Sasuke should have got with someone else
I’m going to preface this again like I always do: I don’t hate Sakura I’m just pointing out facts and things I personally think make more sense in the story
I’d also like to say that I ship SasuNaru like a bitch lmao so this is just an unbias opinion on what canon should have been
I always say this but- NaruHina? I can see that being canon. Makes sense after Nejis death (which I’m still bitter about but-). SaiIno? Alright, yeah, cute and they got some development. ShikaTema? Yep. They had development. Choji and Karui? May not make a whole lot of sense, but they’re both definitely side characters that do a lot more off panel than on panel, so it does make sense in that regard. But SasuSaku? No. They don’t have development like that.
Even the supposed development they do have doesn’t lead to a relationship. The only time they ever actually got together was when Sakura fucking tracked him down and begged him to marry her and knock her up.
The truth is, Sasuke should have gotten with Ino and hear me out: Sasuke doesn’t show affection in any capacity to anyone outside of Itachi and Naruto. Let’s get that out of the way right now. I know the main argument about SasuIno being canon over SasuSaku is “well Sasuke never even showed any interest in Ino like he did Sakura”
The only affection he showed Sakura was that of comradery, which he would have showed Ino or anyone in Sakuras place.
Four things stand out to me that tell me Ino should have ended up with Sasuke over Sakura:
1. As kids, she loved Sasuke and brought him flowers that represented friendship. She wanted to befriend him, not date and marry him immediately as Sakura did. It was a pure sort of affection, and Sasuke can be seen with flowers from her in his bag. She wanted to know him for him, instead of just his looks like the other girls.
2. When Asuma died he told Ino, “Do not lose to Sakura. In ninjutsu, or in love.” Alluding to their mutual feelings for Sasuke. Asuma meant the world to Ino, as he did to everyone in the squad, so for him to tell her to not lose to Sakura in her love for Sasuke that really meant a whole lot.
3. When Konoha gets word of Sasuke joining the Akatsuki, the Konoha 11 get together and begins to contemplate the idea of eliminating him on their own to erase the serious threat that he poses. This upsets Ino to the point where she breaks down and cries out of the sheer fear that she may have to kill Sasuke.
4. When her father died and he said his last goodbye to Ino, it is revealed that Sasuke was her “positive love”. This is something that the Yamanaka clan held deep and near their hearts, as finding a “positive love” was incredibly important to her since it directly relates to her love of flowers and their meanings, some of which meaning positive, true love.
Now of course these alone don’t mean they have to be together, but in my opinion this shows just how truly selfless Inos love for Sasuke is. Selfless love is what Sasuke needs, as shown by Naruto and Itachis selfless love towards him. The only two people who had an impact on Sasukes life were Itachi and Naruto, both of which displayed extreme care and selfless concern for Sasuke to the point of putting him and his needs far beyond their own and anyone elses. This is the kind of love that emulates what Sasuke desires, as it’s what Itachi in particular had given to him. Inos love is just that.
Sakura is very selfish in her love, as even in her first “confession” she attempts to lock him into staying in Konoha because she says if he leaves, She’ll be hopelessly sad and feel as lonely as him (as though losing Sasuke would amount to the loneliness Sasuke feels after losing his whole fucking clan). But anyways, this is the first of a series of “confessions” and desperate attempts at trying to get him to stay out of pity for her and her sadness.
Ino on the other hand does not want him to come back just to be with her, her concern is him being safe and happy. This is the kind of love that would garner Sasukes true respect and desire, which is why in my opinion he should have ended up with Ino instead of Sakura.
Sasuke needs someone who loves him and his flaws entirely, understanding why he is the way he is and why he has done what he has, instead of trying to emulate it and use those feelings against him.