Naruto: The Atrocities Orochimaru Still Gets Away With in Boruto

Orochimaru living a semi-chill life in Boruto is one of those plot turns that makes you stop and ask: are we all pretending Naruto didn't happen? This is the same guy who turned people into lab projects, assassinated Kage, and tried to level Konoha. And yet, in the Boruto era, he's alive, free, occasionally helpful, and treated like a very dangerous neighbor the village would rather keep on the porch than chase into the woods.

How we got here

The short version: the world decided it was safer with Orochimaru under watch than it was with him as an enemy. He's functionally immortal, absurdly smart, and always three steps ahead when it comes to forbidden jutsu and bio-ninja science. He also played a key role in ending the Fourth Shinobi World War by bringing back the first four Hokage, which gently nudged him from war criminal to useful problem-solver. With Otsutsuki-level threats still hovering, the Kage prioritized survival over justice.

Konoha keeps him monitored (Yamato is basically his shadow), and there's a bit of leverage too: Orochimaru created Mitsuki, who serves the village and fights alongside Boruto. As long as Mitsuki matters to Konoha, Orochimaru has something to lose. That doesn't redeem him, but it does explain why Naruto tolerates a monster living within the village's orbit.

Orochimaru's freedom isn't forgiveness. It's risk management.

The rap sheet Boruto quietly shrugs at

Let's not pretend the past got erased. These are the big ones that Boruto acknowledges but never actually prosecutes:

• Human experimentation (including on children): While still a Leaf shinobi, Orochimaru abducted people to test cursed seals, genetic modifications, and other forbidden techniques in his hunt for immortality and unlimited knowledge. The worst case: Wood Release experiments on at least 60 kids. Only Yamato survived. Everyone else died. In Boruto, this is openly known and still not addressed legally.
• Assassination of the Fourth Kazekage (Rasa): Orochimaru killed him, impersonated him, and steered the Sand into attacking Konoha. That is state-level destabilization wrapped in identity theft.
• Murder of the Third Hokage (Hiruzen Sarutobi): During the Konoha Crush, he killed the village's leader in front of everyone. It wasn't just betrayal; it left Konoha leaderless and scarred.
• The Chunin Exams invasion: This was not a normal shinobi skirmish. Orochimaru staged a mass-casualty attack during a public event packed with civilians, kids, and visiting leaders. Buildings blown up, people dead, the village locked down. In any shinobi nation, that's life sentence or worse. In Boruto, it's treated like "old history."
• Living Corpse Reincarnation: His body-snatching technique doesn't just kill. It suppresses the victim's soul and traps it inside his consciousness. It is identity theft and murder at a soul-deep level. Somehow, zero consequences post-war.
• Grooming and psychological abuse: Kabuto Yakushi is the clearest example of a kid shaped until he barely knew who he was. The Sound Four were raised to believe their entire purpose was serving Orochimaru. He stole free will and identity, and there's never been accountability for the emotional wreckage.
• Treason and Akatsuki membership: He fled Konoha after being caught experimenting on villagers and later joined the Akatsuki, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world. Other rogues were hunted or jailed for far less. Orochimaru drifted back into Konoha's orbit without a real trial because, again, the world "needs him."

Why the system lets him walk

It comes down to utility and fear. Orochimaru is too useful to lock away and too hard to contain if he flips. The post-war world is still juggling cosmic-level threats, and a genius immortal with a lab and a conscience that only shows up on special occasions is a nightmare ally... but still an ally. Konoha chose the devil it knows.

The uneasy status quo

Boruto doesn't pretend Orochimaru is a hero. It just quietly treats his atrocities as an unresolved tab the world can't afford to settle right now. His presence buys security at the cost of justice, with Yamato watching the door and Mitsuki acting as living leverage. Will that decision come back to bite everyone? Feels likely. The only real suspense is when.

Was letting Orochimaru roam free a necessary evil or Naruto's biggest leadership gamble? Drop your take in the comments.

Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are streaming on Crunchyroll.