One Piece, Soul Eater, FMA & Attack on Titan all do MUCH better jobs with their female leads so that's no excuse. Kishi doesn't have to abide to a bad shonen cliche if he doesn't want to. Kishi has been quoted to have said he purposely wrote Sakura to be unlikeable.
One piece? Really? I don't watch One piece, but didn't Nami and Nico Robin were kidnapped in different arcs, did they? The male heroes had to saved them... Not to mention, Nami is the classic punching heroine...
FMA?? I did watch that anime, are you talking about Winry? What did she do but repairing Edward? She was kind of the "healer", but only for the main character.
Soul Eater would be a valid example if Maka wasn't the Protagonist of the series, she is the Main Heroine, so it is reasonable that she is strong as her comrades. Even though, i remember her throwing Black Star a book in his face, and getting angry with Soul in a humorous way, so she has some of the typical heroine as well...
Attack on titan is not a main stream shounen anime, and I think Soul Eater isn't either... right?
I never read that from Kishi, but I did read this stuff that is on Narutopedia:
"Despite being the heroine of the series, Kishimoto original didn't intend to have Sakura become the heroine, saying on occasions that he sometimes has a hard time viewing her as one, and attributes this to lack experience and him being unable to draw good heroine characters but grew fond of Sakura nonetheless. During the 2010 interview many who work with Kishimoto have stated Hinata would have made a better heroine than Sakura, however, Kishimoto said that despite not being portrayed like one Sakura would be showing a more heroine side of her from then on."
But i also read that is completely false...
And this would be the proper translation:
I have been told by other people*that Sakura isn't acting like a heroine, or that Hinata is more of a heroine than her, but if I think of it Sakura really has the strength of a heroine inside her, and from here on out she’s ready to show it, too.