In Defense of SasuSaku
Okay, so I wanted to make a post that deals with my love for SasuSaku, because from what I've heard and read it's a pretty rare thing for a SasuNaru/NaruSasu writer to also like SasuSaku (and NaruSasuSaku, but we won't get into that this time).
So, the following is my reasons for shipping SasuSaku, and my realization that the pairing is perhaps even more plausible than the SasuNaru pairing, which I also ship and write way more fic for, so please don't take this as an argument against pairings other than SasuSaku.
Warning: This essay contains a lot of manga scan pictures to illustrate certain points and the whole thing is basically a giant spoiler, so consider yourself warned if you aren't all caught up.
So to start, I'm going to include right off the bat the one portrayal of Sakura that SasuSaku haters point to in their attempt to explain why 1) Sakura is such a bitch and 2) Sasuke hates her. I'm talking, of course, about the Sakura of volume one, chapter 3 of the manga in which Sakura makes a shallow and cruel comment about Naruto in front of Sasuke and gets told off for it.
So, here we have the most unflattering portrayal of Sakura in the entire manga. A snippet of time in which she is childish (like any twelve year old that hasn't been forced to grow up too soon by the trauma of being orphaned) and petty. And Sasuke calls her on it. Which is part of the reason that SasuSaku works as a pairing, because the next two pages show Sakura's reaction to that. Sasuke is the one who makes her think about her actions, makes her feel regret a little and resolve to be a better person because of it.
What we have here is the first instance of Sasuke making Sakura stronger, helping her to grow. Naruto will also do this in the continuing plotline, but it's Sasuke who reaches Sakura first, and it is love for Sasuke and a desire to protect him and Team Seven's bond which drives Sakura to be all that she can be in the army.
Also in the first volume we see signs that Sasuke trusts Sakura enough to confide in her some of his ambitions, some of his past. At the first bell test, when Sakura basically implies that the task is too difficult and that they should give up and try another time, Sasuke explains why he can't give up. Now he could have just shot her down without attempting to explain himself to her, but he doesn't. Instead he tries to let her understand him as much as she can. This is, I think, the first instance in which we see Sasuke being emotionally gentle with Sakura, or at least as much as his stunted emotional self can manage.
Also after the bell test, we have the second instance of Sasuke helping Sakura to grow. Some Sasuke-bashers seem to forget that Sasuke was the first person to really pay attention to Kakashi's lesson on team work and put it into practice. When he gives his lunch to Naruto, and Sakura follows suit after he explains his reasonings, it is the first time Team Seven works together and Sasuke initiates it. Arguments about Sasuke never being willing to work with Team Seven from the start aren't going to cut it.
So, onto the Wave Country Arc in which Sasuke protects Sakura from an attack at the possible expense of his own life. When he did this for Naruto, thousands of SasuNaru fans went OMGTRUELUV!!!!eleventy!! When he does this for Sakura OVER AND OVER AGAIN it is brushed off as just some thing Sasuke does because Sakura is "weak" and "useless" and other such nonsense. The point is, if Kakashi hadn't been there, Sasuke might have be seriously hurt or killed by the attacking nin and then his plan for revenge on Itachi would have been ruined. And yet he took that risk anyway for Sakura's sake.
Also keep in mind that Sakura, despite being completely unused to combat fighting and relatively poor in taijutsu skills, and likely to get her ass handed to her at this stage in the manga, is completely willing to fullfill her duties as a kunoichi and protect the target. That, people, is not the behaviour of someone "weak" and "useless" at all, considering that even Naruto froze at his first real combat situation and almost got taken out. At least Sakura got a kunai out and ready to defend herself and the target with.
Next reference is the chapter where Team Seven is training in the forest. When Sasuke asks Naruto to tell him what tips Sakura gave him for controlling his chakra, it shows that Sasuke really does acknowledge Sakura's skill and intelligence, although his pride forbids him to admit it to her face just yet.
Then the fight with Zabuza and Haku. While Sasuke takes on Haku, Sakura is left to protect Tazuya once more. She's concerned about Sasuke but when Kakashi reassures her, she decides to trust that Sasuke will be okay and concerns herself with her own job. Sasuke, for his part, worries about Sakura's safety as well. The amount of concern on his face in the panel when he hears her scream is particularly poignant.
One Haku side-story and a thousand needles later, Sasuke "dies" and we get the scene where Sakura fights with her shinobi training and her heartbreak only to have her true emotions break through in the end. These aren't the tears of someone who just had a silly crush that was baseless. Sakura cries for Sasuke and her own realizations that the shinobi way, as it was taught to her as a child, doesn't hold room for human emotions. In a way, both Sakura and Naruto's innocence of what it meant to be a shinobi "died" with Sasuke. When he was revived to them, it became clear that they would have to find a different way to fight.
Alright, moving right along to the Chuunin Exam Arc, here's where we get a lot of Sakura/Sasuke interaction. Sasuke, after the Wave Country experience, realizes that he's not half as strong as he needs to be in order to defeat Itachi and also realizes that he's more caught up in Team Seven then he would, perhaps feel comfortable with. This makes him edgy and nervous and leads him to snap at Sakura when she suggests spending time with him. Basically his words are, "if you have time to spare you should use it to practice, because right now you're weaker than Naruto."
Sakura--who becomes depressed at the realization that unless she gets stronger, she's never going to hold Sasuke's attention--becomes even more depressed at the knowledge that Kakashi's entered them in into the Chuunin Exams. She knows she can't keep up with the boys as she is currently.
So, a large driving force that allows Sakura to become stronger is wishing for Sasuke to acknowledge her. Please notice, SasuNaru fans, that this is the same thing that drives Naruto to become stronger during the Chuunin Exams: acknowledgement from Sasuke. You can't privledge Naruto's reasons and degrade Sakura's just because she's a girl.
Also, see this panel in which Sasuke notices Sakura's depression about the Chuunin Exams. It proves that he does notice her and her feelings, and can tell when she's faking her emotions. Sasuke doesn't ignore Sakura at all.
Not only does Sasuke notice Sakura's depression and anxiety, he tries to help ease it by complimenting her skill in seeing through genjutsu. This is the second time we see Sasuke being gentle with Sakura, caring for her emotional well-being. NaruSaku shippers, please note Naruto's cluelessness at what is taking place between Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto completely failed to notice that Sakura was upset, let alone analyzed the reasons why and tried to help her. An instance in which Sasuke is more emotionally sensitive than Naruto. THE WORLD MUST BE CAVING IN ZOMG.
Okay, now into the Forest of Death, which is a totally stupid name for a forest anyway and what is this a Monty Python movie Kishimoto? , where Sasuke protects Sakura once more against attackers while Naruto fights off Orochimaru's huge snake and oh god that sounds so wrong.
Orochimaru finds Sasuke and Sakura and scares the shit out of both of them, but mostly frightens Sasuke. And this is where the SasuSaku dynamic changes a bit, because Sasuke's fear breaks Sakura's childish vision of Sasuke as the strongest ninja around, of him as the invincible, and the ideal. Sasuke shows weakness and the idealism Sakura had for Sasuke is shattered when she calls him a coward.
This is evidence of two things: 1) that Sakura can no longer be accused of not seeing Sasuke as a flawed person and therefore still be under the status of having a naive school-girl crush, and 2) Sakura calling Sasuke a coward bothers him. Like, majorly. Right after the panel of her calling him that, he flashes back to Itachi's cutting words about his cowardice. And we all know how much Itachi's words effect Sasuke.
So, Orochimaru and Sasuke fight, and then Sasuke gets vampire bitten. What do we see then? Sasuke reaching out for comfort from Sakura. When in pain he reaches for her. So, we have Sakura going from the protected to the protector. And she knows it's a task she's not ready for but she's going to try anyway because she wants to save both her boys.
When Sakura fights the Sound Three, she does so knowing she can't win, but also knowing that she wants to be able to protect her precious people. Cutting her hair signifies Sakura cutting herself off from her previous vanities, and her wish for Sasuke to see her as a sex object. What she wants now is to be seen as a equal.
Sakura's love for Sasuke makes her stronger, not weaker. Is this the face of someone who is pathetic? NO. That is a strong, devoted kunoichi.
So, not only is the Forest of Death the point where Sakura really comes into her own as a character, it's also where the SasuSaku relationship gets a giant boost. Because Sasuke wakes up from his curse-seal coma overflowing with evil chakra, he could have just used it to turn on everyone like a berserker.
Instead, Sasuke gets extremely angry at the fact that Sakura's been beat up a bit. So angry that he violently attacks Dosu and taunts him. Sakura sees this and afraid, not for herself, but for Sasuke, who she knows is acting strangely. The embrace she gives him brings him back to himself. That Sakura is able to snap Sasuke out of his curse-seal induced rage speaks volumes about the bond that the two of them have, and how she's able to reach him on an emotional level.
Then there's the fact that both Ino and Sasuke know Sakura is bullshitting when she brushes off her shorn hair as merely an image change. Ino knows Sakura's feelings because she was her closest friend for a long time. Sasuke has to be paying real close attention to Sakura to also pick up on when she's hiding her feelings.
So, Post-Chuunin Exams, when Sound makes its move and Gaara goes after Sasuke, there are some significant moments. One being when Sakura dashes in front of an injured Sasuke to take a hit from Gaara. Gaara, for all his stunted emotions, recognizes this as an act of love and he flashes back to Yashamaru, who told him about love in the first place, and Gai, who showed an act of love when he interfered to keep Gaara from killing Lee.
And even though Naruto ends up being the one to save Sakura from Gaara, it's not as if Sasuke was there going "yeah kill the bitch, I don't care." In fact, Sasuke was totally willing to stay behind and fight Gaara so that Naruto could rescue Sakura and take her to safety.
For those who don't think Naruto would fully support Sakura and Sasuke if they were to get together, I present to you exhibit A:
Sakura hugs Sasuke in relief upon his awakening by Tsunade. Naruto recognizes that this is a private moment between the two of them and backs away. His smile's a little sad, but he's still smiling. Because he loves both of them and wants them to be happy.
Another significant moment is when Sakura reveals to Naruto the secret of Orochimaru's mark. It was something she was specifically told by Sasuke not to reveal, but she does it anyway, risking Sasuke's trust in order to keep him safe. A small gesture, but a poignant one, no less.
Sakura, knowing Sasuke, realizes that he will leave Konoha, despite Kakashi's reassurance and Naruto's that things will go back to normal. When she goes to plead with him to stay or take her with him to Sound, it's one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the manga. She flashes back to the first interaction in volume one, when Sasuke chides her for being cruel to Naruto and accuses him of hating her.
What's significant is Sasuke's response to that, because even though he's leaving, he still shields her emotionally by saying he doesn't remember that once incident when she was shallow and petty, or his disgust with her lack of understanding, even though he clearly does remember what happened that day.
He's still being incredibly gentle with her, after coming after Naruto with the chidori and deciding to break his ties with Konoha to pursue Itachi.
Sasuke turns to leave, and Sakura confesses that she loves him. Or if you believe certain NaruSaku supporters, she confesses that "she really really really really likes him a lot". Either way, she's willing to become a missing nin with him, leaving behind her family, her friends, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto to become a traitor to Konoha. Just to be with Sasuke. That's devotion, people. A little creepy and obsessive, yes, but you can't deny that she is devoted to him.
And all Sasuke can do for her in return for this show of devotion is shield her once again: emotionally, as he replays the scene he said he's forgotten with a smile this time, to soften the blow, and thanks her; and then he protects her from following after him into danger by knocking her out.
So many people forget the "thank you" and fall all over themselves to point out the "you're annoying" from Sasuke's lips. I think the gratitude is the more significant and poignant phrase of the two, myself. Since when does Uchiha Sasuke thank anyone? He might as well be spelling out in giant neon letters "I CARE ABOUT YOU, DON'T GET HURT FOR MY SAKE."
And just another reminder that loving Sasuke makes Sakura stronger.
Post time-skip, it becomes quickly apparent that Sakura's feelings haven't changed about Sasuke. She's still trying to be strong enough to get him back, only post Gaara-Rescue arc, Sakura discovers that she wants to get Sasuke back for Naruto as well, so he won't have to do it alone. Sakura has grown into someone who not only recognizes her own feelings about Sasuke, she recognizes the effect his leaving has on Naruto as well, and acknowledges the consequences of Naruto's promise to her to bring Sasuke back.
The first meeting with Sasuke post time-skip we get a full page reaction shot from Sakura, focusing in on her eyes. It's nothing overtly stated, but little things like the layout of a panel, the sheer amount of space given to Sakura's specific reaction, indicates that although it's been years, her feelings haven't diminished towards Sasuke at all.
And once again, loving Sasuke makes Sakura stronger, as she's seen trying to bolster Naruto's determination and reassure him.
While SasuSaku isn't explicitly canon, it does have the most build up as a romantic-type relationship. And while I have no trouble with shipping NaruSasu, SasuNaru, NaruSaku, or NaruSakuSasu as canon supported ships, I think it's important to recognize that SasuSaku is also a valid ship. Maybe even the most valid ship in terms of outwardly stated romantic relationships, because while the SasuNaru bond might be more intense, it is also described more in terms of brother/rival relationships instead of love interest relationships.
And while some people have described SasuSaku as ultimately a one-sided ship, with Sakura chasing after Sasuke (against her better judgement) and Sasuke ignoring her, brushing her off, or generally being cruel to her, which is not actually the case. Through this essay I've tried to show that Sasuke does notice Sakura-- perhaps, in those early chapters, even more than Naruto does--and makes an effort to let her understand him, makes an effort to reassure her and protect her emotions. For someone as traumatized and emotionally stunted as Sasuke, this effort he makes at a relationship with Sakura (which is different from the rivalry/friendship relationship he sets up with Naruto) signifies how important she is to him.
While Sakura reaches Sasuke on an emotional level, Naruto is the one who forces Sasuke to confront his emotions by challenging them. All members of Team Seven drive each other to grow and develop and learn about themselves. Part of what makes Sasuke such a great character is his ability to evoke these stages of growth from Naruto and Sakura, but sometimes I think people are more inclined to point out his effect on Naruto more than his effect on Sakura, while most of the time completely bypassing the effect Sakura has on Sasuke. SasuSaku, then, can't really be brushed aside as a one-sided ship as it's one of the relationships driving the plot of Naruto. And while the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura might not be an entirely healthy one, or the ones fans think is the best for both parties involved, it is a relationship that is represented in canon.
So, the following is my reasons for shipping SasuSaku, and my realization that the pairing is perhaps even more plausible than the SasuNaru pairing, which I also ship and write way more fic for, so please don't take this as an argument against pairings other than SasuSaku.
Warning: This essay contains a lot of manga scan pictures to illustrate certain points and the whole thing is basically a giant spoiler, so consider yourself warned if you aren't all caught up.
So to start, I'm going to include right off the bat the one portrayal of Sakura that SasuSaku haters point to in their attempt to explain why 1) Sakura is such a bitch and 2) Sasuke hates her. I'm talking, of course, about the Sakura of volume one, chapter 3 of the manga in which Sakura makes a shallow and cruel comment about Naruto in front of Sasuke and gets told off for it.
So, here we have the most unflattering portrayal of Sakura in the entire manga. A snippet of time in which she is childish (like any twelve year old that hasn't been forced to grow up too soon by the trauma of being orphaned) and petty. And Sasuke calls her on it. Which is part of the reason that SasuSaku works as a pairing, because the next two pages show Sakura's reaction to that. Sasuke is the one who makes her think about her actions, makes her feel regret a little and resolve to be a better person because of it.
What we have here is the first instance of Sasuke making Sakura stronger, helping her to grow. Naruto will also do this in the continuing plotline, but it's Sasuke who reaches Sakura first, and it is love for Sasuke and a desire to protect him and Team Seven's bond which drives Sakura to be all that she can be in the army.
Also in the first volume we see signs that Sasuke trusts Sakura enough to confide in her some of his ambitions, some of his past. At the first bell test, when Sakura basically implies that the task is too difficult and that they should give up and try another time, Sasuke explains why he can't give up. Now he could have just shot her down without attempting to explain himself to her, but he doesn't. Instead he tries to let her understand him as much as she can. This is, I think, the first instance in which we see Sasuke being emotionally gentle with Sakura, or at least as much as his stunted emotional self can manage.
Also after the bell test, we have the second instance of Sasuke helping Sakura to grow. Some Sasuke-bashers seem to forget that Sasuke was the first person to really pay attention to Kakashi's lesson on team work and put it into practice. When he gives his lunch to Naruto, and Sakura follows suit after he explains his reasonings, it is the first time Team Seven works together and Sasuke initiates it. Arguments about Sasuke never being willing to work with Team Seven from the start aren't going to cut it.
So, onto the Wave Country Arc in which Sasuke protects Sakura from an attack at the possible expense of his own life. When he did this for Naruto, thousands of SasuNaru fans went OMGTRUELUV!!!!eleventy!! When he does this for Sakura OVER AND OVER AGAIN it is brushed off as just some thing Sasuke does because Sakura is "weak" and "useless" and other such nonsense. The point is, if Kakashi hadn't been there, Sasuke might have be seriously hurt or killed by the attacking nin and then his plan for revenge on Itachi would have been ruined. And yet he took that risk anyway for Sakura's sake.
Also keep in mind that Sakura, despite being completely unused to combat fighting and relatively poor in taijutsu skills, and likely to get her ass handed to her at this stage in the manga, is completely willing to fullfill her duties as a kunoichi and protect the target. That, people, is not the behaviour of someone "weak" and "useless" at all, considering that even Naruto froze at his first real combat situation and almost got taken out. At least Sakura got a kunai out and ready to defend herself and the target with.
Next reference is the chapter where Team Seven is training in the forest. When Sasuke asks Naruto to tell him what tips Sakura gave him for controlling his chakra, it shows that Sasuke really does acknowledge Sakura's skill and intelligence, although his pride forbids him to admit it to her face just yet.
Then the fight with Zabuza and Haku. While Sasuke takes on Haku, Sakura is left to protect Tazuya once more. She's concerned about Sasuke but when Kakashi reassures her, she decides to trust that Sasuke will be okay and concerns herself with her own job. Sasuke, for his part, worries about Sakura's safety as well. The amount of concern on his face in the panel when he hears her scream is particularly poignant.
One Haku side-story and a thousand needles later, Sasuke "dies" and we get the scene where Sakura fights with her shinobi training and her heartbreak only to have her true emotions break through in the end. These aren't the tears of someone who just had a silly crush that was baseless. Sakura cries for Sasuke and her own realizations that the shinobi way, as it was taught to her as a child, doesn't hold room for human emotions. In a way, both Sakura and Naruto's innocence of what it meant to be a shinobi "died" with Sasuke. When he was revived to them, it became clear that they would have to find a different way to fight.
Alright, moving right along to the Chuunin Exam Arc, here's where we get a lot of Sakura/Sasuke interaction. Sasuke, after the Wave Country experience, realizes that he's not half as strong as he needs to be in order to defeat Itachi and also realizes that he's more caught up in Team Seven then he would, perhaps feel comfortable with. This makes him edgy and nervous and leads him to snap at Sakura when she suggests spending time with him. Basically his words are, "if you have time to spare you should use it to practice, because right now you're weaker than Naruto."
Sakura--who becomes depressed at the realization that unless she gets stronger, she's never going to hold Sasuke's attention--becomes even more depressed at the knowledge that Kakashi's entered them in into the Chuunin Exams. She knows she can't keep up with the boys as she is currently.
So, a large driving force that allows Sakura to become stronger is wishing for Sasuke to acknowledge her. Please notice, SasuNaru fans, that this is the same thing that drives Naruto to become stronger during the Chuunin Exams: acknowledgement from Sasuke. You can't privledge Naruto's reasons and degrade Sakura's just because she's a girl.
Also, see this panel in which Sasuke notices Sakura's depression about the Chuunin Exams. It proves that he does notice her and her feelings, and can tell when she's faking her emotions. Sasuke doesn't ignore Sakura at all.
Not only does Sasuke notice Sakura's depression and anxiety, he tries to help ease it by complimenting her skill in seeing through genjutsu. This is the second time we see Sasuke being gentle with Sakura, caring for her emotional well-being. NaruSaku shippers, please note Naruto's cluelessness at what is taking place between Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto completely failed to notice that Sakura was upset, let alone analyzed the reasons why and tried to help her. An instance in which Sasuke is more emotionally sensitive than Naruto. THE WORLD MUST BE CAVING IN ZOMG.
Okay, now into the Forest of Death, which is a totally stupid name for a forest anyway and what is this a Monty Python movie Kishimoto? , where Sasuke protects Sakura once more against attackers while Naruto fights off Orochimaru's huge snake and oh god that sounds so wrong.
Orochimaru finds Sasuke and Sakura and scares the shit out of both of them, but mostly frightens Sasuke. And this is where the SasuSaku dynamic changes a bit, because Sasuke's fear breaks Sakura's childish vision of Sasuke as the strongest ninja around, of him as the invincible, and the ideal. Sasuke shows weakness and the idealism Sakura had for Sasuke is shattered when she calls him a coward.
This is evidence of two things: 1) that Sakura can no longer be accused of not seeing Sasuke as a flawed person and therefore still be under the status of having a naive school-girl crush, and 2) Sakura calling Sasuke a coward bothers him. Like, majorly. Right after the panel of her calling him that, he flashes back to Itachi's cutting words about his cowardice. And we all know how much Itachi's words effect Sasuke.
So, Orochimaru and Sasuke fight, and then Sasuke gets vampire bitten. What do we see then? Sasuke reaching out for comfort from Sakura. When in pain he reaches for her. So, we have Sakura going from the protected to the protector. And she knows it's a task she's not ready for but she's going to try anyway because she wants to save both her boys.
When Sakura fights the Sound Three, she does so knowing she can't win, but also knowing that she wants to be able to protect her precious people. Cutting her hair signifies Sakura cutting herself off from her previous vanities, and her wish for Sasuke to see her as a sex object. What she wants now is to be seen as a equal.
Sakura's love for Sasuke makes her stronger, not weaker. Is this the face of someone who is pathetic? NO. That is a strong, devoted kunoichi.
So, not only is the Forest of Death the point where Sakura really comes into her own as a character, it's also where the SasuSaku relationship gets a giant boost. Because Sasuke wakes up from his curse-seal coma overflowing with evil chakra, he could have just used it to turn on everyone like a berserker.
Instead, Sasuke gets extremely angry at the fact that Sakura's been beat up a bit. So angry that he violently attacks Dosu and taunts him. Sakura sees this and afraid, not for herself, but for Sasuke, who she knows is acting strangely. The embrace she gives him brings him back to himself. That Sakura is able to snap Sasuke out of his curse-seal induced rage speaks volumes about the bond that the two of them have, and how she's able to reach him on an emotional level.
Then there's the fact that both Ino and Sasuke know Sakura is bullshitting when she brushes off her shorn hair as merely an image change. Ino knows Sakura's feelings because she was her closest friend for a long time. Sasuke has to be paying real close attention to Sakura to also pick up on when she's hiding her feelings.
So, Post-Chuunin Exams, when Sound makes its move and Gaara goes after Sasuke, there are some significant moments. One being when Sakura dashes in front of an injured Sasuke to take a hit from Gaara. Gaara, for all his stunted emotions, recognizes this as an act of love and he flashes back to Yashamaru, who told him about love in the first place, and Gai, who showed an act of love when he interfered to keep Gaara from killing Lee.
And even though Naruto ends up being the one to save Sakura from Gaara, it's not as if Sasuke was there going "yeah kill the bitch, I don't care." In fact, Sasuke was totally willing to stay behind and fight Gaara so that Naruto could rescue Sakura and take her to safety.
For those who don't think Naruto would fully support Sakura and Sasuke if they were to get together, I present to you exhibit A:
Sakura hugs Sasuke in relief upon his awakening by Tsunade. Naruto recognizes that this is a private moment between the two of them and backs away. His smile's a little sad, but he's still smiling. Because he loves both of them and wants them to be happy.
Another significant moment is when Sakura reveals to Naruto the secret of Orochimaru's mark. It was something she was specifically told by Sasuke not to reveal, but she does it anyway, risking Sasuke's trust in order to keep him safe. A small gesture, but a poignant one, no less.
Sakura, knowing Sasuke, realizes that he will leave Konoha, despite Kakashi's reassurance and Naruto's that things will go back to normal. When she goes to plead with him to stay or take her with him to Sound, it's one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the manga. She flashes back to the first interaction in volume one, when Sasuke chides her for being cruel to Naruto and accuses him of hating her.
What's significant is Sasuke's response to that, because even though he's leaving, he still shields her emotionally by saying he doesn't remember that once incident when she was shallow and petty, or his disgust with her lack of understanding, even though he clearly does remember what happened that day.
He's still being incredibly gentle with her, after coming after Naruto with the chidori and deciding to break his ties with Konoha to pursue Itachi.
Sasuke turns to leave, and Sakura confesses that she loves him. Or if you believe certain NaruSaku supporters, she confesses that "she really really really really likes him a lot". Either way, she's willing to become a missing nin with him, leaving behind her family, her friends, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto to become a traitor to Konoha. Just to be with Sasuke. That's devotion, people. A little creepy and obsessive, yes, but you can't deny that she is devoted to him.
And all Sasuke can do for her in return for this show of devotion is shield her once again: emotionally, as he replays the scene he said he's forgotten with a smile this time, to soften the blow, and thanks her; and then he protects her from following after him into danger by knocking her out.
So many people forget the "thank you" and fall all over themselves to point out the "you're annoying" from Sasuke's lips. I think the gratitude is the more significant and poignant phrase of the two, myself. Since when does Uchiha Sasuke thank anyone? He might as well be spelling out in giant neon letters "I CARE ABOUT YOU, DON'T GET HURT FOR MY SAKE."
And just another reminder that loving Sasuke makes Sakura stronger.
Post time-skip, it becomes quickly apparent that Sakura's feelings haven't changed about Sasuke. She's still trying to be strong enough to get him back, only post Gaara-Rescue arc, Sakura discovers that she wants to get Sasuke back for Naruto as well, so he won't have to do it alone. Sakura has grown into someone who not only recognizes her own feelings about Sasuke, she recognizes the effect his leaving has on Naruto as well, and acknowledges the consequences of Naruto's promise to her to bring Sasuke back.
The first meeting with Sasuke post time-skip we get a full page reaction shot from Sakura, focusing in on her eyes. It's nothing overtly stated, but little things like the layout of a panel, the sheer amount of space given to Sakura's specific reaction, indicates that although it's been years, her feelings haven't diminished towards Sasuke at all.
And once again, loving Sasuke makes Sakura stronger, as she's seen trying to bolster Naruto's determination and reassure him.
While SasuSaku isn't explicitly canon, it does have the most build up as a romantic-type relationship. And while I have no trouble with shipping NaruSasu, SasuNaru, NaruSaku, or NaruSakuSasu as canon supported ships, I think it's important to recognize that SasuSaku is also a valid ship. Maybe even the most valid ship in terms of outwardly stated romantic relationships, because while the SasuNaru bond might be more intense, it is also described more in terms of brother/rival relationships instead of love interest relationships.
And while some people have described SasuSaku as ultimately a one-sided ship, with Sakura chasing after Sasuke (against her better judgement) and Sasuke ignoring her, brushing her off, or generally being cruel to her, which is not actually the case. Through this essay I've tried to show that Sasuke does notice Sakura-- perhaps, in those early chapters, even more than Naruto does--and makes an effort to let her understand him, makes an effort to reassure her and protect her emotions. For someone as traumatized and emotionally stunted as Sasuke, this effort he makes at a relationship with Sakura (which is different from the rivalry/friendship relationship he sets up with Naruto) signifies how important she is to him.
While Sakura reaches Sasuke on an emotional level, Naruto is the one who forces Sasuke to confront his emotions by challenging them. All members of Team Seven drive each other to grow and develop and learn about themselves. Part of what makes Sasuke such a great character is his ability to evoke these stages of growth from Naruto and Sakura, but sometimes I think people are more inclined to point out his effect on Naruto more than his effect on Sakura, while most of the time completely bypassing the effect Sakura has on Sasuke. SasuSaku, then, can't really be brushed aside as a one-sided ship as it's one of the relationships driving the plot of Naruto. And while the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura might not be an entirely healthy one, or the ones fans think is the best for both parties involved, it is a relationship that is represented in canon.