Sasuke and Sakura may be one of Naruto’s main couples, but they are far from perfect. In fact, they may be one of the unhealthiest couples in all of shonen. Considering how vast the demographic is, that title is a concerning feat and surely not one to be proud of.
Regardless of their default toxic mode, the two damaged characters have their fair share of cute moments. When they’re not readying themselves to chop each other’s heads off, Sakura and Sasuke show fans what their relationship is truly made of. The star-crossed lovers may spend a considerable portion of their relationship arguing, but under all that is a solid foundation of love that has supported them this far.
10/10 Sasuke’s Love For Sakura Keeps Him Grounded
By the sheer force of Sasuke’s angsty little heart, he pushes heaven and Earth together to put his past behind him. Betraying Konoha, he severs ties with everyone who was once dear to him. As easy as this may seem, or as easy as the Uchiha ninja wanted it to seem, Sasuke could never fully let go of Naruto and Sakura.
Sasuke’s love for Sakura, no matter how minuscule it was in the beginning, kept him grounded. Without realizing it, Sakura held him back from embracing true, irredeemable evils.
9/10 Sasuke & Sakura’s Love Rendered Orochimaru’s Cursed Seal Useless
Branded by one of Orochimaru’s strongest seals, it doesn’t surprise anyone that Sasuke ends up succumbing to the darkness. Letting the seal corrode his mind, Sasuke was a hair away from welcoming Orochimaru into his would-be empty vessel with open arms. Luckily, Sakura was there to save the day.
As Sasuke’s grip on sanity starts to loosen, letting every ounce of himself get consumed by the mark, Sakura pulls him into a tight hug. Her incessant begging may have fallen on deaf ears, but the hug finally wakes Sasuke from his trance. The mark receding is a huge indication of how deeply he truly cares for Sakura.
8/10 Sasuke & Sakura Part Ways On A Painfully Sweet Note
Much to Sakura’s dismay, Sasuke’s hunger for unlimited power lures him out of the Leaf Village, abandoning her in the process. Driven by purpose and revenge, Sakura’s pleas for the love of her life to stay get ignored. Her attempts at staying by his side go as far as offering herself up for his cause, willing to do anything to help Sasuke get revenge.
Instead of pulling a Bonnie and Clyde, Sasuke appears behind Sakura and utters a bittersweet “Thank you” before knocking her out. Gently placing her unconscious body on the nearest bench, Sasuke looks back at everything the pink-haired annoyance has done for him. The gesture shows his thawing heart for her, and despite his search for power winning over love, it’s a cute moment worth adding to the books.
7/10 Sasuke Calling Sakura “Annoying” Becomes An Endearment
Sasuke and Sakura’s drastically different backgrounds originally put a damper on their budding relationship. From tone-deaf comments about orphans to galling declarations of love, it’s somewhat understandable that the edgy young Sasuke harbors some negative feelings for his teammate.
As their relationship flourishes, Sasuke’s angered “insults” toward Sakura start to develop different meanings behind them. For example, his spiteful comeback about her being “annoying” for insulting his and Naruto’s forsaken childhoods has an entirely different meaning to the endearing “annoying” he mutters before leaving Leaf Village.
6/10 Sasuke Put His Pride Aside For Sakura
If there’s one thing angsty self-proclaimed lone wolves have an abundance of, it’s pride. With that comes the innate inability to apologize. Sasuke Uchiha isn’t immune to this epidemic.
It should go without saying that Sasuke’s revenge crusade prompted some emotional collateral damage to those around him, particularly those who continued to love him despite his powerful determination to push everyone away. Yet, Sakura’s love and loyalty toward her other half never wavered. This in itself is rather toxic, especially when taking into account the countless failed attempts on her life. Nevertheless, Sasuke humbles himself to deliver a heartfelt, much-deserved, and long-overdue apology.
5/10 Sakura’s Engagement Ring Beats Diamonds
As everyone knows, Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship are less than healthy in the original manga and anime. However, their light novel spin-off, Sasuke Retsuden, heals most scars left by their hot-and-cold toxic relationship.
Even in the modern world of standardized epic proposals, with diamond rings as rare as Crystal Release, Sasuke’s personalized engagement ring for Sakura remains superior. The former infuses Sakura’s Earth Chakra into the engagement ring he gifts her before departing on his journey. It’s a beautifully simple moment that almost disregards all the fighting they do.
4/10 Sasuke Is Sakura’s Knight In Shining Armor
Like any classic shonen, barring beauty, female characters are virtually useless. So, when Sakura gets kidnapped during a mission, she sits quietly, waiting for help to arrive. Unfortunately, Naruto and Sasuke miraculously get their dominant hands bound to one another.
Finding a way around their ludicrous predicament, the two Team 7 genins, different as they may be, band together to save their favorite damsel in distress. There isn’t anything particularly romantic about this impromptu rescue mission, but it goes against Sasuke’s very nature to compromise a mission and get caught just to save someone else. It’s a cute moment from their early years that highlights their youth, and if the flashback means anything, it’s how touched Sakura is by this memory.
3/10 Sakura Scales A Cliff For Sasuke
Sakura’s list of wins is a tad short. It seems that Sakura feels less urgency about winning a fight when it’s only her life on the line. But she has proven to be quick on her feet in combat when it risks the lives of those she loves.
In a flashback Naruto Shippuden episode, Team 7 guards Idate on his trip to the Land of Tea. Ambushed, Sasuke holds off the enemies’ vicious attacks using his Chidori. Launched into the air, Sakura saves a falling Sasuke plunging to his death. She ends up scaling a cliff with one hand and grasping onto an unconscious Sasuke with another. Sasuke has always meant a lot to Sakura, but this emphasized just how far back her feelings went and just how deep they were to begin with.
2/10 Sasuke & Sakura Bring Out The Best In One Another (Sometimes)
It’s important to keep in mind that the healthiness of Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship is still extremely questionable. However, even the Joker and Harley Quinn had their sweet moments.
By allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of her, Sasuke teaches Sakura to be a more compassionate person. She’s there for him in his darkest moments while he challenges her to go beyond what she thinks she’s capable of. Sakura pulls Sasuke back from killing her attackers during the Chunin Exams. Meanwhile, Sasuke’s dedication to his goals, no matter how negatively motivated those ambitions may be, inspired Sakura to truly hone her skills. They may be a toxically high-functioning couple, but they’re there for each other when it counts.
1/10 Sasuke Almost Gave His Life For Sakura
Training in the same team, saving each other almost feels like a daily occurrence for Sasuke and Sakura. For the thousandth time, Sasuke and Sakura’s initial relationship was less than amicable. Nonetheless, this didn’t stop Sasuke from potentially sacrificing himself for Sakura.
At this stage, their feelings for each other have yet to develop. Yet, while protecting Tazuna from countless assassination attempts, Sasuke was alert enough to see the oncoming attack hurdling for Sakura’s head. Quickly, Sasuke steps in front of her to endure the ambush himself. With no time to strategize, Sasuke acted purely on instinct, even if it meant dying in her name. This may have been a scene easily overlooked. Still, considering the rocky water that was their relationship, it’s a cute moment that may have contributed to the epic relationship they have today.
