I can understand why some may not like Sasuke and Sakura having a romantic relationship - which is fine, that’s your personal opinion. However, to say that Sasuke never cared for Sakura- you couldn’t be more wrong
It’s frustrating that people do not take the time to fully look at a character and break them down to fully study why they are the way they are. Sasuke is my favorite character due to his complexity- so I can imagine his relationships are bound to require the same analytical skills and mind to comprehend. Nothing with Sasuke is ever easy, haha.
So please, enjoy, and keep in mind that Sasuke’s character is far more than his cold actions driven by the insanity of revenge, years of manipulation, and the heritage of Uchiha.
(also, concerning the abuse allegations- that will be covered in a separate post)
———————————————————————————————————
Let’s begin with the databooks which contain detailed profiles… These are meant to give us the most knowledge about a character so we can better understand the story.
DATABOOK 1 (Uchiha Sasuke’s Profile):
“Though until then he had taken no notice of either love or friendship, after meeting with Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke begins to accept them as nakama, even if only little by little… and also, when his heart was about to be swallowed by Orochimaru’s wicked cursed seal again, he was rescued by Sakura…”
ANALYSIS: What is said here is pretty easy to understand, and this alone should debunk any claim that Sasuke never cared for Sakura when it clearly says, “Sasuke begins to accept them as nakama.” For someone as distant as Sasuke, he must truly care about someone to consider them as nakama.
It is also crucial to note that “he was rescued by Sakura.”
It would seem that a lot of people like to make the claim that Sakura was the only one being rescued; she was helpless. While she may not have rescued Sasuke physically, she rescued him in a way much more meaningful and intimate way: to help relieve the hatred inside of himself.
"Sakura willingly and bravely calms the rampaging Sasuke under the influence of the cursed seal. Sakura’s heart, thinking of Sasuke, devours the wicked power.”
ANALYSIS: Like previously mention above, there is an emphasis on Sakura rescuing Sasuke from the cursed seal. Yet, this excerpt mentions Sakura’s heart- or love.Overall, it is her love that is able to “devour” the “wicked power” of the seal, which is meant to fuel Sasuke’s hatred.
Sasuke was clearly deeply affected by this love as it was able to suppress his own desire for power. It shocked him and after the affair was confused as to what happened. I also consider this as Sakura helping Sasuke’s characrer. She causes Sasuke to really look at his actions.
Also, pay attention to the fact that Sakura asks Sasuke to stop. As a result, Sasuke abides by her wishes. He did what she asked, because he cares.
Databook 2 (Uchiha Sasuke’s Profile):
"Growing distant, towards darkness.. the one to appear before him as he began to leave was Sakura… The one who filled his lonely existence with the emotion called love was Sakura... Sasuke was only able to leave a single word of thanks as a parting.”
ANALYSIS: Now this is HUGE. This shows what a CRUCIAL role Sakura plays in his life:
“The one who filled his lonely existence with the emotion called love was Sakura.”
I can’t even imagine why this would even need analysis.
And above all, Sasuke thanks her, another huge moment shared between these characters. Sasuke thanked her for giving him something that he had been missing: genuine love.
