I don't believe NH is canon with just this. Again, I don't necessarily thing Naruto held her hand for romantic purposes, but he did hold it for reassurance, support, to give chakra, and because Hinata is a friend, somehow, an even closer one now. :/
But anyway, there's another thing I don't like. While I have the feeling that NS will have another moment after this.... how is it going to top this? Well I mean, in general, hand holding isn't that big of a deal. Completely hugging someone is much closer, but it's not just the hand holding. Naruto was about to give into Obito, a major villain, and Hinata was the one that slapped him out of it.
What can Sakura do that will mean as much or more than Hinata's actions? I'm not saying it can't be done, but does anyone have any thoughts?
- It would look really bad now if she ends up being a damsel in distress for that Sakura = Rin parallel scenario (where she dies or almost dies thanks to Obito), it will really tarnish her heroine role in addition to this chapter. I think that particular situation where Sakura is in danger thing should be thrown out.
- I don't think he'd repeat the "I'll jump in front of you so that you're not killed". Then it would really seem like Sakura is taking a step back and stepping into Hinata's old role as Hinata just stepped into hers.
- She could give him a pep talk, but could it ever be moving enough as convincing Naruto not to fall for Obito's scheme?
- What's bigger than a romantic hug or holding hands? A kiss or a confession. But would she confess right after this war? Eh. Would he confess? I still think he's going to hold it all in until he returns Sasuke. A kiss? At this point, I feel like a kiss is totally out of the left field, I don't know.
Ehhh well in the words of Yamato, it's not what she does for him that matters so much but what she feels for him that does. Perhaps we might see her feelings come to some sort of resolution? As to how that might be shown, I'm not completely sure. Perhaps a kiss for real

, that way he actually is kissed by a girl for once. Or maybe, like Naruto did for her in part 1, we might see her actually do something in terms of the battle, where we really see her taking action. If we were to stick with her words in 573, "we're going to be together this time...not just me...we'll all be fighting together" then it may not be anything entirely huge too, which is what I'm afraid of. Maybe after another comrade falls in front of him, she could still give him a pep talk that is just as meaningful? And her feelings won't actually be resolved until more of a team 7 arc comes along. I still picture something like the OVA happening, so. Maybe she'll confess then, and a kiss would be sweet

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Edited by Qia, 27 December 2012 - 03:50 PM.