I think he genuinely wants to be with her, more than just take her out on dates.
TLDR; I think Naruto has more faith in himself and Sakura than the fillers assume.
Of course, that was just my choice of words.
But a confession is more like a proposition, like Sakura's she said that and demanded an asnwer from Naruto, Sakura's confession for Sasuke was the same, but his answer was a "thank you" and left.
On Hinata's it wasnt a confession it was a declaration of love where she simply stated why she loved Naruto and that she loves him and didnt demanded or waited for an answer.
THe only way for it to work like you suggest is a declaration of love where he will do the same things as Hinata but instead of dying he will simply friendzone himself and say that he only wanted to take it off his chest and doesnt have any regrets.
He will never know how she feels about him.
How is it a proposition? It can be, but it can also not be. But it is not necessary, so I don't think the definition of the word "confession" would agree with you. A love confession is a declaration of love, it is a statement that is actually a secret. Whether it is a proposition or not depends on the intention behind it.
Edited by sushi., 21 December 2013 - 05:02 PM.