SasuSaku

"I'll see you again when I come back... and thank you"

- Sasuke's farewell to Sakura (Chapter 699)

SasuSaku is the het ship between Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno from the Naruto fandom.

Canon
Sasuke and Sakura have known each other since they were six-years-old and attended the Ninja Academy together. Sakura quickly developed a crush on Sasuke after seeing him eating alone and she was entranced by his good looks and calm, collected attitude. Sakura was so determined to get Sasuke’s attention that she went as far as to end her friendship with Ino Yamanaka, who also had a crush on him. After hearing rumors that Sasuke likes girls with long hair, she allowed her hair to grow longer. For his part, Sasuke was not interested in Sakura the least bit due to his goal to pursue and kill his older brother Itachi in revenge for murdering their clan.

When they are 12 years old, Sasuke and Sakura graduate from the academy and Sakura is angry at Naruto for accidentally ‘stealing’ Sasuke’s first kiss from her. They are placed on a team with Naruto; Sakura is happy to be with Sasuke but he is indifferent. Afterwards, Sakura talks with Sasuke, who is actually Naruto disguised as him, and she admits she wants to have his attention and attempts to kiss him, but Naruto runs away because of a stomachache. The real Sasuke walks by Sakura, who makes fun of Naruto for being an orphan. Sasuke, who is also an orphan, is offended and coldly calls her annoying for not understanding what Naruto goes through because she has a family. This upsets Sakura and she attempts to be nicer to Naruto. Their teacher, Kakashi, administers the bell test to prove their worthiness but Sakura tries to stay closer to Sasuke, who tries to act on his own. Kakashi tricks Sasuke and buries him chest down underground and Sakura, who sees only his head, faints in shock. When she wakes up, he is beside her and she hugs him, even though he tells her not to. She then suggests they give up but Sasuke refuses and she decides to keep going as well. Kakashi berates them for their flaws, starting with Sakura’s obsession with Sasuke and Sasuke’s refusal to work with others. All three later pass the test when Sakura and Sasuke disobey orders to feed Naruto.

During their first mission at the Land of Waves, they are ambushed by shinobi and Sasuke stands in front of Sakura, which surprises her but she praises him. During their tree-climbing test, Sasuke is surprised that Sakura easily reached the top of the tree, but acts indifferent. He later sees her give Naruto advice on what to do, which makes him curious. During the battle against Haku and Zabuza, Sasuke hears Sakura scream and is alarmed she is in danger. She also notices Sasuke is not with Naruto and finds his lifeless body, which devastates her and makes her break into tears, even though she recites the #34 rule that a shinobi must not show emotion. When he wakes up, she is so relieved that he is alive that she tightly hugs him and he comments how heavy she is.

When the team is offered the chance to participate in the Chunin Exams, Sakura is hesitant but agrees. Sasuke notices something is different about her. He later praises her ability to see through genjutsu when some boys mock the team and confirms this statement, which makes Sasuke smirk. During a match against Rock Lee, Sasuke is easily defeated and Sakura rushes to care for him. Sakura later expresses jealousy at Zion for jumping on Sasuke, who is dismayed at Ino.

During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru uses genjutsu to frighten Sasuke and Sakura before attempting to kill them. Sasuke overcomes his fear and rescues Sakura. Orochimaru then inflicts Sasuke with the cursed seal and Sasuke undergoes intense pain while Sakura tries to comfort him. He collapses in her arms. With Naruto and Sasuke unconscious, Sakura is forced to protect them by herself when more ninja show up to attack them. Sasuke eventually awakens with his cursed mark and, upon seeing Sakura beaten, demands to know who hurt her. One of the ninja mockingly confesses and Sasuke begins brutally beating him. Sakura is terrified to see him behaving like this and begs him to stop while hugging him from behind. Sasuke then comes to his senses and deactivates his cursed mark. He looks at her as she tries to explain away why she cut her hair. While recuperating, Sasuke and Naruto catch fish to eat but Sasuke demands more than the three they have. Sakura asks Sasuke to start a fire and he says three will be enough before leaving, much to Naruto’s dismay. Upon reaching the tower, Sakura helps carry Sasuke, who tells her that he is okay. Later, she tries to convince him to forfeit because of the cursed seal causing him pain but he warns her not to tell anybody about his cursed mark. During the battle against Gaara, Sakura stands up for Sasuke after he feels pain again but she is outmatched and Gaara pins her to a tree with his sand, slowly crushing her. Sasuke tells Naruto to save Sakura no matter what because he doesn’t want to lose another person dear to him again. As Naruto and Gaara fight, Sakura is freed and Sasuke rescues her, and makes sure she is alright before going to find Naruto.

In the aftermath, Sakura thanks Sasuke for saving her but he replies it was Naruto. She then smiles at Naruto and Sasuke exhibits jealousy as he sees her smile at Naruto. After a run-in with Itachi, Sasuke is hospitalized and Tsunade revives him. She notices fresh flowers by his bed and realizes Sakura has been visiting him every day. When he wakes up, Sakura tearfully hugs him and, for once, Sasuke doesn't push her away and accepts her gesture. However, Sasuke becomes consumed with rage at Naruto for seemingly surpassing him and starts lashing out when Sakura tries caring for him. He demands a fight from Naruto and Sakura tries unsuccessfully talking them out of it. During the fight, she runs in the center to stop them but both realize they can’t pull back in time. Kakashi arrives to stop the fight instead. Kakashi gives Sasuke a lecture that sacrificing the bonds he has now to avenge those he lost will bring nothing but loneliness and dissatisfaction. Sasuke thinks about his bond with Sakura and Naruto, and almost considers giving up his revenge until he is defeated by the Sound Ninja and offered to get power from Orochimaru. Sasuke agrees and begins leaving Konoha. Sakura, who suspected he might abandon the village, finds him walking to the village’s gates. He asks her why she is out late and tells her to go home. Sakura asks him why he keeps to himself and he replies his business is not her concern. She talks about how she knows he hates her but, since they became a team, they have had fun together and seeking revenge won’t bring him closure. Sasuke agrees and adds he could have chosen peace but decides to continue pursuing revenge. Sakura confesses she loves him and pleads for him to stay, and asks that she go with him as long as she can be there for him. After a silent moment, Sasuke turns around and calls her annoying. She then threatens to alert the village of his betrayal but he sneaks behind her and knocks her out before thanking her. He then sets her on a bench before leaving. The next morning, Sakura realizes Sasuke is gone and goes to Naruto, tearfully begging him to bring Sasuke back. When Naruto fails and is left hospitalized, Sakura is saddened but resolves to get stronger so they can rescue him together.

Two-and-a-half years later, Sakura remains saddened by Sasuke’s absence and goes as far as to beat Sai for bad mouthing Sasuke. When she finally reunites with Sasuke, she is shocked by how much he has changed physically and emotionally. Not only has he grown much stronger but he is as callous and brutal as before. Sasuke seems indifferent upon seeing her and says he chose to sever his bond with her and Naruto because it made him weak, which saddens her. He demonstrates his callousness by attacking Naruto, Sai, and Yamato. Sakura attempts to stop him and he prepares to counterattack before Yamato stops him. Sasuke then prepares to kill them all before Orochimaru and Kabuto convince him to spare them. After Sasuke leaves, Sakura cries at their failure and she expresses concern of what Sasuke went through to get stronger.

Cloud Ninja confront Sakura and Naruto about Sasuke joining the Akatsuki and kidnapping Killer B. Both refuse to believe it until the Cloud Ninja show proof. Sakura breaks into tears. After Sai tells her that Naruto loves her and is hurting himself to fulfill his promise to her, Sakura is guilt-stricken and feigns affection to Naruto while asking to give up the promise. Naruto sees through her lie and says he is not keeping his promise to her but he wants to save Sasuke for his own reasons. Sai then tells Naruto that Sakura plans to kill Sasuke, which horrifies Naruto because Sakura truly loves Sasuke. Sai explains Sakura loves Sasuke so much that she doesn’t want to watch him walk a path of evil and wants to free him even it means killing him. Sakura finds Sasuke about to kill his comrade, Karin, and tells him she wants to join him. He is suspicious of her and asks her to kill Karin to prove her loyalty. Sakura is shocked by his coldness and says he is not the same Sasuke anymore. She feigns attempting to kill Karin so she can kill Sasuke but Karin warns her that Sasuke is about to attack her; she turns and sees him about to stab her with Chidori. Kakashi saves her and he is shocked that Sasuke did try to kill her. He sends Sakura away with Karin to heal her while he fights with Sasuke. Sakura cries and decides to finish with her plan. However, before she can stab him from behind, Sakura breaks down and hesitates. Sasuke grabs her throat and is about to stab her until Naruto rescues her. After agreeing to fight later with Naruto, Sasuke leaves. When the Fourth Great Ninja War is announced, Sakura is troubled that she will be forced to fight against Sasuke. During the war, a Stone Ninja gives her a love letter but she politely rejects him because she is in love with someone else. After he leaves, Sakura thinks of Sasuke, confirming she still loves him.

During the battle against the Ten Tails, Sasuke unexpectedly shows up, much to Sakura’s shock. He seems a bit surprised to see her as well. Like the others, she is baffled when Sasuke announces he will become Hokage to change the world. Sasuke and Naruto prepare to head into battle when Sakura tells them that she will join with them because she is also a member of Team 7. During the battle, Sakura uses her superhuman strength to descrate the area, which impresses Sasuke and he smirks. He and Naruto then save her when the Ten Tails' clones try to attack her. She thanks Sasuke, which irritates Naruto. When told by Sai that Sasuke can't be trusted, Sakura replies she is happy he is back and smiles. Sai says her words are genuine but her smile is fake.

During the battle against Madara, Kakashi reflects how much his students have changed. He notes Sakura‘s feelings for Sasuke have changed, she still loves him but on a different level and continues to try to save him despite his attempt to kill her, and Sasuke’s goal was to kill Itachi, but with him gone now, there is no telling what his goal is now. When Madara appears, Sakura tries attacking him but is stabbed, prompting Naruto and Sasuke to act quickly. However, because it was Naruto who grabbed her, Sakura wonders if Sasuke cares about her. Sasuke then shields the team when Madara activates the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Sakura asks what is going on but Sasuke tells her not to worry because she can’t do anything. When Kaguya is resurrected and teleports everyone to a lava dimension, Naruto tells Sasuke to save Sakura and Kakashi but, after quickly glancing at them, he saves Naruto, who sees Kakashi saved himself and Sakura already. Sakura is sad when Sasuke says only he and Naruto must survive to seal Kaguya away but Naruto remembers that Sasuke once said his body tends to move on its own.

Sasuke is teleported to a sand dimension and Sakura, with Obito’s help, tries to rescue him despite putting a strain herself. When she thinks she failed, she begins to collapse but Sasuke catches her and the two stare into each other’s eyes. Sasuke explains he used his Rinnegan to switch places with her discarded jacket and thanks her and Obito. Sakura watched the fight with Kaguya from afar and is almost attacked. Sasuke is about to save her when Kakashi does it instead. Sakura then hits Kaguya to hold her down so Naruto and Sasuke can seal her away. As Kaguya is being sealed, Sakura calls out to Sasuke, who says they need to get far away. After returning to their world and being thanked by Hagoromo for saving the world, Sasuke and Sakura look at each other. However, Sasuke announces his plan to kill the five Kage and the tailed beasts so he can initiate revolution for the greater good. Sakura and the others are horrified. As Sasuke leaves for a final clash with Naruto, Sakura, devastated and angry, tells Sasuke that she can’t do anything for him but she still loves him and asks if there is still a small space in his heart for her if he ever cared for her. Sasuke stops and looks at her with a smirk, calls her annoying and knocks her out with genjutsu. Naruto condemns Sasuke who says she would have gotten in the way of their fight. Kakashi says Sakura only wanted to save him and Sasuke retorts he and Sakura have no reason to love each other. Kakashi replies only hate needs a reason and loving Sasuke is breaking her heart. Sasuke goes silent briefly and replies it’s part of their failed past, and leaves with Naruto.

When Sakura wakes up and learns Sasuke and Naruto are fighting, she rushes to the battlefield. She finds them rurally beaten and both lost an arm. She begins healing them and Sasuke tells her not to mind him but she tells him to shut up so she can concentrate. Sasuke, having redeemed himself, is guilt-stricken for what has done to her and apologizes. Sakura is surprised and asks what he's sorry for, and he replies, "Everything." Sakura breaks down in tears and calls him an idiot. The three teenagers then happily reconcile. After the war ends, Sasuke spends a year in prison for his crimes and is granted a pardon on the grounds of his contributions to ending the war. He then decides to leave for a journey to see the world and decide his future. Sakura asks if she can come with him but he declines because she has nothing to do with his sins, much to her disappointment. Sasuke then pokes her forehead while smiling and promises to see her again, and thanks her, which leaves her flustered and shocked that he reciprocates her feelings.

Over the next two years, Sasuke and Sakura maintain a long distance relationship, which Sakura grows used to but she is frustrated that she has no contact with him. According to Sakura, their first date lasted for two minutes. When they are 19 years old, Sasuke briefly returns to the village and lives with Sakura before deciding to resume his journey, and Sakura insists that she go with him. He relents and they began traveling together. During this time, they secretly got married and consummated their relationship. Sakura quickly becomes pregnant with Sasuke’s child but she refused to return to the village because she wanted Sasuke to be present for the birth of their child. At age 20, Sakura gives birth to a baby girl, whom they name Sarada. After the birth, they returned to Konoha and lived as a normal family. By all appearances, Sasuke and Sakura were happy until Sarada was a toddler, when Sasuke uncovered evidence of an enemy far greater than Kaguya and he had to leave for a long-term mission for this. Sakura supported his duties and raised Sarada on her own. Over the years, Sarada asked where her father was and if he cared about her, and Sakura did her best to assure that Sasuke did love her and he would come home once his mission was over. When Sasuke is able to come home, he tries to spend as much time with Sakura and Sarada. Although he is happy in his marriage, he enjoys teasing Sakura by refusing to show her affection, and while he acts stoic, Sasuke dotes on his daughter. For her part, Sakura remains loyal and devoted to Sasuke but she wishes he could visit more and she is dismayed by his teasing..

A couple of days before the Chunin Exams, Sasuke came home surprising Sarada and Sakura and making her pass out.

At some point after Boruto and Sarada were defeated by Deepa. Sarada asked her father about the Mangekyō Sharingan when they were taking a break from training. But both parents didn't tell her about it as they didn't want her to go down that path as obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan involves parting ways with their loved ones. After defeating Deepa and getting her second Tomoe Sharingan, both parents were suprised to hear that Sarada asked her father to teach her the Chidori.

After Naruto and Sasuke fought against Jigen and Sasuke was told by Naruto to escape. Sasuke teleported himself to their home in front of Sakura. Sasuke was in critical condition and Sakura went to heal Sasuke at the hospital.

After the fight with Boro and rescuing Naruto, back home Sarada was at the hospital and she told her parents about the new evolutions of Boruto's Kāma and how they were able to defeat him. She even told them that Boruto even manifested a Byakugan in his right eye with a massive increase of power. She also told them that Boruto was acting differently She even asked her parents if Boruto was going to be alright to were Sakura had to comfort calm her down. However in the anime Sarada only told her father this and it was him to comfort.

Children
Sarada Uchiha Sarada is the only child and daughter of Sasuke and Sakura. She was born while her parents were traveling together and was raised solely by Sakura after Sasuke left home for a mission that lasted for several years, although Sasuke starts visiting home more often after seeing how his absence affects Sarada to the point she believed he didn’t care about her. Sakura and Sasuke are affectionate and protective parents towards their daughter, and is seems Sasuke tends to spoil her while Sakura is more strict.

Her name is a portmanteau of her parents’ and uncle’s names. ‘Sa’ is for Sasuke and Sakura, ‘Ra’ is from Sakura, and ‘Da’ is from the takakana of ‘Ta’ from Itachi. Is is speculated that Sasuke named her after his brother.’ Sarada also has her mother's Charka Enchaced Strength and the Sharingan she inherited from her father.

Fanon
SasuSaku is one of the most popular ships in the Naruto fandom. It has been very popular since the beginning of the series, and many celebrated when it became canon. Many assumed that the pairing had no chance after Sasuke left the village and especially when Sasuke attacked Sakura. However, fans did not give up hope. In Naruto Gaiden, fans were temporarily tricked into believing that Karin was actually the mother of Sarada which enraged many fans. However, this turned out to be a red herring. SasuSaku most commonly rivals the NaruSaku, SasuKarin, and SasuNaru pairings.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Sakura/Sasuke on FanFiction.Net
 * Sakura/Sasuke on FanFiction.Net

WIKIS
 * on

Trivia

 * Sasuke is named after Sasuke Sarutobi who also had a wife named Sakura.
 * Kishimoto planned for Sasuke and Sakura to end up together since the start of the series.
 * Despite the contrary, Kishimoto stated that Sasuke has always been grateful to Sakura for loving him and he realized he loved her after she healed him following his final battle with Naruto.
 * According to Sasuke’s Japanese voice actor, Sasuke is ’fearful’ of Sakura due to her temper and how she acts like the boss in their relationship and marriage.
 * According to Fandometrics, SasuSaku was the 14th most reblogged ship the week ending May 1st 2017.
 * Sasuke and Sakura are the only members from the same squad to end up together.

Variations

 * SasuNaruSaku refers to the ship between Sasuke, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura