Naruto missed out on a crucial opportunity, and it has to do with Karin

Masashi Kisimoto's Naruto is regarded as one of the best Shonen series in modern times. However, even fans would admit that the creator missed addressing some crucial plot points during the manga's serialization. One particular plot point amongst them was the story of the Uzumaki clan.

While the manga stated that the Uzumaki clan was wiped out by its enemies, it never truly showed what happened to them. How did the Uzumaki clan members live, and what happened to its survivors? All these questions could have been answered with a simple flashback triggered by a conversation between Naruto and Karin. But how?

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion.

Naruto and Karin's interaction could have helped fans learn more about the Uzumaki clan

Ashina Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As fans may remember, Naruto and Karin were members of the Uzumaki clan. This was huge as the manga had revealed that the Uzumaki clan had been wiped out in the past, forcing survivors to find refuge elsewhere. Hence, only a handful of Uzumaki clan members were revealed in the series, two of whom happened to be close to Sasuke Uchiha.

As fans would know, while the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a Uzumaki clan member, he was clueless about them due to his past. His mother passed away on the day he was born, and there were no other Uzumaki present to teach him about his clan.

Karin, as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

These developments should have ideally left Naruto wanting to learn more about his clan and ask Karin about the same. However, Masashi Kishimoto never brought this development to fruition.

Instead, the only thing that happened between the two Uzumaki clan members was an afterthought. When Karin first saw Naruto, she perceived his chakra to be bright and warm. This being the only development between the two characters was tragic, as if Kishimoto had dealt with them differently, and fans may have learned the past of the Uzumaki clan.

Naruto could have been shown speaking to Karin, hoping to learn about his clan and its survivors. This conversation could have initiated a flashback, explaining fans' biggest questions about the Uzumaki clan, including their origins, existence, extinction, and survivors. Unfortunately, despite the series being riddled with flashbacks and backstories for the Uchiha clan, it did not give the same treatment to the Uzumaki clan.

Even if Naruto and Karin's interaction had not taken this route, the manga should at least have established the two as friends. This is because Karin, being a friend of the protagonist, could have opened up several possibilities.

Boruto as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

Firstly, similar to Kushina with Minato, Karin could have taught Naruto and Hinata the Uzumaki sealing techniques. Such a development could have acted as a bridge forming a parallel between the protagonist and his father, Minato. If not, such an event could have come in handy in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex as Karin could have trained Boruto, helping him find ways to defeat the sentient Divine Trees without indulging in combat.

For now, fans can only hope that Masashi Kishimoto reveals the Uzumaki clan's past through other media or that Karin becomes Boruto's ally in the new manga series.