Sasuke just has his own stuff going on. He is focused on trying to deal with his own life. He doesn't try to get involved in the lives of others because he doesn't have time, and by keeping his distance he tries to avoid dragging others into his problems. Some people blame him for how others respond to him, but he isn't responsible for the way women respond to him. He knows he doesn't have time or energy for romance. That's why he doesn't try to get involved. He is showing respect for women by not leading them on, even though there is a part of him that does want it as he told Sakura when he left her.

That fanon trope the Naruto fandom has about Sasuke hating women is so weird to me. Sasuke just doesn't have a special attitude towards women the way some characters like Naruto, who fixate on their attraction to them, do. And he doesn't demean women like Shikamaru and other explicitly misogynist characters,,, Sasuke literally just treats everyone the same and if he's critical of someone that happens to be a girl,, it is never because they are a girl.

Uchiha family in official art

[niku] - reposted w/ permission

Kiss time 🩷💗🩷💗

to all anons : Sakura is attracted exclusively to males. Ino is attractive exclusively to males as well. they are FRIENDS, they have husbands and kids and are happy and good friends with fellow kunoichi too! That's literally how it is. Friendship EXISTS and it is about time that friendships can get the recognized, why is friendship looked down in a certain part of the fandom? Friendships are important for any human being just like any other else! Why can't they appreciate friends?

For some annoying reason, many people just can't fathom the idea of platonic relationships being just as relevant in a series where romantic relationships also exist. They must always pedestalize the romantic relationships, to the point of forcefully turning relationships which are very clearly platonic, into romantic ones. It's crazy.

happy, hbu?

had a bit of fun with screentone

"Since they know each other so well, they aren't showing hostility even as they cross blades"

My god my girlies

MY GIRLIES. I am still crying, I am still crying about this. Every day I cry about this.

You bitched so hard about being forced to read 1984 in school when it’s so problematic (tm)

Maybe you should have actually paid attention when you read it

Because all these AI fics

You are LITERALLY MAKING THE GARBAGE NOVELS FROM 1984 that are written by machines

You have literally recreated the worthless soulless machine-made books

Literally,

Literally. Every once in a while it hits me in a fresh wave of disbelief and anger. You have literally created the dystopian book from the dystopian story about why dystopia is bad, and you are passing it around like it’s this amazing thing. I’m crying, I’m crying.

Still thinking about this panel because Karin is standing there like she’s allergic to cats and is afraid of them rubbing up against her bc they will make her eyes swell and water

and Suigetsu is looking at the cats like he wants to touch them but is apprehensive because Kirigakure definitely has crazy superstitions about cats being curses incarnate (he’s curious but doesn’t want to get cursed)

And obviously we know what Juugo is mad about hahaha

And then to top it all off Sasuke brought catnip which means he went to an actual store to buy some and that mental image is so good.

Just imagine Team Taka stopping in a random town at some dinky pet shop where Juugo has to stoop to get in the door and Suigetsu feels weird about the fish kept in tanks and meanwhile Sasuke is talking to the confused store clerk like “one bottle of your finest catnip please. No I don’t own cats, I just need it. Thanks”

And you know Sasuke didn’t tell the team they were even going to the Uchida hideout in the first place (or even if he did he didn’t mention The Cats). He just woke up one day and was like “guys we need catnip” and everyone went along with it bc they’re chill like that and didn’t feel the need to ask questions

Mythology behind Sasuke’s Chidori

The Chidori bird is seen in Japanese culture as the symbol of endurance or determination in the face of obstacles and was used especially in the Sengoku period by the samurai class as a family crest to symbolize the bravery of a warrior.

The Chidori has also been used as a symbol of longevity due to the sound of it’s call resembling the word Chiyo which means 1000 generations.

Painting from the Edo Period where it was common to draw the Chidori riding over waves to symbolize its endurance and courage

There’s also a crazy myth behind the technique from the Sengoku era (I am 100% sure most of you know this as this is old news for the Sasuke fandom 😂😂).

Basically a samurai named Tachibana Dōsetsu had a sword named Chidori and was chilling under a tree when lightning struck him. He used the sword to cut the thunder god inside the lightning which saved his life. He renamed the sword Raikiri which translates to lightning cutter.

Tachibana Dōsetsu

Chidori renamed Raikiri sword

- Sources:

1- https://myanimelist.net/featured/14/The_Japanese_Folklore_Behind_Sasukes_Abilities_in_Naruto

2- https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/gunter_susan_e_200305_ms.pdf

3- https://artsandculture.google.com/story/japanese-swords-in-the-collection-of-the-tachibana-family-tachibana-museum/rwXBhVHFrCNTLQ?hl=en

"Naruto is generic and trope-y. It's not a deconstruction."

Naruto manufactures a whole myth about himself following conventional shonen archetypes. From the start we get this clear basic narrative from Naruto about how he views the world and in this narrative he is the "underdog hero main character" and in this narrative Sakura is his fated "love interest" and Sasuke is his "arrogant rival antagonist". Tropes taken straight from any basic shonen ... But this is not the reality. It's a myth manufactured by Naruto. Naruto isn't a hero. He is an oppositionally defiant, attention seeking kid who will do anything to get attention, who constantly demeans others, or, as with Sakura, harasses her to the point that he'll even disguise himself as Sasuke to trick her and almost steals her kiss (today we'd call this sexual assault actually). It's actually very understandable why sakura and the other kids disliked Naruto.

What's not understandable is why Sasuke of all people stands up for him and defends him. Because despite how Naruto narrates it, Naruto initiates every early conflict between the two, and Sasuke responds extremely graciously. In the first chapter we see Sasuke stand up for Naruto after Naruto had just attacked him. Sasuke offers Naruto his own food and who pulls team 7 together. Sasuke is the one who protects Naruto. Sasuke even asks Naruto for help and Naruto responds by throwing it in his face. Sasuke goes out looking for Naruto after he's been out all night. And Sasuke is the one who dies for Naruto and tells him to go fulfill his dreams with his last breath. But the problem is that most people buy into naruto's myth and see Sasuke and Naruto as these archetypes, when actually the story is deconstructing them. Naruto isn't a good guy. He isn't a superman. Or a Mary sue. Or a character who doesn't have development. He starts off as a neglected kid who is angry at the world, hiding behind the grand narrative he has manufactured for himself to give himself a purpose. How else could Naruto ask with all seriousness, "why a great ninja like himself was getting put on a team with a bad ninja like Sasuke?" Naruto lives in this delusional shonen narrative following basic archetypes of shonen because that's how kids think. Naruto sees the world in black and white and he imagines himself as the hero of his story, as all kids do. Sakura too has a generic shojo-like narrative in her head at the start which also gets completely torn apart. Why? Because the story is deconstructing these narratives. It takes Naruto until the end of part one to completely step outside of his imagined narrative and face reality. And only because he sees how it has actually hurt Sasuke. He takes responsibility for the part he himself played in destroying sasuke by treating him as if he were only a rival he wanted to defeat.

In reality Naruto felt a connection with Sasuke and admired him, but his fear led him to manufacture this fake narrative that kept him constantly treating Sasuke like the bad guy and keeping him at arms distance. And Sasuke believes that that is all Naruto sees him as. Not a human, but a means for Naruto to use prove himself. Just like most of the people in sasuke's life. That's why Sasuke says: 'this is what you've been waiting for' to Naruto. Because Naruto's acting like he only wanted to defeat Sasuke to prove himself has led Sasuke to believe it. This forces Naruto to shed his illusions and be honest with Sasuke for the first time. It doesn't stop Sasuke from leaving, but it does bring him back to holding onto his humanity and he won't kill Naruto for power.

Yes Naruto is a deconstruction. No, you're not supposed to just take things at face value or trust everything you're told. It's a show about ninjas and we are literally told in-story that you have to look beneath the surface. Itachi literally sums up one of the biggest messages, that people see reality as they expect it to be based on their own preconceptions. And the entire show is an example of that. People expect Naruto to be a typical shonen protagonist and Sasuke to be the typical shonen rival. And that's what people see. But if you actually look at the story you'll see that that is actually an illusion.

"Naruto and sasuke aren't actually two sides of the same coin. They're nothing alike actually."

If you think this, you don't understand the characters or the story. Mario and Sasuke are mirror images. Yin and yang.

Naruto is born with no identity, overlooked and underestimated. He dreams of becoming Hokage, the highest point of the social ladder and getting loved and respect by everyone, but he is neglected and alone. And then he is betrayed by someone he trusted... but right when he's at his lowest point, right when he could have lost his faith in humanity, Iruka comes in to restore that faith. And then he gains a team and a sensei.

And then Jiraiya.

And Tsunade.

And many others who come along beside him, and support him. Throughout the series Naruto gains more and more. He experiences the light of the ninja world.

Sasuke is born into a prestigious clan with a loving family, even if his brother and father are distant. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke doesn't dream big. His dreams are modest and driven entirely by filial piety. And then he is betrayed and tortured. No one comes in to rescue him. And Sasuke loses everything. And his family's reputation is now in the gutter and looked at with derision and scorn, and all eyes are on him to see if his clan were just frauds who never deserved their reputation. Sasuke constantly has eyes on him, evaluating him. People trying to defeat him just for the bragging rights. Sasuke gets put on team 7 with Naruto, but that's as far as his good luck goes with relationships. Because he's being targeted he never gets a chance to connect with his peers. He's rushed right out of the preliminary chunin exams and then arrives at the last minute at the arena for the actual event. He is targeted by Gaara, Orochimaru, and itachi. Except for Kakashi Sasuke has no good adult figures in his life who try to protect him, just adults who want to kill him or use him to further their own purposes. Sasuke experiences all the darkness of the ninja world. Literally. He literally spends three years underground. Everything sasuke has gets taken away.

And then taken away again.

And then taken away again.

So, yes, Naruto and Sasuke are two sides of the same coin. They are mirror images. Naruto starts the story desiring to be a heroic character, but his idea of heroism is shallow. In actuality he's more like the arrogant, jealous rival. Sasuke doesn't want to be a hero. Probably doesn't believe in heroes. But he's secretly kind and is empathetic to Naruto. And he's the one who makes the big heroic sacrifice at the end of the first arc.

And then they reverse roles.

Naruto starts to shed his insecurity and gains confidence. And Sasuke starts to lose his confidence and gain insecurity.

Naruto loses his distrust of people and stops being so antagonistic. Sasuke loses his trust of people and starts becoming very antagonistic.

Sasuke plays a big role in Naruto's rise, getting Sakura on board with trying to show Naruto more empathy, getting the team through the bell test, teaching Naruto the meaning of fighting to protect what is precious, teaching Naruto what self-sacrifice means. And Naruto plays a role in sasuke's fall, constantly antagonizing him. Looking to pick at any weakness. Keeping him distant. Of course these things on their own aren't enough to push him over the edge. In fact, at the start he takes it all in stride. So you'll forgive Naruto for believing he couldn't actually hurt Sasuke.... But then Sasuke gets targeted more and more and feels more and more useless, in a society where he's valued because of his usefulness. Naruto's jibes and attacks start to make an impact.

And the transposition of roles is completed.

(making a different post because i don’t want to mix different topics)

but yes!!! @cloudabserk thank you.

usually sasuke is called a mass murderer and ppl act like his moral compass is naruto, but that’s far from sasuke’s real characterization.

sasuke doesn’t view murder as something that is never the answer, he just thinks there has to be a real meaningful reason for a person’s death. this is why he has the “no kill” rule with hebi.

the only time sasuke tries or more like threatened to kill in mass were his threats to destroy konoha in the 5 kage summit, which not only sasuke’s mental state has hit rock bottom, but also these are just threats. yet people act like it is a canon fact sasuke went to destroy konoha? when by the time he reaches the village he has completely different plans. and it weren’t naruto’s words that stopped him. it’s all on him, he took that decision after meeting with itachi and talking to the kages. vote2 goals are not of senseless murder (and if you think that you should reread it) there’s a reason why he needs naruto dead. again, a very meaningful one. sure it’s bad and pure self-harm one but it still holds meaning.

so no sasuke is not against murder but he’s also not into killing mindlessly like fans often paint it

Test de séquence d’action

If Naruto was just chasing a girl because he was interested in her romantically then it would have just been another romance and the story wouldn't have been anything special. We all know people will do crazy things if they are in love. And those kids of stories are everywhere. But it's the fact that Naruto doesn't have romantic feelings involved, doesn't have a self interest in saving Sasuke, and seemingly doesn't have anything to gain and may even lose something by bringing Sasuke back... Even Sasuke can't find a way to deny that Naruto really does care about him.

This is also why Sakura couldn't be the one to save Sasuke. Ironically , if Naruto really did have a romantic interest in Sasuke, then he wouldn't have been able to get through to him. Naruto's love for Sasuke is so pure and selfless that even Sasuke can't find a reason to doubt it.

Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is supposed to be extraordinary. The point is that these kinds of connections are possible, not that they are common. Or that most people will experience it. Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is not supposed to look like a typical bro relationship. No two relationships are the same anyway. There is no one size fits all relationship. There are shallow relationships of all kinds romantic and platonic and deep relationships of all kinds as well. Naruto and Sasuke's love for one another is both platonic and deep. That's part of what makes it extraordinary.

If either naruto or sasuke was a woman everyone would view their relationship as an epic love story and they would have been canon and i will literally die on that hill