First off, thanks for the compliments on the essay! I'm really glad that you liked it.
I hope you don't mind me debating your disagreements a bit though. As you said, Naruto really would be happy as long as Sakura and Sasuke are happy. (Not as in "he would feel no pain regardless of what they do", but in the same way that you're happy for your best friend who is dating someone they really love even though that friend isn't spending as much time with you as a result.) I think he does truly love both of them, but I don't think that that true love is romantic. I've viewed the series seeing his romantic feelings fade for quite some time while he continued to bond with Sakura. During Sai's flashback in chapter 457, he comments that he can't tell Sakura how he feels because he can't keep his Promise. While that line mentions his romantic feelings, it also shows that Naruto wasn't hanging out with Sakura in the hope that she'd someday grow to love him back. He was hanging out with her because he was happy to just be her friend. We saw during scenes like the Promise of a Lifetime that he accepted the idea that Sakura loved Sasuke, and during chapter 474 Naruto was the one bringing it up. During the latter scene, he looked far more hurt when thinking that Sakura no longer loved Sasuke (in any sense of the word) than when he insisted how much she loved him. If anything, he seemed to appreciate that there was someone else in the world who cared for Sasuke as much as he did, and the fact that that love was romantic didn't seem to hurt him.
That's probably not the most fleshed out argument, but I'm trying to keep this semi-brief. (And failing...)
Sakura doesn't really act pathetic when Sasuke's name is mentioned. In the past, like during her fight with Sasori, it made her become business-like and determined. During the Rescue Gaara mission, she brings up Sasuke to talk about the research she did over the past few years so that she'd be able to protect Sasuke and Naruto. The only time she really became a sobbing wreck was when talking to Karui, when she was told that Sasuke had joined the same organization that his completely evil older brother was in, the organization that wants to capture Naruto so that they can slowly and painfully kill him. She also started crying after Shikamaru told her that her classmates and friends have decided that they need to kill Sasuke to prevent a war. After hearing those things, I really wouldn't blame Sakura for crying, because they're not pleasant to hear, and they'd definitely hurt if she still loves him.
Sasuke, I think, is ignoring his brother's wishes because acknowledging them would mean accepting that he was fully responsible for hurting his brother for years. From what we've heard, Itachi's only negative feeling towards Konoha was fear that the Elders might try to hurt Sasuke. If Sasuke is entirely respecting Itachi's wishes, then no blame would belong to them. The only blame would belong to him for trying to kill the man who worked his hardest to keep him alive, and for hating someone who loved him the whole time. After so many years of hating Itachi, I don't think that Sasuke would be able to accept that knowledge without going completely insane. He distracts himself by desiring revenge on the only other "cause" of his brother's suffering: the Elders who ordered him to carry out the massacre.
Re: Good job. . .
I hope you don't mind me debating your disagreements a bit though. As you said, Naruto really would be happy as long as Sakura and Sasuke are happy. (Not as in "he would feel no pain regardless of what they do", but in the same way that you're happy for your best friend who is dating someone they really love even though that friend isn't spending as much time with you as a result.) I think he does truly love both of them, but I don't think that that true love is romantic. I've viewed the series seeing his romantic feelings fade for quite some time while he continued to bond with Sakura. During Sai's flashback in chapter 457, he comments that he can't tell Sakura how he feels because he can't keep his Promise. While that line mentions his romantic feelings, it also shows that Naruto wasn't hanging out with Sakura in the hope that she'd someday grow to love him back. He was hanging out with her because he was happy to just be her friend. We saw during scenes like the Promise of a Lifetime that he accepted the idea that Sakura loved Sasuke, and during chapter 474 Naruto was the one bringing it up. During the latter scene, he looked far more hurt when thinking that Sakura no longer loved Sasuke (in any sense of the word) than when he insisted how much she loved him. If anything, he seemed to appreciate that there was someone else in the world who cared for Sasuke as much as he did, and the fact that that love was romantic didn't seem to hurt him.
That's probably not the most fleshed out argument, but I'm trying to keep this semi-brief. (And failing...)
Sakura doesn't really act pathetic when Sasuke's name is mentioned. In the past, like during her fight with Sasori, it made her become business-like and determined. During the Rescue Gaara mission, she brings up Sasuke to talk about the research she did over the past few years so that she'd be able to protect Sasuke and Naruto. The only time she really became a sobbing wreck was when talking to Karui, when she was told that Sasuke had joined the same organization that his completely evil older brother was in, the organization that wants to capture Naruto so that they can slowly and painfully kill him. She also started crying after Shikamaru told her that her classmates and friends have decided that they need to kill Sasuke to prevent a war. After hearing those things, I really wouldn't blame Sakura for crying, because they're not pleasant to hear, and they'd definitely hurt if she still loves him.
Sasuke, I think, is ignoring his brother's wishes because acknowledging them would mean accepting that he was fully responsible for hurting his brother for years. From what we've heard, Itachi's only negative feeling towards Konoha was fear that the Elders might try to hurt Sasuke. If Sasuke is entirely respecting Itachi's wishes, then no blame would belong to them. The only blame would belong to him for trying to kill the man who worked his hardest to keep him alive, and for hating someone who loved him the whole time. After so many years of hating Itachi, I don't think that Sasuke would be able to accept that knowledge without going completely insane. He distracts himself by desiring revenge on the only other "cause" of his brother's suffering: the Elders who ordered him to carry out the massacre.
(continued)