Meanwhile, Naruto sank deep into self-doubt.
He had never thought carefully about this before. Only now that Su Yu had brought it up did he suddenly realize that he did not seem to know why he liked Sakura.
Before, he had simply followed his feelings without ever thinking about why. So even though Su Yu had asked only one simple question, it had left him speechless.
Seeing Naruto freeze, Su Yu said:
"Right now, you might only like Sakura, but if you can't turn that fondness into love, then it's bound not to last!"
Naruto was a little confused. "Aren't loving someone and liking them the same thing?"
To him, liking someone meant loving them. Wasn't there even a word that combined the two-fond affection? Didn't that prove that liking and love were the same thing?
Su Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Of course not. There's a huge difference between them!"
Naruto asked curiously, "Oh? What's the difference, then?"
Rather than growing impatient with Naruto's question, Su Yu explained earnestly:
"Simply put, liking is just a single emotion or feeling, while love is much, much, much more complicated!"
Why does that sound so convoluted? Naruto felt lost for a moment. He realized he could not keep up with Su Yu...
Noticing Naruto's confusion, Su Yu thought for a moment and said:
"Think about it. You like Sakura because she's cute and pretty, right?"
"Yeah."
"That's a single feeling. Sakura's beauty and cuteness make you happy! And because that feels good, you naturally develop a fondness for her. That's what liking someone means!"
Naruto lowered his head and thought it over. He found that Su Yu made sense, because that really was how it was.
Then he asked, "What about love?"
Naturally, Su Yu did not keep Naruto in suspense: