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tamelee · 9 months

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Hi, Tamelee❤, I absolutely adore your art and your analysis.

Do you think Kakashi's choice of words regarding Sakura's feelings towards Sasuke "She's hurting from loving you" is a forshadowing? Is there any chance that both Sasuke and Naruto are fully aware that Naruto's "I hurt whenever you hurt" is a shonen-appropriate version of ILY? And in general,to which extent do you think Naruto is aware about the nature of his feelings for Sasuke post-vote2?

Hi @lilasskickergrimes !! thankyou so much! 💕 I apologize for this being so late. This post went into a different direction at first and then it was sitting in my drafts for a long time >.< sorry!! Hope you're doing well 🥹

Very long post, 🍵

Was Kakashi’s “she’s hurting from loving you” about Sakura to Sasuke basically Kishimoto telling the reader that if hurting because of the other person means they love them, then that is the same for Naruto and Sasuke? Since they hurt for each other, do they then love each other too? I mean, in a way, Kakashi's words can be used as another clue. It came up before and with other characters too (Sai), but I believe with anything- context matters.

Oh, Sakura was hurting alright, but why was she hurt?

Why was Sasuke? Or Naruto?

Kishimoto often uses parallels, but I feel like some don’t realize that a parallel doesn’t mean something is the same thing. That’s why storytellers use alternate timelines or universes to explain a parallel, but it is in the name, right? “Alternate”. They go in the same direction and are similar in nature but never touch. A comparison of sorts. That’s why it always matters why a parallel is linked to the alternate element and why it never touches- thus is different.

So, Kishimoto has shown what he values in romantic relationships for which he writes before. Like Dan/Tsunade, Minato/Kushina or even in earlier works like ‘Mario’. He always was able to convey a romantic relationship well if he chose to do so and if it was his intention. The same sorta clues are shown in earlier chapters where Naruto projects onto Sakura as she explains why she likes Sasuke and then he says that he understands her (pain) very well. A shonen-appropriate version (in your words) of “I completely understand how you feel Sakura, because if that's what it means, then I like Sasuke too and I feel the same way”. It is enhanced in the way he visualizes his art and message that Sakura is used as a tool (red herring) in order to mislead and yet have enough surface-level ammunition against criticism to make it seem like its otherwise. Unfortunately, those were the circumstances, but we wouldn’t have the story we do now if it weren’t for this..

However, Sakura hurting for “loving” Sasuke is not the same as Naruto and Sasuke hurting for the other. Kakashi even literally said that Sakura was hurting because she wanted to save Sasuke and she wanted him by his side.

Which means, Sakura is hurting because of selfish reasons. (Kishimoto’s words.) It is always about her and her wishes or what she thinks is best for another character without bothering to understand them first. (Note Naruto's expression as well.)

Sakura can’t hurt because of Sasuke.

Sasuke, apart from him and Sakura being teammates, never bothered with her and legitimately during the War couldn’t give a f- whether she lived or died. He didn’t have a personal bond with her, she was just part of team 7 and one he broke off the same way as everyone else excluding Naruto. She was never special nor precious as an individual. He reacted only to her intention of wanting to stab him in the back after she lied and had to knock her annoying ass out twice so she would stop following him because she selfishly thinks for some reason she’s more important to Sasuke, Naruto or even her team and the Shinobi world in general than she really is. But that is part of her character arc. Wanting to be included and then go beyond that so people will look at her back as she is insecure about the contrast between herself and Naruto/Sasuke, not just in terms of ability, but also the strength of their bond as said right before VotE2 where she points out what she lacks compared to Naruto. That she isn’t on equal terms in regard to Sasuke. Where she stops believing in both Naruto and Sasuke which she said she would after the bridge-scene, but then, yet again tries to interfere...

I mean... I have to give it to her, Sakura also does not give up when it comes to this.

That’s why Sakura fans, the very hardcore ones, that see Sasuke as some price that only belongs to her, blame him for her pain. They favor Sakura and her selfish wish and want Sasuke to repent and live a life full of guilt and regret for all he’s done to her. For all the pain he has caused their favorite character even though that’s totally unbefitting to all that happened. Which is kind of why that scene with Kakashi is mostly criticized because he sounds like an irrational fan. (I don’t believe that’s exactly why that was put there, but alas.) Her pain is her own. And as much as people dislike Kakashi defending her, I understand why Kishimoto put it there, especially amidst all the contrast and especially because it was placed right before VotE2 and it continued with a talk about love/hate with the Hermit. What usually is the ending of a story, is where Naruto and Sasuke’s journey still only begins... really.. considering the entire Shinobi world and what they were supposed to do :/

Sakura doesn’t know or understand anything about Sasuke that’s why she also can’t hurt for him.

She didn’t even try. And when Sakura did pick up on things here and there, she never bothered questioning those words like Naruto did and just went with the general narrative that Sasuke is a mindless criminal or that he’s changed for the worst. Therefore she stopped believing in him, his intentions and abandoned this version of Sasuke she didn’t like. She even had the time during the time-skip to do some research (as she did) as she had access to Tsunade’s notes, yet never, ever, once bothered to learn more about Sasuke to see if she could understand him. She only learned that Itachi is the one he wants to kill which was used as a moment to show that “she was going to do this whole thing with Naruto together” (and then failed multiple times). Like??

And also thought then it was okay to deliver Naruto to Akatsuki knowing he was a target if it meant “getting close to Sasuke-kun”.

Tbf, Naruto deliberately kept her in the dark about certain information and didn’t want to wait for her, hence his reactions when he finds out Sakura knows a few details too. Even later when Sakura asks him when Akatsuki started targeting him, he’s not fully honest.

When Sai later says that Naruto is also hurting because of Sakura, (for a different post) there is some truth to that as part of Naruto’s fear is letting people down.

That was the pain of the promise. It had nothing to do with Naruto wanting to keep it for her sake.

Sakura reacted very fake while ignoring Naruto completely who was bandaged all over, when she visited him after VotE1 to hear about Sasuke. Not a "hey Naruto how are you doing?" was heard or anything, but guilt tripping him in regards to the promise making even Shikamaru angry because he understood the hell Naruto went through.

Naruto didn’t take that well as you can see throughout the story. Maybe it looked that way at the moment because he’s somewhat of a people pleaser and hides his emotions well and he reacted with that Naruto-confidence, but it certainly did damage to their.... uh, friendship? Camaraderie? But that’s a different pain, yes? It stems from Naruto’s own character which made her treatment towards him worse just like Sakura’s insecurities and fantasies about romance aren’t Sasuke’s fault. At all. But because of it, they do clash, sometimes more subtle than other times.

I guess it was okay to Naruto as long as she could keep up. In times where she did, sorta help. But Sakura didn’t keep up, made her own resolve to get rid off the thing in her life that hurt her because she couldn’t stand seeing it, therefore tried to kill Sasuke and didn’t bother to understand, question or rely again on Naruto because she thought for some reason she was important enough to get through to him. Or rather lie to him as she did with Naruto. She failed what? 4?? 5??? times? Embarrassing. It just hurt her too much to not see that ideal image of Sasuke. That’s not love.

All those misconceptions that she holds hurt her too because it doesn’t reflect that ideal image she has of herself or Sasuke because her fantasy romance doesn’t exist. Not even Jun Esaka, her number one fan, can make it believable. Not even the sequel shows how rewarded Sakura was because even if "she got Sasuke", she never got his heart. She never received that love from him, but she can fake it.

Her ideal Sasuke is the one that stays by her side because otherwise she’d “just be as lonely as Sasuke was after the genocide of his family/clan” 👀 even though she made fun of orphans and then was willing to throw away her own friends and family even after Sasuke defended Naruto, all for this fantasy. She’d be willing to make light of Sasuke’s trauma by not giving a shit about her bonds as long as she would be together with him. It is the Sasuke she hopes that admits thinks of her in his heart as she preached about before VotE2, one she hopes she can be relevant enough to save even though she was never able to reach him. She didn’t go through some character assassination, it was always like this. The contrast was deliberate. Naruto said to her and Kakashi that after Pain’s attack, he understood why his words during VotE1 didn’t reach Sasuke. That’s because Naruto went through growth and development. Sakura never cared to find out and her plea is completely irrelevant and focussed on herself. And watch this!! We have a cover of Chapter 231 “a special power” with Naruto where the side text says:

“I won’t look away. I won’t give up. I am fighting for you.”

Which is about Sasuke as this is a Chapter during VotE1.. and then the very next Chapter is Sakura with these words:

“Straight ahead. I think. I wish. I believe. I am.”

Naruto faces what's coming but Sakura is stuck in this me-me-me fantasy. Come on!!!! If anyone doesn’t think any of Kishimoto’s author-narration is deliberate either then I dunno man. This is back-to-back contrast. All the other covers around them look different. There is a lot more of this but the point is, Sakura’s always been the same. Her pain is based on lies for which people blame Kishimoto it to be bad writing even though this is just her character. And that’s not me hating on Sakura, that’s just what it is. If anyone’s going to blame something, blame her lack of development, but that’s not always bad writing if it was a choice that Kishimoto made with a purpose... her selfish love was contrasting to Naruto for a reason. I hope the day exist where people can accept at least that.

It is okay to not like how an author portrayed a character, but don’t blame it on something else when it is a consistent thing, lol. She constantly wants to try and prove herself in a way that would make Naruto and Sasuke (even Tsunade by making fun of her age or her oh-so-dear-friend-Ino that she ditched) less, by putting them down or wanting them to look at her back out of insecurity. She wants to keep up, yet portrays herself as better- ...then fails. Badly. So of course, Sakura is hurt. But no one is to blame but herself and its completely based on her own persistence to be relevant.

___

Sasuke and Naruto share a history of similar pain even though they’re very different, opposites even.

Before that, Sasuke yells at Naruto that he doesn’t understand what it means to lose bonds with the people who are precious to you. And that is true.

But Naruto is scared, confused and about to lose Sasuke. As well as losing Sasuke to Orochimaru whom Naruto very much knows that he wants Sasuke’s body only (as he learned during his fight with Kimimaro too). And Sasuke, to Naruto is a precious bond as established in LoW who also just admitted that Naruto is his closest friend! Not only have they shared secret smiles before they even talked to each other, but Sasuke already sacrificed his own goals twice for Naruto and his body moved on its own to protect him and cushion his falls. Sasuke showed his vulnerable self (what he calls a weakness) to Naruto by showing he cared more about him than his own life. Hence them being so awkward with each other after LoW. Next to Iruka it is the first bond he’s ever had and it’s more than just a bond. Of course he fights so f- hard and would not give up even he didn't quite understand what it meant. Sasuke understands what Naruto means here though as his third tomoe awakens at the thought of breaking that bond with Naruto. Because it hurts.

Kishimoto spends 8(!!!!!!!!!!) pages visualizing how much Sasuke is in pain because of this and then some more. I want everyone to know how absolute insane that is. Not panels, PAGES.

Then, in order to avoid breaking that bond "on a whim" (okay Sasuke), Sasuke sets a resolve to gain power his own way by sacrificing years of his life to go to a man that only wants him for his body because of the resentment towards his brother, but mainly because he couldn’t kill Naruto. And the only way you can do something like going to Orochimaru willingly, knowing what his intentions are even if you’re afraid... is the Shinobi way, to kill your emotions as much as possible (at least not show them which is different, yay to subtext), but when it came to Naruto... Sasuke couldn’t get rid of his emotions and feelings. The only way to break off that bond, his past completely was by getting rid of all of Naruto. All he had left was Naruto. (Sakura who?) And no matter what he said afterwards, his actions speak louder than words. Throughout the story, despite his front, Sasuke is in a lot of pain.

Naruto spends majority of part 2, ‘pining for Sasuke’, which hehe yes, but it’s way more than that, right?

Naruto fought tooth and nail to hold onto his bond with Sasuke and when he was fed information about Sasuke having changed and him just being a mindless criminal, he fought against that too. He constantly questioned whether things were true and didn’t just blindly trusted the people that told them things as Naruto rightfully already doesn’t trust people that well, but despite his limited view, he trusted Sasuke. He never once abandoned him regardless of anything. No matter what he heard or saw, he knew what he felt and he knew that Sasuke would be able to look in his heart (bumping fists through fighting) where his resolve lied which completely contrasts Sakura’s. Naruto wanted to bear Sasuke’s burden together and if it came to it, die. To not be Jinchuriki or Uchiha, to not be pained with the burdens or see Sasuke hurt by them because of it..

Helloooooo~~~

Pain is a large chunk of that understanding between them that ultimately mutually happens as Sasuke says:

.. that they’ll now be able to share the pain in each other’s hearts. Among many other things. That not only did they look inside each other’s hearts, they accepted it all. That Sasuke too will open up to Naruto’s pain, that he accepted him fully, including their shared feelings. And with that, hope and dreams. Naruto and Sasuke in this kind of future where they are Ninja and peace is not certain, will most likely stumble upon conflict but then willingly hurt for the other as they share their burdens since they are able to live and work towards a future they both wished for in a way that doesn’t include self-sacrifice or people-pleasing. That was part of the promise of this chapter....

Naruto and Sasuke.

Not Sakura who decided on her own while lying to everyone to bear the Shinobi burden to kill the one she thinks she loves but doesn't believe in and painted as a changed-for-the-worst criminal because it is too painful for her. Then got brushed off with a brotherly forehead-poke. Wtf. Like actually? Lmao.

"And in general,to which extent do you think Naruto is aware about the nature of his feelings for Sasuke post-vote2?"

Naruto is very aware of his own feelings and it is for sure love. But what else can you say about it with an open-end (699) like that? I'm genuinely not sure but I feel like any more than what we got would've been perfect for a blank period story 🥲

#asktamelee #naruto talk #sns #long post #not for... dedicated sakura fans lets say #I hurt when you hurt #lilasskickergrimes

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