SPOILERS FOR BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS MANGA CHAPTER 79The stage has been set for the Kawaki landing a massive deathblow against Boruto.

The Otsutsuki cells in Boruto's body regenerated him, but by doing so, Momoshiki could no longer fully possess Boruto's body. Kawaki then became determined to wipe out all traces of the Otsutsuki Clan, the alien tribe that Kaguya and Isshiki originated from. Unfortunately, this includes the Otsutsuki remnants of Momoshiki that have become part of Boruto. Knowing that the Seventh Hokage would never allow Boruto to be killed, Kawaki made a dramatic choice in the manga's 77th chapter that no one saw coming, especially Naruto. All of this sets the stage for Boruto to get its own Naruto Shippuden style part 2.

Naruto & Hinata Are Alive But Trapped Due to Kawaki

Manga s from Boruto chapter 77 show Kawaki using his eye powers to seal both Naruto and Hinata in a separate dimension while Naruto reaches his hand out towards Kawaki.

After telling Naruto that his world revolves around him, Kawaki uses his new god-like Shinjutsu abilities to seal both Naruto and Hinata in a timeless pocket dimension. The following chapter reveals that Kawaki trapped the Seventh Hokage and his wife in a Shinjutsu called Daikokuten, which "allows access to a dimension where time is frozen" and that "they won't age a day or starve to death." Meaning that both Naruto and Hinata are not currently dead but have been removed from the picture so that Kawaki can fulfill his mission of killing Boruto along with anything that's left of the world-eating Otsutsuki clan.

Kawaki Needed Naruto Out Of The Way, But Won't Kill Him

Manga s from the Boruto manga chapter 77 shows Kawaki standing in Naruto's living room after sealing him and Hinata in a black portal. Kawaki says Naruto is welcome to kill him after he is done with his task.

The very beginning of the Boruto storyline led to plenty of theories and speculation about the fate of Naruto in the sequel series. Older versions of Kawaki and Boruto battle over the rubble of the Hokage mountain after Kawaki proclaims, "I'll send you where I sent the seventh Hokage, Boruto." The first chapter of Boruto was released in 2016, meaning readers waited almost seven years to discover that Kawaki did not kill Naruto but locked him in a timeless dimension. Unfortunately, it will likely be a couple of years before it's revealed how he is inevitably rescued.

When Part 2 of the Boruto anime begins, and if it continues where it left off, it will likely begin with the sealing of Naruto before the timeskip. Details about the timeskip and what Boruto's world will look like after it is currently unknown because it has yet to happen in the manga. With the help of the cyborg Eida's overpowered brainwashing power, Boruto has been framed for the supposed murder of Naruto. With Naruto imprisoned and Boruto on the run, the pieces are in place for the timeskip Boruto readers have waited for since the introduction of the series.