10 years ago, the official manga adaptation of Naruto's sequel series, BorutoStarted on May 9, 2016. Following the serialization of the series in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #23, it was made clear to us that this new story will focus on Naruto Uzumaki's son, Boruto. While the Seventh Hokage was always going to be relevant, he was never the main character. In Boruto, Naruto Uzumaki started out as the world's strongest, but over time, he was defeated by new, powerful enemies before finally being uninfected and then sealed away. Boruto Chapter 77, officially released on January 19, 2023. Since then, Naruto Uzumaki has been cut from the main storyline. Boruto series, and now, 10 years after the series began, it's time for us fans to accept that Naruto will never return as the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, for better or for worse.
Boruto's two Hokage candidates meant that Naruto would not continue his duties as the Seventh Hokage of Konoha.
Naruto Uzumaki became the 7th Hokage of Konoha during a brief timeskip between Chapter 699 and Chapter 700 of the original Naruto series. Kishimoto then covered it as part of Zai no Sho in a one-shot titled “The Day Naruto Became Hokage”, where he officially rose to the rank in August 2020. We were shown. Since fulfilling his dream of becoming Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki has largely succeeded in maintaining world peace and at the same time protecting his people from any and all threats they face. However, with Boruto New villains arrive, and the peace Naruto has established is threatened.
Naruto: No, you're not a person. You are just a monster.
Momoshiki: If you're talking about monsters, that makes us two.
– Conversation between Momoshiki and Naruto, Boruto Chapter #8
As Naruto Uzumaki fought against powerful otsutsuki like Isshiki, he was constantly outclassed before the writers finally decided to strip Kurama of his powers in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Chapter 55, February 19, 2021. 2023, he was officially sealed within the Daikokuten dimension by Kawaki, and since then, he has not made any comebacks.
Where Naruto once stood as the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, the power of omnipotence made it so that the vast majority of the world believed that he was killed by Boruto. Thus, Konoha had to elect a new Hokage, and Shikamaru Nara took the interim position instead. Currently, Konoha treats Shikamaru as the temporary 8th Hokage, although he has not officially held the position and is not recognized as such. Recent developments in Boruto: The two blue vortexes remove Shikamaru from this position and a new Hokage is being installed.
“The seventh died at Boruto's hands. What are you going to tell them! Got it?” – Kawaki declares Naruto Uzumaki dead, Boruto Chapter #79
While Naruto Uzumaki's return as the Seventh Hokage would be fantastic for us all to see, it must be admitted that, at this point, his return doesn't make much sense. For one, Naruto is still sealed in Daikokuten's dimension, and it will be a couple of arcs before it officially returns. When he returns, Naruto becoming Hokage means that other characters with their own plot lines connected to the Hokage position will not get to fulfill them. For example, there is Konohamaru Sarutobi, whose dream is to become Hokage, and this must be accepted and fulfilled by the author Mikio Ikemoto. If Naruto becomes Hokage again, Konohamaru's dream will remain unfulfilled, and it will have a knockoff effect and affect Sarada's dream as well.
“You want to be Hokage, don't you? Then I'll protect you and play a supporting role!” — Boruto Uzumaki reaffirms Sarada's goal, Boruto Chapter #11
Why should Konohamaru Sarutobi be the 8th Hokage of Konoha, followed by Sarada as the 9th
With Naruto Uzumaki now dethroned as the 7th Hokage, it is time for Konoha to make Konohamaru Sarutobi the 8th Hokage of the village. Konohamaru has been largely weakened until now, but some power-ups in Boruto can completely fix his character, and this author has proven in chapter 20 of Boruto's Land of Wind arc: Two Blue Vortex, where Sarada Uchiha receives a Mangekyo power-up. Immediately after receiving this significant power-up, Sarada Uchiha became so strong that she could hold her own against Otsutsuki-level enemies. Something similar could be done for Konohamaru Sarutobi, and he would immediately become worthy of being called Hokage of Konoha.
“There is no shortcut to becoming Hokage. Remember! If you want to be Hokage, beat me first!” – Naruto Uzumaki explains what it means to be Hokage for Konohamaru, Naruto Chapter #2
Meanwhile, Sarada Uchiha is set to succeed Konohamaru Sarutobi, potentially becoming the official Eighth Hokage of Konoha. This plot point was officially established Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter #10, which was officially released on February 27, 2017, ended with Sarada declaring her desire to become Hokage. This was repeated again in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 2 on September 20, 2023, where Sarada stated that she would follow in Naruto Uzumaki's footsteps and become Hokage of the village.
“Lord Seventh once brought back my father, who had become a rogue and committed all kinds of crimes. He became a Genin and became Hokage. My role model is Lord Seventh, not you.” — Sarada explains her goal to Shikamaru, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #2
One way or another, Sarada will become Hokage, and the most likely position she will claim is that of 9th Hokage. If Naruto were to return and become Hokage again, his young age, as well as other factors surrounding his character, would not allow any other ninja to claim the position of Hokage. This may seem awkward to some fans, but it must be acknowledged that stepping out of the Seventh Hokage would actually benefit the Seventh Hokage himself.
Naruto's return would make him a valuable asset, but not Hokage
One of the biggest reasons Naruto Uzumaki has been left out of most of the action in the Boruto series is his responsibilities as the 7th Hokage. While Sasuke was free to roam the world, Naruto was stuck in an office, and not only did this make him extremely weak by rusting him, it also kept him out of a large number of conflicts. By relieving him of the position of 7th Hokage and replacing him with someone like Shikamaru, Naruto Uzumaki could be put to better use. The 7th Hokage can be officially sent on various missions, such as accompanying Sasuke Uchiha to inspect the trails of Otsutsuki, or directly fighting powerful enemies such as the Shinju.
“Stop exaggerating. This little wound won't kill you. You're rusty.” – Kurama proves that Naruto is rusty, Naruto Gaiden
Konoha choosing a completely different Hokage from Naruto could be a blessing in disguise as the 7th Hokage, if writers Mikio Ikemoto and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto are willing to judge him. On the surface, it might seem like a bad move to remove Naruto as the 7th Hokage, but at this point, the story has essentially confirmed that the other characters have dreams that must be fulfilled, and more importantly, that Naruto Uzumaki won't be coming back for another two years. With Boruto nearing his end at a blistering pace, it only makes sense for the others to become Hokage before the manga ends. In the same vein, Naruto once again becomes a valuable asset to Konoha by removing him from office and putting him on the battlefield, where he does what he does best, serving both sides impeccably.
