Before his father became Hokage, Naruto always had time for Boruto and Himawari. However, since taking office, Naruto’s attention seemed entirely consumed by his work. Burdened by his position, he rarely came home and had almost no time for his family.
Boruto frequently demanded that his father make time for them, but Naruto simply couldn’t. He was too weighed down by the responsibility of running the village and maintaining peace across the shinobi world. This strained their relationship, leaving Boruto constantly frustrated and harboring deep resentment toward his father.
Here are 6 moments when Boruto resented Naruto for his role as Hokage:
1. Coming Home Exhausted and Refusing Dinner
When Boruto, Hinata, and Himawari were getting ready for dinner, Naruto happened to finish work and come home early. Hinata warmly invited him to join them, but completely exhausted, Naruto apologized and went straight to bed.
This deeply annoyed Boruto. To him, his father’s refusal to eat felt like a blatant disrespect to the meal his mother, Hinata, had lovingly prepared.
2. Walking Out on Dinner
On one occasion, Boruto invited Mitsuki over for dinner. Knowing they were having a guest, Hinata and Himawari prepared a delicious feast. They also told Boruto that Naruto was coming home early to join them. Deep down, Boruto was thrilled, though his pride kept him from showing it.
When Naruto arrived, he sat down, admitting he hadn’t had real food in ages—surviving only on instant ramen—and deeply missed Hinata’s cooking. However, just as he was about to take his first bite, his shadow clone at the Hokage’s office received an urgent report from Shikamaru about a strange chakra anomaly in the village.
Naruto immediately apologized to Hinata, explaining he had to leave to handle the crisis. Crushed and furious, Boruto slammed his hands on the table. “Why does it always have to be you?” he demanded. Naruto calmly explained that as Hokage, if anyone in the village needed help, he had to act immediately, because to the Hokage, the entire village is family.
The explanation only fueled Boruto’s anger, and he stormed out of the house.
3. Ignoring Hinata’s Handmade Bento
When Naruto had to leave the village to meet Sasuke and gather intelligence on Shin Uchiha, Shikamaru saw him off at Konoha’s A-Un Gate. Before departing, Naruto asked Shikamaru to apologize to Boruto on his behalf for leaving without saying goodbye.
Moments later, Boruto rushed to the gate carrying a handmade bento from Hinata. Shikamaru gently informed him that he was one step too late—Naruto had already left. Shikamaru then relayed Naruto’s apology for missing the bento.
Boruto was furious, convinced his father didn’t appreciate the effort his mother had put into making the lunch. Ultimately, Sarada stepped in and offered to deliver the bento to Naruto herself.
4. Skipping Boruto’s Birthday
For Boruto’s birthday, the family hosted a party attended by Mitsuki, Sakura, and Sarada. Himawari brought out the birthday cake, and Hinata reassured everyone that Naruto was on his way.
Hearing this, Sarada mentioned that Boruto must be happy. Although Boruto secretly desperately wanted his father there, he kept up his indifferent facade, telling Sarada that Naruto’s presence wouldn’t change anything.
However, after all the food was eaten and only a single slice of cake remained, Naruto still hadn’t shown up. Boruto’s frustration boiled over, masking a deeply crushed heart. Then, Hinata received a phone call: Naruto couldn’t make it due to an urgent work crisis.
Devastated, Boruto locked himself in his room. Standing outside his door, Sarada tried to comfort him, suggesting that the Hokage might be dealing with an unavoidable emergency.
Boruto simply replied through the door, “That stupid old man is always like this, right? Well, I never expected him to come anyway. The ever-busy Lord Hokage wouldn’t have time to attend his own family’s birthday.”
5. Sending a Shadow Clone to Himawari’s Birthday
On Himawari’s birthday, Naruto actually beat everyone home, warmly welcoming Himawari, Hinata, and Boruto as they walked through the door. Himawari was overjoyed to have her father there, especially when he gifted her a teddy bear. Boruto was also genuinely happy; his father had finally kept his promise. In that moment, he forgave Naruto for missing his own birthday.
Later, the family gathered around the feast, waiting for Naruto to bring out the cake. Suddenly, the cake slipped from his hands and crashed to the floor. The Naruto standing before them vanished in a puff of smoke—he was just a shadow clone.
Realizing his father had sent a clone to his sister’s birthday party, Boruto was consumed by rage, growing utterly disgusted by the title of Hokage. Hinata tried to defend Naruto, explaining how hard he worked for the village’s prosperity. But to Boruto, being Hokage just meant sitting behind a desk and acting like a boss—a job he felt anyone could do.
6. Breaking His Ultimate Promise to Boruto
Leading up to her birthday, Himawari had excitedly marked the calendar so Naruto would see it and adjust his schedule. Boruto told her not to get her hopes up, but he secretly wanted to make sure their father attended. He even offered to invite a bunch of friends, but Himawari insisted she only wanted Naruto there.
Determined, Boruto promised his sister that their father would come. He personally went to Naruto, declaring that he didn’t care if his “stupid old man” missed his own birthday, but demanded a promise that he would be home for Himawari’s. He warned Naruto that if he broke this promise, he would never forgive him.
So, when Boruto watched the shadow clone drop the cake and vanish, his fury reached a breaking point. In his eyes, Naruto had committed the ultimate betrayal. Blinded by absolute rage, Boruto stormed toward the Hokage’s office, fully intending to beat his father up. Fortunately, his reckless rampage was intercepted and stopped by Sasuke.
