665 replies to this topic

[Smiter]

Things about NaruSaku and SasuSaku that my sister has been talking about. Its really been bugging me. Note: this is her opinion not mine.

She doesn't think Naruto likes Sakura more than just a crush. And she thinks that Naruto is going to give up on Sakura because he understands that she loves Sasuke. She doesn't think NaruSaku is going to happen, but she doesn't think SasuSaku is going to happen either. But she says that SasuSaku has the better chance, though. She's a SasuSaku fan.

I want to know what you guys think about this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, that is going a little off-topic, but I'll start a new thread in this forum so you can discuss/debate pairings there. It's the "NaruSaku Rant Thread II". XD

[plastic_phoenix]

First of all I use to be all Sasuke and Sakura *gags self with spoon* but I have now been convert to sainthood. :thumbs: I don't know why I started going for this pairing. Maybe it was when I decided Sasuke was a lousy conversations and obviously a butter toast guy or it could have been fanfiction. I always forget which.

I like 'em because I'm a silly fangirl and think crazy thought too much. I figure Sakura a smart girl with crazy teenage hormones and Naruto is bound to get hot one day and take off his shirt. You do the math. She'll tattoo "properity of Sakura Haruno" on his ass in a nice shade of Rave Red to match her nail polish.

[Vespar]

Hehe... 'Property of Haruno Sakura'.

Btw Smiter - Nice avatar! Azumanga Daioh rules!
Edit:
Gasp! Just read from the Naru/Saku rant thread that you haven't seen Azumanga Daioh!! I would sorely recommend it! If you watch the anime, it'll definitely be hit or miss if you like it, since it's not a conventionally told story. See, the anime is based on a 'gag manga' (as in, Garfield is a gag comic strip).
One last thing... In your avatar, they're both teachers.

Anyway, back on topic.
I suppose i like Naru/Saku since, like I said, it appears to be canon, and now it's coming along nicely. What with the pangs of growing up and such.

[Jameshawking]

Plastic, that was HILARIOUS! I can just picture it now...:drools: Whoops, it's too early for those kinda thoughts. Sorry.
-Another reason why I like NaruSaku...What plastic Pheonix just said.

[Pite]

1. NaruHina would be a boring rel. coz Hinata would be always in coma(you know why)
2.There so kawaii together
3.They act like a real marrige(you know arguments )
4. How he acts near Sakura...

[ligeia]

It's definitely certain that, without Naruto, Sakura would not have become a medic-nin.  She wouldn't have started to realise her potential.  Hell, she was ready to just give up until Naruto told her he wouldn't drop his promise.

This is one of the main reasons why I support NarutoxSakura - because of the influence they have on each other to constantly grow as humans and as shinobi (primarily for Sakura). One of the primary themes in this series involves changing established perceptions, and Naruto is the catalyst of development for so many of the characters, including Sakura. She began the series as a character who had a seemingly irrational and completely random crush on Sasuke, to the point where it was holding her back. She also disliked Naruto, and thought he enjoyed "tormenting her", despite his obvious affection for her. Over time, she comes to respect and appreciate Naruto, as her crush on Sasuke also deepened. I think her "love" for Sasuke is pretty unhealthy, and it continues to hold her back(she's willing to betray Konoha and everyone she loves for him!). If SasuSaku was ever realized, it would be a nightmare.

On the other hand, her relationship with Naruto has progressed and has made her a better a better ninja for it.

Just 1 question, when Sakura ran to sasuke after she sees him filled with Haku's needles and Sakura rans past Naruto, why did Naruto placed his hand on his chest?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He clutches his chest because as much as he was hurt by Sasuke dying, seeing Sakura hurt pained him equally as much...if not even more so. Because of the depth of feeling he has for Sakura, he never wants to see her hurt, and I think this is also why he is so intent on pursuing and retrieving Sasuke. He wants to, not only because Sasuke is his "nakama" who might die if Orochimaru gets his way, but because he made an oath to Sakura. He made that "promise of a lifetime" because he recognized how important Sasuke is to Sakura, and is intent on bringing him back, because not doing so would hurt Sakura immensely (god I'm long-winded).

Naruto's own affection for Sakura is so constant and deep, he would do anything for her, including, it seems to me, "give her up", knowing how much she truly loves Sasuke (chapter 183). The lengths he'd go for her are so immense, he's even willing to allow the Kyuubi to develop to the point of personal, physical harm. Of course, there are other factors in the Kyuubi transformation, but I'm convinced it wouldn't happen if Naruto wasn't allowing it to, and his oath to Sakura plays a large role in that.

Naruto is such a force of change, I think it would be beautiful if ultimately someone he influenced so much - Sakura - helped make him realize he's loved and help change him in return.

[Bryon_Konoha_Ninja]

Hmmm... why I like NaruSaku. To be honest, guys, it all started with the first Shonen Jump I bought in the US, which had the chapter when Naruto got his Hitai-Ate back from Zabuza and Sakura was in shock and awe of that to the point she was getting red... And I just thought "Hey, they seem like a cute couple!", and I just began to like them over time!

Ya know, in my fanfic, one thing I have Sakura doubt once she and Naruto are together is why he'd love her, after how she had treated him in the past, by putting him down, assuming he enjoyed tormenting her and such, and then seeing he never did and he always loved her no matter what...

I think it is something that may come across eventually, and sometimes, Sakura in my fic doesn't feel she deserves someone as caring as Naruto can be.

But I digress and blab. Sorry, guys.

Bryon

[plastic_phoenix]

Anyone but me notice the rant topic is longer than this?

[Hyuuga_Neji]

It may really turnout narusaku, read ch 297, if u havent already. There is SOME SORTA REAL NARUSAKU. FINALLY!!!!

[SweetestChick]

Hmm...I like NaruSaku simply 'cause she wasn't getting anywhere with Mr. Aloof, Sasuke. At first though, I gotta say that I thought he was so cool and good-looking and that I would pick him over Naruto too. But after awhile, that guy started gettin' on my nerves with his 'I'm better than everyone' attitude. :rolleyes: Once I hit that point, I saw Naruto in a different light (besides, he's a cutie) and thought Sakura would be a fool to keep pursuing Sasuke-teme.

[Soritia]

It may really turnout narusaku, read ch 297, if u havent already. There is SOME  SORTA REAL NARUSAKU. FINALLY!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lol, http://www.narusaku....?showtopic=1963
where have you been? XD

[Nick Soapdish]

Why am I a NaruSaku shipper?

This isn't an essay about why I think that Naruto and Sakura are a good couple. That's an essay for another day. It's going to contain some components of that because I'm not going to be an active fan of a pairing that I don't think works. But some of I consider to be the better arguments for NaruSaku weren't really strong factors for why I started to like them and conversely, some little things just stuck in my head. Plus, the organizational structure is all different.

Seems like most of the NaruSaku shippers that I talk with were fans of them from chapter 3 or at least weren't a fan of any pairing until choosing NaruSaku.

That's not quite the case for me. But then, I didn't quite get into Naruto the way that I was supposed to. I started with the anime, didn't start until midway through the chuunin exam and only caught a few intermittent episodes. I didn't really start watching it until right before the Tea Country arc. I'm bringing this up to set the stage for my initial impressionsn of the characters.

I didn't like Naruto. I thought he was loud, stupid, and crude. He was always bragging about how great he was, but failing to back it up. He was chasing after Sakura although it was obvious she wasn't interested and he was jealous of both Idate (for showing interest in Sakura) and Sasuke, who actually seemed competent without making a big deal about it and whom Sakura did seem to like. I didn't have much of an opinion on pairings. I mean, they were just kids and it didn't seem like it was that important anyway. But I didn't see any reason for Naruto and Sakura to get together.

Episode 110 was the turning point for me. That was when Naruto showed convincingly that he could be mature and that he truly did care for Sakura. The way that he began his speech seemed a bit immature and like he was actually making fun of her for liking Sasuke. But he finished it off magnificently and his speech did hearten Sakura, although at the time I didn't understand why he didn't give her a comforting hug. Somehow, with the simple zoom on Naruto's face while Sakura was talking, I could see his heart dropping to his feet, but his first thought was to make Sakura happy again. Yeah, I know it's a cheap technique, designed to evoke the idea that you're looking into his soul, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't work. This scene also cast new significance on other scenes that I'd caught pieces of - .how Sakura's plight had pushed him harder to defeat Gaara and the hospital bed scene in 98. (It used the same technique to show his sadness, but I thought he was just being considerate and it didn't imply any real sacrifice.)

Still, I wasn't that adamant about pairings. I mean, it's a shounen manga (I would've described it as action-oriented) and they're twelve. I finished watching the series to as far as it had gone and set about downloading the earlier episodes. While trying to download them in 25 episode chunks (because I couldn't find most of them individually), I finally lost my patience and started reading the manga until the episodes would finish downloading. While reading the manga and watching (or re-watching) the anime, I did become a devout NaruSaku shipper.

Why?

Well, I'll start with chapter 3. In chapter 3, Naruto does a fairly slimy thing, first in order to find out what Sakura thinks of him and then to try and steal a kiss. I wasn't that impressed with Naruto. The saving grace is that we find out that he isn't attracted to Sakura for shallow reasons. This is also the chapter where Sakura learns that Naruto's life isn't as peachy as she had thought and she begins to learn empathy for her teammates. Later, as I began to see signs of Sakura returning affection to Naruto (not necessarily romantic), the henge scene begins to look like foreshadowing. It's not that somehow Naruto manages to say the right thing, even if only for a moment. It's that the scene reads exactly like Sakura's fairy tale, except that the person that she thinks is Sasuke is actually Naruto. The translation of the anime actually plays up the resemblence a bit more by emphasizing the "fairy tale come true" more. In the beginning of the manga, Sasuke is obviously the fairy tale prince for Sakura (or so she believes). But as the manga continues, Naruto seems to emerge as a possible candidate for the readers and even in Sakura's eyes. Foreshadowing is a tough argument though. It isn't evidence until it actually comes true. Otherwise, it could just be a humorous moment although if Kishimoto was aiming for humor, he wouldn't have needed to have the words mirror Sakura's dream exactly.

In chapter 4, there is a little bit of evidence that Sakura and Naruto might actually be compatible with each other. Inner Sakura loves the idea of the joke that Naruto plays on Kakashi, but Sakura isn't willing to look immature in front of Sasuke or Kakashi. From here on, I'm going to start skipping bits because it's not important to list every little NaruSaku moment and it'll make this post enormously long. (I'll save that for another.)

In chapter 13, Sakura is impressed by Naruto's guts and saying "what is this feeling? This is Naruto." She's blushing, too, but she looked pretty flushed in previous panels and I've decided that it's not a substantial enough difference to really make much hay over. She was already impressed by Naruto's ability, albeit very briefly, in chapter 5 so it's a bit more than "gosh, he's cool". It's not concern; she felt that in the previous chapter when Naruto stabbed his hand. Whether she's having difficulty recognizing the feeling at all or whether she's surprised that she's feeling it for Naruto (instead of say, Sasuke), it's the earliest example that something about Naruto stirs her emotions.

This was also the arc in which Naruto begins to show the character that impressed me in chapter 183 (episode 110). Previously, we've mostly been seeing him as loud and clumsy and not all that sensitive. But he begins to bond with Sasuke in their rivalry to reach the top of the trees and by his triumphant statement when returning in the morning "we both made it to the top!" where he seems to be losing his jealousy. And he's able to show his sensitivity ... in a roundabout way ... in his interactions with Inari and then later with Zabuza where he's determined to fight Zabuza because of how he wronged the boy that had just killed his best friend. Naruto began to be the sort of character that did deserve to get the girl at the end, not in reparations for what he'd gone through, but how he'd responded.

In chapter 43, we have the tenth question. Sakura first shows her willingness to make a sacrifice for a teammate - and it's Naruto. She's willing to give up so that the whole team fails - including Sasuke - so that Naruto's dream would stay alive. It's the logical decision. She doesn't think that Naruto will correctly answer the question and it's a team exercise so they'd probably all fail anyway. But Ibiki doesn't remind them of that and Sakura doesn't think about it when she's making her decision. Besides, how could you doubt that sweet smile that she's got on her face as she's starting to raise her hand?

The second part of the chuunin exam has some parts where we see some of their similarities in personality as well as how they complement each other. Iruka's speech about Heaven & Earth seemed to shout the last point out. And while I think there was a fair amount of evidence as to why they are good for each other, I didn't run into another chapter that really sang out to me about NaruSaku until I got back to the earliest NaruSaku scene that I had recalled from before - the battle with Gaara. This time I saw the battle a bit differently.

This time I saw the entire battle and I had more perspective on the events going up to the battle as well as the characters. I had seen enough of the manga to decide that it was more than just an action series and that it was actually more character driven.

This is where Naruto's spirit shines through and he shows how much he cares for everyone, not even just his teammates. This is what makes me root for Naruto to get the girl of his dreams. Twice during the battle, he's only able to drag out more chakra because of his knowledge of Sakura's danger. Her plight, more than anything else, is what pushes him to victory. And that's why I know she's the girl of his dreams. These two themes come together at the end of the fight when he's dragging himself by his chin to get to Gaara and force him to release Sakura, but he's still able to empathize with how much Gaara is hurting. The cherry on top is Sakura's reaction when she finds out that it was Naruto and not Sasuke that saved her. She should be disappointed on some level that it's not Sasuke that saved her and she may very well be. But what we see from her is another quiet smile to herself.

Still, the scene that was the most important is the one that got the ball rolling in my mind - the promise of a lifetime. It may have not triggered a 180 in my viewpoint, but it was at least a 120.

And why I believe in NaruSaku will be an essay for another day.

[Soritia]

Oooo, someone's just been NSLAPped!

[Ani]

You just wrote a novel, Nick! XD It was great to read.

And about her saying, "What's this feeling?", when she's thinking about Naruto, she does the same thing during the Gaara fight. Naruto is standing up when Gaara attacks Naruto, sending him into a treee. Sakura quietly says Naruto's name and thinks, "What is this feeling? This feeling gushing out of me?". I totally love that part.

And I like NaruSaku because of the way they compliment each other and respond to each other. They both know the same pain of being rejected by the one they love. But that doesn't mean Naruto is going to give up on Sakura. he promises to bring Sasuke back, not just beacause he's his friend and teamate, but also beacuse he wants to make Sakura happy. Even if it means bringing back Sasuke. I love it when Sakura thinks, "You were the only one who ever understood me. You always saved me. Naruto!", was a step forward towards their relationship for me. Sakura needs someone who understands her. one who wont step on her feelings. We know how determined Naruto is. he wont give up on anything, that includes his feelings for Sakura.

Those are some more reasons why I like NaruSaku.

[Nick Soapdish]

The second time is actually Naruto wondering what the feeling is. He's trying to figure out why he is so determined not to lose to Gaara, but he hasn't been reminded of Haku's words about protecting your precious people yet. Sakura is pretty much out of it for that entire fight. Sakura murmurs his name, but Naruto is the one saying (well, thinking) those words.

[Ani]

Oh. Dang it! I wish Sakura was thinking that. XD

[Rachel]

I just wish Sakura had declared her love to Naruto rather than Sasuke ; I used to like SasuSaku until I started to hate Sasuke and read the manga. Yes it opened my eyes NaruSaku is the way!!! XDDD

[Arsene]

Let's just have a good discussion on why we support this pairing. Ya know, just posting our reasons why we like NaruSaku:

My Reasons

The greatest thing about Naruto and Sakura is that they have the ability to be romantic even without being overly sappy and amorous. It’s perfect for a shounen manga like this. Even after the proposals are done and they’re already a couple, they’d still have something to offer the people: comedy/entertainment. It’d be great because I read somewhere that Kishi said he was going to continue to the children.

They also think alike, as shown in Naruto’s fight against Kiba, in Chapter 3, during those times when Kakashi was late, and a lot of chapters after the time-skip. I can see them as the greatest teammates. When there’s a brainstorming time, all they need to do is look at each other and nod, and let the plan commence, because they are perfectly synchronized.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be like that all the time. There will be times when Naruto goes way ahead of himself, and Sakura would care to disagree and give him a good smack if ever he becomes a persistent brat, because Sakura doesn’t worship Naruto like Hinata does. When Naruto does wrong, she can give him a good lecture and/or calm him down.

These two have a lot of similarities, as well as enough opposites to keep a relationship going. Sure, Naruto is a dumbass and Sakura is second to Shikamaru in intelligence, but they’re both wonderfully energetic and they can live the moment as happily as can be. Their personalities are perfectly balanced, and their characteristics needn’t be changed if ever they get in a relationship.

They motivate each other, learn from each other, and grow stronger with one another, as demonstrated when Sakura felt that she needed to do her best whenever she sees Naruto fight, and when Sakura calms Naruto down whenever he gets way ahead of himself. Sakura can find strength and determination in Naruto, and at the same time, Naruto can find wisdom and maturity from Sakura. They complement each other very well, and with each other, they can be very strong. They are so perfect together that even if they don’t end up as a couple, they would still have one of the closest relationships in the entire manga (Naruto and Sasuke excluded).

Anything else you guys would like to add?

[gamemaster2]

You pretty much covered everything for me, well, that I can think of off the top of my head anyway. Plus, they flipping pwn both NaruHina and SasuSaku! (Thats not bashing, just stating the truth)

[MTEk]

ONE The greatest thing about Naruto and Sakura is that they have the ability to be romantic even without being overly sappy and amorous.

TWO because Sakura doesn’t worship Naruto like Hinata does. When Naruto does wrong, she can give him a good lecture and/or calm him down.


THREE Sakura can find strength and determination in Naruto, and at the same time, Naruto can find wisdom and maturity from Sakura.

This is the only thing that bothers me. Not turning them into a couple would be a complete waste IMO.They are so perfect together that even if they don’t end up as a couple, they would still have one of the closest relationships in the entire manga (Naruto and Sasuke excluded).

^