In Part 1, she was an unlikeable, rather annoying girl with shallow interests. I didn't hate her, but I didn't like her either. She was demonstrated to have better chakra control than her team-mates and first displayed her intelligence during the written test in the Chuunin exam. During the test, she showed some concern for Naruto's aspirations, which was quite touching.Her first moment in the spotlight came when she cut her hair during the Chuunin exams; essentially cutting away her vanity. However, she was too weak to really defend herself. This was understandable, given that she didn't have any special abilities like many of her peers. I assumed that she was being set up as a late bloomer, which is pretty much what Ino confirmed when she too perceived that Sakura had potential.
After the Chuunin exams, Sakura became a constant pain in arse. She did nothing but visit people in hospital and whine and worry about 'Sasuke-kun'. It was during this period, until the end of the Part 1, that I disliked her appearances in the manga.
Of course, Sasuke was blatantly the center of her universe. It's true that Sasuke is pivotal to the overall plot and is also important to Naruto, but everything Sakura did in Part 1 (and even in her childhood flashbacks) was for Sasuke.
Here's a list:
- She grew her hair because she'd heard a rumour that Sasuke liked girls with long hair
- She broke off her friendship with Ino so she could compete for Sasuke
- She became a ninja so she could be close to Sasuke
- She climbed the tree during chakra training to impress Sasuke
- She cut her hair to protect Sasuke (and Naruto, to a lesser degree)
- She whined and cried for almost the whole of Part 1 about Sasuke
- She begged Sasuke to stay with her and even offered to leave Konoha with him
I was excited about her potential for growth at the end of Part 1, because she was finally taking action and trying to better herself as a ninja and a person by becoming Tsunade's apprentice.
The first arc of Part 2 was a breath of fresh air. Sakura was finally treating Naruto like a real and valued friend. She also displayed the skills she had gained during the time-skip: super-strength and medical ninjutsu, as well as knowledge of medicinal plants. She had become a capable ninja, and even took part in a fight for the first time.Sakura and Naruto resolved to work together to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, whereas before she had always relied on Naruto to fight for her. I was proud of her and admired her development.
She disappointed me during the battle with Orochimaru, as she needed to be rescued by Yamato twice. Proving, once again, to be a burden. She admitted as much while she was healing Naruto after the fight, as she cried over the fact that she could only help in small ways. I could forgive her poor performance, because it was understandable when facing off against powerful foes (and an indiscriminate Kyuubi Naruto).
After seeing Sasuke again, Naruto was overcome with disappointment in his own abilities (an insecurity he's always had and continues to display). Sakura told him that crying wouldn't bring Sasuke back home, displaying a surprising amount of emotional strength. However, in the privacy of her home, she was shown to cry over her photograph of Team 7. Clearly, she was not as changed as she had led us to believe, because her behaviour was reminiscent of her Part 1 personality.
From then on, she again took a back seat in the story. She made only minor appearances and performed no impressive feats (unless you count the summon she punched during the Pain invasion). She was made to look helpless after Pain destroyed the village, in order to make Naruto's return more grand.
This helplessness in Sakura has continued ever since.
Naruto needed to save her during a brief altercation with the Karui and Omoi. The very next chapter, she broke down in a fit of sobbing over a question about Sasuke. Clearly, she is feeling conflicted and upset ... but to display such weakness in the presence of others is, frankly, embarrassing.
She has set herself the goal of returning Sasuke to Konoha. She promised herself that she'd never again be a burden to Naruto. She promised herself that she'd help Naruto in bringing Sasuke home. Yet, she's been unable to back up her words and now appears to be a hypocrite as well (by openly crying when she'd previously told Naruto that crying over the Sasuke situation was pointless).
Her bout of tears was curiously reminiscent of her five-year-old self. The fact that Naruto has been forced, once again, to promise to handle the situation by himself seems to be huge regression for Sakura.
Needless to say, readers have expressed their disappointment and embarrassment at Sakura's behaviour. But is it REALLY a regression?It looks like Sasuke remains at the center of her universe. And now, after she's learned the depth of his betrayal, she feels as if her hopes and dreams have been cruelly dashed. She's unable to express how she feels about Sasuke, because she is fundamentally conflicted. How can she continue to love and defend him when he has pitted himself against Konoha and Naruto as a member of Akatsuki, under Madara's thumb?
It was a moment of weakness, but I believe it's part of her development. Sasuke is a huge, unresolved issue in Sakura's life. If you ask me, she needs to set aside her unrequited devotion and become her own person. Only when she has her own aspirations will she become strong enough to face her feelings.
I do hope Kishimoto will allow Sakura to redeem herself.
