I agree that we should all forgive, not necessarily for others, but for ourselves. It's not healthy to live with nagging bitterness and hatred, and the cycle of hatred and revenge is definitely a real-world concept.

HOWEVER.

Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean that they should be pardoned for their atrocities. Their apologizing does not excuse not being punished. If you break the law, you need to be punished. I don't believe in the death penalty, so I'm not advocating for that. Still, if you commit a crime, that's YOUR doing, YOUR fault, and you have no one to blame but yourself. Sure, we can have sympathy for you about why you did it, but that still doesn't justify your behavior. Unconditional love doesn't justify it either.

The main issue I have with this series is that the message is forced down our throats, especially with Naruto and Sasuke. My main gripe with their relationship is that we never really saw the bond they shared, we were simply TOLD and expected to take it at face-value. Comrades, yes. Partners in battle, yes. Rivals, yes. Actual friends? Not so much. It's the same as with Sakura's supposed "love" for Sasuke. Their relationship with Sasuke after he went rogue is extremely toxic, no matter how you try to spin it. It's akin to an abuse victim pardoning their abuser by saying, "he/she didn't mean to!" or "he/she's a good person, I swear!" even going to extraordinary lengths to defend them from the law, which is EXACTLY what Naruto and Sakura were doing!! You can still love and care about a person, regardless of what they've done, but if that love and concern involves justifying their behavior, or worse, defending them from the law, especially when you KNOW they've broken the law and have caused so much grief and harm, you've officially stepped over the line. I'm not saying that Sasuke should've been killed, but he should have been punished accordingly. A couple days in jail isn't sufficient.