Well, this is not mine but i find this very interesting. What do you think? Something to add or deny?
@TheSage [disabled account, yahoo answers user]
NaruSaku.
It progresses as a real relationship would - not like the Disney romance that applies to NaruHina.
Real life - Guy and girl begin as strangers, progress to friends, grow to lovers. There are ups and downs and bumps in the road.
Disney - Girl bum rushes guy who has never really noticed girl with forced confession of affection, gets one of guys best friends killed because of her selfishness and suicidal tendancies. Guy falls head over heals in love with girl after this.
NaruSaku compliment each other/make each other whole. Naruto lends humor to Sakura and she in turn keeps his humor in check.
NaruHina there is no compliment, ther is no two making one. Hinata is too meak and weak-willed to keep Naruto in check; he'd run right over her and she'd just bend over backwards to his every whim.
Growth.
Sakura has grown stonger to protect herself, her friends and family, and her village. She came up with her own ninja way. Hinata tried and failed to grow stronger to impress Naruto. She couldn't even create her own ninja way, she had to plagiarize Naruto's.
Sight.
Sakura always saw Naruto as a person. Even when she didn't like him. Hinata has always viewed Naruto not as a person but as an ideal - as his nindo.
Family.
NaruSaku is not only a mirror of Naruto's parents Minato and Kushina - Like Sakura to Naruto, Kushina did not like Minato at first but grew to care for him. Like Naruto to Sakura, Minato was the first to compliment Kushina on the physical feature she didn't like, etc - but of Sakura's parents as well. Sakura's father is jovial like Naruto and her mother is studious like she is.
NaruHina has no such links.
Sacrifice vs Suicide. We see in iron Country and earlier that Sakura was willing to not only risk her life but also her friendship with Naruto to keep him safe. Her desire was to place him out of harms way even at a great cost to herself. THAT is sacrifice.
In the Pain fight and prior, we see that Hinata has no desire to actually protect Naruto. She simply wants to tell him how she feels and die by his side. This is not sacrifice, this is suicide. We see in manga that Hinata is aware she doesn't stand a chance against Pain. Instead of getting aid, she goes to him anyway. She doesn't try to remove a single rod or assist Naruto in any way. She has no knowledge that seeing another friend defeated by Pain would cause Naruto to give in to Kurama's rage. Nothing about Hinata's actiosn would have resulted in Naruto being "saved." He still was pinned, Pain still had the upper hand, and extraction was still a very real possibility. THAT is selfish (which she admits she is) and suicidal.
Japanese culture.
In Japanese culture, when a person confesses affection to another and the person being confessed to does not return those feelings, the polite thing to do is say "Thank You." When Sakura confessed to Sasuke, he left her with a "Thank You." When Hinata confessed to Naruto and later remindes him that his life was shared by many, he gives her a "Thank You." When Sakura confessed to Naruto, he never gave her a "Thank You" but later on did state to his father that Sakura was in fact his girlfriend...with Hinata standing in earshot. And Sakura did not deny it at all.
Kishimoto has Sai detail at length that those who use the suffix "kun" (Hinata to Naruto and Sakura to Sasuke) will never develop deep emotional bonds with the person they use it on. Kishimoto then has Sai note that those like Sakura to Naruto who use no suffix and those like Naruto to Sakura who use the term of endearment "chan" will in fact develop deep emotional bonds.
Fanbase. Sorry kids but it is true. The world over, NarutSaku is the more popular pairing. There are even conventions in Japan dedicated to the pairing. Easy answer as to why. In manga, Sakura is introduced in ch3. Hinata doesn't come in till around ch40. Thus, fans the world over got to see Naruto and Sakura begin their Road to Affection long before Hinata was even a blip on the radar. Even the actors who voice the characters of Naruto and Sakura root for the pair.
Prize Factor.
To NaruHina fans, Naruto is a prize that Hinata "deserves" for her being shy and introverted.
To NaruSaku fans, neither Naruto nor Sakura is a prize for the other to "deserve" for whatever reason. They simply fit together.
Not holding my breath that an answer such as NaruSaku will get picked as best. Too many times in the past NaruHina fans have proven how very fickle and insecure they are. More often than not, they ask these questions not for an actual answer but rather to boost their ships sinking moral.
You might prove me wrong but being realistic, you probably won't.
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