Thread: I think we can basically take NaruHina as a given.

Yep, sorry NaruSaku shippers (no, I'm NOT sorry for you, NaruSasu shippers, just grow up!). When you think about it logically, it's pretty much guaranteed that Naruto will end up with Hinata in the end, even if only in a "where are they now?" future epilogue chapter (I think we can also basically accept that Kishimoto is too chicken to resolve the story between them on-page).

Why so certain? Let's look at it step by step.

1) Naruto knows Hinata is in love with him.
So does pretty much everyone else. She almost sacrificed her life to save him, dammit! Whether you think this was awesome or stupid, you can't deny the dedication and courage it would have taken her to do that. This means she's committed- she can't just go on admiring him from afar any more and he can't go on being cheerfully oblivious. While it probably won't happen in the series itself, SOMETHING has to happen. As far as what that "something" is...

2) If Naruto does NOT end up with Hinata, ANY ending would be a sad one for her.
Despite the efforts of a large number of incest-loving fanfic writers, Hinata has never shown ANY sort of romantic interest in Neji. Nor is there anything connecting her romantically to either Kiba or Shino, or to any other character in the series. She's truly 100% dedicated to Naruto, he is quite literally the love of her life. So if Naruto ends up with anyone else at the end of the series, Hinata can not have a happy ending. She'd be miserable. And no matter which girl it was, it'd make Naruto look like a colossal jerk for treating Hinata's feelings so lightly and making her so miserable. Even if he remains technically unattached at the end of the series, he's going to be at least heavily implied that Hinata is his destined girl (maybe she'll be "still waiting for him" or something noncommital like that), but it'll definitely be her and there'll have to be something otherwise it'd be nothing but a massive, ugly, gaping loose end. Nor can Kishimoto kill Hinata off heroically- he's already done that once with Pain, doing it twice would be indescribably redundant and lame. Speaking of other girls, though...

3) The ONLY other option is Sakura. And it ain't gonna happen.
No, there is NO chance of Naruto ending up with Ino, Temari, Tenten, Tsunade, Shizune, Moegi, Hanabi, Ayame, Anko, Karin, Samui, Karui, Mei Terumi, Shiho, Tsunami, Sakura's mother, any of the filler characters or any of the dead women brought back to life. And despite his bizarre obsession with Sasuke (and the wet dreams of many fangirls) Naruto is not gay. Seriously. He's not.

So why not Sakura? Because quite frankly, she can't let go of Sasuke. No matter what. Yes, she cares for Naruto. But even if Sasuke friggin' dies in the series climax or something, Naruto could only even be at most Sakura's second love. Really, how does she compare with Hinata, who has loved and admired Naruto since childhood and took on friggin' Pain for his sake? Not very well. And Naruto has grown up and gotten completely over his childish crush on Sakura. Yes, he still cares for her as well. But does he love her romantically? No, he does not. Sorry. I'm sure you've written a very pretty fanfic there, but NaruSaku simply isn't going to be canon.

So, looking at things logically, NaruHina really is the only plausible way things can turn out. Oh sure, that's not to say it's 100% guaranteed. For all we know the series may end with Mr Mask completing his plan, killing the entire cast and conquering the world. But it's definitely the way to bet.

And as a NaruHina shipper, I couldn't be happier.

Oh how I very very very forcefully hope you're right. Hinata attacking Pain and simultaneously declaring her love made her one of my all-time favorite female manga characters.

I think Naruto has already written himself off as someone who can't possibly compare with Sasuke for Sakura's love, so even if she were to declare her love for him, he wouldn't believe her -- oh wait that already happened.

But, Kishi doesn't seem to know anything about writing romance, and unless he purposefully made Sakura such a terrible character so that all of Naruto's fans would go for Hinata, he doesn't seem very good at making female characters. There's still a chance that he could blunder and make Sakura Naruto's girl just because of those two weaknesses. It's rare for the original girl to not win in generic shonen romances, after all, and he may simply end up abiding by that general rule.

I personally always had second-thoughts by these kinds of relastionship. Remember, it´s ninja society, they have to marry the right people so they can continue their line/clan. Naruto is probably able to found his own clan now ( Uzumaki, whatever...), so I don´t really know if that´d go (in Naruto´s case this isn´t that grave on a second thought - and he´ll change the ninja world anyway...so my point is probably moot )

As for the pairing, I´m all for it ^^

I will speak honestly and say i do ship Narusaku slightly more than Naruhina. But i try to speak without biased.
The main problem is Kishi himself and not what Hinata has done. Hinata declared her love for him and fought for him.
By all rights the poor girl deserves this. Yet Sakura simply stands there and the manga pushes towards Naruto somehow ending up with her because it is just how things are. The simple fact that Sakura has so much in common with Kushina and then she said marry a girl like me.
Logic is tossed out the window for the simple flow of the manga. So by the manga itself.
And by Naruto as well. I hate to say it at this point since I i want Hinata to be happy.
But he does not seem to Say a damn thing to her regarding it.
The latest time they spoke. He took time speaking to her as a friend.
And right after she confessed. He admitted he still loves Sakura. Naruto is dumb enough to wait for Sakura and Sakura in turn is somehow fickle enough to flip to Naruto since even in terms of love. She is still that shallow and poorly written.
Or write it off as Naruto can change anyone however he wants BS. So Sakura is now in love with me.

I doubt we will get much romantic interaction from either side by the end of this beyond a couple panels anyway so Good luck for your side.

You´ve got there some valid points as well. I bet he´ll end up with Sasuke in the end.

Lol, Naruto did (kinda) say he would die for Sasuke; I don't remember him saying anything like that to Sakura.

I hope Kurenai, Anko and Tsunade give it up to him. Shizune too.

Originally Posted by TheJaggid

But, Kishi doesn't seem to know anything about writing romance, and unless he purposefully made Sakura such a terrible character so that all of Naruto's fans would go for Hinata, he doesn't seem very good at making female characters.

Oddly enough, Kishimoto HAS admitted in interviews that he wrote Sakura as a flawed character and that he outright doesn't like her. And it's no surprise he doesn't have the knack for writing serious romance- how many shounen action mangaka actually do? In my experience, Mashima Hiro (Groove Adventure RAVE)... that'd be about it.

Originally Posted by BlueDemon

I personally always had second-thoughts by these kinds of relastionship. Remember, it´s ninja society, they have to marry the right people so they can continue their line/clan. Naruto is probably able to found his own clan now ( Uzumaki, whatever...), so I don´t really know if that´d go (in Naruto´s case this isn´t that grave on a second thought - and he´ll change the ninja world anyway...so my point is probably moot )

ABSOLUTELY moot. Naruto stopped being a serious "ninja" story just before the timeskip when Tsunade told Shikamaru that his team had failed their mission and Konoha's most promising genin and the last heir of the Uchiha clan had successfully defected to join Konoha's most deadly enemy... "but everyone's alive, that's more important than anything". Yeah, REALLY hardcore, realistic ninja world we got here. Besides, Naruto has to marry SOMEONE if he's going to revive the Uzumaki clan, wouldn't making a marriage alliance with an existing clan be a SMART move?

But that would make a hybrid line...do you really think the mighty and arrogant Hyuuga would like that? They don´t even use normal jutsu... :/

It's either hybrid line or odd ninja incest line.