#even if it was it wouldn't make sasuke romantically interested in sakura

[narutouzumakiarchive]

what are your thoughts on the “kishi based off naruto and sasuke off him and his brother so it’s weird and morally wrong to ship sasunaru.” IMO I’m like…you know what else is weird? kishi making the two characters that are supposedly based of him and his brother kiss accidentally and not only did they accidentally kiss but that scene is replayed multiple times in the manga and anime. So yeah…

Well I many thoughts.

For starters, the interview in question (and I'm still not sure of the source) states that the bond between Kishimoto and Seishi, his brother, was based on the aspect of feeling mutual pain.

Now let's look at another interview, from Kishimoto the lying liar. In it he states that his wife might secretly realize that Hinata isn't the real model for his wife because his wife is quite strong, which the interviewer noted was kind of like Sakura. Isn't that interesting.

In this interview he also implicitly acknowledges the implicit similarity between Sakura and his wife based on the particular aspect of strength. And yet, sasusaku's wouldn't use this interview as an indication that Sakura was in a romantic relationship with Naruto. Nor would they claim that Kishimoto (who frequently acknowledged that Naruto was a reflection of him) was writing a manga in which his wife (Sakura) was romantically in love with the analogue of his brother (Sasuke) Why?

Because while fiction is a reflection of life, it is in no way an exact representation of life. People in real life are complex multi dimensional beings and have complex and multi dimensional relationships; in other words, people and relationships have dimensions and depth that extend beyond one singular aspect, especially characteristics that are as common and generic as strength, and shared feelings of pain. Thus, Naruto and Sasuke, who also have additional depth in their bond beyond feelings of shared pain (let me know when brothers have feelings of uncertainty regarding the nature of their relationship btw) aren't a perfect analogue of Seishi and Kishimoto.

But I also want to note that they never extend this logic to the reverse. For example, Naruto and Sasuke are explicitly likened to Izanagi and Izanami, who in the Japanese mythos Kishimoto drew inspiration from, on the basis of perfect complementarity, were married. Surely, according to their logic, since basing the fictional dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke of of one aspect of the dynamic between two Gods who were married means that Naruto and Sasuke had romantic feelings for eachother, right? And yet something tells me those hypocrites who are triggered by Naruto and Sasuke would disagree. Because even they can intuit that fictional depictions don't necessarily have a perfect 1 to 1 relationship with the things they derive inspiration from.

But, additionally I need to add that Kishimoto could say that Naruto and Sasuke are the most brotherly of brothers and that it would be a crime to ship them — he could even have them end the series affirming they were like brothers — and it still wouldn't matter for two reasons.

One, intent does not equal impact. It would not matter if Kishimoto intended for Naruto and Sasuke to have a brotherly dynamic if what we were shown in the text is NOT a brotherly dynamic. People put a lot of stock in information from interviews, but while that paratext can help enhance our understanding of the text, ultimately, it is seperate from the text and the text is king — in other words, the purpose of a system (in this case, the Naruto text) is what it does.

But let me talk about a funny example first before I discuss Naruto and Sasuke. In 2009, Folgers Coffee released an infamous commercial that made the relationship between a brother and sister take center stage.

Now I suggest you watch the video for yourself, but for people who want the TLDR: It received a ton attention and backlash as a result of the very obvious incestuous undertones.

Now the video was obviously meant to depict the dynamic between a normal brother and sister. I mean, taboo themes in a commercial for a brand that has consistently utilized rhetorical appeals to wholesome conservative family values makes for bad business. And yet, despite the commercial making it obvious that the main characters in the ad were brother and sister by having them explicitly indicate as much, that line didn't do much the quell the underlying tension that viewers picked up on when watching the coy flirtation and intense gazes.

Which brings me back to Naruto and Sasuke. Most people that interact with media do so casually. Many are looking for simple minded entertainment. They aren't going to comb through the internet to look for cherry picked interviews to discern the nature of Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. They'll simply look at what's presented in the narrative to do so, and what the narrative presents is that of an overwhelmingly romantic dynamic between Naruto and Sasuke.

Romance is a "social structure that's biologically potentiated." This will receive more elaboration in another post, but at its core much of what we consider to be romantic has been shaped by shared socioculturally produced conventions (that can be specific to particular cultures/societies or more globalized). And when it comes to determining what is romantic in a narrative, the shared conventions and expectations are further mediated by the values that the text promotes.

People who interact casually with Naruto won't see Kishimoto's interviews, but they will see things like...

The classic romantic kiss/almost kiss intimate moment in the rain

Sakura stating that all she wants from Sasuke is acknowledgement in an explicitly romantic context (which is an example of a convention/ideal being promoted in the text as romantic), Naruto internally identifying with Sakura in this regard, and Sasuke giving Naruto the acknowledgement that he wants but not Sakura

Naruto getting tingles in his lower parts when thinking of said acknowledgement from Sasuke

Sasuke thinking about his kiss with Naruto and Naruto's dream during what he believed to be his final moments, and indicating it was one of the many reasons why his body decided to move on its own to save Naruto, a moment that was explicitly paralleled with Haku's sacrifice for Zabuza's dream a mere few chapters later, the same Haku that was implied to have subtextually romantic feelings for Zabuza [and a quick interjection, acknowledgement of what is presented in the text does not equal promotion. Moral critiques are important and just as valid as more stylistic analyses BUT they are distinct things. "Haku was never implied to have feelings for Zabuza because that's gross" is not a meaningful analysis]

Naruto making a proposal that significantly resembles the structure of shinju (double suicide), (a concept that has great significance in Japanese and Western popular culture, hello shared cultural conventions, hello Chikamatsu Monzaemon, hello Romeo and Juliet) a concept that was invoked by Omoi at the beginning of the volume that Naruto's proposal was in. This concept is promoted as a romantic value in the text via Omoi, and of course, is accords with popular sociocultural understandings of what we know to be Romantic.

And make no mistake, Kishimoto was intimately aware of the history of the romantic convention he drew from.

Naruto being Sasuke's tether to humanity in the same way that Rin was Obito's tether to humanity as well as Naruto being visually framed in Sasuke's memory in the exact same way that Rin was framed in Obito's memories in back-to-back chapters.

And there's more, but there's no need to continue because even just these moments highlight how far beyond the het dynamics Naruto and Sasuke are in terms of mutual, romantic implications. Naruto and Sasuke's dynamic is shown as romantic which it why it wouldn't even matter if Naruto and Sasuke weren't intended to be romantic.

Now, the second reason why it wouldn't matter if Naruto and Sasuke were intended to be non romantic brothers is that.... they aren't brothers. Like the most surefire way to make a bond be brotherly is to make the characters related. [And not have their first pivotal interaction be a classic "accidental kiss" ship bait moment that was iconic enough to be recycled by their kids who are now love interests.] And further, the trope of two people (gay people in particular) who aren't siblings but have a unique, powerful and intimate bond that's metaphorized and/or euphemized as sibling-like doesn't inherently negate romance.

But let me provide an example. There's a show called Breaking Bad, centered on a man who ostensibly turns to a life of crime in order to protect his family, but he's not important here. In the show, we're provided with the backstory of the primary antagonist in Season 4, Gus Fring. And the viewer gets to see that the reason Gus decided to devote his life to getting revenge on the cartel was because the loss of someone that was particularly close and precious to him, a man named Hector.

Within Gus' backstory, there's really only one scene of note that implies the two are gay. When a previous antagonist named Hector crudely pees into the pool, in the presence of Gus and Max, and is chastised by a fellow associate, Hector remarks that the two men won't say anything because they like what they see and makes suggestive kissing noises at them.

But there's something interesting about the way Max describes the relationship between himself and Gus. He explicitly states that he knows Gustavo like a brother. Hell, the name of the business that he planned to start alongside Gus was called Los Pollos Hermanos (translated in the show as The Chicken Brother's) and even the episode in which their story is expounded upon is named "Hermanos." And yet, many viewers picked up on the romantic subtext between Max and Gus, subtext that the showrunner confirmed was intentional. In the viewers minds, the subtext wasn't wholly negated because they knew eachother like brothers.

And that's because, the metaphor of the sibling, is often merely utilized to invoke desirable traits of idealized siblinghood (like friendship and trust) while setting aside the biological limitations of actual sibling bonds. Hence, in Japanese and Western media, this invocation of the sibling-like bond often occurred (and still does) in tandem with romantic subtext, and this is especially common in gay narratives when characters are trying to understand the nature of their feelings.

But this is a nuance that is lost by people that only chronically consume battle shonen. If you showed them the scene of Max talking about his dynamic with Gus they'd decry the people who dared to call it gay and make some fake deep statement about how people want to undermine pure brotherly bonds by making everything romantic. Because only in the Naruto fandom will people complain about you bringing up the fact that maybe it's gay to think about a kiss when you're about to die or to feel special butterflies when you're acknowledged by your rival. They'd combust if you tried to explain that idealized characteristics present in particular relational categories (like friendship and brotherhood) can overlap.

And if you go back to the interview, in which feelings of intensely shared pain are regarded as brotherly, you'll see that Kishimoto notes just that. He states that feelings of brotherly love and friendship are the same exact thing. Which means that in the period when Sasuke considered Sakura a nakama, something that obviously ended after he left the village, according to the very same interview that narusasu antis foolishly claim debunks our ship, it would mean that Sasuke also had fraternal feelings for Sakura as he did for the rest of Team 7 and thus was morally wrong. But you can't expect logic from het shippers.

Which brings me to my final set of points. I've already reached the 30 image limit so I can't post more images on this post (and will probably save it for another ask) but my post this far has only adressed the demographic that genuinely believes in the narusasu are like brothers argument. But, you need to understand that a significant portion of the people that push that argument don't even believe in it themselves, and I'm not joking. Search any narusakusasu account or popular "poly Team 7" art post and I can guarantee that at least 7 out 10 times, if you click on the profile of a someone with a cherry blossom and tomato emoji pair and search "incest" or "brother" on their account, you'll find a post of them speaking negatively about narusasu. It's almost funny how consistently it turns out to be true, but again, I'll address that in another post (along with the behavior of naruhina's because they tend to use different argument against sns). The point is that their issue with narusasu has never been about "moral wrongness" but about the fact that Sakura (and Hinata in the case of SasuHinaNaru's) isn't involved in their dynamic.

In fact, many Sakura stans are multiSaku's that have no problem shipping her with every man that ever breathed in her vicinity (Madara, Sasori, Itachi, Kakashi, etc.) and even the ones that didn't (Shisui).. I mean they're even publishing reworked fanfiction, [see this ItaSaku novel]. And yet they only bat an eye at Naruto and Sasuke. That's why ultimately, you shouldn't take them seriously, because they aren't looking to engage with you in good faith. They just want to undermine narusasu while stealing our tropes for their ship.

But since the word of Kishimoto is law to them, just bring up any one of the interviews in which Kishimoto's mocked Hinata, Sakura NH and SS, like him calling Sakura detestable, or his reaction to someone liking Hinata being "so you like girls with big boobs," or him initially agreeing that SS and NH were unrequited, or him stating he didn't know if Sasuke and Sakura would last, or him stating that Hinata isn't a regular heroine that stands at the main character's side but the type that watches him from the shadows (when her entire goal during the manga was to stand by Naruto's side), him laughing at an interviewer that stated Sasuke dealt with Sakura by leaving, or Kishimoto stating that he didnt have any devotion to the love story between Naruto and Hinata and he didnt plan to write it until Studio Pierrot suggested it, or Kishimoto stating that he avoided writing the reason for Sakura's love because it would sound too contrived, or — well, you get the point.

[maoam]

I love how sakura and hinata fans say sns shippers are misogynists for not liking those girls and the ships when really I think me being a man-hating-radical-feminist is what makes me not like them lol. Like I have self respect which is why I don't like someone who's entire purpose is to be a man worshipping housewife from the 1950s with no backbone and doesn't stand up for herself at all (hinata) or someone who's pretty much a male in female form who mimics real creepy male behaviour to a T like constantly harassing someone and trying to force them to like you back despite constant rejects, treating them like a sexual object only, centering yourself around their life and not even actually caring about someone they claim to love (sakura). Also if you take it a step further, I can even say the reason sasuke's my favourite character is bc he's female-coded. Like almost every way he gets treated both by the narrative and by real fans is how a lot of ppl treat real women. (think they know better for him, hating him for being attractive and able to get anyone's attention, hating him for having agency and not caring what ppl think, not caring to follow paths others want him to follow, etc) these are all things that most women get hated on for irl. It also says a lot that most of his haters are male lol, while other male characters with the "coolness" factor like sasuke are still worshipped (like his own brother, kakashi, even naruto). Also gaara getting more popular after he started worshipping naruto and leaving his cool backstory and interesting character behind also proves my point. If sasuke just became a naruto fanboy halfway thru and didn't bother with his revenge and only started loving naruto (not romantically tho, ofc, bc that's gay and we're alpha males who fuck bitches only 😤) he prolly wouldn't be as hated. Just like if sakura switched her affections from sasuke to naruto halfway thru, the dudebros would stop hating her. It's all about naruto worship, and the characters who end up doing that always end up being the shell of the interesting characters they once were (like gaara, hinata was never an interesting character, she's the only one who was meant to be his cock worshipper since the beginning) and that's what makes me hate all dudebros and some female fans who think this too. Like sometimes I start hating naruto myself bc some of the sasuke only stans on tumblr make really good points about how naruto's basically a male power fantasy series. Almost everyone ends up worshipping him, and even sasuke (if you wanna see it that way) ends up doing that. I personally like equal power in relationships so I like to see them as equal in the end, but some ppl who only wanna see their self insert incel mc be worshipped, they can see it that way. Sometimes I only like naruto in sns and sasuke individually, and hate everything else about this series. Anyway that got kinda off topic but yeah.

Sakura also does not stand up for herself when it comes to Sasuke.

Hinata's body language is always timid, but Sakura's becomes one too in the presence of Sasuke. Because she tries to make Sasuke like her, but since she doesn't understand Sasuke she also doesn't understand this is not what Sasuke wants nor needs. Sasuke wouldn't like it either if Naruto acted this pathetic.

Hinata is literally a tradwife dream, she is docile, submissive, doting and her only goal in life is to support Naruto and become Naruto's girlfriend/wife and have his kids. She has no thoughts about anything else. This is what many men want from a woman. It's really pitiful to read/watch people try to come up with something in order to make Hinata look like a decent character. It all comes down to "she liked Naruto since the beginning", "she sacrificed herself for Naruto", "she has had more kids than the other female characters".

I don't know about the use of "female-coded" as a term (I talked about it at one point), I think it's the homoeroticism that largely contributes to this (especially how Sasuke is made to be desirable to both men and women). But I do see where you're coming from. Sasuke does piss off many men but a lot of it is due to incel mentality. Some of it is due to main character entitlement, as in Sasuke takes too big of a chunk out of the manga when it comes to screentime. Ironically, there are many of them who think Sasuke should have been a female character so Naruto's obsession with him wouldn't make them so uncomfortable.

I also find it annoying when so many Sakura videos I watch have men ranting about how Sakura still likes Sasuke despite the fact Naruto saved her. Like you can tell they think a man should be able to buy woman's sexual interest by making her owe them. But thankfully, I have come across also videos that make very good points about her character.

Naruto and Sasuke's fight (or more like the aftermath) annoyed some men because it was physically basically a draw and Naruto even said to Sasuke "this isn't about winning or losing". Sasuke lost to his feelings, basically him admitting defeat was him accepting to be loved by Naruto LMAO no wonder dudebros were mad. Many of them whined because they hated how Kishi had to make it so gay.

Shonen tends to be a male power fantasy. Luffy also gets everyone to fanboy/fangirl him. And shonen mcs usually have one of the worst stans for this reason. It's funny (or not) how the same pattern can be seen in every shonen fandom when it comes to the main character. There are men who self insert into them and act like everything needs to be about them, and bash other characters especially if they take even a little from their mc. Meanwhile there is a subset of women who create this yaoi harem shit around the mc, him as feminine uke bottom that every other guy just wants to rail. And they also might wrote posts on how other characters are irrelevant and boring compared to their beloved mc. It always happens. If it makes you feel better, Naruto always saw Sasuke and Iruka as different from the rest, because he didn't need to prove anything to them, they just cared for him even when he was a loser. And to Naruto, Sasuke is the best in the world. Even to Sarada he started ranting how Sasuke is hot and cool and the best shinobi in the world lol. But yes, I think Gaara and Neji lost some edge of their characters after they were saved by Naruto.

[tamelee]

i just saw a posts about novels that went like

sarada told sasuke he has lipstick stain, sasuke tries to wipes it off and she says he doesn't have one and sakura doesn't wear lipstick.

how do they defend this novels with their lives? it confirms sasuke never kisses sakura and doesn't know if she wears lipstick or not and kisses someone else who wears lipstick. it also confirms naruto likes to wear lipstick XD.

Please. These novels are ridiculous. Kishimoto already confirmed they’ve never kissed in Gaiden. Twice. 

(* something nicer = meant the forehead poke)

Though I wouldn't believe anyone if they said they actually like these novels, because the story (or lack thereof) is complete shit, but it’s fine if they do. A good story isn't the intention unfortunately. I genuinely wish that people understood what exactly it is they are defending. I’m writing a post for someone who asked something regarding canon, but I need to take brakes from it because it pisses me off that this happens constantly to franchises— not just Naruto. 

And in this case it’s even worse, or perhaps it’s just a prime example, because Jun Esaka (writer for some of these novels) made such a fool of herself on twt by making it all too obvious what her intentions were by writing them. (If it wasn’t already obvious.) First, when people pointed out the many flaws, she admitted that it’s “just her story” and “just her interpretation” (she had only read 'Naruto' for the first time a few months before that), but when other ss-shippers started to defend her and said she was a better writer than Kishimoto (as there’s 0 love between SS when he writes), she basked in that glory and went along with it. Even to the point that she completely disrespected Kishimoto, the story, the craft, openly made fun of other characters (mostly Hinata) and ships like NH and demanded her other novels to be animated as well. It’s unprofessional af. And then when fans asked her for a nsfw novel for SS she agreed and told them to harass the company about it. (She didn’t say ‘harass’ exactly, but come on you can’t be that dense given their reputation with staff.)

What are they defending? 

How can you defend anything when the motive is so obviously just personal bias/gain and/or financial profit to a company where both in this case don’t give a shit about the original story. It's not about shipping though, it happens all the damn time to all my favorite franchises and I'm genuinely sick of it. And it's not even about a writer writing about what they want either because I already expected that, but Esaka did her absolute best to try and disprove the bond between Naruto and Sasuke and change narratives completely even for individual cases for the sake of telling her "story". SNS-moments weren’t romantic to her and she quite literally made fun of it by copying them in her story to point out its "irrelevance", but give them to her het-ship and now all of a sudden it is romantic???? She basically calls Kishimoto a liar because ‘Sasuke Retsuden’ in particular is a direct response to ‘Gaiden’ (made by Kishimoto). She blatantly tried to disprove anything he said and indicated about her ship. She wrote about characters that, yes, have the same name as those in ‘Naruto’, but are so out of character it hurts. It took me months to recover my lost braincells. 

I don't think my post about it is still up, but to name a few things in that novel if you're interested: Sasuke resents Naruto and his test-tube daughter because he’d rather travel with Sakura, his wife whom he loves so much. But he has to do stuff just because Hokage Naruto said so and his daughter wants to stay in Konoha so he has no choice but to comply. Being apart from his wife-(did we mention he loves her so much? because he does. so much.)- makes him feel so very lonely and he misses her body so much because he knows it so well. He fails to do anything other than being jealous about the women-deprived prisoners going after the new hot doctor, Sakura, who is his wife btw. that he loves a lot in case you missed it. and he rather stares at trees that remind him of her than helping his friend Naruto who’s apparently dying from his own chakra or whatever kind of bs. Sasuke lets himself be bullied by prison-guards that aren’t even Shinobi, for having long hair and looking like a girl, though Esaka makes sure to mention how so very handsome he is and he looks like a cat. Sasuke loses a battle against an overgrown lizard and tries the same damn jutsu 4 times(!!!!) before realizing it may actually not work, I think because he forgot how to fight, but he can however create anything from ice like Elsa (Frozen), or from dirt like some Gaara-hybrid to make Sakura a ring because he loves her so much ofc… oh and he’s now a healer too. Sasuke sacrifices people’s lives even when it’s not necessary at all bc ig Esaka thinks he's a killer, and also he wouldn’t mind being brought back with Edo Tensei if it means he can stay with Sakura, because fuck everything they’ve been through in the original story, yeah? They also immediately forgive the bad guy cuz he's so relatable even though he just murdered I dunno how many people. SS kiss while an injured Naruto is squished in between them because SS-shippers have some sort of “Naruto has to watch our ship being in love to really make it legit because that’ll learn him for getting in between!”-kink (that's real actually) and according to Esaka, Sasuke is so worried about his daughter and in fact did meet up with them during those 10+ years because he loves them oh-so-much and fuck you Kishimoto that’s why. 

Be so fr right now. It’s such a joke. And these are just the few things on the top of my head that I remembered ;-; ...

Again, what are they defending exactly? It would be nice to just have a genuine fan of the story write an actual story. No other motive other than "I really like the story and would love to explore some options while respecting Kishimoto's work because it'd be fun!" Except, that's unfortunately not very marketable and ffs it's just sad. (I know there's a Kakashi version and I personally really want to know more about his role as Hokage and what he's done etc, but alas.)

[leportraitducadavre]

okay, I’m not a gatekeeper. I swear I’m not. But I genuinely cannot help but be irked when I see a hinata fan latch themselves onto characters like Neji or Sasuke. Pretending like they ~totally~ understand their characters while also horribly misrepresenting them and characterizing them like they’re from a fanfiction. Talking about how noo sasuke would love hinata if he really got to know her! He’s just so cold and unfeeling that a character like hinata could really bring out a nice side to him!1!1!1 Neji is a victim of this too but in a slightly lesser degree as most hinata fans don’t bother to ship them openly as they’re related. But that won’t stop them from characterizing Neji as someone completely and utterly obsessed with hinata to the point he grovels at her feet and is possessive of her like a “big brother.” Because if hinata called him her big brother when he died then that totally makes them siblings! Who cares if neji considers himself that! Hinata said so1!11!1!

god I dunno. Maybe I’m just being selfish in the idea I just want hinata Stans to stay tf away from Neji and Sasuke because if you like hinata and her character, there is absolutely zero chance you will be able to understand Neji or Sasuke.

Well, I don't see an issue with liking a character by itself and proclaiming yourself a fan of the rest (I'm a big fan of Ino Yamanaka and Sasuke Uchiha, two characters that stand in opposite corners thematically), yet this can be sustained as long as we respect their canonical characterizations and understand that not everything about a character is "good" or has to be justified. As for the core of your complaint, I agree, as many of these arguments are sustained on the premise of giving Hinata more relevance (romantically or politically); something that she canonically does not possess and that neither of the two previously mentioned male characters are interested in giving her.

Hinata's sole purpose as a character was based on being Neji's polar opposite during his arc (the Chünin exams are relevant to Neji, not Hinata, who is a supporting character to him) and being Naruto's admirer on certain occasions. That's it, at no point was she even mentioned or observed by Sasuke, and any narrative weight she might have carried disappeared when Neji himself was no longer necessary for Naruto's growth.

Neji's problem isn't just with Hinata (I'm surprised to have to clarify something specifically mentioned in the manga and anime), but with the entire main Hyüga family; which is why his arc doesn't close until Hiashi (not Hinata), apologizes.

As for Sasuke, I wouldn't spend any more time thinking about it since the sole reason for his involvement lies in a desire for romantic reciprocity from the most attractive and powerful character in the manga (at the thought of an offspring with both Byakugan and Sharingan, despite the fact that the Sharingan is infinitely superior to the Byakugan). If with Neji's arc, Hinata possessed almost zero thematic relevance, with Sasuke - with whom she not only never interacts but in his eyes, she's part of the caste he seeks to eradicate, then her incidence is extremely nil.

I've never written a post about SasuHina/HinaSasu, and in part, I refuse because their canonical possibility really is nil, so there's nothing more to analyze than headcanons and fanfictions that have their own rules, which have little to do with Kishimoto's material.

Perhaps in the future, I'll dedicate a post to that pairing discussing some of its more famous theories; like how Hinata, being a character considered by the fandom as "sensitive", could understand and help Sasuke despite the fact that she was never seen comforting or trying to understand any character other than Naruto; going as far as to dismiss her cousin's emotions in order to put herself as a victim of the system on the same level as her cousin, whom her father enslaved.

Hinata being shy is not the same as her being "good" or "sensitive", Sakura used to be shy during her childhood and was bullied for it, yet Hinata stans don't usually consider Sakura to be a good person...

Here are some posts about Hinata and Neji's relationship:

Hinata endorses slavery. A quick explanation of why.

NejiHina or the possibilities of the pairing.

The Hyuga clan. And the Caged Bird Seal. Plus:

Sorry, no, Hinata never hit Pain.

[sneezemonster15]

i think it's a rather smart choice to have made Sakura the annoying and toxic girl she is, especially since Naruto and Sasuke love each other romantically. If she was strong mature and had boundaries appreciation, the GA would have been more suspicious about why Sasuke doesn't want to be around her or returning her feelings, her being annoying and self centered is exactly what Kishi needed without giving too much

No you are right. Sasuke sees through Sakura's shallow and entitled personality. So he simply cannot gel with her. But Naruto considers her a good friend because he generally only sees the good in people, and forgives the bad, that's how he is. While others have a legit reason for their neuroses, Sakura doesn't. But Naruto wanted to make friends and not be constantly ostracized so he takes whoever offers him friendship. Which is why he doesn't really confront Sakura for her shitty behaviour towards him, but draws a clear line when it is about Sasuke.

Sasuke wouldn't do all that for Sakura, he would confront her head on, like he does. If she was written as a good character, Sasuke would have had no reason to harbour antipathy towards her. And Sasuke is inherently a kind and helpful boy.

Similarly, Hinata was written to be wrapped up in her hormonal urge to be with Naruto, having absolutely no distinct personality herself, unless you count chronic shyness, weakness of spirit, and self absorption personality traits. I guess they are. If Hinata was written to be having a strong will and even average intelligence, she would have moved on from Naruto, since he seriously pays her no attention unless she is getting beaten black and blue. He completely ignored her love confession, lol. That would have been enough reason for a smarter and self respecting girl to rethink her ways. Kishi is very serious about his characterization, he wouldn't play around with it without rationally justifying it in the narrative itself. So he wrote Hinata to be dumb, one dimensional, shadow oriented and completely designed to orbit around Naruto, without having any credible personality of her own. Far from being assertive or opinionated, she can hardly even stand her ground, she wouldn't know her ground if it slapped her directly in her face. Lol. Which is why she doesn't even begin to think about Naruto's complete lack of interest in her. In Boruto, Naruto hardly ever comes home, sends his clones to important family occasions but stays at office counting headbands. A strong willed wife would confront him, but she wouldn't. Imagine Minato/Kushina dynamic, Kushina would not have taken such treatment from Minato. But Hinata is the polar opposite of Kushina. Which is why she is married to a gay man who is in love with his best friend and work partner, and is totally willfully oblivious about it.

Kishi doesn't treat anyone else the way he treats Hinata and Sakura in the entire manga, he deliberately humiliates their characters in the narrative. He wants to show that these are the kind of women who would gladly stay in a loveless marriage with gay men, self absorbed, entitled, shallow, unintelligent, fangirlish, whose self esteem is completely tied up with the men they want, and would take the tiniest scraps those men throw their way as long as they could keep calling them their husbands that they won as trophies.

[naruhinalife555]

bullshit



No bitch you totally wrong Naruto not stuck with awufl partner Naruto loves Hinata, my headcanon is that it was hard for Naruto to get anything done when he first became Hokage cause his clones kept going MIA to see Hinata before he switched to controlling them all in real time.

Bitch Kishi never thought about making Naruto and Sasuke together Sasuke didn't even exist until he was suggested by the editor to be Naruto's rival

Instead of blaming Kishi for not developing characters maybe write your own manga what do you say? Hell he couldn't make sasuke and naruto meet because he already created hinata before her character existed before sasuke so the whole narusasu thing makes no sense

simple and easy sasuke is a character suggested by the editor to be naruto's rival if they really had romance and feelings of love for each other kishi wouldn't have them fighting all the time

Who said that the end would be better with Narusasu's couple??? When Kishimoto created Naruto he didn't make him a character that loves boys the fact that Sasuke and Naruto appear in most episodes does not make Sasuke a main character because the main character at least for me is only Naruto and Hinata is his love interest

God help me because in Shifoden Sasuke didn't even appear at least until the arc of the Kage summit so how does he and Naruto have development?? The quest for Sasuke Naruto and Hinata got a moment where Naruto smiles at Hinata

Man, go write a manga before you even give such a stupid review

Really sweet having someone try and rip your heart out when all your trying to do is help them. Who caring feelings for him by dropping me from a few thousand feet and head first into solid bedrock.

Spending years chasing after them only for them to try and plunge a sword into my back and then the next time I see them they say they are going to kill me. 

He would then try and carry out his death threat and we make vows under a great big waterfall by blowing an arm off each and even after everything we’ve been through he will still leave.

Yeah that is what real love, it’s not true in less you want to kill you partner for it. It's starting to get on my nerves all your nonsense Sasuke didn't even want Naruto as a friend because he was in the dark .By the way they both thought about killing each other is this called a healthy relationship?

First of all, Naruhina and Sasusaku are not the same, don't even dare to compare them! No surprise really plus any scenes from shippuden are most bad any way with Sasuke treating Sakura like trash in most of them or her fangirling over him.

and sasunaru not diffrent from sasusaku. It has nothing to do with what you wrote narusasu it just won't work when did naruto and sasuke have feelings for each other? Sasuke literally tried to murder Naruto, is that what you call a healthy relationship? Because if so then your head is screwed up

Are naruto and sasuke so compatible why did naruto cry he was always alone? And he doesn't understand love at all, the proofs are shown in the manga, you don't have to invent it

what? This has nothing to do with homophobia, the author of the series wanted to do something specific and it is completely his right, after all it is a manga for youth At the same time though gay ships tend to be ridiculous and over the top, like you can't have any friendship or brotherhood without people shipping and forcing it and throwing it in other people's faces. It's just ridiculous like even if they ship it they shouldn't act like it should have been when their friendship/sisterhood was never meant to be taken romantically. It really makes it hard to enjoy any same-sex friendships and camaraderie because people will keep pushing it to be canon and start a fuss over it.

All they wanted was to fight each other because Naruto considered Sasuke his best opponent

Both were in pain and loveless

With Hinata Naruto felt happier I don't understand what your problems are??He took care of her and was always there for her their relationship was always positive why do they always have to be toxic couples if naruto and sasuke were gay kishimoto wouldn't think of letting them beat each other up have you thought about that?

What selfishness is in your mind, there is no selfishness here. Naruhina is canon because that's how Kishimoto ran between Naruto and Sasuke. It wouldn't work. Did I say that you want to talk about selfishness? sasuke never thought about naruto's feelings after he left the village and naruto suffered so much that he broke down i think you don't even understand the characters pain

put naruto single??? And what does it matter anyway he was always alone ugh the people in this fandom are so cruel haven't you seen Naruto? He never wanted to be alone

Why doesn't Naruto deserve to be with someone who really supports and loves him? Like what's the wonder he's hiding only Hinata by his side.His moments with Hinata made Naruto feel less pain

[narhinafan]

In all honesty, although NH is my main ship, if NH wasn't the end game couple I'd rather have Naruto be with Sasuke rather than having NaruSaku happen. There was more depth in terms of how their relationship worked (may it be something brotherly/friendly or even more) whereas NaruSaku I'd feel that it's pretty onesided and she could easily manipulate Naruto (Naruto may have been shown to have a crush/liked Sakura but a lot of their interactions were like for comedic relief? And that when he asked her on dates or claim that she's his gf, it eventually felt like it was a running joke/not something to be taken seriously). NaruSaku for me would only be as friends/siblings and nothing more.

When it comes to seeing Naruto as someone treated/respected as an equal/a partner, for me it boils down to having him end up with either Hinata or Sasuke (or could be both, I honestly support a throuple ship for NaruHinaSasu)

There was also potential that Sasuke and Hinata could have a good relationship with each other, Sasuke could've appreciated Hinata's quiet nature as he's similar in a sense, and there were other things he could relate to her (in terms of their clans/doujutsu/relationship with their siblings). He'd also most likely appreciate her during their time in the academy as the only one who didn't "fangirl" around him.

I recall a couple of months back that someone brought back the argument that Sasuke cared more about Hinata over Sakura during that scene in the Momoshiki invasion arc to have him personally reassure her about Naruto (there was also a speculation that when Hinata went back to try to help Naruto, it could've been Sasuke who saved her - although we couldn't confirm this as they didn't show Hinata's fight - which still makes me bitter to this day)

It would've made a lot of sense if Team 7 had been Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke (I've read several fics with these 3 in the same team) as I could see the potential that these 3 could have supported each other equally (compared to how Sakura was in the past that she was solely focused on Sasuke and didn't care all that much about Naruto). The 3 of them carrying their own burdens could also make them more understanding of each other's circumstances. Like they could relate and help each other in a sense. And to think that by the end of Naruto it was shown that NHS had been linked to powerful Otsutsukis, they could've made a powerhouse trio if it was explored more. Hinata could even have easily taken over Sakura's role as a medic nin (and she actually could have been a more suitable candidate because of her Byakugan) if only it had been developed more in the story.

Your asks are way too long.

Neh I only see Naruto and Sasuke as friends and brothers I can never see them in a romantic light. How some fans react to ship any same sex friendship like crazy even when they are just meant to be friends really put me off same sex shipping. I would rather each of them be alone rather then either get with Sakura but still good friends enjoying the bachelor life. Though I do feel kind of sad that Naruto wouldn't get a family with Hinata since it was end game like you said I feel that Hinata was always meant to give Naruto the family he never had and hence would never be alone again when he grow up.

Your right most of Sakura and Naruto's interactions is for comic relief and most of the anime scene only cause a script writer was heavily bias towards NaruSaku. In the manga Naruto shows little interest in Sakura his crush only coming up when it involves Sasuke either when he is competing with him or when Sasuke turned her down. His crush was never serious and mostly cause of his rivalry with Sasuke.

I do believe Sasuke could get along really well if Hinata, but the way the manga is set up it just isn't possible. When Sasuke was in the village he just didn't interact with Hinata at all nor would he. The only way they could get close is if Hinata got with Naruto earlier and hence she would interact with Sasuke. Even after he returned the village Sasuke has never interacted with Hinata much cause he is usually travelling even though she is married to Naruto who he is close with.

I recall a couple of months back that someone brought back the argument that Sasuke cared more about Hinata over Sakura during that scene in the Momoshiki invasion arc to have him personally reassure her about Naruto (there was also a speculation that when Hinata went back to try to help Naruto, it could've been Sasuke who saved her - although we couldn't confirm this as they didn't show Hinata's fight - which still makes me bitter to this day)

Yeah it was one of the issues I have with SasuSaku as Sasuke gives Naruto's family more attention then his own. I don't think Sasuke saved her I feel it was more that Hinata fought them while Sasuke protected the kids and go injured then Momoshiki fled since he had Naruto.

It would've made a lot of sense if Team 7 had been Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke (I've read several fics with these 3 in the same team) as I could see the potential that these 3 could have supported each other equally (compared to how Sakura was in the past that she was solely focused on Sasuke and didn't care all that much about Naruto). The 3 of them carrying their own burdens could also make them more understanding of each other's circumstances. Like they could relate and help each other in a sense. And to think that by the end of Naruto it was shown that NHS had been linked to powerful Otsutsukis, they could've made a powerhouse trio if it was explored more. Hinata could even have easily taken over Sakura's role as a medic nin (and she actually could have been a more suitable candidate because of her Byakugan) if only it had been developed more in the story.

Yeah team 7 works better with Hinata in the picture as the overall dynamics would just be better original team 7 was a train wreak with only Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry really holding it together. As a team they never really hung out cause Sakura was a fangirl while Naruto and Sasuke were at odds. Hinata would have bridged that gap Sasuke wouldn't turn down a kind character like Hinata easily and if he was too harsh Naruto would defend her and would likely feel guilt and give in so the team would end up hanging out more. The Otsutsukis plot would have worked so much better with Hinata since all of team 7 would be related to them, even Kakashi during the final fight has part of their power thanks to Obito giving him the sharingan and his chakra having six paths powers from when he had the ten tails.

[fuckishimoto]

Hinata is the archetype of the girl who was created only to be the MC’s obligatory love interest taken to the most toxic conclusion possible. The character encourages a negative mindset that consists of worrying obsessively about things you can’t control and doing nothing about things you can control. You can’t control whether your crush returns your feelings; Hinata pines for a guy she hardly knows from the time she’s in kindergarten till she’s grown. You can’t control whether your family members have bad attitudes; Hinata spends years being depressed because she craves and isn’t getting her family’s shallow approval. She fights Neji (and loses), her dad apparently gives her an E for effort and accepts her again, and that’s enough for her. If you don’t like being weak, you can work to become stronger; Hinata doesn’t do this, just complains about being too weak to get the external validation and romantic love she wants. If your cousin is being enslaved for your benefit, you can at least voice your opposition to his enslavement; Hinata doesn’t do this because she doesn’t care about the clan’s practices. Fans don’t want to believe she’s that lousy of a person, so they claim there wouldn’t have been a point in her speaking up about slavery because maybe her father wouldn’t have listened to her and she, as a child, couldn’t have solved the issue of slavery single-handedly. For Hinata to voice opposition to an oppressive practice would be ridiculous, but trying to get killed in a “fight” with a supervillain that she knew she had no chance of winning wasn’t ridiculous at all; in fact, it’s amazing writing. I used to like her, but i can’t stomach her character after looking at it critically; it’s so toxic and weird and pointless.

If we're talking about the shonen genre, Sakura is the more stereotypical love interest for MC, tsundere, comedic violent with the MC, emotional, whines, cries and yells in equal amount, insecure in some way, not very useful, gets saved by MC a lot. Female characters like Hinata are usually the side love interest, shy/quiet/submissive/no confidence, a doormat, worship the MC, blushes a lot, looks helpless and pathetic. A lot of the times, the mangaka have no interest in these two archetypes, they created them because that's part of the shonen formula.

About Hinata worrying things that are out side of her control, and do not work on herself, the first part also applies to naruto, he's obsessed with if he's popular, if sasuke acknowledged him, how people viewed and treated him, things that he had no control. the difference is naruto worked on himself and became stronger. He's the MC so he got to make progress and achieve, Hinata didn't get that, she got to say naruto kun because she's just a minor love interest. I don't think hinata was written to encourage toxic mindset, it's just that her character was not meant to have progress, she's created to let boys feel good about the prospect of having a fangirl, a cheerleader, someone who would admire and validate them.

Hinata stans are similar to Naruto stans, they always argue there's no point to them speaking up or trying to make changes happen, they wouldn't make any difference (even when Naruto is the hokage), because their stans do not care about things outside their little fantasy with getting a man/a girl and a good life, everything else outside themselves is meaningless and pointless to them

[southsidestory]

This got me thinking in the tvote universe

If hinata didn't exist who would you think could have been with Naruto and the same for sakura .

The only one who he showed an interest other than her was his crush on sakura but that wasn't nowhere deep and sakura would still not like him romantically even if sasuke existed or not . My bet would be ayame loll

As for sakura I don't know she was never interested in rock lee and Naruto romantically just platonically and morio I don't think she even saw his face properly .

Id say she would mp not fall in love like shizune .

It's probably because in Naruto you fall in love once or not once in a lifetime . That's why I said this .

Sasuke might love masami cause he as you yourself said he felt something mildly romantic for her but I can't say the same for sakura . Matter of perspective

I fully agree that Sakura wouldn't be with anyone had Sasuke not been in the picture. She falls in love with him despite the many, many reasons that being together is a terrible idea lol

I don't generally ascribe to the belief that all characters in Naruto fic can only have relationships with their canon love interests. This is, after all, fanfiction.

But with the TVOTE 'verse in particular, I just can't see it. Part of that is because of Sakura's dedication to the cause. She's a teenage girl who's gotten wrapped up in a rebellion, and her focus is largely fixed on fighting for a more equitable Konoha. Without the sort of fierce, passionate, overwhelming love that she feels for Sasuke, I truly can't imagine her putting her efforts into a relationship. And there's no other character I can picture making her feel that way.

Regarding Sasuke, I don't think he could ever love anyone the way he loves Sakura. But without Sakura there to tempt him to stray from his duty, he would have married Masami. Sasuke is the kind of man who would try very hard to be a good father and husband, even to a wife he hadn't chosen. He does like Masami, and they are quite compatible in certain ways. In different circumstances (i.e. without Sakura), I could see them having a functional partnership, mutual affection, and equal dedication to their children. Which, over time, could grow into love... just not the kind of intense, once-in-a-lifetime love he shares with Sakura in TVOTE.

As in canon, Naruto's crush on Sakura in TVOTE starts out shallow. It strengthens into something more substantial over time--but that's mostly Naruto confusing their very loving platonic friendship for deep romantic feelings. Once he gets together with Hinata, he can see the difference.

Thanks for the ask, anon!

(FYI to anyone reading this, I now have anonymous asks turned off, but you're free to send TVOTE questions from your blog <3 )

[captnjacksparrow]

Team Minato is what Team 7 should've been if Naruto and Sasuke are only friends, Sakura is not an annoying asshole and Naruto is romantically attracted to Sakura. Only then will they become a great team who cares about each other.

Sasuke would be like Kakashi, indifferent towards Naruto and Sakura but still care about them as his comrades.

Sakura would be like Rin, who still loves Sasuke but she wouldn't be obsessed with him and she will be a great friend to Naruto.

Naruto would be like Obito, who genuinely like Sakura romantically and become Sasuke's rival but he will still care about him as a comrade.

Like you said in one of your posts, Naruto is similar to Obito, Sasuke is similar to Kakashi and Sakura would be Rin if she was intended as a likeable character who loves Sasuke but still care about Naruto as a friend.

BUT since that's not what Kishimoto intended, then I'm fine with what he gave us, even though Team 7 is a poor excuse of a team in Narutoverse because of their hidden agendas and priorities.

I just found interesting. What are your thoughts?

"Team Minato is what Team 7 should have been" is such a truer words...

Look at this panel.

Sasuke, just like Kakashi, acts like he doesn't care about anyone.

Sakura, just like Rin, conveys her interest on Sasuke (Kakashi).

Naruto, just like Obito, conveys his interest on Sakura (Rin).

This is it. You have everything set up. All the Author has to do is to expand the story with this dynamics as foundation and we would've gotten a whole different story... Believe me, I too thought that this story would go that way...

But what did he do?? He literally subverted the trope that he set up in that same chapter...

He made that Accidental Kiss between N and S.

He established Sakura to be an Annoying and Insensitive Asshole. As Compared to Rin's Compassionate Behaviour.

He established Sasuke as someone who cares about Naruto. As Compared to Kakashi's indifference towards both his teammates.

He established Naruto as someone who likes Sakura because of her love/ obsession towards Sasuke. As Compared to Obito's love towards Rin which was purely out of the Acknowledgement she gave him many times and a certain attraction.

So yes, I think this Team Minato dynamics was what the Author used as an Illusion, from the very beginning, in order to make the Audience to deliberately fall into a trap that they could never come out... Like that part of fandom who goes gung-ho about Team 7.

And he secretly ended up giving that Dynamics to Kakashi by Chapter 16 itself.

Very Clever move from the Author, Indeed.

[sasukesun]

thank you so much for answering my ask ♡ i loved reading your response.

something i forgot to mention (and this will be the last ask i bother you with) is that when sns shippers use ''naruto is obsessed with sasuke'' as proof their relationship is romantic, itasasus or antis will always say ''well naruto may be obsessed with sasuke, but sasuke is obsessed with itachi, not naruto.'' to try and minimalize naruto's importance to sasuke and to say sasuke is in love with itachi, not naruto.

in a lot of instances obsession DOES equal romantic interest, i think in naruto's case it does = romantic, it's funny how so many characters, including sakura and itachi point out naruto is absolutely obsessed with sasuke. sasuke is obsessed with naruto in his own way, itachi is very important to him but he didn't say he was alone when itachi was dead because naruto was still there for him, only with naruto dead as well would he achieve complete darkness, it's not true itachi was his only important person

i personally don't think sasuke is as insanely obsessed with itachi as people say (but that's just my opinion, maybe i just don't like what people insinuate when they say he is obsessed) only because there's always a bigger reason he centers his life around him. he adored his brother as a kid, he believed itachi was perfect (itasasus say the word perfect is proof of romantic interest because it's weird to call someone perfect, such a dumb argument. when he says perfect he basically asks ''how could you agree with konoha, you were perfect'' (basically asking how could he side with konoha)), then, he centered his life around itachi because he believed itachi killed his family and he wanted revenge, then when he found the truth it was again about itachi because how could it not be and obito used him to reveal it in the most traumatic way. i feel like people don't understand the way trauma can shape you or make you view the loved ones you lost. by this i'm not exactly saying you can't say sasuke obsesses over itachi, but it is true that the manga points out sasuke obsesses over revenge, not itachi necessarily. that does not mean itachi (as well as naruto) aren't his most important people, i'm not trying to dismiss itachi's importance at all, but i feel like it's just not true to say sasuke is obsessed with itachi the same way naruto is obsessed with sasuke. because one is romantic obsession. it means naruto is very much IN LOVE. just the way is depicted in the manga is enough to see the difference.

i really wouldn't be here writing about how a relationship between brothers isn't romantic if it was, i don't support shipping incest at all, but i would not claim something isn't romantic if it was alike to what cersei and jaime in gto were like for example. itachi's and sasuke's relationship isn't platonic BECAUSE incest is morally wrong, it's platonic because it's just not depicted in a romantic way, it's that simple. and sasuke is sexualized in the manga a lot, if he is sexualized during his fight with itachi or when there's a panel of naked sasuke in war arc when itachi is explaining shisui's eye, it doesn't mean there's sexual undertones to their relationship. it's true that sasuke is sexualized when he is being used or manipulated usually, with orochimaru, with obito, it does not make his relationship with obito have sexual undertones or anything, nor does the scene with suigetsu prove there's sexual chemistry between them, even if the scene looks suggestive to sexualize sasuke. the scene where sasuke gets very close to naruto at orochimaru's hideout feels different, probably because sasuke is the one who got that close and that is so unlike him.

sasuke's relationship with itachi is not normal as you said, it is very emotional, tragic and abusive, and i feel like people who say itachi's and sasuke's love is pure unlike sns is just people outright lying to dismiss sns, to say itachi can give sasuke all the love he needs and that naruto is not needed or the ''abuser'' is such a pathetic attempt to paint itachi as a saint, as sad as it is itachi was unable to make sasuke feel at peace like naruto, make him laugh and cry out of happiness again, so naruto is very much needed for sasuke to feel loved, to have someone he can rely on and to let himself feel and hope for a better future. without naruto his story would be a literal tragedy where he ends up alone suffering forever due to all the trauma, abuse and manipulation and just the thought of that is so upsetting and makes me appreciate vote 2 and it's message a lot more

it’s not a bother, don’t worry. i totally agree with everything that you said. i don’t deny “itas/asu” because it’s incest and i don’t support shipping it, i deny it because there isn’t romance in their relationship. jaime and cersei is a good example, i clearly don’t ship them, but it’s obvious that their relationship is romantic because they feel that way towards each other, i’m not denying it, it’s incestuous period. itachi and sasuke are not.

how is sasuke not obsessed with naruto? sasuke had to actively separate himself from naruto because of naruto’s influence in his heart and revenge. sasuke put naruto’s life before his revenge, even though he lived for it ever since the massacre. sasuke basically puts naruto and itachi on the same level when he says “after itachi i thought i was alone, but there was naruto” and sasuke thinks it’s his duty to cut naruto off. he has to do it. no one else is allowed to. he has to take naruto to where they first fought and look at him, stand as his equal and explain all of that to naruto, because naruto means that much to him. and yes, being obsessed doesn’t equal romance. do people really think that sasuke being obsessed with itachi after being abused and traumatised in such way is so crazy it has to mean romance? i literally said this more than a year ago lol. sasuke’s obsession with itachi is pretty much… reasonable, but what’s the reason of his obsession with naruto anyway? feeling comfort and warmth and a desire to get closer to him? again, the context matters! the arguments you brought are so cherrypicking on their side. like- “saying itachi was perfect”. why is that romantic? itachi was a prodigy! he easily got his father’s approval, something sasuke craved for! he was a model to sasuke! that’s what he means bruh. maybe i really should make a post about how sasuke’s sexualisation often is used when he’s also being manipulated… such as when him being brainwashed by a genjutsu is mentioned? hah who would’ve thought? the same way his relationship with obito and orochimaru isn’t sexual just because he is sexualised by them (not on sasuke’s side in orochimaru’s case at least). and what you said about reunion is also true, i’ve talked about this before as well.

i also think sasuke and itachi’s relationship is far from being pure when there is so much abuse, manipulation and trauma involved. i’ve talked about this already too but… i don’t go undermining sasuke’s (brotherly) love for itachi even though i don’t like it much either because i can understand itachi was one of sasuke’s most important people. those people have illogical double standards between itachi and naruto because they personally don’t like naruto, that’s really just going against facts and basically misinterpreting the manga so it supports their dislikes. i don’t think i added much to what you’ve already said because i agree with everything and maybe i’m just being repetitive but i thought it was unfair to write “i agree!” after everything you wrote

[thefairyletters]

NaruSaku Fanfics

I wouldn't say much – I love NaruSaku and I hate to see great works shadowed behind the piles of popular NS stories that I never have liked as much except for a few, which also I'll drop below in the list.

I'll update this list whenever I come across a story that I particularly enjoy or finds worth spreading word across. So be sure to like and reblog this post so you can revisit it to add new story in your reading pile later.

Also, genres vary and are not mentioned, but does it make any difference as long as the story is good?

Warning: super long post featuring beautiful, beautiful stories that you wouldn't regret reading. I swear. I'm positive. Contains SNS and other side pairings.

Without further ado;

How I fell in love with my best friend: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

How the little blond boy Sakura had always known had changed, changing as well her feelings. The unfolding of their life, while Naruto worked to become the best Hokage and she faced her own emotions. Growing Love.

(I have nothing but upmost reverence for this story. This author writes one of the nest NS and I have loved all. NS is beautiful and Sakura is badass. Everything we already know is here and more.)

.

Dangerous infiltration mission: Krapo || ff.net || M || complete

Naruto and Sakura are send by the Hokage for a difficult infiltration mission. They will have to face more than just the danger itself as they will have to keep their cover to be fake husband and wife credible. how it will impact the relationship between the two ninja. Growing Love. Misunderstanding.

(If you loved the aforementioned story, you'll love this one too. Mutual pining.)

.

All over again: Krapo || ff.net || M || post-war || complete

Sasuke come back, Team seven is reunited. But Sakura has lost Naruto. How will she make him fall in love with her again? What other difficulties lies ahead of them?

(Naruto loses memory. SasuSaku angst but not in romantic sense and I loved it all. Misunderstanding and more mutual pining. And I'm in love with this story too.)

.

Hit the floor running: Sakurablossom009 || A03 || M (but unnecessary) || Modern Hitman/Robbers AU || complete

Life was going great, Sakura thought. She was penniless, stranded in Europe without a way home, her fiancee had just dumped her for another woman AND her new companion was quite possibly a thief. How could things get any worse? Wait...was that guy pointing a gun at her?

(Now, personally, I don't prefer modern AU, but this story really had interesting characterisation and more character depth. NaruSaku is pretty spot on. It also features SasuHina and bamf!Hinata)

.

The greatest pretenders: snowyseas || ff.net || M || Borutoverse || ongoing

Fifteen years is a long time to not talk to someone you consider your best friend, and is made even more difficult when they (and you) are married. The things Sakura should have confronted Naruto about never came to fruition, but as an old saying goes, "the truth will always be revealed".

(Your typical I-made-a-wrong-choice-but-now-can-be-done story but unlike many other stories in this they don't admit their love for each chapter at the first chapter itself. In fact, it feels so canon and you can almost superimpose it upon the canon. Sakura is mentally strong and knows what's right. )

.

He was the sun: SavageTrickster || ff.net || T || Canonverse || ongoing

He had come a long way - from a lonely orphan ostracized by everyone to a loved hero. He deserved all these. His Hokage dream to come true. All the ramen he could eat. - Her eyes fell on a certain Hyuuga seated close enough for accidental touches. Her heart sank a little at a harsh whisper of reminder - And a deserving girl...who could give him all her love.

(So far so good. It's ongoing, and is at chapter 3. Sakura leaves Konoha much like how Naruto did, to explore the world aka seeing my headcanon in writing.)

.

Wilderness: Kanji no Sakka || M || canondivergent || ongoing

As the war screeches to a temporary halt, Naruto leaves the battlefield on a unique mission only he can complete. Sakura is ordered to go with him. In the days that follow their bond is changed forever.

(Although I hate any explicit stories that involve characters below age 17, I give this a pass because of the uniqueness of plot and characterisation. It has fine lemons that comes with a good plot.)

.

How It Should Have Been: OfPaintAndOil || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Sasuke was supposed to be the dark one, the unredeemable one. Naruto was the bright one, the good one. It wasn't supposed to be like this, with blood on his hands and glowing red eyes and a grin. Naruto was supposed to make everything better, and maybe he did, in the end, but Sakura had never expected the end to look quite like this.

(Featuring Yandere!Naruto. It leaves you wanting for more and is a fascinating read. It's dark themed so proceed with caution as your favorite character might or might not be dead.)

.

The Best Dates are the Cheap Ones: Shivakashi || ff.net || T || post!Timeskip || Oneshot

The whole point was to get the best date; that meant the richest and classiest guy, right? Sakura realizes what she has taken for granted and Ino learns a lesson in value.

(Sakura learns her lesson and snatches her boy. InoNaru is worth noting. Not the best characterisation of Sakura but bear with her jealousy for that is the reason why NS fluff exists. Story itself is very light and entertaining.)

.

mangoes and strawberries: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

Sakura Haruno was elbow deep in Naruto Uzumaki's guts when he asked her to marry him. It was so not the right time. But she still said yes.

(This story just screams NS upon every single line. Diabetes warning. Too cute for this world. One of the best NS fluff I've read thus far. It kinda sticks to you forever!)

.

18 minutes, 23 seconds: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || postwar || oneshot

in which Naruto asks Sakura about that time she literally reached into his chest and grabbed his heart with her bare hand.

(Heartwarming. We all know how Sakura held Naruto's heart on her palms and how we love that moment. This is memory of that moment reminisced by our cutie pies.)

.

One Big Uzumaki Family: John Smith || ff.net || T || postwar || Complete

A set of drabbles revolving around Naruto, Sakura, and their children. It turns out that, when the war ends, these two get busy. Real busy.

(IF YOU DON'T READ THIS MASTERPIECE HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF NS FAN?!!! READ!!! This story should be on the top of your reading list.

UNDERRATED AF!

R e a d t h i s s t o r y and cry with me for this should have been canon. 100%)

.

My Life Would Suck Without You: peanutbutter126 || ff.net || T || oneshot collection

Sometimes it's the smallest things that matter the most.

(Read this and then One big Uzumaki family. You'll feel super satisfied. I promise.)

.

Colors and Carousels: Folle Sakura || ff.net || T || oneshot

She couldn't count the number of times she'd been mistaken for Naruto's girlfriend. Not that she minded. But Naruto acted like it was so… so… offensive.

(No words for this one. Just read and enjoy the confusion.)

.

Let's Get Married: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

It was supposed to be a simple solution to their immediate problems. But maybe they took more than they can chew?

(This is one of my few favorites that is also popular. Spot on characterization and beautiful relationship growth. This is one of the few stories that always stuck to me.)

.

Chasing Smoke with Bare Hands: soulaire || ff.net || T || oneshot

"I could have loved her," Sasuke says flatly. "If she'd just given me the chance—" "Sakura gave you all the chances in the world," Kakashi cuts in, stern. "You underestimated her. And you underestimated her ability to walk away from you. At the core of it all, that's where things went wrong."

(This story is for those who loves both SS and NS but thinks Sakura deserves happier life than what she got in canon. Features NS and slight SS.)

.

Touch: ohthelinsanity || ff.net || T || oneshot

Kakashi watches as his student grow to be more physically comfortable with one another. He finds it kinda ridiculous.

(Fluff. Feelings. Kakashi's fed up and might have diabetes from all the observation.)

.

Moonlight shadows: luvtoshi || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sometimes, the moon brings out hidden feelings to the surface.

(Beautiful literature. NS feels. You can almost mistake it for canon with the way characters are written.)

.

Seriously Serious: Damsel in Shining Armor || ff.net || T || modern AU || oneshot

He confessed to her when they first met. He confessed to her years after. He confessed to her almost everyday. Her response was almost always positive... So why the heck was he still single? "I love you." "Love you too. So is Sasuke-kun taken or not?"

(The only reason why I even picked this story is that it is a oneshot. I have very little interest in modern AU. But this one makes another exception. Pining. Love at first sight.)

.

It was always you: luvtoshi || ff.net || M || postwar || complete

The war is long over. They have both grown. Now it's time to conclude their story. Naruto and Sakura.

(You know what, all stories from this author are just, Chef's kiss. )

.

A Safe Pair of Hands: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || oneshot

Sakura heeds a stern warning to make it clear how she feels about Naruto.

(Feels. You'll love this if you like first person pov. This story told from Sakura's pov.)

.

Other Dreams: tricksie || ff.net || M || oneshot

"Naruto, you shouldn't endanger yourself—" "Stop it," he snapped. Dropping his arm to hook under her seat, Naruto pulled her firmly onto his hip, locking her to him. Sakura gasped, suddenly aware of just how very close they were.

(Sexual tension. Romance. Leaves you wanting. Also, high on feels and lust on equal measure.)

.

Heaven Unexpected: Folle || ff.net || M || oneshot

Because nothing can happen; it's Naruto. He always comes back. He's practically indestructible.

(Heavy on feels. There are chances that it might rain. Actually there are high chances. But oh well, it's beautiful and one of my favourites so here it goes.)

.

Shade of the Leaf: Ravyn || ff.net || T || canon divergent || complete

Sasuke is back. Naruto has joined ANBU. Sakura is spending more time in the hospital than in the field. Team 7 struggles to redefine itself, because sometimes you don't know what you really want after all.

(Featuring Mature but still in-character!Naruto, Badass!Sakura, (Bit)Supportive!Sasuke along with Team 7 friendship. Mutual pining. Ending but with a lot loose ends.)

.

Breaking Up Isn't that Hard to Do: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

This is not an epic tale of action, suspense and true love. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.

(This is pure comedy. With a dash of romance. And insanity.)

.

Steamy Encounters: Narf-for-the-Garthoc || ff.net || T || oneshot

A flurry of coincidences and fateful machinations bring Naruto and Sakura together at the local baths. Can they rein in their animal passions? And do you really think that's the kind of story I write?

(Just r e a d. Please.)

.

Garden of Sanctuary: Nes Mikel || ff.net || T || Canon divergent || oneshot

An alternate ending to Naruto. The Heavens describe the Garden a peaceful paradise. The Hells describe the Garden a baneful prison. In here... which is it?

(This is part of a series which you can follow from the author's profile. This is the second part, but can be read exclusively. As far as the AU goes, this story and settings is brilliant and heartbreaking. This is told from Naruto's pov. To look at things from Sakura's, read the first part. It is multi-chaptered.)

.

Complications: Geno Calamari || ff.net || T || canon divergent || oneshot

While capturing the Kyuubi, Uchiha Itachi finds true adversaries in the form of Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto.

(Wanna see NaruSaku teamwork? This is it! You wouldn't find it anywhere better. Strong!Naruto, Strong!Sakura versus Itachi Uchiha)

.

Life is a waving feather: jusrecht || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Everyone thought they were inevitable.

(There's beauty in subtlety and this is that. Also, mentions of character death.)

.

Home: kirabook || AO3 || T || AU || complete

Shinachiku finds himself in a strange place with little to no explanation. Everyone he knows is there, but why are they acting so strangely? Why do they seem so different? And where is his home? 

(Cute and heartwrenching at the same time. Cameo Stalker. Read this for NS family feels pre-marriage.)

.

Things we never say: thekatthatbarks || AO3 || T || oneshot

She wished she knew how to hold things lightly. There were some things she was terrified of breaking. Whether it be from an honest misstep or simply because she could.

(Reminds you why we love NS so much.)

.

Open seasons: sazzafraz || AO3 || T || SNS || postwar || oneshot

The way Sasuke comes home is less myth and more devastatingly embarrassing happenstance.

(Featuring badass!Sakura, obedient!Naruto and normal!Sasuke, as well as Sakura's commentary on her life)

.

Five things Sakura will never tell Naruto: sowell || AO3 || T || AU || oneshot

Kunoichi know how to keep their secrets.

(NS relationship analysis story.)

.

Artistic purposes: StormyInk || AO3 || M || AU || Oneshot

Sai finds his favorite drawing subjects a bit lacking of late, and he sets a plan into motion to draw his team mates together. Simply for the sake of his art, of course.

(Aka Sai is fed up from seeing his teammates dancing around each other and decides to help them get laid–the story. You gotta admit Sai is the best wingman.)

.

I collect my tears (so I can drown you in them): amako || AO3 || T || AU || complete

The hardest thing is letting go. Or Sakura sees Naruto falling in love with Shikamaru a little more every day, and she does the only thing she can think of. Then it's only a matter of learning how to stop loving Naruto.

(Sakura and Angst that has nothing to do with Sasuke. Featuring Sakura-sensei. And Shikamaru. It's a great story if you know when to let go of canon)

.

Stranger than the wild: kiddattwell || AO3 || M || SNS || postwar || Ongoing

The war is over and Sasuke is home for good, but Sakura can't choose between the boys she loves. Sasuke still has his demons and Naruto still fights them and Sakura still follows them both, but this time down a path that none of them expected.

(This is canon. It is the best SNS story I've ever read. Story told in SNS POV in rotation. Slow burn, pining and relationship complication. YOU GOTTA READ THIS, I INSIST!!!! Also features SaiIno and InoShika.)

.

Bringing Back Sasuke: Blue Jeans || ff.net || T || post war || oneshot

Naruto brings Sasuke back to Sakura. Many, many times over. Sasuke does not appreciate; not the blood and definitely not the angst.

(I've read this story multiple times and it gets funnier and makes your heart hurt and swell simultaneously each time. NaruSaku wouldn't be blissfully happy together without Sasuke thrown somewhere in the mix, that's exactly why I love SNS. This story perfectly represents the dynamic of team 7.)

.

Yurei: Kanji no Sakka || ff.net || T || AU || oneshot

The past should stay dead and buried, but it won't if Naruto can't let go.

(Not exactly my favourite story, but I liked the concept. We all know how stubborn Naruto is once decides on something. If he wants to become Hokage, he will become Hokage. If he believes in Sasuke, he will believe in him forever. If he loves Sakura, he will marry her – uh, or should have, very OCC of him that he didn't.)

.

Tag NS fan you know so they don't miss any of this!

[keepyourlife]

Yeah I get your point with Sakura, but probably the only time she could beat his ass is when he doesn't fight back. The author didn't really want strong female characters.

The thing is wished Sakura stopped wanting Sasuke, like that at the end of Naruto she would have moved on. The way she was treated was horrible. I mean they could develop her feelings for him in the novel and buroto.

thing is, you're right. yes, sasuke would of course be able to easily defeat sakura. and that's on kishimoto and his fear of female characters being stronger than the male ones.

your point about her letting go of her feelings for sasuke?? you're so right. see, the reason i was happy they ended up together was nostalgia. i remember watching naruto as a little kid and really liking sakura, as i kind of identified with her. and when the anime showed us that sasuke and sakura were sharing some could-be-romantic moments, i loved that. (before anyone comes for me: i was 7, "toxic" wasn't something i knew. i literally just wanted my favourite character to end up with her love interest) so from that standpoint, i was happy. sakura of course deserves better. the shit sasuke put her through, all of them, but sakura AND THEIR DAUGHTER especially, is enough reason for her to just. dump him, really. if they made a storyline of it, them working through the whole part where sarada grew up without a father, how sakura was basically a single mom who didn't even know if her husband was still alive or where he was. how he literally tried to kill her once. like, a forehead tap is not gonna make that okay. (shoutout to itachi) then yea, please. but for that to happen, the authors would have to recognise that they're reducing a female character to being a mother & always forgiving her husband because sHe LovES hIM.

i don't like what they did to hinata. like, overall, but especially in boruto. the real tragedy are female characters in shonen anime, i feel like.

and, let's be real, kishimoto's tendency to just make all kunoichi medical-nins pissed me off at some point. like, with sakura it made sense. team 7 at some point all had their individual teachers (naruto had jiraya, sakura had tsunade, sasuke had. well. orochimaru) and sakura becoming the best in the field? makes sense. she wanted to be able to be with her teammates, but she also realised that she wouldn't be able to be as strong in fighting as they were. so she found another way, by working her ass off, cause she didn't have a freaking god inside of her, or a sharingan/rinnegan. but like,, i recently watched the episode of obito's death and yea, of course they made the only female character in the team the medical-nin. same with team konohamaru. i get it, boruto is the protagonist, he's the fighter, then you have mitsuki and sarada. and of course the med is sarada. ("she has her mom's talents" shut up shut up shut up, girls don't have to always be like their mothers)

and oof, yeah topic boruto and how sakura and sasuke are shown there. listen, i watch that anime for sarada, sasuke and sakura. that's just a fact. i love the og team 7 and i LOVE sarada. i think it's nice that one of the main characters is a glasses-wearing uchiha, that thank god isn't male for once. love that boruto is looking up to sasuke, while sarada wants to be like naruto. (and i swear, if that one doesn't end up with sarada becoming hokage)

[bloomingtalent]

cc-sasuke: Naruto (fandom), SasuHina (ship), Hinata (character)

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Sasuke hands down!

Least Favorite character: Hmm...I think that is probably Danzo

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): 1. Sasuhina 2.Minakushi 3.Narusaku 4.TemaShika (though I don't ship them as much as the others) 5.ObiRin

Character I find most attractive: Sasuke lol

Character I would marry: If I had too...perhaps either Sasuke or (Naruto)

Character I would be best friends with: Idk...maybe Tenten or Hinata

a random thought: I have always wondered where Kabuto's loyalties lay, particularly because he attempted to kill Sasuke but saved Hinata during the Chuunin Exams.

An unpopular opinion: I really wanted Sasuke to go through with his revolution and see how it'd change everyone's lives, at least in an OVA or something.

My Canon OTP: Narusaku! (I know they aren't canon now but they have been hinted at in canon a lot).

My Non-canon OTP: Sasuhina.

Most Badass Character: Sakura! (Sasuke is a given but I wanted my answers to be different lol)

Most Epic Villain: Idk...I always thought Orochimaru was creepy, especially in part one

Pairing I am not a fan of: Naruhina/Sasusaku

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): So many tbh but I will go with Hinata cause she had so much potential

Favourite Friendship: Narusasu, even with their flaws

Character I most identify with: I think Hinata, minus the love interest

Character I wish I could be: Hmmm...maybe Tenten or Sakura, ignoring some of her flaws.

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: Before part 2 came around and because of one image I saw of them lol

My thoughts: I feel that even if they wouldn't have ended up together, they could have been good friends, particularly in childhood and bond over the fact that they are ignored by their father and in shadow of their sibling.

What makes me happy about them: That there are so many subtle similarities between them and there was never any negativity concerning them.

What makes me sad about them: That they haven't spoken to each other at all!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I think I've seen a few fics that make Hinata bolder than she really is and it irks me cause she doesn't need to be like that to make the dynamic work.

Things I look for in fanfic: Good canon representation, slight horror as well, whether AU or not.

My wishlist: I have too many but the main one I have atm is Sasuke actually killing Naruto and becoming Hokage and Hinata trying to deal with this and whether she'd try to oppose him as others have tried.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: For Sasuke...I think maybe with someone who doesn't just blindly love him but actually sees him more than handsome so perhaps some unknown girl/civilian even (I don't ship Sasukarin really). As for Hinata, I think...maybe Lee (or Kiba) would be nice? Because they would pay attention to her more than Naruto would imo.

My happily ever after for them: I think Hinata will stay true to her words and stop chasing Naruto while Naruto helps Sasuke get justice (with either Sasuke or Naruto as Hokage) and they could meet when the branch member seals are being abolished and so, start getting closer to being acquainted. Time will then, do the rest.

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: I feel she had a lot of potential with Kishi not giving her enough attention and SP giving the wrong kind of attention to her.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Sasuke, Sakura, (Lee maybe, Kiba a little), Shikamaru (I blame @theonecoolnara and their recent reply for this lol) I think I need to write more to see with other characters.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Nejihina

My unpopular opinion about this character: I had really hoped that she would be able to move on from Naruto because she knows he likes Sakura (he called her his girlfriend while she was present) and I hate how people fail to see that Naruto's ignorance of her confession is mostly overlooked.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she would've never had those thoughts about Naruto's hand during Neji's death and that she got more than one panel of standing in front of his grave. I wanted her to at least try and ask to get side branch member's seal removed.

Favorite friendship for this character: Sakuhina (especially if we were shown more and that doesn't involve love interests). Another one is Nejihina

My crossover ship: Mephisto and Hinata (I blame @serasarc for this and their lovely shenanigans we make up for this ship).

[sneezemonster15]

Do you have any feelings on Ino. I think I remember you saying you don't like her but I don't know which post. Besides always picking fun at Choji (I truly don't know why she does this) is the fact that she's treated as Sakura's equal or that she has to catch up with her. Like for example the chunin exams. I 100% believe Ino should have won that match. Yes, Ino loses badly against any other person but she had every right to win against Sakura.

Even her relationship with Sai. I used to think that it was to show Ino was still hung up on Sasuke and had to settle for a look alike but now I think maybe a healthier and mutual version of SS.

I don't think much of her. Her character is not very deep or substantial or well explored. But she certainly has an arc with whatever visibility she gets. She starts off as a fangirl and is shown as hung up on Sasuke till the end despite Sasuke never having shown any interest in her. We see her dreaming about Sasuke during infinite tsukuyomi and remembering Sasuke during her father's last moment. But she matures in other ways. She gives confidence to Sakura, when Sakura is very small and insecure about her looks. She helps her during the forest of death arc (and yet Sakura disrespects her during the one on one chuunin battle) and even fixes her hair. She didn't have to do any of it considering how Sakura treated her. But she did. She is encouraging towards her team mates, she gives confidence to Chouji when he is feeling inadequate during the war arc and she is determined to contribute to the war efforts, ceaselessly working with her mind affecting jutsus. She really takes on a lot given her experience and carries on her father's legacy proudly. She desists from grieving her father who has just been bombed and keeps working without shedding tears. Her team is the only team of their generation that actually demonstrates team work. Even though Chouji and Shikamaru are best friends, she doesn't get insecure or resentful, she keeps up with them and she is good friends with both of them. She is smart, as evidenced in her battle with Sakura, when she cuts off her hair that is initially perceived as a dramatic schtick like it definitely was for Sakura, but uses it to her advantage in the battle, tricking Sakura, like a proper shinobi would. She certainly deserved that win. Her character arc certainly sees a change and she evolves to be a more mature and skilled person. Unlike Sakura and Hinata.

However her relationship with Sai is still shady. The filler used SNS tropes to get them together. But it's not really seen in canon anywhere. Sai is gay coded and he is shown to be not interested in Ino in Naruto and Shippuden canon. I wouldn't compare it with SS anyhow because Ino and Sai are different types of people. Sai doesn't have a romantic interest in her but he also doesn't get annoyed by her. However, there's hardly any development between the two. But in Boruto, they do come off as harmonious. So at least it's not toxic like SS or NH. They were just half heartedly paired up so Inojin could play his part in Boruto. That's all the foundation for InoSai.

She was perhaps one of the very few people who sees Sakura as she is. The other ones being Sasuke, Konohamaru and Naruto. She keeps implying that she gets why Sakura does what she does. Plus this.

She gets that Sakura is a deeply insecure person who measures her self worth through constant external validation and the status of the boy she likes. Even though we get to see Sakura having an inner voice that is her real voice that Ino doesn't, Ino gets that Sakura is a duplicitous person.

I don't really mind that she picks on Chouji though because it all seems like a private joke. Yes, Chouji is insecure about his looks as well. But he should understand that it is his jutsu that makes him look like that and it's his jutsu that requires him to eat huge amounts of food. He is the one who gets triggered when someone calls him fat, which he is. He owns it eventually, and that's where his coming of age arc concludes, him letting his insecurities go, breaking out of his cocoon and sprouting wings, literally. Lol. Ino just helps toughen him up, she is a carefree and confident girl who doesn't feel the need to constantly walk on eggshells with others, unlike Hinata. Ugh. But it's not like she is totally insensitive. She does very well in war arc to emotionally support Shikamaru and Chouji. And she is besides herself feeling genuinely sad for Sasuke when he briefly works for Akatsuki and doesn't jump on the bandwagon that wants to get rid of him without knowing his story.

But one thing I can say. As far as her being Sakura's rival goes, Ino certainly surpasses her as per the narrative and their respective arcs. They both use different types of jutsus and they have different strengths so there's not much of a scope for comparison in Shippuden. Ino is a sensory ninja where her expertise necessarily lies is being part of the inoshikacho combination attack, Sakura is a medical ninja with the ability to punch. But while Sakura is clearly shown to not have accomplished much in the war arc but mostly being a liability (what with attacking Madara and getting rescued and failure of stabbing Obito's eye and again getting rescued and then again in lava dimension) but bragging about it nevertheless, Ino is shown to have matured, become more determined and skillful, taking her duties seriously and working hard to genuinely save her people, not to show off to others. Cookie points for her and a tissue box for Sakura. ))

[shadyhorsedragon]

I think both relationships are not necessarily impossible, but poorly executed.

In SasuSaku's case, it has been subtly shown that Sasuke feels affection towards Sakura (affection that, knowing the dude, wouldn't be overtly shown). The problem lies more in the fact that the development of their relationship happens after the main story : it's not impossible but it leaves the reader/viewer unsatisfied and feels like a conclusion taken out of nowhere. We were supposed to see the relationship grow during Shippuden if such important characters were to end up together. Not only does it mean that the development was one-sided on Sakura's part, but also that it was supposed to be linked to their evolution during the manga : what we see at the end should be relevant to what happened during the manga, not what could be if random secondary character were to be noticed by the protagonist. We need closure. If I remember correctly, Kishimoto said somewhere that Sasuke began to fall in love with Sakura at the moment she healed Naruto and Sasuke after their final fight, which makes sense regarding the fact that Sasuke just learnt to love again, Sakura being one of the people he used to love, he realized that he messed things up with her, and started to feel again what he felt three years ago. However then again, we don't see him make amend to her, and we don't see their relationship grow. (Actually, Sakura has no impact on Sasuke during his revenge phase : she loves him unconditionally ? Naruto does that already. She made it her mission to bring Sasuke back ? Literally one of Naruto's main goals. She loves him but not in the same way as she did during her childhood, her feelings have grown and matured ? Naruto realized he doesn't truely understand Sasuke, and made it his mission to understand him better. After the emo boy attacked the 5 Kages, Naruto told him that if they fight they will die together, and when they do, they won't be burdened anymore and will be come to understand one another. Annnnnd he's been stated to be obsessed with bringing Sasuke back. Whoa there man calm down : bruh even Sakura, who loves Sasuke unconditionally, doesn't go that far). The only reason why it makes sense to put them together is that Sakura represents to family love that Sasuke misses.

In NaruHina's case, the dude doesn't even realize she loves him romantically till the movie The Last, so we have no romantic involvement on Naruto's part during the entire manga. You know, the thing containing the main materials for Naruto's evolution. No biggie. Also she interacts with him a few times, and then that's it. And when they get to show interest towards each other, it's sweet, but then again, they're supposed to make each other change or grow and we don't see that. If you don't want to make Naruto's story love-centered, fine, but don't go making random relationships up a the end. How is that relevant to the characters' evolutions ? Marrying Hinata feels like a bonus at the end, like, "oh okay he married her, she's nice but whatever". I know that Kishimoto has stated through Kakashi that there's no reason for love, but still... (he also stated himself that he's bad at writing romance.)

All in all, we got poor execution on Sakura's part, too few content on Hinata's, and closure on SasuNaru's. Who do you think we're gonna ship ?

weird how people think sasuke likes sakura