantage of the enclosed terrain to ravage the area. The attack was blocked by Team 5, allowing everyone to retreat to the village, where remaining non-combatants were evacuated, and water sources were blocked to deter Funamushi's jutsu. When the Funato arrived, Kawaki fought them. Determined to get revenge for Seiren, Funamushi drained his own men of their blood to use his jutsu, requiring Kagura to channel most of his chakra into Hiramekarei to cut through it. Left weakened, Kagura was taken hostage by Funamushi, forcing everyone to drop their weapons. They watched in shock as he stabbed Kagura through his chest.

Furious at Funamushi, they all retaliated. Funamushi initially repelled them with his Water Release, until Boruto overpowered him by activating his Kāma and landing a Rasengan, causing the Funato to retreat. As Kagura died, he requested that they protect the village. After his funeral, Kawaki agreed with Boruto that they needed to hit the Funato back, and supported Buntan's suggestion that Sarada take over as leader. Later, as part of Team 7, they asked Boruto about his earlier Kāma use, who assured them he was still in control and had no intention of relying on Momoshiki's power.

As the village recovered, Kawaki wished to pursue the Funato and counterattack. Due to the food storage being destroyed, they had to ration food, and the shinobi chose not to eat so the villagers could. Some of the children told Kawaki of fruit-bearing trees beyond the mountains, and while he wished to go with them, Iwabee argued that as one of their strongest fighters, he should stay in the village in case of an attack. He later met with Boruto at Kagura's grave, where Boruto told him about Kagura's life, and the two reaffirmed their desire to avenge him.

When they discovered that Denki and Iwabee had been captured by the Funato, Kawaki believed they were dead or would be soon. After Mitsuki found Funato holding their position around the village, Kawaki wondered if they planned to starve them out after finding their situation from Denki and Iwabee. The next day, the Funato attacked harder, despite their diminished numbers, Kawaki having to pull Boruto out of the way of a sacrificial attack. Funamushi arrived and attacked Boruto, so Kawaki protected him again. Despite Boruto being able to exploit a Lightning Release weakness to Funamushi's jutsu, Kawaki felt like he was still waiting for something, until it began to rain. Using his Water Release: Raging Jellyfish, Funamushi began causing widespread destruction. Team 7 drew his attention, allowing Hebiichigo to immobilise him with Nuibari. However, he broke free, hitting Kawaki and landing a fatal blow to Hebiichigo before Boruto defeated him with a Rasengan. He still attempted to kill Boruto, but was killed by Buntan instead. After Hebiichigo died, she was buried besides Kagura and everyone mourned her as they began to rebuild.

Two days later, Team 7 helped Metal look for Denki and Iwabee, but only discovered an injured Funato soldier, who they brought back to interrogate. The next day, Denki and Iwabee returned on their own, and shared an unlikely theory on why Funamushi didn't kill or use them in negotiations. That night, Kawaki answered to an attack alert from Boruto, arriving with Mitsuki just after Sarada. Boruto explained that Gokai and Kobuna, Funamushi's son, wanted to avenge him. Boruto and Kawaki argued over the situation, and Mitsuki complimented his ability of conveying his feelings. Kawaki retorted that Mitsuki should be able to do so non-aggressively, having known Boruto for longer. Back in the village, the topic sparked discussion, and Kawaki was shocked when the captured soldier revealed that Ikada was Seiren's younger brother.

As everyone began struggling to believe this news, they learned from the radio that Ikada was indeed a member of the Funato, having joined his father in an all-out attack on Kirigakure. As Boruto voiced his desire to stop the war, Kawaki remained firm that war is inevitable and such hesitance would only get oneself killed. Ultimately, Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki decided to go help Kirigakure prevent the war. Kawaki however stayed behind.

Later, Kawaki followed Araumi and snuck aboard the Funato's mobile fortress as it approached the Shinonome 1 as their first target for the final battle with Kirigakure. Kawaki watched from afar while climbing the fortress as Boruto was beaten up, wondering what he was doing. He arrived at the Chakra Cannon control room in time to stop Araumi from shooting just after Ikada declared the war over. Araumi was determined to keep fighting, so Kawaki struck him down, choosing to spare his life. Following the Funato surrender, the Konoha-nin returned home to report. There, they learned from the Mizukage of how the Funato lost much influence in the country. As Boruto asked about Ikada's fate, Kawaki pointed out that as a leader of the enemy forces, he should be severely punished. Boruto voiced that Ikada was key to ending the war peacefully and not a bad person. Kawaki stormed off, annoyed by Boruto's idealism. As Kawaki continued fume with his friends all siding with Boruto, he was approached by Boruto. Ultimately, the two came to blows with each other. After working out their aggression and left exhausted, the two agreed to put their differences aside on the subject.

Kawaki later went to a family vacation on a hot spring inn, despite initially not wanting to go over not believing he was part of the family. Boruto encouraged him to have fun, despite ending up competing with Boruto over small things. The two of them lost on ping-pong to Naruto and Hinata, so Boruto took Kawaki on a stamp hunt through the inn, with Kawaki teasing him over being scared over the spooky aspects of the hunt. They were scared to see a ghost standing behind them on a photo they got as a prize for the stamp hunt.

Team 7 was later assigned a mission in investigating attacks on former Wind Release user shinobi. Kawaki suggested having all potential targets who fit the description guarded, but Boruto pointed out there were too many people for that solution to scale well. They later discovered Hibiki and Kodama were behind the attacks, looking for a man with a scar on his chest who killed their father.

Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc
In the anime, Naruto and Shikamaru assigned Kawaki a secret mission to protect princess Kae Yukiwari from the Land of Bamboo while she attended the Academy as an exchange student, posing as a student himself. Her father discovered a plot to assassinate her, so she sent her to Konohagakure, herself unaware of the plot, while he investigated domestically. Kawaki was picked because of his lower profile, more unknown to most of the people in the village. Most other students found him scary and standoffish.

When he attempted to befriend Kae to better protect her, other students believed he had a crush on her. Himawari advised him that Kae enjoyed romance novels, so he bought her one. Eiki Fūma, who found Kawaki suspicious due to his attitude and age, developed a crush on Kae, and attempted to force a spar with Kawaki, who merely dodged his every attack. Kawaki later discovered that Kae acted different in public, owing to people's expectations of how a princess should behave. They were interrupted by Eiki, who attacked Kawaki with a summoning scroll, but the summon knocked him unconscious before Kawaki defeated it with a single punch. She promised to be his friend if he kept her true personality a secret. He agreed, gave her the novel he bought, and the two left Eiki to wake up alone. He later reported his progress to Naruto, who felt Kawaki also had things to learn by attending the Academy.

Later, Himawari revealed that she had overheard Kawaki reporting about his mission to Naruto. While she offered to help him, he declined. When Kawaki had to attend Kae's tea party for the mission, Himawari attempted to teach him proper party etiquette. At the party, his awkwardness, such as fixation on taiyaki, made him come across as more approachable, most other class-mates previously finding him intimidating. When Kae's cake was served, he smelled something he believed to be poison, and rushed to stop her from eating it, causing a commotion as he knocked several tables. When he couldn't explain himself to Kae, he excused himself, and Himawari went after him, learning it was about the mission.

Himawari determined it was mustard on the cake, and the two deduced Osuka was the culprit. Investigating it, they exposed her as having forced Neon to use her drone to mess with the cake. After Kae lost her composure when scolding Osuka over her abusing Neon, Kawaki told her not to suppress herself again, her class-mates also preferring her genuine attitude. The party resumed, Kawaki bringing everyone taiyaki. He later agreed to let Himawari help him with the mission. When Team 7 taught his Academy class a lesson, Kawaki felt discomfort, and asked Boruto not to let the other students know he was already a genin. After an exercise resulted in a divide in the class, Kawaki attempted to reconcile Ehō and Soul with taiyaki, but failed over their different tastes and animosity. The issue was resolved the next day with the intervention of their teacher Hana, who then cancelled class so they could have a picnic and a cherry blossom viewing party.

Days later, Kawaki joined a group of students who were going to investigate the Seven Mysteries of the Academy at night because Kae was one of them. During it, he discovered that Kae didn't actually believed the mysteries were real, but wanted to preserve the others' wonder of it, and convinced him to aid Batora with faking them. He sympathised with Batora's assessment that Kae was reclaiming playful experiences she missed out on account of her status. When one of the mysteries was seemingly real, he and Batora chased it to the faculty room, where they discovered what they saw was just Shino's insects cleaning the Academy at night. The next day, he deduced that Himawari discovered the truth of it with her Byakugan, and thanked her for not exposing it.

When Hana announced a practical lesson day to build up everyone's team-work, Kawaki was placed on a team with Harika and Soul. As the was older, the girls picked him to be team leader. However, because of his secret mission to protect Kae, he kept being distracted during exams, the point he was replaced as team leader. During lunch, Harika and Soul told gave him curry, and told him to focus on the afternoon tests. When Himawari informed him of Kae's disappearance, he discovered that Konashi had called her to ask her opinion on his sweets, but fled when he found a flame bear. He encountered Hana struggling with the bear, and quickly defeated it, admonishing Hana for being unable to do so. He later thanked Himawari for protecting Kae, and become the target of Konashi's admiration.

Later, after finishing his turn for cleaning duties at the Academy, Kawaki was approached by Kae and Batora, who were concerned that Himawari didn't meet up with them as they had arranged. Kawaki spotted Himawari's sunflower pendant on the ground. Recalling that he last saw her with Osuka, they went to her house and discovered that Osuka had been kidnapped, figuring that so was Himawari. As they were also with Neon, they checked that she was ok, narrowing down when it all happened. Neon was able to track them down with her drone, so Kawaki broke through the ceiling of where they were being held, just in time to save Himawari from being choked by Aniki. He attempted to fight Kawaki with his Fire Release, but Kawaki overpowered and defeated him. He was impressed by her upbeat attitude towards the situation and two of the kidnappers, and returned her pendant. After Osuka apologised to everyone for her behaviour, Hibari invited everyone for pudding.

When the class had to put a play about the Sannin, Kawaki was cast as Katsuyu. When Osuka told everyone to get prop forehead protectors to sell their performances, Himawari forgot to bring one, so Kawaki offered his real one, only for her to warn him it would expose his status as a real shinobi, which Eiki witnessed. In between rehearsals, Kawaki comforted Kae, who felt down with how easily Orochimaru abandoned his friends. After she left, he warned Eiki, who was listening in on them. Sōsha attempted to interview him and Himawari, but they ignored her and went visit the set. In the next rehearsal, Eiki took over the role of Manda to get close to Kawaki in an attempt to get his real forehead protector as proof of the rumour. During the struggle, Eiki damaged the set, endangering Kae and himself, so Kawaki saved them. Osuka secretly changed the protector for a prop one, so without a story, Kawaki admonished him for damaging the set everyone worked on.

When Eiki cried over it not being what he intended, Himawari encouraged him to make up with Eiki, and everyone joined in to repair the set. Later, while looking for his forehead protector with Himawari, Osuka returned it to him, having covered for him, feeling indebted because he had rescued her. She thought he had to enrolled because of his attitude, and promised to keep his secret. Eiki later apologised again in private, and revealed an anonymous note he received claiming he was a real shinobi, which he now believed to be a prank. Kawaki realised someone wanted him away from Kae, and rushed to her side just in time to stop an assassin's attempt to kill Kae as she slept at the Academy infirmary. Kae awoke shortly after, asking what Kawaki was doing there. He insisted it was nothing and walked her home, deciding to keep watch until the festival was over instead of immediately reporting the attempt.

On the day of the festival, Kawaki continued speculating about the assassin, how they learned about Kawaki and if they had also infiltrated the Academy. He remained concerned as Hana felt ill, going to rest, and upon learning Batora wouldn't attend the festival. When an explosion went off, Himawari showed him the threat delivered to the Academy that more explosions would follow if anyone tried to leave or contact the outside. When Ehō informed him that Eiki was disarming a large explosive tag circuit, Kawaki told Himawari to watch Kae and rushed to help him. He arrived in time to remove a tag that had began burning, and used a shadow clone to take it as far he could so it detonated safely. He returned to Kae in time to stop the assassin again, and pursued them. The assassin escaped by throwing more explosive tag kunai, Hana getting caught in the debris. Kae realised she was the target, and from Kawaki's reaction, deduced he was there to guard her. After visiting Hana in the Konoha Hospital, Kawaki was relieved of his mission by Naruto for failing in to report the assassin's attempt to kill Kae. Despite this, Kawaki continued to try and find the assassin, and together with Himawari and Eiki, they began tracing the assassin's movements. They decided to look over the several pictures taken by Sōsha before the attack took place. While doing so, he and Himawari noticed Kae's butler Batora, who claimed he wouldn't be able to attend, in the background of one of the pictures, and assumed he might be the assassin.

When they arrived at Kae's residence, they found the Konoha-nin guarding the place all knocked out, and upon hearing Kae's screams, Kawaki and Himawari barged in her room, only to find Batora injured at the hands of the assassin. As Himawari stayed behind to look after Kae and Batora, Kawaki pursued the assassin, and after exchanging a few attacks, Kawaki managed to score a direct hit, but the assassin committed suicide. Afterwards, they discussed the assassin's attempts and found out the culprit was the minister and guardian of Kae's younger stepbrother. However, Kawaki remained uneasy, believing the matter solved itself too easily and neatly, and remained sceptical about Kae's safety. Ultimately, despite the mission officially completed, Kawaki decided to continue posing as a student to watch over Kae, feeling that the assassin gave up too easily. He joined the other students in welcoming back Hana to teaching, although his efforts to unveil the flower petal display made it crash near the teacher. Later, Kawaki asked to hang out with Kae at her home. As she agreed, Kawaki used it as an excuse to continue his investigation. As he looked around Kae's grounds, he found nothing unusual, wondering if he was just being paranoid.

Hana later took the class to an uninhabited island for survival training. Kawaki was suspicious when a trap injured Kikuchiyo and their food supplies went missing. The class got nervous when there rumours of killer missing-nin on the island, and Kawaki advised everyone to stay in groups and in line of sight. Kawaki kept watch on Kae despite the mission being over, admitting he had fun in the Academy. He got more suspicious once Neon's drone was damaged, which further reduced their surveillance capabilities. Konashi pestered him and Kae to try his latest sweets. Kawaki asked Himawari about the damage done to the drone, and they ask Neon to show the footage of when it was attacked. Kawaki recognised petals on the corner of the screen, implicating Hana. He and Himawari rushed to Hana and Kae, who were looking for the missing flower arrangement Kae gave her, which Himawari found discarded earlier. Exposed, Hana picked up Kae and ran, claiming that the only value she saw in the students was as a disguise for her mission. Crossing a bridge, Hana seemingly stabbed Kae to complete her mission, shocking Kawaki and Himawari. Hana burned the bridge, separating them. When the rest of the class arrived, Kawaki informed them of Hana's crime. He wanted to pursue Hana and told the students to leave. Himawari convinced him that Kae might still be alive as hostage. Cooperating, the students were able to keep searching and determine a cave were Kae might be kept. Finding Hana to dangerous for the students to fight, Kawaki revealed himself as a shinobi, asking them to stay back, and crediting them for finding Kae. Himawari continued with him, still acting as his partner, and they find Kae in time to protect her from an attack from Hana.

Hana explained the nature of her dual personality and attacked them with her Fire Release. Himawari was concerned that properly fighting back would hurt Hana, but Kawaki stressed they couldn't hold back in saving themselves and Kae. Kawaki feigned behind hit with Himawari used a shadow clone, and landed a hit on Hana, setting her up for a Gentle Fist attack by Himawari, though Hana dodged it. Hana created a paper barrier to obscure herself and her attacks, but Kawaki reminded Himawari that she could see through it with her Byakugan, encouraging her. Kawaki protected her from Hana's attacks as she locked into her position, and opening a hole in the barrier though which Kawaki could attack, defeating Hana. While Hana was confident she stalled enough for her allies to arrive, Sai arrived with the class instead, informing her of their arrest by Anbu. Kawaki watched as the class called out for Hana, allowing her teacher personality to regain control from the exhausted assassin personality. Later, Kawaki joined Sai and Shikamaru in reporting to Naruto. With Kae having to return home, Kawaki didn't resume attending the Academy, but did join them in performing in the Sannin play. When Kae left, instead of joining everyone at the station, he stayed by himself on a railing where Kae could see him. Back at home, after Himawari left for the Academy, Kawaki smiled at a photo of himself with the class.

Labyrinth Game Arc
In the anime, Kawaki met up with Sarada, who informed him about researching the missing passengers who bought tickets to the same Thunder Train as Boruto. While checking Konoha's records, they discovered that five of them had unclear backgrounds, one of them, Kiseru Gankubi being a Kara Outer. She explained to Kawaki that their information was likely incomplete, but still important to find Code as they rushed back to join up with Mitsuki, and found him trapped by sealing tags. Sarada wanted to wait for backup, and admonished Kawaki when he triggered a trap for the tags to target him, setting himself on fire to get rid of them. Mitsuki reported that he was attacked by skilled shinobi, and Sarada agreed with Kawaki's decision to go straight to the source.

They found and chased one of those shinobi, but were ambushed by their team. Sarada realised they were Konoha Anbu, and their superior allowed them to share intel. They introduced themselves as part of the Five Great Countries' Joint Investigation Team, who were looking after the recent mass disappearances, and reveal that Kiseru was their undercover agent who had infiltrated Kara, and had been assigned to the mission. When the team wanted to quit their search efforts to try a different strategy, Kawaki pointed out how Sarada was begging them to give it more time, just in time for Boruto to contact them with his and the other captives' location.

Code's Assault Arc
He later met with Boruto, who was put off of active duty so his Kāma could be monitored. Sympathising with Boruto's dilemma, he noted there may be a way to save Boruto. He told Boruto about Code, an Inner with a fanatical devotion to Isshiki who failed to become a Vessel like Kawaki. Despite the failure, he obtained a White Kāma and became even more powerful than Delta or Boro. Kawaki suggested finding a way for Boruto to create his own Kāma and implant it in Code so he can resurrect using Code's body.

Later, Kawaki joined Team 7 in training drills. He was annoyed to hear that Boruto was taking experimental pills to suppress his Ōtsutsuki transformation rather than work to transfer the Kāma to Code. He also voiced his displeasure at such basic training methods. When asked how to go about things instead, he began attacking his friends, insisting that extreme combat was the best way, as it was Jigen's brutal training methods that allowed Kawaki to grow faster. As Kawaki proved to be quickly adapting his body modifications with his newfound ninjutsu, his attacks became more aggressive, forcing Boruto to voice his displeasure. Boruto and Kawaki made bet that the winner of the fight would dictate their training style. As Kawaki used more of his modified powers, Boruto used his Kāma to absorb a blast from him, and in turn attacked using Lightning Release. Kawaki instinctively tried to absorb it, still used to relying on his Kāma. This opening let Boruto quickly win the match. In the anime, Kawaki's forehead protector was inadvertently broken in half. As Kawaki pouted at his defeat, knowing how much weaker he is now without the mark, Boruto saw through Kawaki's mindset. He insisted that Kawaki didn't have to handle everything alone and should trust in his friends to help. Kawaki honoured the bet, but still voiced his distaste at Boruto's methods, vowing to himself to get stronger by any means.

Later, at the end of a maintenance section, Kawaki woke up from a nightmare with Code and declared himself no longer a vessel to Isshiki. Amado corrected him, pointing out that while Isshiki's soul had vanished, the Ōtsutsuki modifications to his body remained. Kawaki resented the comments, and Amado revealed his knowledge of Kawaki's plan to have Code branded with a Kāma from Boruto. He remained sceptical of the plan, as Code already had a different Kāma. He raised the possibility of rebranding Kawaki, as with Isshiki's soul gone, he could access his powers without fear of possession. He appealed to Kawaki's desire to protect Naruto, pointing out the likelihood of Code overpowering him after the loss of the Nine-Tails. Kawaki refused and stormed off. He kept thinking about it and came across Shikadai, who noticed how troubled he looked. He knew that villagers had concerns about Kawaki despite not knowing his connection to Kara, and insisted Kawaki should ignore them. Shikadai reminded him that he had friends and a home in Konoha. Kawaki thanked him for his words.

A week later, while allowed to walk around the village alone, Kawaki was still subject to surveillance by shinobi. Because of the rumours Shikadai warned him about, civilians would also stare and whisper about him. Kawaki grew fond of watching the village from the Hokage Rock, feeling that he didn't truly belong, as Isshiki had constantly told him. Naruto dismissed it, calling him his son. Back at home, they finally had time to prepare a proper dinner party to welcome him. Kawaki tried to convince Himawari to use the vase he bought instead of the one he fixed, but she thought it made the vase even more special. Acknowledging his goal of becoming a shinobi, Boruto loaned Kawaki his forehead protector, as he already had Sasuke's, telling him to return it once he earned his own. At night, Naruto again insisted that Konoha was a place he could live at ease, else he had failed as Hokage. Kawaki thought of Amado's offer to rebrand him with a Kāma and dismissed it, thinking he still had a way to protect the village and Naruto.

Later, as surveillance on him continued, he learned more about how the village's security worked from his friends. An offhanded comment from Inojin about how suppressing one's chakra could allow one to escape detecting gave Kawaki an idea. That night, he subtly switched places with a shadow clone and left the village while concealing his chakra. He was found out by Boruto, asking the shadow clone what he was up to. The real Kawaki was impressed, figuring Boruto was unaffected by the concealment because of his own Ōtsutsuki traits. Kawaki's ruse was exposed by Boruto, so he released his shadow clone. Outside the village, Kawaki met with Code, and the two fought a bit, eventually being subdued by Code. He offered to let Code kill him as revenge for Isshiki if he would leave Konoha alone. Code found his proposition ridiculous and continued pummelling him, revealing his inheritance of Isshiki's will and plans. He also explained that Kawaki was no longer a target of his revenge, as someone else wanted to meet him. Before Code could take Kawaki with him, he was interrupted by Boruto.

Kawaki and Boruto argued over each other's actions, Kawaki insisting that what he was doing was for Naruto's protection. He deduced that someone must have influenced Code for him to refrain from taking revenge on him, and wanted to leave with Code to negotiate with them. Boruto, who wanted to protect Kawaki, disagreed, and began fighting Code while Kawaki watched, until Boruto began tapping into the Kāma more deeply. To Kawaki and Code's shock, Boruto retained full control of himself. Boruto told Kawaki he thought it was due to Amado's drugs, which Kawaki found to be unreliable. As Boruto was able to pressure Code, Kawaki decided not to go with him, explaining his only goal was to aid Naruto. He explained to Boruto the nature of Code's Claw Marks, and was surprised by Boruto's collapse.

Kawaki feared Boruto was having side effects from Amado's drug, but he suddenly got up as Momoshiki, who proceeded to attack Code. He attempted to use Kawaki as a hostage, but Momoshiki was able to separate them with a Spiralling Bullet hitting Code. Kawaki tried fighting him, but had to be saved by Naruto and Shikamaru's arrival. Kawaki begged Naruto to flee, fearing his death. Naruto refused and prepared to fight. When Code took Shikamaru hostage, Momoshiki decided to kill Naruto, also a threat to him. Kawaki put himself between them, and absorbed Momoshiki's Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, revealing himself to have a Kāma once again. As Kawaki tried to make sense of this development, he turned his attention back to Momoshiki. Quickly adjusting to Isshiki's techniques, Kawaki quickly began pressuring him. When it became clear that Kawaki planned to kill Momoshiki, and by extension Boruto, Naruto stepped in, demanding that this stop. Kawaki reaffirmed that Momoshiki's resurfacing couldn't be ignored as he was a threat to everyone. Boruto, who regained consciousness, agreed with Kawaki.

Telling his new brother he trusted him, he held down Momoshiki's influence, letting Kawaki stab him through the chest. Code told Kawaki someone would always manipulate him and attempted to leave, but Kawaki stopped him by shrinking his Claw Marks as he created them, and asked Code if he'd allow him to escape when he was willing to kill Boruto to protect Naruto. Kawaki continued to overwhelm Code, and warned him that Code's ally was also a target of his if they were an enemy to Naruto. He prepared to blast Code, but he pulled Daemon through the Claw Mark on his face, reflecting the attack and knocking Kawaki out. By the time he was brought back to Konoha, his injuries had already healed, though he remained unconscious. Konoha leadership remained in doubt how to deal with his ruthless nature, despite his fierce loyalty to Naruto, unable to restrain him with his new abilities.

Omnipotence Arc
Kawaki woke up in a room with Naruto and Sumire. Before Sumire could leave when Naruto asked, Kawaki asked if Naruto would condemn him for killing Boruto, startling Sumire. Naruto revealed that thanks to the Kāma, Boruto was fine. He was grateful for Kawaki's presence, otherwise they might all have died, and that Boruto felt the same, despite the painful role Kawaki had to take. As Naruto reassured him he belonged in Konoha and saw him as family, Ino reported Code and Ada's invasion to Naruto. Naruto feigned a previous appointment, confirming to Sumire that Boruto was fine before leaving the two. Kawaki focused on his Kāma and activated his dōjutsu. Sumire talked to Kawaki about what happened with Boruto. He admitted he had wanted the Kāma back, and for the first time was glad to have so he could protect Naruto. Later, Kawaki met up with Boruto at the Hokage Rock, reminding Boruto that his very life was a potential to threat to Naruto's and vows to protect Naruto by any means necessary, claiming that Naruto is his "everything" as a response to Boruto's warning of Momoshiki's prophecy.

Sumire shared her suspicious of Amado, which caused him to go looking for him, shrinking himself to move through the air vents. He arrived at Amado's lab, and noticing Code's Claw Marks, asked about him. Shikamaru asked him to get rid of the marks, and when Kawaki asked about Amado, he was told he might already be dead. He listened as Shikamaru explained Ada's alluring ability and speculated on the other cyborg that Code employed in his battle the previous night. Kawaki was annoyed by Shikamaru's insistence in figuring out Amado's objectives, deriding Amado as dead and Shikamaru as useless, drawing censure from Naruto. After having a phone call with the still alive Amado, Shikamaru summoned Kawaki as part of Team 7 for a mission.

After Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki arrived at the Hokage's office, Shikamaru and Konohamaru updated them on what happened between Amado, Code, and Ada. They explained that despite the threats associated with Boruto and Kawaki due to their Ōtsutsuki-related issues, this meant that they could live with Ada and Daemon without being affected by her ability and act as surveillance. Kawaki was surprised to learn of Ada's crush on him, finding it illogical. Warned about her clairvoyance, he'd rather fight Code, and was instructed to be mindful of her, who they needed to keep informed of Code's location, Boruto acting as a mediator between her and Kawaki, and the rest of Team 7 watching them from afar, interfering only if necessary. For a moment, Kawaki perceived Momoshiki's presence besides Boruto.

At the house they'll live, Kawaki argued about Boruto's attitude, and recalled Momoshiki's presence around him. When Ada arrived with her brother, Daemon antagonised and attacked Boruto and Kawaki defeating them. When Kawaki woke up, his head on Ada's lap, he caused her to blush. They were all contacted by Shikamaru on the comm system. Kawaki listed as Amado detailed Ada's and Daemon's abilities, and their shinjutsu origins from Shibai Ōtsutsuki. Sceptical about Daemon's reflecting even the intent to harm, Kawaki tested it, receiving a hit. He also learned that his restored Kāma contained data about Amado's daughter Akebi, which he intended Kawaki to implant in a cloned body to resurrect her.

After listening to it, Kawaki reoriented his hatred from the Kāma to the Ōtsutsuki who implant them, and asked Amado if the process would turn Akebi into one, though lack of precedent meant he didn't know, and it was his last resort. The next day, Kawaki asked Ada about her partnership with Code, have realised she sold Boruto out to ensure Code wouldn't attack him. After Ada asked for Sumire and Sarada so she could talk to girls, Kawaki noticed Boruto's expression, realising he was communicating with Momoshiki, and addressed him himself, telling Momoshiki to come out. Boruto tried to play it down, but Kawaki was convinced Momoshiki was planning something. Shikamaru tried talking him down, reminding him of how Naruto felt when Boruto was dead, asking him to consider what he wanted to do. Kawaki let go of Boruto and left, erasing his chakra signature and shrinking himself so as not to be followed. He went to talk to Naruto and Hinata, asking Naruto not to alert the sensors of his presence. He reiterated how much Naruto meant to him and how he changed because of Naruto, and said he came to realise that shinobi and good people like him would just be the first to die when fighting the Ōtsutsuki. He wanted to use Ōtsutsuki powers to wipe out the Ōtsutsuki, and confessed he felt guilty for failing to kill Boruto, earning himself a slap from Hinata. He conceded he might be insane to kill someone he views as a brother, and sent the two away with a rift into Daikokuten to stop them from interfering with killing Boruto, ready to bear their hatred later.

Kawaki intercepted Boruto on his way home, attempting to seal him, but Boruto stopped it with his Kāma. He returned to normal size and explained what he did to Naruto and Hinata. Boruto tried to talk to him, but Kawaki was determined to kill him over being an Ōtsutsuki. Sarada arrived and attacked with her Fire Release, which Kawaki absorbed. Boruto's eye got slashed protecting her from Kawaki's attack. Mitsuki and Shikamaru arrived as well, holding Kawaki's arm in place so he couldn't absorb jutsu and pinning him with his shadow, which also stopped Kawaki from shrinking. Sasuke arrived and held a sword to Kawaki's neck. They asked what he did to Naruto and Hinata, and he answered what was necessary for theirs and Konoha's protection. Momoshiki manifested through Boruto and absorbed Shikamaru's jutsu, allowing Kawaki to escape, puzzled by his assistance despite being someone Kawaki intends to kill.

As Kawaki continued to run and Konoha was on the hunt for him, he exhausted himself from overusing Sukunahikona, which allowed Ada to find him after returning to normal size. She offered him aid, but he complained that her chakra signature would expose his location. When Ada held him, his wish for Boruto to be a nobody instead of the Hokage's son triggered Ada's Omnipotence, which switched everyone's memories of his history with Boruto's. He threatened Ada to report that Boruto had killed Naruto, with was disseminated through their ranks. Ada asked him why he did it, and he wanted to ensure that Boruto's threat would be dealt with. Daemon arrived, tackling Kawaki, and telling him he better not have done anything dirty with his sister. Kawaki returned to the village while Ada went elsewhere with Daemon.

Flashforward
In the wake of Konoha's destruction four years after meeting Team Konohamaru, the two faced off on the destroyed Hokage Rock, where Kawaki vowed to defeat him and told Boruto that the shinobi era was over.

Trivia

 * means "dry" or "parched".
 * In Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, his shinobi-ware is known as, which can also be translated as "imperial wrath".
 * Kawaki first appeared in a promotional illustration for the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga with a slightly different design, having slightly younger features and wearing a dark blue jacket over a pink shirt and white pants, with his back turned.
 * Kawaki's appearance on the cover of chapter 1 has him wearing a white jacket over a purple turtle-neck shirt with the tattoo under his left eye resembling a dagger instead of the Roman numeral Ⅸ.
 * According to character trivia from Boruto: Naruto Next Generations:
 * His attributes are: 80 [170] in strength, 70 in negotiation, 30 [120] in chakra, 130 in intelligence, 60 [120] in perception, and 66 [156] in dexterity.
 * He was also given a skill rating in these particular areas:
 * Unarmed Hand-to-hand Fighting: ★★★★☆
 * Mechanical Control: ★★☆☆☆
 * Sabotage: ★★★☆☆
 * Shinobi-Ware:
 * Information regarding the "Vessel" will not be disclosed.