Upon his departure from Konoha, once again we see Sasuke show his trademark honesty and openness with Sakura, laying out his feelings and intentions to her without need for secrecy. He tells her he wants to sort out his feelings and see how he views the world now, believing he'll be able to see things that he'd missed and overlooked before.

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Interestingly, we also see here that Sakura is the first person that Sasuke ever reveals his concern about the Otsutsuki to. You'd think Sasuke would first reveal his concern about the Otsutsuki threat to Naruto, the future Hokage and the person Sasuke relies on in terms of politics and strength, or even Kakashi, the current Hokage. Instead, it is Sakura whom Sasuke first confides: "something is bothering me", marking her as the first person to whom Sasuke mentions the Otsutsuki threat.

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As for Sasuke's line to Sakura, "this is to atone for my sins, and my sins have nothing to do with you", I think there is some confusion among the fanbase on this line. Sakura's reaction makes this line seem like a negative, cold shutdown. But what Sasuke isn't saying that his crimes didn't affect Sakura. Rather, he's saying that she didn't commit them. Sasuke's crimes were his fault, and his alone. He takes full responsibility for them, and he doesn't want to drag Sakura down with him on his self-imposed exile as he seeks to atone for his crimes. She shouldn't have to atone for things she didn't even do; this is his punishment and responsibility to bear. Sasuke's statement is not cold: he doesn't want her to have to pay for his mistakes when it's all his fault, not hers. She should be allowed to enjoy the peace and comforts of the homeland she had just helped save, not living an unstable life constantly on the move and away from her friends and family, all for his sake and because of his mistakes and crimes.

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As for Sakura, some people criticize her for being too demure and shy in this scene. I don't have a problem with it. I actually find her shy uncertainty cute. After all, her shyly asking Sasuke to accompany him on an extensive journey was no small request. It was sweet of her to let him know that he doesn't have to be alone, asking if he wants a friend with him, by his side.

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While her request to join him on his quest is the well-meaning query of a friend (though a bit flirtatious), they are now young adults, so it would be inappropriate for Sasuke and Sakura to travel alone together without a chaperone, unless they are married. Sasuke and Sakura traveling along together requires a romantic commitment considering the present dynamic of their relationship (between Sakura's longtime love for Sasuke and Sasuke's forehead tap profession of love). Otherwise gossip would likely spring up in the event that Sasuke and Sakura traveled along together for months/years if they were unmarried.

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Instead, Sasuke shows that he's not ready for marriage just quite yet. Sasuke is chivalrous and honorable when it comes to romance: he won't play around with any girl but would wholeheartedly commit to one special partner who is "the one" for him - but he's not ready for that commitment quite yet. I imagine that Sasuke didn't want to be with Sakura until they were married and them traveling alone together would be completely appropriate and acceptable.

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Furthermore, at the youthful age of 17, Sakura and Sasuke were a bit too young for a committed romantic relationship anyway. Far better for them to wait until they fully matured to adulthood. Additionally, the extra years would give both of them time to analyze and assess their personal feelings and take the time to fully sort out how they felt about each other. Sakura could decide if she was truly committed to Sasuke and if she was serious about the relationship. After all, Sasuke was a criminal on probation, and it's not exactly the kind of relationship one would want to rush into recklessly without serious consideration.

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And so Sasuke maturely acknowledged he wasn't ready for a romantic relationship just yet. The forehead tap seems full of the request, "wait for me." Sasuke directly tells Sakura he's still trying to figure out his life, telling her he wants to see how things look to him now in his current (redeemed) state. Sasuke is admitting he has some growing to do before he is able to properly give Sakura the love and respect she deserves. It's a nice moment of Sasuke taking his relationship to her seriously as well as acknowledging and understanding what Sakura wants from him, and that he's not quite ready for that commitment and life with her right at the moment.

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I've heard some fans say that the forehead tap isn't truly an expression of love for Sakura, but instead a condescending gesture meant to suggest distance between him and Sakura, since Itachi used to do the same forehead gesture to Sasuke as a little boy, which was Itachi's gesture he'd use with Sasuke, saying "maybe next time."

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It is only in his final scene that Itachi admits he wrongly pushed Sasuke away. That time, instead of pushing Sasuke away with the forehead tap, Itachi touches foreheads with Sasuke, symbolizing Itachi finally being upfront with Sasuke and treating his younger brother as an equal. Itachi touching his forehead to Sasuke's was an intimate gesture where Itachi finally showed his true feelings for Sasuke and symbolically conveyed a shift and progression in their relationship. Itachi and Sasuke had a lot of messy history and hurt feelings behind their relationship. Sasuke wanted to believe that Itachi loved him after what he'd heard from Tobi and Danzo about the truth of his brother, but he still wasn't sure. Sasuke needed to know for certain that Itachi really did love him. In that moment, what was important was Itachi's verbal profession that he did, "I will love you always". The icing on the cake for that moment was the forehead touch, an "evolution" of the forehead tap.

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Truthfully, the forehead tap was a sign of affection from Itachi, though some fans incorrectly assume otherwise. Itachi meant the gesture in a fond, affectionate way. But over the course of Itachi's abusive treatment of Sasuke, bad blood developed between the brothers. Sasuke had been hurt by Itachi's constant rebuffs, as Itachi appeared to never want to spend time with him. As a result the forehead tap that Itachi had meant affectionately became tarnished, linked with Itachi's excuse that he would have time for Sasuke "later", which in hindsight translated to "never", as Itachi never spared time for Sasuke and that never changed until the day he died and it was too late.

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However, fans misconstrue the reasons that Sasuke uses the forehead tap with his romantic partner Sakura, misunderstand how special the forehead tap was to Sasuke. They don't understand that Sasuke doesn't approach his brother and his romantic interest in the same way. The bottom line is Sasuke is not Itachi, so the shows of affection Itachi makes towards Sasuke are not going to be the exact same as the shows of affection Sasuke makes towards Sakura. Different relationships evolve differently, and an elder brother's demeanor to a little brother is going to be different from a lover's demeanor to his beloved. Not at all the same, so the entirely different bonds shouldn't really be compared. Precisely in the same way that Sasuke approaches his relationship to Sakura differently from his relationship to Naruto, Sasuke approaches his relationship to Sakura differently from his relationship to Itachi. One must be cautious when making relationships comparisons too cavalierly or otherwise risk making inaccurate or untrue assumptions about Sasuke's relationships.

 

As a child, Sasuke remembered the forehead tap gesture fondly. Outwardly he'd act annoyed, but then he'd smile to himself, even viewing the forehead tap as a sign of comforting normalcy. Seeing how years later the forehead tap was a prominent element recurring in his most precious memories of his late brother, Sasuke treasured the forehead tap deeply, viewing it as something special, a gesture of fondness reserved for him and his first best friend Itachi. Sasuke perceived the gesture as something unique shared solely between him and his closest family member.

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So special was the display of affection to Sasuke that in his adult years, he adopted usage of the gesture of affection himself, but slightly changed the meaning. The forehead tap was a special gesture that was unique to him and his former best friend, someone who was his family. So as a young adult he decides it's a special gesture that he wants to share with someone very special to him, someone he cares about as if she was a member of his own family: Sakura. Sasuke perceived the gesture as a mark of expressing familial love and so adopted the gesture as something he shares with his own family as a sign of affection, not of rejection. Through indirect means, Sasuke is saying that he considers Sakura as his family. Since he promises that she can travel with him next time, there's a promise of commitment behind it as well: Sasuke is asking for time to sort out his feelings on his own first before he and Sakura commit to a relationship.

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Sasuke changed the phrase used, from Itachi's "mata kondo na" to his own unique "mata kondo da". Where his brother had meant the forehead tap as a way to evade commitment, there is a concrete promise behind Sasuke's gesture. He means it not as a way of evading Sakura, but as a real promise to her and an expression of his hopes for their future. He truly hopes that they will travel together in the future, "next time".

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This is the reason that Sasuke taps Sakura on the forehead before he leaves: it is an expression of love and commitment and a statement that she is as close to him as if she were a member of his own blood family. With her, he is sharing a gesture that is very near and dear to his heart and that is for him a treasured memory from the happier moments of his past, perhaps in the hopes that it will become a tradition that is special to her as well (which it does) and lead to happier moments in the future. Furthermore, unlike Itachi, who always pushed Sasuke aside with a vague "maybe some other time" that never came, Sasuke's farewell holds a hopeful promise. It's his way of saying, "I love you. Wait for me. We will meet again."

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The forehead tap becomes a symbol representing Sasuke's and Sakura's connected feelings. Notice how in Boruto Sakura touches her head when she thinks of Sasuke and when she says her feelings are connected to Sasuke's? It's a symbol of how they are emotionally connected to each other.

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Even young Sarada understood that the forehead tap was meant as a sign of affection even before she ever met her dad...notice how she likewise touches her head when she's thinking of her love for her mom?

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And see how excited Sarada is when her dad pokes her in the forehead, finally understanding the meaning behind the gesture? Sakura smiles broadly at her daughter, pleased that she now understands the specialness of the gesture of how her father shows deep affection to his family.

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Also notice how gentle Sasuke is with the forehead tap with his wife and daughter. It's a thoughtful, gentle tap where he is looking them in the eyes and has their full attention. Whereas with Itachi, Itachi used it as an offhand, forceful gesture that caused Sasuke pain, seeing as how the poor kid went spinning back every time Itachi hit his head with his finger.

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In the scene when Sakura is talking to young Sarada, she describes forehead tap as "better than a kiss", because, to her, it is. Considering the history, emotion, and deep meaning behind the gesture and its personal importance to Sasuke, it's not hard to imagine why Sakura would see that as more special than a kiss, since it's something personal and unique to the couple. Personally, I too find the forehead tap more unique and romantic than a kiss, since the forehead tap is a symbol of familial love, loyalty, and commitment with its special familial and symbolic history behind it. Both are really special, but in regards to SasuSaku, the forehead tap is more personally meaningful to the couple, and I can see why Sakura regards it as more special. Besides, how could Sakura say the forehead tap is better than a kiss if she had no reference to compare it too?

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People say Sakura looks sad when Sarada asks about Sasuke kissing her, but she never looks sad to me, just thoughtful, and then she cheerfully smiles and blushes happily, beautiful and sweet, a woman happily in love.

 

As a symbol of familial love, the forehead tap is a gesture that is a reminder of their shared connection and that the bond they share, the bond of a family, can never be broken or severed, whether they are near or far. For Sasuke and Sakura, the forehead tap has a lot more personal meaning attached to it than a kiss does.

 

Plus Sasuke's forehead tap is always accompanied with a "until we meet again" or some other similar phrase, which is a promise to her that their paths will cross again, and that he will return to Sakura. Sasuke spends the great majority of his time on the field, constantly in danger's way. Since he's investigating earth's greatest threat, it would probably be worrisome to Sakura and a regular source of anxiety for her. After all, Sasuke's investigating unexplored dimensions (with possible unexplored dangers) and a race of super aliens. If Sasuke ever ran into an Otsutsuki or other trouble in a different dimension, there is always the possibility that he could be attacked, injured, or killed; it's not like he has anyone watching his back. For Sakura, it would be troubling to know that her husband is out there, alone, potentially in danger's way. So for her, the memory of the forehead tap might be something that gives her hope. Sasuke promised that he would return to Sakura, so it might encourage her not to worry too much about Sasuke and to trust that he'll be safe.

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For those who say Sasuke's forehead tap was random and out of the blue, there was actually a lot of time that transpired between the end of the war and Sasuke's departure from Konoha that fans perhaps forget to take into account. The novels imply that Sasuke was in prison for nearly a year, and Sakura's long hair shows that she's had plenty of time to grow her hair out since the war ended. In that time, we can deduce that Sakura visited Sasuke quite a few times in prison, and the two likely talked a lot during that time and had gotten to know each other better, grown closer, and fallen in love. It doesn't seem far-fetched for Sasuke and Sakura to fall in love over that time, particularly when Sakura was already one of the only people who was friends with Sasuke and likely one of the only people who would bother to visit him in prison during those months of imprisonment.

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The forehead tap is not an offhand gesture saying that he doesn't have time for Sakura or that he doesn't recognize her as an equal.

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Even if Sasuke did want to say that he disliked Sakura or wanted to put distance between her, why use the forehead tap? That was something unique that transpired between him and his brother. Sakura would not have any knowledge or inkling of that. Neither would Kakashi, who was the only other person present. Sasuke has never had a problem with bluntly stating when he doesn't like someone or something before, so why do SasuSaku critics assume he's suddenly uncharacteristically cryptic about his feelings?

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If Kishimoto truly wanted to convey indifference or dislike on Sasuke's end, then using a special expression of affection that he and his brother shared was not a good way to do it. In fact, it was the worst, most nonsensical way to show indifference, since Sasuke is using a gesture we the audience know is related to the treasured, nostalgic memories of his late older brother, something fans can only reasonably rationalize is a positive thing.

If Sasuke were truly indifferent and disinterested towards Sakura, he would act indifferent and disinterested towards Sakura, not waste time concocting unnecessarily elaborate gestures to showcase his disdain or indifference in a way that literally no one will understand but him (not even the audience will be able to understand something so esoteric and cryptically convoluted). For Sasuke, that's too much effort and thought for somebody he doesn't care about. Sasuke has way too much stuff to do and worry about to spend time concocting elaborate gestures of disdain that is a petty inside joke for himself, since no one but him would get it. If Sasuke doesn't like someone or isn't interested in them, he'll just come out and say so.

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So why do some fans hold the far-fetched theory that the forehead tap is a sign of hatred so cryptic that no one would understand it? Sasuke knew that Sakura would not take it as a negative sign, especially when he is smiling at her and verbalizing his gratitude to her. If he means to convey disdain or indifference, why would Sasuke gently smile and tell Sakura, "thank you"? That's a bizarre way to say, "I don't like you and I don't care about you". It's a form of communication that isn't communicating, because Sasuke knows that Sakura (and Kakashi) will only understand the positive implications of his actions and none of the negative ones.

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And since Sasuke uses the same forehead tap with his daughter, do fans really think he would use the forehead tap gesture as a way of saying that he is indifferent to or dislikes his own daughter? It's clearly intended to be a sign of affection from Sasuke.

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SasuSaku critics way overcomplicate this scene in a most nonsensical way when they claim it's a gesture of putting distance between him and Sakura, not a gesture of love as it was clearly intended to be by the author. As indirect and hard to read as I think Sasuke often can be, even this alleged level of cryptic-ness from Sasuke that anti-SasuSaku fans claim is way too farfetched to be believable or even rational. If anti-SasuSaku fans want to interpret the scene in an anti-SasuSaku light, they need to come with a counterargument scene that actually makes sense.

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Aside from the obvious significance of expressing his gratitude for her love and friendship and for how she never stopped caring and worrying about him, Sasuke's "thank you" is yet another example of his symbolic repeat/recall style of communication. Just as he had told Sakura "thank you" before deserting Konoha, now that he is leaving Konoha again, he once again tells her "thank you". Much like how Sasuke's "you're annoying" line was him pulling up memories of the past to contrast the past and present to make a point, his "thank you" does the same.

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Both "thank you's" occurred right before he departed from Konoha, but this time Sasuke is pointing out a positive contrast to how things had changed for the better.

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There had been grief and despair at Sasuke's last departure. When he last left, he had done so sneakily, without informing anyone. He'd abandoned Konoha in the dark of the night (nighttime is symbolic for darkness, evil, death, and despair) against the wishes of his friends. Sasuke had left with muddled feelings and sent mixed signals to Sakura. He hadn't faced her when he spoke to her; she had only seen his back for most of the conversation. When he finally did thank her, he had done so facing her back, and he hadn't looked her in the face when he delivered his phrase of appreciation.

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But things have changed. Now Sasuke faces Sakura directly in the daylight (a hopeful setting, as daytime is representative of life, happiness, positivity, and optimism), gazing into her eyes as he shares a gesture of deep, familial affection with her and thanks her for all that she has done, now unafraid to face her in full honesty of his feelings. Unlike last time, this time he is straightforward and upfront with Sakura, and he leaves her with the hope that they will meet again. And next time, they will travel together.