FYI Sasuke is genuinely grateful to Sakura for loving him even if he did end up leaving. In the manga it stated he was starting to fall in love with Sakura the night he first left and felt extremely guilt-ridden. Kishimoto stated Sasuke ALWAYS had deep feelings for Sakura.
I mean, thats cool and all, but its all pretty irrelevant if it wasn’t really conveyed that well in the story a little if at all. Not saying there was NO subtext there, just not much, and what was there, often wasn’t good. The fact that whether or not he even liked her at all being up for debate is proof in it of itself. What kinda creator has to give official statements and clarifications and context on one of the main/biggest relationships in their own serious???? Dude can’t write women or romance, even admitted rhat himself and it shows. If you have to read or seek out external material outside the actual story to better understand it, than thats not a good story. Keep in mind, i’m saying this as someone who loves naruto, loves sakura and even likes the relationship sakura and sauske have in boruto. Its just that the journey that got us there was undeniably rough. Glad they’re together, but it wouldve been nice to see the characters and ship I like be handled better in the actual story.
Say what you want about Sakura, but you have to feel for the girl, she really poured her heart out for the guy she loved. Oh sure it started off as a simple case of infatuation, but their adventures together caused her to develop sincere affection (which is saying something for a 12 year old). Sakura’s statement about “revenge won’t bring happiness” is spot-on, because it only caused him more anguish. Kishimoto really knows how to crank the drama up to eleven.
I still think that Kishimoto should have made Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship more meaningful than this. Like they could have been childhood friends along side Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji and talked to each other before the Uchiha massacre. And Sakura would try to talk to him and work with him in school. Plus she should have learned a little bit of Medical Ninjitsu before she started training with Tsunade
1:48 Sakura: Do you remember the playground we went to as a kid? Sasuke: AAUUUAAUUAAGGGHHH- So that was the-- Sakura: Yes! Now you understand! And now we must fight! Right now!
Sakura want to be in your life and she wants to help you Sasuke, because she feels deeply sorry for you and all the pain, and sorrow you've endured in the past and right now. WHY do you keep coldly pushing her away? And WHY DO you hate her so much? You honestly don't trust her or the leaf village, are you afraid of konoha and Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura?
Sasuke doesn’t hate Sakura. Far from it, actually. You saw how protective of her he got when Gaara went on a rampage after the Sound/Sand invasion. The only reasons Sasuke acted this way were because of his clouded judgment, his thirst for revenge, Orochimaru’s Curse Mark, Itachi beating the shit out of him and torturing him with Tsukuyomi and Naruto’s rapid progress in his ninjutsu and taijutsu. Deep down, Sasuke truly loved the new family he found in Team 7. But he was so fixated on his revenge that it was easy for the dark side to take advantage of said fixation and sway him over. He felt like this newfound love and care he found with them was holding him back and was why he stagnated in strength when compared to his rival and his older brother. Sure, his actions in the early and mid parts of Part II were definitely fucked but at this point in the series, Sasuke truly did care for Sakura. He just had his own odd way of showing it. Similar to how he was with Naruto. Mean, brash, condescending and snarky but also competitive, motivating and especially brotherly.
If Goku was here and he saw how you were treating Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi, he would instantly put you in your place to teach you a lesson, but since it's not his fight he won't prevent you from leaving the village or bring you back to the village. But after he easily defeats you he'll just let you make the choices of your own Sasuke.
First Scene I ever watched from Naruto I remember when I was a kid . I started rewatching it years later and finished it. Now 7 years after I finished it I’m still here❤️
