What if all along, Sakura was just Naruto's clone? (Both literally and figuratively). Naruto did not have a normal childhood, he didn't have friends, parents, he knew nothing of his family history and he didn't know what love was. It isn't hard to believe that this kind of life drove him insane. The only human (during his academy years) that he ever showed an interest in was Sasuke but he never reached out to him and instead, he decided to hate him and make him his "rival". The truth is that the feelings Naruto had for Sasuke were romantic but as a male he couldn't acknowledge or accept the fact that his first love was of the same ***. This is where Sakura comes in.
Naruto killed and impersonated Sakura some time before part 1, by becoming Sakura he could not only experience for the first time what it feels like to have parents and to be loved, but also by becoming Sakura he could channel his romantic feelings for Sasuke without feeling "wrong" for doing so. It's socially acceptable for a girl to love a boy, after all. So when did he kill her you ask? Well, if you remember "Sakura's" flashback in the chunin exam you'll also remember that she was once a very shy and timid girl and also that she had no interest in boys. All of a sudden she became boisterous and started crushing on Sasuke. Coincidence? I think not. The shy, timid girl was the real Sakura, the girl who valued her friendship with Ino highly became the complete opposite almost overnight. After her personality changed she started exhibiting very Naruto-esque behaviour, she became fascinated with Sasuke all of a sudden and more importantly, she ended her friendship with Ino and decided to become "rivals". This is a natural reaction for Naruto, who doesn't know or understand friendship or how to deal with positive emotions. This is similar to when he became interested in Sasuke, he didn't know how to deal with these feelings so he created a wall between them by making him his rival.
Wasn't Naruto a total dropout who couldn't use create a bunshin, let alone shadow clones, you ask? No, Naruto was never a dumbass and yes, he knew how to use shadow clones all along. Naruto always had a strategic brain and displayed this very early on when his plan saved Kakashi from being solo'd by Zabuza. It doesn't make sense how he didn't know how to use a basic bunshin jutsu after 3 years in the academy, yet he could learn the advanced version of this said technique after a few hours of practice. Naruto just pretended to be dumb so he could get the attention he so desperately craved as well as the fact that he could receive praise through his Sakura alter ego by excelling as a student, so it didn't really bother him that much.
So why does Naruto have a crush on Sakura if he IS her, you ask? There are a number of reasons. Because Naruto has grown up without anyone to love him, he's learnt that the only person he can love is himself. In addition to this, by putting all his effort into "loving" Sakura, Naruto hopes that his romantic feelings for Sasuke will subside. This is partially why Sakura rejects Naruto's love and even feels hatred towards him at the start of the series, because Naruto is Sakura he knows that his love for her/himself is false. Sakura is like Naruto's conscience, if you like.
To summarize, Sakura is merely a vessel occupied by Naruto, all this time she's allowed Naruto to see what it is like to live a "normal" life. To love, to have friends, to be praised. When Sasuke izanami's Naruto, the truth will come out and Sakura will go "poof". Remember this thread.
Naruto killed and impersonated Sakura some time before part 1, by becoming Sakura he could not only experience for the first time what it feels like to have parents and to be loved, but also by becoming Sakura he could channel his romantic feelings for Sasuke without feeling "wrong" for doing so. It's socially acceptable for a girl to love a boy, after all. So when did he kill her you ask? Well, if you remember "Sakura's" flashback in the chunin exam you'll also remember that she was once a very shy and timid girl and also that she had no interest in boys. All of a sudden she became boisterous and started crushing on Sasuke. Coincidence? I think not. The shy, timid girl was the real Sakura, the girl who valued her friendship with Ino highly became the complete opposite almost overnight. After her personality changed she started exhibiting very Naruto-esque behaviour, she became fascinated with Sasuke all of a sudden and more importantly, she ended her friendship with Ino and decided to become "rivals". This is a natural reaction for Naruto, who doesn't know or understand friendship or how to deal with positive emotions. This is similar to when he became interested in Sasuke, he didn't know how to deal with these feelings so he created a wall between them by making him his rival.
Wasn't Naruto a total dropout who couldn't use create a bunshin, let alone shadow clones, you ask? No, Naruto was never a dumbass and yes, he knew how to use shadow clones all along. Naruto always had a strategic brain and displayed this very early on when his plan saved Kakashi from being solo'd by Zabuza. It doesn't make sense how he didn't know how to use a basic bunshin jutsu after 3 years in the academy, yet he could learn the advanced version of this said technique after a few hours of practice. Naruto just pretended to be dumb so he could get the attention he so desperately craved as well as the fact that he could receive praise through his Sakura alter ego by excelling as a student, so it didn't really bother him that much.
So why does Naruto have a crush on Sakura if he IS her, you ask? There are a number of reasons. Because Naruto has grown up without anyone to love him, he's learnt that the only person he can love is himself. In addition to this, by putting all his effort into "loving" Sakura, Naruto hopes that his romantic feelings for Sasuke will subside. This is partially why Sakura rejects Naruto's love and even feels hatred towards him at the start of the series, because Naruto is Sakura he knows that his love for her/himself is false. Sakura is like Naruto's conscience, if you like.
To summarize, Sakura is merely a vessel occupied by Naruto, all this time she's allowed Naruto to see what it is like to live a "normal" life. To love, to have friends, to be praised. When Sasuke izanami's Naruto, the truth will come out and Sakura will go "poof". Remember this thread.
