在《火影忍者》與《博人傳》的正史時間線中，鳴人其實從未真正死亡。他成功活到《博人傳》的時代，並且一直是故事中極為關鍵的核心人物。外界之所以會出現「鳴人已死」的說法，主要源自《博人傳》後期劇情中一連串極具誤導性的事件，以及早年一部標題聳動的劇場版所造成的長期誤解。

在《博人傳》的正統劇情裡，鳴人的處境並非死亡，而是「被封印」。故事後期，川木在極端保護心理的驅使下，為了確保鳴人不再成為敵人覬覦或利用的對象，動用了楔（Karma）的力量，將鳴人與雛田一同封印進異空間。這個行為本質上是隔離與保護，而非殺害，但卻成為後續巨大誤會的起點。

與此同時，艾達介入劇情並施展她極為特殊且近乎神祇層級的能力。透過「神輪眼」所引發的現實干涉，她扭曲世界對因果與事實的認知，讓幾乎所有人都「相信」鳴人是被博人所殺。這並非單純的幻術，而是直接改寫他人對現實的理解與記憶，因此在忍界中形成了鳴人已經死亡的既定印象。只有極少數人，如博人本人、川木、佐良娜與巳月等，沒有完全受到影響，知曉這其實是一場被操控的假象。實際上，鳴人仍然活著，只是被封印在異空間中，暫時從世界舞台上消失。

至於「鳴人將死」這個說法，則完全來自於非正史的劇場版《火影忍者疾風傳劇場版：鳴人將死》。在這部作品中，鬼之國的巫女紫苑預言鳴人將在未來喪命，這個預言成為整部電影的核心衝突。鳴人為保護擁有封印魔物能力的紫苑，選擇正面迎戰預言，並以行動證明命運並非不可改變。最終，他成功擊敗追殺紫苑的魔物，也打破所謂的死亡預言。這段故事本身就是為劇場版量身打造的獨立劇情，並不影響原作的主線發展。

整體而言，若回到正統世界觀來看，鳴人在《火影忍者》與《博人傳》中始終是活著的角色，只是於《博人傳》後期因為川木的選擇而被封印，並在艾達能力的影響下，被世人誤認為已死。而「鳴人將死」則只是劇場版中用來探討命運與意志的虛構橋段，最終鳴人依舊以打破預言的方式，延續他一貫不向命運低頭的英雄形象。

In the official canon timeline of Naruto and Boruto, Naruto has never truly died. He survives into the era of Boruto and remains a central, pivotal figure in the story. The widespread belief that “Naruto is dead” mainly stems from a series of highly misleading events in the later stages of Boruto, combined with a long-standing misunderstanding caused by an earlier movie whose sensational title left a strong impression on audiences.

Within Boruto’s canonical storyline, Naruto’s situation is not death but sealing. In the latter part of the story, driven by an extreme desire to protect him, Kawaki uses the power of Karma to seal Naruto and Hinata together in a separate dimension, ensuring that Naruto can no longer be targeted or exploited by enemies. This act is fundamentally one of isolation and protection rather than murder, yet it becomes the starting point of a massive misunderstanding.

At the same time, Eida enters the narrative and unleashes her extraordinary, almost godlike ability. Through the reality-altering power associated with her Senrigan, she distorts the world’s perception of causality and truth, causing nearly everyone to “believe” that Naruto was killed by Boruto. This is not a simple illusion, but a direct rewriting of people’s understanding and memory of reality, which leads the ninja world to accept Naruto’s death as an established fact. Only a small handful of individuals—such as Boruto himself, Kawaki, Sarada, and Mitsuki—remain unaffected and understand that this is a manipulated falsehood. In reality, Naruto is still alive, merely sealed away in another dimension and temporarily removed from the world stage.

As for the phrase “Naruto will die,” it originates entirely from the non-canon film Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Naruto Will Die. In that story, Shion, the priestess of the Land of Demons, foretells Naruto’s death, and this prophecy becomes the central conflict of the movie. To protect Shion, who possesses the power to seal demons, Naruto chooses to confront the prophecy head-on, proving through his actions that fate is not absolute. He ultimately defeats the demon pursuing her and breaks the foretold destiny of death. This storyline was created specifically for the movie and does not affect the main canon narrative.

Overall, when viewed within the official continuity, Naruto remains alive throughout both Naruto and Boruto. He is merely sealed away in the latter stages of Boruto due to Kawaki’s decision, and, under the influence of Eida’s power, is mistakenly believed by the world to be dead. Meanwhile, “Naruto will die” exists only as a fictional theme in a standalone movie used to explore fate and free will. In the end, Naruto once again defies destiny, continuing the heroic image of a character who has never bowed to fate.