It might come as a shock to any longtime reader that Naruto's dream, but it has already started to occur, and it began at the worst possible time.
Boruto first surprised fans of this during an ongoing battle against one of Kara's Inners named Boro in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 41 by creator and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto, artist Mikio Ikemoto and scriptwriter Ukyo Kodachi. While in hiding from the rampaging Boro, Boruto, Mitsuki, Sarada, and Kawaki try to take advantage of the few minutes they have to discuss a strategy on how to defeat their current opponent. Eventually, the topic of who should be their team captain comes up to help them stay focused. Mitsuki recommends Sarada and Kawaki agrees. But interestingly Boruto voices disapproval and only ends up agreeing begrudgingly since he rightfully points out that they have no time to debate.
Although Boruto never claims that he should be leader, it can be easily assumed that this is how he feels. In fact, Kawaki makes the assumption himself and immediately disregards it as a possibility (much to Boruto's annoyance). Boruto's discontent with asg Sarada the role of their team commander directly conflicts with his earlier goal of wanting to serve as the right-hand man of the Hokage rather than being the Hokage himself. The role of the Hokage is to lead the entire village of Konoha while the right-hand man s everything the Hokage does. In fact, since Sarada has always endeavored to be Konoha's next Hokage after Naruto, Boruto once told her that his goal was to become her number-two once her dream came true. The fact that Boruto is now annoyed at the idea of letting Sarada lead is surprising, especially since the role of team commander is obviously less important than Hokage. How could he be fine with Sarada being his Hokage if he has a problem with her leading a team of four shinobi?
Boruto's Change is More Heartwarming Than Fans Realize
Of course, one of the main reasons why Boruto decided he didn't want to assume the role of Hokage was because he didn't want to follow the same path as his father Naruto did. In fact, Boruto ended up embracing the idea of being the Hokage's right-hand man instead of the actual Hokage because he had already formed a relationship with Naruto's rival, Sasuke at the time and that was his role in Konoha. So even though Boruto didn't reject the idea of becoming Hokage because he didn't want to lead, the fact that he does want to lead now makes him a natural contender to be the next Hokage, and, in turn, inherently follow in his father's footsteps.
Although a compelling moment of character growth for Boruto, a more heartwarming interpretation of Boruto's change of heart could be that it serves as further representation of his improved relationship with his father. At the time Boruto decided not to be the Hokage, he was still at odds with Naruto, which explains why he embraced Sasuke's career choice when he did. The fact that Boruto is now almost subconsciously wanting to have the same number-one role as the Hokage could be deciphered as verification that he has embraced that side of Naruto.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is available on Viz.com.
