User blog comment:Pacifista15/Manga Critiques: Naruto/@comment-1949750-20110318080500/@comment-129.215.149.98-20110318221549

I agree entirely with your first three points, and to an extent with your fourth. I think the friendship between Naruto and Sasuke is built on Naruto's desire for acceptance and Sasukes longing to replace the brother he lost. Sasuke was narutos rival and for Naruto this was acceptance of who he was. For Sasuke, Naruto was someone he admired, though never admitted it, and it is clear he had built an emotional attachment to Naruto that he hadnt been able to do with anyone else since the death of his clan. This friendship is meant to run very deep, not simple built out of seeing each other everyday and hanging out and laughing but from the friendship one gains by being acknowledged in every aspect by the other. However i agree its abit inflated, but thats they way the Shonen manga's often are - look at the friendship between Sanji and Zoro for instance, they are rivals yet would be willing to die for each other.