Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 38 was officially released on October 20, 2026, and it delivered one of the biggest developments in the story in quite a while. Over the last few months, there was a lot of development from Mikio Ikemoto towards Konoha appointing a new Hokage and replacing the interim leader, Shikamaru Nara, permanently.
Now, it has been confirmed that the Land of Fire has officially decided to remove Shikamaru from his position on suspicion of collaborating with a traitor and officially choose a new 8th Hokage. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 38 officially confirms that this new 8th Hokage is none other than Konohamaru Sarutobi, the grandson of the Third Hokage and the very own disciple of the Seventh, Naruto Uzumaki.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 38 Officially Confirms Konoha’s 8th Hokage
The Mamushi arc of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, which officially began with the release of Chapter 26 on September 19, 2025, was quite important for the character of Shikamaru Nara. Ever since Naruto’s disappearance from Konoha, Shikamaru was made the 8th Hokage of the village, but for three long years, he continued to delay taking this permanent position due to his knowledge of Naruto’s current position.
“It has been three years, the period that you yourself designated. Stop dallying and accept the position of 8th Hokage formally. You’re weakening our position, not just within the Land of Fire but with the other villages as well.” — Konoha Elders confirm the need for the 8th Hokage
Unfortunately for him, Shikamaru’s collaboration with Boruto was found out by Kobu, which led to him opening an investigation into the temporary 8th Hokage. The results of this investigation were first finalized with the release of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 37. However, now, with the release of Chapter 38 on October 20, 2026, Kobu finally made his findings public and confirmed that Shikamaru is guilty of collaborating with Boruto Uzumaki.
Kashin Koji: Kobu has plans to oust you from the Hokage seat and install Konohamaru Sarutobi as your Successor.
Shikamaru: He means to make Konohamaru the Hokage?
Kashin Koji: For the sake of appearances only. In reality, Kobu means to take control of Konoha by himself. Konohamaru will only be the figurehead to gain support of the Konoha public. A puppet regime.
— Koji reveals Konohamaru’s 8th Hokage plan, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #38
At the same time, Kobu also revealed his plans to name Konoha’s new head Hokage, and this person is none other than Konohamaru Sarutobi. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 38 also revealed the primary reason why Konohamaru is being made the Hokage of the village. According to Kashin Koji’s Prescience vision, Konohamaru is easy to control and, as such, helps Konoha and the Land of Fire push their own goals forward, which eventually leads to the destruction of the ninja village system entirely.
This is a dangerous move by the Land of Fire, especially at a time when ninja villages and their importance are paramount. In either case, Konohamaru Sarutobi is now set to become Konoha’s 8th Hokage, and this development has actually already been confirmed by Kashin Koji, as his previous vision showed Konohamaru wearing the Hokage cape in the office, while Shikamaru was seen together with Jura cooking in a cottage. This means his dismissal ends up happening, and Konohamaru ends up taking the position.
“Abetting a traitor is a serious crime. It’d be no different for the accomplices, but for now, as the leader, the Hokage must be held accountable right away. I’ve already submitted a report to Lord Daimyo, so it is only a matter of time before we receive his approval to relieve Shikamaru Nara as the Hokage.” — Kobu moves to replace Shikamaru as Hokage, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #36
Why Konohamaru Is An Undeserving 8th Hokage
Konohamaru Sarutobi is a character whom we have all come to love in the original Naruto series. His original dream to become the Hokage was highlighted in the very second chapter of the story, and he has since worked towards this dream incredibly hard. Unfortunately, Mikio Ikemoto and his Boruto series have done nothing but disrespect Konohamaru for years. His achievements have been underwhelming, and he is barely a character in this new series. Konohamaru has done nothing to deserve the position of Hokage, and him suddenly gaining this title in the next few chapters makes him the most undeserving Hokage of all time.
“When someone talks about me or is calling me, all they ever see is the Hokage’s grandson. Nobody sees me as me. That’s why I want to become the Hokage!” — Konohamaru reveals his dream to become Hokage, Naruto Chapter #2
Konohamaru does not have enough strength in him to claim the position of Hokage. At the same time, his showings in the Boruto series have been nothing short of disastrous, with him being overpowered in every single battle that he has taken part in. This isn’t down to Konohamaru himself, but to the character writing by Mikio Ikemoto, which has often given him the short end of the stick for the development of the next generation of ninjas like Boruto and Kawaki.
Given how weak Konohamaru is, it goes without saying that he has not earned the Hokage position for himself. But, as confirmed by Kashin Koji’s vision, he will end up becoming the official Hokage and, in doing so, fulfill his dream of succeeding Naruto Uzumaki. At the very least, we can only hope that Konohamaru obtaining this new position as Konoha’s official 8th Hokage will open the door for him to take part in more fights, lead from the front, and attain new power-ups.
Konohamaru’s Next Power Up Could Be On The Way in Boruto
Konohamaru becoming Konoha’s Hokage might not be a bad thing in the grand scheme of things. All fans of the Naruto series eventually expected him to take the position of Hokage, likely after Naruto’s dismissal. Sadly, that has happened under the worst circumstances in the Boruto series.
Not only has Naruto been cut out from the plot entirely, but heading into Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 39, which is scheduled to be released on November 20, 2026, Konohamaru has been left as an underdeveloped character who is suddenly being thrust into a very important position. From here onwards, Ikemoto can still salvage the situation by giving him more upgrades.
Throughout the history of Konoha, every Hokage has held immense talent as well as firepower to defend the village when push comes to shove. Konohamaru might just be the only Hokage who is way too weak, but perhaps this will compel Ikemoto to give him some new power-ups. As things stand, Konohamaru is not strong enough to take on any Shinju by himself. He nearly died in the battle against Matsuri, one of the weaker Shinju, and as such needs a lot of growth.
Hopefully, after being promoted to the position of Hokage, Konohamaru Sarutobi will gain new upgrades, such as Sage Mode or perhaps a Summon similar to Monkey King Enma that his grandfather once utilized. Right now, Konohamaru is quite easily the weakest Hokage that Konoha has ever had, and Ikemoto needs to change that moving forward. Regardless, Konoha’s 8th Hokage is now set in stone, which means Naruto’s role as Hokage has now officially wrapped up, and a new era begins for Konoha. How exactly this plotline will unfold remains to be seen, but fans are hopeful that Ikemoto will turn things around moving forward.
All chapters of Boruto are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
