weirdlyprecious - Tumblr blog

weirdlyprecious · 10 days ago

Text

the homosexuality and romance in naruto and sasuke’s relationship is textually supported inside the story

this is just an expansion of my own old post (rip sasukesun), but panels will be included in this edition. i also took inspiration from my friend @narutouzumakiarchive who so accurately wrote, and i quote, when determining the validity of something in canon you need to look at the internal logic of the world and the values that the author promotes, my post will only show other instances where naruto and sasuke do exactly (to each other) what is established by the manga itself as “love” or “romance” and even “gay”, many of them have already been pointed out by myself or other people in the fandom, but i wanted to put them all together to reinforce how a narrative is built and how an in universe logic is established. sit down cause it’s gonna be long and i will not leave it under a read more because i’m afraid to lose it forever if i do.

haku and zabuza

land of waves is such a well written arc that its presence, ideas, values etc keep showing up for the whole story. it’s the essence of the manga, if i’m being real, and if i were to put all the references here, it would be endless, but for the purpose of this post, i want to point out the implication of romantic feelings in haku and zabuza’s relationship, without any value of judgement whether i find it “problematic”, and how they parallel naruto and sasuke’s.

sasuke sacrificing himself for naruto parallels haku sacrificing himself to zabuza. but it goes beyond it because haku establishes the importance of wanting to protect people who are precious to you, an idea that persists for the entire manga. the same way haku considers zabuza precious to him to the point that he would die to see zabuza’s dream come true, sasuke’s sacrifice implies he feels the same for naruto, sasuke himself implies in his “deathbed” he wants naruto to fulfil his dream. and later in the manga, naruto internalises this thought, he wants to protect sasuke, who is precious to him.

almost 200 chapters later, and we still have land of waves clear references.

and as if that’s not enough, the feeling of acceptance that makes haku so devoted to zabuza is also shared by naruto towards sasuke.

in the arc itself, naruto recognises clearly that what haku felt for zabuza was love, the word he uses denotes feelings of affection, it’s not a mere “care about” the translation here is saying. the devotion, the desire to protect someone who is precious to you, the feelings of acceptance, they all fall under love as a definition, recognised by naruto himself when he calls zabuza out, but it goes beyond that, because kishimoto wrote haku to have romantic feelings for zabuza, something pointed out by many people in this fandom, haku blushes while calling zabuza’s body beautiful. kishimoto draws them in angles where their mouths are aligned. zabuza wishes to go to the same place haku went in the afterlife.

and yet the devotion, the desire to protect someone who is precious to you, the acceptance, all of those aspects that fall under the definition of love in haku and zabuza’s relationship are applied to naruto and sasuke. i guess it’s easy to accept that what they feel for each other is love, but it’s very curious how they parallel two people with implied romantic feelings in every single aspect of their relationship. again, i’m not here to morally judge haku and zabuza’s relationship or kishimoto’s decisions, the age gap isn’t part of naruto and sasuke’s relationship anyway, but i want to follow the internal logic of the manga, it was certainly a choice to add this romantic subtext for zabuza and haku while making naruto and sasuke follow the exact same patterns.

shikaku

shikaku talks about someone rough having a soft spot for the person they love, and shikamaru thinks his father likes to be bossed around by his mother. this is a trope kishimoto is fond of, in his manga mario, he likes that saori is tough but has a warms up for mario, but inside the naruto manga, the logic is no different in naruto and sasuke’s relationship. sasuke clearly has a soft spot for naruto, naruto is the only one sasuke shows weakness towards, sasuke admits naruto made me him feel at ease, and one of the things that actually got sasuke’s attention in naruto’s behaviour was his prankster gremlin antics, a trait generally rejected by others. when naruto yells at chuunin exams, people think he’s loud and annoying, but sasuke smiles fondly.

naruto also enjoys to be bossed by sasuke, this was shown in war arc, he says sasuke is “pissing him off” for giving orders but he doesn’t really do anything about it, he smiles and agrees on following sasuke’s ideas anyway, like a smitten boyfriend. shikaku says this is love, and again how naruto and sasuke act towards each other fall under what is defined as love by someone else inside the manga.

tayuya

i made a specific post about this one already, but i can’t leave what tayuya says out of this compilation because it’s one of the most interesting ones to me. tayuya doesn’t define love, she defines homosexuality specifically.

in sasuke’s retrieval arc, during tayuya vs shikamaru, tayuya asks if sasuke is that important for them to waste a team for one guy, and says that’s gay, there’s no euphemism or disguise on her words, she says they are homos. shikamaru himself explains at that moment that no, in his case at least, he wants to save sasuke because he is a brother of the leaf and shikamaru trusts his comrades, he doesn’t think he’s wasting his team for one guy, perfectly understandable, but that doesn’t change how tayuya has established a logic inside the narrative: there is a line to cross.

tayuya talks about “wasting a team” for one guy but it’s not the “wasting a team” aspect that is gay, it’s the idea of “going too far” for a guy that’s very important to you, now i wonder who has an entire narrative surrounding this idea, of many people questioning “why would you go that far for one guy?”.

“is that boy sasuke that important to you?” and the answer to naruto is yes, but not because sasuke is a “brother of the leaf”, and then you continue with what tayuya says after… so you are a homo. how naruto acts towards sasuke is established in the narrative of the manga as homosexuality, not only love or romance.

sai and nicknames

when trying to improve his social skills, sai reads a book on the matter. what kishimoto chose to show the readers by the social rules of the naruto universe is that using sufixes like “-kun” expresses distance, an emotional barrier, something that both hinata and sakura use with naruto and sasuke. but using nicknames and terms of endearment help to combat that distance, and it allows you to form an especial and close relationship. sasuke uses a term of endearment with naruto, a special nickname he doesn’t use with anyone else, actually, naruto is the only person to have that with sasuke.

in a flashback, we learn that naruto called sasuke an “usuratonkachi” first, but sasuke kept it and started using it with naruto. through the manga we see that sasuke calls naruto that multiple times, and sometimes it is when naruto is being an “idiot”, but it’s also in endearing moments, the most remarkable one being vote2, after their reconciliation. in the boruto movie, we learn that sasuke has its own definition for usuratonkachi, someone who hates to lose, a very noticeable trait of naruto’s personality, but something endearing to sasuke nonetheless. naruto’s strong will is something sasuke admires.

kishimoto uses a book on social skills to establish another in universe rule, that using nicknames with someone expresses emotional closeness, a special relationship. through the manga, kishimoto portrays sasuke to follow the same rule with naruto, showing that they are close and their relationship is special.

hinata’s confession

hinata confesses her love to naruto during pein’s invasion, in her confession, she explains the reasons for her feelings.

naruto doesn’t say anything about hinata confessing to him, but one arc later he says the same things she said, but to sasuke, basically the same reasons.

hinata to naruto: i nearly went the wrong way, but you showed me the right one / naruto to sasuke: one misstep and i could’ve ended up like you, but my connection with you helped go the right way.

hinata to naruto: i was always chasing you, wanting to overtake you, i just wanted to talk to you, i wanted to be with you / naruto to sasuke: i wanted to talk to you but i didn’t know how to approach it, you made me feel jealous so i made you my rival, but i wanted to be like you, i was always chasing after you.

on vote2, sasuke’s monologue reveals he feels the same about naruto, it’s a direct response to everything naruto has said, he even remembers that very conversation in kage summit, sasuke also adds the loneliness he and naruto were familiar with, but the same feelings of admiration naruto talked about in kage summit are there.

sasuke to naruto: i saw you growing stronger and i reciprocated the rivalry, when you started growing more, i felt jealous, you had a strength i didn’t, you had always walked in front of me.

hinata doesn’t have the same proximity with naruto as naruto and sasuke have with each other, the way she refers at him (the -kun suffix) expresses distance and an emotional barrier, meanwhile the way sasuke refers to naruto expresses a special relationship and closeness, as we can see by the social rules of this universe, and yet, what hinata says to naruto is defined as love. the way naruto and sasuke speak about each other is indicated in the manga as reasons for someone to romantically love one another, but they have a plus that their relationship is seen by the narrative as special, and what they have is mutual.

omoi and shinjuu

another one that has been pointed out by many people in the fandom, i’m not here to exactly discuss shinjuu and its references outside the manga, even though other tumblr uses have done a pretty good job on this. what i’m about to say has already been explained by @narutouzumakiarchive on the same post i linked at the beginning, i just want to compile all the references together and pay attention to the logic built through the entire story.

at the beginning of kage summit, omoi wonders about shinjuu, he specifically uses that word and frames it as romantic, translations are sometimes watered down because omoi says shinjuu (しんじゅう), the furigana is unmistakable, it means double suicide not merely “can’t let me go”, the text that doesn’t say suicide is omitting relevant information. omoi’s thoughts are basically: what if someone is so in love with him they can’t bear to be apart from him, making them propose a lovers suicide if he and the hypothetical person are to separate? omoi wonders about a romantic situation, it is not framed as anything else but romantic.

everybody knows what happens at the end of kage summit right?

the context of the entire arc shows everybody telling naruto to stop going that far for sasuke, to cut sasuke off, and yet naruto has a panic attack over the thought of sasuke dying. when naruto meets sasuke, he tells him the same things hinata said to him, and after everything, naruto proposes a double suicide with sasuke because he can’t bear the idea of existing without him, with this kind of separation. how exactly does that differ from what omoi imagined?

kishimoto throws a random and seemingly comedic and unrelated information at the beginning of the arc, frames it as romantic, and then not so innocently makes naruto repeat the same behaviour towards sasuke at the end of the very same arc. he could’ve chosen anything for omoi to say, and still, coincidentally, what he says fits naruto and sasuke’s relationship perfectly, please someone warn him the things he be writing accidentally.

kushina and minato

able to piss off even people inside the naruto and sasuke pile of shippers itself, what sasuke says about naruto parallels what kushina says about minato and why she fell for him, there are many many narusasu/minakushi parallels, actually, even more after the minato one shot, and it’s not about their personalities or looks, but rather about roles and themes.

kushina tells naruto that she fell for minato because he saved her, the only one who was able to, and he was capable of changing her heart, if those are reasons to make someone fall for another person, what can we say about sasuke that says naruto saved him, the only one who was able to, and was capable of changing his heart?

kishimoto even gives sasuke and kushina the same role of explaining to their son (k) about their fathers, and what they say about naruto and minato is also similar.

(this collage is maoam’s btw, you can check their posts, they also point out a lot of stuff i’m talking about).

kushina about minato: he looked like a sissy and unreliable, he said he wanted to be hokage but there was no way i believed in that / sasuke about naruto: he was always talking about becoming hokage but he was a loser, full of weaknesses, a good for nothing.

kushina about minato: i looked down on him, but i was wrong, he saved me and became a slpendid ninja (and later hokage) / sasuke about naruto: he pulled himself with his own strength and became hokage.

my point here is not even to show how their relationships parallel one another, but rather to talk about how the way naruto and sasuke act towards each other is framed as reasons why people fall in love in this universe, it can be seen as platonic for a reader’s standard, but for the naruto world’s rules, it isn’t, it is romantic.

not giving up

when kakashi wrongly claims that sakura has never given up on sasuke and that she’s only wanted to save him, he associates those feelings with love. this is not the first time kakashi’s judgement on sakura is objectively wrong, in kage summit, sakura was shown to be the same as any other konoha ninja when it comes to sasuke, well any other konoha ninja but one.

sasuke himself acknowledges that naruto was the only one who has never given up on him, not only that but it was naruto who saved him, that’s solely on naruto, nobody else mentioned. despite kakashi being wrong about the person, he also has a definition on love, one that was already used with kushina and minato. saving someone and not giving up on them is framed as love, and it comes out of sasuke’s mouth that only naruto did that for him.

i’ve only talked about the content itself, but in some of those instances kishimoto also uses visual language to get the message through, though that would be for another occasion, i guess.

i wonder how come so many different characters can name what’s love and romance and even homosexuality and have naruto and sasuke meeting every single standard, but people still claim kishimoto wrote it all accidentally because he is, without any proof except for the claim that he is japanese and old and a man, homophobic. i’m sorry, but it’s not “up to the audience” to decide wether naruto and sasuke’s relationship is romantic or platonic. you can disagree all you want and i know people will, but no one has yet provided the textual evidence that shows otherwise. by every metric, the narrative establishes that, in the logic of the naruto universe, what naruto and sasuke have is not only love but romance, and not only romance but homosexual.

248 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 21 days ago

Text

how is kishi going put sasuke in a kimono the colour of naruto’s eyes with naruto’s wind motif while he puts naruto in a kimono the colour of sasuke’s eyes with sasuke’s lightning motif. they are literally clothed in each other. they’re wearing each other.

574 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 3 months ago

Text

naruto uzumaki doesn’t really understand love? a few times we are shown otherwise

another attempt of rewriting my own post that is lost forever under a read more. so let’s see if naruto uzumaki is really the type of character who doesn’t understand love, as a few people claim he is. i will not put this under a read more and risk to losing it, so it will be a long post.

1. land of waves

land of waves arc delivers such a good and clear storytelling, not only for the arc itself, but it sets the tone for the rest of the manga, many important messages have its roots in land of waves and it’s unfortunate that the manga didn’t keep this arc’s level of quality, but anyway.

the reason why land of waves is so impactful it’s because it not only questions what it is to be a ninja, but how and why you do it, and most importantly, is it possible to do it without losing yourself, your values, your heart?

in this arc’s storytelling, through mostly haku’s speech, but also naruto’s thoughts, the manga tells us that you are able to become a strong ninja when you have precious people, people you care about and want to protect.

naruto is not only able to understand what haku tells him, but also he can apply that to other people and, more importantly, to himself. land of waves establishes that iruka is a precious person to naruto and naruto is able to see that.

and what is interesting is that haku doesn’t necessarily uses the word love, but the way he describes how you feel towards a “precious person”, it doesn’t take a genius to understand it either.

and then again we have naruto being able to connect such a special feeling with iruka. that should be enough to show that he understands the feeling, but naruto goes beyond that.

this translation isn’t quite accurate, because the word naruto uses in the first panel isn’t mere “care about”, it denotes feelings of affection. when haku dies, naruto calls zabuza out for seeming heartless towards it and he describes the same feelings haku has described to him, he is able to see devotion, he is able to see self sacrifice, he is able to see and tell that haku loved zabuza. and his speech is enough to make zabuza cry.

so what we can take out of land of waves, at mere first glance, is that naruto is able to see love, not only when it comes to other people, but to his own reality, and he is even able to touch people with his understanding. on a deeper look, considering the entirety of the manga as well, naruto is able to link devotion, self sacrifice, desire to protect and become stronger for someone to love, but i will mention this later again.

2. sakura’s fake confession

in sakura’s fake confession, naruto looks stunned for only a brief moment, but he doesn’t buy it and right away starts questioning her. he understands that for someone who “loved” sasuke for so long, it doesn’t make any sense that she suddenly just started to like him. sakura’s confession mostly annoys naruto and he can quickly tell that she’s lying.

as if that’s not enough, in this confession sakura basically inflames all of naruto’s insecurities, by saying she likes him because she was able to see how he has grown to be a hero. in her speech, she puts herself in the same position as the other konoha citizens (“right now everyone loves you, i am simply one of them”). but in the following arc, this is shown to be badly received by naruto through the manifestation of his dark self. naruto resents this type of demonstration because he knows it isn’t genuine. in land of waves, naruto refuses to become a tool, and later we see that he kept this idea within him. it’s not meaningful to be loved only after he’s proved to be “useful” to the village.

and besides all that, when sakura brings that sasuke is a criminal, when everybody brings sasuke’s hatred on the table, naruto talks about the deep love sasuke felt for his family and why it’s so hard to forgive those who took that away from him.

what he can take out of sakura’s confession is that naruto is not only able to understand what love is, but he surely knows what love isn’t, and in this case, it’s specifically romantic love. later with dark naruto, we are also able to see that naruto is aware that the love people feel for him for being a hero isn’t genuine, and it sickens him.

3. when he meets his mother

another thing people say to discredit naruto’s emotional intelligence is that he can’t understand love because he grew up with none. that couldn’t be any further from the truth. naruto’s meeting with his mother is pretty self explanatory.

kushina just tells naruto right away that she loves him, and this is his cute reaction.

not only that, but he feels calm and happy. naruto grew up desperate for bonds, yet with dark naruto, we see that he distrusts people who don’t love him genuinely, that clearly isn’t the case with his mother. even though he grew up without her love, he is able to recognise it as soon as she tells him, and it makes him calm and happy, as if that desperation is immediately filled.

i guess it is pretty self explanatory, he had doubts but he knows now, he can tell he has always been loved, and again we see naruto taking the notion that love is self sacrificial.

4. sasuke

like i said before, land of waves is the origin of many important messages of the manga. what haku says about “precious people” also applies to sasuke. in many instances, naruto makes sure to put sasuke and iruka in this same special group of people that were able to change his heart… because they showed love for him first. when i say land of waves sets the tone of the manga, it’s because the same way naruto calls zabuza out for seeming heartless, he refuses to act the same towards sasuke. so much of what he sees in haku is applied to how he feels towards sasuke, the devotion, the desire to protect and become stronger for that person, the self sacrifice (that is also learned from iruka and his parents), and naruto understood that that was love, it is established in land of waves that naruto understands those notions and that they are linked to love. it is established that naruto understands sasuke feels the same. even though naruto doesn’t immediately understands it, even though he says he can’t exactly put it into words, how he feels about sasuke, he is able to describe it. not being able to put a name to it isn’t the same as not understanding, and the narrative and storytelling has shown us what it is.

does he have to repeat himself? do you still not understand it? it’s almost like he is speaking to the audience.

and these are just a few instances, there are many more showing naruto isn’t emotionally inept, he is actually complex and displays a lot of emotional intelligence. it’s disrespectful to his character to say he doesn’t understand or doesn’t know what love is, that’s not what the writing shows us. if you need to believe a movie that contradicts what was written in the manga because the manga didn’t give you the love story you wanted, if you need to butcher naruto’s character like that in order to defend a ship, maybe the problem isn’t with naruto and his understanding of love, but with the ship that can’t rely on his very evident understanding. let’s not simplify a beloved character like naruto that way.

323 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 4 months ago

Text

Gonna drop snippets of the pair skating AU in non chronological order

1K notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 5 months ago

Text

"My boby moved on its own" is an SNS trope . Sasuke is the type of person who always does something for Naruto and then finds a logical reason to cover that up.

1. His reason for offering his bento to Naruto

2. His reason for looking after Naruto who had been training all night.

3. His reason for to Save Naruto from Haku's attack.

4. His reason for why he wasn't able to kill Naruto in vote1

5. His reason for protecting Naruto from Obito

It gets so intense every time he protects Naruto from Obito. And Naruto notices how Sasuke protecting him from the attacks every time. Even when his Susanoo is already protecting Naruto, his hand is also going there to shield him.

We've never seen Sasuke do anything like this for Sakura, while with Naruto it's pretty consistent throughout the series. And Why do you think Kishi made 5 scenarios like this to point that out? Sasuke wouldn't do this kind of thing for anyone else. Absolutely no one. So what impression does it make?

In this war arc, Sakura herself acknowledged to the fact that Sasuke didn't care about her:

When Sakura ran up to Madara to get stabbed, both Naruto and Kakashi were either terrified or shocked as she plunged on someone she couldn't deal with. And Sasuke's expression was completely different from the others, he was just focused on the opening to attack madara. Where are Sasuke's instincts when it comes to Sakura? And the one who saved her was Naruto. Look at her dejected face! Even she herself accepting the fact that Sasuke doesn't even worry or care about her. Also, Sasuke put Sakura and Kakashi in their place by calling them "useless" directly to their faces while they were being protected under his Susanoo.

You know, Naruto is the one who asks Kakashi and Sakura to stay closer to him...without knowing what's going on up there. And, Sasuke was talking specifically to Naruto to not move around when he comes down to Naruto and he didn't mention the other two. He only wanted to save Naruto with his Sasunoo from the infinite tsukuyomi, but Sakura and kakashi just happened to be near with Naruto.

And Sasuke himself openly said Kakashi and Sakura just happened to be next to Naruto and that's all! Once again Sakura looked so dejected and realizes it even more in this scene. It's very clear that Sasuke didn't care about kakashi & Sakura. When Sasuke summons a hawk , and Naruto points to the right and says, "Sasuke!! Over there!!" to help Kakashi and Sakura, but Sasuke only saves Naruto

We know that Naruto cares about others and Sasuke knows this very well. And Sasuke is the character who will PROTECT those he cares about in dire situations. And who has he been saving repeatedly? NARUTO. But what Sasuke says and his actions are an underscoring for Naruto to prioritize his own safety and life in the war. Sasuke has a valid point that everything would be over if he and Naruto were to die, but it doesn't erase the fact that he doesn't care about Sakura and Kakashi and almost let them die because he was busy saving Naruto, a person who wasn't even in danger to begin with.

Simply put, he would protect Naruto, no matter what. And all Sasuke's actions are completely and purely instinctive and derived from his sub-consciousness.

To which Naruto said,

Raw: お前の言ってることも分かってるつもりだ... けど... こういう時は体が勝手に動いちまうもんだろ... 橋での時────

Romaji: omae no itteru koto mo wakatteru tsumori da ... kedo... kōiu toki wa karada ga katte ni ugoichimau mondaro ...kyōde no tokiーーー

Literal: I think I understand what you're saying. But...in this situation, a body moves on its own (unconciously)... Just like that time on the bridgeーーー

What he meant: " just like your body moved on its own to save me on the bridge.... my body also move on its own to save Kakashi & Sakura". Because Naruto does care about Kakashi & Sakura. Therefore, he cannot ignore them falling into the lava and dying.

The Land of the Waves arc, specifically the battle with Haku and Sasuke's sacrifice, was pivotal to Naruto and Sasuke's relationship, as they both realized for the first time how important and deeply they care for each other. It was a very emotional moment for both of them.

When they came back from Land of waves, Naruto couldn't even look at him without blushing, and then Sasuke couldn't even look at him at all. They'd rather die in this moment than admit that how much they care for each other, but their actions speak louder than words.

Whenever something happens between these two, there are always other characters pointing out what's going on. After they return to Konoha, Kishi uses Sakura to point this out, even though it's clearly visualized in the panel:

Raw: あ〜〜〜まだだわ!

Romaji: a〜〜〜madadawa!

Literal: Ahh〜〜〜 Not again!

Raw: この2人...波の国から帰って来てからちょっと変なのよね...

Romaji: kono 2 nin...ha no kuni kara kaettekite kara chotto hennanoyone...

Literal: These two... have been acting somewhat/ a bit weird ever since we came back from the land of waves...

Raw: づ〜〜〜何だか気詰まり...

Romaji: zu〜〜〜 nandaka kizumari...

Literal: oh〜〜〜 I feel ill at ease for some reason....

Raw: 早く来い来い! カカシ先生!! じゃーんなろー!!

Romaji: hayaku koikoi! kakashi sensei !! Shānnarō!!

Literal: Hurry up and get here! Kakashi-Sensei!!

Notes:

変な (henna) - strange; odd; peculiar; weird; queer; eccentric; suspicious; fishy; disturbance; funny; abnormal; unusual etc... It is used as a colloquial word that has many meanings.

何だか気詰まり (nandaka kizumari): somehow I feel awkward; Somehow I feel uncomfortable; I don't know why, but I feel ill at ease.

• the author choose the length of prolonged sound mark (ーーー) longer to implying that the sound is prolonged for longer than normal. e. g: Naruto saying "Time on the bridge."

• prolonged sound mark → a wave line (〜〜〜) is used instead of a straight line (ーー)...this often represents a deliberate prolonging of the sound by the character who speaks it or just a trembly, shaky voice of the character.

Only Naruto and Sasuke knew what happened on the bridge, others like Sakura and Kakashi didn't know about it or not very clear about what exactly happened there. Later, Sasuke & Naruto didn't talk about it, but this scene always comes at crucial moments that point to their "precious person". Finally after 5 years, saving Naruto from falling into the lava leads to Naruto talking about what happened on the bridge.

Sasuke saves Naruto even when he knows Naruto could have saved himself because of Kyuubi Mode, but Sasuke has been known to save Naruto even when he doesn't need saving. We also know that Sasuke would rather give Naruto a stupid and lame excuse than tell the truth straight to Naruto's face. So, this isn't the first time Sasuke prioritize Naruto over Sakura, a pattern that has been repeating since Kishi introduced Sasuke to the story in Chapter 3.

Naruto's feelings for Sasuke grew stronger at this point. After everything Naruto had been through and talking to Sasuke every time they met, Naruto knew for sure that Sasuke still cared for him. Naruto could see through Sasuke's actions. Naruto truly understand and knows that Sasuke cares for him and that's why he mentioned what happened in the Land of Waves.

Naruto only says "bridge", but of course Sasuke knows that he was talking about that time at "The Bridge in the Land of Waves."

Sasuke had a reaction to Naruto's words. No matter what Naruto says, he wouldn't say anything... Sasuke is probably trying to show that he's "unfazed," but in reality, he might be "fazed" because Naruto has seen through his heart.

Sasuke's reaction... His facial expression is hidden by his hair and "not visible," but this "invisibility" stirs up the reader's imagination

And he's confidently teasing Sasuke: "Even though I asked you to save them, you saved me...because your body moved on its own... because you cared about me. so I'm sure you understand my feelings to save them....Sasuke"

However, the "meaning" of this conversation...is something only Naruto and Sasuke can understand and it's their extremely personal thing (because the events on that "bridge" are memories shared only by the two of them). Kakashi & Sakura certainly not aware of this peculiar phenomenon that is unconsciously moving bodies.

Sakura's "inner words"... they really express her current feelings. Sakura is convince herself that what Sasuke says is "reasonable." Look at what Sakura says, she herself agrees with Sasuke: "It's as Sasuke-kun says (we're useless)... but (thank you, Naruto for caring about us)...." Sasuke didn't care about her desperate attempts to get his attention. And Even she herself acknowledged it, you know!

Years ago Naruto & Sasuke couldn't even look at each other pretending nothing happened, but now Naruto was talking about it with confidence. And he's clearly flirting with Sasuke.

421 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 6 months ago

Text

236K notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 6 months ago

Text

I love the Naruto and Sasuke reunion.

When a character is suffering from some illness and an author wants to foreshadow this, one way to do so is by having the character exhibit symptoms of said illness.

Sasuke's personal affliction is the weakness that he associates with having personal bonds and connections to other people. This is something that he's forced to reconcile with during VOTE 2 with Naruto, who was Sasuke's weakness and the only person that Sasuke felt he needed to cut off to be lonely. But before we get to that moment there are hints along the way.

Now, during the reunion we hear Sasuke discuss this personal view of what bonds are. There's the repetition of the "bonds = weakness" motif that crops up throughout the manga, but more specifically, Sasuke states that the confusion that arises from having too many bonds is what causes that weakness.

This is where the first seeds of sns foreshadowing were planted post timeskip... I looked through 9 different sources (in order of what popped up on the search engine I used so there was no bias or selective filtering) to get a general consensus, and one of the primary symptoms of confusion/delirium is distractability. Distractability is characterized by diminished alertness, an uncertainty of what's going on around you and your surroundings.

And during the SNS reunion, we get just that. Right after Kurama ominously warns Sasuke that he'll regret killing Naruto, Sasuke, who Kishimoto made a show of pointing out surpassed Team 7 in strength, pointedly stares at Naruto to the point that he ignores Yamato. Furthermore, Sasuke's lack of external awareness is highlighted in the manga when Sasuke is narratively punished for this oversight with Captain Yamato's retaliation. The significance of this scene lies not in the fact that Sasuke stared at Naruto, but in the fact that Sasuke lost control when staring at Naruto. Kishimoto wanted this moment to be taken note of. It's a manifestation of Naruto being a "temptation" and cause of confusion.

And the scene itself imparts a romantic connotation that's validated by the text.

Previously, briefly discussed my view of romance which I'll elaborate a bit on in this post, using the reunion scene as an example.

So, from a scientific perspective, romantic love has been shown to be correlated with reduced cognitive control. In other words, romantic love is linked with distractability and a decreased ability to focus on tasks.

One of the ways this scientific *fact* has manifested itself in a shared socioculturally produced convention is through the Distracted by the Sexy Trope [an aside: I dislike the name of this trope], which is characterized by a character losing control (whether it's walking into walls or dropping whatever it is they're holding) at the sight of someone they find attractive.

And furthermore, this is a romantic trope that is promoted by the Naruto text. During the battle with Kaguya, we see the Distracted by the Sexy Trope manifest when Naruto uses the reverse harem jutsu on Kaguya, and she gets distracted to the point that she's temporarily caught off guard by the enemy. Now doesn't that sound familiar?

In both cases (Reunion and War Arc) there's significant narrative focus on the act of staring, and that act of staring has a tangible impact on the plot.

So not only does the Naruto and Sasuke reunion function as a way to show Sasuke still hadn't managed to cut his ties with Naruto, it's framed in an incredibly romantic way with a common romcom trope

... and this is just Sasuke's side. I haven't even discussed the way Naruto reacted towards Sasuke in this scene. But anyway, I think their reunion is neat. I also love the narrative progression from Kurama warning Sasuke that he'd regret killing Naruto directly to Naruto causing Sasuke to lose his external awareness. Kishimoto couldn't have been more clear about his intentions and the fact that the latter scene was an extension of the former and that both were connected.

234 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 8 months ago

Text

ever notice how naruto and sasuke are both brought to their knees when confronted with losing the other?

sasuke has a twinge of pain and falls but he stays there gazing down at him. watching the tiny speck of hope that started to form in him shrink and disappear. he kills that ugly thing inside of him that longs to be understood and disappears into the night.

naruto when he thinks sasuke will be killed, that this is really the end, falls to his knees in the snow. unable to breathe, paralyzed in mind numbing fear. alone again in a world without sasuke. and the world fades to darkness.

69 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 9 months ago

Text

Naruto, Sasuke, and Heart Symbolism

Sasuke got his 2nd tomoe because of Naruto.

Narrative Impact: Established Naruto as someone with unique importance to Sasuke outside of Team 7 and someone who could change his heart. Set up a subtle juxtaposition between Naruto and Itachi with regards to Sasuke ("I swore I wouldn't die... until I killed him... my older brother... thought the oath would save me... but... don't you dare die.") which established the tension that would have to be resolved in Sasuke's arc regarding whether he should solely follow in his brother's foorsteps or choose the comfort of his emotional connection with Naruto.

Naruto clutched at his chest above where his heart would be when he grieved over the loss of Sasuke. The mission wasn't the only priority that Naruto carried in his heart.

Narrative Impact: Established Sasuke as someone entrenched in Naruto's heart, despite Naruto's tsundere posturing. The first major instance of Naruto's feelings for Sasuke conflicting with what was expected of Naruto as a shinobi.

Kishimoto explicitly emphasized Sasuke looking at and reacting to Naruto 3 times with his heart beating in response, thus establishing a metonymic relationship in which Sasuke's heart beating represented Naruto having an effect on Sasuke's heart. Naruto was the only comrade Sasuke's heart beat for. When Sasuke finally decided to wholly reject Itachi's words, Sasuke's heart beat again, symbolizing Naruto connected to Sasuke's heart changing.

Narrative Impact: Reinforced Naruto as someone who had a significant effect on Sasuke's heart and foreshadowed Naruto being the one who would have an effect on Sasuke's heart post timeskip. Continued the Naruto vs. Itachi element in Sasuke's by having Sasuke reject Itachi's negative words as a result of Naruto's influence. Also built upon Sasuke being moved by Naruto's fortitude.

The aforementioned reading was confirmed when Orochimaru, who Kishimoto used frequently as a reliable exposition tool to comment on Sasuke's state of mind (see exhibit A) thinks about the moment Sasuke finally decided to fight Orochimaru and attributes this change to Naruto's impact.

Narrative Impact: Provided explicit proof of Naruto being a threat to people that desired to negatively control Sasuke. The first example of Kishimoto using Orochimaru to comment on Naruto and Sasuke's bond.

Naruto's heart beat in positive excitement when Sasuke explicitly acknowledged Naruto as a rival and equal.

Narrative Impact: Showed how crucial Sasuke's validation was to Naruto. Laid the groundwork for a crucial core motivation that Naruto mentioned in his rooftop fight with Sasuke, his inner monologue during VOTE 1, and his 5 Kage Summit reunion with Sasuke. This core motivation also helps undercut the idea that Naruto's desire to connect with Sasuke were solely rooted in altruism.

Gaara directly compared Naruto to Kimimaro, who stated that he would forever remain in Orochimaru's heart because he was not alone, which was obvious foreshadowing for Naruto and Sasuke's bond.

Narrative Impact: Highlighted Naruto's utter devotion to amd belief in Sasuke. Kishimoto's use of comparatives (the more precious your idol is to you... the harder you fight for him) in foreshadowing Naruto's feelings for Sasuke helped undercut the "Naruto would do what he did for anybody" argument. Kishimoto could have easily made Gaara say ("If someone is precious, you'll fight for him) and the core meaning would have more or less remained the same, but Kishimot was specific with his words. Sasuke was put in this role precisely because Naruto cared about Sasuke the most, along with Iruka.

Sasuke recognized Naruto as his closest friend and the one that he needed to kill in order to get the Magekyou Sharingan.

Narrative Impact: Reaffirmed Naruto's status as someone Sasuke had a unique bond that was bolstered by, but not limited to Team 7. Also used comparatives to situate Naruto at the top of the hierarchy of importance when it came to Sasuke's comrades. Kishimoto's choice to have Sasuke kill his closest friend over say, a close friend in general — which would give Sasuke another option besides Naruto — is telling.

Sasuke got his 3rd tomoe because of Naruto confessing the weight of his feelings.

Narrative Impact: Highlighted just how much Sasuke valued Naruto, and more specifically, hearing Naruto talks about how much Sasuke meant to him. Naruto provokes strong feelings in Sasuke.

Sasuke asked Naruto if he could read what was inside his heart (his deep inner feelings).

Narrative Impact: Established the "fighting as a means of communication" motif that repeatedly cropped up in Sasuke and Naruto's dynamic post timeskip.

When Naruto and Sasuke's jutsus clashed, a childhood dream of Sasuke and Naruto's arms being linked in the unison sign was shown.

Narrative Impact: I mean the pictures say it all. Despite the harshness and the violence, they truly did desire to connect with eachother deep down. Also showed how Naruto and Sasuke could coat the humanity out of eachother even in strong power forms that amplify aggression.

Naruto clutched his chest above where his heart would be when he saw a shooting star and then thought of Sasuke.

Narrative Impact: Built on visual motif of Naruto "clutching his heart" because of Sasuke. Reinforced Sasuke as Naruto's motivation and the one who gave him strength given that immediately after this scene, Naruto got up and successfully achieved his training goal. A moment further supported by Kishimoto using Kakashi to point out that Sasuke was Naruto's driving force.

Naruto clutched his chest above where his heart would be when having a panic attack over thought of Sasuke being killed.

Narrative Impact: Reinforced the heart clutching because of Sasuke motif that was established in Part 1. His devotion to Sasuke was not a matter of mere pragmatism and devotion to perceived ideals regarding what it took to be a Hokage, and it's bizarre that this is still an argument. Sasuke is someone who is deeply entrenched in Naruto's heart.

Naruto and Sasuke clashed fists, entered their shared mindscape, and Naruto opened up about how much Sasuke meant to him.

Narrative Impact: Visual imagery of Naruto and Sasuke reaching out to eachother connected with the dream Naruto and Sasuke held during VOTE 1 regarding their desire to emotionally connect with eachother (represented by them doing the unison symbol). Represented Naruto coming closer to Sasuke's heart. Displayed Naruto's emotional growth and maturity when he managed to speak aloud the words that he kept confined to his inner monologue in VOTE 1.

Naruto made a callback to what Sasuke asked him in VOTE 1, pointed to his chest above where his heart would be, and asked Sasuke if he could read what was inside his heart.

Narrative Impact: Naruto acknowledged himself and Sasuke as equals who would die if they faced the other which put a qrench in the plans of people who wanted Naruto to dominate Sasuke in battle. This scene also led to Naruto making a proposal that significantly resembled the structure of shinju (double suicide), (a concept that has great significance in Japanese and Western popular culture and is significantly linked to romantic love — hello Romeo and Juliet) a concept that was invoked by Omoi at the beginning of the volume that Naruto's proposal was in.

Tobirama confirmed that the transformation of the sharingan reflects the heart, reaffirming the importance of Naruto to Sasuke.

Narrative Impact: Debunked the claims of antis that Sasuke's sharingan transformations weren't tied to Sasuke's fear of losing Naruto. Established Naruto as someone who was a great love and reaffirmed the importance of Naruto and Sasuke's family to Sasuke's arc.

Bunpuku, the Shukaku host before Gaara, stated that people's hearts fundamentally wished to connect with and accept eachother, foreshadowing Naruto and Sasuke's reconciliation. This reading was reinforced by 1. Kishimoto repeating the "No distinction between man and beast" motif present in Bunpuku's statement through Kurama's confirmation that just like Naruto was the one and only for Sasuke, Naruto was the one and only for the tailed beasts (exhibit A) 2. The Sage of Six Paths indicating that the battle between Naruto and Sasuke would be a reclamation of love, which was linked to Bunpuku stating that love was a manifestation of accepting someone's true heart (exhibit B), and 3. The visual imagery of Naruto and Sasuke's blood connecting metaphorically representing their hands meeting and the realization of the dream that they held in their hearts during VOTE 1 to connect with eachother (exhibit C) [and this also indirectly reinforces the "No distinction between man and beast motif because the unison symbol between Naruto and Sasuke is similar to the fist bumps between Naruto and the tailed beasts (ie. Chapter 572)]

Narrative Impact: Provided the fact that contrary to the antis desires, Sasuke was never going to merrily kill Sasuke so that Sasuke could embody the political ideals people pushed onto him. His need to cut Naruto was a matter of duty and self harm rather than something that would make him genuinely happy.

The above analysis was also linked to Sasuke explicitly mentioning that the outcome of his reconciliation with Naruto was that their hearts could now connect in their shared feelings of pain and empathy for the other.

Narrative Impact: Wrapped up the subjects of The Heart and Pain that Kishimoto devoted attention to throughout the manga, most significantly through Naruto and Sasuke's bond. Explicitly established an intense and deep mutual level of intimacy, care and understanding in their bond that was hard fought but successfully achieved through hard work.

Madara explicitly confirmed ninshu, the means through which Naruto and Sasuke entered their unique mindscape to communicate with eachother, was a religion that was originally created by the Sage of Six Paths in order to enable people to understand eachother's hearts — a fact confirmed by the Sage himself.

Narrative Impact: Finally gave an explanation for Naruto and Sasuke's mindscape. Highlighted that even amidst violence there was a desire to understand eachother and be connected at it's core. Explicity linked Naruto and Sasuke's bond to a religion, something that was only previously implicitly hinted at (eg. Naruto sitting in front of a temple and thinking about Sasuke)

Sasuke told Naruto during VOTE 2 that they both knew eachother's hearts.

Narrative Impact: Represented the development of Naruto and Sasuke's bond. They no longer had to ask the other if they understood matters of the heart, because they developed to a point where the understood the motivations of the other. As Sasuke said, they were different from the two boys who fought at the final valley long ago.

Naruto and Sasuke connected in their shared mindscape, which reflects the heart, and Sasuke reaffirmed the fact that he needed to kill Naruto to fully be alone and Naruto recalled the words Sasuke said to him in VOTE 1.

Narrative Impact: Reinforced Naruto's level of signifance in Sasuke's heart and again solidified that Sasuke needed to cut off Naruto to achieve his goals and enter the hell of loneliness. It was a classic "perceived need" vs. want conflict.

Sasuke stated that Naruto kept coming closer to his heart all the time.

Narrative Impact: Helped bolster the arguments of SNS fans who pointed out the fact that it was Naruto who Sasuke was connected to post timsekip rather than Team 7. You'd think it would be obvious since Sasuke himself said Naruto was the only one he needed to cut off to be alone and he also stated he still considered Naruto to be his closest friend but the level of denial and refusal to engage with what the text presents is significant in this fandom. It was also significant that Sasuke mentioned Naruto (alone) came closer to his heart the whole time meaning the entire post timeskip.

Bonus: Kishimoto drew from the romantic philosophical tradition of shinju. Shinju originated as an outward expression of "what was in the heart" and was meant to be an expression of gay love but transformed into an expression of heterosexual love, which can be seen in the example of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's famous love suicide plays, the same Chikamatsu Monzaemon that Kishimoto has referenced explicitly in the manga.

Narrative Impact: From the repeated "what was in the heart" symbolism to the amputation of Naruto and Sasuke's arms to Naruto's proposal that resembled love suicide in the same volume where Omoi talked about shinju, the level of romantic references and coding escaped plausible deniability. At the very least, it established that Kishimoto was not ignorant about what he chose to put into his manga and the way he chose to portray Naruto and Sasuke's bond.

173 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 9 months ago

Text

no cuz the way vote1, kage summit arc, vote2 parallel each other…. an instigator (naruto going above and beyond in vote1 for sasuke, naruto saying he’d bear the burden of sasuke’s hatred and die with him during the kage summit arc, naruto going above and beyond again in vote2 to the point they both lost their arms) and then….

….a question. silence. an answer. eyes that reflect the heart.

#he’s just dumb #no wonder he calls him stupid afterwards #sasunaru #narusasu #sns has my heart

225 notes · View notes

weirdlyprecious · 9 months ago

Text

I didn't notice that Kyun was used again in the manga. I think everyone knows how this onomatopoeia first appeared in the manga, yes ofc Kishi used it for Naruto.

Naruto got existed by the anticipation of fighting sasuke... ｢キュン｣ Kyun is a common onomatopoeia in Japan when you fall in love and also used for feeling spark or thrill in one's heart. SFX for momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings Or to have butterflies. ｢ゾクゾクする｣ zokuzoku suru- Thrilling is an expression for shaking, to get chills, to be shaking as from joy or excitement Or having tingling sensation (excitement). In here tightening (Kyun) happening in his lower abdomen.

何だ... にの気持ち下腹の辺りがキュンとするそれに... ゾクゾクする

nanda... Kono kimochi shita bara no atari ga kyun to suru Sore ni... zokuzoku suru

"What... is this feeling? My lower stomach feels tight/feels butterflies! And... I feel a thrill/ shivers."

This expression is generally uses when butterflies take flight in your stomach when you're sexually aroused. It is that feeling in your stomach when you get turned on. So it literally means he's being sexually excited. In the middle of his thoughts he also remembers when Sasuke tells him he's also interested in fighting him too, where Naruto reacted ドキ ( "doki")

キュン - onomatopoeias that express strong affection (mainly love). The feeling of excitement is like your heart beating hard and constricting. It's similar to when you're so happy you can't breathe. What makes people feel excited varies from person to person.

So, キュン means pounding, fluttered,thump etc... once, instant (ュン feels it is once and gone), a bit light but very sharp (since with キ sound)

-My heart skipped a beat!

- I got this tingling sensation.

- Heartthrob

e. g:

1．その映画で胸キュンしましたか?

sono eiga de mune kyun shimashita ka ?

Did that movie make your heart skip?

2．猫が可愛すぎてキュン死する。

neko ga kawaisugite Kyunshi suru

The cat is so adorable, it's killing me! ( just an exaggeration)

3．この前、あなたの投げキッスに胸がキュンとした。

kono mae, anata no nage kissu ni mune ga kyun to shita.

Last time I saw you, my heart skipped a beat from the kisses you blew (to) me.

4．この絵にキュンとしました。

kono e ni kyun to shimashita.

I felt a flutter of excitement when I saw this picture.

キュンとした (kyun toshita) has nuances such as "I was touched", " I was moved" , "I was impressed" etc...

[It means you see a picture, and instantly hit by an emotion hard to describe, but it is pleasant]

5．この犬かわいいね。胸がキュンキュンするわ。

kono inu kawaii ne. mune ga kyunkyun suru wa.

What a cute dog! My heart gets pounding.

6．ふとした瞬間の考えてることが一緒なところ。同じタイミングで同じ歌を口ずさんだりすることがあるとキュンとする（笑）

futoshita shunkan no kangaeteru koto ga issho na tokoro. onaji taimingu de onaji uta wo kuchizusan dari suru koto ga aru to kyun to suru

We tend to have the same thoughts at certain moments. It makes my heart flutter when we start humming the same song at the same time (lol)

7．かわいい犬を見て『キュン』死しそうになった。

kawaii inu wo mite Kyun shishisō ni natta.

When I saw the cute dog I died from cuteness overload.

[N̳o̳t̳e̳:̳ there's no English expression that can be literally translated キュン死 but it can use, “to die from cuteness, to die from cuteness overload, OR so cute that I died”. キュン死 can also be used when you "almost died because someone's too hot,sexy etc., " in that case, the translation be like " die from hotness or sexiness" or something like "he's so hot and I can die". ]

8．彼女の事を思うと胸がキュンとなる。

kanojo no koto wo omou to mune ga kyun to naru.

When I think about her my heart flutters.

9．何回みても、キュンキュンするね

nan kai mite mo, kyunkyun suru ne

No matter how many times we watch (him), he (still) gives the butterflies, doesn't he?

N̳o̳t̳e̳:̳ キュンキュンする is used to describe a situation where you are so happy that your heart beats fast, or that you find it difficult to breathe in a normal way, etc. It is almost always used for young people being like that, especially when they are meeting somebody they like/ are in love with. Used in a situations when you say: - My heart is aching. - I got this tingling sensation

10. 彼を見るたびに、胸がキュンとする感じがします

kare wo miru tabini, mune ga kyun to suru kan ji ga shimasu

Whenever I see him, I feel a flutter in my chest.

11. 胸がキュンときました｡

mune ga kyun tokimashita.

My heart skipped a beat. (N̳o̳t̳e̳:̳ It is often used when a love began or similar emotion. Mune-kyun is an abbreviation for chest-kyun, which means that your chest tightens with excitement.)

N̳o̳t̳e̳:̳ When a person of the opposite sex that you like shows a cute expression just for you, you feel doki. ``Kyun'' is a momentary feeling of happy elation. As you can say, it's a happy feeling when you see something cute. When you see something cute, you use "kyun" to describe the heart-warming emotion you feel at that moment.

There are times when music makes you go 'kyun' or movies makes you go 'kyun'. I think it can also be used in a broader sense. Originally, it was a word used to describe love or the excitement you feel when you meet someone of the opposite sex. However, if you are deeply moved, you will also feel excited, so it is an exciting situation after all.

キュンです (kyundesu) is originally means when your heart pounding / flutters its an exaggerated meaning from onomatopeia キュンキュン (kyunkyun). when you see something cute your chest become painful in love in other words its a word used when your heart beating fast the short term for "my chest pounding!" what kind of situation you can use this is when your heart flutter by the action / words of the person you like or looking at the pet or when you see something cute your heart is pounding / flutters and finally when you're happy its kyundesu.

"Kyun" is an onomatopoeia, so even if you look it up in a dictionary, you may only find a wide range of meanings and uses, or you may find a way of using it that is not mentioned in the dictionary. Ultimately, you have to infer the meaning from the feel of the word and the context.

When Sasuke sees "Itachi", he is suddenly struck by "memories of his older brother"...

As he Saw the Edo Tensei Itachi's profile he recalled → Itachi's old profile (so distant) → kid Itachi's smiling face from the front (also the forehead poke)→ reaching towards him (thought he would gouge out his eyes)→ his final forehead poke with a smile-> his death

This whole recalled scene have the gap that needed to fill (the truth behind the lies).

Sasuke was obviously surprised & shocked because "someone he thought was dead suddenly appeared in front of him..."

Sasuke goes "kikyun" when he finds his big brother who was dead jumps through the trees in front of him and in the next panel it shows Sasuke's shocked face unable to believe what he just saw, and then instinctively glared towards his brother's direction...

So, キキュン is the sfx that made in his abdomen after seeing his beloved brother for the first time in a long time.

[in the manga it is an effect that conveys emotions, but if they actually added this sound in the anime, I think it would just sound like Sasuke had an upset stomach]

For just a moment, Sasuke has entered a space that is completely cut off from the outside world. Of course, there are no onomatopoeia in the description of the memories he is tracing... it is a world of complete silence. But in a world where even sound is blocked out, it's as if everything has frozen... And Sasuke's eyes are looking somewhere in the distance... he seems to be looking at Itachi, but he's probably not looking anywhere. Sasuke's expression is indescribable... He reminisced about Itachi's past and his abdomen goes "kikyun" because of this unexpected encounter....because he was sure that the person running in front of him was Itachi.

I wonder if this "kikyun" sound actually occurred in the abdomen, or if it is a mental description of "that's how it felt".

"キ (ki) " sound is a "sound" that actually accompanies pain or with a slight pain, like something stabbing you in the stomach and the "kyun" sound is more of a "sensation" that expresses the heart-pounding with joy.

The pain of painful memories + the desire to be with his brother + amid fond memories + the two conflicting emotions of anger and happy + wanted to spend more time with his beloved Brother are all tangled up inside Sasuke= maybe this is how the combination of ki-Kyun happened.

it may be anger. Remember what sai said when he was blaming Sakura before Shikamaru told her about the mission to kill Sasuke in ch. 559, “When I look at Naruto these days I can feel... (his) sadness... and when I think of Sasuke... my stomach gets hot... and I realise that it's anger”. However, I don't think it's anger because that's not the whole meaning of "kyun." And from the panel it wasn't looking like Sasuke was getting angry.

Conclusion: Seeing his brother it brought back old memories of his brother and evoked some strong emotions, making him feel very moved. You can use "kyun" when you are shocked in a positive way. It is clear from the context and from the second page that his abdomen goes kikyun because he was literally shocked. It is enough to evoke strong emotions in anyone if they had seen their brother risen from the dead.

kishi uses "onomatopoeia" and "background" to express their feelings. This technique by Kishimoto is interesting because it allows the reader to use their imagination in various ways. キキュン seems to be an original word created by Kishi and I've never heard anyone using it.

Sasuke tries really hard to talk to Itachi and chase him. How much of a big brother boy is he? He's so cute!! Sasuke suddenly let out all his pent up thoughts and doubts on his brother... That's how much he'd been suffering and carrying it all by himself up until now.

Itachi doesn't show even a trace of his true face in front of Sasuke, that he showed in front of Naruto and the others... Itachi has things he has to do, and he knows very well that "he should never have met Sasuke" because he, who is supposed to be dead, unnecessarily gets involved with Sasuke. Now, he clearly distinguishes between what he should do and what he shouldn't be involved in, and he strictly follows that line... "I'm essentially a dead man... I won't say any more," and keeps running away from Sasuke...

this is a very honest expression of Sasuke's true feelings

Sasuke had always chased after Itachi. he imitated his brother and chased after him. Feeling the responsibility of having the proud Uchiha clan name left to himself, he desperately tried to surpass his brother, chasing after his brother's back, but the more he got to know his brother, the more the wall of "perfection" stood in Sasuke's way. From an early age, he wanted to be acknowledged by his father, and desired to hear from his father "as expected from my son or That's my son" and not "Keep this up just like your older Brother", but his father and others saw him as "Itachi's younger brother" and always being compared to his overly excellent older brother, he was underestimated. But that did not stop him from idolizing his brother. And he loves his brother very much. Even amongst his family members, Sasuke places Itachi on a high pedestal.

But through this unexpected reunion, Sasuke was able to see and understand his brother's "convincing way of life"... even if he couldn't accept it. he returns to his childlike state when he is with his older brother. And Sasuke finally called Itachi "兄さん = big brother". The fact that he can honestly say "Big Brother" means that Sasuke is returning to being the "real Sasuke". Fighting while relying on each other's backs is "proof of teamwork" and finally....showed their trust by standing back to back naturally.

From ch. 585 to ch. 588 Sasuke called him 兄さん。But In Ch. 589 Sasuke uses 兄(あに) = ani= (older) brother...-> is actually formal... It is never used by children, and mostly used in a more formal conversations when you tell someone about your brother, or in literary styles.

With each seal, Sasuke's expression changes... Sasuke may have expected Itachi's reaction, but I think he feels a sense of repulsion and ``as I expected'' towards his brother who, even at this point, refuses to show even the slightest bit of his true self. When Itachi reaches the "Monkey" seal in ch. 589, Sasuke eyes quickly change back from Sharingan to normal. Perhaps he got his Sharingan back to remind himself that their "time as brothers" was over. Itachi, who had been making the seal, stopped... His back was still turned as usual, but he was still listening seriously to what Sasuke was saying.

But when their time as brothers ended, Sasuke finally changed back from "nīsan" to "anta" Or rather, it felt like the dream time ended and he was suddenly pulled back to reality, and then he naturally changed back to "anta."

The way Sasuke talks about his "older brother" in ch. 589 as if he were a third party seems to suggest that he has put his childhood memories behind him as the "past" and is now looking towards the "present and future." It also sounds like he is bidding farewell to his "older brother who has become a thing of the past."

The fact that the Edo Tensei seal ended with the boar , perhaps means that the Edo Tensei came to an end with the brothers' " great boar hunt = Kabuto hunt"

In the end Sasuke (again) called him "nii-san" in his mind, rather than calling him "Itachi" Or "Anta". A 16-year-old Sasuke, the expression on Sasuke's face as he gazed upon his brother reminded him of the innocent 7-year-old when he was looking at his brother's back. a lonely face.

Just like that day... the day of the Uchiha incident, the day Sasuke reminding Itachi to teach Shuriken... he was smiling when he was looking at his brother's back, but then he was saddened to see the broken wall with the Uchiha symbol on it that his brother had destroyed by throwing a shuriken, and muttered in his mind, "Nii-san". The final sweet moment he got from his brother was at that day. Sasuke was probably feeling the same anxiety and sadness he had felt back then when he was only 7-year-old. Even in this last moment his brother was distancing himself from him and running away from him.

Itachi walks towards Sasuke with his last bit of strength. He looked so panicked as Itachi approaching him and pointed his fingers towards his head, it paralleled the last scene between them, when he thought his brother was going to pluck his eyes out.

His hand, stretched out as if to flee, passed over Sasuke's head and grabbed him, pulling him towards. Sasuke will never see "Itachi's back" again... This will truly be the last time he sees his brother's back....because this is the Gesture that truly means, 'I am not Lying and I am not distancing myself' instead he closed the distance between them. He no longer pushed Sasuke away with a finger to the forehead. It's a full brotherly embrace now. In Itachi's words, which seem to be honest and straightforward, there is also his "brother's honest feelings" hidden within them. I think that's why he uses the word "always" twice. when he says "I love you," it's unusual for him to use hiragana "おれ (ore) " instead of "オレ." It sounding as gentle and soft as that final smile he gave to Sasuke. Like the gentle words of a mother.

Kishi clearly shows us that Itachi is more than just Sasuke's brother. He established a motherly bond when Itachi was just 5 years old and Sasuke was a newborn baby. We've seen Mikoto carry baby Sasuke and to introduce Kushina. But when it came to a life-threatening situation like the Kyuubi incident, Itachi played the mother role (ch.502). And he checks Sasuke's performance in Academy just like a Father.

Itachi regretted not thinking anything from Sasuke's POV which hurted him even more. He also admitted he tried to use Kotoamastukami against Sasuke himself. He tried to manipulate him, he tried to force Sasuke to follow his own desires, he only saw Sasuke as an object, meant to keep him in the shadows forever. By the end, Itachi confessed his mistakes then stopped trying to force Sasuke into doing anything.

The hand that grabbed Sasuke's head, and said the manly words that he didn't have to forgive " me " forever...He looked straight ahead with gentle eyes and said the embracing words, " I will always love you." It shows the unconditional love between siblings.

When Sasuke thinks of Itachi, he looks up at the sky. For example, in ch. 403, after hearing the truth about Itachi, he was looking up at the full moon at the Akatsuki hideout.

And when he saw Itachi in the forest, he looked up at his brother's direction... From that moment on, Sasuke entered a "dreamlike time." At that time, he was wandering alone in the darkness, soaking wet like a lost kitten...

But now, he was wrapped in a gentle light, he look up at his older brother as he returns to the sky... He was wrapped in warm love and somehow he looked dazed.

Likewise, Sasuke "looked up" at the beginning of this brother's reunion, and he was "looking up" again at the end of this farewell. Sasuke looks like a little boy who wakes up and realizes his brother is gone. But his brother's "warmth" still remains.　

Sasuke's expression has definitely softened compared to before he entered the forest. Itachi's final smile showed that he still believed in Sasuke... it was a clear, happy smile that showed towards his brother. He tells Sasuke only the truth and lets him choose his own path from there. That's a big difference from before.

Sasuke's "love for his older brother" were stronger than Itachi had thought . For his brother, for his family... the "love" in Sasuke's heart was deeper (than expected). Because his love was so great and deep, he ended up carrying more sadness and hatred than he had expected.

In that respect, Naruto understood Sasuke very well. After hearing the truth about Itachi, Naruto said: "Sasuke loved his family and clan... it's because his love is so deep, it's hard for him to forgive"

These images and the panels that follow in the manga sum up their relationship perfectly. The panel above is the highlight about the "two brothers" and their story....because Kishi started their flashback with this panel (ch.220)

An older brother carrying his little brother on his back was aware of what was going on around him, but the one behind had closed his eyes and was completely oblivious to what was happening. It's really amusing how Kishi drew it: “Sasuke closed his eyes and Itachi was looking at his brother....fully aware of his surroundings.” Itachi knows what's going on with his clan, but Sasuke is completely kept in the dark and was oblivious, that's the whole story right?

The bottom panel is the beginning of ch. 591. Last moments between siblings. Nothing was hidden now, he heard and saw the truth he wanted to hear from his brother. Itachi's back was no longer turned to his little brother, now he was not ignoring him... he was smiling and putting their head together. It was a true "farewell between the brothers".

So, their sibling relationship had its dark phase, betrayal, hurt, pain and lies. But beyond all that, Sasuke always loved his brother.

In the beginning of the manga, because of his brother's manipulations and lies Sasuke had to live a life full of hatred, suffering, misery and he ended up doesn't care about what happens to him.... BUT...because of Naruto...we saw through Sasuke's monologue at the end of the manga about how he will appreciate and value life. Naruto and Sasuke...they have walked completely different paths, they have experienced and learned similar things in parallel. They both have things they lack and yet.....Naruto makes up for Sasuke's, and Sasuke makes up for Naruto's. That is why they are depicted as equals and balancing each other out. Itachi says himself to Sasuke that he can no longer change sasuke and actually thinks naruto is the one able to. And what can really change sasuke's heart is love. naruto's love. After accepting Naruto's love for him, he hopes to see the world more like naruto. Sasuke also emphasis that Naruto never tried to stop him as anything but as his friend, and because of that, Sasuke was saved. When Sasuke said, "You came closer to my heart" , From those words "You came", Sasuke's gratitude, feelings, and "happiness" towards Naruto are fully conveyed... Now, Sasuke's heart is filled. They understand each other's pain and feelings at a level no one else can, and from a very young age they unknowingly bond with each other over these shared feelings and emotions, and that bond withstood. He is now willing to share the burden of that suffering with Naruto (your sufferings and wishes are passed on to me) just as Naruto tried to do to Sasuke the whole time (I'll bear the burden of your hatred and I'll die with you). Sasuke is willing to try it Naruto's way and accepting him instead of trying to carry the burden and sufferings all alone.

He specifically says in his monologue that he would try to hope for better things to happen, try to find ways to love himself and his life, because if he could do it for Naruto, he could probably do it for himself and other things. and he look for ways to cope with life, and relying on Naruto's love to be able to do so eventually. Because even if he cannot do so ever, at least Naruto will be there for him, always.

And the fact that the last words were not spoken by "Naruto" but by "Sasuke" made you realize once again that the story of NARUTO is not just about "Naruto"... it is a story that has been woven by the two of them, "Naruto and Sasuke"

158 notes · View notes