This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.
The First Hokage of Konoha, Hashirama Senju, was considered to be one of the strongest ninjas to ever exist. In the Naruto series, his fame and strength were almost unmatched right up until the very end, where the likes of those with Six Paths powers eventually surpassed him. Hashirama still remains to be a legendary figure in the world, and to this day, his absence is sorely felt in Konoha. Konoha now has its new Hashirama Senju potentially.
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That said the latest turn of events in the Boruto series has seen to it that the perfect replacement for Hashirama Senju is on the horizon. This replacement is none other than Naruto Uzumaki. While technically, Naruto was always the replacement for Hashirama, given that he was the Seventh Hokage, the fact is that these two could now potentially go on to possess the same skill set. After losing the power of Kurama, Naruto could now rely on Wood Release, making him the next Hashirama of Konoha.
Naruto Uzumaki Is Already The Perfect Replacement For Hashirama Senju
- Naruto Carries The Will Of Fire
- Naruto Could Use Wood Release and Sage Mode
Hashirama Senju, together with Madara Uchiha, established Konoha. These two wanted the era of war to come to an end and peace to be established, and for children not to die in war. Although they did not succeed in fulfilling this goal, they set the basis for it, and eventually, with each passing Hokage, this peace got stronger.
In this world, wherever there is light, there are always shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish desire for peace gives rise to war. And hatred is born in order to love. — Madara Uchiha, Naruto
Today, there is absolutely no infighting between shinobi villages that the fans know of. Hashirama laid the groundwork for it, and that, when combined with his strength, gave him the title of God of Shinobi.
Right now, Naruto Uzumaki is already his perfect successor. This is because Naruto carries the Will of Fire just as great, if not greater than Hashirama Senju. On top of that, Naruto's overall strength is already far greater than that of Hashirama and that makes him a perfect successor.
That said, Naruto cannot be said to be the perfect replacement until he has the same skills as Hashirama in battle. As it so happens, Naruto's new skill set could be the same as that of Hashirama in the future.
Naruto Has Wood Release And Sage Mode
For those who do not remember, Naruto should actually have access to Wood Release right now. Wood Release is a Kekkei Genkai that's very rare, and for some reason, it manifested itself only in Hashirama Senju long ago. Others had their own copy of it with Hashirama's cells, but other than Madara, no one could manipulate it on a level similar to the First Hokage.
If you don’t like your destiny, don’t accept it. Instead, have the courage to change it the way you want it to be! — Naruto Uzumaki
To gain access to Wood Release, one needs to have access to both Water and Earth Release, and on top of that, gain the Kekkei Genkai through Hashirama's cells. Fans know very well that by adulthood, Naruto has mastery of all five nature types. But, more importantly, he also has access to Hashirama's cells through the prosthetic arm that was made by Tsunade and Sakura towards the end of the original series.
Up until now, Naruto did not need to make use of Wood Release and this is because he was too strong with the power of Kurama and Six Paths. Now, he has lost this power, meaning Wood Release could finally shine.
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Naruto having access to Wood Release should be a given. Even though he has not made use of this power yet, it is a known fact that he should be able to access it if he wants. On top of that, Naruto also has Sage Mode, and it was canonically stated in the manga that his Sage Mode is far better now than it was in the Ninja War.
This improved Sage Mode, when combined with the power of Wood Release, should make Naruto the perfect Hashirama Senju replacement. Not only is he a stronger Hokage, but he would also gain Hashirama's skill set, becoming the symbol that Hashirama once stood as, for Konoha.
Naruto Is Far Stronger Than Hashirama Senju
Naruto gaining the same skill set as Hashirama and becoming his perfect replacement should not be mistaken for strength levels. In terms of power, Naruto is already levels above Hashirama. He surpassed the First Hokage long ago, and as an adult, he is actually strong enough to combat Gods.
Even without Kurama, Naruto should be strong enough to fight the Gods of the world, which means he is stronger than Hashirama. Naruto gaining access to Wood Release and empowering it with his own Toad Sage Mode would only mean that he is a better version of Hashirama overall.
All things considered, the Boruto series could excite the fans greatly by giving Naruto access to this power, but for that, he has to return first. With each passing chapter, Naruto's return edges closer, and as that happens, fans will finally get to see this power manifesting itself as well.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the sequel to the original Boruto series, written by Mikio Ikemoto, and supervised by Masashi Kishimoto. The series follows the journey of Boruto Uzumaki, 3 years after the events of Omnipotence struck in the story. Boruto must now work to save to world from the perils it faces while dealing with his brother, Kawaki. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 30 is set for its official release on January 18, 2026. The release time of the chapter is 10 AM EST/ 3 PM UTC. As always, fans can read the chapter officially for free on the Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.