Will Naruto come back in Boruto? Explored

The sequel to the popular series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows the life of Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki. With the focus now shifting from Naruto to his son, the series explored the lives and adventures of the new generation of Shinobi in Hidden Leaf Village.

One thing that has bothered fans ever since the start of the sequel series was a scene of Boruto fighting a mysterious boy named Kawaki, who threatened to send him to the place where he had sent the 7th Hokage. The official explanation of this scene was dropped in chapter 77 of the manga.

Since then, fans have been wondering when they will get to see their favorite character return. However, given the current situation of the story, it's unlikely that they will get to see Naruto return anytime soon.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Boruto manga. Reader's discretion is advised.

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What happened to Naruto Uzumaki in the Boruto manga?

In the sequel series, Naruto Uzumaki takes on the position of Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, which has been his goal since childhood. Throughout the series, he has suffered several losses, with his biggest one being the death of Kurama in his fight with Isshiki, an event that left him considerably weaker than before.

After saving Kawaki from Isshiki Otsutsuki, Naruto took him into his family and cared for him like his son. He wanted Kawaki to have a good life and gave him the opportunity to choose a better path than Isshiki had intended for him.

Due to all the love that was shown to him, Kawaki became extremely devoted to Naruto and saw him as his savior. Knowing that he was weaker due to Kurama's death, he vowed to protect Naruto with his life.

Therefore, it's pretty hard to imagine that Kawaki would do anything that could potentially endanger Naruto's life. However, the prologue of the anime argued otherwise, which led to confusion among the fans. Thankfully, this issue was eventually addressed in the manga, where readers finally got to know Naruto's fate.

In chapter 77 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga, fans finally got to see what had actually happened to Naruto and his wife, Hinata. Vowing to protect Naruto at all costs, Kawaki sought to destroy all members of the formidable Otsutsuki clan so that they could no longer pose a threat to his family.

However, his brother Boruto was currently possessed by Otsutsuki member Momoshiki. Seeing his brother as a potential threat, Kawaki realized that he would need to kill him to keep his family safe.

Knowing that Naruto would not agree with his decision and would try to stop him from killing his son, Kawaki used the Space-Time Ninjutsu to transport Naruto and his wife, Hinata, to a different dimension.

It ties very well with the prologue of the series, in which Kawaki threatens to send Boruto to the place where he sent the 7th Hokage. Although this means that Naruto is technically not dead as of yet, he will likely be out of action for some time.

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When will Naruto return in Boruto?

Naruto Uzumaki in his fight with Isshiki Otsutsuki(image via Studio Pierrot)

Kawaki's extreme devotion to Naruto led him to transport him and his wife, Hinata, to another dimension, which he claimed was only to protect him. Kawaki is dead set on eliminating all members of the Otsutsuki clan, including Momoshiki, who had possessed his brother. He is willing to go to any length in order to protect Naruto, even if it means killing his brother.

As of now, it is unlikely that Naruto will return to the series anytime soon. Considering that Boruto was said to be the last shinobi left in the future of the series, it's certain that Naruto would not return until after the time-skip, where the fated fight between the two titular characters takes place.

The only event where he could be brought back is when Kawaki is defeated and convinced to transport him back to their dimension.

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To conclude

Considering the circumstances, Naruto's future in the story does not look too good. It should at least be a few more years till fans get to see their favorite character back in the series, as he would likely make his return after the conflict between Boruto and Kawaki is resolved.

The most tragic part is that Kawaki had to seal Naruto and Hinata out of his love for them. His undying desire to protect Naruto has made him determined to kill Boruto, whom he even considers his brother. At the very least, fans can rest assured that their favorite character has yet to bite the dust, even if it means waiting several years for his eventual return.