Thanks for the translation, Hinano-chan.
![biggrin.gif](http://www.narusaku.com/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Just one thing to add to Ash-chan's post (which I enjoyed :thumbs:). Kishimoto explicitly stated that there would be romance in Part Two. He did not say who it would involve, but it was confirmed there'd be love in the air.
Now we're just over a year into Part Two. Keeping the threads and developments from Part One in mind, it's clear that the romance so far has focused on a certain pairing.
![wink.gif](http://www.narusaku.com/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
I was reading the posts over at the NaruSaku FC on NF. I have to respectfully disagree with Mizura's post.
![happy.gif](http://www.narusaku.com/style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)
I'm all for small steps, but if you take too long, people will lose all interest and just get annoyed. Just look at how Takahashi strings out her romance beyond the point of torture. We are talking about an epic manga, which has been running for over 7 years and spans more than 30 volumes so far. I have seen some mangas and stories where people get together in the middle, and they are still together by the end - they just experience things and overcome obstacles together. I have never seen the Dragonball series, but Goku and Chichi got together somewhere in the middle and are still involved, right?
While romance plays a part in "Naruto", it is NOT a romance manga. It's not like the story will stop dead if/when Naruto and Sakura get together. Even if they become a couple sooner than we think, the story will still continue. Right now, they still have to get Sasuke, beat Oro, defeat Akatsuki, and crown Naruto as Hokage. And that's leaving out all the growing-up they still have to do! Kishimoto himself said he would love to try and continue the story "to the next generation", meaning he would like the current crop of characters to have kids. That means getting them hitched and between the sheets (not necessarily in that order). Which means he has to develop things.
So, I believe that if Sakura and Naruto were to get together, it would be as part of Naruto's growth and developing maturity, not the end.
![happy.gif](http://www.narusaku.com/style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)
Sorry if this post appears a little jumbled, I was typing train of thought.
![laugh.gif](http://www.narusaku.com/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)