It was one of the more dramatic moments of the last few chapters. It generated great interest on the pairing side (150 pages for on chapter here), it was a first (he killed one of the rookies when many, including me, thought he didn't have the stones to do it (now stick to it Kishi! no asspul revivals), and Naruto finally got it through his head (after what three tries), that the war is more than just about him and Sasuke.
It was a big deal, so this is no surprise. So, I tend to agree with you.
I'm seeing alot of people being hypocritical because of the "it means something" reactions to Road To Ninja, technically filler/non-canon, compared to this (drawn by Kishimoto, in the manga) and how it means nothing.
I agree, and it's less meaningful that people make it out to me. At least, in my opinion, anyway.
My standard on anything that is not within the pages of the manga (not including cover art) is that I need something that whatever is created is proof of some kind of intent coming from the author.
Filler was easy because it's written by someone other Kishimoto and apprently not at his specific direction. The covers and RtN are not. Still, for RtN to somehow to be proof of anything in terms of pairings, I would think you would need some kind of knowledge about why he wrote it. Could it be a gift to the fandom he's about to burn (like with Avatar)? Would he do anything pairing related that devianted from his intended conclusion? Could it a hint of things to come or is it just a fun AU and nothing more? How would we know?
Covers are the same way (both chapter and volume). Without something showing that they are intended to have some hidden meaning or value for predicting the future then I find it hard to believe that they are anything that what they appear to be: Cover artwork. I find it difficult to believe that this cover is sending some additional message something beyond was already said in 615. If that chapter worried you, then probably does too. If not, I wouldn't sweat over it.
I'm not sure this story has a heroine at this point. Sakura gets sideline for huge periods of time and no one has really taken the mantel. Both Hinata and Sakura seem more intangled in the subpot than the primary plot. Oh well, we'll see.
I want to believe its the end of Hinata development/Naruhina resolution but I cant anymore because we've been saying that since she confessed and it just hasn't ended. I think it will be the end if Naruto confirms he still loves Sakura. While I believe he does and there's no evidence that points to him giving up on his love for her, confirmation of it should shut the nay-sayers up.
He wrote it where it he could do both. She got what she explicity stated she wanted. He could stop, but nothing about the scene prevents him from doing more.

I agree. It does little to develop the Naruto part of NaruHina. It would be really damning it he had developed the Naruto part more than he did.