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Ok, I'm into this round too. I'm Spoiler-tagging 'cause it ended up a little longer than I imagined. You have been warned. 
To start off, my favorite character in the whole series is Naruto himself. I had my first contact with Naruto series by watching the crappy Brazilian dubbed version, and in the first episode I already started to like the main character. After all, I was somewhat a troublesome kid too so I really identified myself with him. IIRC, by the third episode we already had the introduction of all the other academy students and for the first time we get to see Naruto emotionally interested in someone: the pretty pink haired girl. As I was starting to like this character, it didn't take long for me to start supporting his ideals and goals, like becoming the Hokage, become acknowledged by all the people in the village, and lastly but not least, win the love of the girl he apparently likes.
Some point after that I developed some foreing skills and decided to adventure a little deeper into the series most dangerous and terrifying grounds.........................
The Fan Base
To my surprise, there were some self-claimed Naruto fans that, despite claiming to support the series and to like Naruto's character, did not share the same ideals and dreams as Naruto himself. I was really surprised the first time someone mentioned to me: "Naruto is going to end with Hinata. You dumbass." Call me naive back then, I don't care. I was really shocked like... what... the... HELL with this guy?! Is he even aware of what hw is saying to me?
It sounded so kittening wrong. It was clear as day to me that Naruto should end along with the girl he likes, and not the other way around. Not to mention this very small detail that he is the main character and so far he has never shown a single emotional interest in anyone besides Sakura. I mean, do these people even consider what Naruto wants? So yes, that really sounded weird to me. And even weirder was to find out the majority of the fan base (actually the western fanbase since I was not aware of the Japanese base for... obvious reasons) was thinking differently than me. Holy cow, something must be wrong in all this. And I couldn't let it go easily... so I've joined for the first time a Naruto forum (more than one actually), mostly Spanish and Brazilian ones, and started a direct confrontation with these so called "Naruto fans".
Those were my most active periods on the internet... I believe I argued and protected so much my own opinion back there, that unconsciously I started to not just support it but to want it to happen. Very badly... so that I could just rub it in the face of whomever have tried so frenetically to prove me otherwise. It was a selfish way to think back then and I acknowledge that... but I just couldn't help it after reading so much no sense in a very short amount of time. Not to mention all the hate I got for the sole reason of having a different opinion from the majority. You could say that I had my first real contact with some of the worst kind of internet users.
After that I needed to take a break so I could focus on my studies. Also the forum in which I was more active, the already extinguished Dattebayo-BR fansubs' forum, was going to be closed. I also had to stop following the series and missed everything until recently where I caught up to last chapter released, chapter 616. Yeah, not a coincidence at all.
Not far from that point I decided to become more active again online since it is something I enjoy despite all the downsides, and ended joining this forum. I guess I can consider myself a shipper now since I do want a NS ending, however not for the same selfish reasons I used to but mostly because this ending will actually make me happy I guess. But I won't lie that there are some people I really would like to have a "friendly" conversation after such ending arrives. 
Oh well, this got longer than I expected. 
Edited by Darkness, 09 October 2013 - 07:54 PM.
my support just kept gravitating to NS. I liked the characters (Sakura more), I enjoyed their interactions, and I felt they had a strong base of support in their relationship, to me, it was just the obvious choice.
