It’s uncommon for a sequel manga to begin as boldly as Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Instead of starting with a recap of past events or an introduction to what lies ahead, it immediately thrusts readers into a moment that is both shocking and perplexing.
This scene introduces a fundamental question that lingers throughout the story—Is Kawaki destined to kill his adoptive father?
The first point of uncertainty is whether Naruto, the Seventh Hokage and central figure of the original Naruto series, is actually dead. This question is raised right at the beginning of Boruto’s first chapter when Kawaki declares, “I’ll send you where I sent the Seventh Hokage.”
He makes this statement to Naruto’s biological son, Boruto. Based on Boruto’s reaction, whatever happened to the Seventh Hokage was anything but pleasant.
The possibility that Kawaki was responsible for Naruto’s demise has led to various theories about how it might have occurred. To fully grasp these theories, some background information is necessary.
In Naruto, Kaguya Otsutsuki was ultimately revealed to be the main antagonist behind much of the series’ conflict, either directly or indirectly.
It was also disclosed that she originally arrived on Earth with a partner, Isshiki Otsutsuki. Their goal was to cultivate a God Tree by sacrificing one of their own lives.
Isshiki was intended to survive while Kaguya was meant to be the sacrifice, allowing the God Tree to produce the chakra energy that the Otsutsuki clan desired.
However, Kaguya betrayed Isshiki, leaving him for dead. Despite this, he managed to survive.
Just before his soul could pass permanently into the afterlife, Isshiki transferred himself into the body of a passing monk named Jigen by imprinting a mystical seal known as a kama onto Jigen’s hand.
As a result, while Jigen physically survived, his mind was effectively possessed by Isshiki. With this new host, Isshiki went into hiding, secretly plotting to complete his original mission—the cultivation of a God Tree.
Since Kaguya was no longer present, he intended to sacrifice himself to the tree so that future Otsutsuki arrivals could reap its benefits. However, over time, Isshiki realized that Jigen’s body was not strong enough to serve as a suitable sacrifice for producing the most powerful chakra fruit.
This led him to seek out a new host. After several experiments, Jigen discovered Kawaki, who turned out to be the ideal candidate for his plan. Kawaki was then marked with a kama similar to the one Jigen bore, beginning the process of transferring Isshiki’s soul into Kawaki’s body.
However, Isshiki was killed before the full transfer into Kawaki could be completed. Initially, this seemed to put an end to the threat of Isshiki’s resurrection through Kawaki.
But it was later discovered that even after Isshiki’s death, Kawaki retained access to his immense powers and abilities without being under Isshiki’s direct control. This revelation gave rise to two possible explanations for the fate of Naruto.
On one hand, it is possible that Isshiki retained some degree of influence over Kawaki through the kama, eventually using it to seize control of Kawaki’s body and kill Naruto.
On the other hand, it is also plausible that Kawaki, having inherited Isshiki’s formidable powers, came to see himself as the village’s ultimate authority.
This could have led to a confrontation with Naruto in his role as Hokage. In either scenario, the theory suggests that Naruto was ultimately defeated, leaving Boruto to face Kawaki alone.
Only time will reveal whether these speculations hold any truth or if they are merely unfounded theories.
