54 replies to this topic

[T XD]

If you ask me, it seems Kishi wants Naruto to be the only one left to do the confession. Maybe he's that kind of guy who believes a man should be coming to a woman. Naruto is the only one left, so I believe he's the last one.

It makes sense. It could be that Kishi is leaving Naruto the last one to do the confession. Though, I'm interested more in Sakura of what will she do when she realizes her feelings and when is the confession from Naruto is going to be with the chronological order on when these to be seen.

I'm very curious for what the future chapters has for us.

heh. I know, right? Yeah, but I think we have gotten to a pint where just physical touch can no longer be anything. Hugging, holding hands, it has all gotten so confusing that I might as well say that we need more than that.

If we need more than that, imagine how the manga will be from that point

Edited by T XD, 09 January 2013 - 10:25 PM.

[shadow_Uzumaki]

If we need more than that, imagine how the manga will be from that point

Bow-chicka-wow-wow.

Because H.

Edited by shadow_Uzumaki, 09 January 2013 - 10:40 PM.

[Quinny52]

Swap punches and beatdowns for some slap and tickle? I'll Have that!

[Chatte]

The arc didnt ended, he too said that side characters would receive development.

But he's still doing a bad thing with Sakura, imo.

[Poison_In_Your_Coffee]

It is hard to imagine NH happening here, let alone hinting, because we still have Team 7 situation underway.

This is something I'm not sure I understand. You are saying that you don't think NH can happen now because team 7 situation (=Sakura's feelings for Sasuke) haven't yet been resolved, correct? If this is what you are saying, then I don't really get it. Why would it be necessary for Kishi to first deal with team 7 and then resolve the pairings? Why do you think that the order is SS first, then NH? Why can't Kishi confirm NH now and then let the readers wonder if SS will happen as well?

The way I see it, if NH and SS will be canon, Kishi has a very good opportunity to resolve Hinata's arc and the pairings now so he can get them out of the way. Then he can fully concentrate on the Sasuke sotryline and work on SS, if that will be one of his final pairings. SS requires, IMO, more work than NH, as Kishi must deal with some very problematic content (like Sasuke trying to kill Sakura). To me, it would make sense to confirm NH first and then SS. But you seem to think otherwise?

[Don-kun]

The arc didnt ended, he too said that side characters would receive development.

I didn't mean any harm it was only an observation of things Kishi will need to overcome to fulfill his commitment about Sakura character and her fans, since in my point of view Heroine are always the one who shows genuine concern and support for the main character, something we have in many arcs but more noticeable in Gaara rescue arc and Sai and Sasuke arc.
Sakura was being a Heroine at that point and the main reason why people find NS a well developed pairing and more importantly mutual, but even when the hater were still not satisfy with her role Kishi instead of showing more of that side he focused more on Hinata character.

[TouKen4Life3g]

This is something I'm not sure I understand. You are saying that you don't think NH can happen now because team 7 situation (=Sakura's feelings for Sasuke) haven't yet been resolved, correct? If this is what you are saying, then I don't really get it. Why would it be necessary for Kishi to first deal with team 7 and then resolve the pairings? Why do you think that the order is SS first, then NH? Why can't Kishi confirm NH now and then let the readers wonder if SS will happen as well?

The way I see it, if NH and SS will be canon, Kishi has a very good opportunity to resolve Hinata's arc and the pairings now so he can get them out of the way. Then he can fully concentrate on the Sasuke sotryline and work on SS, if that will be one of his final pairings. SS requires, IMO, more work than NH, as Kishi must deal with some very problematic content (like Sasuke trying to kill Sakura). To me, it would make sense to confirm NH first and then SS. But you seem to think otherwise?

The thing is that Naruto is the main guy. You may say, "So what?", but you got to remember that we are not the only audience. No one would care about all others the same level. Say what you want or think, but the basic writing is to keep the romance pairing confirmation in the end. That is not to say Hinata can make Naruto feel different, but the confirmation will be highly questionable and many would lose interest. Also, Kishi, even by recent interview, suggests that we must continue to support Naruto to the very end. Nothing suggest to support others from him, and certainly the same for Sakura.

Lets not forget that romance always comes at the end as in before the storm or after. This is not it. People are jumping conclusion way too early, but it's normal to do so. It would have been normal if the last chapter happened during normal week, but since we waited almost 3 weeks, the whole conflict is still on. Also, if one becomes canon, don't you think it's predictable to begin with? Kishi going predictable is not his game. Say what you want about NS being the predictable route, but it's the journey that makes it exciting.

[Slextrem]

The way I see it, if NH and SS will be canon, Kishi has a very good opportunity to resolve Hinata's arc and the pairings now so he can get them out of the way. Then he can fully concentrate on the Sasuke sotryline and work on SS, if that will be one of his final pairings. SS requires, IMO, more work than NH, as Kishi must deal with some very problematic content (like Sasuke trying to kill Sakura). To me, it would make sense to confirm NH first and then SS. But you seem to think otherwise?

Everyone here thinks otherwise.

I think the point trying to be made here is that there is still an opportunity for Kishimoto to turn this around in favor of NaruSaku. He can bring closure to Sakura's feelings for Sasuke and have her recognize her love for Naruto during the final Team Seven reunion. It's just as possible as your prediction of NH being dealt with now to provide the time needed to mend SS.

In regard to your prediction, it would be questionable for the author to put so much effort into finalizing NH and SS without providing any closure to Naruto's feelings for Sakura first. He is the main character, after all. That's why I believe that sometime between now and the end of the manga, Kishimoto will provide us with a chapter that addresses Naruto's feelings for Sakura or vice versa - whether that's confirmation of NaruSaku or closure to the pairing. I'm sure you can guess how I'm hoping it will go.

Edited by Slextrem, 10 January 2013 - 02:11 AM.

[Poison_In_Your_Coffee]

Maybe I should try to reword my question. What I mean is this:

Let's assume that NS does not happen. Let's assume that NH and SS both do.

Many of you seem to think that SS must happen first because team 7 is important/Naruto is the main guy/etc.

It is the bolded part that I don't really get. If NH and SS will happen, it would seem to me, based on the recent events of the manga, that NH would happen first. The focus is currently on Hinata and Naruto. The stage for them has been set up, and this arc is probably Hinata's resolution as a character. This, IMO, is the best opportunity for Kishi to make NH happen if he wishes. Yet many of you still think that SS must happen first for NH to happen. Why is it you think that? That SS must happen before NH can happen?

The thing is that Naruto is the main guy. You may say, "So what?", but you got to remember that we are not the only audience. No one would care about all others the same level. Say what you want or think, but the basic writing is to keep the romance pairing confirmation in the end. That is not to say Hinata can make Naruto feel different, but the confirmation will be highly questionable and many would lose interest. Also, Kishi, even by recent interview, suggests that we must continue to support Naruto to the very end. Nothing suggest to support others from him, and certainly the same for Sakura.

Honestly, I don't think most people read Naruto to see what pairings will happen. Romance is not the main storyline of this comic. I don't think too many people would just drop Naruto because Kishi finalized the pairings and now they can't be bothered anymore. There are still a lot of storylines to be resolved, even if pairings will be confirmed in the next chapter or something like that. And Naruto still has a lot to achieve, even after the pairings are resolved. We still have to see if he can win against Sasuke and redeem him and become hokage and so on. So I don't think this is such a good argument against Kishi making NH canon in the ch 618 or something. There are still a lot of things to be interested in, even after finding out which girl Naruto ends up with.

Edited by Poison_In_Your_Coffee, 10 January 2013 - 02:37 AM.

[Phantom_999]

Plain and simple. Something romantic happens, then stays that way. Admit it, the shipping here is just one big roller coaster with ship tease one moment then it's deconstructed in the next for whatever reason. Yes it is done to make the characters seem more complex, but it is how it is. We get a moment, then the moment is destroyed. I'm not trying to be cynical here but that's what we've been getting, despite me being a giant supporter of NS. So Kishi NEEDS and I emphasize, NEEDS to create such a moment that is (logically) undeniable and and not have it tarnished at all. e.g. Sakura thinking about Sasuke whenever someone mentions love. Yes, it was meant to show show she was ashamed of having had feelings for him, but the fact of the matter is she was not thinking of Naruto at the mention of love and that crushes all foundation of confessing her love for him no matter what the intention was. We can't deny the question; If Naruto was Sakura's true love and she meant her confession why wasn't she thinking about him when that unnamed admirer mentioned love? After all, the confession was not that long ago, plus Sai also gave her a wake up call about the depths of Naruto's love for her so while I dont deny her confession was genuine nothing is solidifying it yet and no moment ever drives it home. That's what we need. Consistency.

Edited by Phantom_999, 10 January 2013 - 03:00 AM.

[TouKen4Life3g]

Oh I do agree with you about this is Hinata's make it or break it. You'll be surprised that people do care about pairing and then go bye bye. Also, it is known that the romance department always make it in in every media. It also known that I happens at the end. There are times that happens in the beginning but that's only because they want to get it over with or have another plan. You got to remember that this is Kishi's fault to make the romance drama going complex and therefore, everyone now wants to see what happens next. Note: don't take the word "everyone" literally but there is a good amount of them. Well, I hope someone in here can fill me in. I'm away for now. It seems that you're almost 100% that NH is canon. Not that I won't change your mind, but why do you think that way.

[Poison_In_Your_Coffee]

Oh I do agree with you about this is Hinata's make it or break it. You'll be surprised that people do care about pairing and then go bye bye. Also, it is known that the romance department always make it in in every media. It also known that I happens at the end. There are times that happens in the beginning but that's only because they want to get it over with or have another plan. You got to remember that this is Kishi's fault to make the romance drama going complex and therefore, everyone now wants to see what happens next. Note: don't take the word "everyone" literally but there is a good amount of them. Well, I hope someone in here can fill me in. I'm away for now. It seems that you're almost 100% that NH is canon. Not that I won't change your mind, but why do you think that way.

I'm sure that many readers are interested in the romance but is it something that keeps them reading? It is not for me. The romance is interesting to read and talk about, but there are other things I care about more.

I'm not nearly 100% certain. I think NH has good chances, that's all.

Bolded: I'm not sure it is really that complex. Naruto at least once was into Sakura. Sakura was into Sasuke. Sasuke was not into anyone. Hinata was into Naruto. Now it might be that Naruto is no longer into Sakura and might be into Hinata. Hinata is still into Naruto. Sakura is still into Sasuke. Sasuke is still not into anyone. No main pairings have yet happened in anyway, noone has yet gotten together. As far as I see, this has been more simple than truly complex.

I don't think you still answered my initial question. Why do you think that SS must happen before NH can? Not that you have to answer, if you don't want to.

Sakura thinking about Sasuke whenever someone mentions love. Yes, it was meant to show show she was ashamed of having had feelings for him, but the fact of the matter is she was not thinking of Naruto at the mention of love and that crushes all foundation of confessing her love for him no matter what the intention was.

Bolded: that is actually not a fact. That is speculation. We don't know if she was ashamed for having feelings for him. We do know that she thought about him after being talked about how she must like great guys and was sad. That is all we know. We don't know exactly why she was sad. And we certainly don't know if she felt shame.

Edited by Poison_In_Your_Coffee, 10 January 2013 - 03:08 AM.

[TouKen4Life3g]

That's ok to think NH has chances. I respect that. Oh, to answer your question, as I said before, it's just that I feel that Naruto should address his feelings. Besides that, it also keeps the story interesting to some that the love triangle is still unresolved. If NH is canon, then SS is obvious, wouldn't it. That or no SS but there's nothing to be on the look out. Yes, we all have different reasons to read/watch, but if there's one thing to do is keep many as possible to keep then interested.

[Poison_In_Your_Coffee]

That's ok to think NH has chances. I respect that. Oh, to answer your question, as I said before, it's just that I feel that Naruto should address his feelings. Besides that, it also keeps the story interesting to some that the love triangle is still unresolved. If NH is canon, then SS is obvious, wouldn't it. That or no SS but there's nothing to be on the look out. Yes, we all have different reasons to read/watch, but if there's one thing to do is keep many as possible to keep then interested.

For me, it is exactly the other way around: if NH does not happen, then it is pretty obvious that NS will. I'm still not sure that NH happening means SS. It might not. NH is better for SS than NS, for sure, but far from certain.

Bolded: It could happen in multiple ways, though. We could see a flashback where Naruto and Sakura talk. Or Naruto could monologue in his head how he got over Sakura. Or NH is made canon, Naruto is hurt and Sakura comes over to heal him and they talk about his feelings then.

Edited by Poison_In_Your_Coffee, 10 January 2013 - 03:26 AM.

[James S Cassidy]

I'm sure that many readers are interested in the romance but is it something that keeps them reading? It is not for me. The romance is interesting to read and talk about, but there are other things I care about more.

You'll be surprised. I see more members care more about their shipping, then they do about the quality of the manga. This is on all sides of this battle. I always have to question, if you knew that your pairing became canon at the cost of the manga story going down the tubes, would you accept it? Out 0f 30 people I have asked of NH, NS, and SS , 24 of them cared more about their ship being canon than they do the manga's quality. (10 for each pairing side.)

Problem with NH is is if it does become canon now, that is a lot of ground to cover in terms of development. Sure, Hinata had her moments with Naruto, but they are so few and far between and some weren't even romantic at all. I don't know how NH can be pulled off so quickly and still be believable without seeming forced.

SS is in an even worse predicament. Because Sasuke and Sakura's relationship has been nothing, but bad news, attempted murder, abandonment, and mental abuse I don't know how it can still stand. If Sakura hitting Naruto for comedic effect is considered abuse, then what do you call everything that Sasuke has done to Sakura? It's a lot of ground to cover in such a small amount of time; even if you do the whole "Time skip off panel development," it is kind of a cheap and lazy way to do it. Plus, unlike Hinata, Sasuke has shown no feeling towards Sakura at all. Not even back in part 1. To all of a sudden push these kinds of feelings into him would make it so forced, I would give the manga up entirely. Not even because SS become canon, but because of making something so unbelievable that it makes no sense.

Out of all the canon couples I have seen: any and all main character pairing couples always get resolved in the end. Kaze No Stigma, Love Hina, Fruits Basket, Outlaw Star, etc. Even if there was development throughout the manga and you know they are one step away from being canon, they still wait to the end. Only side characters get their love interest in early from what I have seen.

Can Kishi change it and make a different approach? Of course he can, but it is not a popular route to go especially if you make development for other characters through out. I like pairings with development to them. Spontaneous love is such...bogus emotions in my opinion and 9/10 it always ends up in horrible predicaments simply because the characters don't know anything about each other. Even in real life this is true. Sure love at first sight can happen, but the relationship never really lasts because while it seems great at first, after a while you get to know the real them and realize they are not what you expected them to be.

Edited by James S Cassidy, 10 January 2013 - 03:35 AM.

[Poison_In_Your_Coffee]

You'll be surprised. I see more members care more about their shipping, then they do about the quality of the manga. This is on all sides of this battle. I always have to question, if you knew that your pairing became canon at the cost of the manga story going down the tubes, would you accept it? Out 0f 30 people I have asked of NH, NS, and SS , 24 of them cared more about their ship being canon than they do the manga's quality. (10 for each pairing side.)

For me, the romance is such a small thing in Naruto that I might not care if the quality of it was bad. There are plenty of things in the manga already that I haven't considered very good. Overall, I still think it a good work, though. There are ways to make SS happen that I would not like. I would still enjoy the idea of the pairing but not the way it was executed into canon. (From Harry Potter. I liked the idea of Tonks/Lupin but didn't really care for the way Rowling wrote it in the end. Similarly I didn't like everything in the Hermione/Ron romance, but still shipped them.) So it would really depend how bad the manga would go. There are things I love in the Naruto manga. The end would have to be absolutely horrible for me to be completely turned off Naruto.

Problem with NH is is if it does become canon now, that is a lot of ground to cover in terms of development. Sure, Hinata had her moments with Naruto, but they are so few and far between and some weren't even romantic at all. I don't know how NH can be pulled off so quickly and still be believable without seeming forced.

SS is in an even worse predicament. Because Sasuke and Sakura's relationship has been nothing, but bad news, attempted murder, abandonment, and mental abuse I don't know how it can still stand. If Sakura hitting Naruto for comedic effect is considered abuse, then what do you call everything that Sasuke has done to Sakura? It's a lot of ground to cover in such a small amount of time; even if you do the whole "Time skip off panel development," it is kind of a cheap and lazy way to do it. Plus, unlike Hinata, Sasuke has shown no feeling towards Sakura at all. Not even back in part 1. To all of a sudden push these kinds of feelings into him would make it so forced, I would give the manga entirely. Not even because SS become canon, but because of making something so unbelievable that it makes no sense.

This is far from ideal solution but, like you said, the answer is off-panel development. Like in Harry Potter. Show what pairings will happen and then do a timejump 19 years in the future and show the couples married with kids. This way you don't have to develop the pairings but still can argue that they share a deep bond: they just developed it during those 19 years you didn't see. This can be really bad writing, or it can work just fine. It is not for everybody's tastes, especially if you enjoy on-screen romances. Others just want to see their pairing happen and don't care how.

[James S Cassidy]

This is far from ideal solution but, like you said, the answer is off-panel development. Like in Harry Potter. Show what pairings will happen and then do a timejump 19 years in the future and show the couples married with kids. This way you don't have to develop the pairings but still can argue that they share a deep bond: they just developed it during those 19 years you didn't see. This can be really bad writing, or it can work just fine. It is not for everybody's tastes, especially if you enjoy on-screen romances. Others just want to see their pairing happen and don't care how.

Didn't the canon pairings happen before the time skip though for Harry Potter?

I know of one pairing that didn't happen even though they had tons of development the entire series. It even had a time skip with all this hidden development happen. The show was called the "The Wonder Years." I have mentioned this several times in previous posts. The couple was Kevin and Winnie. They even had sex by the end, but they still didn't get together in the end. "Things never turn out exactly the way you plan them," Kevin said about it. Love the show, but not a real big fan of this ending.

It left me wondering "What happened?" and left me thinking that all that development was wasted.

[tricksie]

Honestly, I don't think most people read Naruto to see what pairings will happen. Romance is not the main storyline of this comic. I don't think too many people would just drop Naruto because Kishi finalized the pairings and now they can't be bothered anymore. There are still a lot of storylines to be resolved, even if pairings will be confirmed in the next chapter or something like that. And Naruto still has a lot to achieve, even after the pairings are resolved. We still have to see if he can win against Sasuke and redeem him and become hokage and so on. So I don't think this is such a good argument against Kishi making NH canon in the ch 618 or something. There are still a lot of things to be interested in, even after finding out which girl Naruto ends up with.

I don't know how many people read the manga for the pairing, and I don't know how many would drop if a ship was confirmed one way or the other.... But the shipping is the biggest element of suspense in the story.

We know Naruto is going to succeed. We know he's going to defeat Madara/Tobito/Orchimaru-Kabuto. We know he's going to fight Sasuke. And yeah, we pretty much know he's going to win and redeem Sasuke in the end. But we don't know who Naruto loves.

Kishimoto might be writing an action manga, but it is the romance that's the hook. That's where the suspense is. The rest is action and fighting and new characters and jutsus. Sure there will be more suprises to come. But the suspense — the unanswered question — is what keeps the audience coming back.

[Phantom_999]

Bolded: that is actually not a fact. That is speculation. We don't know if she was ashamed for having feelings for him. We do know that she thought about him after being talked about how she must like great guys and was sad. That is all we know. We don't know exactly why she was sad. And we certainly don't know if she felt shame.

Granted. But she wasn't SMILING FONDLY either when thinking about him, so it may not be fact but we can guess that the assumption is pretty if not totally accurate. Remember, the subject that triggered that thought was love and it wasn't a happy thought was it?

Edited by Phantom_999, 12 January 2013 - 05:22 AM.

[kirabook]

Unexpected wall of text ahead... I didn't mean to type so much.


I didn't start Naruto for the pairings and I don't read it for the pairings, but it's obvious that some of the romance stuff has been taking center stage lately and it worries me.

I've said it before, I don't generally ship any pairings unless the author is obviously trying to tie 2 characters together or if romance is the point of the manga (as are many shoujos) After a long time trying to remember, there's only 1 obvious main pairing that I don't like, not because it wasn't built up, but because one of the characters are boring and one dimensional compared to the other option. (That would be Katekyo Hitman Reborn. When I was reading it, I was rooting for Haru, Kyoko has always been so boring. She's like a cardboard prize with no personality, or at least she was at the point I was reading)

Throughout Naruto, or mostly part 2 (I didn't care about romance in part 1 because until near the end because before, it all seemed like kiddie love until you see Naruto's hurt face when Sakura hugs Sasuke, Sakura's heartfelt confession, and lastly, POAL) When part 2 arrived, it seemed to my 15 year old self that Naruto and Sakura were getting closer, not romantically at first though. I'm not sure when I started seeing them romantically, but it was slow and it started somewhere in part 2.

If I reread Naruto from start to finish (which I have a few times) I feel that Kishi was definitely leading Naruto and Sakura into a relationship. It was painstakingly slow, but in my eyes, it was going in that direction. My opinion didn't come out of nowhere, I was reading long completed manga at about the same time I started reading Naruto (Tokyo Crazy Paradise, Fruit Baskets, Rurouni Kenshin, Flame of Recca, YuYu Hakusho -which I haven't finished-, etc) Not all of these really relate to Naruto that much, but how the romance progressed did. They formed my view on how main pairings are formed and how progression generally goes in manga.

Back then, Kishi was going in a similar slow paced direction with Sakura and Naruto, both having occasional moments of recognizing each other and their strengths (not always romantic after first mind you) Kishi built them up so close, it wasn't my imagination or the imagination of many fans. Whether people agree with that development is not my problem or Kishi's problem. Whatever pairing you support, it's common sense to recognize the common tropes that fit Naruto and Sakura to a tee and realize they were definitely heading in a romantic direction.

Back to the point, in general, the romance doesn't bother me as long as he's consistent. Hey, if Kishi had been developing Naruto and Hinata all this time, maybe I would have been an NH fan. If Kishi were going in that direction, who am I to fight against it? Maybe I wouldn't have liked it and I would have liked Naruto with Sakura still, just like I like Haru with Tsuna in Katekyo Hitman Reborn. But no way would I ever argue that my pairing is going to be canon in the end if the evidence suggests otherwise. I've complained about how I dislike the obvious pairing in KHR, but I already know the pairing I like is never to be, the author is going in a different direction, I'm honestly fine with that.

What I don't like is if after he has developed Naruto and Sakura so far, Kishi suddenly decides to do some off panel development and give a character who didn't even show up in part 1 or part 2 ages after they started and who has only 10-20 chapters where they appear. That is obviously not where development was going before, and it is too late in game to change it now. I don't know how anyone who supports any pairing can be happy with NH being canon as of now. What development and dedication has Kishi given to them together or Hinata's character? Where is their foundation up until this point? What makes their pairing endearing at all other than a shy girl who couldn't even fill Naruto's lonely existence when he needed it most stepping up and accomplishing her own selfish wishes rather than the hopes and dreams one she supposedly loves so much? (getting Sasuke back and becoming Hokage)

Maybe if Kishi had made me want to support their pairing, I would, but he hasn't. The pairing is flat, it has no juice. "Quality is better than Quantity" Maybe that applies to some things, but it certainly doesn't apply to love, friendship, or relationships in general. You don't have a relationship if you can't even have a normal conversation on a normal basis. Does Naruto have to be near death for Hinata to ask him on a date? Will Naruto have to be in extreme pain for her to ask him for his hand? The last time I recall them ever having a conversation is during the chuunin exams, 4-5 years ago in the Naruto world.

As for SS, in part 1, I figured they could end up as a couple, even though my mind was still hypothesizing Sakura and Naruto would end up together. Again, I didn't care too much back then because most of it seemed like puppy love, Sakura was extremely annoying for a while with her Sasuke fangirling, and none of the pairings had much foundation. I had no problem with SS or Sasuke in the beginning. I didn't like his cold attitude, but it didn't seem like he was trying to be cool and impress girls back then, he was just a little emo boy who thought a lot about himself. He wasn't my favorite, but I didn't hate him. I also didn't mind if Sakura got with him. She was extremely shallow, I figure if they did get together, it would be like any other manga couple that gets together just for looks, Sasuke would dump her in a heartbeat if he found someone who he thought was more worthy of his time, and Sakura would mature. (That didn't happen obviously, or did it?) And although it was harsh and mean, I didn't mind Sasuke occasionally telling her that she was annoying. She needed to cut some of that fangirling sh** out. XD

But soon enough, Sasuke behaviour turned too cruel and cold hearted. She was only looking out for him, his "I'm superior, you better not pull me down" attitude towards Naruto and Sakura started to piss me off. Soon enough, I no longer support SS, and SS was done for me as soon as he knocked Sakura out and left her alone. It was further buried for me when they met up again and Sasuke was even worse off than when he left. I didn't feel sorry for him at all, he chose to leave Naruto and Sakura. I don't want to hear any excuses about "Oh, he was only using Orochimaru". If he was really using Oro, he would have returned to Konoha after he killed him or after he killed Itachi. From then on, I begged everyday that Naruto and Sakura would just leave him alone and continue on with their lives, not because I wanted Sasuke out of the way and for NS to happen, but because they were both being hurt for someone that didn't care about them. Such obsessive behavior of chasing someone who doesn't want to be chased should not be encouraged, Tsunade and Jiraiya should have stomped that out of Naruto while it was still fresh. Sakura would have gotten over it.


So, in my eyes, Kishi has not been heading in NH or SS's direction. He hasn't exactly stomped those pairings out, but just like in other mangas, NH and SS were not getting major positive attention whatsoever. It fit the flow, nothing seemed too out of place and there weren't any cringe worthly moments where I felt like "Where did this come from?" Of course, that's changed now. I won't say Kishi is changing his direction from just 1 chapter, but he is starting to lean into a more radical direction. Imagine a graph where everything is either flatline, steadly going up, or steadily going down. Kishi's more recent developments have disturbed the steady pace and has caused one of the lines to take a dramatic turn upwards. It's obvious that that particular line is out of place.

That is what I don't like. I don't like for any developments to happen too suddenly or out of nowhere. For example, I really love Minato and Kushina, but I would seriously questions Kishi's writing developments if they've suddenly been alive all this time and appear on the battlefield out of nowhere. When Kishi changes his graph of lines too much, it gets harder and harder for NS to seem valid (I'm not talking about confirmation here) I don't want NS to happen because Kishi drew them kissing on a page or because they're suddenly holding hands. When they finally get together, I want it to be the final piecing together of everything they've done for each other until this point. When they get together, I want it to finally be realized that everything they feel for each other is mutual and for that moment to actually mean something for them as characters.

NH won't do this for me. Maybe it will for Hinata fans, she's finally getting her wish, but what about Naruto? I'm not saying he won't be happy, that's silly, but will anyone who has been reading Naruto so long really feel that Naruto's development (in the romance sector) will finally be capped off and completed? Or whole? I can't imagine Sakura having grown at all if she manages to get with Sasuke, if Sasuke even cares about her that way, which I don't think he ever will (he screams asexual honestly).

For NS to be valid, not confirmed, Kishi really needs to step it up and stop playing around so much so close to end game.