Boruto has brought plenty of exciting new characters, stories, and foes into the world of Naruto, but one consistent has been Naruto as the Leaf Village’s Hokage. Since assuming the position at the beginning of the Naruto sequel series, this position hasn’t been challenged.
Despite being one of the most powerful characters on the show, no one’s fate is certain, and there is a history of extremely powerful shinobi dying in office as the Hokage. What would happen if Naruto met a similar fate?
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Naruto would have to die, although things in Boruto seem to be heading that way. Naruto could simply move on from the position due to old age or other duties he must attend to for the humanity of ninja. In that case, who could become the 8th Hokage?
Picking the next Hokage really comes down to timeframe. If we’re to think that Naruto will leave the position in the near future, then the options are vastly different from those in the longer term. If Naruto was to lose the rank of Hokage today, here are some of the frontrunners who could assume the position.
Sasuke Uchiha
While he might be the obvious and at the same time most unlikely candidate, Sasuke has a great bid for the title of Hokage. Sasuke is unquestionably powerful enough to lead the village given that he is the only ninja capable of going toe-to-toe with Naruto. Over the course of his character’s evolution, we’ve seen Sasuke’s desires fall in line with those of the Leaf Village and at this stage in his arc, he would make a more than fitting Hokage despite how unlikely it would be.
Konohamaru Sarutobi
Konohamaru has evolved into an extremely capable Ninja with quite an expansive range of Jutsu at his disposal. The grandson of the third Hokage, Konohamaru’s lineage is embedded within the Leaf and as he’s been idolizing Naruto, he likely has Hokage aspirations as well.
Shikamaru Nara
Acting as an advisor for both Hokages Kakashi and Naruto, Shikamaru has more than enough experience to take over the role of Hokage should the need arise. With his extreme skills in battlefield planning, level-headed mentality, and excellent decision-making, it’s not hard to imagine him leading the village.
If things were to unfold in the distant future, the candidates who could take on the role of Hokage would likely change drastically. Here are the current young leaf ninjas who would then become likely candidates for Hokage.
Sarada Uchiha
Sarada has already shared her aspirations to become Hokage, and with the power she already possesses and is beginning to grow, this seems like a realistic goal for the young leaf ninja. Boasting both her father Sasuke and mother Sakura’s strengths, she is undoubtedly going to be one of the strongest ninjas in the Leaf Village in the future. If this trend continues to grow, there’s no reason why she can’t become Hokage.
Boruto Uzumaki
There was no way that Boruto wouldn’t make this list. While he hasn’t shared any aspirations to become Hokage, with his immense power, love for the Leaf Village, and lineage in the Kage, Boruto has all the makings of the eighth Hokage.