"Me and Sasuke are great friends."
The thing is, as stupid and annoying as we readers might find that statement, that's how Naruto truly feels. It's what he wants and what he believes.
And really, it's appropriate that we find it stupid and annoying. That's what everyone who encounters Naruto thinks of his ways and beliefs at one point or another. His methods and approach have always carried the hallmark of being stupid and annoying.
In the days since I first posted my moderate rant about this chapter, I have reached the conclusion that for Naruto to act / think / say anything else would be out of character. He's not complex. He's a simple, black-and-white kind of guy. If he doesn't believe Sasuke is his true enemy, then he believes Sasuke is his true friend.
It's the same with Sakura. He loves her absolutely, and in a way that matters more to him than whether she loves him. Of course he wishes she did, as we saw very clearly in #469, but believing she loved Sasuke never changed his heart where she was concerned.
Naruto considers Sasuke his friend. He believes they understand each other, deep down, and evidence suggests that's true. We have seen Naruto be the only one to whom Sasuke will listen, even if it's just to fling Naruto's friendship back in his face.
Speaking for myself, as much as I would personally like to see Naruto rip out Sasuke's heart and smear it all over his life, I must accept that such a thing is not Naruto's way. He's a sacrificial person, and one who truly believes in love and friendship. And he doesn't carry a grudge; Dark Naruto had surprisingly little to show for himself at the Falls of Truth.
Sigh. The very quality that has made Naruto endearing in his love for Sakura -- the quiet, steadfast true love and support from a distance -- is the same quality that causes heartburn when it is directed toward Sasuke. But that's Naruto's soul in action. He's pretty much all or nothing. (Sorry NH fans, but it's true.

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I keep going back to the Ice Prison fight when Naruto and Sasuke took on Haku. Sasuke said that saving Naruto was a result of his body moving on its own, but that was a non-committal non-answer. The truth was that Sasuke's instinct was to side with Naruto -- to fight with him, and protect him when necessary.
We haven't seen it for a while, but that shred of decency -- that little kernel of brotherhood -- is still inside Sasuke somewhere. Naruto will find a way to reach that bit of Sasuke's humanity, and together they'll change things.
It might not seem fair to us -- because Sasuke is such a colossal asshat -- but joining forces with Sasuke, and even sharing the credit for world peace, is what Naruto wants. The genuine smile on his face in this recent chapter proves it.
Edited by KnS, 06 April 2014 - 10:43 PM.