Nah I don't think Kishimoto will- just look at the bath house special chapter illustration- Hinata is looking at Sakura like she's seriously romantically attracted to her. I think that would be hilarious if Kishimoto had Hinata going from having a crush on Naruto to being in love with Sakura.
I think because of the rabid Hinata fans writing him and telling him how wonderful they think Hinata is (while they trash Sakura) and Studio Pierrot's Hinata fanboys (by their own admission) Kishimoto has taken to throwing all kinds of pairing bones to the various Hinata shippers- even the most popular yuri pairing involving Hinata- with Sakura. I've seen Kishimoto throw bones to Neihina and Kibahina shippers as well.
I usually agree with you most of the time, but I gotta say this. I don't think Hinata was looking at Sakura like you say, Sakura is basically looking at the reader, Hinata is doing the same thing. I don't exactly see where Hinata would be looking at Sakura, or even how, really. I know she's looking in that direction, but Sakura is smiling sweetly at the reader, and I'm naturally thinking that Hinata is doing the same thing. It's just the vibe I got from looking from that photo. It was natural to think. I could be wrong, but I really don't think that Hinata is looking at Sakura. At all. And, if she was, per say: I don't understand either how it'd be "romantically attracted" either, girls check each other out all the time and compare themselves, especially if they're friends.
I don't think Hinata would be showing any sudden spurt of lesbianism anytime soon in the manga, even though it'd be pretty darn awesome since it'd get Naruto off the fandoms hook. Honestly, I'll agree that Kishi has played around with the pairings when it comes to Hinata, like with her bodyguard, Kiba or Neji, etc - But I'd bet my left eye, she wasn't looking at Sakura in that photo. Granted she was looking in that direction, like I said: But i'm sure it was more to the reader, much less Sakura, and much much less in a romantic way
Edited by Fenris, 12 February 2012 - 02:27 PM.