The anime staff lusted after Nana Mizuki and the idealized woman they created in Hinata Hyuga.
Hinata was just originally a minor character that Kishimoto cared so little about he didn't even given her much of a story. First, to the character beaten up by Naruto's opponent to make the reader more invested in the tournament fight, and then, to marry that person to show how far they had come due to Naruto's influence. His lack of care meant he didn't interfere when he should have; when they started adding traits and scenes to make her "Naruto's perfect woman" at least according to the anime. However, no matter how important they tried to make her in the anime she would always be unimportant because she isn't tied in anyway to the main story. When they tried to do that at the end and then tried to make the entire story about her with The Last it helped to destroy the franchise
Nana Mizuki was a young beautiful twenty year old woman that was just starting out when she got the role as Hinata. And it is very clear the anime staff lusted after her. So, they did anything they could to make sure that she had to keep coming to their offices as often as possible, so they could look at her. Which means Hinata constantly appearing in filler. Stephanie Sheh has said she was annoyed by her role as Hinata as she would constantly have to come in to do a recording and be informed she was only going to say one line, "Naruto," over and over. As for Nana Mizuki thought on this, I don't know, but I will point out once she got herself established the roles she picks seem to be the opposite of Hinata as possible or at least an interesting take on the archetype at the minimum; especially after 2014 when her characters cause both Toriko and Naruto to go under.
Japanese Otaku are the same in and out of the anime staff so they liked Nana/Hinata, and hated Neji as he was her intended love interest.
American fans and western fans tend to be spilt on gender. Males like her because the perfect woman and the ultimate victory over girls like Sakura that friend-zoned them. Females like her because they felt inserted and saw themselves as the perfect victimized princess and Sakura was wrongfully stealing the man that belong to her.
In the end it was more they wanted their fantasies to come true and convince people to see how they did; than wanting to trick their audience.
Ouch, this is definitely disturbing! 
If so, Mizuki makes me feel a bit sorry for her because, although she may have felt flattered by such attention at the beginning, in the long run this (with its consequences...I remember the reactions of Japanese fans to Toriko's case) can become unbearable.
An idealized woman... Indeed. 
What has always bothered me a great deal is how so-called hime-sama-dono-san-kun-chan fans have always preferred to (intentionally?) charge the character with characteristics that she openly does not possess.
They want to portray her as kind, selfless, sweet, compassionate, empathetic, modest, courageous... But in reality she is indeed shy and polite (and has nice big breasts) but also cowardly, uninteresting, vain, self-centered, and without any special talent.
Her love for Naruto is not great but obsessive. And it became so obsessive precisely because it was a means of making sense of her life on the one hand and of escaping unwanted responsibilities on the other. This poor girl does not love and has no interest in anything but Naruto. She would sacrifice everything and everyone for him (including her children). 
In my opinion, the slap given to Kawaki in Boruto is also to be read in this light too. As a reaction of jealousy toward a boy who is as obsessed with Naruto as she is rather than concern for her son. 
We should also add that Boruto authors had to get her to do something at that time given the attention Sakura was getting with the Sasusaku spin-off (which Pierrot undertook to make with as little effort and resources as possible).
Here, the problem with Hinata's character is that she only becomes interesting when she becomes something she is not or gets something she does not have by stealing it from others (or, better yet, when her simps gives her something after snatching it from others and then insults and denigrates them).
Shall we then talk about how the character is exalted and called more beloved because instead of one child she has had two (not even if she had had six!)?!?
Ah, I don't bring sexism into this any more... Given due distinctions, I have seen similar talk among female audiences in other contexts. I just see it as a childish, shallow and petty attitude… A victimhood even aggressive and vindictive.
Similar stances and sentiments at the base of a story… What kind of audience can they attract (other than one with no critical sense)? And worst of all is that the responsibles for this debacle do not care, preferring to denigrate and mock those who point it out to them the problems with the story concept by exacerbating fandom mood. 
About Neji and the pettiness displayed by certain staff characters we could open a separate chapter... However, right now, perhaps death has saved our boy... Think about how they would have involved him in this horror. 
Oh, and before I forget...
After this, maybe we'll talk about how for some people Ikemoto would be a Narusaku fan in disguise 
...
One thing at a time. 
