Thank you! =D I'm glad to talk to someone who enjoys detailed responses and civil debates. :D
I guess the main thing we disagree on is whether or not it's reasonable for Sakura to still love Sasuke. Myself, I think that if Sakura "loved him more than anything", then that love would and should be able to remain after three years of separation. I actually really like how 474 presented it: Sakura isn't turning a blind eye to everything Sasuke's done (and from her limited knowledge, those deeds probably sound even worse), but that doesn't stop her from loving him.
Your old idea of SasuSaku is pretty much what I believe now. Sasuke needs the people who love him to remind him that he still has a present and a future, not just his past. They're his new family: Kakashi is the father Fugaku couldn't really be, Naruto is the brother Itachi would have liked to have been, and Sakura is the person with whom he'll start a family of his own.
Oh, I don't think that Sasuke doesn't have his very douche-y moments (some of them lasting a very, very long time...). Glad you liked my theory! While he does try to deny his bonds with his old team, the fact that they were the last thing he pictured before awakening Amaterasu says that, even if he won't let himself admit it, Team 7 is still valuable to Sasuke. After all the focus devoted to how he is Naruto's best friend in the whole entire world and Naruto will have a panic attack from worry over him, I don't think that Sasuke won't be reunited with his old team in some way.
As for the SasuKarin comment, don't worry. I dislike the pairing myself, but I don't see the point in flaming someone just because they disagree with you about the pairings of a fictional manga. Now, if they disagree with you about pairings and use that as an excuse to insult you first, that's a different story, but you've been a very nice and respectable person. :)
My view of the extensive Naruto-Sakura bonding in Shippuuden is that it establishes their bond to be strong and mutual, like the other bonds of Team 7. During part 1, Sakura thought that Naruto was "a pest out to ruin her life", and she didn't formally take that comment back until he made the Promise of a Lifetime to her. Naruto himself concentrated on his rivalry with Sasuke more than his bond with Sakura (probably helped by the fact that she initially disliked him), as well his bonds with every character he reformed. They needed time to interact to really form a bond, and part 2 provided that. They have a common goal, which helps them relate to each other, and, well, I can go on very long rants about why I don't see their time together as romantic, which I'll spare you in the interest of keeping this discussion at a length that's reasonable for you to actually read.
Re: Good job. . .
I guess the main thing we disagree on is whether or not it's reasonable for Sakura to still love Sasuke. Myself, I think that if Sakura "loved him more than anything", then that love would and should be able to remain after three years of separation. I actually really like how 474 presented it: Sakura isn't turning a blind eye to everything Sasuke's done (and from her limited knowledge, those deeds probably sound even worse), but that doesn't stop her from loving him.
Your old idea of SasuSaku is pretty much what I believe now. Sasuke needs the people who love him to remind him that he still has a present and a future, not just his past. They're his new family: Kakashi is the father Fugaku couldn't really be, Naruto is the brother Itachi would have liked to have been, and Sakura is the person with whom he'll start a family of his own.
Oh, I don't think that Sasuke doesn't have his very douche-y moments (some of them lasting a very, very long time...). Glad you liked my theory! While he does try to deny his bonds with his old team, the fact that they were the last thing he pictured before awakening Amaterasu says that, even if he won't let himself admit it, Team 7 is still valuable to Sasuke. After all the focus devoted to how he is Naruto's best friend in the whole entire world and Naruto will have a panic attack from worry over him, I don't think that Sasuke won't be reunited with his old team in some way.
As for the SasuKarin comment, don't worry. I dislike the pairing myself, but I don't see the point in flaming someone just because they disagree with you about the pairings of a fictional manga. Now, if they disagree with you about pairings and use that as an excuse to insult you first, that's a different story, but you've been a very nice and respectable person. :)
My view of the extensive Naruto-Sakura bonding in Shippuuden is that it establishes their bond to be strong and mutual, like the other bonds of Team 7. During part 1, Sakura thought that Naruto was "a pest out to ruin her life", and she didn't formally take that comment back until he made the Promise of a Lifetime to her. Naruto himself concentrated on his rivalry with Sasuke more than his bond with Sakura (probably helped by the fact that she initially disliked him), as well his bonds with every character he reformed. They needed time to interact to really form a bond, and part 2 provided that. They have a common goal, which helps them relate to each other, and, well, I can go on very long rants about why I don't see their time together as romantic, which I'll spare you in the interest of keeping this discussion at a length that's reasonable for you to actually read.