Tbh NaruSaku wasn't that great either. They should of found other people
Better or not is subjective. I am looking at this from plot perspective, and within that domain, it was the only pairing that should have found culmination. It had the solid footing, slow-burn development and proper instances of change on Sakura's part.
The editing team obviously went for the popular opinion, as NH and SS didn't exist till 699. They had no basis in the story itself. None at all. Kishimoto also killed off Neji to create NH; I have read the interview myself. That says a lot where that pairing lay as Naruto never moved on. He only went to Hinata when Sasuke accepted Sakura and left him behind. That makes Hinata, literally, a rebound girl; Naruto had no choice BUT to go to Hinata. NH t*wats can deny it all they want, it doesn't change anything.
SS was hilariously one-sided as well. Naruto didn't blatantly reject Hinata, but even after she gave her life for him (survived by a grace of miracle), he didn't accept her. That is just a big a slap, heck bigger, than Sasuke repeatedly throwing the leech off himself. He openly rebuffed Sakura, called her annoying (which she always was, like Hinata) repeatedly (till only a few hours before the final battle’s decisive end) and didn't shy away from roughing her up, which she rightfully deserved.
These are the two pairings in a nutshell. Anyone deluding him or herself that SS or NH had a past are being ****ing absurd. Naruto didn't value Hinata's sacrifice at all. He didn’t value her from that angle at all. She was just another girl to him. Another civilian he would have mourned over because of his gushing messiah complex. He discarded it as unimportant and kept chasing her till Sakura didn't drop him like a dead weight ... and Hinata accepted him openly. I mean, that chick has no shame or self-respect. Which, in my eyes, is a lot worse than Sasuke choking Sakura, as she WAS there to kill him. No person will respond to that in kind. No one. Hinata committed suicide to save him, and Naruto was … yeah, whatever! Where art thou, Sasuke … and Sakura too?
Sakura is no different; just as shameless and petty as Hinata. She kept relentlessly chasing Sasuke, despite him not desiring her at all. He told her many times that she annoyed him. I mean, I get it, Sasuke is insanely good looking, so much so, that Mei was wetting herself in a dangerous situation. But come on! Should self-worth be kept aside for looks? It says a lot about her.
If you look at NS, then there was respect from both sides. Sakura hitting him was never meant to be taken seriously; it was always comic relief. In East and Southeast Asia, men are also taught not to hit women; the way it should be! Sakura was slowly beginning to understand him. Her willingness to kill Sasuke was a huge step in moving on from her unhealthy obsession for him. She was slowly giving value to Naruto, realizing that he loves her a lot - though, she will always be at second place in Naruto's heart. The big portion is Sauce's property
.
She even used that realization to try to dissuade him from pursuing Sasuke. That was a huge step for her. People don’t realize that it was an unconscious acceptance of his love for her. She talked about Sasuke less and less, and gave more attention to Naruto. She kept on realizing more and more that "Sasuke just doesn't care." That was also a big thought on the issue. A decisive one on her part. She had FINALLY realized, that despite dropping everything behind him, Sasuke never cared about her. She literally articulated it in her head.
Now, look at Naruto. Hinata got left behind and trapped in IT. He never, not ONCE, thought about her. He tried to keep Sakura safe. She was, after Sasuke, his priority. I mean, it is obvious that Naruto loves no one more than Sasuke. It is not a secret to anyone, but Sakura was still with him. He rushed repeatedly to make sure she was okay. He was like that before as well. He knew people got injured, but when Sasuke tried to kill Sakura, he was the first one to rush to save her. How many times did that happen to Hinata?
Where was Hinata? She was never in his thoughts in this manner. Where was she when Naruto was rushing to (let's ignore Sasuke for now) Sakura's side? Rotting in a cocoon ... and Naruto didn't give the damnest thought or two lazy f*ucks about her. The manga is filled to the brim with Naruto's "self-communings" that never have had any place for Hinata in this regard. Are these the makings of SS and NH? No, they are laughable.
The pairings JUST happened. That was poor writing, and fan-pandering. Nothing more. All that was left for Sakura was to move on. Her thought and final realization that “Sasuke just doesn't care” was a KEY factor in her last step. But she ... magically, never took the obvious one for which the plot had been building to since the onset of part II. MY jaw literally dropped, when Hinata was the FIRST person to be shown when IT was lifted. I predicted it weeks ago, that if Kishimoto took the cheap, fan-pandering route, then Hinata WILL be shown to be the first person waking up, and I had hit the nail on the head.
Long story short, within the confines of what Kishimoto could accomplish with romance, NS was nicely penned. That was the de facto pairing. There was no room for SS and NH. Never. Not even a tiny one. The only reason it happened was because Kishimoto must have been pressured to create them to promote sales. Otherwise, I hardly doubt the guy wrote ALL that just to change his mind the last second.
Which is why I find pairing threads hilarious. NH fans yelling at SS that the latter was abusive, when Naruto didn’t give a shit about her suicide. He practically brushed it away as unimportant. And SS? They were never in a relationship. So what kind of abuse does this forum bring out. That choking incident? Anyone should have mowed her down, as she was there to kill him. Both pairing supporters are ridiculous.
Hypocrite
