16 replies to this topic

[Shadow1275]

Having come back to the site after awhile, I've noticed that our traffic has gone back up a bit which is great. We've been having some interesting conversations about Naruto again and obviously I've had to go back and read certain panels to refresh my memory of the series. It's gotten me thinking a lot about NaruSaku again and in hindsight I've noticed a lot of things that bother me now with the pairing. Let me make one thing clear first:

 

I STILL THINK NARUSAKU WAS AND IS THE BEST PAIRING

 

It has the best moments, the most realistic romance, the most development, etc.

 

But It also has a lot of flaws that do bother me, so I created this thread for myself and others to discuss the flaws or personal pet peeves of NaruSaku and how we would fix them. I know they're mostly just bad writing on Kishi's point but some of these might be less story writing focused and more realistic focused.

 

Naruto: The biggest problem that I have here with Naruto in the relationship is that he bends over too far for Sakura. Sure it seems like his plan to wait to confess to her after he got Sausage seems noble, but honestly it's really dumb if you take off the romance goggles. It's almost like conceding defeat. It's like saying that you could never fill the void or outshine her current "love interest", you could never matter to her like he does. Yet we already know that Sakura cared a great deal about Naruto, in fact the moment where I think it turned to love was the Yamato scene, after that Sakura got much more aggressive. This also builds into my second point about Naruto, he doesn't act like a real man. He makes it known to Sakura that he wants her yet undervalues himself. He almost pushes her towards Sasuke at a couple points (Sakura's Confession) and most important of all he never calls her on her kitten for loving a man who she never went on a single date with and tried to kill her. He's like her brother and not once does he do this. Sure Sakura's feelings are Sakura's feelings, but If she was feeling like committing suicide would you let her do it? Naruto knows how she feels, he's her teammate so of course he is the best person to talk to her about this. Man up and set her straight otherwise..... well you all know how it ended up for Sakura. Also he's a bonehead. She just tried to feed you seductively on a date, don't let a third wheel like Sai stop you, get right back over there and turn the heat back up with the cherry head.

 

Sakura: Sure she was harsh to Naruto in the beginning, but part 1 Sakura is actually pretty okay imo when it comes to how she treats Naruto. She supports him, cheers him on, and is kind enough to go on dates with him even though she clearly likes Sausage for whatever reason. Though her saying that Naruto always loved her right after the POAL then conveniently forgetting it so Sai can shove it in her face 300 chapters later is dumb. Part 2 I think she's fine up till the Land of Iron Arc, which is more Naruto's fault then anything. After the feeding tease, the arm thing, the hug, and finally the confession and captain Oblivious just about pushes her into Sausage's outstretched sword. 540 should have shown both Naruto and Sausage to hammer in the contrast of how they both treated her. 693 however destroys her completely. Up till then you could make a decent argument that she was getting over Sausage even though she should have gotten over him a long time ago. This should have been the Sakura moment where she realizes that it was Naruto who complimented her forehead/contrasted the fact that Sasgay treats her like crap and Naruto worships her.

 

Overall: I still love the couple. It's the most human couple out of them all. But it lacks the human touch. No relationship lasts where one person gives up everything for someone else. If you really stretch it, Naruto to Sakura is a lot like Sakura to Sasuke only in how they both are martyrs. But in romance no one respects a martyr. There is a lot of good here. From the small moments where Sakura called out Naruto's name during the Pain arc to the large moments like the POAL and the CPR kiss scene. But I'd be lying if there weren't some parts that left a sour taste in my mouth.

Edited by Shadow1275, 02 March 2017 - 05:31 AM.

[ThroughWithLove]

Having come back to the site after awhile, I've noticed that our traffic has gone back up a bit which is great. We've been having some interesting conversations about Naruto again and obviously I've had to go back and read certain panels to refresh my memory of the series. It's gotten me thinking a lot about NaruSaku again and in hindsight I've noticed a lot of things that bother me now with the pairing. Let me make one thing clear first:

 

I STILL THINK NARUSAKU WAS AND IS THE BEST PAIRING

 

It has the best moments, the most realistic romance, the most development, etc.

 

But It also has a lot of flaws that do bother me, so I created this thread for myself and others to discuss the flaws or personal pet peeves of NaruSaku and how we would fix them. I know they're mostly just bad writing on Kishi's point but some of these might be less story writing focused and more realistic focused.

 

 

 

 

They're flawed characters whose flaws ought to have been addressed, but the actual concept is pretty flawless IMO. Develops both characters, carries the theme of bonds (as articulated by Haku) throughout the entirety on the manga, helps both characters grown as ninjas (both want to protect the other and get stronger over time as a result) and has enough tension it itself to keeps readers interested (if done right). Unfortunately, the concept was far from successfully executed and we saw that (especially as it was killed in the final story arc).

 

 

 

Naruto: The biggest problem that I have here with Naruto in the relationship is that he bends over too far for Sakura. Sure it seems like his plan to wait to confess to her after he got Sausage seems noble, but honestly it's really dumb if you take off the romance goggles. It's almost like conceding defeat. It's like saying that you could never fill the void or outshine her current "love interest", you could never matter to her like he does. Yet we already know that Sakura cared a great deal about Naruto, in fact the moment where I think it turned to love was the Yamato scene, after that Sakura got much more aggressive. This also builds into my second point about Naruto, he doesn't act like a real man. He makes it known to Sakura that he wants her yet undervalues himself. He almost pushes her towards Sasuke at a couple points (Sakura's Confession) and most important of all he never calls her on her kitten for loving a man who she never went on a single date with and tried to kill her. He's like her brother and not once does he do this. Sure Sakura's feelings are Sakura's feelings, but If she was feeling like committing suicide would you let her do it? Naruto knows how she feels, he's her teammate so of course he is the best person to talk to her about this. Man up and set her straight otherwise..... well you all know how it ended up for Sakura. Also he's a bonehead. She just tried to feed you seductively on a date, don't let a third wheel like Sai stop you, get right back over there and turn the heat back up with the cherry head.

 

 

 

I disagree with this. He fell in love with her as a result of seeing a kindred spirit in her (like him, she seeks to be acknowledged). His love for her goes to such extents that he stops caring about his own happiness and simply wishes see hers come to fruition. So of course he reaches a point where's he willing to let her be with Sasuke. It's noble and the kind of person Naruto is (or was anyway).

 

Now I will agree with you to the extent that he ought to have challenged her at one point or another. Specifically the times she's feeling sorry for herself. In my rewrite ending fic I wrote, I had Naruto calling her out on her BS and giving her the confidence to stop beating herself up all the time. I would have liked to have seen a scene to this effect in the manga. Sakura breaking down in crying about how useless she is was fine in part 1 and even at the beginning of part 2, but there was no excuse to be seeing it in chapter 693. By that point, her character arc ought to have been complete (with the exception of her consciously realizing her love for Naruto maybe, but that's about it).

 

I think him never capitalizing on any of Sakura's advances or him plain not making a move on her is fine as long as the narrative addresses it. Which it tried to do by suggesting that Naruto's refusal to make a move was the result of him feeling the need to first keep his promises. Of course, I think him being plain afraid that she'd reject them is fine too, provided he ends up overcoming his fear in the end and saying what needs to be said.

 

 

Sakura: Sure she was harsh to Naruto in the beginning, but part 1 Sakura is actually pretty okay imo when it comes to how she treats Naruto. She supports him, cheers him on, and is kind enough to go on dates with him even though she clearly likes Sausage for whatever reason. Though her saying that Naruto always loved her right after the POAL then conveniently forgetting it so Sai can shove it in her face 300 chapters later is dumb. Part 2 I think she's fine up till the Land of Iron Arc, which is more Naruto's fault then anything. After the feeding tease, the arm thing, the hug, and finally the confession and captain Oblivious just about pushes her into Sausage's outstretched sword. 540 should have shown both Naruto and Sausage to hammer in the contrast of how they both treated her. 693 however destroys her completely. Up till then you could make a decent argument that she was getting over Sausage even though she should have gotten over him a long time ago. This should have been the Sakura moment where she realizes that it was Naruto who complimented her forehead/contrasted the fact that Sasgay treats her like crap and Naruto worships her.

 

 

 

I don't remember her saying Naruto always loved her right after the POAL. When did this happen?

 

And yeah, the general consensus is that the LOI arc was the part where character was just destroyed. But honestly, I would've been fine with her still thinking she loved Sasuke even all the way up to chapter 698 if it were all explained away as her thinking Naruto really was Sasuke at the bench scene in chapter 3. Explain it away as it being Naruto's screw up which led to her falling deeply in love with the wrong person. Then we could get the scene NS fans had been waiting for since part 1.

 

[Phantom_999]

It has flaws, yes but there is nothing more we could ask for with this couple because as you say, they are the most human and realistic of them all and truth be told the poor points you were addressing were starting to get better. It's only that the series' dunderhead of a creator was being pulled along the nose of where to go with the writing by his editors, which NO writer should ever do. Listen to your editors yes, and always take their advice into consideration but they DON'T  dictate how your story goes.

Edited by Phantom_999, 23 March 2017 - 11:29 AM.

[Shadow1275]

 

 

They're flawed characters whose flaws ought to have been addressed, but the actual concept is pretty flawless IMO. Develops both characters, carries the theme of bonds (as articulated by Haku) throughout the entirety on the manga, helps both characters grown as ninjas (both want to protect the other and get stronger over time as a result) and has enough tension it itself to keeps readers interested (if done right). Unfortunately, the concept was far from successfully executed and we saw that (especially as it was killed in the final story arc).

 

 

 

 

I disagree with this. He fell in love with her as a result of seeing a kindred spirit in her (like him, she seeks to be acknowledged). His love for her goes to such extents that he stops caring about his own happiness and simply wishes see hers come to fruition. So of course he reaches a point where's he willing to let her be with Sasuke. It's noble and the kind of person Naruto is (or was anyway).

 

Now I will agree with you to the extent that he ought to have challenged her at one point or another. Specifically the times she's feeling sorry for herself. In my rewrite ending fic I wrote, I had Naruto calling her out on her BS and giving her the confidence to stop beating herself up all the time. I would have liked to have seen a scene to this effect in the manga. Sakura breaking down in crying about how useless she is was fine in part 1 and even at the beginning of part 2, but there was no excuse to be seeing it in chapter 693. By that point, her character arc ought to have been complete (with the exception of her consciously realizing her love for Naruto maybe, but that's about it).

 

I think him never capitalizing on any of Sakura's advances or him plain not making a move on her is fine as long as the narrative addresses it. Which it tried to do by suggesting that Naruto's refusal to make a move was the result of him feeling the need to first keep his promises. Of course, I think him being plain afraid that she'd reject them is fine too, provided he ends up overcoming his fear in the end and saying what needs to be said.

 

 

I don't remember her saying Naruto always loved her right after the POAL. When did this happen?

 

And yeah, the general consensus is that the LOI arc was the part where character was just destroyed. But honestly, I would've been fine with her still thinking she loved Sasuke even all the way up to chapter 698 if it were all explained away as her thinking Naruto really was Sasuke at the bench scene in chapter 3. Explain it away as it being Naruto's screw up which led to her falling deeply in love with the wrong person. Then we could get the scene NS fans had been waiting for since part 1.

 

I disagree with this. He fell in love with her as a result of seeing a kindred spirit in her (like him, she seeks to be acknowledged). His love for her goes to such extents that he stops caring about his own happiness and simply wishes see hers come to fruition. So of course he reaches a point where's he willing to let her be with Sasuke. It's noble and the kind of person Naruto is (or was anyway).

 

But it's not really a noble thing to do in this situation. Yes it shows that Naruto is kind and wants to help her, but it does two things wrong. A. He lumps in his relationship with Sakura and Sakura's with Sausage. But the best NS moments are when it is just Naruto and Sakura and Sausage is nowhere in sight. If Naruto wants to be with her what he needs to understand is that his relationship with Sakura doesn't have anything to do with Sausage. If she loves Naruto she loves Naruto. In fact this flaw almost validates the Stupid Sakura line where she claimed that Naruto's love for Sakura was fake and it was a competition with Sasuke. Think about it, is it socially acceptable for you to have your grilfriend bring every guy who makes her go wild out on a date with you and have her tell you that you're the one for her? Or do you understand that the only two ppl involved in a Romantic relationship are Mr. Through with Love and Mrs. Through with Love.

 

Now I will agree with you to the extent that he ought to have challenged her at one point or another. Specifically the times she's feeling sorry for herself. In my rewrite ending fic I wrote, I had Naruto calling her out on her BS and giving her the confidence to stop beating herself up all the time. I would have liked to have seen a scene to this effect in the manga. Sakura breaking down in crying about how useless she is was fine in part 1 and even at the beginning of part 2, but there was no excuse to be seeing it in chapter 693. By that point, her character arc ought to have been complete (with the exception of her consciously realizing her love for Naruto maybe, but that's about it).

 

Completely agree though from a storytelling perspective I still think you hold off until 693. Well more drop the final romantic hammer in 693. But the final romantic bomb must always be saved for the finale.

 

I think him never capitalizing on any of Sakura's advances or him plain not making a move on her is fine as long as the narrative addresses it. Which it tried to do by suggesting that Naruto's refusal to make a move was the result of him feeling the need to first keep his promises. Of course, I think him being plain afraid that she'd reject them is fine too, provided he ends up overcoming his fear in the end and saying what needs to be said.

 

He kind of flip flops in the manga though. Like he tells Sai that he doesn't feel worthy for her if he can't keep his promises, yet he's willing to hop right in when she seductively offers to feed him? You see the problem here? It's why I love and hate Sakura's confession, mixed messages across the board from both Naruto and Sakura. Even when he told his father Sakura was his girlfriend he was really hesitant about it.

 

It doesn't make sense at all bc even a brain dead horse would understand that the I'm not worth her argument is bullcrap. Apply that logic to Sausage. If Naruto is not worth her then does that mean Sasgay Is???? 

 

And keep in mind that not only has she suggestively tried to feed him but she's also accepted dates with him. He has no reason to think that just bc she has lingering feelings for Sausage doesn't mean she doesn't want to give him a chance. Put on your Jonin pants and toss out your Genin Shorts and show her how a real man treats a woman.

 

I don't remember her saying Naruto always loved her right after the POAL. When did this happen?

 

Right here, you need both panels to understand it. Note how Naruto follows up, "I know how much pain you're in bc of Sausage" With I understand. Then two panels later she says, He always knew, he always helped me." What she's really saying is, even though he loved me and knew I loved Sausage and hated him he still helped me bc he loved me. Must have been Yahagi's idea.

 

 

And yeah, the general consensus is that the LOI arc was the part where character was just destroyed. But honestly, I would've been fine with her still thinking she loved Sasuke even all the way up to chapter 698 if it were all explained away as her thinking Naruto really was Sasuke at the bench scene in chapter 3. Explain it away as it being Naruto's screw up which led to her falling deeply in love with the wrong person. Then we could get the scene NS fans had been waiting for since part 1.

 

If only, but I disagree. Why does she even love him? I can understand a crush, lust is just creepy cause she's thirteen. But she says she loves him in her first confession and every one thereafter.

 

Why??? Just Why????

 

I have no problem with her loving him so long as there was some sort of actual reciprocated romance there. It's great for Sakura bc it makes her seem less like an idiot and for Sasuke it adds weight to his choice to cast everything aside for revenge. Those are great characters. And it's even greater if she does get over that and realizes she was wrong about him and what she thought was "love" wasn't. But instead you have a forced love quadrangle.

 

But still 693 slaughters her. She just punched a Shinobi goddess and up to that point especially after 540 you could make the argument that she was getting over Sausage. But then 693 comes and she ends up groveling on the floor, saying that she's ok with Sakuke treating her like dirt and still loves him, as she proceeds to get kittenslapped back into the kitchen.

 

I didn't even care about the final forehead poke at that point bc Sakura had already died in 693.

Edited by Shadow1275, 02 March 2017 - 10:43 PM.

[rocci]

The flaw is kishi doesn't finish it for good(canon) or bad(not canon).

I think you should bring the anti NS argument and then determine whether it's a solid argument or just biased one.

[Codus N]

I will put this simply:

NS had more tell, not show. NH had more show and less tell. That's what appealed to NH fans.

We can all moan and whine about NS, but fact of the matter is, people completely overlooked the fact that NS was nothing but a tell-fest. Yamato's comment, Kushina's story, Minato's comment too. All of them weren't showing why they should be together. Post-615, and in 631, the fact that Kishi chose to have Minato focus on asking if Sakura is his son's girl instead of telling him a job well done of holding out was the moment I knew she was complete shipping fodder.

I thought Minato's bond with Naruto was supposed to be the highlight? Not about his son's personal life.

[Shadow1275]

The flaw is kishi doesn't finish it for good(canon) or bad(not canon).

I think you should bring the anti NS argument and then determine whether it's a solid argument or just biased one.

No that is a story flaw, not a flaw of the couple.

 

The thread is mainly for flaws concerning Naruto and Sakura's relationship. It's like Through with Love said, I myself would have been fine with NS not happening if they had been shown to be going that way. For example, i think that after the LOI arc, it's fine to go NH. You could make the argument that Naruto had gotten over Sakura. But then he calls her his girlfriend to his father which takes everything back to square one.

[Shadow1275]

I will put this simply:

NS had more tell, not show. NH had more show and less tell. That's what appealed to NH fans.

We can all moan and whine about NS, but fact of the matter is, people completely overlooked the fact that NS was nothing but a tell-fest. Yamato's comment, Kushina's story, Minato's comment too. All of them weren't showing why they should be together. Post-615, and in 631, the fact that Kishi chose to have Minato focus on asking if Sakura is his son's girl instead of telling him a job well done of holding out was the moment I knew she was complete shipping fodder.

I thought Minato's bond with Naruto was supposed to be the highlight? Not about his son's personal life.

I have to disagree Codus. I don't think that is a flaw for NS. Just look at the panel I posted and it provides the perfect example. They both want to be loved by someone they care about. Here's another example:

 

 

SasuSaku false smile

 

 

This is a special smile reserved for Naruto that pops up every so often.

 

 

They're all very similar and she only ever gave that smile to Naruto. Nobody else.

Edited by Shadow1275, 02 March 2017 - 11:15 PM.

[rocci]

A show pairing surely doesn't need any justification post canon.

[Moon_Girl]

Of course NaruSaku isn't perfect and has flaws. But that's part of what makes it good. There's no such thing as a perfect romance and a perfect romance is boring.

 

However, I do have to disagree with your points on Naruto's half. One of my favorite things about NaruSaku was because Naruto's love was real. It was selfless. That's what real love is. He was putting Sakura's happiness before his own. And the whole waiting to confess after bringing back Sasuke? I've always believed it's so Sakura could choose for real. Not taking the advantage while Sasuke was away. Of course a lot of us think that's silly, but that's just how Naruto was. (Keyword: was...until Hinaturd happened and derailed his whole character)

 

There's a million famous quotes about how true love is selfless.

 

Here's a few images

 

 

Naruto's love for Sakura was selfless and unconditional. One may say Sakura's love for Naruto was the same. Trying to kill Sasuke for Naruto's overall well being. Even if he hated her for it, she wanted to do it to save him. She was putting Naruto over her fangirl feelings for Sasuke.

In a selfish world, Naruto's love for Sakura was so pure and selfless, it was absolutely beautiful.

 

That was my favorite thing about NaruSaku and it always will be. They weren't just 'cute' together and the manga didn't just 'point to them as canon'. Naruto had true love for Sakura and she truly loved him back. Kishimoto said it himself, so idgaf about all his inconsistent interviews. The manga told me they loved each other, truly. 

Hinata's love is selfish. She said it herself. And she only liked him because he inspired her to be a better ninja. Other than that, she didn't love him for him.
Sakura's love for Sasuke is selfish. Kishimoto even said so in an early part 1 interview. Sakura only liked him because he was cool and good looking. She didn't love Sasuke for who he is. I'm certain she didn't get the giddy butterflies in her stomach the three times he tried to murder her.

 

That's one of the reasons why the ending broke my heart and stomped on it. NaruSaku was a selfless, unconditional, beautiful love. 
NaruHina and SasuSaku was so selfish and shallow. Female fans wanted SS because it's some sort of twisted fantasy where the girl heals the bad boy with her love and some even put themselves in Sakura's shoes so they could ship with him. Most, if not all SS fans were Sakura fans.
Just like most (I'm pretty certain all) NaruHina fans were Hinata fans. Primarily so. If they were really Naruto fans, wouldn't they have rooted for him for what he wanted? Not what they thought was better or what THEY preferred? Don't get me started how many put themselves in Naruto's shoes to ship themselves with Hinaturd and basically see her as a submissive, loyal sex doll.

We really do live in a selfish world. :/ 

 

Sorry, I kind of got off topic.

Edited by Moon_Girl, 03 March 2017 - 03:35 AM.

[Shadow1275]

Of course NaruSaku isn't perfect and has flaws. But that's part of what makes it good. There's no such thing as a perfect romance and a perfect romance is boring.

 

However, I do have to disagree with your points on Naruto's half. One of my favorite things about NaruSaku was because Naruto's love was real. It was selfless. That's what real love is. He was putting Sakura's happiness before his own. And the whole waiting to confess after bringing back Sasuke? I've always believed it's so Sakura could choose for real. Not taking the advantage while Sasuke was away. Of course a lot of us think that's silly, but that's just how Naruto was. (Keyword: was...until Hinaturd happened and derailed his whole character)

 

There's a million famous quotes about how true love is selfless.

 

Here's a few images

 

 

Naruto's love for Sakura was selfless and unconditional. One may say Sakura's love for Naruto was the same. Trying to kill Sasuke for Naruto's overall well being. Even if he hated her for it, she wanted to do it to save him. She was putting Naruto over her fangirl feelings for Sasuke.

In a selfish world, Naruto's love for Sakura was so pure and selfless, it was absolutely beautiful.

 

That was my favorite thing about NaruSaku and it always will be. They weren't just 'cute' together and the manga didn't just 'point to them as canon'. Naruto had true love for Sakura and she truly loved him back. Kishimoto said it himself, so idgaf about all his inconsistent interviews. The manga told me they loved each other, truly. 

Hinata's love is selfish. She said it herself. And she only liked him because he inspired her to be a better ninja. Other than that, she didn't love him for him.
Sakura's love for Sasuke is selfish. Kishimoto even said so in an early part 1 interview. Sakura only liked him because he was cool and good looking. She didn't love Sasuke for who he is. I'm certain she didn't get the giddy butterflies in her stomach the three times he tried to murder her.

 

That's one of the reasons why the ending broke my heart and stomped on it. NaruSaku was a selfless, unconditional, beautiful love. 
NaruHina and SasuSaku was so selfish and shallow. Female fans wanted SS because it's some sort of twisted fantasy where the girl heals the bad boy with her love and some even put themselves in Sakura's shoes so they could ship with him. Most, if not all SS fans were Sakura fans.
Just like most (I'm pretty certain all) NaruHina fans were Hinata fans. Primarily so. If they were really Naruto fans, wouldn't they have rooted for him for what he wanted? Not what they thought was better or what THEY preferred? Don't get me started how many put themselves in Naruto's shoes to ship themselves with Hinaturd and basically see her as a submissive, loyal sex doll.

We really do live in a selfish world. :/ 

 

Sorry, I kind of got off topic.

Not a problem, you were on topic. Even though you talked about SS it was used to emphasize NS's selflessness.

 

Yes Naruto wanting to put Sakura's happiness above his own is tragic and noble but....

 

What throws the Monkey wrench into the situation is that Sakura showed romantic interest in Naruto and Sasuke was abusive.

 

Simply put, if you loved me you wouldn't push me to marry a black widow.

 

But even if Sausage didn't try to kill Sakura, Naruto's logic still doesn't make sense. 

 

She's made advances on him, meaning that even if he doesn't feel worthy of her she does. His logic dictates that Sausage is worthy of her even though Naruto repeatedly gets angry at him for abandoning his friends. And finally bc she's made advances on him, why should he assume that she would be happiest with Sausage?

 

In the panel I posted above Naruto says he knows Sausage causes Sakura pain. This is bc he loves her and she loves Sausage. Their love is unrequited. 

 

So if all of the above is true and she's making advances on him, why would he give her TWO unrequited loves and push her towards the Sausage?

 

I agree, had NS been endgame it does add a tragic dramatic touch to the relationship. But take off the romance goggles and you realize it's pretty darn stupid.

It's why as a man you have to take charge in romance bc we tend to be a bit more logical. That's what Sakura was looking for. She was sad and broken emotionally and she needed some stability. Naruto offered a warm stability of kindness which she began to appreciate and admire. But when she took the next leap he let her fall flat on her face into Sausage's arms.

 

and I hate SuckuSucku too btw.

Edited by Shadow1275, 03 March 2017 - 06:20 AM.

[Codus N]

I have to disagree Codus. I don't think that is a flaw for NS. Just look at the panel I posted and it provides the perfect example. They both want to be loved by someone they care about. Here's another example:
 

 
SasuSaku false smile
 

 
This is a special smile reserved for Naruto that pops up every so often.
 

 

They're all very similar and she only ever gave that smile to Naruto. Nobody else.

Actions speak louder than words. If they're as perfect for each other as you say, then why do we never see any meaningful interactions beyond teasing? When Jiraiya died, that also would've been a great chance to advance their relationship. She could've tried to be angry with him when he was shutting himself off.

But with the way she was trying to give him "space", it also comes across as looking uncaring.

[rocci]

@codus
Because lack of interaction is the flaw of this manga?
Part 1 has the best interaction while part 2 especially war arc which has the worst interaction. That's one of my biggest criticism for this manga.

And that's not only NS, almost all character suffer from that including all pairing especially narusasu.

What you bring from earlier post is more about moment, more like Hinata moment and yes it's damn good for her, but then again it's just Hinata moment. There's a valid criticism for that.

I think you expect sakura to do that.

Edited by rocci, 03 March 2017 - 12:27 PM.

[Toasty Warrior]

It's true NaruSaku is flawed like any other couple, but together they cancel out those flaws as it suggested in the manga until all that other stuff happened.

[James S Cassidy]

NS had more tell, not show. NH had more show and less tell. That's what appealed to NH fans.

Except it isn't and I could make the same for NH. Look at the relationship now and you see Naruto being miserable, his kids hating him, and so much other things.

Meanwhile, all the people in the village keep saying how much of a wonderful father he is, girls say how happy they look together and how jealous they are, and so much other things. Hell, Naruto had to be TOLD he loved Hinata, not that it naturally occurred to him or he was close to her.

NS though has moments of Naruto being impressed by Sakura's skills, Sai looking at Naruto's face and asking him a question with Naruto's reaction, the feeding scene, Sakura smiling and thinking about Naruto...and so much more. 

There are moments of people "telling" it, but there many more moments of showing it. Meanwhile NH is all about tell and NEVER show outside of maybe the wedding.

[Gravenimage]

The only flaw I saw with NS that Naruto and Sakura never got the chance to sit down and talk about their feelings. But Kishimoto is to blame because he never made it happened and then he will come up with one of his many excuses that "the story isn't about romance" well you still forced NH and you forced it down our throats with that piece of unholy kitten The Last, and still that movie had romance more BS to feed your contradictions. But neither Pierot nor the fandom wanted to see Naruto and Sakura talking about their feelings God forbid that was a sin that could never take place, Naruto only belongs to the big boob Hyuuga goddess, as for Sakura screw her everyone hates her let her be with the Uchiha and have her fairy tale come true. 

Edited by Gravenimage, 03 March 2017 - 04:38 PM.

[Konoha'sCrimsonFox]

The flaws of NS is simple that Yahagi decided to focus on Sasuke (too bring in more) character more after the H&E bridge arc. This allowed the Shuiesha executives to to dismantle Sakura's important role as a heroine and pushed her to be the supportive type of character throughout the remaining duration of the manga despite being the heroine. The executives knew if they focus more on Team kakashi, NaruSaku romance would have been at its finest and it would be pointless for Hinata's existence.