TrueSacrifice

You can have a great personality but a bad taste in someone.

Oh no doubt. The fact that Sakura fell in love with him doesn't bother me. Probably 90% of SS shippers like them together for the very same reasons. What I feel needs to happen though is for Sakura to realize that her love grew out of selfish reasons. Has she ever thought about what Sasuke wanted? Her love has always been self-centered.

@DattebayoXShannaro

About your reference,I think it's likely that Sakura was referring to ways in which she wasn't helping the team. She could have been doing something more productive other than trying to get Sasuke's attention. She realized that it wasn't benefiting them and that she was the least effective of the group. Of course it could also be her questioning her feelings that early on but I'm not so sure. I think her feelings developed into true love but for somewhat skewed reasons. She took an incredible burden on herself without being aware of the possible consequences. And even though she was worried for him I still believe it was at least partly for selfish reasons. She still wanted Sasuke and his validation.

My hope is that she will come to recognize this or already has and now feels the same as Naruto. They both want to save their friend no matter the cost.

@GoogleIsMyFriend

If it means anything I agree with a lot of what you say. I think you're dead wrong about Sasuke loving Sakura but that's beside the point.

The problem I have with your posts is that they often come out as an attack on the person you're responding to. Rather than calmly argue your stance you angrily jump down other's throats and accuse them of having double standards. Your posts come across as very pessimistic and cynical. I don't see them as a defense for Sakura but mostly as an attack on those who don't share your views. Why don't you explain why you think that their viewpoints hurt Sakura's character instead of just lashing out? 

Also your opinion of Karin may be just as short sighted as many NS fans' views on Sasuke. I agree his character receives a lot of hate on this forum and sometimes for not altogether deserved reasons. At the same time I see you freely leveling that kind of hate towards Karin. You may think your reasons are more justified than theirs but in the end it's simply your opinion. It seems like having a double standard of your own to me.

I honestly don't care how the other fandoms perceive any SS or NH moments. Some of them see a smirk from Sasuke as a sign of his love for Sakura. HInata saying "Nauto kun" is a sure sign the couple will be canon. So of course this latest bit is going to probably have them declaring victory and popping champagne bottles.

Aside from that it was a pretty cool chapter. The Matrix influence is obvious and it was cool to see how everyone was affected. It looks like only the edo kages are safe. Also Kaguya's face was creeeepy!

For anyone that's still worried about SS or NH happening think about this.

What does SasuSaku or NaruHina have beyond the girls in those relationships liking the boys? What foreshadows and themes point to those parings happening? If you can think of any then compare them to the amount of material that supports NaruSaku. Not only do these characters have mutual development there are several story hints and themes that point to them getting together as well. I don't know about you but I seriously doubt that Kishimoto set all this up just to discard it in the end no matter how badly you think the romance part may be written. 

It's with that in mind that I am 100% positive that NaruSaku will happen in one fashion or another by the end of this manga. What I"m not sure of is how it's going to actually occur but that's something else entirely.

 

@TrueSacrifice

I agree about SS not being dead, but more hanging on by a thread type thing. Until Sakura comes out and says she no longer loves Sasuke, there will still be a bit of doubt and possibility of SS. Unless of course she kisses Naruto or something.

 

You could say that, but for me there is no doubt. SS survives simply on me not knowing Sakura's actual feelings. The plot, themes, and characters take precedence over Sakura being completely over Sasuke or not at this time.

Wow what  a discussion! 

I've been following this topic for the last several days and I have yet to weigh in on the matter with my thoughts.Honestly I'm not of the belief that this chapter killed SS per se. True other than the Viz translation it definitely sounds like Kakashi is making the observation that the nature of Sakura's love for Sasuke has changed to something more akin to friendship. Although in my opinion Viz has already covered their butts with their own translation even if it turns out Sakura doesn't have romantic feelings for him anymore. Yes "totally other level" does sound like it implies deeper feelings but it could also be construed as a different type of love. Regardless that part of the translation was embellished. Now as to why I think it doesn't kill SS is because the viewpoint is coming from a third party. Kakashi probably can read Sakura's feelings quite well but he isn't actually Sakura. She may indeed still think she has, or actually have romantic love for Sasuke, and until she proves otherwise I can't say SS is officially dead.

Be that as it may as far as the story is concerned I've considered SS more or less dead since Sasuke's arrival to the battlefield if it was ever really alive in the first place. The phrase "it takes two to tango" comes to mind. In order for SS to make any sense to me I would need to see Sasuke actually show some kind of feelings for Sakura. NaruSaku actually has mutual development and while none of it is explicitly romantic there are certainly hints and many of the themes of the story support it. As far as I'm aware none of the explored themes apply especially to SS. It just kind of exists in its own little bubble inside Naruto and Sakura's minds. Whenever it does surface it acts as nothing but an antagonizing force for them. 

Also something to think about if ever you may find yourself becoming angry at KIshimoto for not just coming out and making NaruSaku canon or not outright killing SS or NH. Kishimoto has placed great importance on the seemingly unreachable goal of Naruto winning Sakura's heart. Think back to the beginning when Sakura hated him and it seemed like never in a million years Naruto would achieve that. Even though he has not placed great emphasis on the actual romance aspect Kishimoto has kept things in the dark as far as the precise nature of Sakura's feelings for Naruto. This indicates to me that this is actually a very important plot point. If it wasn't he wouldn't be so coy about it and would probably have already ended the possibility of NS happening. The hints are there to show that Sakura falling for Naruto would make sense. So even now we're unsure or at least not completely 100% sure about Sakura's feelings. Yes it's drama but Naruto is central to this drama. This is reinforced by his statement to Sai where he feels he can't confess to Sakura unless he keeps his promise to her. Also the girlfriend comment to his dad. If Naruto still loves Sakura, her not returning those feelings would greatly affect him. Also remember Naruto's words from a somewhat recent chapter, something along the lines of how he takes the most difficult path. Think about that line in relation to Naruto gaining the affection of Sakura!

Honestly nothing at this point short of Sakura again declaring her love for Sasuke and begging for his acknowledgment will faze me and only that because it would lessen her character in my eyes. The pieces are set for NaruSaku. The story and themes support it and nothing as far as I can comprehend has harmed its credibility.  
 

If Kishimoto was really writing for SasuSaku to happen I don't think he would have written the Naruto and Sasuke "death" event like he did. Paralleling Sakura and Karin does not support that conclusion. Karin's role is explicitly stated. She supports and loves Sasuke. We know that Sakura supports Naruto but not that she loves him per se. If the parallel is just to show support why even have Karin there at all? If Sakura is truly Sasuke's intended then Karin's role is redundant. In fact Karin should have stayed in a Konoha jail cell if SasuSaku was Kishimoto's intent. Every time he parallels them the emphasis is just that much stronger. 

NS didn't really gain anything from the latest chapter but I would argue that SS was dealt yet another blow. NH is almost completely irrelevant outside of Hinata's character so it too suffered a blow by Hinata being completely absent from the proceedings. To be honest I haven't considered either to be a viable pairing for a long long time but the recent chapters have driven it home even more. Now all I can hope is that Kishimoto resolves Naruto and Sakura's relationship in a satisfactory way. Hopefully it isn't diminished by setting it right next to SasuKarin a barely developed relationship in comparison.

My biggest fear isn't NaruSaku not happening but rather it not getting the emphasis and care I feel it deserves.

I liked the chapter. It was a good partial explanation for where the dojutsu came from and the true nature of Kaguya and Madara. It was obvious that Madara was a reincarnation of Indra but it wasn't explained yet how Sasuke and him could exist at the same time. Now it's been explained that Indra already moved on to Sasuke and that Madara is now made up of Juubi chakra. Admittedly I am still confused a bit by all this though. Are the edo tensei incarnations inhabited by the transmigrant's chakra as well, like a vestigial amount? Or is the soul not related to chakra at all? Anyways finding out Kaguya had the byakugan was not surprising to me as I had already suspected it. The fact that she also possessed the sharingan but not the rinnegan is surprising. Just what is the origin of the rinnegan? Hagoromo makes it sound like it's specific to him but as others have pointed out could it have actually derived from the god tree and didn't manifest itself until Kaguya had a child? Another interesting observation is that Hagoromo appears to have red hair. Is he the progenitor of the Uzumaki clan as well as the Senju and Uchiha?

All that stuff aside Kishimoto is making the ending crystal clear right now. Naruto and Sasuke will have to make peace with each other or the turmoil will never end. The thing I'm most worried about is that Kishimoto will gloss over their conflict and just have them team up without a good resolution to make the story end quicker. This is a small concern however as he's already made Sasuke troubled by Naruto and what he stands for and hasn't shown that change yet. I highly doubt he will just come to terms with Naruto at the drop of a hat. As for what he said to the sage who knows? I imagine it went something along the lines of wanting there to be peace and fairness in the world. Hagoromo probably still senses the darkness in his heart but gives him the gift anyway as he believes that Naruto will ultimately prevail in ending the cycle of conflict between them and that Sasuke will be instrumental in saving the world with Naruto. I'm fairly certain that there will be one last grand fight between them before they reconcile.

Honestly I'm not all that perturbed that Sasuke seems to have equal billing with Naruto in importance here. The story is still told with Naruto as the focus and seeing things from his point of view. His is the more heartwarming tale while that of Sasuke is of the cold loner. Both characters are influential but Naruto is the one who's influence is most emphasized in the story. Sasuke exists to make Naruto look better and his progress more meaningful not the other way around. At the same time Kishimoto has developed their relationship into that of brothers divided and that's why their bond is as strong as it is and why it is so important for Naruto to help Sasuke find salvation. It's not about Naruto ultimately besting Sasuke in combat or prowess it's about winning the battle for his heart.

Also Naruto being a child of destiny and prophecy and whatnot doesn't really bother me either. Does it erase the pain he suffered or the progress he made as a ninja because he was predestined to be magnificent? He didn't become that way by sitting on his butt and doing nothing. He worked hard for what he has achieved. It doesn't really matter that he had genetic advantages over many other ninjas he also had incredible disadvantages and it took his indomitable will to overcome them. Even if his whole life he's just been unwittingly following a script mandated by destiny he has still done the things he has done, changed the people he has changed, lived the life he has lived.

Unfortunately we still have to wait a little longer for an NS scene and while it may leave a sour taste in some fans' mouths I'm thinking that Kishimoto is going to handle Naruto and Sasuke's awakening as he did their "deaths." Naruto and Sasuke will wake up to Sakura and Karin respectively in a paralleled manner. I've come to this notion because of the way Naruto and Sasuke were drawn in the "revival" panels. While it would take away the impact of an individual Naruto and Sakura scene I will take what we get.

Yes the NarusSaku moment in this chapter is certainly not a canonizing one. What made it poignant to me however is that Kishimoto decided to put Karin in the place of one worried about Sasuke. Even more so is the last page of the chapter where the girls are parallelled worrying about the boys. I already suspected Kishimoto to have Naruto brought to where Sakura was and to have her freak out about what happened to him. I did not foresee him giving equal weight to Karin in her worry over Sasuke. This is yet another blow to SS and a terrific shot in the arm for SK. SK was already doing as fine as it needed to up to this point, but this chapter raised it a few levels of prominence. Of course it doesn't decide anything about end couples but it certainly does hint at them.

As a NaruSaku fan I was perfectly satisfied by this chapter. Sakura reacted appropriately to Naruto's condition and if my eyes didn't deceive me it looked as if she could burst into tears at any time. Personally I'm glad that Sakura wasn't given a choice between healing Naruto or Sasuke. Not because she would choose Sasuke but because it would hinder her concentration. Romantic love or not Sakura still has feelings for Sasuke. It was a smart move of Kishimoto to avoid that problem altogether and have Karin and Taka be aware of Sasuke's condition.

As for Hinata... Honestly Hinata's trip made me a little sad. She's such a pitiful character it was actually kind of heartbreaking to see that happen to her. It's from moments like this that make me wonder if Kishimoto actually does feel contempt for her character.

For one reason or another yes, but I am guessing you are not referring to the NH and SS fans right? It's something I have question a while now, but I guess some people don't want to see it as a "win" because of how many times Kishi has trolled with pairing moments.

Honestly I don't think he's trolled any pairing moments. He just seems to bide his time and toss out teases and hints every now and then. Every once in a while a true paring moment happens. Sure it can be frustrating for diehard shippers but I guess that's just the way he does things. Any trolls I see derive from fans expecting too much.

Of course I'd like to hear what you think are some of the moments he's trolled. It may give me a better perspective.

The thing about NS is that we don't have to downplay or conveniently forget certain scenes from other pairings to make ours seem more valid. Because the others don't stand on their own some of their fans must feel the need to attempt to tear down Naruto and Sakura's relationship. If those people would acknowledge the NS scenes and only argue the validity of their own preference based on actual scenes in the manga I would be fine with that. When they resort to character bashing and intentionally misreading the story is when it gets sad and I will not interact with those people.

Liking an opposing pairing is alright with me. Believing it will happen even. Resorting to being an ass in order to defend it is definitely not.

I really don't know what the big deal is with so many people that Sakura still has feelings for Sasuke. I thought we'd already established that this is the case. If it's because you think she doesn't have feelings for Naruto as well because of that or places Sasuke above him I think you're dead wrong. This is why I didn't have any problems at all with the so-called blush in this chapter. Even if she did blush what does it prove? Some people here seem to be so paranoid and terrified of Sakura and Sasuke interacting in any manner let alone romantically.

As I posted way earlier in this thread I suspected that the SasuSaku shippers would see this chapter in a good light and I was right. That's okay. Let them have their fun and their moments. If they think a "heh" from Sasuke at seeing Sakura's power indicates romantic interest let them. If they think Sakura exclaiming "Sasuke-kun!" means she only thinks of him romantically let them. If they think when Sasuke is saying "Stay out of my way Naruto" he means winning Sakura's affection, let them.  I expect there's going to be more where that came from and possibly even worse so we should really stop sweating the small stuff here and letting other people's views ruin our enjoyment of the story. 

I'll be honest. There was only one time that I was actually fearful that NaruSaku might not happen and that was in the wake of ch. 615. It wasn't because of the moment itself it was because Sakura had had so little interaction with Naruto for so long and shortly thereafter it was revealed that Sasuke would be joining the battlefield. Also the case of a few misread lines (or possibly mistranslated) in Naruto and Hinata's interaction caused me to doubt. I still had faith that Kishimoto would resolve the relationship properly but doubt was definitely there.

Chapters 630 and 631 erased any doubt at all. Sakura expressed concern for Naruto, Naruto confirmed his feelings for her hadn't changed, and she reacted remarkably well to Sasuke's arrival. Not to mention Sasuke hasn't suddenly had latent love bloom in his heart for Sakura. He didn't even apologize to her. The Sakura Kushina parallel confirmation was simply a bonus.

I'm just enjoying the chapters as they come and rolling with the flow of the story. Not everything is going to happen the way we want it to whether we like that or not. I have faith in the story and the development of the characters up to this point and try not to get too caught up in little details.