CRAZY DIAMONDS

Yes, it used to be a source of frustration, given the context when Itachi used to do it. But, as he found out the truth about his brother, he also understood why he had to push him away so many times and it changed the nature of the gesture for Sasuke.

At the time, Itachi was just his older brother, but in reality he had the weight of the village - and the clan - on his shoulders.

At. All. Times.

As much as Itachi loved him and wanted to just be able to spend time with his brother as a normal kid would, he couldn’t afford to do that. He had a great number of responsibilities and his ultimate goal (peace) clashed with his ability to personally experience and indulge in love and affection. In the end, he’d always put the greater good in front of his own, which sometimes meant those closest to him would suffer with his absence and miss him.

Later in life (especially when he had to leave Sarada, I believe), Sasuke understood how much abnegation and unconditional love was truly behind his brother’s gesture.

It was not that Itachi didn’t care about him, it was the complete opposite: he cared so much that his will to create a better world for him was greater than everything else. He wanted Sasuke to live the safe, peaceful life he didn’t have, even if it meant he had to often push him away, leaving him frustrated with just an apology and a promisse.

The fact that Sasuke used this gesture on Sakura when he left the village after the war speaks fucking volumes about his character growth and their connection, and I don’t understand how people can overlook that.

He was leaving his friends behind once again, this time because he had to sort himself and his place in the world out before he could even think about getting further involved. Sasuke isn’t and never was heartless, no matter how much he tried to be. When he realised how sad Sakura was to see him leave once again, he recognised the feeling. She wanted him to stay. To some extent, a part of him deep down wanted that too but couldn’t, because of a greater good, so he left her with a promise and the most symbolic gesture of love and selflessness he could think of. “I’ll see you when I’m back”, a promise he himself hoped he someday could fulfil.

This is just beautiful. This is growth! It further confirmed that Sasuke, the real Sasuke, was back and ready to make his peace with all the trauma and pain he had to endure. That gesture (and the love it meant) was no longer so painful to think about. In that moment, it became a way for Sasuke to communicate his own feelings. He wasn’t used to it, so he used the best reference he could remember to show Sakura that this time he wasn’t leaving her behind like he had done before. On the contrary, he was leaving so he could, someday, hope to come back. He did that to show Sakura that he cared about her and cherished the love she had for him, even if he had to leave and couldn’t quite return them yet.

Said all this, the moment the forehead poke made the greatest impact on me, personally, was in the Gaiden. Sasuke had to leave once again on a mission that would keep him away for years, leaving his family behind. The fact that some readers take this lightly like “he didn’t care, it was actually a relieve for Sasuke” makes me want to punch a damn wall. Are we even talking about the same character? It must have been one of the most difficult things he ever had to do. After being alone for so many years, believing that things such as bonds and family were out of his reach, he finally had it all. He had a home to come back to after his missions, one that wasn’t empty and cold. He had Sakura who gave him a baby girl who adored him and called him “papa”.

And then he had to leave. Again.

For the greater good. Again.

For the sake of the village, sure. But most importantly (I believe) for the sake of his family’s safety, so his daughter could have a bright future ahead of her and a restored honor to her clan. Even if that meant sacrificing his own happiness and that of those closest to him, he’d do it, precisely because of how unconditional and selfless his love for them is. Just like Itachi, Sasuke took the risk of being misunderstood by those he loved so that he could ensure their safety. And, just like his younger self was frustrated by his older brother’s absence, Sarada also grew up resenting her father's apparent neglect and indiferente. But, just like Sakura said, she would understand when she met him. And she did, to a certain degree at least. She doesn’t know everything yet. She doesn’t know scarred her father’s soul truly is, how dangerous his missions always are and how hard it was for him to leave them behind.

I think a lot of people don’t stop to realise that Sarada was the only person Sasuke was shown hugging in the whole series, apart from Itachi. That manga panel and the animation made me cry like a baby because I felt how Sasuke’s heart must have ached at that moment, seeing his daughter cry because of him leaving again. The way he immediately took a step forward and comforted her tore my heart into pieces. The conclusion to that scene was Sasuke once again resorting to the other gesture of love he knew, poking her forehead with his fingers. Just like Sakura years before, Sarada felt the promise and the deep love behind that forehead poke. Her father cared and he wasn’t leaving them, he was leaving so he could protect them the best way he possibly could.

That forehead poke is hope, a promise for better days motivated by the most unconditional love. It’s something started by Itachi that Sasuke carried in his heart for years and is now able to pass down to those he loves.