LOL it's even worse than a crush.
Three things:
More convinced than before that he doesn't read his own writing. It outright contradicts what is shown in the story. It's also incredibly cowardly. If he's going to pull horsehit, at least confront it head on. I'd rather have Sakura openly reject him in favor of Sasuke because then at least it's confronting the issue and not sidstepping a six-year love with terrible excuse making. Of course, they only have 110 ten minutes to do what they should have been doing since Pain if this was the intended path.
Shouldn't be surprised I suppose, this kind of weak sidestepping has been his MO for years.
Stuff like this is why I have no qualms with Death of the Author.
It's truly earning it's name: Retcon: The Movie. Like Team Not Seven, I will never call it's by it's name. It's real name does not do it justice. Retcon: The Movie, however, describes what it is.
Third, isn't this line all but an open admission that the manga doesn't do a thing to demonstrate that (a) Naruto ever loved anyone else during the manga (2) that Kishimoto ever portrayed him loving Hinata in the manga. What an awful way to resolve this. Who is at the helm of this ship? Captain Edward Smith? Can they not see that iceberg ahead?
