Previously, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has stated that he wants Boruto: Naruto Next Generations to surpass his own series and to that end, it seems he doesn't want his former assistants to be beholden to any of his earlier creations. In a recent interview appearing in Weekly Shonen Jump, Kishimoto was quoted, "I think it’s okay if it [Boruto] isn’t really bound to Naruto. The time period is different and because various original elements are mixed in with the setting... I think I’d like it done with freedom. Because it’s "Naruto", I think it’s also okay if this character that’s always been around died [in Boruto]."
While some are speculating that Kishimoto was being quite literal when he stated "because it's Naruto", others are quick to point out that the way the interview as written implies that theirs "air quotes" around Naruto, indicating that Kishimoto didn't mean the character Naruto specifically but that anyone of the first generation character he created should be considered fair game. With the way the anime and manga jumps forward a number of years to a much older Boruto in a fight to save his village, many are wondering what befell his famous father. However, the manga and anime quickly jumps back to Boruto in his chunin days so it seems there will be a long wait before that mystery is actually solved.