Epilogue predictions for the old guard
This is me trying to emotionally reconcile Boruto as a story because I have a lot of issues with it… but my prediction for the old guard post main plot resolution is;
— Naruto possibly steps back into his role for a while but I think it’s also likely it will could hand over to Konohamaru with Sarada waiting in the wings (maybe even flashing forward far enough to show Sarada as Hokage). Either way, Naruto no longer shouldering over responsibility and being able to be with his family more often (which will include Kawaki). This resolves his character arc set out in the beginning of the story. He now gets to exist as just Naruto.
— Sasuke gets to retire home. He can’t continue with his active duty anymore now he’s lost the Rinnegan and my man has more than earned his peace with his family. This also concludes his arc in a similar way to Naruto’s and keeps them as mirrors and parallels to each other. Their story was the spine of the OG series so I think it works best for them to end up in a similar place to one another.
— An indication Naruto and Sasuke continue to mentor younger gens to some degree. It’s not like they are literally old men despite what shounen likes to call anyone 30’s and beyond. I don’t see Sasuke taking up gardening somehow…
— A panel or two of Naruto and Sasuke standing by each other looking out at the new gen saying something like;
Sasuke: Look at them now. They’ve surpassed everything we once tried to reach.
Naruto: Yeah… the will of fire…
Sasuke: It’s not just something we protect. It’s something they create.
Naruto: Yeah. The flame we’ve passed on… they’ve made it bigger. Stronger than it’s ever been because they carry it together.
Sasuke: Heh.. who would have thought the kids we once worried about. Would end up showing us the future.
But that’s natural. That’s what it means to leave something behind.
Naruto: That’s right. Our job was never to stay in front.
Our role isn’t to lead them anymore. It’s to believe in the future they’re creating.
Narration: The will of fire burns on… and it shines brighter than ever.
(Note: I am not a polished writer so that’s just a vague impression).
— The bulk of an ending of course would focus on new gen but I think narratively the most cohesive ending is a passing of the torch that respects the original characters. I don’t think it makes sense to kill either Sasuke or Naruto off narratively because they have already been taken off the board so the new gen can step in and that would be a terrible conclusion to the 700 chapters of pain, loneliness, struggle, and cycle breaking in the OG story. I don’t think returning them to god-tier makes sense either as then it undoes everything to set up new gen.