Sakura Haruno is one of the most underrated characters in all of Naruto. The young ninja started the series as an unspecialized fighter but ended as one of the strongest and most important characters in the ninja world. Sakura surpassed her master Tsunade in both strength and medical ninjutsu. She helped to end the Fourth Shinobi World War and aided in saving the world from Kaguya Otsutsuki. Sakura's contributions have shaped the ninja world, but her accomplishments didn't stop at the end of the anime. Sadly, these major moments have yet to be animated.
After the end of Naruto, a series of light novels was released detailing events that took place after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. These novels focused on various side characters like Gaara, Shikamaru and Sakura. The light novel Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze gives Sakura more important character moments than the anime ever did. This novel shows how great a character Sakura truly is.
Sakura is a Vital Part of the Village
One of the first things that Sakura does after the war is open a mental health clinic. She notices that many children are struggling to adjust to life after the war. The stress of the war and the trauma of having people close to them die negatively affected the mental health of children in multiple villages. The clinic that Sakura leads, with the assistance of Ino, helps these children recover from their trauma.
Sakura understands firsthand from her experience with Naruto and Sasuke how unresolved trauma can hurt a person. The light novel shows how compassionate and empathic a person Sakura is. The clinic also gives Sakura a goal and motivation that exists outside of Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura opened the clinic because it's something she believes in and cares about deeply, showing that she can stand on her own as a character. She doesn't need her teammates to be an interesting character in her own right.
Sakura's mental health clinic is such a success that Gaara personally requests her to set one up in Sungakure. Sakura's medical expertise is respected both inside Konoha and in the international world. Leaders from all across the land understand how skilled she is. Sakura has become much more than just the student of Tsunade. She has her own reputation and legacy that follow her.
Romance Done Right
Romance has never been Naruto's strongest element as a series. Relationships are never really developed or given the time to naturally form. Usually, one person starts with a crush on another person and eventually, they end up in a relationship after a time skip. The Sakura Hiden novel fixes that flaw in the main series. The romantic relationships in Naruto are finally given the time and importance they deserve.
In the novel, Sakura starts to notice that her friends have begun serious relationships. Naruto and Hinata have started dating, Shikamaru and Temari have paired off, and Ino has expressed romantic feelings for Sai. Sakura begins to wonder if she will ever have that type of relationship with Sasuke. The nature of Sakura and Sasuke's relationship is explored and challenged. The question is raised and finally answered if Sasuke feels the same form of love that Sakura feels for him.
Sakura Gets to Show Her Power
Notoriously, Sakura didn't have too many fights in Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. Even fewer of those fights were one-on-one. In the anime, Sakura rarely gets the opportunity to show how strong she truly is. The light novel finally gives her that opportunity. Sakura fights multiple powerful opponents by herself, proving that she deserves to be counted as one of the powerhouses of the series.
The main antagonist of the novel had discovered a way to synthetically create tailed beast cloaks. Sakura singlehandedly defeats multiple ninjas who have been given the power of a tailed beast. These fights also showcase the extent of Sakura's Creation Rebirth Jutsu as she heals from major injuries and continues the fight. If these fights were animated, more Naruto fans would finally understand how powerful the female member of Team 7 is.
Some Naruto novels have been animated in the past. Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness was adapted into a mini-arc toward the end of Naruto Shippuden, while Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding was adapted into the final episodes of the series as well. The Sakura Hiden novel could easily be adapted into a short filler arc for Boruto. It would be especially interesting for fans to learn more about Sarada's parents and how their relationship started.
