If a male and female do it, it usually says that their a couple. Specifically you'll see the younger adults and teens do it in public with their partner.
I think a hug could be either or (and you usually won't see it done in public either way), but holding hands is decidedly done by those in relationships. Sometimes two young female friends may also hold hands while walking around.
If Kishi does anything right it's giving fanservice.
You can't fault people for questioning the hand holding when apparently Naruto needs to hold her hand to do whatever they are about to do.
This scene is so decidedly one-sided in Hinata's favor, it offers not much of Naruto's personal desire, instead its wrapped in the insight that people are willing to die for him
There's nothing intimate or personal for Naruto in a romantic sense in that scene.
Granted interpretation plays into it. In the general consensus platonic hug, between Naruto and Sakura, Naruto has already realized the entire village acknowledges him as a hero. Sakura hits him as she is prone to do, he actually believes her to be angry, and then she hugs.
Yes Naruto was surprised then as he he was surprised by the strength of Hinata's feelings in the last chapter.
But my point is the scene is written as a luxury for Naruto, it's not wrapped up in revelation (that was Naruto walking out and seeing the villages) it had nothing to do with Sakura's subplot, nor was it something Sakura decided (I'm going to hug Naruto and be by his side) beforehand. It was an unexpected moment between them, which is further emphasized by the reaction shots from the crowd. No one has anything to do with this moment, no one had to die for it, there's no plan that needed Naruto and Sakura to hug or be in physical contact.
And that scene was something almost everyone had decided THEN was purely platonic, even though Naruto liked Sakura then. But this last chapter is romantic, almost solely because Hinata likes Naruto which is emphasized again.
Ask yourselves these questions:
Did Sakura do anything in hugging Naruto to imply she loved him?
Did Naruto do anything in holding Hinata's hand to imply he loves her?
Edited by Candleguy, 29 December 2012 - 08:18 AM.
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