It’s Time To Accept Naruto’s Biggest Failure As The Seventh Hokage Of Konoha

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This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.

In the world of Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki rises to become the Seventh Hokage, widely considered the most important of all the Kage leaders. Viewers have watched Naruto’s incredible journey, from a lonely and disliked child to a world hero who saved the planet from powerful threats like Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki. His path to the top was truly remarkable, solidifying his place as one of the most compelling protagonists in storytelling.

Watching the continuation of the story in Boruto, it’s striking how different Naruto has become. He doesn’t seem to be the same person we knew, and some of his choices just don’t add up, really hurting his image. The series repeatedly points out what I see as Naruto’s biggest mistake as Hokage: he wasn’t ready for the Otsutsuki attacks, and honestly, the signs were there for a long time.

Naruto Uzumaki Is The Most Legendary Hokage Of Konoha

  • Naruto Uzumaki Stands Above All
  • He Is The Strongest Shinobi In History

Naruto Uzumaki is widely considered Konoha’s most celebrated Hokage. While the First Hokage originally founded the village with Madara Uchiha, aiming to create a peaceful home for children, each subsequent leader added to that foundation. Naruto truly became the greatest after the Fourth Great Ninja War, when he saved the world from Kaguya Otsutsuki and finally defeated the Akatsuki.

After growing up and with Kakashi stepping down, Naruto became the Seventh Hokage, a position he earned as a world-renowned hero. He was incredibly powerful and became a beacon of hope and peace for everyone. But his greatest accomplishment wasn’t just his strength – it was bringing the entire world together. Before the Fourth Great Ninja War, villages were constantly fighting, leading to larger conflicts. After the war, Naruto helped establish lasting peace between the five great villages, eliminating the threat of future wars. This achievement is truly remarkable and deserves recognition.

Even though Naruto remains the most important leader in the Boruto series, he’s not perfect. He’s made several errors throughout the show, but his biggest and most puzzling mistake is being so unprepared for the Otsutsuki clan’s invasion, a threat everyone knew was coming.

Naruto’s Biggest Failure Was To Not Prepare For The Otsutsuki Invasion

  • Naruto Uzumaki Never Trained The New Generation To Fight Otsutsuki
  • The Shinobi Of Konoha Are Poorly Utilized

By the end of the original Naruto series, it was obvious that the Otsutsuki clan posed a major danger. Kaguya emerged as a powerful enemy, giving Naruto and Sasuke their most challenging fights. Soon after, Naruto faced another Otsutsuki, Toneri, and had to defeat him to prevent global destruction. Following this, Sasuke discovered evidence of the Otsutsuki while exploring other dimensions, confirming to fans that the threat was far from over.

This power is incredible – it should be far stronger than anything he possesses. However, it comes with a serious cost: it shortens our lifespans. Because our chakra is linked, the energy created by sacrificing our life force also drains his. That’s what makes Baryon Mode so powerful. — Kurama to Naruto Uzumaki

By the time Boruto’s story begins, Naruto understood the Otsutsuki clan were a major danger to the world. However, he and the other Kage didn’t do enough to prepare for that threat. When Momoshiki attacked, Naruto had to risk his life to protect the village. Eventually, Naruto and Sasuke were able to defeat both Momoshiki and Kinshiki.

Naruto Should’ve Prepared The World Better To Face The Greatest Threat

Despite facing the Otsutsuki threat, Naruto hasn’t put a solid plan in place to protect the world from future attacks. This is surprising, considering how incredibly powerful the Otsutsuki are – they could easily destroy everything. Now is the time for Naruto to gather the strongest ninja, including the Five Kage, and start training a new generation to effectively fight against this dangerous enemy.

It’s strange, but the Naruto world wasn’t ready for the powerful Otsutsuki clan. That’s why young characters like Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki are forced to handle incredibly difficult challenges at such a young age.

Naruto Has Also Grown Weaker As A Ninja

One of Naruto’s biggest flaws is that he let his ninja skills decline as he got older. He reached his peak strength as an adult, but once he became Hokage and focused on office work, he started to get rusty. While Sasuke continued to face powerful enemies, Naruto was stuck doing paperwork. For someone considered the strongest ninja and the village’s best defense against the Otsutsuki clan, assigning him so much administrative work was a terrible decision.

You’ve grown a rusty, Naruto. —Kurama to Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto always rose to the occasion during crucial fights, like against Isshiki and Momoshiki. But ideally, he shouldn’t have had to. A village’s leader, the Kage, should be the first line of defense against major threats, not stuck doing administrative work. Naruto should have recognized the importance of staying physically prepared for even greater dangers.

It’s understandable that Boruto being the central character influences things. However, narratively, many fans were disappointed with Naruto’s choices as Hokage. Hopefully, when he returns, Naruto will be wiser, having learned from his past mistakes. With the Otsutsuki clan still posing a threat, he’ll need to be in peak physical condition and at the top of his game.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the continuation of the Boruto story, created by Mikio Ikemoto and with supervision from Masashi Kishimoto. Picking up three years after the events of the Omnipotence arc, the series follows Boruto Uzumaki as he works to protect the world and navigates his relationship with his brother, Kawaki. Chapter 30 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will be released on January 20, 2026, at 10 AM EST / 3 PM UTC. Fans can read it for free on the Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps.

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2026-01-03 23:35