When the Naruto series used a timeskip before its Shippuden era, the time period was short enough that not much changed in the shinobi world. It was used to age the characters up and skip over the less interesting aspects of training for the audience. With the Boruto series about the next generation of shinobi, however, there's nearly a decade and a half between the series.
With many years between the two, there's room for a lot of change in Naruto's home village of Konohagakure and the shinobi world as a whole. Advancements in technology especially mark big changes for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Of course, for every big change, plenty still remains the same.
10 CHANGED: The Hokage Has A Computer
During the Naruto series, especially during Lady Tsunade's time in charge, the Hokage's office was full of paperwork. Scrolls and old text occupied the shelves. While there's still some of that in the Boruto series, there is a huge difference in that Naruto Uzumaki has a computer.
The audience doesn't see him use it very often, but it still sits in a position of prominence on his desk. That means mission reports are now filed electronically, there's less clutter in the offices, and any information about the village is available at his fingertips.
9 SAME: The Clans Protect Their Family Jutsu
While there are plenty of basic shinobi skills young ninja-in-training learn throughout the Naruto and Boruto series, there are also specialized skills that not all shinobi can learn. They're inherited along bloodlines instead.
Particular skills are guarded closely by family clans. Despite the skills being inherited, they're still treated as family secrets and ones that should be handled with respect. The audience sees the Konoha 11's children learning them in their own ways. Shikadai focuses on learning the Nara shadow techniques, but he also makes an effort to learn his mother's favorite tricks. Inojin feels guilty that he doesn't have an interest in the Yamanaka clan's skills. Chocho learns the Akimichi family skills quickly, but she only uses the ones she likes.
8 CHANGED: The New Generation Prefers Burgers Over Ramen
Naruto and his friends made Ichiraku Ramen a staple in their series. While the restaurant still exists in Boruto, ramen isn't the new generation's favorite snack.
Instead, from the very start of the series, the new generation is shown to have a preference for more fast-food options. They frequent Lightning Burger instead, going for burgers and fries. It's a demonstration that traditions are shifting in Konohagakure.
7 SAME: Three-Man Teams Are Formed
It's not entirely clear how Konohagakure decided that three-man teams are the perfect number, but the formation is a tradition. As genin graduate from the Ninja Academy, they are placed on three-man teams with a teacher to help guide their training. That's true in Naruto's day and remains in Boruto's.
What's interesting is that larger teams can be formed by combining teams for missions, but they're rarely smaller. In the Naruto series, the best example of smaller units is actually the Akatuski. The members of the villainous group usually worked in pairs instead of threes, and they were eventually defeated by Naruto's generation.
6 CHANGED: Technology Increases Communication Speeds
During the Naruto series, communications between Konoha and other villages were typically conveyed by shinobi. They would run messages themselves to help keep them secure. While some still prefer that method, like Shikamaru Nara, they don't have to use it, allowing for faster communications between Konoha and the outside world.
Cell phones and email are used. Of course, there is a downside to a shinobi like Sasuke Uchiha taking a phone with him out to the middle of nowhere and not being able to recharge it. In similar situations, older methods of communication might work better.
5 SAME: The Hokage Is The Most Powerful Person In Konoha
The role of Hokage is a political position that has existed since the village's founding. In Konoha, however, that role isn't just given to someone who can negotiate well or someone who can play political games with opponents. The person chosen is always one of the most powerful shinobi from the village.
The Hokage has to have a variety of skills, and some of them are based on what jutsu they have performed. All of the previous Hokage have demonstrated their commitment to the village by physically defending it from outside threats. Naruto saved the village countless times in his youth, just like Kakashi and Tsunade before him.
4 CHANGED: A Train Runs Through Konoha
Years after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha finally got transportation in order to connect it to other shinobi villages. The Thunder Rail runs through the village, and Boruto and his friends frequently hop on to ride across town.
It's a stark contrast from shinobi having to walk for days to get to the other villages. Now, a quick train ride means a whole lot of time saved on travel.
3 SAME: Konoha Still Doesn't Fully Trust Other Villages
One of the reasons things were so tense during Naruto's youth was that the different shinobi villages didn't really trust one another. Outside of the Chunin Exams, Konoha wasn't particularly welcoming to outsiders. That's still true in Boruto's day to an extent.
When outsiders visit Konoha, they're still given shinobi escorts. During Boruto's Chunin Exams, there's more going on than just a friendly challenge between Boruto's classmates and the shinobi from Suna, one of Konoha's allies. There's still a sense that, despite easier travel and faster communication, the other villages still hold Konoha at arm's length.
2 CHANGED: The Shinobi Aren't Quite As Respected
The audience knows that in a flashforward at the start of the series, Kawaki declares that he's going to bring an end to the shinobi lifestyle. That makes it pretty clear that the shinobi are in danger, though it takes the series a while to demonstrate that shinobi are a dying group.
While they used to be highly respected as a result of their specialized skill sets, with scientific advancements, that's not the case anymore. More and more kids are choosing not to study at Konoha's Ninja Academy. Even those who do are still interested in science and technology. Becoming a shinobi might still include a lot of hard work, but it's not as prestigious as it once was.
1 SAME: Shikamaru Is The Advisor To The Hokage
Shikamaru might be the only person in the series who has maintained the same job for nearly two decades. As a teenager, he was the first of his friends to become a chunin, and the advancement made him someone Tsunade trusted completely. She kept calling on him for missions and advice, eventually making him her counsel as the world went to war.
Likewise, when Kakashi replaced Tsunade as Hokage, Shikamaru retained his position as advisor. 15 years later, he's still Naruto's most trusted advisor. It's a good thing Shikamaru seems to love his job since no Hokage wants to be without him.