Officially introduced incl Naruto Chapter 4, October 25, 1999, Kakashi Hatake was the leader of Team 7, becoming one of the most important characters in the entire series. As the teacher of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, Kakashi played a significant role in their overall upbringing and made them the shinobi they are today. In doing so, Kakashi's own character arc was incredibly brilliant, something Kishimoto, the creator of the series, wrote to absolute perfection. With the conclusion of the Naruto series at chapter 700 on November 14, 2014 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #50, Kakashi Hatake's role officially ended.
In the following years after the war, before Boruto In the era, Kakashi officially became the Sixth Hokage before passing the position to Naruto Uzumaki, who became the Seventh Hokage. Unfortunately, despite being an active ninja, Kakashi wasn't really focused on anything Boruto. That said, there is a proper replacement for the Copy Ninja in Konoha in the form of another legendary Uchiha in the making, Sarada Uchiha. With the immense powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan, a kind heart, and the will to become Hokage, Sarada is the perfect successor to Kakashi Hatake.
Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan and maturity make her the next generation Kakashi
Kakashi Hatake was a great ninja with immense power at his disposal. He was considered Minato's best student and many, including Tsunade and Jiraiya, considered Kakashi worthy of becoming the village's next Hokage, which he eventually did. In battle, Kakashi was strong enough to rival the strongest Jonin of Konoha, but more than that, he could hold his own against the strongest shinobi in Akatsuki. As the Fourth Great Ninja War for Naruto continued, Kakashi's overall strength continued to grow significantly, and he displayed enough strength to match even Obitu Uchiha in battle.
What really made Kakashi special was his use of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Kakashi received his Sharingan in Naruto Chapter #243 from Obito Uchiha, moments before he was crushed by the Iwakakure shinobi. In the following years, he continued to develop his Sharingan into a Mangekyo Sharingan in Naruto Chapter 605, published on October 29, 2012, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #46, and it became his signature ability in the second half of the story. When combined with the fact that he was unaffected by the Uchiha Curse of Hate, it made him a unique ninja that only a select few could rival.
“I told you, so take your time. I don't have as much chakra as you, but it's ready. My Mangekyo Sharingan!” — Kakashi Hatake, Naruto chapter #286
Being one of the next generation of ninjas and the heroine of the Boruto series, Sarada Uchiha is the perfect replacement for Kakashi in this sense. Like Kakashi, Sarada has the powerful Mangekyo Sharingan, and like him, she was never affected by the Uchiha Curse of Hate. This means that both Kakashi and Sarada are good-hearted Mangekyo Sharingan users who never once fell into darkness. This can also be combined with the immense maturity they both have shown as responsible ninjas of the village. Kakashi Hatake is one of the most mature, calm and respected ninja in Konoha. On the other hand, Sarada Uchiha has demonstrated these same traits on numerous occasions. Despite being surrounded by rash characters like Kawaki and Boruto, Sarada is always calm and composed, and on various occasions she exudes the same aura as Kakashi.
Sarada: I've made up my mind. I want to be like Lord Seven and become the Hokage of the village!
Boruto: If you become Hokage, I'll be your bodyguard and support you!
— An exchange between Boruto and Sarada in Boruto Chapter #11
How does Sarada's Ohirume compare to Kakashi Kamui
Another unique similarity between Sarada and Kakashi is their Mangekyo Sharingan abilities. Much to the surprise of fans, both Sarada and Kakashi have Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu that are somewhat similar. In Kakashi's case, he was revealed to have the power of Kamui in his Mangekyo Sharingan, which debuted in Naruto chapter 276 on October 3, 2005 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #42. Kamui's ability allows Kakashi to tear apart a portal in spacetime that connects to Kamui's dimension. Anything Kamui focuses on, including the space around it, warps into the dimension with immense force, and even powerful S-rank ninjas like Deidara, or later massive figures like the Gedo statue, could not withstand the pressure generated by Kamui.
“This Jutsu not only targets my arm, but the space around it as well! Can such a Jutsu exist? This is bad!” — Deidara explains to Kamui, Naruto, Chapter #286
In the case of Sarada Uchiha, her jutsu is different but also plays in the same vein. Saradino's Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu is known as Ohirume and is capable of creating up to four black holes that he can easily control in size and strength. These black holes have immense gravity, and Sarada can freely choose what gets hit by that gravity and what is spared entirely. The gravitational force is such that even the mighty Shinju cannot escape it, and eventually Sarada can cause the black hole to explode, reducing everything that is sucked into pieces. In terms of their usage, the two abilities are very similar and might just be the two most overpowered Mangekyo Sharingan offensive abilities we've seen in the story, creating another key parallel between the two.
“The restraints are gone? What happened? The iron sand is gathering in one place. No, it's being sucked in. Those eyes, that's the Mangekyo Sharingan!” — Mitsuki explains Sarada Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan Awakening, Boruto: Two Blue Vortexes, Chapter #20
Sarada Uchiha becomes Hokage just like Kakashi
Finally, Sarada Uchiha's biggest similarity to Kakashi is that she aspires to become Hokage. Kakashi was already the Hokage of the village after the Fourth Great Ninja War. After Tsunade stepped down, Kakashi became the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. Meanwhile, Sarada longs to follow in Naruto Uzumaki's footsteps, which will very likely happen at the end of the series. Even though Naruto Uzumaki was the Seventh Hokage for a while and the position is currently held by Shikamaru, at some point Sarada will seize the opportunity and claim the position for herself. This will make him the first Uchiha Hokage in the village and that is something we are eagerly anticipating in the story.
“I will become Hokage of the village. Lord Seventh is my role model, not you.” — Sarada Uchiha Shikamaru Nara, Boruto: The Two Blue Vortexes Chapter #1
Boruto may not have the important role of Kakashi Hatake, but Sarada is there to make up for it, and that's something we're extremely happy for. Interestingly, the creator of the Boruto series has previously stated that he has lined up an important role for Kakashi Hatake later in the series. So far, Copy Ninja hasn't shown up, but we can only hope that he will appear sooner rather than later.
All chapters of the Boruto series by Mikio Ikemoto and Masashi Kishimoto are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
