Konohamaru has disguised himself as Naruto on multiple occasions. These masquerades weren’t just for pulling pranks; they were often executed with genuine, well-meaning intentions to help his idol.
However, Konohamaru’s attempts at impersonating Naruto almost always snowball into shocking, hilariously chaotic situations.
Here are 3 memorable times Konohamaru impersonated Naruto:
1. Infiltrating the Chunin Exams
While Naruto was traveling the world training with Jiraiya, the Hidden Leaf Village hosted the Chunin Exams. Two years after his departure, the exams were taking place with absolutely no communication from Naruto, as his whereabouts were unknown. In fact, Naruto was completely unaware the exams were even happening, making it impossible for him to participate.
When Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon realized Naruto was going to miss the exams, they felt terrible for him. As Naruto’s self-proclaimed protégés, they worried that their idol would return to the village as a lowly Genin while all his peers had been promoted to Chunin.
Terrified that Naruto would be disqualified, Konohamaru decided to take matters into his own hands. Using the Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu), he disguised himself as Naruto, intending to take the exam in his place. He marched right up to the registration site and joined the long line of participants.
While waiting in line, the disguised Konohamaru tried to blend in. He approached Team Guy—Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji—who were also waiting. Initially, Tenten and Lee were deeply suspicious of this “Naruto.” To prove his authenticity, Konohamaru unleashed Naruto’s signature Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu). The sheer absurdity of the move successfully convinced Tenten and Lee that he was, without a doubt, the real deal.
However, the charade didn’t last long. Neji activated his Byakugan and immediately saw right through the disguise. His visual prowess revealed that the boy standing before them wasn’t Naruto at all, but Konohamaru hiding behind a Transformation Jutsu.
2. Filling In at the Hokage Inauguration
The day had finally arrived: the inauguration of the Seventh Hokage. Kakashi, the Sixth Hokage, prepared to announce his retirement and officially inaugurate Naruto as his successor. However, a massive problem arose: the entire village had gathered to welcome their new leader, but the man of the hour, Naruto Uzumaki, was nowhere to be found.
The cause of Naruto’s absence was a sibling dispute between Boruto and Himawari. Himawari wanted to bring her favorite stuffed teddy bear to the ceremony, but Boruto vehemently refused. He knew that if she got tired, he would end up carrying it, and he absolutely refused to be seen holding a stuffed animal in front of the entire village during such a historic event.
The argument escalated into a literal tug-of-war, with Boruto pulling the bear’s legs and Himawari pulling its head. Predictably, the bear ripped in half. Overcome with devastating rage, Himawari subconsciously awakened her Byakugan for the very first time.
Sensing the commotion, Naruto rushed to check on his kids. He found a terrified Boruto backed against a wall and Himawari, with her newly awakened Byakugan, locking onto Boruto’s chakra points, ready to strike him with the Gentle Fist (Juken). As she launched her attack, Naruto desperately threw himself in front of Boruto to shield him. Himawari’s Gentle Fist struck Naruto directly in the gut, instantly knocking both him and Kurama completely unconscious.
Meanwhile, at the inauguration venue, Hinata arrived and met with Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Konohamaru. She was shocked to learn her family hadn’t arrived. Handing the Seventh Hokage’s cloak to Konohamaru, Hinata frantically rushed back home to see what had happened.
With the ceremony scheduled to begin immediately and a massive crowd cheering in anticipation, Shikamaru and Kakashi grew incredibly anxious. In a moment of pure desperation, Shikamaru ordered Konohamaru to transform into Naruto to save the ceremony. Wasting no time, Konohamaru used the Transformation Jutsu, taking on Naruto’s appearance, and threw on the Seventh Hokage’s cloak.
Disguised as Naruto, Konohamaru stepped out and was officially inaugurated by Kakashi as the new Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. Brimming with confidence, Konohamaru greeted the roaring crowd, waving and shouting his thanks, flawlessly convincing the entire village that the ceremony had gone off without a hitch.
3. Standing In as a Movie Stunt Double
When Konohamaru entered the Hokage’s office to deliver a mission report, he was bewildered to find Naruto staring at his laptop in a state of absolute panic. Naruto explained that he had been asked to make a guest appearance in the blockbuster ninja movie, Kagemasa. Thrilled, Konohamaru admitted he couldn’t wait to see Naruto on the big screen.
However, Naruto explained his dilemma: he had already requested time off for a family vacation because Himawari had won a lottery trip to a hot spring. Disastrously, the movie’s shooting schedule conflicted entirely with the vacation. To make matters worse, the director had specifically requested that Naruto use a real Rasengan for the final scene.
Fortunately, Konohamaru volunteered to take Naruto’s place on set, as he could also wield the Rasengan. Naruto was overwhelmingly relieved by Konohamaru’s offer to act as the Hokage. It meant he didn’t have to figure out a way to cancel on Himawari—a terrifying prospect, as he was secretly still deeply traumatized by her previous Gentle Fist attack.
Konohamaru’s primary motivation for taking the role was to showcase the true greatness of the Seventh Hokage to a younger generation who might not be fully familiar with Naruto’s legendary exploits.
When Konohamaru met with the film’s producer and director, he wasn’t asked to use the Transformation Jutsu. Instead, the makeup department simply painted Naruto’s signature whisker marks on his cheeks. During filming, Konohamaru kept fumbling his lines and was visibly distracted by the actor playing Shikamaru, who looked absolutely nothing like the real man.
Feeling the shoot was awkward and lacking authenticity, Konohamaru complained. The Assistant Director explained the depressing reality: the new producer of the Kagemasa franchise no longer cared about acting talent or shooting on location. Instead, the production relied entirely on green screens and a massive team of CGI artists.
With this technology, they could digitally alter the actor’s face to perfectly match Shikamaru’s. Furthermore, Konohamaru’s flubbed lines would simply be scrubbed and replaced with flawless, synthesized audio in post-production.
United by their mutual dissatisfaction with the soulless green screen studio, the Assistant Director and Konohamaru—who was desperate to properly honor the Hokage—convinced the Director and crew to abandon the studio and shoot on location.
However, going rogue enraged the Producer, who immediately fired the Director and his entire staff. Despite losing their jobs, the Director felt completely fulfilled, thrilled to have finally shot on location again. The Cameraman was equally ecstatic, having captured some of the best raw footage of his entire career before getting the axe.
A few days after the mass firing, the Assistant Director was taken hostage by three armed robbers inside a local bank. The intense standoff was broadcast live across Konoha’s television networks. Seeing the broadcast, Konohamaru rushed to the scene to save him.
Bursting into the bank, Konohamaru effortlessly neutralized two of the robbers. However, because he was still wearing the Hokage cloak from the movie set, he instantly went viral. News anchors dubbed him the “Hokage Cosplayer” fighting crime on live television.
The fired Director and Cameraman, who happened to be nearby, refused to let this golden opportunity slip away. They hijacked a live news camera and began filming the standoff, using the real-world hostage situation to shoot a gritty, highly dramatic, unscripted scene for the Kagemasa movie.
As the tension peaked, the final robber threatened to detonate the entire building using a massive cluster of explosive tags. Just then, the actor playing Kagemasa dramatically leaped onto the scene, punching the robber to the ground. However, the criminal still managed to trigger the explosives.
With seconds to spare, Konohamaru acted fast. He launched the explosive tags high into the air and hit them with a Rasengan, perfectly containing and neutralizing the blast. The Director and Cameraman captured the breathtaking sequence flawlessly. The raw footage featured Konohamaru (as Naruto) teaming up with Kagemasa to defeat the robbers and save the Assistant Director.
After neutralizing the bomb threat, the fake Shikamaru actor casually remarked, “What a drag,” attempting to mimic the real Shikamaru’s catchphrase. Konohamaru just sighed, still completely unconvinced by the actor’s appearance and absolute lack of Shikamaru’s vibe.
Watching the spectacular, action-packed live broadcast, the Producer was entirely blown away. He immediately canceled the terminations, rehired the Director and the staff, and heaped massive praise on the entire crew and cast for pulling off such a brilliant, high-octane shoot.
