It's Time To Say Goodbye To Naruto's Newest Hokage

Published Jul 21, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 36! The position of Hokage in Naruto is often upheld as the true most honorable office in Konoha. One of the five Kages of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, the Hokage has been a title shared by the village's finest and most noble shinobi, as well as Danzo Shimura for a brief spell. But, much like in Danzo's case, some Hokage are not meant to stay in the position, with a major factor in some emergency appointments being various leadership figures such as the elders of the Konoha Council, or even the feudal lord or Fire Daimyo making the call. Following Naruto Uzumaki's capture by Kawaki, leading the public to believe Boruto was the killer, Shikamaru was appointed Hokage. Shikamaru is, on paper, a phenomenal choice for Hokage in the Naruto universe. He's demonstrably one of the most talented tacticians and leaders of Naruto's generation, and was deliberately chosen as Naruto's right-hand man when he became Lord Seventh. But Shikamaru was given the position of provisional leader, a precarious Eighth Hokage position, constantly shouldering scrutiny from the village elders, particularly Lord Kobu, with his latest joint operation with Boruto against the Divine Trees being the last straw. As of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 36, Kobu is now calling for Shikamaru Nara to be relieved of his position as Hokage. Naruto's Latest Hokage May Have The Strongest Case For Removal Yet Truthfully, the writing has been on the wall for Shikamaru for much of 2026. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 30 showed Kobu correctly suspecting Shikamaru was harboring and aiding Boruto. While Kobu lacks key context, namely, that he and the rest of Konoha are still brainwashed into thinking Boruto is an Otsutsuki who killed Naruto, the facts remain that Shikamaru has been aiding a rogue ninja, in secret, often against the wishes and judgment of his trusted confidants including Ino Yamanaka. Realistically, there's a fair case for his removal, and in chapter 36, Kobu sent his request to the Land of Fire's Daimyo to remove Shikamaru's Hokage title. Provided enough evidence of Shikamaru's crimes exists and can be found, this was a new reveal of just how powerful the Land of Fire's Feudal Lord truly is. Kobu also cites the elders as ones whose approval he'd need to fully carry out Shikamaru's removal from power. One can argue that Shikamaru is largely now operating on borrowed time, especially as he shows no signs of slowing down in his mission to protect Konoha, even at the expense of his position. He even begrudgingly accepted such a fate as predicted by Koji Kashin as one of the many possible outcomes during the Mamushi Arc. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Has Presented Plenty Of Hokage Candidates Shikamaru's removal as the provisional Eighth Hokage is a troubling reality, as it essentially means replacing a replacement in the process. He's been a capable leader, with the village's safety at the top of his mind at all points, but thankfully, Shikamaru's far from the only capable shinobi of his generation to serve as their leader. As shown in recent chapters, Sakura Haruno has been an immensely grounded and supportive kunoichi, continuing to mentor her daughter and those around her while remaining headstrong and ostensibly herself. Not only that, but her Byakugo or "Strength of a Hundred Seal" has certainly continued to accumulate power all this time; Sakura would be plenty capable of defending her village. But other capable leaders still exist. It'd be a fine opportunity to bring Kakashi out of the woodwork, for instance, as he had already served previously as the Sixth Hokage. Kakashi always signed on for the role with the assumption that Naruto would eventually succeed him; returning to the role could be a nice precursor to Naruto's return. Hidden Leaf Village · Chunin Exam NarutoTrivia Challenge 🔥 Jinchūriki Believe it! 🔴 Sharingan Copy ninja 🌀 Jutsu Rasengan! 🌿 Village Will of Fire ⚡ Bonds Unbreakable BELIEVE IT! → 01 Naruto Uzumaki carries an immense burden — a powerful Tailed Beast sealed inside him since birth by the Fourth Hokage. This fox demon’s chakra gives Naruto extraordinary power but also makes him an outcast. What is the name of this Nine-Tailed Beast? AShukaku BMatatabi CKurama DGyuki ✓ Correct! Kurama is the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within Naruto by his father, the Fourth Hokage. Initially a source of fear and hatred, Kurama eventually becomes one of Naruto’s closest allies. Their bond is one of the most emotional arcs in the entire series. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Kurama. Shukaku is the One-Tail sealed in Gaara, Matatabi is the Two-Tails, and Gyuki is the Eight-Tails sealed in Killer Bee. Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, is Naruto’s legendary partner. NEXT → 02 Naruto’s greatest rival is a prodigy from a prestigious clan who possesses a powerful eye technique called the Sharingan. Consumed by a desire for vengeance against his older brother, he defects from the Hidden Leaf Village. Who is this rival? ANeji Hyuga BSasuke Uchiha CGaara DRock Lee ✓ Correct! Sasuke Uchiha is Naruto’s eternal rival and best friend. After the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke’s obsession with killing his brother Itachi drives him to leave the village and seek power at any cost. Their rivalry is the emotional backbone of the entire series. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Sasuke Uchiha. Neji is a Hyuga clan genius with the Byakugan, Gaara is the Sand Village’s jinchūriki, and Rock Lee is the taijutsu specialist. Only Sasuke wields the Sharingan and defects to join Orochimaru. NEXT → 03 Naruto’s signature jutsu is a spinning sphere of concentrated chakra formed in the palm of his hand. Originally created by the Fourth Hokage and taught to Naruto by Jiraiya, it becomes the foundation for many of his most powerful attacks. What is this technique called? ARasengan BChidori CShadow Clone Jutsu DSage Art: Lava Rasenshuriken ✓ Correct! The Rasengan is a pure chakra manipulation technique that doesn’t require hand signs. Created by Minato Namikaze and passed down through Jiraiya to Naruto, it evolves into many variations including the devastating Rasenshuriken with added Wind Release nature transformation. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is the Rasengan. The Chidori is Sasuke and Kakashi’s lightning technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu is a different Naruto staple, and the Lava Rasenshuriken is a late-series variant. The base Rasengan is Naruto’s iconic spinning chakra sphere. NEXT → 04 Team 7’s leader is a mysterious, mask-wearing jonin known as the “Copy Ninja” for his ability to replicate over a thousand jutsu using his borrowed Sharingan eye. He’s always reading a certain novel. Who is this legendary sensei? AMight Guy BAsuma Sarutobi CJiraiya DKakashi Hatake ✓ Correct! Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja of the Sharingan, leads Team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura). His Sharingan was a gift from his dying friend Obito Uchiha. Always cool under pressure and perpetually reading Make-Out Paradise, Kakashi eventually becomes the Sixth Hokage. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Kakashi Hatake. Might Guy leads Team Guy, Asuma leads Team 10, and Jiraiya is one of the Legendary Sannin who later trains Naruto. Only Kakashi is the masked Copy Ninja with a borrowed Sharingan who leads Team 7. NEXT → 05 Sasuke’s older brother massacred nearly the entire Uchiha clan in a single night, then joined the criminal organization Akatsuki. It was later revealed he did it all on orders from the village to prevent a coup — sacrificing everything to protect his brother. Who is this tragic figure? AMadara Uchiha BItachi Uchiha CObito Uchiha DShisui Uchiha ✓ Correct! Itachi Uchiha is one of Naruto’s most complex characters. A pacifist genius forced into an impossible choice, he bore the hatred of the entire world — including his beloved brother Sasuke — to protect the Hidden Leaf from civil war. His final words to Sasuke remain iconic. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Itachi Uchiha. Madara is the legendary clan founder, Obito is the masked man behind much of the war, and Shisui was Itachi’s best friend. Itachi alone carried out the massacre to prevent the Uchiha coup and protect Sasuke. NEXT → 06 From the very first episode, Naruto declares his lifelong dream to earn the respect of his village and prove his worth. He vows to achieve the highest rank in the Hidden Leaf — its supreme leader. What is this title that Naruto dreams of? AKazekage BJonin Commander CHokage DAnbu Captain ✓ Correct! Hokage is the title of the Hidden Leaf Village’s leader, and Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage drives the entire series. After years of struggle, he finally achieves his dream and becomes the Seventh Hokage in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Hokage. The Kazekage leads the Sand Village, Jonin Commander is a military rank, and Anbu Captain leads black ops. The Hokage is the Hidden Leaf’s supreme leader — and Naruto’s lifelong dream since he was a lonely academy student. NEXT → 07 Naruto’s father was the Fourth Hokage, known as the “Yellow Flash of the Leaf” for his incredible speed using the Flying Thunder God technique. He sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tails inside his newborn son. What is his name? AMinato Namikaze BHiruzen Sarutobi CTobirama Senju DHashirama Senju ✓ Correct! Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Yellow Flash, sacrificed himself using the Reaper Death Seal to seal Kurama inside baby Naruto. His love for his son and faith in Naruto’s potential made him one of the series’ most selfless characters. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Minato Namikaze. Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Third Hokage, Tobirama Senju is the Second, and Hashirama Senju is the First. Minato, the Fourth Hokage, is Naruto’s father who sealed the Nine-Tails at the cost of his own life. NEXT → 08 A shy, kind-hearted kunoichi from the Hyuga clan admired Naruto from afar since their academy days. She boldly confessed her love while fighting Pain to protect him, and eventually became his wife. Who is this character? ASakura Haruno BIno Yamanaka CTemari DHinata Hyuga ✓ Correct! Hinata Hyuga went from a timid girl who could barely speak around Naruto to a fierce warrior who stood against Pain to protect him. Her confession during the Pain arc is one of the series’ most emotional moments. They marry in The Last: Naruto the Movie and have two children, Boruto and Himawari. ✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Hinata Hyuga. Sakura is Naruto’s teammate who loves Sasuke, Ino is Sakura’s rival from the Yamanaka clan, and Temari is a Sand Village kunoichi who marries Shikamaru. Only Hinata loved Naruto from the very beginning. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Ninja Record / 8 Are you Hokage material — or still at the academy practicing clone jutsu? ↻ RETRY MISSION But perhaps the most compelling alternative is Konohamaru Sarutobi, who has always had a combination of juvenile entitlement in early years, and determination later on, to eventually take on the role his grandfather once held. He's proven steadfast even under pressure against a deranged Divine Tree, continued to develop powerful new jutsu for the purpose of defending himself and allies, and, more than the previous two candidates, has consistently shown an interest in the role. While the ousting of Shikamaru is becoming an increasingly likely possibility, it'd be a lie to claim his potential successors wouldn't be great to see in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. First Film Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow Latest Film Boruto: Naruto the Movie First TV Show Naruto Latest TV Show Boruto: Naruto Next Generations First Episode Air Date October 3, 2002 Cast Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists' children and returning faces. Writer Masashi Kishimoto Writers Masashi Kishimoto Penciler(s) Mikio Ikemoto Inker(s) Mikio Ikemoto Colorist(s) Mikio Ikemoto Publisher(s) Viz Media Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.