This Is What Gives Sakura An Edge Over Hinata In Naruto
Because the series is often focused more on its two main protagonists, the ladies of "Naruto" are frequently overlooked. However, the series possesses more than its fair share of proficient female ninja, also known as kunoichi. One of the most well regarded is Lady Tsunade Senju, one of the three legendary Sannin, the founder of the medical ninjas, and the Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. However, it isn't just adult kunoichi who stand among the best and the brightest. Even from their time in the Ninja Academy, the girls of Naruto and Sasuke's own generation have excelled.
The most popular of these two are doubtlessly Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga, and not just because they serve as love interests for Sasuke and Naruto respectively. Though the series is about Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry, the abilities of both their belles-to-be become crucial to the eventual defeat of the series' final antagonist.
As the wife of the series' main hero, however, fans often see Hinata as a superior kunoichi. This argument isn't baseless, as Hinata does become an extremely powerful shinobi in her own right. However, there are many techniques and abilities that Sakura has, which simply give her an edge over Hinata in a fight.
Hinata's Gentle Fist is anything but
Before we detail why Sakura generally comes out on top over Hinata, it's important to know Hinata's own capabilities. This isn't such a cut-and-dry fight that Sakura will get away without a scratch, and that's because Hinata is one of the most proficient ninja in her entire esteemed clan.
Though she starts her journey too shy and gentle to do much, Naruto's inspiring influence motivated Hinata to master her clan's techniques. As a Hyuga, she has access to the clan's natural dojutsu, the Byakugan, giving her nearly 360-degree vision. It also allows her to see the chakra points of others. Hinata uses this ability to its fullest by also mastering her clan's form of Taijutsu, the Gentle Fist, which focuses on striking points to disrupt the chakra flow of opponents.
Hinata's mastery over Byakugan and the Gentle Fist is such that godlike beings like Hamura Otsutsuki have labeled her the "Byakugan Princess" ("The Last: Naruto the Movie") Of course, this means she has mastered the style's most advanced techniques, such as the Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms, and the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists.
Using these techniques, Hinata has contended with Jonin-level opponents and has remained sharp for years after retiring from her duties as a ninja. In addition to her mastery of the Gentle Fist, Hinata has also mastered Fire and Lightning nature transformations and a fair amount of medical ninjutsu.
Even so, Sakura is an unparalleled powerhouse
If Hinata fights with a gentle fist, then Sakura's fists are the exact opposite. While combat was not her forte during her youth, the years of training she underwent with Tsunade after Sasuke left the Hidden Leaf fixed that issue. Like Tsunade, Sakura is able to power up her punches with pure chakra. Things like boulders and buildings mean nothing in front of Sakura's powerful blows. Just one good strike and Hinata is mincemeat.
However, it's fair to say that Hinata's Gentle Fist still has an advantage in the hand-to-hand field. For that, Sakura has some solutions, many of which hinge on her skill as a medical ninja. Being Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura can heal almost any injury she sustains. Even without that, however, Sakura has demonstrated a wider variety of abilities that make her more versatile than Hinata. One such ability is the Summoning Jutsu, which allows Sakura to summon a giant slug. In many ways, her slug, Katsuyu, helps her heal her comrades. However, it's also no slouch in combat. Even if Hinata manages to overcome that, there's still one more ability she must surpass.
On top of having chakra reserves via her Strength of a Hundred Seal, which easily allows her to outlast Hinata, Sakura is simply the more tactical thinker. Combat may never have been her specialty, but quick thinking and academic excellence always have. For everything Hinata has to win, Sakura can think of a way to beat it.