Red thread of fate: MinaKushi, SasuNaru and NaruHina
In Japanese tradition, the Red Thread of Fate is an invisible, unbreakable red string called Unmei no Akai Ito.
It is often used in media and folklore to describe an invisible red cord tied around the fingers of those destined to meet each other - their one true love, regardless of time, place, or circumstances.
We know that Kishimoto used something similar in canon.
Kushina says to Naruto, “My bright red hair led me to my soulmate. It became my own personal red thread of fate” (ch. 498). Unfortunately, I don’t read Japanese, so please correct me if this translation is inaccurate.
Kishimoto loves parallelism.
Honestly, I’ve never liked the interpretation that Naruto and Sasuke’s blood in chapter 698 forms a heart shape. For me, that’s a bit silly. The kind of symbolism Studio Pierrot might use, but too shallow for Kishimoto himself.
I like this interperation much more. It was not so important for the story to connect their blood in this scene, if they were not soulmates (the sun and the moon, etc).
Now, let’s talk about NaruHina and The Last.
I’ve read that the red scarf was originally Kishimoto’s idea, inspired by his wife knitting him one. That can be seen as part of the red string of fate motif, since it literally connects Naruto and Hinata. Yeah, it feels a bit artificial and one-sided, but we’re talking about NaruHina here. It's understandable.
What I really don’t understand is Studio Pierrot’s handling of their story. I get Kishimoto’s accidental idea about NaruHina and the importance of her confession.
If Pierrot wanted this couple to be the final one, why didn’t they add a scene after the Pain arc showing Naruto’s response? Even a simple “Let’s talk about it later” would’ve been enough. Instead, they kept the awkwardness between them, then made extremly debatable movie and jumped straight to marriage. WHY? Cause now I have a feeling that they hate it.
