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wispforever · 6 months

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Some thoughts on Itachi

So, I've seen a lot of comments circulating about my tags on this post, and I'm intrigued at the interest. I didn't expect it, as I see much more pigeonholing of Itachi's character than honest to god analysis. No hate- I'm no stranger to Kishimoto's writing. Some of his characters were unfortunately butchered or never given the chance to be developed properly, and Itachi is most certainly no exception. That said, I like to grant him a bit more nuance than I see on most blogs. I think people get a little wrapped up in the supposed "moral implications" of exploring how Itachi was also a victim of the system, as well as someone who victimized many people. But it's silly to equate character analysis and context consideration with condoning genocide.

I have a good laugh every once and a while at the metaphorical gymnastics people do in order to stay in the good graces of a bunch of internet trolls who are just Waiting for any opportunity to tell you you love murder and think it's delicious just because you made a post exploring a character's background. Media is grey; it's layered and wonderfully complex. There are many wrongs and rights in every story, and many wrongs and rights within those wrongs and rights. That's what I love about Naruto. Often times it's really too much like real life. Instead of people being black and white, right or wrong, bad or good- they're usually in a tough situation, trying their best and falling short, don't have all of the information, acting with good intentions or acting on what they believe will bring about a lesser evil, and then end up hurting others.

But it is much easier to assign blame and move on. A so-called bad person will always be the perfect scapegoat for issues bigger than them. In Itachi's case, the fascist government in the Leaf. It's easier to say Itachi could have just refused and decided not to be involved, than to recognize that like almost every other character in the narrative, he was under extreme duress, living in a military state. He was a child whose existence, along with all the other children and adults in the Leaf, was only valuable as long as he could serve as a tool for the war machine in the shinobi world's fucked up political system. And saying this is not the same as saying he was not capable of better decisions or that everything that he did thereafter or in general should not be read critically or subject to hypothetical consequences. It is the same as a saying his actions cannot be fully understood without complete context, and the themes of Naruto will never come through if every villain is just "evil" with no further nuance. And it would be boring too LOL

That said, I love to think about Itachi's situation back then. The ages in Naruto are a bit muddled, a little inconsistent, subject to change and interpretation, but Itachi was a child when he murdered everyone in the Uchiha compound. Most sources say he was 13. It should go without saying that someone so young isn't capable of the same decision-making or critical thinking as say, a 30-year-old, someone whose brain is finished developing and has much more experience on Earth.

Itachi's experience at this point in his life is informed by his age, and it's obviously informed by his childhood, as he has no other place from which to draw conclusions. Itachi grew up in a warring state. He saw people die and was subject to extreme violence in his formative years. To make matters worse, he was taught that war was inevitable and the only thing he could do to guard against it was kill others before they got the chance to kill him (threaten the village). Thusly, Itachi internalized at a very young age that what was in his power was to minimize damage (to himself, to his village, and to the world). What was not in his power was to stop this violence entirely (by adopting a critical mindset and going against fascist powers).

A part of this I think people often forget is that Itachi has absolutely nowhere to adopt this mindset FROM, as even though his father and the other members of the Uchiha clan seek equity in the Leaf, if they were to overthrow the Hokage and create a new system, it would still presumably center around the same ideals (minus, of course, the oppression of the Uchiha as a group). Fugaku is the head of the Uchiha clan at this time. As someone who imposed near impossible performance-related expectations on both of his sons, and withheld love and affection whenever they came up short (so often that it was at the cost of having any considerable emotional bond with either of them), there is absolutely no good reason to believe that Fugaku would reform the Leaf using a non-fascist ideology. And if he did, there is no good reason to believe that he would be some kind of visionary LMAO

This is important to remember because when it comes down to Itachi's decision to either kill everyone in the Uchiha compound and his family, or be part of the coup that would overthrow the Leaf, some people treat it as though it's a choice between fascism and non-fascism, which it most certainly is not. And if it was, Itachi, as a child who had grown up immersed in this ideology, would not be able to appreciate the difference. This context allows us to understand further what Itachi was really weighing in that moment. Accounting for his young age and limited worldview, the only valuable difference in this moment to Itachi was the amount of bloodshed that he would "allow" to happen. Essentially, he sees the options as follows:

Either give in to Danzo and kill everyone in the Uchiha compound, or facilitate a coup where the current government is (hopefully) overthrown and risk starting another war.

Here, Itachi pauses. He has known war. He knows how it affects children, adults, families, and whole nations. The peace he's living in currently is bought with blood, but it's the only peace he's ever known. The alternative is horrifying. And a war in this context, Itachi likely thinks, would be his fault, as he has now been put in the position to "prevent" it. Danzo and the whole shinobi system have groomed him into thinking so. Itachi, at age 13, cannot understand that there would be no war; it exists only as leverage for Danzo's argument at this point. His sensitivities are being played on.

Fugaku, though he is not the same as Danzo, offers about as much help as he does (that being none). Fugaku has no interest in avoiding war; if a war breaks out, it's justified because it will still mean his clan will no longer be living in oppression. This idea is valid, as fascist systems and discrimination can only cease to exist when we rise up against them; unfortunately, this most often calls for righteous violence, as the oppressive powers will not be moved with peaceful shows (not to mention they are willing to go to extreme lengths to avoid losing their hold on the people they have crushing power over, i.e. the Uchiha massacre). But Fugaku has no words to explain this to Itachi, who fears the worst and further fears being responsible for the worst. All he does is act as if it's a moral failing that his 13-year-old son is unwilling to stage a coup, which he believes could mark the abrupt end of a peace that's only just begun.

That said, let it be known that Itachi does appreciate this situation with SOME nuance, though it isn't of the kind that might have enabled him to see he was being manipulated. He at the very least understands that Danzo is a warmonger and oppresses those he fears (the Uchiha). He understands that the rights of his clan have been sorely disrespected, and that the issue needs correction. He understands the anger of his friends and family. This is why it takes him much deliberation before he can even come close to making a decision. He plays both sides right up until the end, listening to Danzo, as well as Fugaku and Shisui, paying attention to the current atmosphere in the Leaf as he tries to decide.

It is something he doesn't want to do. Here's where I get to the part I put in the tags of my drawing.

In this situation, it's almost worthless to write an analysis about Itachi's feelings at this time, his understanding of what was actually going on, his loyalty to his clan or his loyalty to the Leaf, because really, he could not grasp it. He was never prepared for this. He never knew he would be asked to make a decision he could only understand as "your family or the world?"

Itachi was put in a position that had no happy ending. There was no decision he could make that would not hurt. That could not result in a cataclysm that split him right down the middle. There was no version of this story that a 13-year-old could carry out thinking "I have done the right thing."

And that's the important part. Both sides asked him to make this decision, and so both sides are guilty of placing an immeasurable pressure on a child who should never have been put in such a position. Regardless of ideology, regardless of price, regardless of oppression or loyalty or devotion or any other thing- someone else should have made this decision for Itachi. Someone else should have been responsible. An adult, at the very least. Someone who COULD understand the implications of both options. Someone who COULD go forward and appreciate the evil of fascism and know that a coup was necessary. Itachi was never capable of such a thing. If he made the "wrong" decision, than every child who can't explain to you what a fascist government in a military state looks like and explain what the difference is between a hate crime and resisting a hateful power, is also wrong. Here is the nuance. These are things a 13-year-old in this universe cannot be expected to understand unless they are taught. And Itachi had no teacher. Quite the opposite. There were only forces pressing him from both sides, saying "choose."

Had his father done this for him, had Shisui been in this position, had any other adult Uchiha acting as a spy been put to this task, it would be a much different narrative. But of course, it had to be Itachi, who Danzo knew he could manipulate. It had to be a child, someone skilled enough to do the job, but inexperienced enough, afraid enough, to be willing to sacrifice everything they had to see the mission through. Someone you could whisper "greater good" to and have them hand over their well being on a plate. Someone who didn't understand they had the power and strength to destroy the system threatening them.

On a narrative level, Itachi exists to illustrate this point. How young people are systematically indoctrinated to serve a greater purpose, be it under a specific government, religion, or otherwise. We see it in real life fascism, in real life cults. There's no mistake. It isn't an accident that Itachi's story begins like this.

Which brings me to the rest of his life. The reason I drew the picture in the post referenced at the top. Itachi's character is a bit of a mystery the rest of the anime. Be that because of bad writing or an intentional omission, his motives, thoughts, and opinions are largely left ambiguous. However, there are still a few moments that interest me as far as the implications of his development.

When Itachi first comes back to the Leaf village, he faces Kakashi. On the one hand, this could simply be a narrative tool- the big bad meets the big good. He takes Kakashi out of commission! The first rogue shinobi we see who is able to defeat the pillar of the Leaf, the Copy Ninja, and without even breaking a sweat!

On the other hand, I find the brutality of Itachi's attack very intriguing. Again, it could be the tough guy act, but he's able to keep three jonin busy easily using standard genjutsu (with the help of Kisame). It wouldn't be a stretch to say that using the tsukuyomi is overkill, and at a considerable price, we learn later.

Why then would Itachi, who has been shown to have excellent battle intelligence, who is strategic to a fault, be willing to jeopardize his health among other things just to... scare the Leaf? Make sure Kakashi wouldn't be a nuisance in the future? Sure, the last one would make collecting Naruto less complicated, but they dispatched Kakashi easily enough, and surely Jiraiya, who Naruto was with at the time, would pose a bigger problem than Kakashi.

It doesn't make strategic sense, which makes me wonder if Itachi has a special animosity toward Kakashi. Being his superior in the ANBU before the Uchiha massacre, someone who was willing to conduct surveillance of the Uchiha compound without question, Kakashi could have become a symbol of the indifference of the Leaf for Itachi. He could very well have been a reminder of the inoperable position Itachi was put in when he was still a child, and Kakashi, of course, was an adult. Another adult who did nothing. Noticed nothing. Did not help Itachi.

And while I'm certain that Kakashi would have taken severe issue with the goings on in the Leaf at that time, judging by his reaction when he finds out the truth in Shippuden, Itachi knows him only by what he did then. Facilitated surveillance of the Uchiha compound, was a supportive superior, but nothing greater. A bystander whose compassion, while well meaning, was entirely unhelpful.

I don't think it's far fetched that Itachi fucking crucified Kakashi because he was so angry at what being in the Leaf did to him. At some point, as he got older, he realized how terrible it was. He realized there were people like him. Children who were "born killers". Pawns in the game of the shinobi powers.

After leaving the village, Itachi joins the Akatsuki, who are also seeking peace through war (another story). He is supposed to spy for them, but doesn't follow through in any enthusiastic way (that we're shown). He works alone for quite some time, or else with a group (briefly he was shown with Conan and Kakuzu). He is partners with Orochimaru before he's expelled from the Akatsuki. He is partners with one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He grows up and meets many people, sees lots of stories unfold. He learns that he isn't in a minority. Many shinobi are just like him.

And then, as an adult, he is partnered with Kisame, who he finds excellent camaraderie with because of their similar backgrounds. We see in this relationship that he understands what happened to him and what he did enough to acknowledge that, while neither of them are monsters, as many people say, they are human. And humans make mistakes. Humans are complicated. Wrong and right and wrong and right. They understand each other, and Itachi understands more clearly what the world puts these children up to. What it forces shinobi to become. That it isn't all his fault, but he still did it. And so he is responsible. He appears to be able to live with that.

But when he returns to the Leaf, those feelings bubble up. He hates the Leaf. He hates that system. He hates what he did. Maybe he even hates being a shinobi, how his excellence was weaponized, how being an Uchiha doomed him and his clan. And for what?

Itachi is played as a character who is only sensible, only logical, only interested in practical things, has nothing to express. But the way he behaves toward Kakashi in that moment bares all his grief and anger. I just like to think about it. We have so few moments where we get to see Itachi genuinely. The fight with Kakashi, the Sasuke/Deidara fight, his thoughtful moments with Kisame. Just makes me wonder what could've been if Itachi's story had gone a little differently.

Anyway, if anyone would like me to expand on any points or has additional thoughts, feel free to hop in my ask box or leave a comment. Thanks for the interest, I love to talk.

#this is wisp #itachi uchiha #analysis

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sasukeless · 2 months

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2 If you’re still doing the controversial ask game

2) was sasuke right?

ahh this billion dollar question isn’t it. i feel like this is the top 1 most discussed thing on this app for years, i have read every side of it.

to give #my opinion, im gonna go with yes. but its far more complicated, like most things are with naruto lol. i believe sasuke is right because he sees there’s a flaw in the existing system around him and to finally do something about it the only way to do that it’s to get ride of the system from the root.

now, as much as i agree with sasuke there i don’t agree with the way he tries to do that revolution. i dont mean this in a “oh violence wont be fixed with more violence” bs. i mean this because where sasuke’s goals are born for and how they affect his plans.

when sasuke finishes listening to the kages and it’s coming up with his thoughts, he immediately is bombarded by memories of itachi (itachi only, not his clan) and itachi’s words to him. when he states he will not let the village be destroyed he does it by adding “itachi’s will”. when sasuke is dying in the war arc his only thoughts again are that he doesn’t want to waste what itachi wanted to die. this shows us very clearly that sasuke’s revolution is very influenced by itachi’ wants. a little different, sure but still the same. which makes sense why his goal at vote2 is destroy the last person he loves and bear the hatred of everyone so the villages can have peace between them as long as they focus all on him. and this is quite what itachi did, just on a bigger scale. naruto = uchiha clan. the villages = konoha. sasuke = itachi.

^this is where many people complain that kishimoto had to turn sasuke ooc to make him evil and i can see what they mean but personally i dont view it as such when i look at what sasuke’s arc has always been. i have seen also that they dislike that post reveal sasuke’s character seems to be focus on itachi more than in his clan like in part 1 which i also disagree. itachi has been sasuke’s main influence in his character since day one. even in part 1, sasuke’s hate towards itachi isn’t just because he killed his clan, kishimoto focuses alot in showing itachi and sasuke having a loving relationship. kishimoto is very specific that sasuke’s biggest grief at the end of the day is not the massacre alone but the fact it was itachi who committed it. this is essentially what sets sasuke aside of other characters that lost their family/clans/parents etc. its not only what he lost but by who’s hands he lost it. so his focus has always been in itachi. so i dont think it was only part 2 that sasuke became more driven by itachi than anything else… anyways going back to the topic because im going off the rails (sorry).

sasuke has always had itachi first imo. and sasuke has always been defined by love too so ofc he’s gonna forgive the person he loves even if he doesn’t deserve it, ofc he’s gonna try to achieve that peace his brother “sacrificed” his life for (even if thru different means that he wanted you to). but while i understand and love sasuke’s character, i still think these are all very personal reasons for his revolution plans and thus why it fails.

his revolution plans are also self destructive but he doesn’t care because he still views it as his ultimate duty (again why he was so distraught when he was about to die without doing anything). he wants to become the bearer of all evil, and pain and hatred and wants to be all alone, even tho that is something that has caused alot of his pain in the past, he even talks about possible immortality and its just, well sad. you can tell hes about to sell his own doom because he thinks thats what he has to do to fix everything. he is ready to become a martyr. and forgive me but i view as that as a very tragic

so while i will always view him as being in the right, because when you put him in comparasion to most characters that doesnt realize whats wrong w the shinobi world, he will always come as one of the few that actually isn’t blind (even if its framed as bad for pointing that the system needs to be destroyed), i still dont think his plans are the right ones

#ask game #whats great about sasuke is that hes a very complex and layered character I will day THE MOST complex and also consistently developed in #the manga #unfortunately theres alot of bias when it comes to reading him #sorry this took me this long to answer i wanted to put all my thoughts but also i dont think i did completely idk #if theres typos in this I am sorry #mine

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leportraitducadavre · 2 months

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How do you feel about Haku and Zabuza, and what was introduced in the Land of Waves that contained elements of genocide and the purging of the Hidden Mist? I'm just curious to know your thoughts on them and the structure the first arc provided

Haku introduced something that was later deepened with Sasuke's character and story. While Haku's experience is similar to Sasuke's, both contexts differ in that Haku knew from a young age the persecution of people like him (and his mother), while the discrimination of the Uchiha clan was much more specific as it was focused on one particular family.

The first arc introduces such matters, yet it does little to bring light to Konoha's particular case, which will become the plot's main focus later on. While it's established that Tobirama was the one that created the bureaucratic system that Konoha follows and which was used as a model for the rest,

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each village's relationship with kekkei genkai users varies, although every single one persecuted or discriminated against those with such techniques.

Kekkei Genkai are feared -therefore, those who possess them are persecuted/killed. While what he says is solely linked to Mist, the weariness towards those with such bloodlines is clearly universal as these individuals possessed the most "natural advantages" for combat out of most (likely, hidden techniques were created for a similar purpose).

Tobirama’s reason for discriminating against the Uchiha was because of how their doujutsu developed and evolved, and nothing of his weariness was overcome by those who came after him, as we see Haku, from another village and generation, suffering the consequences of a fear born on the Warring State Era. Kakashi is particularly accepted because he has the Sharingan but not the blood/chakra of a Uchiha as he’s not part of the bloodline.

Furthermore, Sasuke is directly mentioned in the exchange, Naruto even links Haku’s words to Sasuke’s goal: To kill someone (Itachi who killed his clan because of the fear they installed in the power-ups: they were accused and punished for controlling the Kyuubi without a shred of single evidence, Itachi even canonically states later on that there’s “no hope for this clan” meaning, those who carry the bloodline).

Haku's admission of feeling lonely and unwanted can be directly reflected in Sasuke's character and it's a comparison that Naruto makes for himself; all three children were shunned and abandoned for something they had no control over nor chose to have, and there's a system that not only turns a deaf ear to such issues but also encourages it.

There’s an interaction between Tazuna and Kakashi, where Kakashi mentions that a previous Hokage (we aren’t told whom) taught his people to “fight for what is right”, selling the idea to the civilian in front of him that his hidden village (specifically) is the “good” side against the “evil” side (Zabuza, Gato -even other hidden villages). However, this particular speech of Kakashi, which he gives solely to Tazuna and not to his subordinates (who, by Tazuna’s standards are children), clashes with the prior idea that “missions’ feuds are high and we do what we are paid to do” (assassinations or babysitting). Meaning: there’s a narrative to be told to civilians to shape their view of shinobi (particularly Konoha’s), and the actual reality that only Team 7 (as ninjas), gets to see. In addition, during Kakashi’s second fight against Zabuza (CH 30), Kakashi states that Konoha (therefore, he), knows about the swordsman’s attempt to coup and kill the current Mizukage -alongside his wish to raise funds to attempt another coup after his failure. We learned previously thanks to Haku’s background that there’s a bloodline cleansing currently happening in Mist; a genocide on such a large scale can’t be kept secret that long -furthermore, there’s no indication that the murders are happening quietly either since those who possessed Kekkei Genkai were pushed to hide their bloodline; and if Konoha knows about Zabuza and his attempt to take over the government, then they surely know about the reasons behind it. What I mean by this is what follows: Kakashi and Konoha claim that they fight for “the right thing” to those civilians they encounter, but do nothing -neither military nor diplomatically, to stop those massacres from occurring (nor do they take a stance against them either, as it reduces Mist numbers and weakens their military power). They’re still pretty much in touch with the Mizukage that carried out/ordered such killings, for his government was the one that told Konoha about Zabuza’s attempted coup when declaring him rogue.

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The first arc is a great introductory arc; it establishes the notion of blood cleansing, discrimination, how shinobi fight for whoever pays their feeds, how uncomfortable many are with the idea of being tools, who the main characters in the dispute are (Naruto and Sasuke) and upon which ground they stand to carry out their respective actions against the system that aggravated them.

Naruto, even by the end of the arc, never disputed the idea of moving to reach his goal outside Konoha's system, as he never stated he wanted to stop being a ninja:

We are also shown how shinobi who go against the system are considered rogue (Zabuza), so Naruto stating that he'll create his own ninja path (fighting alongside the system) automatically puts Sasuke, who'll become the antagonist, outside that political bubble, turning him into a missing-nin.

I really like this arc and I'm glad it's the first one, I don't think it's the best one in the manga as many inside the fandom claim.

#naruto #naruto meta #haku #zabuza

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emberswrites · 11 months

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Have people considered the possibility that one can make mistakes, fuck up, do or say the wrong thing and - wait for it - not be a horrible person still? Still have done good and cared? Might actually be a rather decent person who erred?

I think fandom discourse and just general irl discourse around this stuff is very funny.

Yes this is about Kakashi haters because they all seem to think his imperfection and faults make him a shitty guy. This is not at all to say you have to like the guy either - it’s just to say this doesn’t make his character inherently a bad person or teacher. And I struggle to think of any adult in Sasuke’s life post-massacre who cares for him the way Kakashi did.

This is why being a Kakashi and Sasuke fan is annoying because there’s so many pro-Sasuke Kakashi haters and vice versa. How are you gonna recognize Konoha sucks and simultaneously dismiss the profound ways in which it fucked Kakashi up and how much it would take to undo that? Man’s been a shinobi since age 5 and then proceeded to have a horribly traumatic existence for the rest of his formative years into adulthood and you expect him to be the perfect sensei and counsellor for the only two shinobi likely more fucked up than he is. And refuse to acknowledge all the ways he subverts the expectations when he does, and actually does take care of his students and cares about them? Doesn’t actually trauma dump on Sasuke because what exactly does Sasuke, or any of team 7, know about him? Yeah, not much at all because he doesn’t talk about himself and it’s a big sin he tells Sasuke he’s also experienced profound loss when desperate to get him to resist the pull of the dude who wants to turn Sasuke into a skin suit. He probably should have talked more to Sasuke about his life and experiences, if anything. And how are you gonna support Kakashi who was so very stomped on and used by the system and hate Sasuke for wanting to change it? Neither makes sense.

Gives the impression that anyone who doesn’t react the way you deem correct or who isn’t radical enough is just bad and evil - and this applies to anti- and pro-Sasuke and anti- and pro-Kakashi people equally. These characters are both complex, nuanced, wonderful and flawed. Dissecting the show with psychology and sociology is fine and whatever but then acting like the characters should behave in some accordant way to be good or moral and like it’s black and white just doesn’t make sense because we don’t expect that in real life and media would be very boring if we expected that in fiction.

It’s very purity culture adjacent, the need for neat boxes and perfect representations of things.

#nrt ramblings #idk i just get excited sometimes and then so sigh but they hate the other one looool #it is your right ofc but that's why i am so happy when i see kakashi fans who also love sasuke and vice versa

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purpleajisai · 4 months

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Madara Week Day 2 - Christ/Antichrist

The Saviour of this World and the Christ: A comparative analysis of Madara Uchiha and Jesus Christ

It’s Christmas time. Christians all over the world are preparing themselves for what they consider one of the most joyful holidays in the year: the birth of the Messiah, He who came to redeem the world. Meanwhile, the Madara enthusiasts are making a countdown for the birthday of the man who tried to save the ninja world by sacrificing his very self. In this meta, I intend to explain the connections, similarities and differences between Madara Uchiha and Jesus Christ that I’ve found over the years. I would also recommend to read “Is Madara our Lord and Saviour?” by @al-hekima-madara-blog for another very interesting meta on the topic. This is my contribution to day 2 of Madara Week, hosted by @uchiha-event.

A quick note before I start my rambling: I will be using the Douay-Rheims translation of the Bible (Roman Catholic translation), but there shouldn’t be any problem for readers of Protestant background as the difference between the Bibles used by both denominations are in the Old Testament and our focus will be the New Testament.

“I am here to save the world”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 677

For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him.

John 3:17

What is the purpose of Madara in this story? One would be tempted to say “because every shonen needs a villain”, but I think his purpose as a character was to expose the flaws within the shinobi system that ultimately corrupted a man who desired peace into someone whose sense of reality became so warped by the situations in his life that he started a war to achieve said peace. Madara didn’t make the Eye of the Moon plan to be evil and act dramatic, he made it with the final objective of launching an eternal dream that would guarantee no more conflict and the ideal life for anyone within it. He’s already been past judging the world, he wants to save it at the expense of himself. This is similar to how God is presented in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament: we first see a God who insists that his law is followed and that chastises those who trespass and disobey in several ocassions. But once we reach the New Testament, he becomes a loving figure that intends to save people from eternal doom in hell (”reality is hell”, anyone?). The point is that we have a man whose purpose in the world is to cleanse all forms of evil thorugh his being and who wants to bring salvation to anyone, regardless if the world agrees or not.

“I come here to bring you light and joy in a life that’s beyond this reality”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 626

Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live.

John 11:25

What does Madara mean when he says that “you can’t see it”? After following the storyline we conclude that he’s talking about the Eye of the Moon plan. Let’s add some tangents here, the people who were directly involved in the plan and helped Madara one way or another. They had no clue about what would happen exactly but they were convinced by the prospect of a peaceful life free of their struggles. In a certain way, they believed in Madara. The exact same thing can be seen with Jesus, who promises eternal life beyond the death of the physical body. Nobody knows how Heaven looks like but the believers trust him on that promise.

“I bring peace”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 661

These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world

John 16:33

Notice how Madara refers to the current state of the shinobi world as “Hashirama’s world”? In Christianity and the Bible, it is a common practice to separate “the world” and “the believers” as entities with entirely different mindsets and values. Madara sees the world as direct consequence of his nemesis, Hashirama, just as Christians see the evil in the world as the direct consequence of the sins of Lucifer. To “overcome the world”, when applied to Madara, refers to how he intends to use a power whose source is unknown (the power of the Sage of Six Paths) in order to end the paradox of Hashirama’s world. He is going to achieve peace to overwrite the current world and install his own world where the paradox is solved.

“I intend for you to acquire new identity within me”

Naruto Shippuden, chapter 665

If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

I picked two of the letters in the New Testament in purpose, you may have noticed that the previous quotes come from the Gospel of John. Because the Gospel of John is a retelling of what Jesus did and said, whereas the letters (mostly from the apostle Paul) are reflections of the lives of the apostles after Jesus was gone. Similarly, Obito becomes Madara once Madara dies in the cave and walks in his shoes. Yesterday, I wrote a bit more about how Madara decomposed his humanity for the sake of his dream of peace. Here, we have Madara giving up his identity to anyone who embraces his goal, similarly to how Jesus signifies a brotherhood of believers. Madara also never writes down his autobiography or gets a space to present his POV, just as how all of what we know from Jesus is from the people close to him, not by his own word. In a sense, both become an entity for like-minded people to work towards a certain goal.

Thank you for reading this far, if you have any questions please use the ask box. It’s always a pleasure to have discussions and to talk about my favourite anime emo man.

#madara #madara uchiha #uchiha madara #naruto meta #purple's meta #madara week 2023 #madaraweek2023

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madelinemayfair · 2 months

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I still have a feeling that changing the shinobi system should have been the result of the story... :/

No matter who we meet in this story, no matter how potentially evil they seem... They all have become that way BECAUSE of the system.

Chio made a point that Sasori became that way because of Sunagakures' customs. A lot of evil was done to "protect" the shinobi system, like the Uchiha-Genocide... Hell, even Madara and Pain wanted a better world, even if they were misguided about this.

The only truly villainous characters are those who directly profit from this corrupt system.

Naruto and Sasuke together should have brought times of peace. Times where fighting shouldn't have been necessary.

Instead, with Boruto and the random aliens everything just continues and gets more and more ridiculous.

They robbed us of a good ending in sooo many ways.

Yeah... I would count this as foreshadowing to an ending we never got...

#anti naruto ending

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team7-headquarter · 1 year

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The thing about Naruto being Hokage and why the execution of such concept is so tricky is that every other Hokage was practically a genius.

I'm not saying Naruto is not smart (he tricked a goddess with a sexy jutsu, after al), or that every other Hokage was better than him 'cause they were book smart or whatever. What I'm saying is that every other Hokage was more versed on stuff like politics and negotiations, were a bit more crude or realistic or at least had more experience.

Naruto is not fool. He's not a little kid too busy dreaming to do something about the world. I don't mean to undermine his capacity of learning, nor deny that he could become a great Hokage.

The thing is —he needs training.

And yeah he's the strongest shinobi in the world and there's no one more qualify to protect the village (he proved that several times). But we're talking about governing. Not only paperwork, but what's behind the paperwork. We're talking about decisions like sending some kids to possibly die in crazy missions. We're talking about malicious and dark stuff. Choosing a side in a conflict between allies. Dealing with greedy no-shinobi politicians. Interfering with clan politics. Making people mad. Dealing with bad consequences of good actions.

You could argue that all the leaders of the world became besties after the last war and I could say that's one of the most bullshit decisions of the manga. This is a shonen, I know. But if you meant to have a continuation of some sort, I think you'd have to acknowledge that peace can't last. You don't even need an entire family of gods to reach that conclusion. You don't even need to mess with space and time. All you need is to wait for the tiny conflicts to accumulate. Evil shinobis wanting to wreck havoc, some misunderstandings, even just climate catastrophes or the consequences of a past you can't erase.

In the end, you can't be loyal to the entire world. And while Naruto did fight in a war, the nature of it was not the same as the other wars. There was no big common bad back then, just flawed people being flawed people.

When I say every other Hokage was a genius on their own ways, I mean this:

Hashirama was a founder of the hidden villages, a political solution to protect the shinobis, balance the entire world and further the progress of society.

Tobirama did almost everything in Konoha's system, including the Academy, and he is arguably the best Hokage when it comes to modernization, politics, jutsu creation and being realistic.

Tsunade changed the entire landscape of how wars were fought by introducing the importance of having a medic nin in every team (or close to it).

Minato proved to be not only the strongest but the smartest shinobi in Konoha, without kekkei genkai or any clan; he was second to Tobirama (in my opinion) in terms of Hokage intelligence in politics and such.

Hiruzen was the student of both the first and the second Hokages, and even when he made a lot of bullshit decisions (LIKE A LOT), he had the experience of having lived through almost every war and kept Konoha running after Tobirama died.

Kakashi has been making war decisions since his childhood. Bloody, ugly, dark decisions. A prodigy who became an anbu at childhood, with a mind capable of adapting on the run, capable of quickly analyzing any situation. Again, more versed in politics and such.

Naruto needs training. He needs instruction, he needs to study. He needs to mature further still. But when I read about the blank period, all I read is about him falling in love with Hinata, teaching the kids on the Academy, etc.

I personally want Naruto to be the best leader he could be, 'cause I grew up supporting his dream of becoming Hokage. I want to see him succeed! What I don't want is the implication that someone else has to do the job for him. I want Naruto to be able to discuss shinobi politics with Shikamaru, not because Naruto is a genius, but because he loves his village and he's willing to work hard for it. I want a Naruto that has his own thoughts about shinobi children, about orphans and families and civilians and clans. I want a Naruto that learns all he could about the origin of Konohagakure and tries to reach other Uzumakis and give them a home. Stuff like that.

Every other Hokage was practically a genius but competing with geniuses never stopped Naruto. He's stubborn and he loves with his entire heart and he doesn't give up. He mastered the rasengan in a couple of days. He won his match against Neji in the Chunnin Exams, defeated Pain and Nagato. He is not stupid or incompetent, okay? And that's what I want to see when I'm presented with the future of him being Hokage.

#naruto #naruto uzumaki #Hokage #Naruto Hokage #Naruto Shippuden #Konoha #Konohagakure #hashirama senju #Tobirama senju #Tsunade senju #Minato Namikaze #Minato Uzumaki #Kakashi hatake #hiruzen sarutobi

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abattre · 1 month

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It's actually so disappointing that Naruto's narrative took the route that it did. Kishimoto created an incredibly interesting world and premise, and ruined it by having everything amount to a shallow message of forgiveness that undermines almost every meaningful element in the story. And it's like,, I want to appreciate the world outside of the plot, but the moral framing of the story makes it virtually impossible because of how disingenuous it is. It completely undermines the audience's understanding of the tragedy and horror of the world so that Naruto becoming Hokage and being the most powerful person in the world by the end doesn't come across as distasteful as it actually is.

Like it's made abundantly clear throughout the story that the village system, and Shinobi society as a whole, is incredibly flawed. Kishimoto goes out of his way to show us that Konoha's council is made up of objectively horrible people. We see first hand how the council's short-sighted ideas of what 'protecting the village' means results in devastating tragedy for people both in Konoha and outside of it. It's clear in how Danzo and the rest of the council act that their atrocious behaviour is them just blatantly abusing their power to maintain their authority. The council has no remorse in anything they do; human experimentation, genocide, slavery, and blatant exploitation is all fair game to them if it preserves their status quo. And instead of maybe, like, addressing Konoha's skewed morality in a sensible way and setting the village up for reform, the narrative just tries forcing the audience to perceive Konoha's genuinely heinous actions as necessities. Which, you know, will work when you're like 8, but once you've grown up and developed some reading comprehension and critical thinking,,, it just feels annoyingly manipulative.

At its core, Naruto is a story that attempts to deconstruct morality. Like this is abundantly clear in how Kishimoto is constantly paralleling the dichotomy of good and evil literally every chance he gets. In the end though, this dichotomy just doesn't work in the context of the Naruto story because the narrative framing of the village being the good guys is just hysterically ridiculous. Konoha is an awful place, that does awful things, and is run by awful people that refuse to change anything because it benefits them for the village to remain awful forever. To anyone with a developed sense of media literacy the village cannot in any way be framed as morally good, so when the story resolves itself with Naruto becoming next in line to govern Konoha under the same unchanging authoritarian regime, with the same council supporting him because of his sheer physical prowess and complete dedication to their twisted ideology,,, it's honestly just an incredibly underwhelming conclusion to a story that made itself out to be more profound than it actually is.

If I had to guess, I imagine Kishimoto just didn't think through how negatively the world he created would reflect on the plot. Ultimately though, you can't write a moral story that's so deeply entrenched in real world social inequity and decide halfway through that because you don't know how to fix these things your story's going to have to be about how they're actually okay to be doing and perpetuating,,, like that is awful and also a terrible lesson to impart on an audience of children. With how serious the issues are in Shinobi society, trying to resolve things with the power of friendship was always going to fall flat. These broad scale injustices can't be brushed aside in that way without undermining their severity and diminishing the understandable impact they had on the characters that experienced such extreme oppression. That's essentially the trap that Naruto's conclusion falls into though, and so the story just ends up feeling incomplete and unfulfilling because none of the issues brought up are actually addressed or discussed with the gravity they deserve.

#i guess kishimoto was hoping the aliens would distract us or something #i love the naruto world but i can't stand the pro-konoha rhetoric like it's just so bad #anti konoha #anti naruto ending #anti shinobi system #pro uchiha #pro sasuke uchiha #pro neji hyuuga

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akatsukitrash · 2 months

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1, 2, 3, 6, 7, [SWERVES TO AVOID 8 I'M SURE WE AGREE] 9, 12, and 20 for tobirama i'm a greedy hog

HIIII

Character Ask Game

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Honestly, I don't even remember the first time I saw him. I watched Naruto during my entire childhood, so at most I must've been 5 or 6 when I saw his fight against Hiruzen, and I don't believe he stuck out to baby me. But during the War arc, while I was entirely focused on Madara, he appeared. And for some reason, that one panel with the four Hokages back from the dead are what did it to me. He was the one my eyes kept going back to. It might not be the only reason I like him, but his unique character design is definitely what drew me to him at first. He became one of my favourite characters soon after thanks to his dynamic with Hashirama and Orochimaru. I like that there is so much to explore in his character, so much hidden under the surface. He's very compelling to me.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

His being so hard working. It's just so interesting to me, and makes him feel more human rather than another effortless genius. Fun fact, he's ranked 3rd most hardworking character in the entire verse, after Gai and Lee.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

He never gets really confronted to how terrible Konoha is (being told without any details that the Uchiha "are no more" isn't really much of a confrontation to the dark side of the system he helped create) and so he never questions his ideals and aside from a half-hearted admission that Madara's plan isn't so bad, he doesn't ever think of a better way for peace to happen. Hell, he just blames that war solely on Madara like he's the source of all evil. It's very annoying bc it makes his character feel static - he never learns about his mistakes nor is forced to confront other point of views (Madara briefly talks to him but a) Madara dislikes Tobirama for obvious reasons so he's not trying to recruit him and b) Kishimoto decided Madara is an irredeemable villain for doing less crimes than the average Konoha shinobi and so he would not write Tobirama questioning his beliefs). Basically he's a state dog and dies that way.

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Oh this is gonna be sad. Well not to reveal too much of my own Tragic Backstory on my blog (unlockable at Level 5 of Friendship for mutuals though!), I relate a lot to the loneliness and jealousy he must've felt as a child. It's another thing that drew me to him, because the flashback isn't even from his point of view nor does Hashirama dwell on how things must be for his brother. He lost Itama and Kawarama, and Hashirama was more interested in his friend than in Tobirama's feelings (mind you it's not Hashirama's responsibility to deal with that, he was a child soldier himself wrestling with insane amounts of grief and guilt, but I get why baby Tobirama would be upset). And having to deal with an abusive parent on top of it all, while expected to not bother anyone with his feelings...yeah. Another less sad thing we have in common is that we're both mad scientists. I'm not elaborating.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Explore the complexity of his character and feelings! He's such a tertiary character, I genuinely didn't expect so many people to take such a liking to him, and especially to still discuss him, his past, his actions nearly 10 years after the ending. He's taken seriously by a good chunk of the Founders' fandom and I really like that. It's rare for a character I like to not get treated like absolute dog shit (anti tobirama fans who? let's pretend they don't exist shall we).

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Probably, yes. Honestly it's likely he'd be the one yelling after me to do chores than the other way around.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Cooking is like therapy for him. Originally, he wasn't allowed in the kitchen due to his blindness, but Butsuma tends to have a hard time saying no to him + is generally not an ableist parent, so he eventually let him and he learnt on his own. He's very good at it, and it helps him feel grounded when he's anxious. He hates it when someone messes with his kitchen though. Don't change the spices placements or he'll kill you.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Touka! She's described in the databook as Hashirama's close associate, but I like to think she was the boys' best friend (it's the entire basis of But in this twilight, our choices seal our fate, really). He and Touka develop a very beautiful friendship throughout the years. I also like to think he would've gotten along with Deidara very well. I know! I'm making connections with characters who could never interact but hear me out. Deidara INVENTED a DOJUTSU just to counter Sharingan genjutsu. I feel that's smth that'd get Tobirama's nerdy ass squealing in delight. I can see them spend hours discussing jutsus. Plus I feel Deidara is calm enough to not anger Tobirama nor awaken his Mother Instincts (like Naruto does). There is the little issue of Deidara being an anti government terrorist and Tobirama being, well, the government, but if that wrinkle is smoothed out, I think they'd have a blast together. Pun unintended

Thanks for the ask!!!

#tobirama senju

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tamelee · 5 months

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you say you domn't like the reincarnation twist but how will madara and sasuke awaken rinnegan? how would sosp will give sasuke and naruto six paths powers?

Well, I don't think it'd be too difficult?

Frustration ahead;

Hagoromo, the full package, wanted to reform the philosophy of Shinobi as the power was divided and people didn't understand each other etc-. He had the Rinnegan. The whole idea behind the way he wanted to reform things was that the divided yin/yang could come together (also the Theme of understanding each other, his sons divided etc etc) and thus, two of the opposite together can build everything (like Hagoromo) as Yin-release can create something out of nothing (like genjutsu or manipulating shadow like Shikamaru) and Yang-release can bring it to life (Choji becoming bigger for example). It's mental and physical energy. Even if it is said that either can be inherited, it's not hereditary by default.. it's a foundation for all sorts of chakra. Being an Uchiha doesn't 'make you automatically yin' and same for Senju with Yang. Some Jutsu also use yin and yang, but not at the same time. However, Naruto made a whole eye for Kakashi and this was yin-yang release as well as Hagoromo creating the tb's. Kurama's halves were divided by yin/yang as well. Naruto having Yang, his father yin, together it is 'complete' and thus more powerful. These are all the same concepts. Why would Naruto need the hermit's power if he could've gotten more powerful in a different way?

Okay, so? That all makes sense, why then add the whole Indra/Ashura thing?! 😩 It's so unnecessary idc. It says in the data that Hagaromo's chakra could be obtained by combining Indra and Ashura's, but if the concept of yin/yang already exists in the world... THEN WHY GIVE IT A NAME AND BODY as an external source for the story?! It's the same thing as explaining where 'Chakra' came from. We don't need that. Find a way to add 'yang' in a way to the Sharingan (yin) and we could've had Madara as our main 'villain' because he found a way to do it by eating Hashirama... 🤷🏻‍♀️ And if that's too easy because literally anyone could've done it.. THEN. GOOD. Away with the whole fate/destiny thing through stalker-Chakra as well. It only makes Madara's motivation to perform the IT that much more powerful and it doesn't erase some of the impact his past had on him either. In fact he now only relies on his own experiences. We don't need Zetsu to come and manipulate anyone or the aliens 'will' because why, in a world like 'Naruto' does anyone need to be manipulated when the system very much allows characters to act out and fight back themselves, hm? Had Zetsu not been seeking 'reincarnations' (Chakra) then their motivations couldn't have been anything other than their own. And I know you could argue about it and say this already is case. Good, then why introduce it in the first place? Even Orochimaru found a way to 'implant' Hashirama's powers into a child (Yamato) so it's not like anything is impossible. Why 'derive Madara from his powers' just so you can introduce aliens later -.-? (For 'boruto', yeah I know.) It was so.... strange to just kill him off lamely and make him look like he was simply used when that doesn't suit him or his background story imo AT ALL and then switch him randomly for rabbit alien lady who frankly... didn't even do anything but just float around all evil-y. Like who even are you, do we care? No. And if Naruto and Sasuke together (THE ENTIRE POINT) are the answer of the whole 'working together'-thing and 'understanding one another', they could've done all of this without the cheap power-up!!! And have the entire 'power-up' be simply the fact THEY WORK TOGETHER and their entire journeys up until this point where Naruto fought tooth and nail to understand Sasuke by himself. Maybe even combine yin-yang release and morph it into something new if that by default means you can do anything. WHY RELY ON THE POWER-UP!? D'ykwim???

AND ALSO, if it was absolutely necessary to add an element of resistance to their bond in order to make them fighting back against fate/destiny that wanted to pull them apart be more impactful (as it is!)... Then don't ruin it by vaguely implying otherwise later with this bs!!! Even if the story doesn't say that exactly, enough casual readers/watchers mistook what it meant and I don't blame them for it at all. And did their trauma and personal goals not do that enough already BECAUSE they were so different??! It's entirely personal already! Their bond has nothing to do with any of it!!! They can combine their powers because they are compatible with their natures too, Naruto even said it himself. They naturally created a new, combined Jutsu during the war and had a great time doing so. And if that's the case then why make the yin/yang thing so difficult when it was THIS easy for them regarding elements??? When they can look at each other and go to a private place just for themselves. They are ~the main act~. They worked together, which is development for one of the MAIN Themes, so then WHY?! WHY would you want to introduce the aliens if you're then forced to throw them this power-up because they wouldn't have been able to defeat and seal the lady otherwise?! HELLO!? Wasn't the entire point that they could've done ANYTHING together? WHY RUIN IT 😠?? For no reason???? ALSSOOOOO it would've been interesting IMO if then LITERALLY, the effect of them NOT working together when they were fighting each other at the end was evident to them both as well (for the sake of the Theme) since that is then suddenly a huge contrast to the previous fight and it would've clarified the ending a bit more to the casual reader/watcher. AND!!! If Madara was so 'power-hungry' and 'working together' was so important, then WHYYYYYYYY~~~~~ not have Naruto and Sasuke do JUST THAT instead of making them into a version of Madara (in regard to yin-yang, obtaining Hagoromo powers) when the narrative said it was a bad thing because having it all for yourself was used for evil?!?! When 'true understanding' comes from working together EVEN IF you're opposites!!!! WHEN HASHIRAMA AND MADARA COULDN'T!? AaAAAAAHHHHHH The hell has any of it got to do anything with Otosuzuki or however you spell it.

You can literally just scrap all of it, have Madara gain his power without any mention of the ancient chakra and have him be the main 'villain' of the story to beat because the war arc was too long anyway. And then, if Kishimoto wanted to add some moral revival he could've even passed the Rinnegan onto Sasuke next or something, because they were all sharing eyes at some point anyway. OR even have Sasuke's eye be even more special because he had the forehead eye-thing. OR OR OR!! What about the Ten-tails Rinne'Sharingan eye? 👀 Now it's just a mysterious man giving two guys the vegetable soup his mommy made because he can't eat it himself and she's mad about it. Man, I dunno, I'm just making something up, but so many other things were possible you know? I know there are many holes in what I said, but we're talking about removing an entire element, I can't cover it all. Excuse the rant.

I feel much better now :3

#asktamelee #naruto talk #anti naruto ending #I'm a huge kishimoto defender #and story defender #but this little tiny thing....#yeah #I didn't edit the rant xD jsyk!!#grammar is all over the place

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leportraitducadavre · 2 years

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I understand Sakura and Hinata's fandoms' interest in making their favorite character more likeable and less morally questionable as a lot of the criticism these characters receive is often tied to sexist remarks.

However, erasing their problematic characteristics detaches them from the overall universe they were created for as the entire manga revolves around the oppressive shinobi system that the main character is trying to change. They were purposefully created to coexist inside such an oppressive system without disputing it as such is Naruto’s whole purpose*.

*It's actually Sasuke who, later on, is presented as the one actually determined to carry out these revolutionary structural modifications -yet that doesn't change the fact that Naruto is the moral parameter of the narrative, which is why it was his primary job to pinpoint which actions/events were to be labeled as "evil", "good", or "necessary".

#anti hinata #anti hinata hyuga #anti hinata hyuuga #anti hinata fandom #anti naruhina #anti nh #anti naruhina fandom #anti sakura #anti sakura haruno #anti sakura fandom #anti ss #anti sasusaku #anti shinobi system #anti konoha #anti will of fire

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ilbenmalpensanteus · 1 year

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Naruto: Samurai or Shinobi?

So, a few days ago I’ve decided to analyse the universe of Naruto from a more historic point of view. During my research, I discovered some similarities between the real samurai figures and the “good” ninjas of manga and anime both. In fact, these good ninjas appeared to be a layered version of historic ninjas and samurais rather than the carbon copy of the traditional shinobi. I would like to talk about the mythology involved too, but it would take too long, so I remained with a social analysis of the canon.

Similarities to shinobi:

- Shinobis were trained in what is referred to as a hidden village.

- The location of their training and education depends on the purpose of their profession. The most important skill for a shinobi was the secrecy, mainly due to their status as mercenaries. It’s true that in the 16/17th century they were used for legal purposes thanks to daiymos intervention, but this didn’t arise their “nobility”.

- Shinobi came from important families and clans; they swear loyalty to the clan not to the country. On the contrary, Kishi seems to represent the good shinobi loyal to his country (in the case of Naruto, Fire Country).

- The use of magic skills, chakras and elemental powers was usually associated with ninjas, due to their mysterious characterisation.

Similarities to samurais:

- Good shinobis in Naruto are loyal, prefer open combat rather than deception, even if deception is a highly requested skill. Naruto, the most unpredictable Ninja, is the symbol of a revolution that re-writes the Ninja system entirely, erasing deception and hatred.

- One of the most important weapons in canon is the kunai, a traditional ninja weapon. But, even if in Naruto it is used for fighting purposes, traditionally it is mainly used to distract the enemy.

- If deception is the most important skill for a shinobi, Kishi’d done all wrong: except genin and the main characters of the manga, chunin and genin usually wear highly recognisable uniforms. Also, an enemy can immediately tell the whereabouts of the shinobi by looking at their headbands. Ninjas traditionally wore plain clothes to hide in crowds and work undercover.

- The theme of brotherhood: in medieval and modern Japan homosexual relationships were common during the adolescent phase (often between an older man and a younger one) in the samurais’ world. This kind of intercourses establish a so called “brotherly” relationship that excludes other male lovers but consents female ones. Anyway, after adolescence, these boys were forced to marry a woman to allow the continuation of the bloodline (Sas’ke purpose).

However, both “brothers” were considered attached together forever through a bond of friendship. This doesn’t necessarily exclude adult sexual encounters, but they were less frequent. Remember that, in medieval and modern Japan, relations between men were (in a platonic but also romantic way) durable and more honourable than those between women and men. It depends on the assumption that that men were superior to woman (male-male relationship: the perfect union between two similar). In the case of Naruto and Sasuke, there are a lot of similarities between the historical facts and their relationship, but I won’t go there. Probably I will write another post about this in the near future.

- Some of the most important shinobis in canon wear a partial samurai armour: Sarutobi and Hashirama wear the Do, the Sode, the Sune-Ate and the Haidate (in the case of Sarutobi, the Kabuto too). Their clothes are interesting because they distinguished them from the enemy at a crucial moment. Sarutobi who represents the good warrior, and Orochimaru, who represents the evil-side (here Orochimaru also represents the true (historically speaking) ninja, infiltrating in the village with deception and then wearing common merchant clothes); while Hashirama wears the armour from the beginning, Madara starts wearing these clothes only after the end of the clan war between Senju and Uchiha (I don’t know but perhaps in this case the armour may be a symbol o redemption in his case).

- Good ninjas have positive goals, missin-nin are selfish and don’t care about peace (in fact, shinobi have usually been used for the purpose of chaos).

If you want I can write here the entire bibliography supporting these thesis.

TCB

#naruto #love #naruto universe #naruto uzumaki #narusasu #sasunaru #sasuke x naruto #naruto x sasuke #samurai #medieval japan #shinobi #ninja #anti nh #anti ss #anti naruhina #anti sasusaku

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tsukuyomii45 · 1 year

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Naruto and Obito's Dynamic

I've been giving this a lot of thought and people often take it so lightly or even shit all over Naruto when he told that cunt Black Zetsu that Obito's nothing but awesome to him...

And there is a reason why that Naruto respects Obito so much despite everything that happened.

That's because Naruto would have done the exact same thing if he was the one who snapped and turned evil.

Naruto realized that he had absolutely NO place to judge him, when he knew that if things had just taken the wrong turn, he'd be just as evil. The best thing about Naruto is his maturity and self-awareness at his age because of everything he went through. His best power is empathy.

How, you may ask? Well... taking a look at Naruto's past... wasn't he always lonely and isolated by the villagers for a fate that he had no control over?

If Naruto did not see any good in the world, he'd make sure that every person would taste the despair and solitude he felt all those years by taking away their loved ones too; just to show them what it felt like to treat him this way, and just to see them crumble and be consumed by the fear of solitude and loneliness.

Yet it was in Naruto's favor that he found his people; when Obito unfortunately had no one to support his views other than Rin.

In what way did Rin support his views, you might ask?

Obito was ALWAYS against the system of the shinobi world. He basically rolls the opposite direction - he was never a "sheep" to their rules. Prioritize the mission? No. Save your comrades first. Strike a war for power? No. Enough sacrificing child soldiers and strive for peace. Enough blood spilling, enough living in a world where it only takes, and takes, and TAKES.

And Rin also shared the same feelings too; we just needed to read between the lines to see that. She wanted to stop wars, she wanted to stop seeing people die for the sake of political powers, she wanted people to live happily, and she too, wanted peace. It's something that really tightened her bond with Obito even more, and that's why she wanted to support the struggling Uchiha because he wasn't all talk to her - she always saw how he was working so hard against his own imperfections to become a Hokage who would work so hard to bring peace and eradicate the injustice of the system; and she wanted to see her best friend reach all those goals because she truly, truly, saw his potential.

As for Kakashi, even though deep down, he was doubtful and struggling with the rules of the shinobi system, went with the flow because of the trauma he suffered from Sakumo's death. It changed him 180 degrees and he cannot be blamed for it. His father was everything to him and children often mimic their heroes, and his father was his true hero until the tragedy happened. Kakashi was left to fend for himself, and when someone tried to throw at his face how the rules are flawed, Kakashi only remained in denial and just scoffed and shut it down because he didn't want to hear any of it.

Obito was the only one who woke him up and showed him that being a sheep to the injustice only brings tragedy, and that it needed to be stopped - starting by prioritizing your comrades. The best thing is that Obito didn't give a single flying f-ck about what the villagers would say as long as he stood by what was right; and it took a brutal event to make Kakashi see that his own father was right all along.

Obito had no one except Team Minato.

But imagine feeling let down by your own teacher? A person who he always looked up to and was lucky enough to be his student? He could have saved her. He could have saved the team. He could have done something - but in Obito's eyes, he was just as bad as everyone. Just as bad as the system. Then watching the person you entrusted a promise to keep the one and only person who means the world to you safe - only to see that promise broken in the most brutal way because of the goddamned system that forced Rin to be a Jinchuuriki (only for Kirigakure's desire to destroy Konoha), and forced her to take her life for the sake of Konoha. The war never stopped. Blood spilling didn't stop... and it also took the person he loved so much.

The despair made his sanity snap like a twig and darkness consumed him. Madara's manipulation was not helping either - because Madara saw the world the same way too, and it only made Obito feel like Madara was the only one walking with the truth and with the solution to fix everything that everyone failed to do.

And Naruto was able to see through all of that, bit by bit. Obito tends to manipulate people by using their weaknesses and darkness against them like a true devil, in order to lure them to his own dark path, but he could NOT do that to Naruto because Naruto was pulled away from that path by the right people.

At the same time, Naruto couldn't judge Obito for being the way he was, but Naruto also knew that if Obito had the right people around him, then things would be different in the best way possible. He would've been the shinobi world's protector, rather than destroyer; and when Obito redeemed himself, that's all Naruto could see: Not the Obito that snapped, not the Obito that walked the earth in darkness and evil - he only saw the Obito that would have been the true protector of the world.

#naruto uzumaki #obito uchiha #naruto shippuden #uzumaki naruto #uchiha obito #team minato #rin nohara #kakashi hatake #minato namikaze #madara uchiha #black zetsu

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