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THE “SAKURA IS USELESS” COUNTER-ARGUMENT MASTER-POST!

For Sakura Week! 💪🏼 Prompt: ‘Acknowledgements’, because it’s about damn time we all acknowledge the canon facts and stop perpetuating this false bandwagoning claim spearheaded by Studio Pierrot and the anime-only – or just generally obstinate and deluded – “fans”. Update: Some of my posts still aren’t showing up in the tags so thank you everyone for your support on this at over 1.5k notes even without that!

📌 Canon facts & stats:

“Useless”. You know, I think this is how you can detect if someone read the manga/is aware of the official databook evidence or not, since Sakura is canonically the strongest/top kunoichi… The term is so absurdly opposite of her character, that it being applied to her is baffling. Even if the confirmation of her status (i.e. quite literally being the “best girl”, technically speaking) in the official databook(s)* isn’t enough, it’s visible through canon stats alone:

Sakura ranks higher than all of the kunoichi in her generation; surpassing the Konoha 12 females and even Temari, the strongest female of The Sand.

She ranks higher than almost all of the Konoha boys, losing out only to Sasuke and Neji, with the stat difference between her and Neji being single point. Allow me to emphasise – an Uchiha and Hyuga; the two most prestigious clans in their nation, and the boys in question particularly being esteemed ‘skilled geniuses’ of their generation.

Note: This is a comparison of the stats presented in Databook 3 (Sha no Sho), before Sakura even mastered her S-Rank technique, Byakugo. 🖇 [ These statistics were taken between chapters 245 - 402. ]

Think about it: Shino, Shikamaru, Lee… Just three examples of characters Sakura surpasses in skill. Do they ever get called useless?

Sakura actually ranks the same (in stats, at this point in the canon timeline) as Naruto.

*It is stated that Sakura surpassed Tsunade – who was formally established as the strongest and statistically highest-ranking kunoichi – in the fourth and latest databook, Jin no Sho. (These are the official guidebooks in the Naruto series, authored by the mangaka himself, Masashi Kishimoto.) 🖇 [ This databook covers chapters 403 - 691. ]

But if that wasn’t enough, then take a look at the canon facts presented in the manga and validated statements in further guidebooks, such as Retsu no Sho (the following guidebook, released alongside The Last):

She is a Neo-Sannin and a Jonin. The former label evident from chapter 632 – in addition to being implied throughout part two and foreshadowed* prior – and the latter stated in the Retsu no Sho and Zai no Sho guidebooks, as well as depicted in the ‘blank period’ [The Last] and part three [Boruto Era] material. ↳ Not to mention that Sakura and Shikamaru were the only two promoted to Jonin after the war, which is self-explanatory in her ability.

*Examples of said implications and foreshadowing, the latter acting doubly as evidence of her skill being appraised by shinobi of Jonin rank or higher:

Official (Kishimoto/manga) artwork.

Chapter 245 – Jiraiya.

➔ “That beauty and strength… It would seem as though you’ve raised another Tsunade, no?”

Chapter 246 – Kakashi.

➔ “Wha-What insane power! The Fifth… You didn’t just teach Sakura medical ninjutsu, did you…?” ➔ “She builds up the maximum amount of chakra in her fist, then releases it in an instant… Without precise chakra control, she couldn’t do that. It’s a real feat!” ➔ “Medical ninjutsu, plus amazing strength… No, that’s not all. Because Sakura was originally a genjutsu type…” ➔ “She may become an even better ninja than the Fifth…”

Chapter 279 – Chiyo.

➔ “After all, a woman with gallant spirit matching any man’s is a rarity indeed… Surely you’ll become a kunoichi even greater than your master.”

Chapter 632 – Hashirama.

➔ “What raw power… It might even be stronger than Tsuna’s!”

As specified, confirming her Sannin status officially in the war:

Chapter 633.

Chapter 634.

➔ “A new era has come!”

Volume 66.

She is the greatest medic in shinobi history. First implied in early part two, Sakura accomplishes that which even the esteemed medical expert, Chiyo, couldn’t: Chiyo states that the only one to exceed her medical expertise, even in her own area of specialism, is Tsunade – formally regarded as the world’s best medical ninja – who is soon surpassed by Sakura, as stated in the fourth official databook (depicted at the bottom of this post).

Chapter 253.

➔ “Poison is my specialty… But even I don’t know of this… Sasori’s grown a huge amount…” ➔ “Well, the one who has more knowledge about neutralizing poisons than me… That would be the Slug of Konoha, Tsunade-hime.”

Sakura surpassed a Kage in her teens. To excel beyond the ultimate rank of shinobi is no small statement in itself, let alone to do such as a teenager. Not to mention that Tsunade is regarded as one of the greater Kage(s), at that. To explain further – not only did Sakura transcend Tsunade’s medical ability, but also her physical strength, skill and prowess as well. To elaborate, Sakura released Byakugo at the age of 17, after only beginning her training at the (est.) age of 13 - 14.

Chapter 632.

➔ From Sakura and Tsunade’s conversation panels onward: [S] “Medical ninja mustn’t die! So they must never go ahead of the others…” [T] “That is true, but… That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to learn how to fight yourself, because… You’re my disciple, so you’ll inherit the power of a Sannin, and… Sakura Haruno, you’re also the disciple of the Fifth Hokage!” [S] “Now it’s filled up… I can finally release it.” (Now that her Byakugo has reached full capacity, she can finally unleash it.)

To expand on my above point [of Sakura surpassing Tsunade], Sakura is one of only three shinobi in the world to master the S-Rank technique, Byakugo. The previous users presumably took at least a decade+ to perfect the high-skilled and complicated jutsu, as Tsunade is pictured without her seal in chapter 160’s flashback [of her late teen/early adult years]. Sakura, however, mastered it in a mere three years… The significance and difficulty of this feat was commented on by Shizune, Tsunade’s first pupil and a skilled Jonin in medical ninjutsu herself, who failed to reach such legendary regarded level:

Chapter 632.

➔ “She’s been saving up chakra in one spot for 3 years… That’s extremely precise chakra control. Not even I could perform Byakugo no Jutsu!!”

Chapter 634.

➔ “Her [Byakugo] mark was only just activated… And yet she’s already performing Lady Katsuyu’s distance healing too! Sakura, you are truly something amazing!”

With the mastering of this technique (/bearing the Yin Seal), Sakura is confirmed to be on an equal power level to both Sasuke and Naruto (pre-Hagoromo’s bestowed power; the Sixth Paths Sage Mode and the Rinnegan). 🖇 [ This is stated in the fourth datebook, depicted at the bottom of this post. ]

📌 Lack of birth-right privilege:

It is also worth mentioning that the other two users of this seal were of prestigious descent, being Mito Uzumaki and Tsunade Senju/Uzumaki – meaning that these kunoichi inherited the strength and most notably the chakra required for their techniques – unlike Sakura, who was civilian born. This is important to consider because it is a prime reason why Sakura was not on par with her teammates; an Uchiha and a jinchūriki of Uzumaki bloodline, whom she is so often held to the standard of.

She was for the most part ignored by her team’s sensei, in favour of Sasuke during the Chunin Exams. Whilst Naruto received additional training from Ebisu and Jiraiya, Sakura would not be given the attention she deserved in order to thrive until she approached Tsunade of her own volition in the hopes of bettering herself by becoming her apprentice. Prior to this, we must acknowledge that Sakura was born into a civilian family, meaning that she had no birth-right privileges, advantages or opportunities… Whilst literally every other ninja did, with the exception of Lee and Tenten.

Every other shinobi in their generation had what they did from birth, yet she was the only ninja – apart from the duel-protagonists – to reach Kage level (in the surpassing of her master).

It is embarrassingly argued by ‘antis’ that Sakura “cheated” because she acquired her abilities under the tutelage of Tsunade… Yet they fail to comprehend that the exact same premise applies abundantly more so to everyone else, since Sakura actually worked for everything she had; she wasn’t handed God-like, over-powered, tailed beast and/or clan-specific jutsu, like them. She had no silver-spoon abilities off the bat!

📌 “She was never in any fights”:

Another subject worth mentioning in response to the idiotic remark that Sakura never fought (which therefore apparently makes her “useless”) is that Sakura was not permitted to be offensive, as those were the strict rules of the medical ninja code:

“Rule No. 2 – No medical ninja shall ever stand on the front lines.” ↳ Not until they have mastered the S-Rank technique, Byakugo, are they allowed to disregard the medic laws and move to the front-lines.

“Rule No. 4 – Only those medic ninja who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique (of the ninja art, Creation Rebirth) are permitted to discard the above mentioned laws.” ↳ Sakura did not release this technique until the war, which means that prior to this, not only was she not permitted to be offensive by medic law, but she was also not even using her full strength (since she was storing it).

It also must be acknowledged that, being a shonen series, the mangaka will typically will not utilise their female characters – i.e. have them participate in many fights or their own fights. Now, Kishimoto has been labelled a (perhaps inadvertent) sexist in the past – as we are aware the majority of this genre is – and it can be seen in the lack of battling ‘panel-time’ female characters receive, which should be considered when arguing against the girls’ (plural) lack of such in fights. For example, we only really got to see Sakura’s competitive combat skills a handful of times, despite being a main character and the leading female of the series.

But another point I want to state here is Sakura’s fight against Sasori, since that is the prime go-to for this argument. The thing is, this major feat is demeaned and diluted by ‘antis’ as much as Studio Pierrot’s general treatment of the entire source material… It was one of Sakura’s biggest moments; a moment that fans actually applauded and celebrated after its publication – for example, Sha no Sho (the third official databook) reveals that the battle ranked 3rd in a vote by over 1k readers, with one of them commenting:

“I am amazed at Sakura’s growth!”

As the reader’s comment evidences, that battle was so brilliant because it truly did showcase Sakura’s phenomenal growth – physical and emotional – especially with it being the first time we were able to see her in action (outside of the second bell test) post-timeskip. The fact is, Sakura was one of very few characters to actually take down an Akatsuki member; a criminal shinobi of S-Class skill! She was also the first to take down an Akatsuki, to boot! So it would make sense that ‘antis’ try to take this away from her as much as possible. I mean, does “Chiyo did all the work” sound familiar at all?

I don’t even know how to reference this ridiculous notion with panels… My only remark here would be that the anime’s rendition of events came across very differently to the manga’s (as most of Pierrot’s non-delineations did). I’ll admit myself that in the anime, Sakura comes across as aiding Chiyo in that fight. However, in the manga, it is Chiyo presented as the support. Even the Sha no Sho official databook states under the battle’s Top 3 ranking: “Aided by Chiyo, Sakura’s prowess shows when she holds her own against the rogue puppet-master”. I mean, we literally had confirmation prior to this battle [chapter 253] that Sakura outranks Chiyo’s medical ninjutsu skills anyway. But for further proof:

Chiyo herself actually states: “[…]even without my assistance, she can do it… A girl like this.” [ Chapter 270. ]

This post is already going to be long enough, so rather than overextend it with more images (if multiple apply), I’m going to link to the relevant panels and topics that this battle evidences.

1️⃣ Sakura was the only reason Sasori’s armour could even be broken to reveal the real him in the first place. As the third databook states, “Sakura destroyed even puppet-master Sasori’s best puppet, Hiruko, in one blow”. Sources (in addition to the page displayed below): 1, 2, 3.

If you recall, Chiyo only controlled Sakura through puppetry until she was able to be within close enough range to demolish Sasori’s protection puppet and the initial offensive weapon that he utilised early on, which was shielding him entirely. Chiyo controlling Sakura was a tactic that they mutually discussed prior to the battle in order to both:

Guarantee Sakura certain safety and evasion of his traps to land said attack at closer proximity, and thus render him more vulnerable. ↳ Due to the medical ninja code (discussed in detail above), Sakura was not permitted at this point in time to be on the front-line, so Chiyo’s puppetry jutsu actually allowed Sakura to be such without fear of fatal injury.

Confuse Sasori, so that he was forced to focus on them both and not take one out (before the other) to give him the advantage.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. As Databook 3 also states, “the person being controlled is able to use both the techniques of the puppet-master and [their] own jutsu”.

2️⃣ Sakura’s physical prowess in general. Sources: 1, 2, 3.

3️⃣ Sakura’s intelligence, evidenced in her instant problem solving. Sources: 1, 2, 3.

4️⃣ Sakura’s intelligence, evidenced again in her analytical ability and tremendously esteemed medical know-how. Said qualities are repeatedly complimented over the series, even by Sasori, who is both baffled and impressed by her brains and ability, considering the phenomenal difficulty involved in such. He even comments on how long it has been since an opponent has forced him to use himself (i.e. his own puppet body; his deadliest weapon and last resort) in battle, yet Sakura pushed him to that limit. Also, remember that Sasori’s high regards of Sakura enabled them to find Orochimaru in the next arc, as the information of his whereabouts were Sakura’s “reward” gifted to her by Sasori for beating him.

5️⃣ Sakura’s emotional growth. Her change in personality on the battlefield was highly regarded by readers, with her fight against Sasori being the first time that such was truly seen (post-timeskip, against a major threat). Sources: 1, 2 and 3, 4.

Despite Chiyo’s numerous attempts to spare Sakura’s life by pleading for her to flee, Sakura stands her ground next to Chiyo and advises that Chiyo use her to their advantage, in spite of the “hopelessness” Chiyo admits to, fearing Sasori’s great power.

Even when critically injured by an immense attack, Sakura is on her feet within an instant, determined to fight back.

Again, in spite of a weaponry attack puncturing her body, she actually counters said offence by using her enemy’s movement against them. Thus, saving Chiyo and temporarily immobilising Sasori.

When Sakura recognises spontaneous threat, she instantly (without hesitation) moves to protect Chiyo; saving her life once again, by sacrificing her own. Despite her critical state, her first priority remains ensuring Chiyo’s safety by informing her to take the antidote, whilst she stands between her and Sasori.

📌 Definitions:

Moving on to the technicalities, because if an inability to comprehend (an age-rated 13+) manga wasn’t enough, the lack of intelligence regarding dictionary text is worse:

The actual definition of “useful” means to be competent in a particular area; it is to be practical, helpful, serviceable and used for purpose. Sakura is a healer… As such, those adjectives apply to her tenfold!

📌 Examples of ‘usefulness’:

Usefulness is not measured by throwing punches, especially by exact definition. It is much more useful, by actual meaning of the word, to heal and help out; to be sure that those on the front-lines don’t die. But whilst we’re on the topic of “throwing punches”:

She punched Kaguya, an actual God, in the damn cranium. The action shattered and broke off said deity’s horn, and was the reason why she was able to be defeated in battle; after having escaped from Naruto and Sasuke, subsequently prompting Sakura to blast her back into their (attempted) seal. [ Chapter 689. ]

She knocked out Shin [ in chapter 6 of Gaiden ] with a single punch, causing him to need organ transplants. Both Naruto and Sasuke had great difficulty taking out said villain, and had it not have been for Sakura, they could have been killed or critically injured.

She took out the most of the Juubi army; more than any other shinobi on-panel. [ Chapter 632. ]

She utterly demolished the mountain/boulder threshold, exposing entry to the Akatsuki’s hideout (where they were detaining Gaara). [ Chapter 263. ]

Sakura also ranked 2nd on the Top Three ‘Shinobi I Want To Fight’ in the 3rd Databook, after Naruto and before Kakashi.

Returning to her medical capabilities and the usefulness of such:

She performed incredible medical ninjutsu to such a degree of manually pumping Naruto’s heart with her hand and saving his life with her delicately precise abilities, all whilst administering CPR. [ Chapter 662 - 663. ]

She saved Hinata’s life. ↳ Although it is sometimes falsely believed that Pain had killed Hinata and Nagato revived her using Rinne Tensei, it was actually Sakura that saved her life; healing a very injured Hinata. This is stated in chapter 441 by Katsuyu and Tenten, and validated by chapter 449, wherein Nagato revives Fukasaku, Shizune and Kakashi (i.e. those that died). In chapter 441, Tenten notes that Hinata’s wounds – whilst not severe enough to die from instantly – would indeed have been fatal without Sakura’s intervention.

She saved Karin’s life; healing her punctured respiratory and cardiovascular organs, and closing up the sizeable open wound from (what otherwise would have been) her fatal stabbing to the chest. [ Chapter 484. ]

She directly removes the poison from Kankuro’s body, saving his life. She does such almost instantly and with little effort, managing to perform the act in a mere two panels, unaided. Even esteemed medical expert, Chiyo – whose specialty is neutralising poisons – could not accomplish such a task (as stated above). [ Chapter 253. ]

In conclusion to this above segment: Sakura has saved countless lives. Talk about “useful”.

A lie that Studio Pierrot have tried to perpetuate is the idea that all of the kunoichi have the skill required to perform medical ninjutsu – a delicate practice and major skill – presumably to further take away from Sakura’s incredible feat in possessing these talents. However, this is not canon! Hinata, for example, is not a medical ninjutsu user, despite various fillers depicting such.

As Databook 3 states:

“Mastering medical ninjutsu is extremely difficult since one must be able to delicately control chakra, as well as have extensive knowledge and perseverance.”

“In order to apply medical ninjutsu in the midst of battle, one must have considerable skills.” ↳ “The ability to heal oneself even while being attacked is the pinnacle of external injury treatment.”

“[Medical Ninjutsu: Cellular Extraction Healing] demands diagnostic abilities to spot the afflicted area, the skill to make an incision, and incredibly precise control of chakra.” ↳ “It is categorised as among the most difficult of medical ninjutsu.”

“Medial ninja are required to possess many skills, including delicate control of chakra and knowledge of the human body & medicines.” ↳ “Medical ninja must also possess the the knowledge and skill to prepare medicines.”

“[…]there remains a shortage of people who are capable of using this jutsu with complete command. It remains a difficult to achieve, but invaluable, jutsu.”

In addition, regarding Chakra Enhanced Strength:

“Medical ninjutsu can shatter stone and heal almost every injury.”

“[Chakra Enhanced Strength] is a ninjutsu that requires extremely precise chakra control. One must knead chakra internally, then in an instant, concentrate it all into the fist.”

“[In reference to Taijutsu] Okasho: Sakura Strike is an adaptation of medical ninjutsu that requires delicate chakra control and concentration. Chakra of the greatest intensity developed instantaneously in the body is concentrated entirely in the right fist.”

Moving on, despite many ‘antis’ arguing that she does nothing for the story itself, Sakura has actually also been one of the most useful influences on the plot too:

She was the (singular) one who discovered and prevented the White Zetsu ambush. [ Chapter 540. ] ↳ This also relates to the “throwing punches” segment.

She saved Sasuke by aiding Obito with her immense chakra prowess, utilising her Byakugo’s reserve and exercising her expert precision and control. [ Chapter 685. ]

She assisted in healing the entire village (civilians and shinobi) during Pain’s Invasion, in addition to effortlessly and single-handedly taking down Pain’s Chikushodo. [ Chapter 421. ] ↳ This also relates to both the “throwing punches” and ‘medical capabilities’ segments.

Additionally, her actual plot-relevance and impact on the story can also measure her ‘usefulness’; in the sense of her role and simple presence itself. To elaborate, she was frequently a reason behind both of her teammates’ key actions. Two examples of many:

She was the reason Sasuke was able to control his Curse Seal; she was the reason why such hatred and power was awoken and subsequently unleashed, upon seeing what the Sound did to her.

She triggered Naruto’s determination in his Tailed Beast training; when he fought to master the Kyuubi’s power because he had hurt Sakura and was desperate to control that side of him to avoid putting her in danger/harming her again.

If you re-read even the opening details to many of the plot-points throughout the manga, Sakura is the initial, simple trigger to a lot of them. Whilst this argument seems insubstantial in comparison to most of the above, it is necessary in the debate of her alleged “uselessness” in the story, as many believe the narrative could stand without her, which is absurd.

Also, don’t forget that Sakura saved the main character himself from dying twice in less than 50 chapters (p.s. thank you to winter-serenade for these underrated scenes):

Chapter 11 – When she saved Naruto from being decapitated by Zabuza, also showcasing her quick reflexes.

Chapter 49 – Again, an overlooked moment wherein Sakura saves an unconscious Naruto from falling to his death from such a height. She throws a kunai with incredible precision, pinning him to the tree and preventing him from splatting on the ground at the age of 12.

Sakura was fundamental to the narrative; providing plot substance and flow to a lot of the events that unfolded. She offered the voice of explanation to the readers; e.g. she was a primary focus in the Chunin Exams’ written exam, among other moments – a major plot device and extremely useful in letting the audience know crucial facts.

📌 Intelligence:

In relation to the Chunin Exams, another key feature to Sakura’s character was her esteemed intelligence. Her intellect ranked far above the majority of her generation, par Shikamaru. (Yet said ranking is only in practice – not theory – as she surpassed him academically, most likely since he didn’t try.) She is repeatedly stated to be one of the smartest shinobi, even before graduating to Genin level. She’s acknowledged as the cleverest kunoichi in her generation, eventually developing into one of the smartest kunoichi all-inclusively by parts two and three.

Sakura was able to answer the questions in the Chunin exam with her own knowledge… Being, of course, that the manga commented on the exam’s intense difficulty, in that no Genin should have had the ability to calculate and decipher those questions. To compare, both Sasuke and Neji – acclaimed geniuses of their generation – had to cheat.

Chapter 24 – Kakashi.

➔ “Sakura is the brightest in the village.”

Chapter 36 – Sasuke.

➔ “Your analytical ability ad genjutsu know-how is the most improved on our team.”

Chapter 42 – Ino.

➔ “Sakura… I will acknowledge the size of your forehead and your intelligence, so be thankful…”

Quotes from the Naruto Official Fanbook:

“She has a strong sense of responsibility, and the brains to back it up.”

“She’s easily one of the most intelligent[…]”

“[…]has a first rate mind.”

📌 Pre-“Shippuden” Sakura:

Sakura is often labelled “useless” especially in part one, in spite of the above details that excel her passed the majority of the character line-up. Kishimoto’s ‘Official Fanbook’ (referenced above) also states that she was “evenly matched” in ability with Ino at this time; emphasising that “their physical strength is identical”. This being a feat, of course, because the same book reveals that Ino graduated at the top of the academy, even above Sasuke (with him falling short due to his teamwork grades).

Other qualities Genin Sakura showcased included:

Having greater chakra control than both of her teammates and the rest of her generation in general, most notably Sasuke (what with his level of acclaimed talent then and throughout). ↳ She excelled past them in this skill even at Genin level, on her first try at the [tree-climbing] exercise, with zero prior training. This feat carried through to her mastering of medical ninjutsu and Tsunade’s other S-Class techniques.

Her level of competence, maturity and judgement in protecting Naruto and Sasuke on her own in the Forest of Death, whilst they were unconscious. ↳ She cared for and treated them, as well as rationally took precaution through setting traps to guard them whilst vulnerable. She was able to successfully fool the Sound with a “basic jutsu”, and put her life on the line; enduring numerous kunai to the body, blows to the head, etc. She protected her comrades by taking on the Sound, 1 V 3.

Chapter 50 to 51 – Protecting and caring for them.

Chapter 54 – Successfully fooling the Sound with a “basic” (quote by Zaku) Substitute Jutsu twice in a row, cleverly setting up to fool them again with a real attack, which they thought would be another trick.

Chapter 53 to 54 – Putting her life on the line to save her comrades, enduring numerous kunai to the body and blows to the head.

Putting her life on the line to protect her comrade(s) and proving her relation to the plot’s relevance again.

Chapter 129 – Remember also that her actions in his scene prompted Gaara to relive and thus reveal his backstory, allowing Naruto to connect with him and essentially turn Gaara ‘good’.

Her perception and genjutsu know-how. ↳ Sakura is the first to notice and explain the illusion Kotetsu and Izumo play on them before the exam (as commented on by Sasuke), regarded as a mini test to qualify them into the written exam. She is also one of Konoha’s only Genin able to resist the genjutsu during Orochimaru’s invasion, alongside only two others (Shikamaru and Sasuke); with those capable of such deflection regarded by the Sound as “elite”.

Chapter 36.

Chapter 114.

➔ “Heh… The Leaf elite are impressive. Using genjutsu deflection.”

📌 (More) databook entries:

Sakura is attributed as having exceptional genjutsu skills by others in the manga and stated within the databooks, despite us rarely seeing such depicted all too much in canon. The Naruto Official Fanbook states:

She is a “tough kunoichi with a talent for genjutsu”.

“With her talent for genjutsu, Sakura should become a good kunoichi with little hard work.”

“Kakashi has already noticed her aptitude for genjutsu.”

As referenced numerous times in this post, Sakura is of course stated in the fourth official databook [Jin no Sho] to not only now be on par with Naruto and Sasuke (achieving her dream of finally catching up to them), but also to have surpassed Tsunade.

Credit: kiyoitsukikage.tumblr.com

And whilst we’re on the subject of acknowledgements and with relation back to Jiraiya’s comment on “that beauty and strength”, I also want to mention that Sakura was one of only three or four kunoichi in canon to actually be regarded for her beauty (with the others being Sakura’s predecessors; no-one else in her generation). Numerous characters have complimented her appearance, an area Studio Pierrot butchered and fabricated a great deal of lies about, just as much as they did everything else in the series, her usefulness being just one.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my long-ass TED Talk. ✌🏼 Dedicated to: @cherryblossombombs!

“[…] and now, the cherry blossom of the battlefield is in full bloom!” 🌸

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