Naruto's Legendary Sixth Hokage Is Missing In Boruto, But He Could Be Coming Back Soon

Kakashi Hatake is one of the most important characters in the Naruto series, being the leader of Team 7. In the original story, Kakashi played an incredibly important role in guiding the likes of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura right up until the very end. His role was elevated even further following the conclusion of the Fourth Great Ninja War as he became the Sixth Hokage of the Village and led the Konoha during its most turbulent time post-war.

Eventually, Kakashi was succeeded by Naruto Uzumaki, and since then, he has slowly faded into the background in Boruto. The Boruto series hardly ever brings out Kakashi, despite him being an incredibly popular character, and there may well be a reason for this. It could be tied to his grand return in the story later down the line. Kakashi's importance remains very high in the franchise, and his character could soon take a massive turn.

Kakashi Hatake Is Still An Active Shinobi In The Boruto Era

Despite Retirement, Kakashi Is A Konoha Shinobi

Kakashi Hatake was a genius ninja, right from a very young age, and that is why he has been able to serve Konoha for a very long time. In fact, he might go on to become the longest-serving ninja of the village at the rate at which he is moving right now. Kakashi became the Hokage in his 30s and held on to this position for about 10 years. Eventually, Naruto Uzumaki ended up becoming the Seventh Hokage, and Kakashi decided to live out the rest of his life away from the Hokage office peacefully. Despite that, Kakashi still maintains his position as a shinobi of Konoha, and this should not come as a surprise to any fan.

Whenever a Hokage retires, they still act as a shinobi of the village. This was clearly seen when Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed for Minato to become the Hokag, but was still active in the village whenever needed. When the Nine-Tails attacked, Hiruzen was one of the ninjas who led from the front and as such, was clearly still active as a shinobi. The same should apply to Kakashi Hatake. Even though he isn't the Hokage of the village at the moment, Kakashi still lives in Konoha, and he still holds tremendous might. As such, he is one of the strongest shinobi of the village who will take things into his own hands when called upon.

This makes it all the more confusing as to why Kakashi hasn't been deeply involved in the Boruto series. After all, he isn't all that old yet and should still be close to his prime abilities. On top of that, Kakashi's strength is such that he would be incredibly useful in the battle against threats such as the Otsutsuki and Shinju. All these things put together make Kakashi's handling rather confusing. While Kakashi's absence is clearly felt, it suddenly makes sense when taking into consideration the current predicament of the village.

Kakashi Could Return If Shikamaru Is Dismissed As Hokage

Ikemoto and Kishimoto Could've Saved Kakashi For A Special Role

At this point in time in the Boruto series, Konoha is in a state of chaos. Naruto Uzumaki was declared dead three years ago, and since then, the village has not moved on. Currently, Shikamaru Nara is maintaining the position of Hokage and trying to keep things as organized as possible. But Shikamaru is not the permanent Hokage of Konoha. In fact, he doesn't even have his face carved into the Hokage mountain yet. He has refused to take the position on a permanent basis, and this is because he is aware of the fact that Naruto is alive as well.

Shikamaru is quietly waiting for Naruto's return, but Konoha cannot do that. This is because Konoha has already been unstable for the past three years, and it is high time that they chose another Hokage. What's even worse is that Shikamaru's secret of collaborating with Boruto Uzumaki and Kashin Koji could be exposed soon. He has already been suspected by the likes of Kobu, and at the same time, his own comrades in Ino and even Sai.

The Boruto series needs Konoha to have a strong leader once again. At the same time, it would also be a familiar face to the fans, which would help give it a popularity boost as well. Kakashi Hatake would help the Boruto series significantly in many ways. Not only would he give stability to Konoha and allow for it to be more proactive when it comes to dealing with the threat of the Shinju and the remaining members of Kara, but at the same time, it would also make the fans far more interested in the story, given that he is a beloved character that all fans of Naruto love.

Kakashi's Strength Is Needed To Help Konoha

It would make perfect sense for Kakashi to step in as the next Hokage of the village, especially because this is something that has already been repeated in the past in the Naruto series. When the 4th Hokage died, Konoha did not immediately choose a 5th Hokage. Instead, the 3rd Hokage took the office once again because it was way too early for a new Hokage to be chosen. Something similar could happen here in the Boruto series. The author could very well decide to bring back Kakashi Hatake instead of choosing an 8th Hokage immediately.

This makes even more sense when taking into consideration the fact that Naruto Uzumaki is still alive, and Shikamaru is well aware of the fact. If Naruto is to continue as the Hokage, then it makes sense to bring back Kakashi and install Shikamaru as his adviser instead of him having the position of Hokage, which he is clearly unsuited for. Until Naruto Uzumaki returns, Konoha needs the strength and vision of Kakashi Hatake. More than that, fans need to see their beloved Sixth Hokage in the story once again. Kakashi's story seems almost unfulfilled in the Naruto franchise, and a proper conclusion can be delivered in Boruto, if both Kishimoto and Ikemoto decide to handle things properly.

There is certainly a lot of potential surrounding the character of Kakashi, and even Mikio Ikemoto and his former associate, Ukyo Kodachi, teased Kakashi's return in the manga. Hopefully, this return happens soon enough in the story because fans are eagerly waiting for it.

Boruto can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Boruto

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6.5/10

Animation

Action

Adventure

Release Date

April 5, 2017

Network

TV Tokyo

Boruto is an action anime series that continues years after the events of Naruto, now in the shoes of the next generation - many of which are the children of the protagonists from the original series. Boruto follows the titular character, the son of Naruto, who seeks to impress his father. Together with the other ninjas-in-training, Boruto will battle to overcome trials and threats even more significant than his father ever faced.

Creator

Masashi Kishimoto

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

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