BlackBird19

@KnS I understood you were talking about the fandom on a whole. I was too or I would of never bothered to join this forum. most of the people here are pretty cool and read the manga in a similar fashion as I do. It just seems that sometimes things are just taken so personally as if this story were true and on not what it is, a story. They've put so much of themselves and what they want from the story while reading it that they don't allow themselves to enjoy it. If you can stay somewhat objective and remember that this work fiction doesn't really have any effect on your day to day life, you will easily see where this story was heading to right from the start. It would make all of Kishi's plot devices and ship teases seem a lot less earth shattering.

The argument about whether her love for Sasuke in that moment was platonic or romantic I think will become moot because like I said it seemed as if that outburst was the last part of her that was holding on to him in that light. She needed closure on those feelings and she got it with a genjutsued hand through the chest.

The thing with 693 that some refuse acknowledge is that it really came off to me as Sakura's final moments with those old feelings for Sasuke. She got mad and released the last of those pent up feelings she's held on to for 4 years. It was one last plea and one last cry for Sasuke and she can be shown as being unburdened of those feelings now. Which would in turn allow her to openly show or reciprocate her love for Naruto.

It's funny to see how 693 did exactly the job it was intended to do which was draw out a kitten ton of doubt from the readers. It made everyone focus solely on Sakura's words and not really much else. I mean why would Kishi write Kakashi's observations on her feelings just so he make him look like an idiot who was completely wrong in his assumptions. That really doesn't make any sense.

I still say that if Sakura still loves Sasuke romantically it's because she felt she had to hang on to those feelings in order to not give up on him and try to save him. Personally I do think Kishi tried to make it look like she loved both boys on the same level just to keep the drama going, but at the end show us it was Naruto she loved on a whole other level. But like everybody else here, it's just a personal theory.

@ Princess Iris: I was talking about selfless love not pure selflessness. I do know the difference. It was just a misunderstanding.

If Sakura selflessly loved Sasuke she would just go along with whatever he wanted to do so long as he was happy. She wouldn't be trying to stop him and change his mind. Same goes for Naruto towards Sasuke. They love him unconditionally. They don't agree with what he's doing and fight against his ideals but they'll never give up on him.

Sakura doesn't love Sasuke romantically or selflessly, she loves him unconditionally. Like a family member would. Friends can love each other that way. Loving someone unconditionally means that no matter how much said person kittens up you still love them. I should know, I gotta few criminals in my family.

Kishimoto's built the perfect insanity defense for Sasuke. Lawyer wise it's brilliant.

I still feel that this past chapter needed to happen so Sakura could truly confront her conflicted feelings for not just Sasuke but also those changing feelings for Naruto. I've believed for a while that her love for Sasuke was somewhat obligatory so she could save him. That was her way of never giving up on him. Now after trying one last time to reach him I think she won't feel the same way. Like she won't feel as burdened to be there for him and come to a complete understanding that Naruto really is the only one to save Sasuke. Thus freeing her to really try to comprehend how she actually feels about Naruto.

Sasuke's a true blue psychopath, that means just about all relationships to him are trivial. And I'm not bashing the character. The way Kishimoto's portrayed him is very close to the way a real psychopath behaves.

I still feel this chapter was a necessity. This was the purging of Sakura's feelings for him. She had yet to voice her feelings towards Sasuke throughout pt2. This was pure catharsis. She put it out there in the open and she received a definitive answer. It hadn't been done yet and now that it is out of the way she can finally start to truly move forward.

I think it was more Sasuke deciding to show her how he really feels about her and also reiterate that she's not worth his actual time killing her.

 By the reactions that are coming in for this chapter, it just proves that this was a great set up chapter.