Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-4271790-20141106113847/@comment-25632268-20141107105532

SeaTerror wrote: The pairings were only bad because they weren't developed at all. They literally came out of nowhere.

If you think about it the same could be said about Asuma and Kurenai. We saw them once together when Itachi and Kisame came, and the next time anything about them pops out she is already pregnant and he dies few chapters later. It was to be expected that if any pairings will become canon then they would be without development and just happen. So really no surprise, it was purely fan service. And yet it still took years for couples to get together, it's not like they return home from war and start families right away.