24 replies to this topic

[Kster95]

Not going to lie I am sure we can say almost everyone in Narusaku really likes Sakura. The main thing with Narusaku has always been Naruto already loves Sakura and now we are waiting for Sakura to return her feelings.

 

As a Sakura fan myself I feel Naruto is the best thing for her, the main things we see in Naruhina are her fans just wanting her to have what Hinata wants and they never take Naruto's feelings into account, we usually say just because Hinata loves him doesn't mean they should be together. Now are we also ignoring Naruto in our own pairing, discussion on here is most of the time about Sakura's changing feelings because that's what we need, we don't talk much of Naruto's feelings as we know them. But just because Naruto loves Sakura is that the best thing for him?

 

Now I am not saying Narusaku shouldn't happen because it is going to happen :) but since this site is a NARUsaku fan site we should look at all points and not the ones just involving Sakura. Like there are sometimes when I dont like Sakura like right after Jiraya's death she wasn't there for Naruto and even more she yelled at him for speaking out at Tsunade but really he is just really in a bad place and  I wished she would have been there to help him out but... 

 

What I am trying to say is are we being just as biased and ignorant as the other pairings? 

 

PS: Please don't hate me I am still one of you guys!!!!! :)

Edited by Kster95, 08 November 2013 - 08:38 PM.

[shadow_Uzumaki]

There will always be biased opinions within fandoms. So, yes.  Kinda obvious.  It's worse with the chapter threads these days, which usually degenerates into pairing talks even if there weren't any hints at all. Or talks of where Sakura is, or something about Hinata, or the continuing usage of 'parallels' between the other characters. Which is also usually related to pairings.

[TouKen4Life3g]

Well, I understand what you mean. Me personally, I actually like both of them individually a lot and to me, what made me like Naruto and pairing itself that I feel that I have the right purpose to like it is the fact on how much he's being selfless yet not blaming the love triangle, rather blaming himself for not being the right guy. The way on how he has to protect Sakura not just physically but mentally made me care a lot for the pairing. It takes two to tango. I respect both of them.

[Lid]

Not going to lie I am sure we can say almost everyone in Narusaku really likes Sakura. The main thing with Narusaku has always been Naruto already loves Sakura and now we are waiting for Sakura to return her feelings.

 

As a Sakura fan myself I feel Naruto is the best thing for her, the main things we see in Naruhina are her fans just wanting her to have what Hinata wants and they never take Naruto's feelings into account, we usually say just because Hinata loves him doesn't mean they should be together. Now are we also ignoring Naruto in our own pairing, discussion on here is most of the time about Sakura's changing feelings because that's what we need, we don't talk much of Naruto's feelings as we know them. But just because Naruto loves Sakura is that the best thing for him?

 

Now I am not saying Narusaku shouldn't happen because it is going to happen :) but since this site is a NARUsaku fan site we should look at all points and not the ones just involving Sakura.

 

So what I'm getting is that you find too much of the focus from NaruSaku fans to be on Sakura's feelings and her side of the relationship than Naruto's?

 

If that's the case, I think the reason for that is Sakura is the one who has grown the most as a character in the relationship. Remember in the first few chapters, Sakura didn't think anything more of Naruto than just an annoyance, fast forward to the Chunin Exams and she considered him a teammate and by the end of Part 1 considered him a valuable friend. And it has continued on into part 2.

 

That's why people who support this pairing probably focus more on what Sakura does and how her feelings change. It's because we've watched this relationship continue to build and build, and each time the relationship advanced, it's Sakura that has had the realization.

 

On the other hand, Naruto has always remained very much in love with Sakura, that hasn't changed. Sure, the nature of it has changed, I think that it has evolved from just a crush to genuinely being in love with her, however, the establishment that Naruto is into Sakura has always been there.

 

Now to another point that I think you were making, that we as NaruSaku fans are looking at our ship no different than NaruHina fans look at theirs because

Naruto loves Sakura but Sakura doesn't notice

and

Hinata loves Naruto but Naruto doesn't notice

 

The difference is what I mentioned above. We (at least NaruSaku fans) have watched the relationship between Naruto and Sakura grow and develop through the course of the series. I can't necessarily say the same about NaruHina (of course, I am biased though).

 

In conclusion of that, do we probably spend more time observing Sakura's feelings? Yeah, probably. Does it mean we are ignoring Naruto's feelings? No, not at all.

[BlueStarSaber]

Well to some extent maybe, I mean we knew that his feeling for Sakura hadn't changed much except become more deeper and more selfless.

[Inferno180]

Maybe but look at it like this:

Narutos the hero and main character. His goals and dreams have priority over all others.

Naruto loving sakura overrides sakura loving Sasuke and hinata loving him.

Naruto loves sakura and sakura cares a lot about naruto and currently, isn't trusting Sasuke.

So maybe the statement of "fair" need not apply if things are already pointing in a certain direction. Naruto and sakura do have their own internal conflicts but does this nessessarily mean things arnt good for both their characters? Both want the other to be happy, both want to protect the other, both are very good friends. Naruto has matured, sakura has always been mature in the normal sense but in love, she may be growing up in this at last.

Besides, in this pairing wars, being fair to a fictional character, well look at it like this:

Sakura is one of narutos goals and we support sakura, so technically alongside hokage and Sasuke, we are supporting narutos goal and therefore supporting naruto.

[Shadow Wolf]

When it comes to the feelings of each characters in any manga -including Naruto- Usually the question we ask is if we are being fair or not, but rather what we know about the feelings of said character.

 

If I am to answer your question, i would say that I'm being fair to Naruto in a 75% basis. We all possess the knowledge that Naruto has always shown that he loves Sakura. However, due to a variety of circumstances (which range from his current priority to the writing style of the author), there are still some questions left unresolved (we know the answer to most of them but I have to admit that they have to be written on paper before each topic is provided with a closure).

 

So taking into account Naruto's feelings, we may have the following questions:

-Does he loves Sakura? No doubt about this one. This has been shown in the manga over and over again and even Sai confirmed this once again. We could also show chapter 631 but fan biasedness makes this chapter debatable (comedy relief and such... again, we see this from our own perspective which is the most reasonable, but again, it all boils down to what can be considered a fact by even an unbiased fan; in which case I am sure that when Sai told Sakura that Naruto loved her, and seeing the chain of memories that Sakura had right after, I can safely say that even unbiased fans will admit that Sai is absolutely right on this one).

 

-Does he love/like Hinata? To us NS fans, we don't think so. To NH fans, they can either answer Yes or they can say that he has shown hints of having feelings for her. Either way, it is a topic that has never had an absolute answer in the manga (and by absolute I mean an answer that would even make NH fans convinced that Naruto has no feelings whatsoever for Hinata and that he has always loved Sakura). Yeah, we can provide a variety of arguments to try and prove our pairing right, but again, I believe that in the end, we have to wait for an absolute answer from Naruto to provide closure to the pairing debate.

 

-Will Naruto confess his feelings to Sakura or to Hinata? Again, another topic which has not been given closure to. We know that Naruto doesn't feel worthy to confess to Sakura because "he can't even keep his promises" and as for Hinata, he has never really discussed her confession (yeah, we can say that both shown of appreciation to her on the war serve as Naruto's answer, but again, as long as its debatable, we can't call this an absolute fact). In the end, we have to wait for the blonde hero to speak about his feelings.

 

-And of course: when will he talk about it? My take is that he will only address romance when this war is over and after resolving the situation with Sasuke. To me this quest has brought him to the point of neglecting other important things, like of course, communication with friends and I could even say romance (but this can be subject to change depending on the reader's point of view), but at present time (manga time I mean), he's currently fighting/saving an enemy, so I don't think he'll be focused on romance unless of course, something directly happens to one of these two ladies (because that can trigger a series of events that might give a strong clue on who he might like).

 

So due to a variety of reasons, all subject to what the reader thinks...

 

-"that the author wants to keep the suspense in romance to keep fans reading"

-"that right now Naruto has a more pressing issue and as such, romance can't be technically discussed during a war"

-"that he stills needs time to think about everything related to the events concerning Sakura and Hinata"

-"*insert any other reason here*"

 

...right now the pairing issue will remain on hold.

 

A side note before closing: why do I believe that I've been 75% fair to Naruto? Simply because I believe these topics could have been resolved sooner, both his thoughts on Hinata's feelings for him and of course, what he and Sakura decided after the events of Sakura's confession (keep in mind that after Sai told Naruto about Sakura's plans, they haven't really touched the issue again. Hence why chapter 631 is so important to us NS fans, because it provides some clues to it). But again, there are a few reason as to why this topic has not been addressed yet.

 

So in the end, if we have been fair or not to Naruto,... to me... that a question that even Kishimoto should even ask himself.

Edited by Shadow Wolf, 09 November 2013 - 06:01 AM.

[narusakuforlife1667]

Remember Sakura was going to comfort Naruto about Jirayas death but Tsunade told her not to and let him be from what I remember

but also

-Sakura trusts Naruto

-Sakura has seen his tears and smiles

-Sakura has now starting to understand his pain he has felt his whole life

-Sakura is always giving Naruto her brightest smile

-Sakura worries about him

-She cares about him when he gets injured

-she has shed tears for him

-she only wishes his happiness (remember the thing that happened at Land of Iron she wanted him to stop chasing after Sasuke)

-shes regretting the promise she had burdend him with

-she belives in him

and much more I don't know if its just me but I can see love there but Sakura isn't that good when it comes to sorting out her feelings for Naruto and Sasuke but shes a smart girl she will figure it all out

and Naruto

-Its obvious he will die for her

-He wishes her happiness even if its not with him

-he will never break any of his promises when it comes to her and her safety

-he smiles a lot around her

-hes always watching her(not in the stalker way lol)

-he admits that she still loves Sasuke and he will still be there for her and love her

-he is willing to be the one in pain even if its her causing his pain 

-and he will save her in a heartbeat

And that kids is the story of my OTP

[Phantom_999]

I can sum up this argument pretty simply. We see character interaction between Naruto and Sakura. Think about it. They talk to each other the most in canon. they barely interact with other characters unless they need to and  constantly give each other support. It's not that we don't consider one or the other's feeling's It's just that they have the most interaction and intimacy of all relationships shown thus far in the series so it's actually hard to JUST consider the feelings of one party here and disregard the other. 

[Branden]

I don't think Hinata is his type. Wold it be easier for him to get together with Hinata? Absolutely, but that's not the kind of person Naruto is. He loves Sakura because he can understand her and she is similar to him.

 

On a unrelated note, I think Naruto might be a masochist....

This is the most genuinely peaceful and happy smile Naruto has made throughout the course of the entire manga. Why on earth would he be so happy that Sakura could kill him?

[Broken Figurine]

I think what you're getting at is the whole "who deserves who" argument. Has Sakura lived up to being Naruto's romantic love interest? Is Sakura good enough for Naruto? Considering the arguments we've made about rival ships, I think it's fair to turn that critical eye inward. By analyzing Sakura we've sort of been doing that, albeit with a favourable bias. That bias, however, is present with all ships vying for 'canon' status. NaruHina fans will view Hinata's presence with Naruto favourably rather than unfavourably, while downplaying Sakura's. They may likewise over exaggerate Naruto's feelings.

 

I'm with you--I do wish we had more scenes where Sakura was supporting Naruto. I wish we had more scenes where Naruto was clear about his feelings for Sakura. It would make being 'fair' easier. Though, as we've argued, there are scenes. We know Naruto is attracted to Sakura, we know he admires her progress as a ninja, we know he wants to see her happy. We know Sakura cares about Naruto's well being, we know she as come to admire the kind of person he is, we know she knows him to a degree (his strengths, his bonds, his burdens).

 

We also know Sakura is self-aware. This I give to her over any other character, including Naruto. Sakura is under no illusion that she's perfect or 'deserves' to be with Naruto; quite the opposite, she criticizes herself in saying, "I can only do the dumbest things." She has been told by Sai about the pain she's capable of causing Naruto. She is aware, more than anyone else, of the reliance everyone places on Naruto. When she tried to take Sasuke on, she was trying to do something on her own actions and she failed. What she learned, without anyone needing to make speeches to her, is that dealing with things on your own--not supporting and believing in your comrades--can lead to consequences and is pure hubris. Sakura doesn't have the luxury of being one of those all-powerful characters; she knows that her influence by herself doesn't compare to Naruto's, or Sasuke's, or anyones. Still, she tries--gets no freebies as she does--and she's earned a right to stand with them. Kishimoto intends us to see her as worthy of being on-par "Tsunade trains her disciples just as harshly as the other sannin" or something to that effect. Yet, her role has been to worry on behalf of Naruto's sake, to push the theme of co-operation, and nowhere has she thought about herself in the latest arc. She thinks of Naruto, she chastises people for him, she wants everyone to stand by him. 

 

The others, in contrast, don't think the big picture. They see their relationship to Naruto in their own position--how their own efforts can help him. This is understandable and completely acceptable; all of us take an egocentric view on our relationships and their willingness to put themselves in his benefit is no less noble. Yet, that's what makes Sakura special for me. She's transcended this point. Her concern is no longer on what she can do for him (though I'm sure it's there) but what he needs. 

 

Naruto seems to accept this--he didn't correct her or even say anything when she was giving the speech while healing him. He probably doesn't even realize how much she's been concerned for him, given that they were a lot of Sakura's private thoughts. For Naruto's sake, I would rather have a character like Sakura who is aware of her failings, and puts him first. She's defended Naruto's position against Sasuke, against the united shinobi forces, and while genuinely believing in him--also considers his burdens. Some see him as Naruto the idol (Hinata), some see him as Naruto the Rival (Kiba, Sasuke), some see him as Naruto the Future Hokage (Shikamaru), but what does Sakura see him as? She sees him as a hero, certainly, and she supports his dream (despite teasing she'll steal the seat herself if he has time to be jealous~), but I think she mostly sees him as a person. 

 

I would enjoy more insight into Naruto's feelings, and more scenes where they communicate with one another. It's not a perfect pairing, but lately Sakura imo has been making up for the times she hasn't been there to be supportive. I think she's good for him, just as he is good for her. 

Edited by Broken Figurine, 10 November 2013 - 09:45 PM.

[KnS]

I think what you're getting at is the whole "who deserves who" argument. Has Sakura lived up to being Naruto's romantic love interest? Is Sakura good enough for Naruto? Considering the arguments we've made about rival ships, I think it's fair to turn that critical eye inward. By analyzing Sakura we've sort of been doing that, albeit with a favourable bias. That bias, however, is present with all ships vying for 'canon' status. NaruHina fans will view Hinata's presence with Naruto favourably rather than unfavourably, while downplaying Sakura's. They may likewise over exaggerate Naruto's feelings.

 

I'm with you--I do wish we had more scenes where Sakura was supporting Naruto. I wish we had more scenes where Naruto was clear about his feelings for Sakura. It would make being 'fair' easier. Though, as we've argued, there are scenes. We know Naruto is attracted to Sakura, we know he admires her progress as a ninja, we know he wants to see her happy. We know Sakura cares about Naruto's well being, we know she as come to admire the kind of person he is, we know she knows him to a degree (his strengths, his bonds, his burdens).

 

We also know Sakura is self-aware. This I give to her over any other character, including Naruto. Sakura is under no illusion that she's perfect or 'deserves' to be with Naruto; quite the opposite, she criticizes herself in saying, "I can only do the dumbest things." She has been told by Sai about the pain she's capable of causing Naruto. She is aware, more than anyone else, of the reliance everyone places on Naruto. When she tried to take Sasuke on, she was trying to do something on her own actions and she failed. What she learned, without anyone needing to make speeches to her, is that dealing with things on your own--not supporting and believing in your comrades--can lead to consequences and is pure hubris. Sakura doesn't have the luxury of being one of those all-powerful characters; she knows that her influence by herself doesn't compare to Naruto's, or Sasuke's, or anyones. Still, she tries--gets no freebies as she does--and she's earned a right to stand with them. Kishimoto intends us to see her as worthy of being on-par "Tsunade trains her disciples just as harshly as the other sannin" or something to that effect. Yet, her role has been to worry on behalf of Naruto's sake, to push the theme of co-operation, and nowhere has she thought about herself in the latest arc. She thinks of Naruto, she chastises people for him, she wants everyone to stand by him. 

 

The others, in contrast, don't think the big picture. They see their relationship to Naruto in their own position--how their own efforts can help him. This is understandable and completely acceptable; all of us take an egocentric view on our relationships and their willingness to put themselves in his benefit is no less noble. Yet, that's what makes Sakura special for me. She's transcended this point. Her concern is no longer on what she can do for him (though I'm sure it's there) but what he needs. 

 

Naruto seems to accept this--he didn't correct her or even say anything when she was giving the speech while healing him. He probably doesn't even realize how much she's been concerned for him, given that they were a lot of Sakura's private thoughts. For Naruto's sake, I would rather have a character like Sakura who is aware of her failings, and puts him first. She's defended Naruto's position against Sasuke, against the united shinobi forces, and while genuinely believing in him--also considers his burdens. Some see him as Naruto the idol (Hinata), some see him as Naruto the Rival (Kiba, Sasuke), some see him as Naruto the Future Hokage (Shikamaru), but what does Sakura see him as? She sees him as a hero, certainly, and she supports his dream (despite teasing she'll steal the seat herself if he has time to be jealous~), but I think she mostly sees him as a person. 

 

I would enjoy more insight into Naruto's feelings, and more scenes where they communicate with one another. It's not a perfect pairing, but lately Sakura imo has been making up for the times she hasn't been there to be supportive. I think she's good for him, just as he is good for her. 

 

I love this entire post, but the bolded is truly excellent.  The last sentence, in particular, is a very simple summation of their relationship.

 

From the beginning Sakura has displayed some measure of self-awareness, and she has grown a lot over the course of the series.  Just as Naruto has.  It has been a rocky road for them, individually and together, but I believe it will ultimately make their relationship very strong and one that can last a lifetime.

 

I think the question of whether or not Person A is "good" or "good enough" for Person B is tricky.  It's easy to think that such an opinion or decision should be left to Person B -- I mean, it's their life and their love, right?  But sometimes we are blind or stubborn and fancy a person who isn't right for us, or upon whom we pin our romantic expectations even when they don't seem to return our feelings.  We hope to win their attention or that they will change and "see the light."   Sometimes we can't get past this blindness unless we are confronted by someone who cares for us.

 

Kishimoto provided a very clear example of that kind of mistake through Sakura's feelings for Sasuke.  He has never returned her feelings and has proven himself to be a negative influence on her personality (in that his presence tends to suppress or alter her natural inclinations) and opinion of herself.  No one had to take Sakura aside and confront her about the negativity her feelings for Sasuke have brought to her life; she ended up confronting herself in #540, once again displaying self-awareness.

 

Likewise, no one has confronted Naruto about his feelings for Sakura.  Sai questioned him about it, and went to considerable lengths to intervene in Naruto and Sakura's relationship, but he never tried to discourage Naruto that Sakura wasn't good for him or good enough -- despite knowing that she was causing him pain.  Instead Sai went to Sakura and confronted her, and later left a clone behind to explain Sakura's actions to Naruto.  That suggests that Sai sees value -- and perhaps serious potential -- in the relationship if Naruto and Sakura could be brought to a better understanding of each other's feelings.

 

Point being, we as individuals can be blind to what's good or good enough for us, but those around us who care about our wellbeing rarely are.  If Naruto loves Sakura and thinks she's good for him, and Sai doesn't discourage him from those feelings even knowing what he knows, then it's a good indication that Naruto's love for Sakura does him more good than harm.

[redragon88]

I don't think Hinata is his type. Wold it be easier for him to get together with Hinata? Absolutely, but that's not the kind of person Naruto is. He loves Sakura because he can understand her and she is similar to him.

 

On a unrelated note, I think Naruto might be a masochist....

This is the most genuinely peaceful and happy smile Naruto has made throughout the course of the entire manga. Why on earth would he be so happy that Sakura could kill him?

 

I think it's more that he's so happy at witnessing how far Sakura has come during the time-skip that he just can't help but smile about it. If you see how someone has improved in the pursuit of accomplishing their goals be it a lover, friend or family I'm sure you'll also find yourself smiling about it. And since Sakura is specifically the girl he loves then seeing her improve so much is extra special to him, therefore he smiles very peacefully.

[Branden]

 

I think it's more that he's so happy at witnessing how far Sakura has come during the time-skip that he just can't help but smile about it. If you see how someone has improved in the pursuit of accomplishing their goals be it a lover, friend or family I'm sure you'll also find yourself smiling about it. And since Sakura is specifically the girl he loves then seeing her improve so much is extra special to him, therefore he smiles very peacefully.

my version is more funny.

Edited by Branden, 11 November 2013 - 06:30 AM.

[morgaine4]

I think there's some evidence that Naruto is a bit of a masochist, or became a bit of a masochist.  I have a theory that a part of the reason Naruto liked Sakura initially is because she would pay attention to him (scold him, reprimand him, hit him) and that could have turned him into a slight masochist.  The thing is, even though Sakura was hitting him (and there's evidence that that was ongoing before chapter 3), it was him she was hitting, it was with him that she was angry (or at least with who she thought he was/he was being).  Not the kyuub, --she still saw him-- I think that must have meant quite a lot to him.

[redragon88]

I think there's some evidence that Naruto is a bit of a masochist, or became a bit of a masochist.  I have a theory that a part of the reason Naruto liked Sakura initially is because she would pay attention to him (scold him, reprimand him, hit him) and that could have turned him into a slight masochist.  The thing is, even though Sakura was hitting him (and there's evidence that that was ongoing before chapter 3), it was him she was hitting, it was with him that she was angry (or at least with who she thought he was/he was being).  Not the kyuub, --she still saw him-- I think that must have meant quite a lot to him.

 

I really don't see how Naruto being happy for receiving attention makes him a masochist. Naruto wanting to get scolded was his way to get people to acknowledge him. I think plenty of kids do the same thing.

 

If Naruto had some sort of pleasant face after Sakura punches him then I would concede he has masochist tendencies, but that's not the case. Not to mention that Naruto isn't openly looking for Sakura to hit him either.

[morgaine4]

I'm not saying that he is a masochist, I'm saying that I could see it, that it wouldn't surprise me.  It's just funny to think about/explore.

[Kster95]

lol I am glad you all reassured yourselves as to why Narusaku would happen :) But yeah more discussion on both Naruto and Sakura's feelings  was the point I was trying to get out of the topic. 

[sushi.]

I'm not saying that he is a masochist, I'm saying that I could see it, that it wouldn't surprise me.  It's just funny to think about/explore.

Her fiery temper is what causes her to hit Naruto though. And Naruto likes her fiery attitude in general.

 

At least if we're going by his reactions on it, it only triggers him to think fondly of her. Can't forget the dazzling look during the second belltest, you know? But I don't think he's a masochist, then you have to drag every shounen hero with you, you know? XD

 

As for the question, I don't think ignoring a characters feelings is unique to one pairing fanbase. Arguments like that baffles me. "NS says NS will happen because it's a shounen, and ignores Sakura's feelings". While I don't like using the shounen argument, if going by that rule Sakura will fall in love with him anyway. Never seen a shounen with non-mutual pairing endgame, argument useless. It goes the other way around too ofc. The only way I see it as an insult to a character is if you're blatantly bypassing the plain obvious, whether it'd be the main characters own words or situations not open for interpretation. Anyone who'd say Naruto's feelings for Sakura is a crush, that is. I won't deny Sakura loves Sasuke or that Hinata loves Naruto, although I think the nature of that love is ambigous.

[morgaine4]

lol I am glad you all reassured yourselves as to why Narusaku would happen :) But yeah more discussion on both Naruto and Sakura's feelings  was the point I was trying to get out of the topic. 

 

The thing is, Naruto's feelings are known, they're steady.  There isn't much to discuss because (for me at least) there isn't much confusion.  I've never doubted Naruto's feelings, but Sakura's feeling are confusing, they're unknown even to herself and because of that (and because personally she's my fav) my discussion revolves around her.  One thing though, at least all of use recognize that in this manga Naruto's feeling are of the paramount importance.  How many Naruto pairing fandoms forget that the titular character's feelings are important and will dictate the storyline direction?