What does love mean to a Jinchuriki?
I do not own Naruto, it is the property of Kishimoto.
The girl of pink hair
Beats the gold heart and hair boy
How could he like her?
Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze was born to be given the world, but the world instead took everything from him. His father, the beloved Fourth Hokage, died to save the village, but doomed his son. His mother died to protect him from the beast that would set him apart from the rest of humanity. His godfather was too important to the village to be allowed to stay and raise the boy, and too famous to take the boy along with him. He was given to the daughter in law of the Hokage to protect and raise him, but she had to place him in the orphanage when she became pregnant with her own child. She intended to pick him back up, but she died in childbirth, leaving the boy to be raised by those that despised him.
From his earliest memories he knew only isolation and neglect. The Hokage had placed a guard of trusted soldiers around the boy to protect him from harm, but they could do nothing against mental harm. Every adult refused to look at the boy, even teaching their children the same disdain. The ANBU could not help him, could not speak to him, could not show him that they could see him. The only one there for the boy was the Hokage, and he too busy to do anywhere near as much as was needed.
And so the boy grew up, desperately starved for attention, for any human contact at all. He would spend his days staring out of his window into the field where the other children were sent out to play every day. At first he wished and dreamed of being out there with them, but he eventually began to try to understand them. He would watch their faces, their bodies, their movements to try to understand what they were feeling. It was as close as he could get to regular human contact. He learned empathy, but only the emotions that he himself had felt. Loss, anger, sadness, yearning, and most of all loneliness, these were his constant companions. Eventually he was removed from the orphanage and given an apartment, but that only increased his isolation.
When he entered the academy, he hoped that things would change. He was disappointed for years. The teachers would ignore him, or send him out of the room just for breathing. The other students weren't willing to go out of their way to help a student branded as a troublemaker. Desperate for a friend, he tried to follow the Hokage's advice and help people so they would like him. He offered to do anything for any one, but was never even heard out. He continued trying, failing valiantly to save younger students from bullies.
It was in the third year of the academy that Naruto first felt something for Sakura. The first year, she had been shy and quiet, only growing out of her shell with Ino's help. By the third year, Sakura had developed her friendship into a rivalry, and began her career as a Sasuke Fan-girl. Naruto, meanwhile, had become desperate for a friend, and asked almost everyone in his class to eat with him after school at the one place he found that would serve him, just so he knew he could have friends. Every one turned him down; some with more spite than others and some with no ill will at all, but Sakura was the most extreme.
Sakura had been having a bad day. She couldn't get her hair to look right, her favorite dress got shrunk in the drier, she only got a 95% on her test, Ino beat her in the spar, and now Naruto was annoying her. At her wit's end, she grabbed the nuisance by the collar and shoved her fist into his face to make him shut up. As the blonde fell onto the ground she glared down at him with her hands on her hips. "You're annoying me! I don't want to go anywhere with you, and you annoy Sasuke! Go away Pest!"
Naruto sat in awe. She touched him, she actually touched him! The only people that he ever remembered touching him intentionally were the Hokage and the doctors that were forced to do his medical examinations. And she wasn't forced to do it. Surely that meant she liked him.
Naruto raced to the Hokage to tell him the news. There was someone who liked him!
Hiruzen was at a loss for words. He understood that the girl held no affection for the orphan, but how could he say that? The orphan needed hope, and where else was there to get it? And even if she didn't like him now, surely she could later on. He definitely couldn't tell the boy to give up because she didn't like him; that would be a death sentence for all of Konoha. "Just keep up being nice to her, she'll definitely accept eventually. You just need to stay strong, Naruto, and everyone will accept you."
Years passed and little changed. Naruto discovered pranking as a way to gain attention. Sakura's patience grew shorter. No one else ever learned of the reason for Naruto to start liking Sakura, but everyone knew that he did. After all, who would be in a position to ask? The Ichirakus were as close to a family as he could get, but they still had a business to run, and had much deeper issues to help the boy with. Iruka only realized that Naruto was not his burden after a long and painful time. Jiraiya was busy out in the field, spying for Konoha.
When the time came for teams to be sorted he was placed on a team with his crush and his rival. He truly hoped they could form a true bond, but it was not to be. Sakura only had eyes for Sasuke, and any time Naruto became more powerful, Sasuke saw it as himself getting weaker. Eventually, the conflicts between the members of team seven reached boiling point and Sasuke decided that power was more important than any bond. Sakura was left in tears, and was only comforted by Naruto's promise to bring her crush back. The two boys clashed in a battle of curses and ideals, and the net result was a draw.
Returning home in failure, Naruto promised that he would fulfill her wish and return their third team mate. He left for three years to train with his godfather, and when he returned he had barely changed. He was stronger and more mature, but he still held the views that he had formed in his childhood. He affirmed his promise: he would bring Sasuke back, though Sakura was beginning to wonder if she truly wanted him back. But either way, Naruto would do it, because he only wanted her happiness, even if she didn't know what would make her happy.
There soon came a day when Sakura said the words that Naruto so wanted to hear from her, "I love you." However, the instant the words left her mouth, he could tell they were false. But he continued waiting and hoping that some day she would mean those words.
And even when she didn't want it, even when she didn't deserve it, he continued to care for her. It didn't matter why he liked her to begin with, what mattered is that he did. He gave her everything he could, and received precious little in return. But that is what he chose. He gave and continued to give even if it seemed like nothing would come of it. That is what love means to a Jinchuriki.
He gives to her all
With never thought of return
But in the end: love
The ending was very melancholy, which I feel suits the entire NaruSaku pairing after what it went through in cannon. Naruto likes her the entire time and would do anything for her, but she turns him down. In Shippuden, they get moments, but they can't stand up to the confession that everyone can tell is fake. I used to really like the pairing but the tension just was dragged on for too long.
About why Naruto likes Sakura, this is the best I can come up with. She's pretty, but so is Ino. She's a Sasuke fan-girl, but so was Ino. She was shy and was picked on, but so was Hinata. All the moments that could sell NaruSaku happen after he already had a crush on her. You could plead on his similarities to Obito and say Sakura was the only one who acknowledged him, but judging by her treatment of him, I think not. Either way, in the end what's important is that he chose to like her.
I kind of feel that Sakura's biggest problem is that she is forced to be a main character. Her development and character aren't deep enough to fill out the roles that the other members of team seven hold. How can a girl not look kind of shallow next to "scorned my whole life for keeping everyone safe" and "brooding my brother killed my whole clan". And there just isn't enough for her to do. She would have made an excellent side character, but instead she gets dragged along into places her character profile is not suited for. This is partly why Hinata seems better, to me at least, she's only brought out when she needs to develop or do something only she can do.
And Sasuke, his biggest problem is being set as the second to Naruto. He could have made an excellent main character alone and many might have supported him through all he's done, if he hadn't been placed in the shadow of someone who faced arguably worse, but is still sunny and not at all evil. When Kishimoto then tried to make Sasuke seem to be equal to Naruto, all his broody whiny Anakin Skywalker started showing.