Boruto: What Does Naruto's Disappearance Mean For the Series?
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has hit a pivotal point with its latest manga chapter. As Kawaki continued to try and find his place among Naruto and Hidden Leaf Village, he came to a(nother) drastic conclusion: he is the only one with the power to stop Momoshiki Otsutsuki if he were to possess Boruto all over again. In Boruto Chapter 77, Kawaki officially makes his vow to eliminate the scourge of the Otsutsuki once and for all – before good people like his surrogate father Naruto are killed by them. However, knowing how much Naruto and his wife Hinata love Boruto, Kawaki also knows that they will never have it in them to stop Boruto if it comes to that.
...So, to spare Naruto the pain of choosing between being a father and a leader/protector, Kawaki uses his Otsutsuki powers to teleport Naruto and Hinata away to another dimension!
What Does Naruto's Disappearance mean for Boruto?
First and foremost, this latest chapter finally helps explain Boruto's beginning and the ominous flash-forward sequence it opened with. That sequence saw Kawaki and Boruto in their teenage years, battling over the ruins of Hidden Leaf Village. In the battle, Kawaki warned Boruto that is he didn't surrender, he would send his once-friend to the same place he sent Naruto.
For a long time, the theory went that Kawaki was referencing the afterlife after he killed Naruto in battle. Now, however, it's confirmed that Kawaki indeed did send Naruto to some alternate dimension. And if we take the flash-forward to be any indication, Naruto could be gone for quite some time!
It's now on Boruto to fill in the span of time between Boruto and Kawaki are now and who we know they will be when their respective Karmas and Oustsuki powers are fully developed. How the series works without Naruto will definitely be interesting to see; first we'll have to see if Kawaki's actions are revealed to the rest of the characters – and how they react to him if they do find out. Why Hidden Leaf ultimately carries on without Naruto will be a big subject to explain (do they think he's dead? Lost forever?); however, once we are over theat hurdle, the Boruto series will arguably open up in a big way.
No Naruto (and his supreme power) means bigger stakes for Hidden Leaf and its Shinobi facing the very real threats still out there (Code and the remnants of Kara, any other Otsutsuki, other Shinobi). It also creates an entirely new set of character dynamics, as people move to fill Naruto's void and pick up his slack. More importantly, Boruto and Kawaki's relationship may finally reach that Naruto/Sasuke level from Shippuden, instead of the "bros" relationship they have now. Naruto fans have been waiting since that first flash-forward to see Boruto deliver on that promise...
Boruto releases new chapters monthly free online.