On Sai & Ino (サイいの)
Yamanaka Ino and Sai are fictional characters from Masashi Kishimoto's widely popular animanga series, Naruto, and its sequel, Boruto. More information about their relationship can be found on the Naruto Couples Wiki.
I ship this pair not only because I like them individually as characters and when paired together are a good-looking ship, but more so because I am moved by how their love stemmed and blossomed from a touching friendship (cf. Shikamaru Hiden and Sakura Hiden). The depth of care Ino has for Sai went beyond a simple girl crush who found a substitute for Sasuke. For his part, Sai has grown so much as character culminating in a man who can finally know what it is to love; and that, I believe, is largely because of Ino. They complement each other quite nicely—a boy raised to be an unfeeling mercenary, and a outspoken energetic beautiful girl who erased the grays in his life and replaced them with color.
He may be too blunt at times, and she may react violently (for comedic purposes), but they work really well together. The fanfic writer Tappity-tap put it quite well in her fic, Set in Ink: "[Ino] couldn't tell for sure if [Sai] was being serious or just joking around... it was sometimes hard to read him. But maybe that's what she liked about him. Unlike most men who were just too predictable for an expert in the mind like herself, he could surprise her at any moment. It her on her toes, off-balance, and enthralled all at once."
I'm actually new to the series—and I watched Boruto first before I retro-fangirled over Naruto—so I'm still learning about these two, but the main thing that made me like this pair is how well they balance each other out. ♥