Naruto isn’t dead. He’s sealed. Kawaki sealed him, along with Hinata, in the Daikokuten dimension, a pocket space reachable only with a specific jutsu. It was the result of a chain of events that gradually took away everything that made him the strongest shinobi, and the series hinted at it in its very first scene.
Spoiler warning: this article covers Boruto: Two Blue Vortex and the events that led up to it.
The chain of events
| Event | Impact | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Isshiki Otsutsuki appears | outclasses Naruto’s usual power | forces a desperate solution |
| Baryon Mode is activated | temporary godlike power | Kurama’s death |
| Kurama’s death | permanent loss of a large part of his power | Naruto becomes vulnerable |
| Kawaki’s decision | seals Naruto in the Daikokuten | current status: sealed |
The prologue that gave it away years earlier
Boruto opens with a scene of a destroyed Konoha in which Kawaki, a character nobody knew at that point, tells Boruto: “I’ll send you to the same place I sent the Seventh.”
A single line on the very first page established that something catastrophic would happen to Naruto, and readers then argued for years over whether “sent” meant killed or removed. The answer is the latter.
Baryon Mode: the victory that cost him everything
Isshiki Otsutsuki was simply beyond anything Naruto had faced before, and that pushed him to Baryon Mode, a state similar to nuclear fusion that burned his and Kurama’s chakra at the same time.
- Dramatically higher speed and strength.
- Every hit takes away some of the opponent’s lifespan.
- Strictly time-limited.
- A fatal price: Kurama dies.
It’s the purest example of a victory that is also a defeat. Naruto beat Isshiki and lost the partner his power had rested on since childhood, and that is exactly what made the later sealing possible.
Kawaki’s logic
Kawaki isn’t written as a villain, and his reasoning is internally consistent:
- The Otsutsuki are the main threat to the world.
- Without Kurama, Naruto is too weak to stand up to them.
- Sealing him will protect him from being killed.
- First wipe out all the Otsutsuki, then let him out.
- Boruto is an Otsutsuki, so he has to die.
The weak point is the one thing he can’t see: Naruto would never accept protection at the cost of his own son. The whole plan goes against everything Naruto stands for, and that is what makes Kawaki a tragic antagonist rather than an ordinary villain.
When will he return?
The structure of the narrative answers this more clearly than the text does. The prologue, Boruto versus Kawaki in a ruined Konoha, is the final battle of the series, and Kawaki’s line confirms that at that moment Naruto is still sealed.
That leads to the conditions for his return:
- Boruto has to defeat Kawaki in that confrontation.
- Kawaki has to be convinced he was wrong, or be stopped.
- The Otsutsuki threat has to be resolved.
- Someone has to actively undo the Daikokuten seal.
The shape mirrors Naruto’s fight with Sasuke: two brothers by bond, a battle that closes the series and an expected reconciliation. Going by that, Naruto returns at the very end or right after it.
Why he won’t be Hokage again
This is where most predictions get it wrong. The story has already set up a line of succession that doesn’t include Naruto:
| Position | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Seventh | Naruto, sealed | a council runs the village in the meantime |
| Eighth | Konohamaru Sarutobi | grandson of the Third, Naruto’s student, captain of Team 7, a lifelong goal |
| Ninth | Sarada Uchiha | the first Uchiha Hokage, her dream from the start, a symbol of the generational handover |
If Naruto took the hat back, it would cancel Konohamaru’s entire arc, and the central theme of the series is that the next generation achieves its goals, not that the previous one holds on to its position.
What he’ll do instead
The likely role is the one Jiraiya and Tsunade filled: a legend offering support from behind the scenes. A village elder and advisor, more time with Hinata and the kids, teaching the next generation and stepping in only when Konoha truly needs it.
Sasuke is set to return under the same conditions. Two legends in the background instead of at the center of the action: that’s exactly what “passing the torch” looks like when a series means it.
Canon versus assumption
| Confirmed | Strongly implied | Reader speculation |
|---|---|---|
| Naruto and Hinata are sealed in the Daikokuten | the prologue fight is the series finale | Sarada becomes the Ninth Hokage |
| Kurama died in Baryon Mode | Naruto returns after that fight | Naruto and Sasuke end up as mentors in the background |
| Kawaki considers Boruto an Otsutsuki | Konohamaru will be the Eighth Hokage | Kawaki gets a redemption arc |
FAQ
No. He’s sealed together with Hinata in the Daikokuten pocket dimension, which can only be entered with a specific jutsu.
Kawaki, who believed that taking him out of the picture would protect him from the Otsutsuki while he wiped them out.
Baryon Mode burned both of their chakra to defeat Isshiki Otsutsuki. As a result Kurama died, and that loss is what made Naruto a vulnerable target.
The story’s structure points that way, after Boruto’s fight with Kawaki from the prologue is resolved. The manga hasn’t shown it yet, though.
Almost certainly not. The established succession is Konohamaru and then Sarada; Naruto returning to the post would cancel both arcs.
Information verified as of 7 September 2026. Boruto is still ongoing, so anything in the “implied” column can move to “confirmed”, or be overturned. More breakdowns: who can defeat Imu, Loki’s abilities, god-tier anime heroes and the System in Solo Leveling. For further reading: ten manhwa like Solo Leveling or the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle schedule.