10 years ago, the official manga adaptation of Naruto's sequel series, Boruto, began on May 9, 2016. Upon the serialization of this series in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #23, it was made clear to us that this new story would be focused 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 as the strongest in the world, but with time, he was getting outclassed by new, powerful enemies before eventually being nerfed and then subsequently sealed in Boruto Chapter 77, released officially on January 19, 2023. Since then, Naruto Uzumaki has been cut out from the main plot of the Boruto series, and now, 10 years after the beginning of the series, it's time for us fans to accept that Naruto will never return as Konoha's Seventh Hokage, for better or for worse.
Boruto's Two Hokage Candidates Mean Naruto Won't Continue Duties As Konoha's Seventh Hokage
Naruto Uzumaki became the 7th Hokage of Konoha during a brief timeskip in the original Naruto series that took place between chapter 699 and chapter 700. This was then covered in a one-shot by Kishimoto titled "The Day Naruto Became the Hokage," as a part of Zai no Sho, released officially on August 7, 2015, where his rise to this position was officially showcased to us. Since fulfilling his dream of becoming the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki has been largely successful in maintaining world peace and, at the same time, defending his people from any and all threats that they face. However, with Boruto came new villains, and the peace that Naruto established was threatened.
Naruto: No, you're no person. You're just a monster.
Momoshiki: If you're talking about monsters, that makes two of us.
— Conversation between Momoshiki and Naruto, Boruto Chapter #8
As Naruto Uzumaki fought against the likes of powerful Otsutsuki such as Isshiki, he was constantly being outclassed before the authors eventually decided to rip away the power of Kurama from him in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Chapter 55, on February 19, 2021. In Naruto Next Generation Chapter 77, which was released officially on January 19, 2023, he was officially sealed away by Kawaki inside the Daikokuten dimension, and since then, he has not made a comeback at all.
Whereas once Naruto stood as Konoha's Seventh Hokage, the power of Omnipotence made it so that the vast majority of the world believed him to have been killed by Boruto. As such, Konoha had to elect a new Hokage, and Shikamaru Nara took this interim position instead. Currently, Konoha treats Shikamaru as the temporary 8th Hokage, although he has not officially taken this position and isn't recognized as such. The most recent developments in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex point to Shikamaru being ousted from this position and a new Hokage being installed.
“The Seventh died at Boruto's hands. That's what you'll tell them! Got it?” — Kawaki declares Naruto Uzumaki dead, Boruto Chapter #79
While Naruto Uzumaki's return as the Seventh Hokage would be brilliant for us all to see, it must be accepted that, at this point, his return doesn't make much sense. For one, Naruto is still sealed in the dimension of Daikokuten, and it will be a couple of arcs before he officially comes back. Even when he does come back, Naruto becoming the Hokage means that other characters who have their own plot lines linked to the position of Hokage won't get to fulfill them. For instance, there's Konohamaru Sarutobi, whose dream is to become the Hokage, and that must be acknowledged and fulfilled by the author Mikio Ikemoto. If Naruto becomes the Hokage again, Konohamaru's dream will remain unfulfilled, and this will have a knockoff effect and affect Sarada's dream as well.
"You want to become the Hokage, right? Well then, I'll protect you and play the support role!" — Boruto Uzumaki reaffirms Sarada's goal, Boruto Chapter #11
Why Konohamaru Sarutobi Must Be Konoha's 8th Hokage, Followed By Sarada As The 9th
With Naruto Uzumaki having been removed from the position of Seventh Hokage right now, it is time for Konoha to step up and make Konohamaru Sarutobi the 8th Hokage of the village. Konohamaru has been largely underwhelming so far, but a couple of power-ups in Boruto can completely fix his character, and this has been proven by the author in Chapter 20 of the Land of Wind arc in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, where Sarada Uchiha received the Mangekyo power-up. Immediately after receiving this significant power-up, Sarada Uchiha became so strong that she could hold her own against the Otsutsuki-level enemies. Something similar can be done for Konohamaru Sarutobi, and he would immediately become worthy of being called the Hokage of Konoha.
“There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage. Remember that! If you want to be the Hokage, beat me first!” — Naruto Uzumaki explains what being Hokage means to Konohamaru, Naruto Chapter #2
At the same time, Konohamaru Sarutobi, who is likely to become Konoha's official 8th Hokage, is going to be succeeded by Sarada Uchiha. This plot point was officially established in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter #10, which was released officially on February 27, 2017, at the end of which Sarada declared her desire to become the Hokage. It was once again reiterated in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 2 on September 20, 2023, where Sarada stated that she will follow in the footsteps of Naruto Uzumaki and become the Hokage of the village.
"Lord Seventh once brought my dad back, who had gone rogue and committed all sorts of crimes. He became Hokage while still a Genin. 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 the Hokage, and the likely position she will claim is that of the 9th Hokage. If Naruto were to return and become the Hokage again, then his young age, as well as other factors involved around his character, would not allow any other ninja to claim the position of Hokage either. This might seem upsetting to some fans, but it must be acknowledged that stepping down from Seventh Hokage would actually benefit the Seventh Hokage himself.
Naruto's Return Will Make Him A Prized Asset, But Not The Hokage
One of the biggest reasons why Naruto Uzumaki has been cut out from the vast majority of the action in the Boruto series is because of 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 weaken him tremendously by making him rusty, but it also kept him away from the vast majority of the conflict. By liberating him from the position of the 7th Hokage and having someone like Shikamaru take office instead, Naruto Uzumaki can be utilized in a much better manner. The 7th Hokage can officially be sent out on various missions, such as inspecting the trails of Otsutsuki alongside Sasuke Uchiha, or fighting directly against powerful enemies like the Shinju.
“Stop exaggerating. This small wound won't kill you. It seems you've grown rusty.” — Kurama proves Naruto is rusty, Naruto Gaiden
Konoha electing a completely different Hokage from Naruto can be a blessing in disguise for the 7th Hokage, provided the writers Mikio Ikemoto and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto are willing to do him justice. On the surface, it might look like a bad move to remove Naruto as the 7th Hokage, but at this point, the story has essentially confirmed that other characters have dreams that must be fulfilled, and more importantly, that Naruto Uzumaki won't be coming back for the next couple of years. With Boruto edging closer to its end at a blistering pace, it only makes sense to have others become the Hokage before the manga ends. In the same vein, having Naruto become Konoha's prized asset once again by removing him from the office and putting him on the battlefield, where he does what he does best, would serve both parties flawlessly.
