The Hidden Leaf Village is located within the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. Boruto Uzumaki lives here and he's the son of the village leader, Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage. One day, Boruto saves a boy named Denki Kaminarimon, who's being picked on. Denki is physically weak, so he is unable to stand up to the bullies. On his way to the entrance ceremony at the Ninja Academy, Boruto sees Denki again. He notices that his chakra is warped and that he is acting strangely.

After being suspended for the uproar he caused at the entrance ceremony, Boruto makes his way to the academy for the first time. His classmates ostracize him for being the son of the Seventh Hokage and for being suspended. Iwabe Yuino, one of Boruto's classmates, picks a fight with him. Iwabe is an older student who has a keen sense for battle, but was held back a year for his bad behavior. At first, Boruto ignores him no matter what he says. But when he sees Iwabe punch Denki for telling him to stop, Boruto can't ignore him any longer.

Boruto's classmate, Metal Lee, is very dilligent and is skilled at taijutsu. Unfortunately, he gets nervous easily and is unable to do his best when people are watching him. One day one of his classmates, Shikadai Nara, says something that enrages Metal, who attacks Shikadai the next day. Caught in the middle, Boruto notices that Metal's chakra is warped, just like Denki's.

At the suggestion of Shino Aburame, their homeroom teacher, Boruto and his classmates split off into gendered teams to capture flags placed on the roof. Boruto and the rest of the boys' team quickly head for the roof, but they struggle with traps and the girls' team, led by Sarada Uchiha and Chocho Akimichi. Desperate to capture a flag before the girls' team, Boruto tries out a Summoning Jutsu, but he ends up summoning something unexpected!

A new student named Mitsuki from the Hidden Sound joins Boruto's class. A student named Mitsuki has transferred into Boruto's class from Hidden Sound Village. He overwhelms Iwabe in sparring and shows his genius by solving difficult problems. However, Boruto and the others are unable to tell what he is thinking. Meanwhile, someone who has been doing repair work on the school, suddenly goes berserk. Boruto and the others rush over. Another side of Mitsuki emerges as he starts muttering strange words.

Boruto, Shikadai and Mitsuki arrive at the location they are told to go to by Shino. They notice their teacher is acting different than he usually does— and Shino suddenly attacks them! Shino belongs to the Aburame clan, a clan of Insect Users. He unleashes a swarm of Parasitic Insects. Boruto and the others can't match the skill of someone who's a jonin. But even in this situation, Mitsuki remains calm and coldly stares at Shino.

Cho-Cho's scared because she thinks she's being watched by someone, so she decides to catch them in the act. She succeeds in snagging Magire Kakuremino, and it turns out he wasn't watching Cho-Cho, but Sumire, the class rep, whom he secretly likes. Cho-Cho urges him to declare his love, and at first Magire hesitates. But he takes the leap and tells Sumire how he feels!

The shadowy, warped chakra that only Boruto can see takes over more people, causing them to rampage. It only affected people within the Academy at first, but now it’s extending its reach into the village. Can it be stopped? And later, a Visual Jutsu places Boruto within a dream—and afterward, Boruto declares the dream has awakened his Byakugan, the Kekkei Genkai unique to his mother’s Hyuga Clan. Naruto does not believe him, so Boruto seeks advice from his grandfather, Hiashi Hyuga.

Under his father and grandfather’s guidance, Boruto spars with his aunt Hanabi. Boruto has sought this match in order to win acceptance from his father, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t activate his Byakugan in any form. He begins to doubt that he even saw the shadowy warped chakra at all, and feels even worse when people begin to think he lied. But then Boruto sees another person being manipulated by the mysterious shadow.

Boruto nicknames the mysterious shadow “The Ghost” and is excited when he and his friends Shikadai and Mitsuki decide to solve the recent “Ghost Incidents.” Shino secretly lends Boruto a helping hand by giving their class an assignment to research different workplaces. Meanwhile, Sai, who once served in The Foundation of the ANBU Black Ops, makes a big discovery while investigating the same incident under orders from the Hokate.

During a tour of workplaces for their school assignment, Sumire, Wasabi Izuno and Namida Suzumeno get wrapped up in the Ghost Incident and are hurt. Boruto feels bad that he wasn't there to prevent their harm, and becomes more determined to solve the case. With the help of Tayori Kuroyagi the postal worker, along with Shikadai and Mitsuki, the team scans the village more closely. Then Shikadai and Mitsuki realize one possibility from something Boruto says casually.

The Ghost incidents suddenly come to an end and Boruto and his classmates are puzzled, but Mitsuki seems to know something they don't. Mitsuki himself realizes he's been undergoing some puzzling changes and questions his classmates in order to figure out his predicament. Soon after, a mysterious chakra begins to spread throughout the village.

After Mitsuki reveals more information about the Ghost incidents, Boruto is determined to find and stop the culprit! Meanwhile, Seventh Hokage Naruto and his top advisors are shocked to learn who the perpetrator is from the results of Sai's investigation. Just then, Nue—an enormous otherworldly beast—appears! The imminent danger to the village forces the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, out of retirement!