The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 219, “Return,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
In Naruto, many villains gave the Konoha shinobi and the free ninja world a run for their money. The Uchihas, such as Itachi, Obito and Madara, are prime examples, as are the Akatsuki and Kaguya. However, the would-be Hokage was always on hand to save the day, working with the likes of Sasuke, Sarada and Kakashi to ensure the world wouldn’t be destroyed. But, in the Boruto anime, Naruto admitted his dirtiest secret when it came to these endeavors — and it’s all due to Kurama’s death.
The Nine-Tailed Fox died in the battle against Isshiki, with Naruto returning to the Hidden Leaf de-powered. His superhuman chakra no longer exists, due to Kurama, which leads to Konoha’s science team tending to him. Sarada is taking charge, as she doesn’t know the lasting effect for her longtime colleague.
Kurama’s Death Was a Wake-Up Call for Naruto
It’s not something they usually deal with, given that a separation should have resulted in the host’s death. With this process being so different, Sarada is shocked Naruto is alive. However, as they discuss new threats to come, like Code, Naruto admits he feels like a cheat. It’s a rare vulnerability as he realizes the village is as weak as ever, given that Momoshiki took out Sasuke’s Rinnegan too. Still, Naruto‘s counterparts didn’t expect as much from him, and he clearly feels guilt over using so much of Kurama’s power and life essence over the years. Now he’s in grief, but he shouldn’t regret it, as he needed this chakra to stop villains.
However, what’s most telling is that Naruto feels handicapped now since Kurama’s essence was a crutch to him. It made him overpowered and almost god-like, as Baryon Mode showed, even surprising the Sage of the Six Paths. It’s why Naruto could make strong clones, transfer energy to the entire alliance, create WMD Rasengans and tap into nuclear-level blasts. Even others such as Momoshiki, Kinshiki and Isshiki felt the wave, so to know he no longer has this makes Naruto fear what the future may bring.
Naruto‘s Bond With Kurama Made Him Feel Like a Cheater
This is somewhat ironic because Naruto chided Boruto in the ninja exams for cheating with scientific ninja tools and weapons. Little did audiences know that he himself felt like a cheat, which adds a little funny hypocrisy to the tale. Granted, Boruto had a choice when it came to cheating, while Naruto didn’t, as Kurama had been placed inside him as a vessel since birth.
Even if Naruto didn’t use the energy, once the fox disappeared, he would have died regardless, so it made sense to bond so they could become protectors and siblings together. Ultimately, it’s a bittersweet moment, but Naruto need not dwell on it because Kurama wanted to help out. In any case, it worked out for the best — after all, had the likes of Obito stolen the beast for good, Kurama would have been a destroyer rather than a savior.