does Naruto love Hinata?

I also think Naruto loves Hinata. Like Batokusanagi, it would have sounded quite weird if he answered Hinata's confession right away. Anyway, Naruto's behavior and actions towards Hinata afterwards speak for themselves. NaruHina might not be canon yet as it is still not an official pairing but Naruto's feelings for Hinata have been made clear, the same way Hinata's feelings were before even she confessed.

Hinata confessing was also a way to show that Hinata overcame her shyness and developed in that regards. Naruto has not been portrayed like a shy boy. So, I don't think he needs to confess using words automatically. His behavior and actions are enough to express his feelings for Hinata.

I will however admit that a small push is still needed to make NaruHina official.

Batokusanagi wrote:

About the confession. I'm not going to deny that I would've hated it had Naruto went "I love you too, Hinata!" after Hinata confessed,

I have the same exact feelings. I even said as such back in 2009, but the evidence doesn't exist anymore for people to see it.

Naruto isn't the kind of guy who would hold a girl's hand knowing very well of her romantic interest towards him.When he held her hand he knew how important she is to his life.
When you see the anime episode "The Connected Ones" you can understand the depth and seriousness that Naruto has towards Hinata.
Neji said "Naruto..Hinata sama is willing to die for you.So your life is not the only one.Her life is also in your hands.And I guess even mine is." If you had noticed the expression in Naruto's eyes when Neji said this..it shows clearly that he loves Hinata.

The way Naruto acted in that episode shows a lot as well, it was like Hinata's hand comforted him a lot and her being there helps him come out of really sticky situations, this chapter/episode shows that Naruto is willing to accept that hand and is willing to return her love when the time is right, one could say that his birthday is the right time.

the good thing is he doesn't need to say a damn thing, he just needs to act, not much is needed, maybe a hug from Naruto before taking her hand once more before returning home, while holding her hand, that's all that is needed in reality.

I thought of another parallel. It took Kushina time to fall in love with Minato, so from seeing it from Naruto's POV it took him time to fall in love with Hinata if he is at that point yet. Anyone see it that way too?

now that you mention it
it is quite possible

Beautiful Hime wrote:I thought of another parallel. It took Kushina time to fall in love with Minato, so from seeing it from Naruto's POV it took him time to fall in love with Hinata if he is at that point yet. Anyone see it that way too?  

However, it did not take long for Kushina to fall for Minato after the latter saved her... Considering that Hinata "saved" Naruto in 437...

senjusana wrote:Naruto's main aim is to fulfil his promise of a lifetime made to Sakura.

No it really isn't. Naruto & Sakura ended that promise over 200 chapters ago. Naruto's main aim is to save the world. ;)

I don't think Naruto is quite at the point of loving Hinata yet. He's shown concern and care for her many times throughout the manga, but I wouldn't quite call it love. I know without doubt Hinata loves Naruto. This isn't debatable and I doubt anyone here would question Hinata"s feelings for Naruto. However I've encountered individuals who believe that Hinata doesn't love Naruto.

But, I digress. Naruto is not at that point. At least, not in my opinion.

bricksquad88 wrote:I don't think Naruto is quite at the point of loving Hinata yet. He's shown concern and care for her many times throughout the manga, but I wouldn't quite call it love. I know without doubt Hinata loves Naruto. This isn't debatable and I doubt anyone here would question Hinata"s feelings for Naruto. However I've encountered individuals who believe that Hinata doesn't love Naruto.

But, I digress. Naruto is not at that point. At least, not in my opinion.

Yes, Naruto showed concern for Hinata since part 1, but refusing to see that he is showing more than concern since her confession, for instance their interaction in 558-559 leading Hinata to make a resolve (573) about her romantic life for the first time, is really ridiculous. Hinata, despite being in love with Naruto all this time, never expressed such resolve but her making it proves that she is confident enough about herself and about Naruto's feelings.

What I also find ridiculous in this way of generalizing Naruto's feelings when it comes to Hinata, is that efforts have been put to show a development in Naruto and Hinata's relationship, leading to the handhold (615) where Naruto acknowledged Hinata's importance in his life and his desire to connect with (holding her hand). Naruto reacting to Hinata's call in 677 also speaks for itself. Naruto showed concerned for all his friends throughout the manga but the way that scene was made showed how special Hinata is to him.

Tell me, what's the point for Naruto to compliment Hinata just by looking in her eyes and telling it, knowing that she is in love with him, if he is not growing romantic feelings for her?

What is the point of him holding Hinata's hand, knowing to which extent the latter loves him, if he has no intention of returning her feelings?

What is the point of showing Naruto forgetting to be cautious when he sensed Hinata's call and tried to get to her, if the latter is not in love with her?

The answer to the above ^ is simple... L O V E nothing more .. when a man loves a woman he will always show that he loves her even if they are little things, we will always do that show concern for the one we love the most, want to be by her side if we think something bad is happening to her for us men as for the women the same thing applies so the answer to the questions is LOVE!!! IN BIG BRIGHT LETTERS

Irielo wrote:

bricksquad88 wrote:I don't think Naruto is quite at the point of loving Hinata yet. He's shown concern and care for her many times throughout the manga, but I wouldn't quite call it love. I know without doubt Hinata loves Naruto. This isn't debatable and I doubt anyone here would question Hinata"s feelings for Naruto. However I've encountered individuals who believe that Hinata doesn't love Naruto.

But, I digress. Naruto is not at that point. At least, not in my opinion.

Yes, Naruto showed concern for Hinata since part 1, but refusing to see that he is showing more than concern since her confession, for instance their interaction in 558-559 leading Hinata to make a resolve (573) about her romantic life for the first time, is really ridiculous. Hinata, despite being in love with Naruto all this time, never expressed such resolve but her making it proves that she is confident enough about herself and about Naruto's feelings.

What I also find ridiculous in this way of generalizing Naruto's feelings when it comes to Hinata, is that efforts have been put to show a development in Naruto and Hinata's relationship, leading to the handhold (615) where Naruto acknowledged Hinata's importance in his life and his desire to connect with (holding her hand). Naruto reacting to Hinata's call in 677 also speaks for itself. Naruto showed concerned for all his friends throughout the manga but the way that scene was made showed how special Hinata is to him.

Tell me, what's the point for Naruto to compliment Hinata just by looking in her eyes and telling it, knowing that she is in love with him, if he is not growing romantic feelings for her?

What is the point of him holding Hinata's hand, knowing to which extent the latter loves him, if he has no intention of returning her feelings?

What is the point of showing Naruto forgetting to be cautious when he sensed Hinata's call and tried to get to her, if the latter is not in love with her?

Growing romantic feelings does not equal already loving someone. The original question was: Does Naruto love Hinata? I'm saying he's not there yet. Whose generalizing? All I said was Naruto wasn't at that point and it would be "jumping the gun" to say that Naruto loves Hinata right now.

You can hold someone's hand and have feelings for them without it being love. You already said that there have been efforts to show Naruto and Hinata's relationship has been developing. I don't disagree with you on that. At best he's developing feelings for her, but it isn't love yet. And I don't see why that's such an issue? I never implied that he wouldn't ever love Hinata. But saying you "love" someone has very strong implications and that's why I think Naruto isn't quite there yet. These things take time and just like how Naruto and Hinata's relationship has progressed over the years, so will his feelings if that's what Kishimoto wishes. But until that happens, I stand by what I said earlier: Naruto isn't at the point where he loves Hinata yet.

bricksquad88 wrote:

Irielo wrote:

bricksquad88 wrote:I don't think Naruto is quite at the point of loving Hinata yet. He's shown concern and care for her many times throughout the manga, but I wouldn't quite call it love. I know without doubt Hinata loves Naruto. This isn't debatable and I doubt anyone here would question Hinata"s feelings for Naruto. However I've encountered individuals who believe that Hinata doesn't love Naruto.

But, I digress. Naruto is not at that point. At least, not in my opinion.

Yes, Naruto showed concern for Hinata since part 1, but refusing to see that he is showing more than concern since her confession, for instance their interaction in 558-559 leading Hinata to make a resolve (573) about her romantic life for the first time, is really ridiculous. Hinata, despite being in love with Naruto all this time, never expressed such resolve but her making it proves that she is confident enough about herself and about Naruto's feelings.

What I also find ridiculous in this way of generalizing Naruto's feelings when it comes to Hinata, is that efforts have been put to show a development in Naruto and Hinata's relationship, leading to the handhold (615) where Naruto acknowledged Hinata's importance in his life and his desire to connect with (holding her hand). Naruto reacting to Hinata's call in 677 also speaks for itself. Naruto showed concerned for all his friends throughout the manga but the way that scene was made showed how special Hinata is to him.

Tell me, what's the point for Naruto to compliment Hinata just by looking in her eyes and telling it, knowing that she is in love with him, if he is not growing romantic feelings for her?

What is the point of him holding Hinata's hand, knowing to which extent the latter loves him, if he has no intention of returning her feelings?

What is the point of showing Naruto forgetting to be cautious when he sensed Hinata's call and tried to get to her, if the latter is not in love with her?

Growing romantic feelings does not equal already loving someone. The original question was: Does Naruto love Hinata? I'm saying he's not there yet. Whose generalizing? All I said was Naruto wasn't at that point and it would be "jumping the gun" to say that Naruto loves Hinata right now.

You can hold someone's hand and have feelings for them without it being love. You already said that there have been efforts to show Naruto and Hinata's relationship has been developing. I don't disagree with you on that. At best he's developing feelings for her, but it isn't love yet. And I don't see why that's such an issue? I never implied that he wouldn't ever love Hinata. But saying you "love" someone has very strong implications and that's why I think Naruto isn't quite there yet. These things take time and just like how Naruto and Hinata's relationship has progressed over the years, so will his feelings if that's what Kishimoto wishes. But until that happens, I stand by what I said earlier: Naruto isn't at the point where he loves Hinata yet.

To the bolded: This is what I call generalization. Naruto is someone who shows concern even for his enemies (recently Obito). To state that he is only showing some concern for Hinata without strengthening it with examples which would give some weight to the opinion is, what I see, as either denying or as generalizing.

There is no point to show that Naruto does show concern for Hinata when it was already clear since part 1, the day he made a blood vow for her and went down to see how she was going after her match against Neji. There is no point to prove that Naruto appreciates Hinata when he already told her that he likes people like her (chapter 98).

What is important is to show how did Naruto perceive Hinata's action/confession and how he reacted to it. I was personally waiting for only one confirmation from Naruto's side after the handhold and it actually happened in chapter 677 when he was ready to go by her side after sensing her call. He was not cautious at that time and was even ready to leave his comrades of Team 7 facing a critical situation.

In the story, love often expresses itself in the desire to protect. Kishimoto also shows that love can be selfish and selfless at the same time. Let's take Lee trying to protect Sakura at the FoD for instance. The latter's feelings for Sakura made him fight to protect her. It was a selfless action in that regard but it was also selfish. Him being taken down could have been a big handicap for his team.

If you read my post carefully, you will realize that I'm trying to give an idea of progression through the different examples I've used:

558-559: Naruto growing feelings for Hinata.
615: Naruto in the process of returning her feelings by showing his desire to connect with her
677: Naruto without a second thought is ready to leave the place to get to Hinata. Why? Is it not the feeling of exclusivity inherent when someone is in love? In other words, why not showing concern for his friends who were around him at that time but for only one person?

^This is a valid point Irielo and as I already said the things Naruto does and shows concerning Hinata are things of LOVE not something more.. we've seen how the story has progressed so far and yes Naruto does care about his precious ppl as we all us humans do show concer for our precious ppl but when the one we LOVE the most is involved in any kind of danger the WE humans don't care about us but want to protect with everything we have that person WE love the most

Irielo wrote:

bricksquad88 wrote:

Irielo wrote:

bricksquad88 wrote:I don't think Naruto is quite at the point of loving Hinata yet. He's shown concern and care for her many times throughout the manga, but I wouldn't quite call it love. I know without doubt Hinata loves Naruto. This isn't debatable and I doubt anyone here would question Hinata"s feelings for Naruto. However I've encountered individuals who believe that Hinata doesn't love Naruto.

But, I digress. Naruto is not at that point. At least, not in my opinion.

Yes, Naruto showed concern for Hinata since part 1, but refusing to see that he is showing more than concern since her confession, for instance their interaction in 558-559 leading Hinata to make a resolve (573) about her romantic life for the first time, is really ridiculous. Hinata, despite being in love with Naruto all this time, never expressed such resolve but her making it proves that she is confident enough about herself and about Naruto's feelings.

What I also find ridiculous in this way of generalizing Naruto's feelings when it comes to Hinata, is that efforts have been put to show a development in Naruto and Hinata's relationship, leading to the handhold (615) where Naruto acknowledged Hinata's importance in his life and his desire to connect with (holding her hand). Naruto reacting to Hinata's call in 677 also speaks for itself. Naruto showed concerned for all his friends throughout the manga but the way that scene was made showed how special Hinata is to him.

Tell me, what's the point for Naruto to compliment Hinata just by looking in her eyes and telling it, knowing that she is in love with him, if he is not growing romantic feelings for her?

What is the point of him holding Hinata's hand, knowing to which extent the latter loves him, if he has no intention of returning her feelings?

What is the point of showing Naruto forgetting to be cautious when he sensed Hinata's call and tried to get to her, if the latter is not in love with her?

Growing romantic feelings does not equal already loving someone. The original question was: Does Naruto love Hinata? I'm saying he's not there yet. Whose generalizing? All I said was Naruto wasn't at that point and it would be "jumping the gun" to say that Naruto loves Hinata right now.

You can hold someone's hand and have feelings for them without it being love. You already said that there have been efforts to show Naruto and Hinata's relationship has been developing. I don't disagree with you on that. At best he's developing feelings for her, but it isn't love yet. And I don't see why that's such an issue? I never implied that he wouldn't ever love Hinata. But saying you "love" someone has very strong implications and that's why I think Naruto isn't quite there yet. These things take time and just like how Naruto and Hinata's relationship has progressed over the years, so will his feelings if that's what Kishimoto wishes. But until that happens, I stand by what I said earlier: Naruto isn't at the point where he loves Hinata yet.

To the bolded: This is what I call generalization. Naruto is someone who shows concern even for his enemies (recently Obito). To state that he is only showing some concern for Hinata without strengthening it with examples which would give some weight to the opinion is, what I see, as either denying or as generalizing.

There is no point to show that Naruto does show concern for Hinata when it was already clear since part 1, the day he made a blood vow for her and went down to see how she was going after her match against Neji. There is no point to prove that Naruto appreciates Hinata when he already told her that he likes people like her (chapter 98).

What is important is to show how did Naruto perceive Hinata's action/confession and how he reacted to it. I was personally waiting for only one confirmation from Naruto's side after the handhold and it actually happened in chapter 677 when he was ready to go by her side after sensing her call. He was not cautious at that time and was even ready to leave his comrades of Team 7 facing a critical situation.

In the story, love often expresses itself in the desire to protect. Kishimoto also shows that love can be selfish and selfless at the same time. Let's take Lee trying to protect Sakura at the FoD for instance. The latter's feelings for Sakura made him fight to protect her. It was a selfless action in that regard but it was also selfish. Him being taken down could have been a big handicap for his team.

If you read my post carefully, you will realize that I'm trying to give an idea of progression through the different examples I've used:

558-559: Naruto growing feelings for Hinata.
615: Naruto in the process of returning her feelings by showing his desire to connect with her
677: Naruto without a second thought is ready to leave the place to get to Hinata. Why? Is it not the feeling of exclusivity inherent when someone is in love? In other words, why not showing concern for his friends who were around him at that time but for only one person?

Well I see where you're coming from but I still stand by what I say. So like always Irielo, I'm going to agree to disagree.

THIS!!! is going to be answered in the end so any thoughts about this particular theme?