Diadochi

Despite the way in which Sasuke is going about in trying to achieve his goal, I think we can all agree the end result of what he wants is good intentioned. So after his fight with Naruto has concluded, do you think that they'll reach an understanding? Obviously killing the Kages and eradicating the Bijuu would be out of the question, but perhaps they could work something out. Naruto knows the ninja system is incredibly flawed - it's what created Pain (Nagato) and it'll continue to create more if the status quo is kept in place.

Or do you think that Sasuke will be forced to accept an unconditional surrender after his defeat? I know a lot of people hate him, nevertheless, it would still be a total waste of Sasuke's development, cause at the end of the manga, he wouldn't have achieved anything.

Simply, if Sasuke never decided to abandon the village and follow Orochimaru, would Naruto and Sakura's relationship be where it currently is today? And would they still have ended up together, as they presumably are going to be by the manga's end? In no way am I suggesting that Sakura only views Naruto as nothing more than a mere 'second place' silver medal, but what I will say is that Sasuke's defection plays a massive and critical role for how they're relationship is presently portrayed. With Sasuke gone, they both had a common goal in which they had to work together closely to achieve, and by working closely, they learned aspects about one another that they didn't know before: Sakura gained knowledge of Naruto's Jinchuriki status and how it negatively impacted his life. While Naruto learned of Sakura's dualities that gave essence to who she really is: she is both the 'warrior' and the 'healer'. Naruto commonly frets when Sakura showcases her 'super-human' strength, but at the same time stands in awe at her medical-nin skills. But if one takes a moment to step back and see the bigger picture, they would understand why Sakura acquired these new skills in the first place. Which was to aid Naruto in brining back Sasuke.

If Kishi really wanted to make NS canon by next weeks chapter, it wouldn't be too hard to do so - in a literary sense. Right before the fight begins, Naruto could ask Kakashi & Sakura to relocate to a different location so they won't become "collateral damage", but since its Naruto, he'll most likely say he can't fight at full power if he's worrying about their safety. And right before they leave, Sakura could profess her love for him, just in case if the worst possible scenario were to transpire, and he loses (meaning death).

 

But I have an inkling that if NS were to become canon this way, a lot of you might not be too happy. But if you look back at recent events in the manga, many things have occurred in a way not many of us have been able to predict correctly:

 

• the way in which Naruto reacted to seeing Minato and Sasuke join the Alliance was different in the way many of us thought he would react
• The way in which Kakashi reacted when he first meant Minato
• The way in which Team 7 were to fight against the Infinite Tsukuyomi (I saw a lot of theories that Naruto & Sasuke would somehow break out of IT through a friendship power-up) 
• The way Madara was defeated
• And of course, the build up to Naruto & Sasuke's fated battle. (Too soon)

 

Now, I'm not saying this is how NS should become canon. Like a lot of you, I too want Naruto & Sakura to sit down and have a serious talk. But the way NS is going to become canon, based on history (manga), they're going to become canon in way none of us would have thought. Be it good or bad, it'll most likely depend on the individual.

Now, as some of you may already know (at least those who aren't in denial) Obito is literally NaruSaku's last chance of becoming end game by the manga's end. In no means am I a person who likes to brag, but I do consider myself a pretty smart guy and I can tell when someone, like an author (namely Kishi), is trying to tell the reader something. In the past 3 chapters or so, Kishi has portrayed Sakura worrying about the ultimate fate of Obito multiple times. The obvious two being: when Sakura came to the conclusion that Obito is beyond saving after he volunteered to bring Sasuke back and she became somewhat sad because of it; and when Obito sacrificed himself as a human shield to protect Naruto from Kaguya's onslaught and Sakura can be seen with a worried look rather than a surprised look that everyone else had.

 

 

 

 

Now, this is where Obito becomes NaruSaku's last chance: before he dies, he COULD say to Sakura - "Take care of Naruto" or something around those lines. Or he COULD say that she reminds him of Rin. But the odds are yet again stacked against us. Every-time Kaguya is shown destroying one of Naruto's clones with her bone ash technique, the clone disintegrates rather quickly. Will this be enough time for Obito to say his final farewells to Sakura? In my opinion, based on the techniques fast proficiency showcased multiple times in the past, it shouldn't be enough time. But there is another small glimmer of hope, and that is: every-time Kishi has killed off a character or is about to kill them off, he often reveals their past and portrays how far it has contrasted to their present self. So this COULD provide Obito enough time to pull NaruSaku back from the brink, but as I have said, its a miniscule chance and everything is riding on him.

I'll get straight to the point. Even though I support NaruSaku with everything I have, I really don't see Naruto & Sakura getting together anymore by the manga's end. Now here me out. The reasons for why I've come to this conclusion is because of the way Kishi has been developing the other pairings (mostly NauHina) - which I don't like. Now, as a NaruSaku fan, many questions NEED to be asked. One of them being: if Naruto gets with Sakura by the manga's end, where will that leave Hinata? Now a lot of you may say (including me), who gives a kitten about Hinata... well Kishi does. Hinata's entire character-scheme mostly revolves around Naruto. Without Naruto, there would be no Hinata and that is fact. When she's first introduced into the story, its revealed she has a crush on Naruto but that Naruto is too dumb to notice her affections. Then, what becomes her primary motivation to become stronger? Obviously Naruto. Not only that, but Naruto is pretty much heavily affiliated with the Hyuga Clan now. When he beat Neji back in the Chunin Exams, he said he would change the Hyuga when he became Hokage and, when Neji died, he was told to always remember that he now not only holds his own life in his hands, but Hinata's as well. Not to mention Kishi also drew the 64th volume cover with Hinata and Naruto holding hands but didn't bother to draw the 69th volume cover with a NaruSaku Moment (preferably Sakura's CPR), which the volume was filled with, unlike NaruHina's one moment in volume 64. 

 

The other reason for why I now think NaruSaku won't happen anymore is because I believe Kishi wants his three main-characters to achieve their original goals that they had at the beginning of the series: Naruto wanted to be acknowledged and become Hokage (pretty much 99.9% complete), Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi (completed it and then some), and Sakura basically wanted to be with Sasuke. Now many of us got hyped when Kakashi said that Sakura's feelings for Sasuke had changed, but the more I think about it, I think he meant her feelings for Sasuke changed from a typical school girl crush to a more mature one where she'll give everything she has just to see the darkness within Sasuke disappear. Now this leads me to my next point:

 

I know A LOT of people hate Sasuke... like a lot of people, but he is my favorite character and because so, I know the way he thinks and I know the way he acts (see my reasons for why he's a sociopath - http://www.reddit.co...ciopath_sasuke/. And because I know him so well, that little SasuSaku moment at the end of last weeks chapter absolutely does not represent Sasuke's undying love for Sakura. The way he was gazing into Sakura's eyes told me that he now feels like kitten for the way he's been treating her up until now and that he's grateful that she saved him. Now, the next chapter is CRUCIAL for every single paring within this series. Whatever Sasuke does at the beginning of chapter 686 will undoubtedly have an influence on which pairing becomes canon or not. If Sasuke has a flashback on all the times that Sakura tried to "save" him then he'll most likely say something around the lines of: "You never gave up on me". And depending on Sakura's reaction, it could very well be the end or the beginning of NaruSaku.