If we really want to judge Sakura's character, as Kishi handled it, at best, I would give Sakura a B+
On the bright side, he has given her great mental development, considering how he handled Sakura with only action like Sasori, fake neji, and the current events (even just healing) Sakura is best desribed as a mentally developed character, 80% mental driven, 20% physically driven. If he had given her more physical or fight scenes then yes a lot more would have been good, but he didn't do this.
In the aspect of changing her attitude in regards to others, this development has been perfect, mainly like how she thought of naruto as an annoyance to where she doesnt want him to die now, thats a very dynamic change over the series.
Another is just how she helps naruto, in spots like the land of iron, she took matters into her own hands but it didnt work out right, in the past year in 630, we got her speech of not letting everyone depend on naruto, this is exactly derived from the land of iron shortcoming.
Physically she has been given a good pattle to work with, just kishi didnt do much but he was creative at least to give some situations for her role even as a medic like cutting naruto's side open to massage his heart. But there were opportunities for more battles like if she had faced kabuto back in the sasuke and sai arc, got to assist Shikamaru with Sai against Hidan, fought one of pains bodies and succeeded (but it secretly revived for naruto to beat), or had some fight against at least Haku or chiyo in the war, that would have been perfect. Those fights right there, especially against kabuto or in the war would be very relevant to her.
Otherwise kishi has been good at decepting one of sakura's longest traits, what can she do for her team from her own shortcomings? This was a focus in 632 before she released the seal, she is by all means normal but being able to inhert the power of one like tsunade is something that lets her make up for this. If anything its almost like whatever the seal origated from aside from being connected to Katsuyu, she has a rare power like her master now.
As Sakura's development is not over though, what else lies ahead? Well there is some, I mean she isnt going to fight madara, nothing special for her there, but she will have some role in the final Naruto vs Sasuke stuff, not in the fight itself but in some other way. In some cases yes her role is just having learned to have faith in naruto, as in some cases yamatos words are true, feelings are more important than capable ability. Sometimes trust is more important than healing or pummeling some foe with her friends.
Kishi's shortcomings though, the whole sasuke aspect, its been a one way antagonizing factor on her. While we tire of it, as long as he uses it to the conclusion, I'm fine with it. We know Sakura doesn't even have a good reason for loving him and last we saw, she doesnt trust him. Im part of the crowd that sees 540 and 635 as just dramatic drag, its going to come in later but it sets up a sense of something is unfortunate and wrong and though she wishes it was not true, its hard to face.
He has made her do foolish things but she otherwise was also created to be a stubborn but honest girl who means well.
In regards to her powerup, it was very sudden at the end of 631 but it was hinted from time to time, the problem was he gave naruto too many training chapters we had chapters with him training to learn the summoning, rasengan, wind style, sage mode, and nine tails chakra mode. With the exception to the summoning, it was the first, not going to blame it because the finalists had to train. The nine tails mode has some leeway as well, naruto at least had to fight to gain control of a power, luckly he was out of commison like sasuke for the war arc so we didnt get a ton of training chapters like this one. Sasuke simply got all his powers in combat and his EMS from obito transplanting them. If there were less training scenes on naruto, we could have seen more with sakura. Otherwise it was fairly hinted and many expected she would gain some power like what tsunade had, but it just came at the time of 632.
He has handled her very well in some situations, but in other situations it hasnt been perfect yet as the story went, in cases like the 2010 interview he has done pretty well with giving her a heroine role involving getting the seal, breaking the majority of the fission jubbi clones, summoning katsuyu, working with tsunade, learning the remote healing, and what she did recently with naruto. Those were wonderful. Again he could have focused on her more, but it was in most cases, he has made sakura a good character.
In regards to the other female characters, I say Sakura is second best, Tsunade is the best handled because of other reasons and having more fights but like kakashi, Tsunade had a tragic backstory and in effect like him, got a second chance with Naruto's generation. Kinda like how kakashi got team 7, tsunade made a difference by how naruto changed her and training sakura was another progression as well. I mean when you look at it, Sakura was handled much better than other female characters.
