Dark_Nature

Did you not see Minato and Kushina survive having their whole mid-section impailed by Kurama's nail? Or Sasuke survive having his chest and organs blown out? This is the least concerning matter considering Sakura is a medical ninja. For all we know she made the incision through his muscle and ribs then moved her arm around or above his left lung to get to his heart.

lets not forget bisected Tsuande who was still alive lol 

Wait in the scan just posted it was Sakura saying this. My bad haha, i just looked at it again. 

Yes I'm sure Hinata spent hours training under the greatest Medical Ninja there is and will show that useless girl Sakura hows it done  . Afterall, Super Hinata can do ANYTHING. She'll heal Naruto, kittenslap Madara and then proceed to make the world into a place filled sunshines and rainbows and cupcakes 

 

As usual, I'm late to the party (it sucks to work a hectic job for a living) and I haven't read all the posts.  So I'm likely to repeat a lot of stuff others have already said.

 

I read the chapter last night, and wanted time to let it simmer in my mind before I came to any conclusions.

 

First, Hinata.  My take on her in this chapter is that Kishimoto wants readers to understand that she will never be at Naruto's side.  The sybolism is bold.  She's not the right one.  She's not a healer, she wasn't in the right place, she doesn't have the right personality or fortitude.  

 

And even though she genuinely wished to be there with Naruto, for him, she couldn't make it.  It doesn't make her any less than the other characters; after all, even Tsunade-sama and Shizune didn't have enough chakra left.  Only Sakura-chan did.  How much more obvious could Kishimoto have been?  Sakura is the one who is literally and emotionally at Naruto's side.  She is the one who is literally being called upon to be the heroine and save the hero's life.

 

As far as I'm concerned the subtext shrieked of closure for Hinata.  Of course, everyone is so paranoid about Kishimoto's trolling of his own character's love lives that no one can rest easy, but this is what I believe.  He just doesn't have enough story left to realistically keep every bit of it unresolved.  At least not a secondary character such as Hinata.  

 

Kishimoto may not fully resolve Naruto/Sakura/Sasuke before the very end, but it depends on how far away the end might be.  Either way, it's not as if Naruto is going to suddenly say, "Hey, after that near-death experience I suddenly realize I love Hinata after all!!  I've forgotten all about what's-her-name-chan."  

 

So is Naruto going to end up alone then?  While Sakura rides off into the sunset with Sasuke?  No.  I think the final panels -- of Karin crying for Sasuke and Sakura (with tears in her beautiful eyes) trying her best to hold Naruto, the situation, and herself together -- is a compelling sign that Kishimoto has chosen his pairings.

 

 

As for Sasuke, my eye (and my money) is still on Orochimaru.  It's possible that he has something up his gender-bending sleeve.  That or Sasuke will perform Izanagi and get a cheap "For Uchiha Only" do-over. 

 

So that's what I think.

 

Lastly, I have a question.  This idea of Minato sealing the yin half of Kurama into Naruto.  I understand that biju extraction is fatal.  We got in on Spiral Authority that it's the absolute rule.  But has there ever been a situation like this in the history of jinchuriki?  Where half of the same Biju's chakra has been available to be sealed into the person before their death?  

 

How can we -- or even any character in the story -- know for sure it can't possibly work?  Maybe it's something only Kurama would know....

 

As far as we know. No. But we can deduct this will probably allow Kishimoto to bend the rules a tad. Minato certainly has the knowledge to do it, but im guessing Sakura is needed to make sure Naruto doesn't die and manages to recover after the sealing. As far as we know, its never been attempted on a near dead human. I guess this would in a way make it the exact opposite of a standard Bijou sealing. 

The Tsunade-Sakura headpat warmed my heart. I think Tsunade sees sakura has more than a student, maybe the daughter she never had anyone?, She has a similar relation that Jiraiya had with Naruto. It was a nice touching moment.

I expected it to be a Shikamaru Chapter, theres no way he's dying considering he's one of Kishi's favorite. 

Then tell how its not canon. No way to go over Sakura/Kushina parallel without tons of asspulling for no reason.

So its canon as long theres noone who can tell me a way to make NH or SS canon without those tons of asspulling

really? I've seen stories magically flipped over..look im not sayng its not looking optimistic but we should not get ahead of ourselves, theres always a small chance...that something could happen that changes it...geez calm down and stop getting all excited guys, the best is yet to come 

Plot twist: Sai becomes Hokage.

and Hinata joins akatsuki after to comfort herself about being friendzoned