Was officially introduced in Naruto Chapter 4 on October 25, 1999, Kakashi Hatake was the leader of Team 7 who went on to become one of the most important characters in the entire series. As Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's teacher, Kakashi played a significant role in their overall upbringing and in making them the shinobi they are today. Meanwhile, Kakashi's own character arc was incredibly brilliant, which Kishimoto, the creator of the series, wrote to absolute perfection. When the Naruto series ended in chapter 700 on November 14, 2014, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #50, Kakashi Hatake's role officially came to an end.
In the subsequent years after the war, before it Boruto era, Kakashi officially became the Sixth Hokage before handing the position over to Naruto Uzumaki, who became the Seventh Hokage. Unfortunately, despite being an active ninja, Kakashi hasn't been focused on much in the past Boruto. That said, there is a proper replacement for the Copy Ninja in Konoha in the form of the next legendary Uchiha in the making, Sarada Uchiha. With the immense powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan, a kind heart, and also a desire 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 brilliant ninja with immense power at his disposal. He was considered Minato's very best student, and many, including both Tsunade and Jiraiya, believed that Kakashi was worthy of becoming the next Hokage of the village, which he eventually achieved. In battle, Kakashi was strong enough to rival the strongest Jonin from Konoha, but more than that, he could even hold his own against the strongest shinobi in Akatsuki. As the Fourth Great Ninja War in Naruto continued, Kakashi's overall strength continued to grow significantly as well, and he displayed enough powers to rival Obito Uchiha in battle.
What really made Kakashi special was his Mangekyo Sharingan usage. 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, released on October 29, 2012, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #46, and this became his signature ability in the latter half of the story. Combined with the fact that he was unaffected by the Uchiha's curse of hatred, this made him a unique ninja, one that only a select few could hope to rival.
“I told you, don't be in such a hurry. I don't have as much chakra as you, but it's done now. My Mangekyo Sharingan!” — Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Chapter #286
Being one of the next generation ninjas and the heroine of the Boruto series, Sarada Uchiha is the perfect replacement for Kakashi in that sense. Like Kakashi, Sarada also has a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan, and, like him, was never affected by the Uchiha's curse of hatred either. This means that both Kakashi and Sarada are good-hearted users of the Mangekyo Sharingan who never once fell into darkness. This can also be combined with the immense maturity that both have shown as responsible ninjas in the village. Kakashi Hatake is one of the most mature, calm and respectable ninja in Konoha. Sarada Uchiha, on the other hand, has shown the same traits on several occasions. Despite being surrounded by outcasts such as Kawaki and Boruto, Sarada is always calm and composed and exudes the same aura as Kakashi at various times.
Sarada: I've made up my mind. I want to be just like Lord Seventh and become the Hokage of the village!
Boruto: If you become Hokage, I will be your bodyguard and support you!
— Exchange between Boruto and Sarada in Boruto Chapter #11
How Sarada's Ohirume compares 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. As for Kakashi, 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 Issue #42. The Kamui ability allows Kakashi to tear open a portal in space-time that connects to the Kamui dimension. Everything aimed at Kamui, including the space around it, warped into the dimension with immense force, and even powerful S-Rank ninjas, such as Deidara, or, later down the line, massive figures such as the Gedo Statue, could not sustain the pressure generated by Kamui.
“This Jutsu not only targets my arm, but also the space around it! Such a Jutsu can exist? This is bad!” — Deidara explains to Kamui, Naruto Chapter #286
In Sarada Uchiha's case, her jutsu is different, but also plays along the same lines. Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu is known as Ohirume, and she can create up to four black holes, which she can easily control in size and power. These black holes have enormous gravity, and Sarada can freely choose what is hit by this gravity and what is spared entirely. The gravitational force is such that even powerful Shinju cannot escape it, and eventually Sarada is able to cause the black hole to explode, reducing everything that is sucked into pieces. In terms of their application, these two abilities are very similar and may just be the two most overpowered offensive Mangekyo Sharingan abilities we've seen in history, establishing another key parallel between the two.
“The restrictions 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 Vortex Chapter #20
Sarada Uchiha will become 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's resignation, Kakashi became the sixth Hokage of Konoha. Meanwhile, Sarada aspires to follow in Naruto Uzumaki's footsteps, which will most likely happen at the end of the series. Although Naruto Uzumaki was the Seventh Hokage for quite some time, and the position is currently held by Shikamaru, at some point Sarada will rise up and claim the position for herself. By doing so, she will become the first Uchiha Hokage of the village, and that is something we are eagerly waiting to see in the story.
“I will be the Hokage of the village. My role model is Lord Seventh, not you.” — Sarada Uchiha to Shikamaru Nara, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #1
Boruto may not have Kakashi Hatake playing a major role, but Sarada is there to make up for it, and that's something we're extremely happy about. Interestingly, the creator of the Boruto series has previously said that he had lined up an important role for Kakashi Hatake later. So far Copy Ninja hasn't made an appearance, but we can only hope he shows up 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.
