Naruto was the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young boy from Konohagakure who aimed to become the greatest shinobi and the Hokage of his village. Over the course of 700 chapters, Naruto and his team were focused on greatly, and they played an extremely important role in the story.
Other characters, who weren't always around him, suffered due to a lack of time. Thankfully, the sequel to the series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations gives a lot of these characters opportunities to take the central stage and become more important in the story.
10 Udon Has Become A Jonin Leader Of Team 5
Udon was once a member of Team Ebisu in the Naruto series. Being quite young, he hardly played a role in the story, but he's come a long way since then. Udon is now a Jonin of the village, and he's leading Team 5, which includes Iwabee Yuino, Denki Kaminarimon, and Metal Lee. Although he certainly isn't the strongest of Jonin in Konohagakure and his role is still limited, it is certainly bigger than what he had in Naruto.
9 Moegi Kazamatsuri Is The Jonin Leader Of Team 10
Just like Udon, Moegi was a member of Team Ebisu at one point in the story, and she's now become a Jonin of the village. Moegi is one of the strongest characters in the village right now, being the only one after Hashirama Senju to have access to Wood Release naturally. As a Jonin, she leads Team 10, which includes the eighteenth generation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Without a doubt, she's much more relevant in Boruto.
8 Hanabi Hyuga Is Finally Fulfilling Her Potential
One of Konoha's brightest ninja, Hanabi Hyuga is the heiress to the Hyuga Clan and an extremely powerful ninja. With the power of the Byakugan, she is easily among the strongest characters in the village. Hanabi's skill was once compared to the genius Neji Hyuga back in the Naruto series, which goes to show how important she must be as a Jonin. She also leads Konoha's Team 25, which includes Namida, Wasabi, and Tsubaki.
7 Ino Yamanaka Handles The Village's Defense
Ino Yamanaka took over from where Inoichi Yamanaka left off in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Although she wasn't as important in the Naruto series, her importance to the village has only increased with time.
Ino is an extremely capable ninja who is responsible for overseeing the barrier team of the village. Her sensory perception is incredible and quite possibly the best in the village, making her a crucial character to Konohagakure right now.
6 Darui Is New The Leader Of Kumogakure After Ay
Darui is Kumogakure's Fifth Raikage and quite possibly the strongest ninja in his village right now. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Darui was one of the greatest Jonin from Kumogakure, and being the right-hand man of Ay, he was bound to get a bigger role moving forward. He holds the responsibility of his village on his shoulders, and he's been extremely important in the fight against the Otsutsuki in Boruto.
5 Kurotsuchi Has Succeeded Onoki As The Tsuchikage
Onoki was certainly one of the longest-serving Kage in the Narutoverse but some time after the Fourth Great Ninja War, he finally called it quits. His granddaughter, Kurotsuchi stepped up in his place and assumed responsibilities as the next Tsuchikage of the village. Kurotsuchi has a much bigger role in Boruto as she's an active part of every Five Kage Summit and is also involved in the fight against the Otsutsuki.
4 Chojuro Was Named The Successor To Mei Terumi
Chojuro is the Sixth Mizukage of Kirigakure and is now a crucial character in the story. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Chojuro played quite an important role by fighting alongside the shinobi from other nations, but his role is much bigger now that he's a Kage.
He's responsible for carrying on the good work that Mei Terumi did and also protecting his people. So far, Chojuro has been exemplary as a Kage, and he'll only improve from here onward.
3 Hinata Hyuga Appears In The Story A Lot More Now
Hinata Hyuga is one of the most important characters in the Boruto series, but the same wasn't true for Naruto. Although important, Hinata barely ever appeared in Naruto, and her role in the Fourth Great Ninja War was limited as well. While it is true that she is no longer a ninja in Boruto, she appears a lot more as a part of the Uzumaki household. Hinata plays a key role in raising both Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki the right way.
2 Shikamaru Nara Has An Even Bigger Role At His Hands
Shikamaru Nara was a side character in Naruto and certainly didn't lack screentime when compared to some others. In fact, he played a key role in both the Akatsuki Suppression Mission Arc and the Fourth Great Ninja War. Despite that, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he is more relevant now than ever as he serves as Naruto's right-hand man. Shikamaru is now involved in every single decision, making him key to the village.
1 Konohamaru Sarutobi Leads The Most Important Team
Naruto's apprentice, Konohamaru Sarutobi wasn't all that important to the story in Naruto as he was too young, but he's come a long way since then. By adulthood, Konohamaru has become an extremely skilled Jonin and is up there with some of the strongest in his village. Most importantly, he leads Team 7, which includes Boruto Uzumaki, Mitsuki, Sarada Uchiha, and now Kawaki as well. Konohamaru has an incredible job at his hands, and he is more relevant than he ever was in the original series.