Kishi forcing himself to comeback to the Naruto franchise just because he failed to profit from his discontinued comic is beyond laughable.
My opinion is that Kishi's should reeevaluate his skills and turn over a new leaf and just work with many writers because all he's good at is illustration.
Well do forgive me for that my knowledge comes from the final chapter of Naruto and the one-shot volume Naruto gaiden manga.Even if that myth was true, no company would be happy with the excuse for low sales being, "they don't like Boruto, so they didn't buy a side manga made for them." Especially, since Boruto happened by making the end pairings nH/SS.
Sakura lost her position due to fan-polling being used as a weapon against her, now 8 or so years later she is the third most popular character around the world. So she likely has both the data we can and cannot see behind her.
I think part of the reason they are focusing on Boruto right now beyond the years of low sales is; like how its happened in hopes of it keeping Naruto sales going when there at the time nothing to replace it. Now, most of the manga that did replace it are largely ending this year with nothing coming up seeming to be able to replace them. But instead of hoping it can hold up their figures while they wait for the new generation of shounen manga to make them money. They are finally looking at Boruto as its lost the manga that used to subsidize it. So now they pondering should they keep it around or just end it.
"What Kishi should've done: focus on making a good story, ignore the noises coming from the fandom. Especially the loud ones (looking at you NH/SS)." I'm pretty sure kishimoto made a comment like this after the ending...of course it backfired as the Japanese fans thought he was talking about them. I still think he was talking about his editors.
In theory, the genjutsu wasn't re-writing memories just showing Naruto and Hinata events that did happen. Showing Naruto that Hinata was always by his side, always loved him, and that they are bound by the red scarf of fate. Granted still a retcon by the anime staff
If you want an in-universe reason for why it happened. Ironically, Boruto last chapter gives a possible reason; an Otsutsuki likely used the shinjutsu 'Omnipotence' to rewrite the world so Naruto marries Hinata. So Boruto can be born. So femmy can possess his body. Of course, even with their minds re-written once Naruto and Hinata actually got together their lack of any chemistry made their marriage what it became.
To my understanding that Kishi took over the previous author for the Boruto manga and killed off Kurama. That's pretty much I know sofar.
Kishi having to be hired back to perhaps ruined any chances of NS reboot, so it's reasonable that he cleans up after his mess with, starting with the canon relationships (unfortunately).