When Naruto Shippūden came to an end, there was a bit of a time skip before Boruto: Naruto Next Generations began. As a result, there are plenty of activities Naruto and his friends got up to before their kids began their journey at the Ninja Academy. We’ve done the research to figure out just what Naruto did in between helping to win the Fourth Shinobi World War and leading the next generation. There is at least a decade that goes by between the War and Boruto entering the Academy, which leaves plenty of time for things like training, missions, and starting a family.

For avid Naruto anime fans, you might be scratching your head as you go through the list, finding a few items that pop up in the final arcs of the Naruto Shippūden series. However, this is because some items from the Hiden novels released between the Naruto and Boruto mangas were adapted for the final arcs of the series - including one very big wedding. Most of those episodes haven’t aired outside of Japan or streaming services yet, so we’ve included some of those details for fans who haven’t yet seen them dubbed. We’ve also included events from The Last: Naruto The Movie here. While the movie itself occurs prior to the final arcs of the Naruto Shippūden timeline, it’s not considered canon by some fans. There also might be a few details from it you’ve forgotten.

With that said, here are the 30 Wild Things Naruto Did Between Shippūden And Boruto!

He Worked For The Shinobi Union

Naruto Shinobi Union

Following the events of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the allied shinobi nations took a step to strengthen their bonds. They formed the Shinobi Union, which is almost an equivalent of the real world United Nations. A representative from each of the nations involved would gather to discuss problems plaguing their people. The group would work together to find solutions, even forming teams from multiple villages instead of just one.

Naruto, as a newly popular hero following the war, worked for the Union to help keep the peace. He frequently participated in missions for other villages, racking up a lot of travel time in the years between Shippūden and Boruto.

He Received A Scarf From His Mother

Hinata Hides Her Red Scarf In The Last Naruto The Movie

Naruto lost his mother as an infant, but parts of her still influenced his life years later. When a teenage Konohamaru decided to clean out the Third Hokage’s storage, he found items that didn’t just belong to his grandfather.

Among the items in storage was a scarf belonging to Kushina Uzumaki. Kushina actually made the scarf herself before she lost her life. Naruto wore it as a point of pride. The scarf became a symbol of significant relationships for Naruto, as Hinata Hyuga, likewise, knitted him a scarf in The Last: Naruto The Movie.

He Learned One-Handed Seals

Seals are a huge part of the shinobi world. They’re used to bind entities or their jutsu. Seals can also be used to store weapons in another dimension, like Tenten’s scrolls, and activated when needed.

Following the Fourth World War, Naruto and Sasuke had their much anticipated battle. They wanted to know who really would come out on top, but after a stalemate, they were both left missing an arm and knowing they were equally strong. Down an arm, Naruto had to learn how to complete sealing techniques with only one hand. He did, and because of this, he became a member of an elite group. The only Konoha villagers who could do it included Minato, Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto.

He Travelled To The Land Of Waves

Sai Yamanaka in Naruto

Even though their official teamup ended as Sai and Sakura received promotions, Naruto still teamed up with his old friends after the Fourth World War ended. In fact, he and Sai went on a mission to the Land of Waves.

The two traveled to the Land of Waves to apprehend a gang leader named Garyō. Garyō believed he was helping the people by relieving them of their money; it was one less “corruptive influence.” Unfortunately, Garyō and his group were seen as terrorists because of the crimes they committed. Sai and Naruto eventually apprehended them and escaped with the help of Sai’s drawings.

He Received A Prosthetic Arm

Naruto and Boruto

Performing one-handed seals was a great skill for Naruto to learn. Unlike his friend Sasuke, though, he chose to implement a prosthetic arm eventually.

Naruto’s prosthetic arm wasn’t the usual we see in the real world. Instead, it was actually created using the DNA of Hashirama Senju, one of the original leaders of Konohagakure, and one of the only people in history to come by Wood Release chakra type naturally. Of course, Naruto later gets another prosthetic option in the Boruto series. There, he has a prototype made for him that can actually absorb an opponent’s jutsu.

He Asked Iruka To Stand In

Iruka Naruto

When it came time for the big milestones in his life, Naruto didn’t have family to share them with. He lost his parents as an infant, and the Uzumaki clan was long gone.  There were, however, a few people who were always there for him. His senseis - Iruka, Kakashi, and Jiraiya - had different methods of teaching him, but all clearly cared for him.

Despite losing his own parents in the nine-tails attack, Iruka never placed blame on Naruto like so many other villagers did. He and Naruto developed a special student-teacher bond as a result. As an adult, Naruto had that bond in mind when he asked Iruka to stand-in as his father during his wedding.

He Spent Three Days In A Coma

Sakura Heals Naruto

Naruto spent quite a lot of time recovering from injuries as a young shinobi. Usually, he healed very quickly and was back on his feet in no time. There was one instance, though, when he spent three days unconscious.

During the events of The Last, Naruto faced off against Toneri and his puppets when Hinata was abducted. The encounter left him in such a dire state that he lost consciousness for three days. During those three days, Sakura spent the entire time working medical ninjutsu magic on him to make sure he pulled through.

He Helped Convince Kakashi To Become Hokage

Sixth Hokage Kakashi in Naruto

Following the story of the Naruto manga, several “light” novels filled in some of the gaps about what happened next. In Kakashi Hiden, fans saw just when Kakashi took over as Hokage after Tsunade stepped down.

Though the role had already been offered to him, Kakashi kept putting off the responsibility. Naruto couldn’t wait for Kakashi to take on the leadership position, and he attempted to help convince him. He told Kakashi he thought Tsunade might have been getting too old for the role since she was starting to forget important things. It was, of course, a ruse, and Tsunade heard everything. Kakashi still took up the post shortly after, though.

He Became An Adult

Naruto Sasuke Boruto the Movie

This one might seem a little obvious, but it’s easy for fans to forget that during the bulk of the events of Naruto, the characters were children. Naruto saw children as young as toddlers training to be shinobi. The title character graduated from the Ninja Academy around the age of 12, which is when his generation started going on missions.

By the end of the Shinobi World War, Naruto’s friends were teenagers, some older than others. At around 17, Naruto still had moments when he acted like a child. It wasn’t until the time between Shippūden and Boruto that he began taking on jobs that weren’t part of his training, and really grew up.

He Helped Save Shikamaru

Shikamaru-in-Naruto

During Shikamaru Hiden, Shikamaru Nara was assigned a secret mission. Unfortunately, the mission got him into a bit of trouble. Shikamaru and a pair of Anbu shinobi were sent to pose as “Enlightened Ones.” The villain they targeted had a flock of followers by that name because he laced his words with genjutsu.

Shikamaru ended up being held in prison, but with Temari and Naruto worried about him, the duo arranged for the Shinobi Union to send a mission to retrieve him. Naruto, Temari, and a group of Suna ninjas saved him. In the anime, this arc was adapted with Shikamaru’s old team, Ino and Choji, working with Temari and Naruto to track him down instead.

He Taught At The Ninja Academy

Naruto Rebuilt Ninja Academy

One thing we know about the shinobi who go on to lead ninjas is they have to have some teaching experience, and Naruto is no exception. While we don’t know much about the teams he might have led in the years between Shippūden and Boruto, we do know that he had to teach a few members of the next generation. He always had a special interest in Konohamaru, and even taught him a few tricks during the series.

The Hiden novels reveal that he also taught classes at the Academy to groups of students. We’d like to think he focused on his shadow clone specialty since it almost caused him to fail his exams as a kid.

He Started A Rumor About Kakashi

Naruto wasn’t known for being able to discern fact from fiction when it came to gossip, though he rarely intentionally started rumors.

In Kakashi Hiden, Naruto did just that. Throughout the story, Kakashi spent time dissolving a conflict on a flying craft. When he did, one of the people involved was a woman named Kahyo, whom Kakashi developed respect for. When Kakashi’s first act as Hokage was to place Kahyo in charge of the Blood Prison instead of in her own cell, Naruto started the rumor that Kakashi’s leniency was the result of his feelings for her. However, some fans think that wasn’t so much of a rumor as it was Naruto discerning the truth.

He Stopped A Wedding

Toneri And Hinata In The Last Naruto The Movie

Not a series that usually focused on romance, Naruto fans didn’t get to see very many weddings happen. However, they almost saw one in The Last.

During the movie, part of the villain’s aim was to marry the “Byakugan princess.” He was willing to marry Hinata when she agreed to take her sister’s place. Hinata, of course, was in love with Naruto. She only agreed to the exchange because she intended on finding a way to stop Toneri’s master plan of causing the moon to fall to Earth. Naruto arrived just in the nick of time to stop Toneri’s puppeteering of Hinata. Without him controlling her, Hinata wasn’t forced into marrying him.

He Married Hinata

Hinata And Naruto On Their Wedding Day

It’s a good thing Naruto was able to stop Toneri’s wedding to Hinata, or Naruto wouldn’t have been able to marry her himself. Though Hinata had a crush on Naruto during their childhood, it wasn’t until they were adults that Naruto realized he returned her feelings. He told her just that during The Last, and they married not long after in the timeline.

Konoha Hiden recounts the events surrounding their wedding. That included Kakashi finding a way to schedule shinobi for guard duty in a way that would still allow Hinata and Naruto’s friends to attend. The story was even adapted to be the final arc in the Naruto Shippūden anime.

He Developed A Friendship With Shikamaru

Shikamaru And Naruto

Shikamaru and Naruto were never particularly close as children at the Academy. Filler arcs of the anime revealed that they sometimes skipped class with Kiba and Choji, but as the group got older, they weren’t close friends. Choji and Shikamaru became part of Team 10, while Kiba and Naruto were assigned to Team 8 and 7, respectively.

As the events of the Shinobi World War unfolded, though, Shikamaru developed a new respect for Naruto, wanting to find a way to help him become the best Hokage he could (eventually) be. Shikamaru’s resolve and Naruto’s willingness to always put the village first led to the two of them developing a much closer friendship during the time skip.

He Worked Under Shikamaru

Naruto And Shikamaru In Boruto

In addition to their friendship, Naruto also actually worked for Shikamaru. While he performed missions for the Shinobi Union, it was usually Shikamaru, as the representative for Konoha, who assigned them to him.

Shikamaru also, according to the Hiden novels, routinely gave Naruto more work to do. Whether it was paperwork, or difficult missions that he thought could use Naruto’s signature touch, Shikamaru made an effort to prepare him for a tougher workload. As a result, Shikamaru became an advisor to Naruto, which created a working relationship that carried over into Boruto. Shikamaru essentially became his right hand man.

He Had Two Children

Boruto and Himawari Shown In The Last Naruto The Movie

Naruto might not have given birth to his children, but his wedding to Hinata did produce a family. He and Hinata weren’t married long before they had their first child, Boruto, who is only a few years older than their daughter Himawari.

Both children have shown signs of inheriting their parents’ immense power, but Boruto is the one to get his own spinoff series. So far, fans haven’t seen much of Himawari in the Boruto storylines. Boruto, on the other hand, appears to be a lot like his father. Wanting attention, he’s pulled a lot of the same pranks as Naruto did when he was a kid.

He Signed Autographs

Naruto With Admirers In The Last

To be fair, we don’t know if Naruto was actually walking around with a marker in his pocket, signing his name for his fans. What we know is that he actually had fans, which was vastly different from his childhood.

While isolation and anger filled his childhood, Naruto’s teen years became ones of admiration. The same villagers who used to scorn Naruto for having the nine-tailed fox sealed inside became his fans. Villagers treated him like a celebrtiy, buying him gifts and fighting over who could pay for his meals when he went out to get ramen. It was quite the change for him, born from leading the Allied Forces to victory during the war.

He Moved Into A House

Uzumaki Household in Boruto

Part of his childhood of loneliness involved Naruto living in an apartment all alone. With no family to speak of, he was left to his own devices and wasn't in any sort of group home.

None of his sensei ever took him in, though he did stay with them while traveling on missions. As an adult, he left that lonely little apartment behind. When he started a family of his own, he needed a little more space. We don’t know when exactly Naruto and Hinata moved into their house, but by the time the events of Boruto take place, they are clearly comfortable in their new living space.

He Studied For Exams

Naruto Sees All Of His Paperwork

Naruto is a rare shinobi in that he never moved above genin status. When he left to train for two years with Jiraiya, he didn’t take the exam that would bump him up to the next shinobi level, chunin. By the time the Fourth Shinobi World War rolled around, all of his friends were either chunin or jonin. With everything going on, Naruto never had the chance to take the exams.

Following the war, Kakashi provided Naruto with study materials. The idea was that with things quieting down, he would finally have the chance to progress. However, that never happened. He might have the powers of a god, but he’s still technically ranked as a genin.