This topic is locked
EDIT: okay it is a bit better now.
First, you have no idea how bad I want to comment on the cover of this chapter. However, since it was NaruHina's that made the statement and not SasuSaku's, I'll say nothing more than I have. They didn't make claim so its not right for me to make it here.
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Ok, if you don't want to think that Sakura is still in love with Sasuke, or that she never was at any point, fine by me. But is it necessary to try to play down and rationalize a way out of the fact that she is focusing on him in that scene? Of course nothing that is not blatantly stated can be said with 100% certainty, but come on, the whole chapter, I think, is very obviously focused on the impact and influence of Sasuke's absence. Why then, when the rest of the chapter is permeated with the latter, would one scene with Sakura be about something different when she should also be affected by it? That makes a lot less sense than a smooth continuity. Like I said, believe what you want about the nature of the feelings, but no need to try to explain away what you don't want to see. (I agree that SasuSaku is not canon, which I'm guessing is a comment that is being responded to; my response is only in dealing with the interpretation of the point of Sakura's presence in the chapter.)
True Sasuke's impact is important but you are not distinguishing it as a seperate focus outside the context of Team 7. Here are two ways to see it:
(1) She could be thinking something along the lines of "Sasuke, please come back to me" or something of that nature
and
(2) She could thinking, "please, come back so we can be as we were, so we can be whole" or something of that nature i.e. wishing they could be Team 7 as they were before he left.
Each focuses on Sasuke's role and his absence, but the two have very different meanings. The first would clearly implies she is in love with him. In the second, its impossible to tell whether it amounts to simple friendship, close friendship, or being in love. Any of those could exist. As Nick said, its does nothing to distinguish whether she just loves/cares for him or is in love with him.
After thinking about it some more, I admit that I was wrong in placing more emphasis on the Team 7 aspect than Sasuk'se current situation. I should have placed more emphasis on the latter. But even if this is correct, its does not make the first statement true, as Naruto appears to be doing that exact same thing Sakura is. In addition, the two concepts are not mutually exclusive. There does appear to be a clear Team 7 aspect to that entire scene. Of course, its Sasuke absence and role within Team 7, but this is quite different than claiming she is love with Sasuke or that this makes this canon (which is what my counter argument was aimed at refuting). Nothing suggests she is thinking of Sasuke exclusively nor of wanting him back so she can be with him romantically.
Thus, in sum, I meant to say this: That she was thinking about Sasuke in the context of Team 7 (i.e. number 2 as opposed to number 1) and was reflecting on his current choice of actions and what he has become in three years time. I should have placed more emphasis on the latter, and to that extent my previous post is wrong.
I think Nick said it best on the SasuSaku argument: This scene does not tell us anything we did not already know. We have know since 246 that she cares for him. How far that goes is not clear (nor is it with Naruto) and this scene does not do a whole to to resolve this. However, its reptition of that caring does have meaning.
