Boruto chapter 81 spoilers show Shikamaru becoming the Hokage

With the spoilers for Boruto chapter 81 finally coming out, the manga series has finally begun its time-skip era. While fans were eagerly waiting for Boruto and Sasuke's return, they are met with a piece of unfortunate news as Sasuke does not appear in the manga's upcoming chapter.

However, the leaks provided some hint of what was set to happen first after the time skip and what had happened during the passage of time. Evidently, after the "death" of the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara became the Eighth Hokage.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Boruto chapter 81.

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Boruto chapter 81 spoilers hint at Shikamaru having become the Eighth Hokage

Boruto chapter 81, titled Boruto, begins with a scene from the Hokage office as Sarada Uchiha can be seen with a dissatisfied face. The scene showed her arguing with Shikamaru, who can be seen wearing the Hokage cloak.

The end of Boruto Part 1 saw Kawaki tricking the entire world into thinking that Boruto killed the Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki. In reality, Kawaki had sealed away Naruto and Hinata in another dimension.

Given that the Hidden Leaf Village would certainly be in need of a new Hokage, there is a possibility that Shikamaru Nara has taken up the position temporarily. However, that would not make sense considering that everyone believes that Naruto is dead. Thus, there was no reason for anyone to take up an interim role.

In the manga spoilers, Sarada Uchiha can be seen arguing with Shikamaru about Boruto's innocence. However, given that Eida's ability was concrete, she wasn't able to convince him. As Shikamaru seemed worried for Sarada as a Shinobi, she stated how her role model is the Seventh Hokage, and not him.

While Sarada has almost always called Naruto by his title, Sarada's emphasis while stating the same may hint at the fact that Shikamaru was now the Eighth Hokage.

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Boruto chapter 81 reveals new character designs

Additionally, the manga also revealed some character designs, all while hinting at what the specific characters had been doing during the time skip. Sumire can be seen in her new attire that sees her wearing a dress over a shirt and tie.

As evident from the context, she seems to be actively working with Sarada to somehow help Boruto, whose name had been tarnished.

Another panel reveals Himawari's new character design. She has changed her hairstyle and can now be seen with long hair. Moreover, she now wears a Sunflower graphic crop top and pants.

As seen in the manga spoilers, Himawari has seemingly been trying to get stronger by training with Cho Cho. She does not believe that Boruto is a bad person and has a feeling that her parents are still alive.

Lastly, fans were able to witness Mitsuki's new character design. Unlike his previous light-blue and white attire, Mitsuki can now be seen wearing an all-black attire with a belt. Additionally, considering that Eida's ability switched Boruto and Kawaki's places, he is now against Boruto and has teamed up with Kawaki.