If we're going to talk about literary criticism, then perhaps we should consider the concept of a red herring? *_*
When the author spends years developing the relationship between Naruto and Sakura, with blatant hints of romance throughout (and don't try to pretend that they don't exist), it's unlikely that he would ultimately betray his own work and throw it all out the window for a pairing that has had barely any development throughout the entire series.
It's unfortunate for NaruHina that Hinata's wish from the Ch. 573 came true this early on, with Naruto set to continue until mid-2014, as it marks the end of a main aspect of her character development.
And do not forget that the love triangle between Team 7, a major plot point, is an issue that remains to be resolved by the end of the series. From the pattern indicated in Ch. 573, we also know Sakura will be the last of the Konoha 11 to conclude her development with Naruto. All this points to the fact that NaruHina, more likely than not, is being used at this point to divert attention away from the main pairing, as commonly happens within romantic subplots of mangas.