there’s just something about sakura that makes me wonder if she’s actually so out of touch with reality or if she just lies to herself to make herself feel better.
we have sakura telling sai that naruto sees sasuke as a brother (which we all know isn’t true). so, then sai mentions this information to sasuke and also later on to naruto. both react in a similar manner; they deny that the nature of their bond is brotherly.
^ here sasuke literally says that he only has one brother.
^ then a few chapters later we have sai reiterate sakuras words again, only this time he tells naruto about this. what i find very amusing here is sakuras reaction. she looks pretty miserable here as if she might know that this is just her wishful thinking. or maybe she feels bad about sai saying that sasuke doesn’t care about naruto (but tbh i doubt sakura would feel so much sympathy for naruto). maybe she’s also projecting and making it about herself (wouldn’t be ooc either tbh) by believing that if sasuke doesn’t even care about naruto then what does that mean for her? anyway, that’s not the point i’m trying to make.
but then we have naruto explain how he feels about sasuke and not how others (sakura) perceive those feelings.
^ naruto doesn’t agree with sai’s (actually sakura’s) sentiment here. otherwise he wouldn’t have called sasuke his friend. if he agreed he would’ve mentioned the word “brother” as well but he didn’t because that’s not how he feels about sasuke. anyway, all those things naruto mentions about sasuke and why he considers him a friend etc. are things that not only sai hears but also yamato and sakura, which brings me to this:
^ sai asks why naruto would risk his life for someone like sasuke who supposedly doesn’t seem to care about him. sai also can’t seem to understand how anyone can do something without being ordered to do it. naruto wants to bring sasuke back because he cares about his well-being. he is concerned about his safety. and that’s because he loves him. so naturally naruto explains his bond to sasuke (panel above where naruto says that sasuke is the person who accepted him and his existence more than anyone).
^ now naruto says that nothing is gonna stop him from bringing sasuke back (even if it means being torn to pieces cause he’s so unhinged like that LMFAO). and he says all that WHILE SAKURA IS IN HIS PRESENCE TOO!!!! she HEARS all the reasons why naruto wants to bring sasuke back and not once did naruto mention the promise he made to sakura back then when he was 12 years old. not. even. once. so, what does that mean? it means that even before naruto says out loud that it’s not because of that stupid promise that he’s been determined since the beginning to bring sasuke back for his own sake (and ofc for sasuke too cause ya know when he hurts he hurts too, you know the drill). and all this happened around chapter 300-something which means sakura SHOULD be aware of narutos feelings towards sasuke by now (she should’ve known before too but she’s self-centered so there’s no room for her to think about others other than herself lol).
but apparently she’s not (who would have thought)
^ here shikamaru, neji etc. (basically konoha shinobi) have been discussing on what to do with sasuke now that he’s gone rogue and sakura actually believes that naruto goes so far because he’s got a crush on sakura? really? wow. imagine living in your own fantasy world and being so deep in it that you can’t even see the reality that’s right in front of you; sakura sure can relate.
^ and sakura firmly believes that naruto does everything for her sake because of what sai said here. what he said is true cause everyone depends on naruto. he feels like he has to protect each and everyone and he carries so many burdens because of that expectation everyone placed on him. so, in sakuras mind the only way to make sure naruto doesn’t further hurt himself and puts his life in danger is by proclaiming her supposed “love” for him. cause after all that’s what naruto wants to hear, right? i mean he’s a fool who’s got a crush on sakura lol.
now sakura comes up with her master plan and tells naruto that she loves him
^ obviously naruto doesn’t buy it cause he’s not a “fool” (sakuras words).
^ naruto literally furrows his eyebrows here as to indicate that sakura has absolutely no idea what she’s talking about & that naruto doesn’t do all that for her but for himself. he seems confused that sakura doesn’t get it. i mean everyone else around him gets it too but sakura doesn’t? must be nice having a friend like sakura who can’t even seem to understand your core motivation. it’s just unbelievably hilarious to me how a) sakura views sasuke and narutos bond as “brotherly” (even with all the evidence thrown at her) and b) how - considering sakuras logic here- even if they had a “brotherly” bond why does she think that naruto would do all that for her and her only? she obviously thinks that they have some sort of connection but even here she thinks that their connection (them being like brothers) still isn’t as deep as narutos freaking crush on her??? the self-centeredness is astounding, wow.
luckily naruto straight up told her that it’s not about that promise.
^ actually its funny coming from you sakura lol. screaming “why don’t you get it” when it’s you who doesn’t get it, like at all. or maybe you do. maybe deep down you know but you keep living your life in denial.