If you are so butthurt over a pairing than you didn't give the manga the proper respect it deserved in the first place. Pairings should be the last thing on a person's mind in a manga that is strictly concentrated on story, mystery and discovery.
When did I ever mention pairings..
Read the one shot and kishimoto's original ideas. It would have made for a better series in my opinion. Sasuke and Sakura forced a POAL and a plot line that stunted the development of many characters conceived because of it.
You say story , mystery and discovery when it lacked it. The story was strong but progressively became subpar. It had a big enough following that it rode on its fan base. The mystery was shallow and the discovery was even more shallow than that.
How original are your ideals when editors can give the final say in what happens. You can tell by the time kishimoto gained unhindered control of the series that it had already been twilighted by others.
OP does the story better
FT does the discovery better
Bleach does the mystery better.
Naruto as a whole used to be a Jack of all trades but eventually became mediocre in all aspects.
Pairings became the bastard offspring of editors and kishimoto's lack of writing romance. The only bastion of kishimoto's work was the series theme and even those dwindled over time.