eternity.quest | elemental.angel

SasuNaru and the Big Three:
on canon, speculation, and sensibility

Introduction

Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Hyuuga Hinata. These four characters make up what's commonly known as 'The Big Three' on NarutoForums: NaruSaku, SasuSaku, and NaruHina. However, there's always a fourth pairing at the back of every supporter's mind: SasuNaru.

The pairing of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto simply cannot be ignored. Many ignorant people will write it off because it's taboo in a shounen manga such as Naruto. More sensible people will argue that their bond is purely platonic. The most sensible people will take it for what it is: a mutual rivalry, a heart-aching friendship, and a passion unrivaled. It is the bond so deep that the whole story revolved around it for a long time.

Here, we analyze The Big Three in comparison to SasuNaru. I will attempt to show the reader why those three pairings fall short in the face of the fourth. Enjoy.

Note: Of course, this is from one person's viewpoint. Let the record show that I'm not a terribly big Sakura fan, but I'm trying to keep it neutral.

Naruto x Hinata

Two-thirds of The Big Three were established almost upon the introductions of one of the characters. NaruHina is one of them.

The very first time we meet Hyuuga Hinata, she is blushing and projecting good thoughts upon Naruto. The classic pairing, as one might say. A side character doomed to love the main character, often without his knowledge. Hinata is the flushed-faced, shy girl with her own problems at home. Naruto is the loud-mouthed and seemingly dense hopeless case. We all want to see the girl so disadvantaged finally get what she wants in life. While everyone else spoke badly about Naruto, Hinata admired him from the sidelines, too shy to speak up. She was one of the first to see his good traits, instead of condemning him. That was sweet.

The possibility for NaruHina really blossomed in the Chuunin Exams. Hinata was willing to let a bewildered Naruto cheat off her test. Hinata gave Naruto her own homemade remedies, stuttering and blushing all the while. Naruto remained grinning and clueless about her blushes. But the preliminaries were the real focus of NaruHina.

Hinata's troubled home life was revealed, and Naruto was forced to see her in a different light. He was troubled himself, but he never realized that shy, 'weird' Hinata had her own problems. Add in Neji being a total jerk, and valiant Naruto decided to stand up for his former classmate. He went as far as swearing on Hinata's spilled blood, and later fulfilled his chivalrous promise to kick Neji's ass. But what happens to NaruHina after the good deed?

Sadly, not much. Naruto was too busy with his own team, and his new problems, and Hinata remained on the sidelines. Still blushing, still smiling. Unrequited love to this very day. We'd either need a time-skip to Naruto's ending, or a ton of development for NaruHina to happen.
 

Sasuke x Sakura

Like NaruHina, SasuSaku was introduced almost upon the girl's first appearance. The dynamic was very different, though. Sakura was vain, shallow, and crueler than she realized, upon her introduction. She was mean to Naruto but simpered around Sasuke. She fought with her former best friend, and was in heaven when she got placed in the same team as Sasuke. And what of Sasuke? He either didn't care for Sakura, or thought she was a nuisance. But that's okay. He thought everyone was annoying at that point. The important thing here: Sakura had a school girl crush on Sasuke, and Sasuke had more important things to think about.

Of course, things changed. They always do. SasuSaku developed into something deeper, and less childish. Sasuke and Naruto continually saved Sakura. Sasuke complimented her, and he did good things for her. Occasionally. As Sasuke opened up to his team, Sakura realized that he wasn't just someone to crush on. He was a real person, with real problems, and real feelings. However, Sasuke didn't open up too much. He was guarded, always on a different level of maturity than Sakura. He knew despair, and she was sheltered. For that reason, they simply couldn't connect on a higher level. However, Sasuke protected her and cared for her. She was one of his precious people, as he displayed in the Forest of Death, and again as he tried to save her from Gaara. Sakura wanted to get to know him, wanted to break down his barriers, but she simply couldn't do it.

Sasuke's farewell to Sakura was almost the peak of the pairing. When he left for Orochimaru, Sakura tried to stop him. She cried, and she vented her frustrations as he listened quietly. She wanted to know why he never let her in, why he would leave to Orochimaru, and she wanted him to know that she had an undying love for him. She would even leave the village to be with him. Sasuke made it clear to her that he was on a different path than her and Naruto. He'd had a different past, was of a different mind, was going to a different place. He wanted her to know that they were just different. The underlying message? 'You wouldn't understand.' Sasuke didn't want her to come with him, but he left her a shady 'thank you'. Then he left her.

What about the future for SasuSaku? Who knows? Sakura never understood Sasuke, but she cared. Sasuke wouldn't open up to her, but to a different person- Naruto. But we'll get to that later. Point- SasuSaku isn't ruled out, but Sasuke is still on his different path. He is still of a different mind. Sakura never came first for him, and it's likely that she never will.

Naruto x Sakura

NaruSaku was definitely the odd one out, if you looked at it in the first volumes. Sakura only had eyes for Sasuke, even as Naruto chased after her. Naruto's first thoughts on Sakura are that she's a 'total babe'. Or something demeaning of that nature. Sakura thought of Naruto as an annoying road block, always taking Sasuke's attention away from her. She came to see his good side, slow as a snail. Throughout the first part of the story, Sasuke was Sakura's main priority. Although she came to appreciate and befriend Naruto, his crush was almost meaningless to her.

However, Naruto was always there for Sakura. (Although, he was there for all the broken and needy...) Sakura seemed to realize his merits in the Forest of Death, when he fought Orochimaru. She said that he may have been a lot of bad things, but at least he wasn't a coward. She went to Naruto when she suspected that Sasuke might defect to Orochimaru. She went to Naruto when Sasuke knocked her out and left her on a bench. And Naruto was always there for her, like a true friend. He pushed aside the crush of the first volumes when things started getting serious. Of course, it still comes out occasionally.

In Shippuden, Sakura gets to see Naruto in his grown-up glory. Without Sasuke there, she bonds with Naruto. They have a common goal. Ironically, it's Sasuke. Sakura finally sees that Naruto has his own problems, and that he's bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's touching. She went from insulting him behind his back to crying for him. They rush together towards Sasuke, and that's the last we really see of the NaruSaku dynamic.

From this viewpoint, NaruSaku definitely looks to be the most probable. Main character and the main girl. It's a shounen tradition, as automatic as in the brother Seishi Kishimoto's 666 Satan. It's a valiant guy with his main girl, the no-thought-required shounen recipe. Of course, it has the most positive development of The Big Three. But what happens when we measure it up to the obvious yet impossible?

Sasuke x Naruto

What is there to say about SasuNaru? A whole lot. The reader's first impression: Sasuke is the cool Uchiha genius, with tons of girls fawning over him. Naruto is the loser with hidden power, rejected by most of his peers. It's an instant rivalry, with Sakura in the middle, and Kakashi exasperated on the sidelines. We have a series of confusing events. After the bell test, Sasuke gave Naruto food when he was forbidden to do so. Sasuke and Naruto were in sync, working together against an enemy. Sasuke and Naruto shed proverbial blood, sweat, and tears, training together. Sasuke sacrificed himself to save Naruto. Naruto proved that he could save Sasuke. True rivalry began, but an unbreakable bond came with it.

For a long time, it seemed that Naruto and Sasuke only had eyes for each other. They had an intense rivalry. Naruto just wanted Sasuke to think of him as his equal. Sasuke was trying to hold on to a past where he was always the best. They had bonded with no troubles in the beginning. But with Itachi back and Sasuke feeling inferior again, things began to fall apart. Sasuke wanted to be the best again, and he pushed his team away. He couldn't have bonds any more, and he decided on revenge over happiness. Naruto had understood Sasuke's despair, and he had trusted him to stay. But he didn't know about Itachi, who made all the difference in the end.

Sasuke admitted that Naruto was his best friend, but he needed to cut all his bonds loose. At one point, his team had made him forget about revenge. But Itachi brought it all back in a whirlwind, torturing Sasuke again. Maybe if Sasuke's older brother had never shown up again, he would still be in Konoha, still with Naruto. But it's not like Naruto has lost all importance to Sasuke. At their reunion in Shippuden, Sasuke tried to force Naruto into giving up on him. He reminded him of his own goal. At the Great Naruto Bridge, where Sasuke once gave his life for Naruto, he smiled. Actually smiled, almost nostalgic. At a moment of certain death, he remembered his old team. SasuNaru is far from over.

Comparing and Contrasting
 

The time has come to be honest about everything. NaruHina may be sweet, but it looks like a shot in the dark right now. SasuSaku may be 'tragically romantic', but things are definitely looking down for it. If Sasuke were to go back to Konoha, it definitely wouldn't be 'to smex up Sakura', or anything like that. We all know who would logically come first for him now, and that's Naruto.

Kishimoto points out in one of his data books that Sakura was the one to ‘fill his [Sasuke’s] lonely existence’. Supporters of the pairing will grasp at this smugly, but this quote is hardly realistic. Sakura didn’t fill Sasuke’s lonely existence. Sasuke and Sakura never even had a meaningful conversation. Sasuke spent most of his childhood thinking she was an annoying fan girl. I would put my money on this data book quote instead: “…parting from him [Naruto] had been as painful as ripping off half of his own body.” A quote from data book 3, about Sasuke. And surely, Sasuke felt far more pain leaving Naruto than Sakura. His remorse was clear on his face when he left the boy at the Valley of the End. Sakura filled Sasuke’s lonely existence? Only fan service, my friend.

So what does that leave? NaruSaku. Naruto and Sakura, who are actually on the same side at the moment, unlike Sasuke and Naruto. They seem to be the obvious for many people. Again, the guy gets the girl. After a hard day fighting bad guys, Naruto gets his trophy wife and everyone lives happily ever after. Let's completely ignore the white elephant, the one that stands in NaruSaku's way: Sasuke.

Sasuke is tremendously important to their dynamic. In fact, he's what Naruto and Sakura's relationship revolves around. Their common goal, if you remember. At first, he seems to stand only in NaruSaku's way because of Sakura. And that's plausible enough. We all know how little credit the data books are given. But I think that if the author of the story insists Sakura still loves Sasuke, we should probably consider the possibility that Sakura still loves Sasuke.

Let's look at this, considering Naruto's side. How does Naruto feel about Sasuke? He's obsessed, plain and simple. Sasuke is always at the back of his mind, and he's always remembering him. Wondering where he is, or what he's doing. He continuously defends Sasuke, and he was almost offended that Sakura thought Sai could measure up to him. In a questionable choice of words, he even stated that "Sasuke is way better-looking/cooler than Sai!"

To be honest, the romantic context may seem to be lost on Naruto's side. (Although we can probably picture Sasuke with it, considering the questionable rain scene after VotE.) But when you have a guy, thinking about another guy, almost 24/7, for 2.5 years, you get something to think about. Naruto probably keeps Sasuke's headband with him at all times. Naruto is insanely protective of even Sasuke's name. Sasuke can do no wrong in his eyes. Since childhood, Naruto has wanted to be around Sasuke. He looked up to the other boy, aspired to be like him. He sought a connection to him, and he received it. There’s no question why Naruto wants to hold onto that. As he says himself, Sasuke was the first one to truly acknowledge him. He was Naruto’s first bond.

So what's my point here? NaruSaku can't happen until both sides resolve their issues with Sasuke. SasuSaku had its chance in the past, and it's probably not going to happen. Naruto is a different story. In the past, he and Sasuke only had eyes for each other. What would stop that from happening if they ever reunited for good? Despite what people may like to think, most people can only have one most important person. I believe that for Naruto, that would be Sasuke, as it always was. Many people would find that hard to believe. (Thus, we get people resolving the Sasuke issue by killing him off or having him do something so bad that for some reason, Naruto and Sakura don't forgive him. In fan fiction.)

It's always been, as Sakura once thought, Sasuke and Naruto, with Sakura looking at their backs. Even when she made a resolution to change that, she thought, 'it's time for you two to look at my back!' I think that was the point where it first occurred to her that self-improvement could be more important than being someone's girlfriend. For once, there was no romantic connotation to her words.

Let's just put it this way. SasuNaru is deeper. SasuNaru is more developed. SasuNaru is more important. SasuNaru has been hinted at time and time again. For the few chapters of NaruSaku fan service, there have been SasuNaru hints 'hidden' throughout the manga as subtly as Jiraiya's pervertedness. I don't know how else to put it. When a pairing's biggest limitation is the genre of its manga, you know something's wrong.

Conclusion

But who knows? Maybe because of those limitations, Kishimoto does kill Sasuke off. Maybe he makes it impossible for SasuNaru to happen, and no-thought-required NaruSaku happens, like all the 'realistic' fans thought. Maybe Kishimoto is feeling creative and is actually going to develop some other pairing instead. (Or go with the handy time-skip method.) All I know is that, at this moment, SasuNaru has been the most obvious, yet impossible pairing. We all thought about it, and we all considered how canon it was- even the no-homo ignoramuses. We all knew how deep, and how touching it was. Some of us dismissed it at once. Some of us preferred to ignore the romantic hints, the fan service, the sappy quotes. And some of us decided to sit down, think about it, and accept it.