From a plot/theme perspective, what would be the point in making Sakura the mother?

[chaos control]

Kishi is clearly establishing the theme that blood is not what ties two people together, but feelings and emotions are what ties them. Therefore, establishing Karin as the biological mother and having Sarada come to look past the biology of it would make more sense in portraying this theme.

If in the end it turned out that Sakura was the biological mother, then that just throws the whole theme out the window! I mean Sarada would just be like, "Well my mom is not my biological mom, but she loves me and I love her so that is all that matters. Oh wait, you say she is my biological mother? Oh well then screw that sappy crap from earlier. Blood ftw! :bdpf:"

Chapters of development would have been utterly wasted!

Not to mention, that making Sakura the mother at this point would essentially render Naruto Gaiden pointless. As we know, there are two major plot points in Naruto Gaiden that everyone mainly cares about:

1. The drama over Sarada's parentage
2. The threat that is greater than Kaguya

(Honestly, does anyone really care that much about Shin?)

Now seeing as how the Otsutsuki threat is being saved for the Boruto movie, and how Shin is not really the major thing we are supposed to take from this manga, then the main thing is Sarada's drama. If Sakura turns out to be the mother, then the whole mini-series would be reduced to:

Sarada: Is Sakura (the person who I've always lived with and thought was my mother) really my mother?
*Goes on adventure to find out*
Sarada: Yes she is my mother.

End.

Kishi would just be confirming something that we were told in chapter 700 and didn't even doubt until he started the drama in Gaiden. That would be as pointless as me going on a whole adventure to confirm and report to you all that the name of this forum is NarutoBase. You already know that!

That is why I ask you (fans who want Sakura to be the biological mom), what would be the point at this point of making Sakura the biological mother?

 

[HyuugaHeir]

Sakura can still be the mother. You have good points about the theme being thrown out that way.
I think though that this drama encompasses the Taka members just to close loose ends. If karin wont be the mother, at least give her a role to have not just a mislead.

If she (Karin) will be the mother, Hell, how would the set up turn out? I cant imagine how Sarada copes up with that seeing she's still in Konoha by the time of Boruto movie.

Bonds>> BLood.
It is emphasized that Love is all that one needs to be family. Biological or not, Sakura is someone special to Sarada. Being the mother wouldn't destroy destroy the theme. It wont.

 

[MangaArtist007]

Thinking that way certainly suggests Karin is biological mother, but you're forgetting Kishi's a very experienced manga artist (well, he wasn't that experienced before Naruto, but after giving us 700 chapters, he knows what he's doing in a miniseries). I doubt he's portraying his ideas in such a simplistic manner. Also 700 chapters means you can get a sense of judgement from his story, foreshadowing/symbolism, and art style, which personally makes me very sure Sakura is biological mother. I don't know how far Kishi's researched genetics, but it's possible he could be hinting at epigenetics (personal theory). Regardless, I think it's far too simplistic to judge that his only message here is blood doesn't matter, when the whole of Naruto has told us that in a much more in depth, interesting, and beautiful way.