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sneezemonster15 · 8 days
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I wish more Naruto fans understood this. Truth is Kishi wrote too well for his own good considering his genre lol. The extreme polarisation in Naruto fandom is the result of Kishi's devilish curve ball writing that went right over many fans' heads, if you know what I mean, hehe.
It's so ironic that Kishi got so good as a writer that he is considered a bad writer by a number of fans.
It's crazy how popular Naruto is. Like damn, every comment section of every video/reel has someone with a Naruto user name. And Naruto gifs in the comment section hahaha. If it's a dog with its owner video, Kiba gifs. If it's a snake video, Orochimaru gifs. All garbage videos have Sakura gifs. Every single crow video I have checked out, and I love crows so I have seen a lot, has Itachi dissolving into crows and disappearing gif lol. All the running videos have the Naruto run gif. If it's a video about someone getting yeeted, Pain sending Hinata flying gifs. If it's a fox video, Kurama gifs. All shark videos have Kisame gifs. All emo type videos/songs/fashion videos have either Sasuke or Pain gifs in their comment sections. All ramen videos have Naruto slurping ramen gifs. All wholesome teacher student videos have Naruto and Jiraiya gifs in their comment sections, and people upvote them with the intensity of me slathering butter on my toast. It's PERSONAL.
I am sure I am missing a lot. But over the years, I have seen Naruto to be more popular than any other anime. How could it be more evident? You will find Naruto fans posting Naruto shit in videos that seemingly have nothing to do with any of it but they will find a connection AND get upvoted lol. Like yes, I see One piece characters, I see Dragonball a lot because it's naturally so meme worthy lol, I see Pokemon, Gintama, Sailor Moon, but Naruto surpasses everyone in terms of visibility. It surpasses every class, religion, region, caste, and demographics.
I nerd out freely on a lot of subjects online which covers a lot of ground, and I can tell you Naruto fans are all invasive, they spread faster than mould in the rainy season. I am now beginning to see JJK fans but they are mostly in comment sections of thirst trap type videos, not very widely traveled. Hehehe. And one can see why, Gege has facilitated it with such aplomb after all. But it just doesn't compare to Naruto in terms of visibility of fans.
Naruto fans would post the dumbest shit with so much confidence, it's adorable. No it really is, it shows their conviction in Naruto. This is what it inspires. Unflinching, iron clad loyalty even in the face of ridicule and potential discrimination. Hahaha. This show has something for everyone. You can relate deeply with one or the other character, you root for them and you cry for them. You rage and you laugh and sometimes you get so annoyed , you throw your slipper at the tv screen. You go absolutely insane and willingly remain insane with pride in your face. Like the hot red glowing passion. I would do a lot of things before starting an argument with an Itachi fanboy on Insta.
I could always pivot this whole thing to bring it back to my punchline - Do you still think something like this be accidental?
But this post isn't about that. It's really about appreciating what Kishi has given us. Again, as an adjunct I can also lament about how its legacy is being superlatively clusterfucked by Boruto, especially after its recent developments (the fuck was that about Himawari radiating Kurama's chakra, wtactualf??), but again, this post isn't about that.
Behold Naruto. It's not a show, it's a litmus test. If this show didn't fuck you up a little bit, it's because you have had it easy. There's a reason why there are so many Naruto fans in the world and why they don't give a fuck anymore.
Cue Evil Laughter.
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sneezemonster15 · 9 days
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If you really get Naruto and if you see what Kishi did and if that really speaks to you, then you just can't help but love him but also if you really do love him, it also means you hate him a little bit.
If you catch my drift..
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sneezemonster15 · 9 days
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It's crazy how popular Naruto is. Like damn, every comment section of every video/reel has someone with a Naruto user name. And Naruto gifs in the comment section hahaha. If it's a dog with its owner video, Kiba gifs. If it's a snake video, Orochimaru gifs. All garbage videos have Sakura gifs. Every single crow video I have checked out, and I love crows so I have seen a lot, has Itachi dissolving into crows and disappearing gif lol. All the running videos have the Naruto run gif. If it's a video about someone getting yeeted, Pain sending Hinata flying gifs. If it's a fox video, Kurama gifs. All shark videos have Kisame gifs. All emo type videos/songs/fashion videos have either Sasuke or Pain gifs in their comment sections. All ramen videos have Naruto slurping ramen gifs. All wholesome teacher student videos have Naruto and Jiraiya gifs in their comment sections, and people upvote them with the intensity of me slathering butter on my toast. It's PERSONAL.
I am sure I am missing a lot. But over the years, I have seen Naruto to be more popular than any other anime. How could it be more evident? You will find Naruto fans posting Naruto shit in videos that seemingly have nothing to do with any of it but they will find a connection AND get upvoted lol. Like yes, I see One piece characters, I see Dragonball a lot because it's naturally so meme worthy lol, I see Pokemon, Gintama, Sailor Moon, but Naruto surpasses everyone in terms of visibility. It surpasses every class, religion, region, caste, and demographics.
I nerd out freely on a lot of subjects online which covers a lot of ground, and I can tell you Naruto fans are all invasive, they spread faster than mould in the rainy season. I am now beginning to see JJK fans but they are mostly in comment sections of thirst trap type videos, not very widely traveled. Hehehe. And one can see why, Gege has facilitated it with such aplomb after all. But it just doesn't compare to Naruto in terms of visibility of fans.
Naruto fans would post the dumbest shit with so much confidence, it's adorable. No it really is, it shows their conviction in Naruto. This is what it inspires. Unflinching, iron clad loyalty even in the face of ridicule and potential discrimination. Hahaha. This show has something for everyone. You can relate deeply with one or the other character, you root for them and you cry for them. You rage and you laugh and sometimes you get so annoyed , you throw your slipper at the tv screen. You go absolutely insane and willingly remain insane with pride in your face. Like the hot red glowing passion. I would do a lot of things before starting an argument with an Itachi fanboy on Insta.
I could always pivot this whole thing to bring it back to my punchline - Do you still think something like this be accidental?
But this post isn't about that. It's really about appreciating what Kishi has given us. Again, as an adjunct I can also lament about how its legacy is being superlatively clusterfucked by Boruto, especially after its recent developments (the fuck was that about Himawari radiating Kurama's chakra, wtactualf??), but again, this post isn't about that.
Behold Naruto. It's not a show, it's a litmus test. If this show didn't fuck you up a little bit, it's because you have had it easy. There's a reason why there are so many Naruto fans in the world and why they don't give a fuck anymore.
Cue Evil Laughter.
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sneezemonster15 · 9 days
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Sigh. The desperation..
Although yeah, I never liked Ron Weasley, whiny ass loser and ugly to boot lol. Idk what JKR was thinking putting Ron with Hermoine when she was the one who wrote Harry and Hermione having the chemistry they had. Well, guess she wasn't thinking. She certainly didn't when she wrote The Ink Black Heart. 💀
https://www.tumblr.com/sunshinecherryblossom/732710854315933696/wtf-it-is-true-oh-my-god-when-is-this
This seems false, what do you think about it?
I find it highly unlikely. Unless someone gives me a legit link to it, I wouldn't consider it. Lots of fake interviews of Kishi are doing rounds in this fandom. And Kishi would never say something like this given how he has treated Sakura's character for 700 chapters and beyond. This part is from his 2010 interview (at Jump Fiesta Tokyo-Japan) :
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When the interviewer asked Kishi about Sakura, and called her a detestable girl (most people can see how Sakura's character is written as a detestable character, can't speak for delusional people), Kishi replied in a very convenient manner - "Realistic girls are like that..."
Lol. Once he calls his character realistic, what can one say? Realistic characters are never black and white, they stand in the grey area. So you can get away by saying - "Oh, she is realistic", without expanding on it.
Shounen characters are generally larger than life type characters to create a large impact since they serve a pedagogic purpose for its target group. People who are from the good guys camp, are generally taken as good, people who are from the bad guys camp are generally perceived as bad. So of course it would confuse people when Sakura is from the good guys camp but acts like a total douchebag. And naturally they would ask questions about it. But Kishi totally avoided to take the more controversial position by saying - Yes you think of her as detestable because I wrote her that way.
We know that. But Kishi cannot say it in his interviews because it would lead to all the other kinds of controversial questions, and would potentially open a can of worms for him. Just look how Gege responded when he was asked a difficult question from Kubo. Female characters are not given much weight in shounen given its target audience. Most female characters in shounen aren't even given half the character development male characters get. And look at the Japanese society, it's so patriarchal, who's surprised their representation of female characters suck so much. I doubt these most of these mangakas get out very much to actually put some effort in knowing how women behave.
Look at Kubo's interview with Gege. Gege's female characters are kickass, as strong as men, as smart and well developed. They have agency, self worth and esteem. Their characters don't revolve around male characters. But female characters like these are beyond Kubo's imagination lol. Look at the female characters in Bleach hahaha. So this is what he asked Gege.
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Kubo finds Jjk women formidable because he cannot even fathom independent women, women who don't depend on men for everything. Lol. They can walk shoulder to shoulder with men, they aren't less than men, like they are in most shounen. But of course, Gege cannot tell Kubo these things. Hehe. Kubo is his senior, and the Japanese have a whole set of etiquette to behave with one's senpai. Gege won't say anything even remotely offensive to Kubo, so the best way to deal with such things is to be vague and use self deprecating humor, so as to not appear confrontational, it's a communication tactic. I also use these kinds of tactics when talking to difficult people or people in high positions I don't agree with. I have interviewed hundreds of people in my work. So I understand that one needs to be subtle even in their disagreements.
In Shippuden, later on, Sakura was written with heroine like qualities. So what this means is that Kishi doesn't have a very good opinion on either women or women in shounen. She does get some footage in the manga, where other characters praise her skills, like one would expect a heroine to get. She confesses to Sasuke and Naruto both. Never mind the rejection from both. But it's clear that Kishi would never have made Naruto end up with Sakura who treated Naruto this badly. Kishi is not a fool. He plainly says that she comes off as detestable because that's how she was written. Lol.
Lots of rumours have been doing rounds about Naruto's remake or live action film etc. but as far as I know, nothing such has actually materialised. So I wouldn't worry about it either.
I think it's high time that SS, NH and NrSk accept the reality and move on. It's been years. Sasuke is gay. Naruto is gay. Was established as closeted gay in both parts one and two. He would not suddenly defy his character traits and become straight just because NrSk can't keep it in their pants. So pathetic tch. Guys, there is nothing for you in Naruto except heartbreak. Grow up and move on.
SNS at least have legit reason to still be hopeful. The het shippers have nada. Zilch. Zero. Hehe. But well, who can fight desperation? Not these peeps.
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sneezemonster15 · 9 days
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Fallen Angel, Choso
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sneezemonster15 · 9 days
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Idk about Naruto remake but this Naruto live action is doing the rounds and 9.5 out of 10 stars hahahaha.
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sneezemonster15 · 10 days
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https://www.tumblr.com/sunshinecherryblossom/732710854315933696/wtf-it-is-true-oh-my-god-when-is-this
This seems false, what do you think about it?
I find it highly unlikely. Unless someone gives me a legit link to it, I wouldn't consider it. Lots of fake interviews of Kishi are doing rounds in this fandom. And Kishi would never say something like this given how he has treated Sakura's character for 700 chapters and beyond. This part is from his 2010 interview (at Jump Fiesta Tokyo-Japan) :
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When the interviewer asked Kishi about Sakura, and called her a detestable girl (most people can see how Sakura's character is written as a detestable character, can't speak for delusional people), Kishi replied in a very convenient manner - "Realistic girls are like that..."
Lol. Once he calls his character realistic, what can one say? Realistic characters are never black and white, they stand in the grey area. So you can get away by saying - "Oh, she is realistic", without expanding on it.
Shounen characters are generally larger than life type characters to create a large impact since they serve a pedagogic purpose for its target group. People who are from the good guys camp, are generally taken as good, people who are from the bad guys camp are generally perceived as bad. So of course it would confuse people when Sakura is from the good guys camp but acts like a total douchebag. And naturally they would ask questions about it. But Kishi totally avoided to take the more controversial position by saying - she is realistic.
We know Sakura's character can be realistic, many women are the way she is. But is she a good role model for women of any place at any time? No. She doesn't really serve the pedagogic purpose other characters do. She is a negative person, selfish and immature. We know that. But Kishi cannot say it explicitly in his interviews because it would lead to all the other kinds of controversial questions, and would potentially open a can of worms for him. First question would be - If she is from the good guys camp and remains till the end, why did you write her as negative, even after she got so popular? You could have used her character's popularity with the girls to say something inspiring, something kind. So why didn't you? Any other writer would have jumped at the chance. Writers are supposed to work off the popularity of characters in a medium such as commercial serialilized manga.
Kishi kept writing her as detestable. If he could, he would have told them - I wrote her that way because I needed plot device for Naruto and Sasuke's romance which I was writing in the disguise of ninja manga. Team seven is about S and N. It's a love story about them and Sakura doesn't figure anywhere in their relationship and I want to make it clear by showing why.
And I have a feeling quite a lot of Sakura's characterisation comes from his personal experience of women. Of course he couldn't say all that. But he can be indirect about it. Although when you are indirect about something so many times, with context it becomes quite direct. Hehehe
Just look how Gege responded when he was asked a difficult question from Kubo. Female characters are not given much weight in shounen given its target audience. Most female characters in shounen aren't even given half the character development male characters get. And look at Japanese society, it's so patriarchal, who's surprised their representation of female characters is so backward? I doubt most of these mangakas get out very much, to actually put some effort in knowing how women act and why.
Look at Kubo's interview with Gege. Gege's female characters are kickass, as strong as men, as smart and well developed. They have agency, self worth and esteem. Their characters don't revolve around male characters. But female characters like these are beyond Kubo's imagination lol. Look at the female characters in Bleach hahaha. So this is what he asked Gege.
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Kubo finds Jjk women formidable because he cannot even fathom independent women, women who don't depend on men for everything. Lol. They can walk shoulder to shoulder with men, they aren't less than men, like they are in most shounen. But of course, Gege cannot tell Kubo these things. Hehe. Kubo is his senior, and the Japanese have a whole set of etiquette on how to behave with one's senpai. Gege won't say anything even remotely offensive to Kubo, so the best way to deal with such things is to be vague and use self deprecating humor, so as to not appear confrontational, it's a communication tactic. I also use these kinds of tactics when talking to difficult people or people in high positions I don't agree with. I have interviewed hundreds of people in my work. So I understand that one needs to be subtle even in their disagreements.
In Shippuden, later on, Sakura was written with heroine like qualities. So what this means is that Kishi doesn't have a very good opinion on either women or women in shounen. She does get some footage in the manga, where other characters praise her skills, like one would expect a heroine to get. She confesses to Sasuke and Naruto both. Never mind the rejection from both. But it's clear that Kishi would never have made Naruto end up with Sakura who treated Naruto this badly. Kishi is not a fool. He plainly says that she comes off as detestable because that's how she was written. Lol.
Lots of rumours have been doing rounds about Naruto's remake or live action film etc. but as far as I know, nothing such has actually materialised. So I wouldn't worry about it either.
I think it's high time that SS, NH and NrSk accept the reality and move on. It's been years. Sasuke is gay. Naruto is gay. Was established as closeted gay in both parts one and two. He would not suddenly defy his character traits and become straight just because NrSk can't keep it in their pants. So pathetic tch. Guys, there is nothing for you in Naruto except heartbreak. Grow up and move on.
SNS at least have legit reason to still be hopeful. The het shippers have nada. Zilch. Zero. Hehe. But well, who can fight desperation? Not these peeps.
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sneezemonster15 · 11 days
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Naruto's left hand and Sasuke's right hand are supposed to fit into each other.
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"Your hand touching mine,
this is how galaxies collide."
Sanober Khan
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sneezemonster15 · 19 days
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Rip Akira Toriyama.
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sneezemonster15 · 1 month
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quick little doodle of the kiddos sleeping 💤
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sneezemonster15 · 1 month
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Taking your shoes off before entering the house is an Asian cultural thing. But I really think it should be a universal thing. Why isn't it just COMMON SENSE ? Like why wouldn't you leave your dirty shoes OUTSIDE your clean home? When I watch these American or some European shows where folks just get on the sofa or bed with their shoes on, like why?? 😓 It's like a part of my soul cries whenever I watch that shit. And why do you wear shoes inside? What for? Ah your floors must be dirty because you TRACKED IN ALL THE DIRT WEARING SHOES INSIDE! House slippers is the answer. You spend so much money furnishing your home and sanitizing shit and then enter the house without taking your outside shoes off? Really?
It may be an Asian cultural thing but there were no deities involved in its conception. Just common sense. Outside dirty. Inside clean. Uga buga.
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sneezemonster15 · 2 months
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Toofie says ssup. 🐾
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sneezemonster15 · 2 months
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So yeah, I recently adopted these two babies and I have been exhausted even though I have had full intention to write. 😅
Have been juggling work and motherhood (and I don't even say that ironically because they are just babies) but it will settle down soon.
Nonetheless it's been a good start to this year even though it's been crazy busy and I hope I will be able to get back to writing soon.
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sneezemonster15 · 2 months
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No, Naruto was not mad in chapter 699. He certainly looks contemplative and perhaps a tad melancholic.
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Because like I said in the post, Naruto is not ready to come out of the closet, which was made pretty clear in 698. And it makes sense because he lives in a heteronormative and homophobic society, and now that he is the fated hero and savior, the burden of responsibilities he has to carry has increased triplefold. In the entire war arc, it was emphasized how he is now the captain of the ship, while everyone else has also accepted and acknowledged him as such. Naruto was clearly depicted as the one with repressed sexuality, who struggles with the nature of his feelings for Sasuke. Naruto always was Sasuke's well-wisher. He wanted to bring Sasuke back, as in to rescue him from Oro's clutches. He didn't want Sasuke to be lonely and suffering and miserable. He wouldn't ask Sasuke to stay for his sake, just so it would make Naruto happy. That would be selfish and insensitive behaviour, let's not confuse him with Sakura. Naruto understands why Sasuke did what he did, Naruto knows about the truth of the Uchiha massacre.
The post is not about Naruto vs Sasuke. You can like both their characters equally and still be able to judge their motivations, characteristics and dynamics correctly. There is absolutely no reason or evidence to believe Naruto decided to reject Sasuke and marry Hinata because he got mad at Sasuke abandoning him. It would be monstrous and immature of Naruto to ask Sasuke to stay in the village after what the village did to Uchiha clan. Naruto came of age at the end, he wouldn't display immaturity by forcing Sasuke to stay in a place that betrayed Sasuke so thoroughly. Don't you think Kishi made Sasuke leave at the end for a reason? Protecting Sasuke and being with him turned out to be a greater motivator for Naruto's character in Shippuden, more than his becoming hokage. Naruto was single-mindedly focused on bringing Sasuke back but Kishi wrote Sasuke to leave at the end and Naruto didn't stop him. Instead he gives him his hitaiate back in good faith. Kishi wrote it like that to show Naruto has matured, also because now he knows much more about himself as compared to the start of shippuden. He knows he loves Sasuke and Sasuke loves him back. Even if the conditions in Konoha aren't positive for them. They are shown as having a very strong relationship post shippuden, a very intimate relationship, they both understand each other. They understand each other's problems.
And not 'godknowshwere'. Naruto knows Sasuke's whereabouts at all times, even if he isn't in Konoha, like it is pretty much stated in Gaiden. They are in contact at all times. Sasuke pledged to Naruto to assist him in reaching his goals and he is doing everything to satisfy it, even benefitting the same village that destroyed Sasuke's family and childhood. Sasuke has done enough to 'atone' himself as he calls it. Let's not throw stones at Sasuke's character because he left at the end.
I am sorry to say but the interpretation that you have drawn out is insulting to both Sasuke and Naruto's characters. I think I know where this kind of reading comes from, Naruto stans that ship SNS and I will say it right away, their understanding of both Naruto and Sasuke's characters are very clouded by their prejudices and less than comprehensive understanding of the manga. I mean if they think Tobirama and Sarutobi were portrayed as good leaders...
Sasuke knows how much he hurt Naruto. But Naruto doesn't care much about that. This panel makes it clear.
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Sasuke was ready to die at this point of time to make things easier for everyone else. But Naruto won't have it. So Sasuke wants reassurance from Naruto whether things will sort themselves out after what Sasuke did. And Naruto gives that reassurance to him. Sasuke is still not convinced but Naruto tells him - Don't make me say it again.
And Sasuke smiles. He has his reassurance. He trusts Naruto.
Which means that if things didn't sort themselves out with Konohabitants, and if they didn't accept Sasuke, Naruto will make them. And it makes sense. Naruto's efforts were what gave Sasuke the out of jail card after the war.
There's no question of anyone being innocent here. They were both victims to their circumstances, they were both kids and they had no control on how their fates were designed. Naruto didn't ask to be a jinchuuriki, just like Sasuke didn't want to attack Konoha for the cheap thrills.
Sasuke abandoned Naruto in vote one, and Naruto couldn't understand why Sasuke was doing it. But after Jiraiya died, Naruto understood. Naruto never resented Sasuke for leaving after that. And he understood even better after he got to know about the truth of the massacre.
I don't understand why Sasuke looks very sad in Gaiden when talking to Naruto about their "collaboration" (for some reason it's written bolded too)?
Ah Anon.
Okay so I have wondered about this too and I had been thinking of writing a post about it, but kept avoiding it. Mainly because Gaiden is convoluted, to say the least. And in order to make sense of it, some contained speculation was in order. However, it is informed speculation, in any case. Here goes.
Why did Kishi write Gaiden? To give Sarada a back story. But he is doing so many other things in it. It's like he is helping outraged fans to make sense of the ending, the one that made SS canon. It's like he was trying to provide a bridge, to fill a gap, in order for us to understand what happened to Sasuke and Naruto at the end.
My suspicion started here.
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This was the point when I felt like Sakura has had a clear realization. The clear impression that I got here was that Sakura knew what Sasuke meant. Sasuke did show her some consideration when he was still part of team seven and I felt like she still entertained the thought that maybe Sasuke still had that consideration for her. But war arc showed her again and again, how Sasuke's goals and feelings and priorities had absolutely nothing to do with Sakura and that irrespective of how Sakura feels for Sasuke, Sasuke wouldn't reciprocate.
He saves Naruto from the lava dimension despite a very able Naruto's admonition, but not Sakura who, if weren't for Kakashi, would certainly have perished. And to add insult to injury, Sasuke even explains to Naruto why he did it, while not mincing words about how much Sakura and Kakashi were just circumstantial by-products of his rescue operation. Sakura knows that Sasuke has prioritised Naruto over her before and is still doing it, even at the cost of her potential death. This incident served as a failed litmus test for Sakura.
Sakura would plow on regardless of course, because she still thinks she deserves it, that she deserves him. She has a very twisted sense of self importance, something that is a product of entitlement and immaturity. She was ready to abandon Konoha and become a traitor to trail after Sasuke the first time he was leaving, she was still begging for his attention during the war and even afterwards, while he announced his intention to kill Naruto. Even the horrible genjutsu Sasuke put her in without a second thought wasn't enough to make her re-evaluate her feelings for Sasuke. Her obsession for Sasuke isn't at all about him or how he feels, not like she was ever interested in knowing, but it's about her and that she wants to possess him, even if only in name. So even when she knows Sasuke doesn't and probably never will reciprocate her feelings, she never stops trying. She is after the glory of nailing Sasuke, pun unintended; because it uplifts her own image in her head, that 'she' was the one who finally got to 'get' Sasuke, not Ino, not anyone else, her. At the end of the day, her burning desire to claim Sasuke as hers is stronger than her need of Sasuke's reciprocation, loyalty to Konoha, protecting Naruto or anything else.
So when I saw this panel in chapter 699, it made sense.
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Sasuke rejects Sakura's offer, like always, after giving her an unenthusiastic monosyllabic apology in the previous chapter, but it made sense that she would still follow after Sasuke. If a surefire murder attempt, a disturbingly malevolent genjutsu, steadily consistent apathy and vocal disdain wasn't able to budge Sakura's resolve of pursuing Sasuke mindlessly, why break from tradition now?
Sakura's attitude towards Sasuke made me think, what more needs to happen for this girl to realize Sasuke just isn't interested? Everything that ensued after lava dimension convinced me that it doesn't matter what happened or didn't happen, Sakura won't change. That it was never really a question of what would finally make her understand that one sided love doesn't work, but it was always a question of how much was she ready to go through, as long as she gets to have Sasuke.
Well, we are probably never going to find out because Sakura's obsession and one sided 'love' is a much stronger motivation for her than her self respect and long term happiness. I kinda feel sad for her, she just makes for such a forlorn and pathetic figure, so wrong about what really constitutes happiness in life and hence, suffering for it in a world where Sasuke, her husband and father of her child doesn't see her, call her, write her, touch her or recognise their child. :/
When Sasuke was leaving Konoha in chapter 699, his statement to Sakura intrigued me. He does give her an explanation, and assuredly states that he needs to sort out some other things that have been on his mind. I wonder what those things were and how much they had to do with the events that transpired in the preceding chapter, the intense interaction with Naruto that acted as his emotional catharsis and changed his direction in life. Because I believe chapter 698 was a love confession. Post chapter 698, Naruto knows how Sasuke feels for him. Sasuke knows how he feels for Naruto. Sasuke also knows how Naruto feels about him, but that he is still hesitant and confused, as he can't reconcile feeling that way for a boy. But on a fundamental level, he knows.
Of course, Kishi had to find a way to write this whole thing creatively and effectively to mitigate the risk of being too explicit about writing a gay love confession in shounen. But all the evidence of Naruto being a closeted homosexual was already established shrewdly by Kish. He obviously knew he couldn't legitimize a gay couple in shounen so he wrote that horrible ending for money but he knew that he was breaking rules of storytelling. He indicated, like I wrote in another post, that Konoha didn't present the ideal conditions for Sasuke and Naruto's relationship and possible union to be legitimized, especially because now Naruto and Sasuke had the weight of the world upon their shoulders.
I surmise that Sasuke thought deeply about Naruto, their relationship and the possibility of a potential union during his journey after the war. He came back and perhaps presented such a proposal to Naruto but Naruto couldn't accept. Naruto had the weight of Konoha's, his friends', and more importantly his parents' expectations on his shoulders, that he will marry a girl one day.
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So even though he realised that he felt quite differently and passionately for Sasuke, he decided to reject the offer. He subsequently married Hinata with what is decidedly the most uncharacteristic and lacklustre of motivations and emotional affectation (I mean, Kishi meant for us to notice it in The Last where he decimated Naruto's character, don't you think?).
But Sasuke accepted him nevertheless. His love for Naruto is like a rock steady faith, a prayer. No matter what happens, he can't and won't stop loving and caring for Naruto. He joined in Naruto's goal of uniting all shinobis, and he is accountable to Naruto. So when this panel appeared, I couldn't help but notice a few things.
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Sasuke is a man very much in control of his facial expressions, he doesn't let weakness or vulnerability show in any way, it's his character trait. Except when he is with Naruto. His expression here is clearly sad, dejected, resigned, this is very uncharacteristic of Sasuke especially when he is not in an extreme situation. He sounds like a man who didn't get what he wanted (from Naruto) and now is just going through the motions. He sounds like he is taunting Naruto plainatively, kinda like - You got what you wanted Naruto and I am doing what I promised you. What else is there to it?
There's an element of suffering and melancholia here.
Of course he would rather put himself in harm's way over Naruto, but I couldn't help but notice, like you said, how the lines were bolded out, like Kishi really wanted it to be emphasized. Like I said earlier, one has to pay attention to the deliberation and intent with which the author decides to relay information about the characters and their respective equation.
Naruto here looks stung and properly admonished, like Sasuke's taunt really needled him. It doesn't look or sound like their usual banter. It sounds serious, something that is coming from a much deeper place. And then I noticed Sakura's eyes. She looks panicked, alarmed. Why? Why would she panic at Sasuke taunting Naruto like this? By this time, she knows that Sasuke would always prioritise Naruto over her. It just made me think that she knows something about Sasuke and Naruto. Or suspects something. It's possible I am reading too much into it, but Kishi didn't do it without a reason, that much I am sure of. Everything is intentional. I felt like there's a lot of unsaid things here, just roiling under the surface begging to be noticed since Kishi's hands are tied. More so because of the repeated insistence of Kishi to portray SS as forced and unloving, like it was written to keep appearances. Like the way they talk about each other, calling each other 'my husband' and 'my wife'. Who talks like this in Naruto universe? It's weird. Like Sakura mostly sounds like she is overcompensating for the fact that her husband is almost always away and her child is missing because she couldn't do her job properly.
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Then there's obviously Sasuke's very visible distaste at seeing Sakura, his wife he has seen after a decade, followed by his general lack of interest in being around her.
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He is quite frankly admitting that the only reason he is with Sakura is Sarada. That's how they are connected.
It's not like Kishi doesn't set up the plot for this. It all starts because Sarada cannot reconcile her mother's lack of knowledge about her husband and his whereabouts with the paltry explanation Sakura has been giving Sarada her entire life. Sarada basically represents the curiosity of the fans, since we are all asking the same questions she is.
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It's also very amusing to see how Kishi makes Naruto know and tell the answers to the questions Sarada was asking Sakura. And Naruto obviously knows Sasuke's whereabouts at all times. This makes my suspicion even stronger that SS was written as a sham couple, an couple in name only, just for keeping appearances, because well duh. The real couple is very much still Naruto and Sasuke.
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And the way Naruto and Sasuke interact with each other or talk about each other, like an actual married couple, only strengthens this suspicion.
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It's the fact that Kishi underlines the fact so pointedly that where Naruto and Sasuke know each other intimately, Sakura doesn't even know if Sasuke wears glasses. Where Naruto and Sasuke actually sound like how old married couples sound, Sakura and Sasuke still talk of each other in a very cosmetic manner, which sounds put on. Where Naruto was able to comfort Sarada about her father in a span of a few hours, Sakura couldn't do it in over a decade.
Sakura is still pulling her usual manipulative endeavours to force Sasuke's hand but Kishi relentlessly points out, certainly more times than necessary, how Sasuke and Sakura's marriage is only just a sham, a couple that has never kissed.
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Like seriously, why is this needed? If the objective of the story is to provide a sob story for Sarada so that the audience might feel like potentially rooting for her, why imply that Sasuke is just not into Sakura. Like what narrative purpose is it serving in the story exactly? If Gaiden is supposed to serve as a story to set up Sarada's character firmly in Boruto series, through unraveling her central conflict (estranged father daughter relationship), and subsequently resolving it, either ideally do it with Sakura's help (Kishi does it through Naruto :/) or at least don't make it worse by dropping hints left and right about how absolutely farcical SS is! It totally defeats the purpose of the story.
Why would Kishi do it?
From what it looks like, it seems like Kishi is only providing an explanation as to what might have happened in the blank period after the war.
On his travels, Sasuke meditated over the course of action he should take about Naruto and then, he finally proposed to Naruto. Like a love proposal. But Naruto wasn't ready to come out of the closet, so he declined. He haphazardly married Hinata to satisfy everyone's expectations, and Sasuke understood but wasn't necessarily happy with it.
Meanwhile, Sakura relentlessly chased Sasuke and Sasuke, somewhere along the way, relented for a misjudged moment, and as a result, Sarada was conceived (even though the story of her conception sounds very shady), but Sasuke's first priority was always Naruto and the promise he made him. So he couldn't be around, didn't help that he didn't love Sakura. But since family ties were important for him, having grown up with a strong understanding of what a family entails, he couldn't completely abandon them either. So he married Sakura. But is he happy about it? Well clearly not.
In conclusion, Sakura would gladly take the tiny scraps Sasuke throws at her as long as she gets to call Sasuke her husband. Sasuke would give her those tiny scraps if it means his child would get some semblance of a family life, and Naruto would call Sasuke his rival but would talk and act like Sasuke's spouse for all means and purposes.
Does it happen in real life that closeted gay men choose to stay closeted forever for the sake of societal expectations? Sure. Does it happen in real life that people in unloving relationships stay together for the sake of their children? Absolutely. Has it been documented and portrayed in media? Also yes.
Is there a speculative element in my theory? Yes. But I simply don't see any other way to explain this rationally, everything considered.
It's upto fans to decide which theory works for them. But this works for me.
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sneezemonster15 · 3 months
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I wanna attend this concert so bad....
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sneezemonster15 · 3 months
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sneezemonster15 · 3 months
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Oh no...the Stephen Hawking memes after the Epstein list was released...
No holds barred. No punches pulled. Like people were just waiting to hop on that thing. Ehrm.
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