akamai_hi
Well, it was a good time to log on today. XD
Ooh Renee! This sounds like a good idea. Unfortunately, I don't really have that much time to work on anything right now, but maybe when I'm off from school around the holidays (when I usually sit around doing nothing ^^
wink I'll contribute. Besides, just recently I was thinking about writing something about the outsiders' view on SasuSaku (by outsiders I mean other characters).
Done. And on Christmas too! XD
Outsiders Views on SasuSaku
(mainly Saku-->Sasu, but there is some Sasu-->Saku as well noticed in this).
Ino (Chapters 56 and 107)Ino is an excellent way of showing the extent of Saku-->Sasu. Although, Ino and Sakura's friendship eventually dissolved due to various reasons, such as their conflicting affections for Sasuke and Sakura's disdain of frequently being in Ino's shadow, it is important to note that Ino understands Sakura very much.
Going on a tangent here, but by the time the two girls were twelve, Ino was best known as Sakura's rival who would not back down in winning Sasuke's heart, even if she wasn't on the same team as him. Ino tells Sakura, "Sasuke-kun is mine" and they constantly remind each other that they are rivals. However, as the second databook says, Ino "puts her teammates first" during emergencies. Although very general and thus, not very significant in some people's eyes, the fact that Ino had done such as thing for Sakura, her rival for Sasuke's love, is poignant. Going back to Ino understanding Sakura. She was probably the
first person to learn that Sakura lacked self-confidence and even when they are rivals there are times when she still tries to get Sakura to see her self worth. In the Forest of Death, for example, Ino tells Sakura to "take care of [Naruto and Sasuke]."
That being said, it is important to notice the fact that Kishimoto shows
the look on Ino's face, the one who had a crush on Sasuke as well, after Sakura hugs Sasuke at the Forest of Death. It is also important to note that Ino, the one who understands Sakura very well,
shushes Chouji when he mentions Sasuke at the Chuunin exams because show knows would upset Sakura. It's nice to know that the person who was very adamant in not losing to Sakura and probably still had feelings for Sasuke eventually realized how much Sasuke meant to Sakura.
Gaara (Chapter 129)
Sakura loves Sasuke.
That's all there is to it, and there are two canon instances that prove that she loves him.
One of them is an instance that probably doesn't immediately come to people's minds. When Sakura attempts to protect Sasuke against Shukaku,
Gaara flashbacks to Gai protecting Lee, which causes him to wonder why anyone would do such a thing. This ultimately triggers a memory of his uncle, and his lesson to Gaara about pain and love. It is obvious that Gaara notices what Sakura (and Gai) had done was an act of love. It doesn't have to be romantic love, but it is important that it is an obvious hint that Sakura loved Sasuke, and her love was so strong that even Gaara noticed it.
*Although not as significant,
Termari also notices that Sakura held her ground against Gaara, which also can be interpreted as someone else noticing the extent of Sakura feelings.
Tsunade (Chapter 172)When Tsunade arrives in Kohona and is about to heal Sasuke
the first thing she notices in the room is that the flowers are fresh, and she ponders if Sakura is visiting everyday. This could be far-fetched, but Tsunade is a grown woman who has obviously been in love (as her love story was told) and in that scene she could have seen Sakura's gesture as an act of love.
Naruto (Chapters 172 & 183)I honestly think that Sakura and Sasuke are Naruto's most precious people. One can try to dispute that, but there are many instances in the manga that proves that Naruto's love for Sasuke and Sakura > Naruto's love for everyone else. It has been stated and emphasized over and over again that Sasuke is his rival and self described brother, Sakura is the one he is romantically interested in, but even more importantly one of her best and reliable friends. Now, imagine how he felt when Sasuke was healed and Sakura quietly hugged him. Although Naruto is loud and brash and would have normally interrupted (like he was about to do when he said, "Sasuke...you") I think even he solemnly realized that there was his two best friends, in a quiet private moment, and he was a third wheel. And upon realizing this,
he gives a small smile and leaves. In this moment Naruto not only notices the Saku-->Sasu bond, but the Sasu<-->Saku one as well.
After Sasuke leaves Konoha, Naruto clearly notices Sakura's love for Sasuke as he says,
"Sakura-chan really likes/loves Sasuke a lot!" Naruto is characterized as a oblivious person time and time again, so this is significant. And without bitterness, he promises Sakura that he will bring Sasuke back. He knows how much Sasuke means to her, and I think this is because she and Sasuke mean the same to him.
Shikamaru (Chapter 183) Pretty much just quoting myself from
hereThink back to the Forest of Death. We all know the story: Sasuke's cursed seal get's activated for the first time and everyone but Sakura seems to freak out about it and hide. Sakura hugs Sasuke, calming him down, in front of many witnesses.
Shikamaru was one of those witnesses.
That type of moment would stick out in someone's mind for a while, so I don't think Shikamaru ever forgot about Sakura being the one to calm him down. So in
this scene he could have been thinking back to that moment and thought, "Even Sakura, who stopped Sasuke from going on a crazy rampage in the Forest of Death wasn't able to make him stay? This must be big." So he chooses using force, which is usually a last resort for some people.
